Businesses in a high rise in Brighton fear their Christmas trading could be ruined.

Rizzle Kicks' Jordan Stephens has written a memoir: Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak & Dogs.

"I am just glad officers were able to identify this madness," a crime commissioner says.

Its hands haven't moved for several months.

A sales agreement means work can soon start on a new development at a former factory in Stamford.

The Boro legend speaks at length about "the toughest year of his life"

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton says his team need to improve after their 1-1 draw with Maidstone United in National League South.

BBC Radio Stoke’s Matt Weigold went to try his hand at apple wanging for Alton Apple Day.

Cara Edwards from Bayston Hill had an urgent message about flood water hitting her home.

The event is designed to show how the joy art can bring people.

A restriction zone has been extended to cover the island and part of Hampshire.

Burton Albion are on the cusp of ending their dreadful winless start to the League One season, insists interim head coach Tom Hounsell.

BBC Radio WM listeners share their memories and thoughts following the stars death.

Gadebridge Pharmacy was used as a location for a scene in the film, Paddington in Peru.

The Sikh temple on Cardigan Street welcomes anyone from any background.

Luton boss Rob Edwards still has his players' backing but admits his future is "out of my hands" after Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.

Luton and Sunderland are fined by the Football Association for a mass confrontation at the end of their Championship game last month.

Brighton is the fourth least affordable place in England to rent according to government statistics.

Salisbury is one of 23 locations across the UK to have a Paddington Bear statue.

Ben Elton is bringing his new tour to the county, but says he visits Norfolk regularly.

Quick drawing about today's Stonehenge action by Just Stop Oil

The post Stonehenge appeared first on Dave Walker.

Hello there, it's been a while! Oh dear, another year has passed. And it seems that I've been stocking up a year's supply of JavaScript tidbits to dump on the unsuspecting populace! Ok, not quite, but I do have quite a backlog, that's somewhat in chronological order, ...

In the round-up: New simulator 'like Star Wars' - Krack • Pirelli likes 'flexibility' of new C6 • Play NZ anthem when McLaren wins - Lawson

In the round-up: Monza crash 'made me stronger'- Antonelli • Perez staying at Red Bull - reports • Esterson fills empty Trident F2 seat

Dan Fallows is stepping down as Aston Martin's technical director, two-and-a-half years after taking over the role.

If you are home alone tonight on Halloween and fancy something spooky and electronic to listen to, please allow me to direct you to the annual Homebrew Electronica horrorthon! Promising “spooky bangers, creepy electronica and twisted soundscapes for Halloween night”,...

Si utilizás el buscador Google Chrome podés encontrar herramientas de mucho provecho. Acabo de toparme con la extensión en línea de Academic Earth, que ofrece el acceso gratuito a videos de los cursos y conferencias de las universidades más destacadas de Estados Unidos y en las materias más diversas. ENJOY KNOWLEDGE!

1. Aide à l'Ukraine : Antony Blinken met la pression sur les Européens avant le retour de Donald Trump  FRANCE 24
2. Les craintes des dirigeants ukrainiens face aux futures nominations annoncées par Donald Trump  Le Monde
3. «La confrontation entre Trump et Poutine est inévitable, mais que va-t-elle coûter à l’Ukraine et à l’Europe ?»  Libération
4. 24H Pujadas du mardi 12 novembre 2024 - 24 h Pujadas, l'info en questions | LCI  TF1+
5. Guerre en Ukraine : "Donald Trump souhaite parvenir à la paix le plus rapidement possible", en acceptant de céder à Poutine les territoires conquis par son armée  L'Indépendant

1. Trump Taps Fox News Pundit to Be Secretary of Defense  Rolling Stone
2. Trump's defence choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience  CTV News
3. How Pete Hegseth went from Fox News host to Trump’s Defense Secretary pick  CNN
4. Trump Puts Allies on Alert by Handing Pentagon to Fox News Host Hegseth  Bloomberg
5. House Democrat ‘very disturbed’ by Hegseth pick as Trump Defense secretary  The Hill

(Belga) Un Américain, qui avait été immortalisé les pieds sur une table dans le bureau de la cheffe démocrate Nancy Pelosi lors de l'assaut sur le Capitole, a été reconnu coupable lundi de plusieurs délits.

