access content via the FT Edit page on FT.com and receive the FT Edit newsletter Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes late Wednesday on the Syrian cities of Damascus and Hama Syria’s official SANA news agency reported “An Israeli occupation airstrike targeted the vicinity of the building of the scientific research center in the Barzeh residential district of Damascus,” it said.​​​​​​​ airstrikes targeted the city of Hama in central Syria Hama governorate’s Telegram channel reported that Israeli occupation warplanes targeted Hama Military Airport and its surroundings with more than 15 airstrikes The statement noted that the damage was limited to material losses The Israeli army said in a statement that in recent hours it carried out airstrikes targeting “remaining military capabilities in the areas of Hama and T4 (Tiyas Airbase in Homs as well as several remaining military infrastructures in the Damascus area.”​​​​​​​ After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.​​​​​​​ Israel also took advantage of the regime's fall to launch hundreds of strikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria missile systems and air defense installations Welcome to IPE Real Assets. 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Read our policy By 2024-04-18T11:19:00+01:00 Clarion Partners Europe has acquired a recently developed 66,930sqm logistics park in Germany from Panattoni for €75m The real estate investment fund manager said it has acquired the Panattoni Logistics Park in Voerde on behalf of its European funds taking its deployment in Continental Europe’s “dominant logistics market since June last year to around €500m”.  senior director at Clarion Partners Europe said: “This was a rare opportunity to acquire a high-quality newly developed logistics park with an attractive income profile; near full annual CPI indexation with medium term reversionary potential.  “Vacancy rates in the Rhine-Ruhr remain close to historical lows due to a limited development pipeline which should drive future rental growth.”  managing director at Clarion Partners Europe said: “Germany remains one of our high conviction markets with continued e-commerce growth and reshoring efforts underpinning occupier resilience “The broader logistics sector’s fundamentals remain highly compelling coupled with our local market intelligence and investment firepower is driving our significant acquisition programme.” To read the latest IPE Real Assets magazine click here Copyright © 1997–2025 IPE International Publishers Limited Site powered by Webvision Cloud Thousands of academics walked out of universities in the United Kingdom this week to protest against poor pay and conditions Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00525-5 Reprints and permissions Trump team’s science cuts threaten tenure hopes for early-career academics How Trump’s attack on universities is putting research in peril Exclusive: a Nature analysis signals the beginnings of a US science brain drain How we call out the infuriating mistakes we spot in school science textbooks Norway set to scrap mandatory language training for foreign postdocs and PhD students An experiment in mass education using satellite TV HT is an interdisciplinary research institute created and supported by the Italian government whose aim is to develop innovative strategies to pr.. UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus Department of Energy and Environmental Materials and advance cancer research in a leading translational institute Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute We are seeking a tenure-track associate professor to promote interdisciplinary research in nanoprobe life sciences or related interdisciplinary field Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker RWE has signalled its intention to build several hydrogen-capable gas-fired power stations in Germany - so that the Group's coal-fired power stations can be taken off the grid in a few years' time But it is still largely unclear where these gas-fired power stations are to be built Our planning for the projects is well advanced We envisage building hydrogen-capable gas-fired power stations in Germany with a capacity of three gigawatts by 2030 That corresponds to several large stations we still lack clarity as to exactly what the tenders planned by the German government will look like and when they will take place we are already doing everything we can to prepare for this and we are also spending money on it.  WAZ: The German government presented the main features of its power plant strategy back in February.  We still don't have the answers to key questions For example: how should the stations be remunerated When do the gas-fired power stations have to be fully converted to hydrogen Who will guarantee that there will be enough hydrogen These are issues that we also need to discuss with potential plant constructors And we can only do this in a binding manner if it is clear which rules apply to the new power stations WAZ: Is it still possible to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2030 the German government wants to present a law for the power plant strategy by the summer recess This is intended to lay down the rules for the auctions just mentioned the first auctions could start in the second half of the year The long-term market design will also be addressed and a capacity market prepared This means that power plant operators will receive remuneration for making stations available that can be ramped up quickly when the wind is not blowing and the sun is hidden behind clouds The stations will therefore have as little operating time as possible but will always be available as a reserve which is paid even when there is no fire.  the fire brigade is not organised as a private company What return requirements do you have for your power stations which are supposed to act like a fire brigade?  