The pylons, spanning 50 miles, will run wind farm energy into England but will dissect the Borders countryside.

Carers reveal the stress of the DWP informing them they have been overpaid in benefits.

Police were called after a witness reported a man being assaulted in Rugby.

1. Management of opioid use disorder: 2024 update to the national clinical practice guideline  CMAJ
2. New set of guidelines set to combat opioid usage  CTV News Toronto

To reduce the location cost of cross-border e-commerce logistics sites, this article proposes a multi-logistics site location method based on return uncertainty. Firstly, a site selection model is established with the objective function of minimising site construction costs, transportation costs, return costs, and operating costs, and the constraint conditions of return recovery costs and delayed pick-up time; Then, using the Monte Carlo method to simulate the number of returned items, and using an improved chicken swarm algorithm based on simulated annealing, the cross-border e-commerce multi-logistics site location model is solved to complete the location selection. Experimental results show that this method can effectively reduce the related costs of cross-border e-commerce multi-logistics site selection. After applying this method, the total cost of multi-logistics site selection is 19.4 million yuan, while the total cost of the five comparative methods exceeds 20 million yuan.

In today's world, malware has become a part and threat to our computer systems. All electronic devices are very susceptible/vulnerable to various threats like different types of malware. There is one subset of malware called ransomware, which is majorly used to have large financial gains. The attacker asks for a ransom amount to regain access to the system/data. When dynamic technique using machine learning is used, it is very important to select the correct set of features for the detection of a ransomware attack. In this paper, we present two novel algorithms for the detection of ransomware attacks. The first algorithm is used to assign the time stamp to the features (API calls) for the ordering and second is used for the ordering and ranking of the features for the early detection of a ransomware attack.

In view of the low evaluation accuracy of the effectiveness of cross-border e-commerce supply chain innovation model and the low correlation coefficient of innovation model influencing factors, the evaluation method of cross-border e-commerce supply chain innovation model based on blockchain technology is studied. First, analyse the operation mode of cross-border e-commerce supply chain, and determine the key factors affecting the innovation mode; Then, the comprehensive integration weighting method is used to analyse the factors affecting innovation and calculate the weight value; Finally, the blockchain technology is introduced to build an evaluation model for the supply chain innovation model and realise the evaluation of the cross-border e-commerce supply chain innovation model. The experimental results show that the evaluation accuracy of the proposed method is high, and the highest correlation coefficient of the influencing factors of innovation mode is about 0.99, which is feasible.

An optimisation-based decision-making support is proposed in this study in the form of fuzzy-probabilistic programming, which can be used to solve integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management problems in fuzzy and probabilistic uncertain environments. The problem was modelled in an uncertain mathematical optimisation model with two objectives: maximising the expectation of production volume and minimising the expectation of total operational cost subject to demand and other constraints. The model belongs to fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective integer linear programming, and the generalised reduced gradient method combined with the branch-and-bound algorithm was utilised to solve the derived model. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate how the optimal decision was formulated. The results showed that the proposed decision-making support was successful in providing the optimal decision with the maximum expectation of the production volume and minimum expectation of the total operational cost. Therefore, the approach can be implemented by decision-makers in manufacturing companies.

If partnering with local firms is an intuitive strategy with which to mitigate uncertainty in foreign ventures, then why don't organizations always partner with local firms, especially in uncertain settings? We address this question by unbundling the effects of uncertainty in foreign ventures at the venture and country levels. We contend that, while both levels increase the need for partnering with local firms in foreign ventures, country-level uncertainty increases the difficulty of partnering with local firms and decreases the likelihood of such partnerships. We also posit that experiential learning helps firms manage the two types of uncertainty, and thereby reduces the need for partnering—yet, experience in the host country makes partnering more feasible and increases the likelihood of such partnerships. To test our hypotheses, we conceptualize the decision to partner with a local firm in a foreign venture as a multilayered decision, and model it accordingly. Using a global sample of venture capital investments made between 1984 and 2011, we find support for the distinct effects of venture- and country-level uncertainty as well as for corresponding levels of experiential learning. These findings have implications for the literature on cross-border venture capital investment and international business in general.

A Mexican man was arrested trying to smuggle 11,100 rounds of 7.62x39 into the United States from Mexico.