Après une courte délibération, les jurés ont déclaré Richard Barnett, 62 ans, coupable, entre autres, d'entrave à une procédure officielle, vol et intrusion dans un bâtiment officiel avec une arme dangereuse (un bâton de marche capable d'envoyer des décharges électriques). Le 6 janvier 2021, il avait envahi, comme des centaines de partisans de l'ex-président républicain Donald Trump, le siège du Congrès au moment où les élus certifiaient la victoire du démocrate Joe Biden à la présidentielle. Il avait été photographié par l'AFP dans le bureau de la cheffe de la chambre des représentants, Nancy Pelosi, les pieds sur un meuble. Le cliché avait fait le tour du monde et permis à la police de l'interpeller rapidement. Selon le dossier d'accusation, ce partisan de la mouvance complotiste Qanon avait laissé un message insultant à la démocrate et volé une enveloppe qu'elle avait signée. Pendant son procès, il s'était montré défiant, assurant avoir été "poussé à l'intérieur" du Capitole par la foule. Sa peine sera prononcée en mai. En attendant, il reste assigné à résidence avec un bracelet électronique. En deux ans d'enquête, plus de 950 participants à cette attaque ont été arrêtés, et près de 200 condamnés à des peines de prison. (Belga)

(Belga) Quatre membres de la milice d'extrême droite "Oath Keepers" ont été reconnus coupables lundi de sédition pour leur rôle dans l'assaut du Capitole, à l'issue du second procès organisé sur ce chef d'accusation extrêmement rare.

Depuis l'attaque du 6 janvier 2021, plus de 950 partisans de l'ex-président républicain Donald Trump ont été arrêtés et inculpés pour avoir semé le chaos dans le siège de la démocratie américaine. Parmi eux, seuls 14 militants de groupuscules d'extrême droite - neuf membres des "Oath Keepers" et cinq "Proud Boys" - ont été accusés de "sédition", un chef passible de 20 ans de prison qui implique d'avoir planifié l'usage de la force pour s'opposer au gouvernement. Faute de place suffisante dans le tribunal fédéral de Washington, la justice a organisé le procès des Oath Keepers, accusés de s'être entraînés et armés pour l'occasion, en deux temps. Un premier procès s'est conclu fin novembre par un verdict mitigé: le fondateur de cette milice, Stewart Rhodes, et un responsable local ont été déclarés coupables de sédition, mais leurs trois co-accusés ont été acquittés sur ce chef. Lundi, à l'issue du second procès, les jurés ont jugé coupables les quatre derniers Oath Keepers, des hommes âgés de 38 à 64 ans décrits comme de dangereux "traîtres" par l'accusation, mais comme des "fanfarons" par leurs avocats. Le procès des Proud Boys, dont leur leader Enrique Tarrio, s'est ouvert en décembre et était toujours en cours lundi, dans le même tribunal. (Belga)

Badminton, as a fast and highly technical sport, requires high accuracy in identifying athletes' swing movements. Accurately identifying different swing movements is of great significance for technical analysis, coach guidance, and game evaluation. To improve the recognition accuracy of badminton players' swing movements, this text is based on an improved dense trajectory algorithm to improve the accuracy of recognising badminton players' swing movements. The features are efficiently extracted and encoded. The results on the KTH, UCF Sports, and Hollywood2 datasets demonstrated that the improved algorithm achieved recognition accuracy of 94.2%, 88.2%, and 58.3%, respectively. Compared to traditional methods, the innovation of research lies in optimised feature extraction methods, efficient algorithm design, and accurate action recognition. These results provide new ideas for the research and application of badminton swing motion recognition.