Nikolaus Valerius: We have to measure our investments against the fact that they generate appropriate returns Otherwise the money will flow into other areas.  WAZ: Such a capacity market has very little to do with a market economy – is that right?  the most favourable bidder will win the contract We are familiar with similar procedures from England WAZ: Why didn't RWE take the entrepreneurial risk and start building gas-fired power stations long ago?  Nikolaus Valerius: Because the power stations will never pay for themselves namely only when renewables are not producing That's why these backup power stations will need funding We cannot invest if it is unclear whether a project is economically viable.  WAZ: It is already known that you want to build a hydrogen-capable combined-cycle gas turbine power station with an output of around 800 megawatts at RWE's Weisweiler site in the Rhenish mining area by the end of the decade Where are further power stations to be built?  Nikolaus Valerius: Power plant sites that we already have are the main candidates Hamm in Westphalia or the Gersteinwerk in Werne We are also looking at potentially suitable sites in southern Germany.  WAZ: You are relying on plant manufacturers from Italy and Spain for the planned gas-fired power station in Weisweiler: Ansaldo Energia and Tecnicas Reunidas If the German government is investing a lot of money in the construction of these backup power stations it is probably also interested in ensuring that domestic manufacturers benefit Siemens Energy is an important player on the market.  Nikolaus Valerius: In large tenders for plant construction projects we can only proceed according to competitive principles Siemens turbines are certainly running in many RWE power stations But one thing is clear: every supplier has to prove itself anew in new construction projects.  WAZ: Hydrogen is still rare and expensive in Germany What makes you so sure that the construction of hydrogen-capable gas-fired power stations makes sense?  Nikolaus Valerius: We are talking about a market that is developing rapidly We need a functioning hydrogen infrastructure and we need a lot more hydrogen than we have in Germany today we also need to expand the import of hydrogen But one thing is also clear: Europe and Germany have the clear goal we need modern power plants that can be operated in a climate-neutral way This article is the third in a series about sexual assault prevention at Harvard. The first part can be found here, and the second part here but at the same time reversed its rules on liquor at formals after the release of a University-wide sexual assault prevention report Stating that “One cannot uncouple the role of alcohol and sexual assault,” the report suggests that a campus-wide restriction on hard alcohol could be on the horizon The report suggests Harvard “consider a pilot study of policies to discourage consumption of hard liquor,” though it acknowledges “valid concerns that students in search of hard liquor might be driven off campus to high-risk locations” as a result the report suggests Harvard could experiment with banning the possession of hard liquor on campus “Penalties worth studying need not be draconian—the goal is to bias drinking away from its most dangerous forms” the rhetoric surrounding alcohol consumption at Harvard has focused primarily on student health and safety the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault has now become a driving force behind discussion of alcohol consumption at the College Indeed, former University Provost and Steven E. Hyman—who chaired the sexual assault prevention task force—noted in a report last fall that alcohol is a “potent” risk factor for sexual assault. In the report which accompanied the results to a University-wide survey on sexual assault at Harvard more than 60 percent of surveyed respondents who indicated they had been assaulted by force said that the incident involved alcohol Beyond considering a campus ban on hard alcohol the sexual assault prevention report suggests that students undergo additional and more rigorous education on safe drinking habits and that the College create alternative events on campus for undergraduates that do not involve alcohol thus mitigating potential risks for sexual assault Harvard’s sexual assault prevention task force looked specifically at Dartmouth which in 2015 instituted an unprecedented campus ban on hard alcohol In response, College administrators said they did not expect Dartmouth’s new policy to have much effect on Harvard citing a “different ethos” between the Cambridge and Hanover campuses with a similar move proposed in the report liquor consumption at the College could become a practice of the past although implementation of a policy similar to Dartmouth’s is unlikely Harvard could still draw lessons from the ban We’re a different kind of place,” Hyman said “I don’t believe that we can just take things away.” “We can probably still learn something from their experiment,” he added one of Mather’s Undergraduate Council representatives said in seeking to prevent sexual assault at the College “outright banning [hard alcohol] would only lead to more smuggling more concern.” During the short lived ban in Mather’s JCR Corvah said students snuck hard alcohol to into the House to bypass the policy Undergraduate Council parliamentarian Jacob R “What's going to end up happening is that more and more people are going to host social events that are unrecognized on campus and that in turn encourages further bad behavior,” he said the report recommends that students and staff across the College receive education on the relationship between drinking and sexual assault The report recommends that annual student trainings include information on safe drinking procedures and that streamlined party registration procedures throughout the Houses require party hosts to