WASHINGTON: A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, their lawyers said.

CACI Premier Technology Inc was found liable at the conclusion of a long-running trial for its role in the torture of the three men at the notorious prison in 2003 and 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights said.

Suhail Al Shimari, a middle school principal, Asa’ad Zuba’e, a fruit vendor, and Salah Al-Ejaili, a journalist, were each awarded $14 million in damages, the center said in a statement.

The three men filed suit against CACI, a private company based in Arlington, Virginia, in 2008.

Abu Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad, became a potent negative symbol of the US occupation of Iraq after evidence emerged of detainee abuse by American soldiers at the facility.

Most of the abuse took place at the end of 2003, when CACI employees were working in the prison, according to the suit.

The company’s civilian employees were accused of having encouraged US soldiers to abuse the prisoners to prepare them for interrogation.

Criminal charges were brought against 11 low-ranking guards, including former army reserve specialist Lynndie England, who was shown smiling in photographs while posing next to naked prisoners.

The case against CACI was brought under a section of the US Code called the Alien Tort Statute, which allows non-US citizens to file suit in US courts for human rights violations for incidents that took place outside the United States.

CACI claimed that most of the alleged abuse was approved by the then-US defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and incorporated into rules of engagement by military commanders at the prison.

“Today is a big day for me and for justice,“ Al-Ejaili said in a statement.

“This victory is a shining light for everyone who has been oppressed and a strong warning to any company or contractor practicing different forms of torture and abuse.”

Katherine Gallagher, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, welcomed the jury’s verdict saying it “makes clear CACI’s role in this shameful part of our history.”

“Private military and security contractors are put on notice that they can and will be held accountable when they breach the most fundamental international law protections -- like the prohibition against torture,“ Gallagher said.

“For 20 years, CACI has refused to take responsibility for its role in torture at Abu Ghraib.”

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s cross-border renewable energy auction for Singapore’s energy importer, under Energy Exchange Malaysia (ENEGEM), will begin by year-end, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.

He explained that, through efforts to integrate regional power grids, the country aims to strengthen energy security across ASEAN member states.

“Further to the regional integrated grid, it can also serve as an economic catalyst in fostering regional cooperation through cross-border renewable energy trade.

“By sharing excess energy, the country can reduce reliance on fossil fuels while building an integrated ASEAN energy infrastructure,” he said in his opening address at the 2nd Sustainability Environment Asia (SEA) 2024.

Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) Minister, confirmed that coal-fired generation will be gradually phased out, with no new coal power plants to be established.

He cited the International Energy Agency’s clear stance that reducing coal dependency is crucial to limiting global warming and stressed Malaysia’s commitment to this objective.

“We will continue to enhance grid flexibility by investing in and developing smart grids, digitising the power system, and expanding energy storage systems.

“By 2035, we aim to increase grid flexibility by 20%, enabling greater integration of renewable energy sources,” he added.

Under the National Energy Transition Roadmap, the government aims to raise renewable energy’s contribution to Malaysia’s installed power capacity to 70% by 2050, up from the current 28%.

Meanwhile, he outlined plans to restructure Malaysia’s water services over the next decade in collaboration with the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and the Malaysian Water Association.

“As of 2023, 97.1% of urban and rural areas had access to water supply, while sewerage services covered 86.9% of major cities.

“Malaysia aims for 98% rural clean water coverage and a 31% non-revenue water rate by 2025 through Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM),” he said.

Malaysia remains committed to fostering a healthy environment, driving economic prosperity, and improving the quality of life for its people and future generations.

As the country strives toward its net zero carbon goal by 2050, it is vital to capitalise on every opportunity to navigate a sustainable transformation and embrace a circular economy.

“I invite businesses to partner with the government and explore all options for collaboration,” he added.

This is the cost of following orders, whether blindly or knowingly, in the Philippine National Police: 214 cops faced 352 criminal charges, with 20 still in detention, for carrying out the war on drugs during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. Another 195 cops were sacked while 398 face possible dismissal from the PNP over administrative cases.