Aim/Purpose: Accurate detection of vacant parking spaces is crucial for autonomous parking. Deep learning, particularly Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), holds promise for addressing the challenges of diverse parking lot appearances and complex visual environments. Our GNN-based approach leverages the spatial layout of detected marking points in around-view images to learn robust feature representations that are resilient to occlusions and lighting variations. We demonstrate significant accuracy improvements on benchmark datasets compared to existing methods, showcasing the effectiveness of our GNN-based solution. Further research is needed to explore the scalability and generalizability of this approach in real-world scenarios and to consider the potential ethical implications of autonomous parking technologies. Background: GNNs offer a number of advantages over traditional parking spot detection methods. Unlike methods that treat objects as discrete entities, GNNs may leverage the inherent connections among parking markers (lines, dots) inside an image. This ability to exploit spatial connections leads to more accurate parking space detection, even in challenging scenarios with shifting illumination. Real-time applications are another area where GNNs exhibit promise, which is critical for autonomous vehicles. Their ability to intuitively understand linkages across marking sites may further simplify the process compared to traditional deep-learning approaches that need complex feature development. Furthermore, the proposed GNN model streamlines parking space recognition by potentially combining slot inference and marking point recognition in a single step. All things considered, GNNs present a viable method for obtaining stronger and more precise parking slot recognition, opening the door for autonomous car self-parking technology developments. Methodology: The proposed research introduces a novel, end-to-end trainable method for parking slot detection using bird’s-eye images and GNNs. The approach involves a two-stage process. First, a marking-point detector network is employed to identify potential parking markers, extracting features such as confidence scores and positions. After refining these detections, a marking-point encoder network extracts and embeds location and appearance information. The enhanced data is then loaded into a fully linked network, with each node representing a marker. An attentional GNN is then utilized to leverage the spatial relationships between neighbors, allowing for selective information aggregation and capturing intricate interactions. Finally, a dedicated entrance line discriminator network, trained on GNN outputs, classifies pairs of markers as potential entry lines based on learned node attributes. This multi-stage approach, evaluated on benchmark datasets, aims to achieve robust and accurate parking slot detection even in diverse and challenging environments. Contribution: The present study makes a significant contribution to the parking slot detection domain by introducing an attentional GNN-based approach that capitalizes on the spatial relationships between marking points for enhanced robustness. Additionally, the paper offers a fully trainable end-to-end model that eliminates the need for manual post-processing, thereby streamlining the process. Furthermore, the study reduces training costs by dispensing with the need for detailed annotations of marking point properties, thereby making it more accessible and cost-effective. Findings: The goal of this research is to present a unique approach to parking space recognition using GNNs and bird’s-eye photos. The study’s findings demonstrated significant improvements over earlier algorithms, with accuracy on par with the state-of-the-art DMPR-PS method. Moreover, the suggested method provides a fully trainable solution with less reliance on manually specified rules and more economical training needs. One crucial component of this approach is the GNN’s performance. By making use of the spatial correlations between marking locations, the GNN delivers greater accuracy and recall than a completely linked baseline. The GNN successfully learns discriminative features by separating paired marking points (creating parking spots) from unpaired ones, according to further analysis using cosine similarity. There are restrictions, though, especially where there are unclear markings. Successful parking slot identification in various circumstances proves the recommended method’s usefulness, with occasional failures in poor visibility conditions. Future work addresses these limitations and explores adapting the model to different image formats (e.g., side-view) and scenarios without relying on prior entry line information. An ablation study is conducted to investigate the impact of different backbone architectures on image feature extraction. The results reveal that VGG16 is optimal for balancing accuracy and real-time processing requirements. Recommendations for Practitioners: Developers of parking systems are encouraged to incorporate GNN-based techniques into their autonomous parking systems, as these methods exhibit enhanced accuracy and robustness when handling a wide range of parking scenarios. Furthermore, attention mechanisms within deep learning models can provide significant advantages for tasks that involve spatial relationships and contextual information in other vision-based applications. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is necessary to assess the effectiveness of GNN-based methods in real-world situations. To obtain accurate results, it is important to employ large-scale datasets that include diverse lighting conditions, parking layouts, and vehicle types. Incorporating semantic information such as parking signs and lane markings into GNN models can enhance their ability to interpret and understand context. Moreover, it is crucial to address ethical concerns, including privacy, potential biases, and responsible deployment, in the development of autonomous parking technologies. Impact on Society: Optimized utilization of parking spaces can help cities manage parking resources efficiently, thereby reducing traffic congestion and fuel consumption. Automating parking processes can also enhance accessibility and provide safer and more convenient parking experiences, especially for individuals with disabilities. The development of dependable parking capabilities for autonomous vehicles can also contribute to smoother traffic flow, potentially reducing accidents and positively impacting society. Future Research: Developing and optimizing graph neural network-based models for real-time deployment in autonomous vehicles with limited resources is a critical objective. Investigating the integration of GNNs with other deep learning techniques for multi-modal parking slot detection, radar, and other sensors is essential for enhancing the understanding of the environment. Lastly, it is crucial to develop explainable AI methods to elucidate the decision-making processes of GNN models in parking slot detection, ensuring fairness, transparency, and responsible utilization of this technology.

The interview questions deal with the means by which Estonia and other republics of the former Soviet Union managed to transform their educational systems and the impact of the Soviet heritage on this transformation. An interview was conducted with Professor Olav Aarna. In 1991 Professor Olav Aarna became the rector of TUT. From 2000 to 2003 he held the position of rector of the first private university in Estonia - Estonian Business School (EBS). From 2003 to 2007 Olav Aarna was member of the Estonian Parliament, serving also as Chairman of the Committee for Cultural Affairs responsible for education, research, culture and sports affairs. From 1998-2000 he was Vice Chairman of Estonian National Council for Research and Development. His experience in the field of educational legislation stems from his advisory position to the Minister of Education of Estonia from 1990 to1992. His competence in the field of the Bologna process results from the development of higher education legislation in Estonia (2002-...) and the development of a higher education quality assurance system for Estonia (2008-...). Olav Aarna has consulted third countries in the national qualifications framework (NQF) development as a European Training Foundation (ETF) expert.

