Towards the end of the summer, the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive published a call for evidence outlining the case for transitioning to fixed price ROCs (also known as Renewables Obligation Certificates) in 2027. This is the first government policy document regarding fixed price ROCs since before the Energy Act 2013, over ten years ago. The topics raised by the call for evidence have the…
If you’ve ever been promoted from the ranks of the worker bees to the lofty position of a manager, you know it’s like jumping into the deep end of the corporate swimming pool without knowing how to swim. It’s a thrilling, yet terrifying experience that can often leave you feeling like a fish out of water. And, to be honest, it’s not entirely your fault if you feel that way…
Accenture identifies five capabilities to accelerate the reinvention of Chinese companies Beijing; Sept. 21, 2023 – The latest edition of Accenture’s (NYSE: ACN) China Digital Transformation Index shows that just 2% of Chinese companies are undertaking the holistic, continuous digital transformation steps needed to drive long term, sustainable growth. Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China, said, “A convergence of external forces like technology innovation and shifting consumer preferences is…
Last week Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), in partnership with The Citizen Lab, discovered an in-the-wild 0-day exploit chain for iPhones. Developed by the commerci…
Until now, identifying charcoal camps believed to be using forced labor has been reliant on tips, many of which are anonymous. With an overwhelming number of tips to process simultaneously, prioritizing which leads to follow becomes a challenge for the authorities. “Tracking down the exact location of these sites can be extremely challenging, and it used to take days to pinpoint them,” Assis said. And even once a camp is…
Today marks an exciting milestone in Microsoft’s AI journey. This morning, at an event in New York City, we made several major announcements to empower people across work and life—you can read more about Microsoft Bing and Edge with Copilot, what’s new from Microsoft 365 Copilot and Bing Chat Enterprise for work, Microsoft Designer and Copilot in Microsoft 365, Windows 11, and new Surface devices in Yusuf Medhi’s blog. These…
Cyprus CEO summary: On September 13, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a cease-and-desist order against Stoner Cats 2, LLC (SC2) for allegedly conducting an unregistered securities offering through the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) valued at $8.2 million. The NFTs were linked to a web-based animated series, and NFT holders received exclusive access to episodes and other benefits. The SEC considered these NFTs as investment contracts,…
Cyprus CEO summary: Researchers at Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry conducted a study comparing the mental health of thousands of UK secondary school students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and three lockdowns with a group assessed before the pandemic. Published in JAMA Network Open, the findings reveal that students during the pandemic faced increased depression, social and emotional difficulties, and worsened mental well-being compared to their pre-pandemic counterparts. Depression cases…
In the age of remote work and digital connectivity, our workdays have become synonymous with long hours spent sitting at our home office desks. While the convenience of working from home has its perks, the sedentary nature of this lifestyle can take a toll on our health and well-being. In this blog post, we’ll explore why it’s essential to stay active while working from home and share some easy ways…
The initial estimates of damage from the wildfire on Maui last month suggest it will cost $5.5 billion to rebuild just the town of Lahaina. But that is certain to be too low, and not just because construction costs in Hawaii are about 20% above the national average. When one house burns down, it's relatively simple to estimate the cost of building a new one. But the math on disaster…
Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit trained 120 volunteers worldwide to suppress thoughts about negative events that worried them, and found that not only did these become less vivid, but that the participants’ mental health also improved. “We’re all familiar with the Freudian idea that if we suppress our feelings or thoughts, then these thoughts remain in our unconscious, influencing our behaviour and wellbeing…