He urges voters to try JI this time in order to put the country on the path to prosperity

The quiet chaos of food obsession and unrealistic body standards that runs rampant in present-day society

Special training for officers and provision of armoured vehicles were key directives from the Punjab CM today

Constant bombardment of ‘bad news’ can easily make individuals desensitised and disillusioned

Journalists looked to report inside the Kursk region after a Ukrainian cross-border incursion

Separately, Indian FM said India's economic relationship with China has been very "unfair" and "imbalanced"

BREIN has obtained a new blocking order in the Netherlands targeting TorrentGalaxy, one the world's most popular torrent sites. Internet provider Odido objected to the request, arguing that the Dutch anti-piracy group could have done more to target the problem closer to the source. The Rotterdam District Court found that the anti-piracy group can't be expected to do more than it's already done.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

All arrested members are currently under police custody on physical remand

Privacy: Our analog parents had the ability to read news anonymously, however they wanted, wherever they wanted, and whenever they wanted. For our digital children, a government agent might as well be looking over their shoulder: the government knows what news sources they read, what articles, for how long, and in what order.

For our analog parents, reading the news was an affair the government had no part of, or indeed had any business being part of. Our analog parents bought a morning newspaper with a few coins on the street corner, brought it somewhere quiet where they had a few minutes to spare, and started reading without anybody interfering.

When our digital children read the news, the government doesn’t just know what news source they choose to read, but also what specific articles they read from that news source, in what order, and for how long. So do several commercial actors. There are at least three grave issues with this.

The first is that since the government has this data, it will attempt to use this data. More specifically, it will attempt to use the data against the individual concerned, possibly in some sort of pre-crime scheme. We know this that since all data collected by a government will eventually be used against the people concerned, with mathematical certainty.

In an attention economy, data about what we pay attention to, how much, and for how long, are absolutely crucial predictive behaviors. And in the hands of a government which makes the crucial mistake of using it to predict pre-crime, the results can be disastrous for the individual and plain wrong for the government.

Of course, the instant the government uses this data in any way imaginable, positive or negative, it will become Heisenberg Metrics — the act of using the data will shape the data itself. For example, if somebody in government decides that reading about frugality probably is an indicator of poverty, and so makes people more eligible for government handouts, then such a policy will immediately shape people’s behavior to read more about frugality. Heisenberg Metrics is when a metric can’t be measured without making it invalid in the process.

(The phenomenon is named after the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which is traditionally confused with the Observer Effect, which states you can’t measure some things without changing them in the process. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is actually something else entirely; it states that you can’t measure precise momentum and position of a subatomic particle at the same time, and does not apply at all to Heisenberg Metrics.)

The second issue is that not only government, but also other commercial actors, will seek to act on these metrics, Heisenberg Metrics as they may be. Maybe somebody thinks that reading fanzines about motorcycle acrobatics should have an effect on your health and traffic insurance premiums?

The third issue is subtle and devious, but far more grave: the government doesn’t just know what articles you read and in what order, but as a corollary to that, knows what the last article you read was, and what you did right after reading it. In other words, it knows very precisely what piece of information leads you to stop reading and instead take a specific action. This is far more dangerous information than being aware of your general information feed patterns and preferences.

Being able to predict somebody’s actions with a high degree of certainty is a far more dangerous ability than being vaguely aware of somebody’s entertainment preferences.

Our analog parents had the privacy right of choosing their information source anonymously with nobody permitted (or able) to say what articles they read, in what order, or for what reason. It’s not unreasonable that our digital children should have the same privacy right, the analog equivalent privacy right.

Privacy remains your own responsibility.

We got the new Tall Order 2019 Parts now in stock, like for example the Tall Order "187 V2" 2019 BMX Frame, which has an 7.4" (187mm) standover height with a unique investment cast seat clamp that's angled to follow the lines of the seat stays and with the 2019 Version it features the addition of a logo embossed external gusset on the top tube for increased strength and integrated chain tensioners.

Also now in stock, the Tall Order "Drone" Cassette Hub, which is made by an aluminum hub shell and a lightweight female axle with 10mm (3/8") bolts.

Check our online-shop for more new Tall Order products!



Have fun!



All the best,

Your kunstform BMX Shop Team

A judge in a rural Virginia city has ordered two officials there to certify the results of the election after they filed a lawsuit last month threatening not to certify unless they could hand-count the ballots.