learn about safe drinking —Staff writer Jalin P. Cunningham can be reached at jalin.cunningham@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @JalinCunningham —Staff writer Ignacio Sabate can be reached at ignacio.sabate@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @ignacio_sabate Which language would you like to use this site in The authorities in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip have violated the right to freedom of expression by arbitrarily detaining individuals solely for peacefully sharing their views on social media The organization documented five cases of individuals who were arrested by Palestinian security forces in either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank in March or April 2020 after they criticized the authorities on social media or conducted other online activities concluding that they were detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression All were arrested during the state of emergency which the Palestinian authorities put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of March the criticism directly related to the authorities’ response to the COVID-19 crisis; in the other cases it did not Some have been released; others remain in detention “The Palestinian authorities have taken welcome measures in areas under their limited control in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to release some prisoners as part of their response to contain the spread of COVID-19 the authorities in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip have violated the right to freedom of expression by arbitrarily detaining individuals solely for peacefully sharing their views on social media This must immediately stop,” said Saleh Higazi Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International “All individuals detained solely for peacefully expressing their views are prisoners of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released Such actions by the authorities during a pandemic puts these individuals at an increased risk The Palestinian authorities must fulfil Palestine’s obligations under intentional law and ensure that international human rights law and standards are at the centre of all responses to COVID-19.” All individuals detained solely for peacefully expressing their views are prisoners of conscience and must be immediately and unconditionally released Amnesty International spoke to former detainees lawyers and local human rights organizations and collected information that clearly point to a pattern of violations Hussam Khader, 58, a former Fatah member of parliament, was arrested on 5 March by the Joint Security Forces in the West Bank for a Facebook post he made on 1 March criticizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a comment he had made on the Palestinian Medical Association’s strike at that time Hussam Khader was released on 9 March after the charges against him were dropped was arrested in the city of Tulkarem by security forces from the Palestinian authorities’ General Intelligence Service for a comment he made on a Facebook page criticizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ response to the COVID-19 crisis The public prosecutor charged him with “spreading false news” and “misuse of technology” under the 1963 Penal Code this was the sixth time he had been arrested by the Hamas de facto administration Ismael el-Bozom, 33, a cartoonist from Gaza, was arrested by police without a warrant on 20 March following a Facebook post he shared calling for the release of Abdullah Abu Sharkh He was released on 22 March without charges He was rearrested on 26 March and later released on 29 March under a preventive measure to avoid the spread of COVID-19 he has been arrested five times since 2017 by the Hamas authorities in connection with his political cartoons and writings remains arbitrarily detained by Hamas security forces He was arrested on 9 April after he organized a video call with an Israeli group days earlier He remains under investigation and has not been brought before a judge These arrests come in the context of a pre-existing pattern of violations of the right to freedom of expression by the Fatah-led Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip Together we can fight for human rights everywhere Your donation can transform the lives of millions If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you the TRIMET  in Voerde commissioned a newly installed casting plant for aluminum sows The aluminum smelter with attached anode factory is thus able to produce ingot metal itself the site supplied its 99.9% pure electrolytic aluminum exclusively in liquid form to customers and to the foundry at TRIMET's Essen site "The casting plant allows greater flexibility enabling us to meet changing market requirements and customer demands even better," says Dr member of the management board of TRIMET Aluminium SE "The high metal purity of the cast aluminum also meets an increasing demand from the processing industry." can cast 20 aluminum sows of 780 kilograms each in an hourly cycle labeling and weighing to depositing the sows on a conveyor belt These measures ensure consistently high product quality The new plant also further optimizes and ensures occupational health and safety for employees I would like to receive the bi-weekly Foundry-Planet newsletter with all latest news Plus the special newsletters – all can be cancelled anytime and at no cost according to a Lockheed Martin announcement Lockheed Martin is the manufacturer for the GMLRS munition and has worked with the Army to double the rocket’s reach through extended-range capability development The first flight test for the extended-range GMLRS took place in November 2020 but the round “experienced an anomaly after launch,” Lockheed told Defense News in a March 5 statement The company conducted a thorough investigation and determined