Dr. Sukhvir Wright at Aston University Institute for Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN), and honorary consultant neurologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH), has been awarded a £3.4m Career Development Award from Wellcome to research autoimmune encephalitis (AE), an inflammatory brain condition, in children. Every minute, someone in the world is diagnosed with encephalitis, which can be caused by an infection or have an autoimmune cause, where the body's own immune system starts attacking the brain. AE accounts for around a third of cases, with patients experiencing seizures, cognitive and sleep dysfunction and movement disorders. Although medical professionals are getting better at recognising and treating AE earlier, the long-term outcomes remain frustratingly poor, particularly in children under five. Some symptoms of the disease, such as seizures, can resolve but others, such as problems with learning and memory, behavioral change and sleep disorders, can become chronic. Why some of these symptoms get better and others persist is not well understood. Dr. Wright carried out a world-first preliminary study in a group of children with AE at least 18 months after they first developed the condition, using magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scans. She found distinct long-term brain structure and network changes and believes that these brain changes are responsible for the chronic symptoms of the disease. During this Career Development Award, Dr Wright will use laboratory models to characterise the mechanisms causing the chronic symptoms, examining the underlying changes from single brain cells to whole brain networks. She will also examine longitudinal brain network changes in children immediately following the acute attack of AE and for up to eight years afterwards using a new optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) MEG scanner. IHN is an ideal location for the research project, as it houses the UK's only paediatric clinical and research Wellcome Trust MEG laboratory. The MAG4Health OPM MEG scanner that will be used by Dr Wright was installed in 2024 following a Medical Research Council (MRC) equipment grant for £800,000 led by Aston University's Dr. Caroline Witton in partnership with Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH). The Aston-BCH OPM MEG uses an adjustable cap with sensors which is placed on the patient's head, which allows some degree of movement and is therefore more acceptable for children. Combining the data from the laboratory models and human patients will enable Dr Wright and her research team to identify common pathophysiological targets, mechanisms and predictive biomarkers to reduce the adverse effects of AE and improve long-term outcomes. Related Stories Study uncovers brain mechanism behind empathetic responses New technology guides immune cells to fight brain cancer and multiple sclerosis Lipid imbalances hold the key to chronic inflammation in colon cancer Dr. Wright is part of the neuroimmunology team at BCH, led by paediatric neurology consultant Professor Evangeline Wassmer. The AE research project will involve Professor Wassmer's team, the BCH Psychology department led by Dr. Jo Horton, Professor Stefano Seri (neurophysiology) and Dr Laavanya Damodaran (liaison psychiatry ). Children and families with lived experience of AE will be directly involved with all aspects of the research to ensure it is answering questions that matter to them, including the family of one of the first AE patients ever treated by the neurology team at BCH. This patient and family involvement will be facilitated by the Epilepsy Research Institute's Shape Network and Encephalitis International, two charities with which Dr Wright has strong links. Dr. Wright said: " We hope that this project will transform outcomes and optimise brain health in paediatric autoimmune encephalitis and beyond by delivering a significant shift in understanding the acute and long-term effects that autoimmune encephalitis has on children and young people." Aston UniversityCharity provides laptops for remote northern First Nations
‘Library cuts will have a disproportionate affect on students and job seekers’
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83Every Black Friday, there’s a number of viral products that everyone has on their Christmas wish list, and we don’t expect this year to be any different. However, not all of these popular items are going to stay in stock, and we have some insight on the ones that won’t. Black Friday is big business, and last year shoppers spent $222.1 billion during the entire holiday shopping season, according to Queue-it. Sales on Black Friday reached $16.4 billion (online and in stores), and this was a 9% increase from the year before. While it comes as no surprise that electronics are the most sought-after products of the holiday season, Queue-it said this accounts for the majority of holiday sales, jumping to $50.8 billion in 2023. Apparel, furniture, groceries and toys are the other hot sellers of Black Friday. Together, these five categories accounted for 65% of sales during the holidays last year and is only expected to grow in 2024. While many items that sell out over Black Friday are driven by a good deal, we also know that a hot product is just that — a gift that most people want to open on Christmas Day. So, here are our picks for the top 10 hot-ticket items that could sell out over Black Friday. Samsung 98-inch QLED TV The holidays are ripe for TV deals, and we expect shoppers to buy a ton of them in 2024, especially at Walmart. Consumers are trending toward bigger TVs and the super low-price deals over Black Friday force many models to sell out. This is especially true of popular models from Samsung, Hisense, LG and more favorites. Apple Watch Series 9 Apple's smartwatches are a top pick among Apple fans. We’ve seen prices on the Apple Watch continue to trend downward, which was only spurred by the release of the new Apple Watch 10 in September. This pushed down prices on earlier models, with the best deals coming on the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 9. For Black Friday, we think the prices will drop even lower and sell out due to high demand. Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones are one of the most popular products of 2024, and Beats are one of the top brands. We’re already seeing big markdowns on Beats Wireless Headphones, and we expect these price drops to continue into Black Friday. The Beats Solo3 is likely to be on sale for even cheaper than we’ve already seen, and we think they will sell out for Black Friday, with the possibility of other popular Beats headphones joining them. Apple AirPods (3rd gen) If you haven’t picked up a pair of Apple AirPods yet, this could be your year to do it. With Apple launching a fourth generation of AirPods earlier this year, the price on prevvious models are creeping lower. We think over Black Friday they’ll be at their cheapest price ever, with the AirPods (3rd Gen) likely to sell out. JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speakers are a must-have for many this year, and with the big sound that comes from JBL’s speakers, it’s easy to see why they might sell out for Black Friday. These popular speakers come in a variety of portable sizes and waterproof designs. We expect big deals on JBL’s top-rated Clip 5 and Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker models. Apple iPad (10th Gen) One of Apple’s most sought-after products of the year was the iPad, and we saw the 9th Gen and 10th Gen models drop to their lowest prices ever. We think this year will bring some iPad bliss with even better discounts, but these deals will disappear just as fast as they arrive. We think that mega discounts on the iPad (9th Gen) and iPad (10th Gen) could cause sell outs, especially on Amazon. Dyson Airwrap The Dyson Airwrap just might be the top product of Black Friday, as this is one of the rare times there’s a discount on the beloved hair styling tool. At $600, the Airwrap carries a hefty price tag, so any discount presented is a welcome surprise. But as we’ve seen in the past, any Black Friday deal on the Dyson Airwrap causes a crush of interest that’s followed by a sell out. Ugg Tasman slippers If you’ve tried to scoop up the UGG Tasman Slippers in previous years, you already know they never stay in stock for long. As the “it” slipper of the holiday season, UGG’s Tasman sells out multiple times over the holidays, even without a discount offered. We think that this year will be similar, with popular sizes and colors of the Tasman Slipper snatched up fast over Black Friday. Bissell Little Green The Bissell Little Green carpet cleaner is a popular home product that just can’t seem to stay in stock. With prices falling under $90, this mighty machine can be a blessing for pet owners and parents, as its compact size makes it easy to store and use when needed. We’ve seen the Little Green Machine sell out before, and we’d be surprised if it didn’t do it again over Black Friday. Furby Galaxy Edition We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a top toy that we think will be hard to find and gift this year. Our pick is the Furby Galaxy Edition. This glow-in-the-dark Furby is based on the original Furby from the late ’90s with even more features, interactive modes and more fun. Making a comeback in 2023, we saw the revival of this popular toy sell out last year, and we expect the new Furby Galaxy Edition to do the same. For the holidays: Get inspiring home and gift ideas – sign up now!AFP – The Indian-born head of one of Japan’s most famous snack brands has warned that the country must change its mindset and admit more immigrants to get the economy back to the glory of its boom years. Politicians have struggled for years to recover from the so-called lost decades as a range of differing programmes have failed to kickstart growth, including an ultra-loose monetary policy and trillions of dollars in stimulus measures. And as the new government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba eyes a fresh drive to bring back the heyday of its global tech domination Lekh Juneja, the head of rice cracker giant Kameda Seika, said he worries his adopted country has lost its edge. “Forty years ago I came to Japan because it was close to number one in gross domestic product... it was booming,” the biotech scientist told AFP at Kameda’s headquarters in Japan’s rice heartland of Niigata. But at some point “Japan thought ‘we have everything now’. And I think that the hungry spirit to (have) the guts to go global started disappearing a bit”. Kameda’s expansion mirrored Japan’s postwar boom, increasing revenues tenfold between 1965 and 1974 and becoming synonymous with the nationally adored ‘senbei’ crackers in the process. But the country that gave the world the Sony Walkman, the bullet train and Super Mario is no longer setting the pace in technology, overtaken by Silicon Valley, South Korea and China. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kameda Seika Lekh Juneja. PHOTO: AFP Lekh chats with employees as they make rice crackers samples. PHOTO: AFP In the late 1980s, Japanese firms dominated the world’s top 10 companies by market capitalisation. Today not one makes the list. The population is ageing and projected to drop by almost a third in the next 50 years, and firms are already having problems filling vacancies. Although it has relaxed the rules in recent years, Japan has not turned in a big way to immigration as a solution. The country “has no choice” but to allow in more immigrants, said Juneja, 72, who first came to Japan in 1984 and previously worked for a food ingredients maker and a pharmaceuticals firm. “It’s not only the numbers. It’s also the mindset, the culture. We have to go global,” he said. According to a recent study, Japan needs to more than triple its number of foreign workers to 6.88 million by 2040. Currently it’s on track to be almost a million short. Since joining the firm Juneja has been trying to make Kameda more international