We examine how top management team (TMT) misfit, defined as discrepancies between the TMT's functional roles and the qualifications of the managers who fill those roles, affects the evolution of TMT composition and structure in a longitudinal study of entrepreneurial ventures. We distinguish two types of misfit - overqualification and underqualification - and study how each is associated with TMT changes. We further consider the moderating effect of firm development. Results reveal that underqualified TMTs hire new managers to reinforce existing capabilities whereas overqualified TMTs elaborate their role structures. However, achieving developmental milestones (i.e., obtaining venture capital funding and staging an initial public offering) is a critical contingency to TMT change: absent these milestones, firms neither hire new managers nor add roles, even when they seemingly need to do so. These findings contribute to knowledge of how TMTs and new ventures evolve by underscoring the importance of simultaneously attending to TMT composition and structure.

We draw on the historiographical concepts of "generational units" and "collective memories" as a framework for understanding the emergence of entrepreneurially oriented cohesive groups within regions. Generational units are localized subgroups within generations that have a self-referential, reflexive quality, by virtue of the members' sense of their own connections to each other and the events that define them. Collective memories are shared accounts of the past shaped by historical events that mold individuals' perceptions. The two concepts provide a valuable point of departure for incorporating historical concepts into the study of entrepreneurial dynamics and offer a framework for understanding how entrepreneurs' historically situated experiences affect them. Our framework breaks new theoretical ground in several ways. First, we synthesize disparate literatures on generational units, collective memory, and organizational imprinting. Second, we specify mechanisms through which imprinting occurs and persists over time. We develop analytical arguments framed by sociological and historiographical theories, focusing on the conditions under which meaningful generational units of entrepreneurs may emerge and benefit from leadership and legacy building, technologies of memory, and institutional support that increases the likelihood of their persistence.

BUILDINGS contribute 80-90% of the world’s carbon emission; they thus represent the biggest opportunities for climate-change mitigation through carbon reduction.

Universities, as owners of buildings that remain theirs for years to come, have a special responsibility to arrest climate change through sustainable operation. Management and Science University (MSU) recently achieved a Diamond-2 rating in the SEDA Malaysia Sustainable Energy Low Carbon Building Assessment 2020.

Recording 24.21% less emission against baseline measurements in 2019 – an annual saving of 5,646,661 kWh or 3,918.78 tonnes less carbon dioxide in 2020 – MSU is well on its way to supporting governmental target of 40-45% less CO2 in 2030.

In honour of this achievement, MSU President Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Dr Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid was presented with the University’s first green certification by SEDA Acting Chief Strategic Officer TS Steve Anthony Lojuntin.

With the Green Pass, MSU emerged the first private institution of higher education in Malaysia to receive the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Diamond-2 rating.

PROTON has unveiled its new S70 R3 race car for the upcoming 2024 Sepang 1000KM (S1K) endurance race, hosted at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. This addition to Proton’s racing portfolio will compete with two cars, each driven by a pair of seasoned and promising drivers.

Driver Line-up

Car #81: Piloted by Syafiq Ali, a three-time S1K winner, and Fahrizal Hasan, known for his multiple victories in the Sepang 12 Hours endurance race.

Car #82: Driven by two emerging talents, Ariff Azmi, an 18-year-old karting and touring car champion, and Alister Yoong, a 21-year-old Formula 4 racer and son of former F1 driver Alex Yoong.

Spotlight on Alister Yoong

Alister Yoong brings an impressive racing background to Proton’s team:

– Winner of the 2022 Indian Racing League and current championship leader in 2024.

– Notched up four wins in the Italian Sports Prototype Championship (CISP) and two in the French Sports Prototype Championship.

– Head coach at Axle Academy, founded by his father, where he trains up-and-coming racers.

The Race Car: Proton S70 R3

The S70 R3 is equipped with a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated S4PH engine, engineered according to Malaysian Touring Car (MTC) regulations. The team has hinted at a potential expansion next year, considering entry into the Malaysian Championship Series’ SP2 class. This setup and driver mix signal a strong bid from Proton for the 2024 S1K endurance race.