the cause was “a technical issue with a fin.” Lockheed incorporated “minor enhancements to mitigate recurrence,” and the successful flight test on March 4 showed those enhancements solved the issue “Anomalies are a normal part of testing expanded capabilities before they are fielded to the warfighter,” Lockheed added The 80-kilometer shot fired from the Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System met the test objectives “Our new Extended-Range GMLRS significantly increases the range of the current system offering the choice of munitions for longer distances and improving options with the same reliability and accuracy our customers have come to expect,” Gaylia Campbell vice president of precision fires and combat maneuver systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control The release added that the demo “confirmed the missile’s flight trajectory performance range and validated interfaces with the HIMARS launcher and system software performance.” The Army has now completed two of the four engineering development test flights planned The remaining flights are planned in the second quarter of the year The ultimate goal is to get the rocket to reach 150-plus kilometers Following the engineering developments tests the Army will conduct system qualification test flights and operational test flights Lockheed anticipates cutting the extended-range version into its production line in the fiscal 2023 contract award and is planning to produce the new extended-range rockets at its Camden, Arkansas, facility. The company has produced more than 50,000 GMLRS rounds and is under contract to provide another 9,000 GMLRS Unitary and Alternative-Warhead rockets as well as over 1,800 low-cost, reduced-range practice rockets for both the U.S. Army and international customers. Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College. Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feedDefense News © 2025 your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt the Greek MEP at the centre of the corruption scandal engulfing the European Parliament will not confess in order to get out of jail insisting on her innocence and accusing Belgian authorities of keeping her behind bars as a "trophy." "It is high time that Ms Kaili is released and that her presumption of innocence is respected," Sven Mary told Euronews in an exclusive interview "There is no longer any reason to keep Ms Kaili in prison," he claimed Kaili has been in pre-trial detention in the Haren prison She was reportedly caught in the act and her parliamentary immunity was immediately lifted The 44-year-old lawmaker was then charged with participation in a criminal organisation Her arrest sent shockwaves across Brussels and brought to light a sprawling investigation into a cash-for-favours scheme that involved "large sums of money" allegedly paid out by Qatar and Morocco in order to influence European policy-making Kaili was later removed from her position as one of the European Parliament's vice presidents and her party membership was suspended "Cases like Ms Kaili's are considered as a trophy or a symbol and they are shown like the World Cup," her lawyer claimed "Ms Kaili is lifted as a symbol to say: 'Even if you hold high office you will remain in prison.' And this is made especially to say to the other lawmakers: 'Do not commit corruption because you will go to prison for a long time.'" five people have been arrested and remain criminally charged by Belgian authorities: Eva Kaili All of them have been or will be released from prison – except Kaili "I can no longer understand today the reason for the preventive detention especially when two people are released: Panzeri These two people have confessed to committing crimes of corruption," Mary said "This preventive detention is a means of pressure to extract confessions And I say this plainly: there will be no confession from Ms Kaili There will be none since there is no wrongdoing on her part that has been committed." The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office refused to comment on the lawyer's accusations "We're going to make our point clear at court," a spokesperson said In his interview with Euronews on Tuesday at his office in Brussels Mary repeatedly defended his client's innocence and claimed the investigation had failed to yield any new evidence to justify Kaili's continued imprisonment Kaili spent the last two weeks replying to "all the questions" posed by investigators across sessions lasting a total of 15 hours but those are not the answers Ms Kaili is giving And when Ms Kaili doesn't give the answers they want to hear accusing Belgian authorities of suffering from "tunnel vision." Mary was particularly critical of Pier Antonio Panzeri the presumed ringleader of the corruption scheme who has struck a plea deal with the prosecutor in which he admits to criminal participation in bribery and agrees to share "revealing" details "I have my big doubts whether Mr Panzeri is really telling the truth is based on just two elements: Panzeri's confession and the phone call Kaili made to her father when she allegedly asked him to remove the bags of cash she had just found out in her apartment The father was caught at the Sofitel hotel carrying a suitcase stuffed with cash but was later released without charges Eva Kaili has undergone several hearings before the court in Brussels but her release has never been granted where Mary plans to ask for her liberation under conditions although not necessarily with electronic surveillance Francesco Giorgi, Kaili's domestic partner with whom she has a two-year-old daughter, was released in late February with an electronic bracelet a decision that Mary credited to Giorgi's criminal admissions Giorgi worked as a parliamentary assistant first for Panzeri and later for Andrea Cozzolino an Italian MEP who is also suspected of being part of the