Millets, a diverse group of small-seeded grasses, have a long history of cultivation spanning centuries and have been a staple in the diets of various communities worldwide. These hardy crops offer numerous advantages, such as their adaptability to diverse agro-climatic conditions and their exceptional nutritional content. However, over the years, millets have experienced a decline in India for several reasons. The decline in millet consumption in India can be attributed…
Cyprus CEO summary: Civica Rx, a nonprofit drug manufacturer formed by US health systems and philanthropic groups, has significantly improved drug supply security and reduced costs for 20 medications, according to a study in NEJM Catalyst. Civica's unique structural approach prioritizes access over profit and has proven effective in addressing generic drug shortages and high prices. It provides over 75 critical medications to US health systems and is governed by…
Cyprus CEO Summary: In the late 1940s, a pivotal debate unfolded between Vannevar Bush and Harley Kilgore regarding science funding and education in America. Bush championed elite university labs and commercializing discoveries, while Kilgore advocated for broader scientific literacy and public officials setting research priorities. The National Science Foundation was established, mainly following Bush's arguments. However, during the pandemic, the importance of public scientific knowledge became evident, challenging Bush's vision.…
The banking and financial relations between Iran and Russia have developed significantly in recent years under the influence of several factors, which is unprecedented in the history of relations between the two countries, Vali Kaleji writes. In his article, Dr. Vali Kaleji, a Tehran-based expert on Central Asia and Caucasian Studies, postulates that banking and financial relations between Iran and Russia have developed significantly in recent years, which is unprecedented…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, eCommerce grew drastically in several industries, with online grocery shopping becoming a popular option. Many customers sought to avoid in-person shopping altogether, so grocers began to offer curbside pick-up and delivery for customer purchases. As the impacts of the pandemic are now waning, digital grocery shopping sales are seeing a decline, and eCommerce grocery shopping recorded a 1.8% decline in the first 6 months of 2023…
Recently, the City of Quincy attempted to shut down a client’s ability to rent part of her home on Airbnb. We defended the client in a hearing in July, and this week the court ruled against the City and in favor of our client. Many municipalities including Quincy have recently been tightening their regulation of short-term property rentals through services like Airbnb. On March 15, 2021, Quincy passed a zoning…
Did you know the UK generates more than 220 million tonnes of waste a year? Of that waste, around 44% is recycled, but a large proportion goes to landfill. Read on to discover how embracing the circular economy could reduce waste. Not only is a huge amount of waste going to landfills, but the production of items could be costing precious resources too. The circular economy aims to provide a…
Our recent research report, Generating Change, shares what newsrooms are doing with AI today.
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill proposed to make employers liable for harassment of their employees by third parties, including sexual harassment. However, the House of Lords recently amended the Bill to remove the proposed third party harassment provisions. Employers were concerned that they would be held wholly responsible by the courts over a third party’s conduct. The Lords’ amendment has therefore come as relief to employers;…
The dizzying explosion of generative artificial intelligence platforms has been the big business story of the past year, but how they’ll make money and how smart companies can use them wisely are the questions that will dominate the next 12 months. “Students and executives are no longer asking whether we should adopt AI—but rather, when and how to do so,” says Andy Wu, the Arjun and Minoo Melwani Family Associate…
The Faraday Institution remains steadfast in its commitment to identify and invest in battery research initiatives that hold the greatest potential for making significant societal, environmental, and commercial contributions. This announcement signals the completion of our latest round of project refocusing, enabling us to allocate even more effort towards those areas of research that offer maximum potential in delivering transformative impact. Professor Pam Thomas, CEO, Faraday Institution. The Faraday Institution…
It’s more complicated than simply implementing new technologies.
How the technology could expand opportunities for millions of people and make the digital economy more dynamic, inclusive, and secure.