Washington Post employees enjoying flexible work schedules introduced as the pandemic unfolded will return to the office full time starting in February.

Call it the "Tax Cuts and Wall Act." Republicans, on the verge of a full sweep of government, are plotting immediate legislation that would extend and expand tax cuts, bolster U.S. energy production and perhaps provide money to finish building the southern border wall.

President-elect Donald Trump says that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.

Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump's new border czar, delivered a stern warning to sanctuary cities on Monday by telling them to "get the hell out of the way" as the next administration comes for illegal immigrants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved an audacious plan to employ booby-trapped pagers in September against members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, his office said Monday.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a state law that would require classrooms in Louisiana to post the Ten Commandments starting in January.

We join a group of American tourists on an organised trip across the border to find out what life there is really like.

Also, a trilingual interpreter tells us about the challenges of interpreting for asylum seekers who only speak indigenous languages; A group of American exchange students in Italy meet African migrants who risked their lives to make it to Europe; Why Chinese Sci-Fi is gaining in popularity around the world; And Kenyan musician JS Ondara on how Bob Dylan changed his life and inspired his journey to America.

(Andres Vega pours beer for American visitors on a gastronomic tour of Nogales with the Arizona nonprofit, Border Community Alliance. Credit: Katherine Davis-Young/The World)

Homan was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border and Trump’s pledge to launch the largest deportation operation in the country's history.

The post Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’ appeared first on Boston.com.

Drone strike in Binyamina kills 4 IDF soldiers and wounds dozens. Underground Hezbollah command center discovered 1 mile from Israel's border..1988 Hamas charter details intent to annihilate Israel. Upcoming Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in Copenhagen.

When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.

Original Air Date: August 08, 2020

Guests: 

Patrik Svensson — Lulu Miller — Alexander Boxer — Margaret Wertheim — S. James Gates Jr.

Interviews In This Hour: 

The Weird World Of Eels — We Call Them Fish. Evolution Says They're Something Else. — The Original Algorithm Was Written In The Stars — Seeing The World With A Mathematician's Eyes

Further Reading:

Nautilus: Eels Don’t Have Sex Until the Last Year of Their Life—NYAS: The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe

When things don't go the way they're supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we're often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.

Original Air Date: August 08, 2020

Guests:

Patrik Svensson — Lulu Miller — Alexander Boxer — Margaret Wertheim — S. James Gates Jr.

Interviews In This Hour:

The Weird World Of Eels — We Call Them Fish. Evolution Says They're Something Else. — The Original Algorithm Was Written In The Stars — Seeing The World With A Mathematician's Eyes

Further Reading:

Nautilus: Eels Don’t Have Sex Until the Last Year of Their Life—NYAS: The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe

Never want to miss an episode? Subscribe to the podcast.

Want to hear more from us, including extended interviews and favorites from the archive? Subscribe to our newsletter.

There is a correct way to go about a construction project, and not doing so can have consequences.

GiftingHumanity was already part of the Charity Commission’s ‘double defaulters’ class inquiry for failing to file financial documents on time

Washington – In what OSHA is calling a “precedent-setting” decision, a judge has determined that the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission may have the authority to order enterprise-wide abatements of hazards.

Washington – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 19 rejected petitions for review for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cross-border trucking pilot program.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cross-border trucking pilot program will continue, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on July 26.

A plaintiff entered into a negotiated plea agreement under which he agreed to reimburse his victim for a video surveillance camera and other security equipment.

Washington – Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) is making another attempt to delay the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s mandate for electronic logging devices in commercial motor vehicles – set to go in effect Dec. 18 – by asking President Donald Trump to sign an Executive Order.

Washington — The publication of a proposed rule intended to add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers is expected soon, on the heels of a recent delay, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration head Raymond Martinez said during a June 19 hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Washington — Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission officials say a long-standing Executive Order that provides interpretation and document translation to people with limited English proficiency helps ensure federal services “reach and benefit all intended communities.”

Washington — Employers in the marijuana industry should provide safeguards to protect workers from repetitive stress injuries, NIOSH states in a recently released Health Hazard Evaluation Program report.

Washington — The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has updated its online hub of information and resources on substance use disorder and recovery.