cash-for-favours scheme and is now fighting extradition from Italy to Belgium "Will she live under the same roof as Francesco Giorgi he's the father of her child and they both own the house So I assume they will live in the same house," Mary said speaking about Kaili's hypothetical release Asked how Kaili feels about Giorgi after all the twists and turns in the scandal Mary quoted a Belgian saying: "You never wash your dirty laundry in public." Konecranes expands its Germany-wide service network with a competent and experienced team at the new location in Voerde Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik GmbH specializes in the service expert consulting and modernization services of crane systems in the western part of Germany Founded in 1995 and with sales of more than EUR 1 million Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik employs 8 people and maintains both modern and decades-old crane systems Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik also offers solutions in the area of lifting magnets “The acquisition strengthens Konecranes' presence in Germany and ensures that the in-depth knowledge and expertise of Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik's service team remain accessible to customers We look forward to bringing our maintenance services for all types and makes of industrial cranes and hoists to the Voerde location,” says Nico Zamzow Vice President of Industrial Service & Equipment EMEA Central at Konecranes previous Managing Director of Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik GmbH is glad to have found a strong partner in Konecranes: "Together with Konecranes and we can expand the location in a future-oriented and secure manner." Konecranes has acquired the service business of Dungs Kran- und Anlagentechnik GmbH a specialist in crane system services based in Voerde Konecranes is a global leader in material handling solutions serving a broad range of customers across multiple industries We consistently set the industry benchmark from everyday improvements to the breakthroughs at moments that matter most because we know we can always find a safer with around 16,600 professionals in over 50 countries Konecranes shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (symbol: KCR) Irish Grand Prix team rider Judy Reynolds has decided to move her business from Dorsten to her trainer Johann Hinnemann's yard Judy Reynolds first trained with Gisele and Heike Holstein in Ireland before deciding to leave her home country Ireland for Germany in 2002 to test her mettle against stiffer competition At the time she rode Russian bred Trakehner Rathbawn Valet and mare Burgfraulein and moved to the Munich area in Bavaria to train with Irish Anna Merveldt(-Steffens) Judy ended up competing Valet at the 2006 World Equestrian Games and Burgfraulein at the 2007 European Championships Through Merveldt she got introduced to coach Johann Hinnemann For four years Judy worked with Anna until the latter decided to relocate to Italy Initially Judy would be in Germany for the "season" and home in Ireland for the winters Judy stayed in Munich on her own for one more year and commuted to Hinnemann in Voerde for training Judy moved to Krusterhof and remained with Hinnemann for 3.5 years and Rathbawn Valet to Grand Prix level with her top horse Vancouver as the rising talent With Remember she rode the 2010 World Equestrian Games and 2011 European Championships after which she sold him to Gregory Tackx in Holland With Vancouver at the 2016 OlympicsAt the start of 2012 Judy accepted the offer to join Irish show jumper Jessica Kürten at Edouard de Rothschild's yard in Ferrieres-en-Brie in France but after eight months she returned to Hünxe and shared a yard with jumping rider Bertram Allen With Bertram Allen's business expanding and more horses arriving in his barn Judy got cramped and went independent with her business at Gut Hohenkamp in Dorsten In January 2023 German professional Grand Prix rider Stefanie Wolf decided to leave her employer of 15 years This left the head trainer spot at Krusterhof vacant and Judy has agreed to fill that spot alongside basing her business out of Hinnemann's stable Judy on Faisao at the 2023 CDI SInt-Truiden supported by husband Patrick Heavey"I am moving my yard to Krüsterhof," Judy confirmed to Eurodressage "I will base my horses and client’s horses there It works well as I am riding Rockman Royal for Johann already and the move will allow me to take on more visiting students for training as well as grow overall I am very looking forward to it as I was based there full time for a number of years up until 2012 so it is a bit like going home." This year Reynolds has been campaigning horses For Fun (by Furstenball x Maizauber) Faisao (by Spartacus x Hostil) and Rockman Royal (by Rock Forever x Show Star) at international Grand Prix level Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot Trimet is spending a figure in the double-digit million range to renew the 188 electrolytic cells. In the past year, work has already begun on converting the busbar system for the electrolytic furnaces. This will make more efficient use of the energy, while also further cutting carbon dioxide emissions associated with primary aluminium production. “Energy efficiency is a key issue for us. Yes, I would like to receive the bi-weekly Foundry-Planet newsletter with all latest news, product and material tests and reports. Plus the special newsletters – all can be cancelled anytime and at no cost. Great, I thought as I read the coverage last week. My DVR helped bring down Twitter. (Probably not, at least this time—the targeted products were older than what you’d find in most American homes and less protected.) But the internet is huge There are around a couple billion public IPv4 addresses out there; any one of those might have a server Even if the manufacturer of my gadget gave it a dumb and