as well as a “rice innovation company”. In the testing centre for new products the employees rolling out dough and trying out new recipes and flavours include an American and a Vietnamese. Language “is a big barrier. You bring people to Niigata and they don’t speak Japanese and it’s very difficult for them”, Juneja said. “We need to change that. (If we employ people) who only speak and write Japanese we have very limited resources, very limited choices,” he warned. Japan has very few foreign-born chief executive officers (CEO), and boardrooms are overwhelmingly male. There are 13 female CEOs in Japan’s 1,600 top-listed firms, a Kyodo News survey showed in September. “It’s very rare (for a foreigner) to become a CEO in a Japanese company,” Juneja said. “But look at the US.” “There is Microsoft, there is Google, all these companies have Indian CEOs,” he said. “I think Japan has to change... We are proud (in Japan) of our backgrounds. But I think flexibility and having people from overseas would be very critical for Japan.” Not all the non-Japanese CEOs have had a smooth ride. In November the German chief of Olympus resigned after allegedly buying illegal drugs. And in 2018 the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian chief of Nissan Carlos Ghosn was arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct. He then escaped, in part by hiding in an audio equipment box. “He didn’t generate a very good image for foreign CEOs here,” Juneja said. “But the difference between him and me is that I have got a Japanese passport.”
KYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. escalating the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, representatives of the military-industrial complex and developers of missile systems at the Kremlin in Moscow. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. People are also reading... Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams making furniture in Alexander County again Statesville survives test from Franklin in high school football playoff opener Lake Norman residents voice concerns with Marshall Steam Station changes Iredell County bridge to close for $1.2 replacement project Believers bought airplane for dead preacher thinking he’d rise from grave to fly in it Basketball transfer Patterson back home at West Iredell to 'bring in some wins' MerMade: Workspace opens in Statesville, caters to artists, crafters With supermajority in NC House gone, Iredell's Republican lawmakers talk changes, challenges Statesville embraces underdog role in rematch with defending champ Hickory Catawba native Christina Eagle appears on season 26 of 'The Voice' Iredell County woman wins first $150,000 top prize in new game Baseball league cries foul as Iredell plans to charge to use Jennings Park fields Statesville sweeps varsity doubleheader with South Iredell; Shehan reaches 1,000 points in Lake Norman win Mooresville puts up 70 points, routs Alexander Central in high school football playoffs West Iredell starts season strong with win over Bunker Hill Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia will launch production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said. “Sooner or later, other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. “We have this system now,” he added. “And this is important.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” In this photo taken from a video released Friday, a Russian serviceman operates at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Czech Republic's Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks to journalists Friday during a joint news conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriiy Sybiha in Kyiv, Ukraine. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He said the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who said it's not the first time such a threat has been received. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. From tuberculosis to heart disease: How the leading causes of death in America have changed From tuberculosis to heart disease: How the leading causes of death in America have changed We're all going to die someday. Still, how it happens—and when—can point to a historical moment defined by the scientific advancements and public health programs available at the time to contain disease and prevent accidents. In the early 1900s, America's efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, and routine vaccinations were still in their infancy. Maternal and infant mortality rates were high, as were contagious diseases that spread between people and animals. Combined with the devastation of two World Wars—and the Spanish Flu pandemic in between—the leading causes of death changed significantly after this period. So, too, did the way we diagnose and control the spread of disease. Starting with reforms as part of Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s, massive-scale, federal interventions in the U.S. eventually helped stave off disease transmission. It took comprehensive government programs and the establishment of state and local health agencies to educate the public on preventing disease transmission. Seemingly simple behavioral shifts, such as handwashing, were critical in thwarting the spread of germs, much like discoveries in medicine, such as vaccines, and increased access to deliver them across geographies. Over the course of the 20th century, life expectancy increased by 56% and is estimated to keep increasing slightly, according to an annual summary of vital statistics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. Death Records examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see how the leading causes of death in America have evolved over time and to pinpoint how some major mortality trends have dropped off. Infectious diseases lead causes of death in America According to a report published in the journal Annual Review of Public Health in 2000, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in the early 1900s, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 