PROTON achieved notable success in October 2024, with total sales of 12,799 units, reflecting a 13.6% increase from September. This brings the year-to-date (YTD) total to 125,557 units, reinforcing the brand’s goal of securing a sixth consecutive year of growth. With a projected market share of 18.1% for October and a YTD share of 18.9%, Proton stands firmly as Malaysia’s second most popular automotive brand.

The automotive industry as a whole rebounded in October, with estimated total industry volume (TIV) reaching 70,668 units, marking the fifth time this year that monthly sales have exceeded 70,000 units.

Key Model Highlights

Proton Saga: Delivering 6,112 units in October, this model’s YTD sales reached 60,178 units, securing its spot as the third highest-selling vehicle in Malaysia. Proton aims for the Saga to surpass 70,000 units by year-end.

Proton X50: Leading the B-segment SUV market, the X50 maintained its popularity with 2,122 units sold in October, showcasing a blend of style, performance, and advanced features.

Proton S70: Regained its position as the top C-segment sedan with 1,432 units sold, boosting its YTD tally to 16,200. The upcoming Proton S70 R3 participation in the Sepang 1000km Endurance Race is expected to further enhance its appeal.

Proton X90: Delivered 245 units in October, holding the top position in the D-segment SUV category with a YTD total of 2,969 units.

Other models also posted solid performances, with the Persona and X70 recording 1,520 and 989 units, respectively, while the Iriz sold 379 units, placing it fourth in the B-segment hatchback category.

Outlook and Strategy

Proton anticipates strong competition in Q4 2024 due to increased market offers from various brands. However, the company remains focused on long-term value by enhancing product quality and customer service through its 157 3S/4S outlets, aiming to preserve residual values amid market challenges.

MALAYSIAN carmaker Proton has taken a significant step toward international expansion with the inauguration of a new completely knocked-down (CKD) plant to assemble the Proton Saga in Cairo, Egypt. The ceremony was officiated by YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, during his official visit to the country.

Prominent figures present at the event included H.E. Lieutenant General Kamel Al-Wazir, Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister, YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, and YB Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Egyptian and Malaysian officials, including H.E. Mr Ragai Tawfik Said Nasr, Ambassador of Egypt to Malaysia, also participated alongside business leaders from both nations.

Strategic Investment in Al Oula Industrial Park

The new CKD facility is located in the Al Oula Industrial Park, Giza, and is operated by Ezz Elarab Elsewedy Automotive Factories (ESAF)—a joint venture between Ezz Elarab and Elsewedy Capital Holding. The plant represents an investment of USD35 million and has a production capacity of 20,000 units per shift. Once fully operational, it is expected to employ up to 400 people.

Proton was represented at the inauguration by Tan Sri Syed Faisal Albar, Chairman, and Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO. From ESAF, Hisham Ezz Elarab, Chairman, and Ahmed Elsewedy, Board Member, attended the event.

A Milestone in Bilateral Cooperation

During his speech, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim highlighted Proton as a source of national pride and emphasised the importance of partnerships like ESAF in fostering industrial advancement. He urged Proton to leverage local facilities to strengthen its operations in the region.

The factory inauguration comes shortly after the first shipment of CKD packs was sent to Egypt on 9 September 2024. The production of left-hand drive Proton Saga models is set to begin in December 2024, with an initial production target of 1,400 units for 2024. This is projected to increase to 5,000 units in 2025, with a total of 16,000 CKD packs expected to be exported by the end of 2026.

Expanding Beyond Egypt

The vehicles assembled in Egypt will not only cater to the domestic market but also be exported to Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle Eastern markets. These efforts are part of Proton’s strategy to strengthen its presence in emerging markets where car ownership is on the rise.

The total value of exports from this initiative is estimated at RM570 million, excluding an additional RM20 million projected from parts exports.

Unlocking Global Potential

Tan Sri Syed Faisal Albar remarked that Proton, as Malaysia’s leading vehicle exporter, currently sees exports accounting for 3% of total sales volume. However, the company aims to unlock untapped potential in international markets.

“Egypt is central to our plans for the region. Moving forward, we will focus on partnerships like ESAF to maximize the sales potential for Proton vehicles in regions where car ownership is still growing,” he said.

Future Growth Prospects

The establishment of the Cairo CKD facility marks a pivotal moment in Proton’s international expansion. With plans to explore broader markets and collaborate with strategic partners, the company is poised to enhance Malaysia’s automotive footprint on the global stage.

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These chart-topping artists traded stages for scripts, leaving viewers starstruck with their surprise appearances

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