easily guessed password wouldn’t it be safe in this sea of anonymity I gussied it up to look like an unsecured web device opening a web port that hackers commonly use to remotely control computers I set up a false front: Hackers would think they were logging into a server but I’d really just record their keystrokes and IP addresses this is called putting out a honeypot—an irresistible target that attracts and ultimately entraps hackers and the scripts they use to find vulnerable servers Here’s what my particular honeypot looked like fully expecting to wait days—or weeks—to see a hack attempt This graphic is a simulation—a bot’s-eye view if you will—but it’s the actual sequence of commands the hacking script used It tried a common default username and password (root/root) and executed the “sh” command giving it the ability to run programs and install its own code from a different IP address and using different login credentials more than 300 different IP addresses attempted to hack my honeypot by 11:59 p.m Many of them used the password “xc3511,” which was the factory default for many of the old webcams hijacked in last week’s attack looking for vulnerable servers with open ports And every hacked computer adds another recruit to the search effort shortening the time required geometrically Matthew Prince, the cofounder and CEO of Cloudflare said anyone hooking up a poorly secured  IP device to the internet can expect to see that gizmo hacked within a week the chance [of being hacked] is probably 100 percent,” he said “The IPv4 address space just isn’t that big You can now run a scan across that entire space in hours The scans for vulnerability are continuous have accelerated over the last couple of years.” This doesn’t mean that every Internet-of-Things device is vulnerable Most things that you connect to the web through your home WiFi are probably okay: Your router kills most incoming hacking attempts if your router is compromised...) You have more to worry about if your device hooks up to your modem directly which is more common in industrial settings the vastness of the internet can no longer protect us I can’t count the number of sloppy things I’ve done because I thought I was small enough to escape notice—reused passwords even the most obscure among us can be found by a roving script UNSW research in rats shows that cycling between a healthy and unhealthy diet has significant health effects Maddie Massy-WestroppUNSW Medicine & Healthm.massywestropp@unsw.edu.au takeaway dinners… None of that matters as long as you ate healthily during the week This research is important as junk foods are a central part of modern diets but most of us don’t eat them 100 per cent of the time alternating between periods of healthy and unhealthy eating A common pattern is adopting a poorer quality diet on weekends Previous research shows that high-fat high-sugar diets are associated with poorer cognition in humans and rats the effects of diet cycling are not well understood “Mike and I wanted to know whether the same total amount of unhealthy food “Our lab has been looking at the nexus between high-fat diet high-sugar diet and cognition using a rat model,” said Prof adult male rats were exposed to a healthy diet of standard rat food Some rats were also exposed to 16 days of an unhealthy ‘cafeteria’ diet This 16 days of unhealthy diet was done in one stretch or broken up into shorter or longer ‘cycles’ (see diagram below) rats were exposed to healthy and unhealthy diets for varying durations Note that this diagram is illustrative only and does not fully reflect the experimental design Rats exposed to the unhealthy diet variations performed more poorly on spatial memory tests where they had to remember the placement of objects The memory impairment was more noticeable for rats who followed the high-fat high-sugar diet for more consecutive days – in other words The unhealthy diet also led to changes in the gut microbiome This included less diversity in the microbial species present higher levels of ‘bad’ bacteria associated with obesity and lower levels of ‘good’ bacteria associated with weight control These effects became more severe with longer unhealthy diet cycles All of the rats fed the unhealthy diet gained more weight than controls fed the healthy diet by the end of the experiment the length of the ‘unhealthy cycle’ had little impact the effects on cognition and gut microbiome appeared to be independent of weight gain So why did the unhealthy diet impact the rats’ memory It’s likely that several factors are at play – one being the gut microbiome "Our analyses indicated that the levels of two bacteria correlated with the extent of the memory impairment. This suggests a link between the effects of diet cycling on cognition and the microbiota,” said Dr Kendig, who undertook this research at UNSW and now researches diet and cognition at the Faculty of Science at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Morris added: “We know the gut is very connected to our brain Changes to the microbiome in response to our diet might impact our brain and behaviour.” Read more: An apple a day on doctors' orders keeps ill health away Another reason could be that an unhealthy diet contributes to inflammation in the body “In humans we know that a diet that increases inflammation appears to be less beneficial for our brain function,” said Prof we’ve shown in rats that these cognitive deficits actually correlate with inflammation in the brain.” Concerningly, eating unhealthy foods may also directly affect the structure of the brain. Previous research shows that a high-fat high-sugar diet may reduce the size and function of a brain area called the hippocampus which is essential for learning and memory Diet is thought to affect cognition directly through inflammation and structural changes to the brain as well as indirectly due to changes in the gut microbiota