When Karl Wenner looks at his farm on Upper Klamath Lake in the mountains of southern Oregon, he sees a landscape in transition. He and his partners converted part of their fields of barley into wetlands along the shore of the lake to filter runoff and protect the quality of the water that eventually flows back into the Klamath River, which empties into the Pacific on California’s coast. The project…
Polarization has become the defining feature of the U.S. political landscape, and a common refrain is that social media is to blame. Online echo chambers and filter bubbles spread misinformation, fuel extremism, and stoke antipathy toward those with different beliefs — so the thinking goes. Facebook, in particular, has come under fire for its role in spreading divisive content. Lawmakers have even weighed proposals to regulate the algorithms that determine…
The 20th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, titled “Fair Multipolarity: How to Ensure Security and Development for All” will be held in Sochi on October 2–5, 2023. The meeting will be attended by more than 130 experts, politicians and diplomats from 43 countries throughout Eurasia, Africa, North and South America. Traditionally, at the Annual Valdai Meeting, the majority of guests are foreign participants. In recent years, the reports of…
Even in the best of times, a hospital emergency department (ED) is an environment of controlled chaos. Patients come in at irregular intervals with a wide range of symptoms, from a bloody finger to cardiac arrest. There’s only a limited number of rooms. Who gets to see the doctor first and who will have to wait, sometimes for hours? “The crowding in EDs is an increasing trend over the last…
An early-stage company requires a different organizational structure than a mature one. Marketing leaders must adapt their teams and strategies accordingly. Kimberly A. Whitler and Jonathan Metrick Determining the optimal design of a department or function is a key aspect of organization design and one of the most important decisions C-level executives make. Organization design establishes the essential infrastructure that enables or hinders companies’ effective deployment of strategic decisions,…
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its latest board minutes highlighting its increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI), in which it “raised the question of how one could ‘foresee harm’ (under the new Consumer Duty), and also give customers appropriate disclosure, in the context of the operation of AI”. This publication indicates that AI continues to be a key area of attention within the FCA. It also demonstrates…
Billions of people rely on healthy oceans as a source of jobs and food, and demand for fish protein is only increasing. Projections show growth of 14 percent by 2030 versus 2020 levels, driven by growing markets in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. That said, the amount of wild-caught seafood remains flat, with more than 85 percent of the world’s fisheries pushed to or beyond their limits. This means…
There are many reasons why the political future of Taiwan Strait relations is uncertain, but the military considerations for Taiwan are much more straightforward. Taiwan should invest in capabilities that are highly survivable and potent against a potential attack from mainland China. That is the only productive direction for Taiwan's military. Unfortunately, it is a path not being taken because much of Taiwan's defense budget is locked-in to capabilities that…
The outcome of Russia's war on Ukraine and the provisions of a final settlement are as yet unknown. Ukraine may prevail in pushing Russia back to the 1991 borders, as President Zelenskyy intends. The conflict might result in a settlement with a divided Ukraine, both countries exhausted from the effort. It could grind on for years as a bloody war of attrition. The Russian effort could collapse, unexpectedly. More certain…
A review of more than 3,500 research papers shows how “field building” helps investors have a more positive impact on the environment and society.
The purpose of Bank Overground is to share our internal analysis. Each bite-sized post summarises a piece of analysis that supported a policy or operational decision.
Following the passing of the long-awaited Personal Data Protection Law (“PDPL”) in Indonesia, on 31 August 2023, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology published the draft government regulation (“Draft Regulation”) on the implementation of the PDPL for public consultation. The public consultation will close on 14 September 2023. The Draft Regulation is expected to come into effect in October 2024. Summary of the key themes of the Draft Regulation:…
Companies have asked employees to return to the office for work, but that doesn’t mean we’re all back to normal. Loneliness and isolation continue to be workplace concerns, and only one in four employees feel like their companies care about their wellbeing, according to recent Gallup research. Many companies simply don’t talk enough about mental health at work, but employees need those conversations now more than ever. There has never…
Geeks are “obsessive mavericks”, and every company can benefit from their leadership style.
The review, conducted jointly with researchers from Oxford University, the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton, included seven randomised controlled trials involving 2,464 women or couples who had been trying to conceive. Each month there is a narrow window for successful conception due to the limited lifespan of the sperm and egg, which begins from around five days before ovulation (egg release) and lasts…
We’re all living in a data haystack. You’ve got files on your OneDrive—some organized, some dumped in a heap in your documents. Files on your corporate server—some properly named and categorized, some not. Somewhere among your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and contacts is a needle—the sliver of insight you need now. Think of Microsoft 365 Copilot as a magnet. One of the most powerful aspects of Copilot is its…