deaths. By the time World War I ended in 1918, during which people and animals were housed together for long periods, a new virus emerged: the Spanish Flu. Originating in a bird before spreading to humans, the virus killed 10 times as many Americans as the war. Many died of secondary pneumonia after the initial infection. Pneumonia deaths eventually plummeted throughout the century, partly prevented by increased flu vaccine uptake rates in high-risk groups, particularly older people. Per the CDC, tuberculosis was a close second leading cause of death, killing 194 of every 10,000 people in 1900, mainly concentrated in dense urban areas where the infection could more easily spread. Eventually, public health interventions led to drastic declines in mortality from the disease, such as public education, reducing crowded housing, quarantining people with active disease, improving hygiene, and using antibiotics. Once the death rates lagged, so did the public health infrastructure built to control the disease, leading to a resurgence in the mid-1980s. Diarrhea was the third leading cause of death in 1900, surging every summer among children before the impacts of the pathogen died out in 1930. Adopting water filtration, better nutrition, and improved refrigeration were all associated with its decline. In the 1940s and 1950s, polio outbreaks killed or paralyzed upward of half a million people worldwide every year. Even at its peak, polio wasn't a leading cause of death, it was a much-feared one, particularly among parents of young children, some of whom kept them from crowded public places and interacting with other children. By 1955, when Jonah Salk discovered the polio vaccine, the U.S. had ended the "golden age of medicine." During this period, the causes of mortality shifted dramatically as scientists worldwide began to collaborate on infectious disease control, surgical techniques, vaccines, and other drugs. Leading causes of death tip toward lifestyle-related disease From the 1950s onward, once quick-spreading deadly contagions weren't prematurely killing American residents en masse, scientists also began to understand better how to diagnose and treat these diseases. As a result, Americans were living longer lives and instead succumbing to noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs. The risk of chronic diseases increased with age and, in some cases, was exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles. Cancer and heart disease shot up across the century, increasing 90-fold from 1900 to 1998, according to CDC data. Following the post-Spanish Flu years, heart disease killed more Americans than any other cause, peaking in the 1960s and contributing to 1 in 3 deaths. Cigarette smoking rates peaked at the same time, a major risk factor for heart disease. Obesity rates also rose, creating another risk factor for heart disease and many types of cancers. This coincides with the introduction of ultra-processed foods into diets, which plays a more significant role in larger waistlines than the increasing predominance of sedentary work and lifestyles. In the early 1970s, deaths from heart disease began to fall as more Americans prevented and managed their risk factors, like quitting smoking or taking blood pressure medicine. However, the disease remains the biggest killer of Americans. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death and rates still indicate an upward trajectory over time. Only a few types of cancer are detected early by screening, and some treatments for aggressive cancers like glioblastoma—the most common type of brain cancer—have also stalled, unable to improve prognosis much over time. In recent years, early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before age 50 or sometimes even earlier, have seen a drastic rise among younger Americans. While highly processed foods and sedentary lifestyles may contribute to rising rates, a spike in cancer rates among otherwise healthy young individuals has baffled some medical professionals. This follows the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. At its peak, high transmission rates made the virus the third leading cause of death in America. It's often compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918, though COVID-19 had a far larger global impact, spurring international collaborations among scientists who developed a vaccine in an unprecedented time. Public policy around issues of safety and access also influences causes of death, particularly—and tragically—among young Americans. Gun control measures in the U.S. are far less stringent than in peer nations; compared to other nations, however, the U.S. leads in gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens (around 2 in 3 are homicides, and 1 in 3 are suicides), and deaths from opioids remain a leading cause of death among younger people. Globally, the leading causes of death mirror differences in social and geographic factors. NCDs are primarily associated with socio-economic status and comprise 7 out of 10 leading causes of death, 85% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. However, one of the best health measures is life expectancy at birth. People in the U.S. have been living longer lives since 2000, except for a slight dip in longevity due to COVID-19. According to the most recent CDC estimates, Americans' life expectancy is 77.5 years on average and is expected to increase slightly in the coming decades. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Death Records and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Dubai [UAE], December 15 (ANI/WAM): The Board of Directors of the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) discussed during its fourth meeting for 2024 the initiatives and projects that the establishment intends to implement during the first half of 2025, as part of the establishment's strategic plan 2023-2027, which focuses on enhancing the professional and leadership capabilities of female employees in the public, private and semi-government sectors, and contributing to supporting the economic growth of the Emirate of Dubai and the UAE in general. During the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed the topics on the agenda, which included a number of executive and leadership programmes included in the work plan for the upcoming period, as well as the most prominent projects and initiatives that were implemented during the current year, which were crowned by the successful organization of the "Global Women's Forum Dubai 2024", which was held on 26th and 27th November under the theme "The Power of Influence" under the patronage and attendance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Also Read | Anura Kumara Dissanayake's India Trip: In First Foreign Visit After Assuming Office, Sri Lankan President Lands in Delhi, Will Hold Bilateral With PM Narendra Modi (Watch Video). On the occasion of the fourth meeting of the Board of Directors of the Establishment this year, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Women Establishment, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court, stressed the Establishment's keenness to continue its efforts in cooperation with strategic partners to achieve its mission of advancing the professional and functional capabilities of Emirati women and enhancing their participation in leadership positions in the public, private and semi-governmental sectors, in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him. Her Highness said, "In these efforts and initiatives that support women, we draw inspiration from the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, and his directives to provide all the elements to enable women to succeed and enhance their role in the comprehensive and sustainable development process." Also Read | Cyclone Chido Update: 14 Killed in French Territory of Mayotte As Storm Causes Severe Damage, French Minister Bruno Retailleau Set To Visit Island. Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum added that the Global Women's Forum Dubai 2024, with its excellent preparation, arrangement and organisation, the precise selection and diversity of topics discussed over two days, the level of participation and the remarkable success it achieved, has set high standards of excellence that will constitute a new starting point for the Dubai Women Establishment to achieve its mission of advancing the professional and leadership skills of Emirati women and effectively contributing to achieving the objectives of the "Dubai Social Agenda 33" and "Dubai Economic Agenda D33" through high-level training and implementation projects and programmes. The meeting was chaired by Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment, with the participation of Board members Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs; Moza Saeed Al Marri, Executive Director of the Executive Affairs Sector at the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai; Khawla Rashid Al Muhairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Government Communications at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; Huda Essa Buhumaid, Chief Marketing Officer at Dubai Holding; and Fahima Abdul Razak. Al Bastaki, former CEO of Business Development Sector in the local financial markets, and Naima Ahli, CEO of the Dubai Women Establishment. Her Excellency Mona Al Marri said that the year 2024 was full of initiatives, training and leadership programmes that were launched within the framework of the vision and directives of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Foundation, and Her Highness's keenness to generalise the benefit of these programmes to include female employees of government departments in Dubai, semi-government institutions and the private sector. Her Excellency pointed out that these programmes were implemented in cooperation with local and international institutions within the framework of the Foundation's keenness to strengthen its influential partnerships in the women's file and to effectively contribute to the country's efforts to find Emirati female leaders who effectively contribute to advancing the development process towards a sustainable economy and a more prosperous society. She added that the Foundation's work plan for the upcoming period includes executive and leadership programmes, conducting new studies on working women, proposing new policies to enhance their presence in the labour market, and joint initiatives with relevant government entities in Dubai to contribute to achieving the "Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 2033", which aims to ensure that all segments of the city's society, including citizens, residents and visitors, enjoy the comprehensive concept of integrated quality of life, make Dubai a global leader in quality of life, and consolidate its position as a preferred place to live and work worldwide, and a preferred destination for visitors from all over the world. During the meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed the projects and achievements of the past period, most notably the Global Women's Forum - Dubai 2024, which witnessed the organisation of more than 130 sessions and workshops that addressed many topics related to the role of women in society, the economy, innovation, technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, sustainability, gender balance, and their active participation in building advanced and prosperous societies around the world. The Foundation's initiatives during the current year included organising the second session of the "Women in Global Boards of Directors" programme, the Mental Health Programme, and the Dubai Women's Dialogues. The Council reviewed a presentation of the most important initiatives implemented by the Dubai Ladies Club for members and visitors during the second half of 2024, which enhance its position as a destination for healthy and happy women. (ANI/WAM) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
5 things you might've missed in UND's 35-13 loss at Illinois State
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