Further research is needed to understand exactly why the diet cycling impacted the rats’ memory Morris said that the key takeaway is that even subtle shifts in dietary habits can impact our thinking and memory long stretches of healthy eating are probably important for our cognition “We think this sort of work is critical to get us to think about maintaining the health of our brain into old age,” Prof “If we can maintain a healthy diet – such as the Mediterranean-type diet with high diversity good proteins – we have a better chance of preserving our cognition.” UNSW respectfully acknowledges the Bidjigal clan of the Dharawal Nation on whose unceded lands we are privileged to learn and recognise the broader Nations with whom we walk together UNSW acknowledges the enduring connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to culture The Uluru Statement but Russia achieved an important public health milestone that deserves applause: It enacted a national law that bans smoking in public places and restricts cigarette sales joining a growing number of countries in making tobacco control a health priority The policy victory was a long time coming working in Russia in the mid- and late 2000s the sense of gloom that prevailed about the poor health conditions of the population.  Indeed in a report that the World Bank prepared in partnership with the Russian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) we documented that Russians were “dying too young,” the main causes driving this phenomenon that a major culprit of the demographic and health decline in Russia is the widespread use of tobacco which is linked with the country’s high rates of cardiovascular diseases (some of the world’s highest) many cancers and chronic lung diseases.  According to the 2008-10 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) there are nearly 44 million smokers in Russia and almost every Russian is exposed to secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants One in three Russians is exposed to smoke in the workplace and it is estimated that smoking claims 330,000-400,000 Russian lives every year While Russia ranks number one in smoking rates among countries surveyed cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the country.  And the future disease burden will be influenced by the already high rates of smoking in adolescents and young adults of both sexes in the country the rising cost to public health from smoking could no longer be ignored.  From the highest offices in the Kremlin and the State Duma a consensus begun to emerge about the need to combat the tobacco epidemic as part of a broader effort to improve the poor health conditions of the population The stark reality underlying this shift was that mortality among Russian men had increased by 60% since 1991 -- four to five times higher than the European average -- contributing to the precipitous decline in life expectancy among males to a low of 58 years in 2004 from the peak of 65 years in 1964 Although male life expectancy has risen  in recent years to 63 years and life expectancy for women is now  75 years alongside declining fertility below replacement levels  have led to a significant decline in the total size of Russia's population from 148 million in 1991 to 141 million in 2011.  Annual productivity loss from smoking-related premature mortality was estimated to reach US$ 24.7 billion Additional losses from morbidity and health care expenditures related to smoking compound this loss The growing political and social momentum toward addressing Russia’s high burden of preventable illness contributed to the decision by the Russian government to ratify in April 2008 the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) a global treaty adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly in 2003 which has now been signed by 168 countries covering close to 90% of the world’s population Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a long-awaited comprehensive law that will ban smoking in most public places and restrict cigarette sales in the world's second-largest tobacco market after China (Russia’s tobacco market was estimated to be worth US$22 billion in 2011) which will ban smoking on municipal transport as well as in health facilities and schools beginning June 1 cafes and restaurants.  It will also ban sales of tobacco products at street kiosks the Russian people and the global health community should rejoice The enactment and implementation of this momentous law puts Russia on the right side of public health history  Its measurable benefit in years ahead will be less ill health and disability and a more productive and healthy population To paraphrase Boris Pasternak in his timeless novel Dr she's restless and can't find rest” -- hopefully until the tobacco curse is overcome Follow the World Bank health team on Twitter: @worldbankhealth Dying Too Young: Adressing Premature Mortality and Ill Health due to Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries in the Russian Federation Economics of Tobacco Taxation in Russia Adult Health in the Russian Federation: More Than Just A Health Problem Thank you for choosing to be part of the Investing in Health community The latest blog posts and blog-related announcements will be delivered directly to your email inbox Former World Bank Group (WBG) Lead Public Health Specialist Microsoft claims "no known ransomware" runs on Windows 10 S Cyber security 101: Protect your privacy from hackers and the government Simple steps can make the difference between losing your online accounts or maintaining what is now a precious commodity: Your privacy The software giant announced the version of Windows earlier this year as the flagship student-focused operating system to ship with its newest Surface Laptop Microsoft touted the operating system as being less susceptible to ransomware because of its locked-down configuration -- to the point where you can't run any apps outside the protective walled garden of its app store it has to go through rigorous testing to ensure its integrity That's one of several mitigations that helps to protect the operating system to known file-encrypting malware We wanted to see if such a bold claim could hold up Last week, on its debut day, we got our hands on a new Surface Laptop, the first device of its kind to run Windows 10 S and installed a slew of outstanding security patches -- like any other ordinary user would (hopefully) do And that's when we asked Matthew Hickey, a security researcher and co-founder of cybersecurity firm Hacker House a simple enough question: Will ransomware install on this operating system It took him a little over three hours to bust the operating system's various layers of security "I'm honestly surprised it was this easy," he said in a call after his attack "When I looked at the branding and the marketing for the new operating system I would've wanted more restrictions on trying to run privileged processes instead of it being such a short process." But Windows 10 S presents a few hurdles but it doesn't allow the user to run anything that isn't necessary a powerful tool often used (and abused) by hackers Windows promptly tells the user that it's off-limits Bottom line: If it's not in the app store Cracking Windows 10 S was a tougher task than we expected Hickey was able to exploit how Microsoft Word available to download from the Windows app store script-based programs are designed to automate tasks but they're also commonly used by malware writers macro-based Word document on his own computer that when opened would allow him to carry out a reflective DLL injection attack allowing him to bypass the app store restrictions by injecting code into an existing Word was opened with administrative privileges through Windows' Task Manager a straightforward process given the offline user account by default has administrative privileges (Hickey said that process could also be automated with a larger But given the dangers associated with macros Word's "protected view" blocks macros from running when a file is downloaded from the internet or received as an email attachment Hickey downloaded the malicious Word document he built from a network share which Windows considers a trusted location so long as he enabled it from a warning bar at the top of the screen The document could easily point an arrow to the bar telling the user to disable protected mode to see the contents of the document -- a common social engineering technique used in macro-based ransomware (If he had physical access to the computer he could have also run the file from a USB stick but he would have to manually unblock the file from the file's properties menu -- as easy as clicking a checkbox.) Many macro-enabled malicious Word documents ask the user to enable content the code runs and gives him access to a shell with administrator privileges he was able to download a payload using Metasploit which connects the operating system to his own cloud-based command and control server effectively enabling him to remotely control the computer he was able to get the highest level of access by accessing a "system"-level process and using the same DLL injection method By gaining "system" privileges "From here we can start turning things on and off -- antimalware and override sensitive Windows files," he said the computer would have been entirely vulnerable and unable to defend against any malware he sent me a screenshot with the plaintext password of the Wi-Fi network that the computer was connected to something only available to "system"-level processes "We considered leaving the laptop playing 'AC/DC Thunderstruck' on loop for you but we didn't want to upset your neighbors or any pets!" he joked "We could even take something like Locky and run it so that it would encrypt all the files in your documents and request a key by setting the wallpaper," he said Hickey stopped short of installing the ransomware citing the possible risk to other devices on the network "We've proved the point enough," he said "We can do whatever we wanted," he said "SYSTEM" is the highest level of privileges which took him "a matter of minutes," he was able to gain full system-wide access to the operating system in a few hours "That's because we knew already of these kinds of attacks and these kinds of techniques and we know it's worked for us in the past," he said Hickey did not use any previously-undisclosed or so-called zero-day vulnerabilities to carry out the attack but he said that this attack chain could be carried out several other ways Cyberwar and the Future of Cybersecurity Today's security threats have expanded in scope and seriousness There can now be millions -- or even billions -- of dollars at risk when information security isn't handled properly Although Hickey used publicly known techniques that are widely understood by security experts we nevertheless privately informed Microsoft's security team of the attack process prior to publication we stated that Windows 10 S was not vulnerable to any known ransomware and based on the information we received from ZDNet that statement holds true," said a spokesperson "We recognize that new attacks and malware emerge continually which is why [we] are committed to monitoring the threat landscape and working with responsible researchers to ensure that Windows 10 continues to provide the most secure experience possible for our customers." This hack may not have been the prettiest or easiest to launch You could argue that the hack took too many steps that wouldn't be replicated in the real world and that this case would rely on either social engineering or physical access to a device rather than a weaponized file to launch on a double-click hackers aren't known to give up after a little over three hours probing vulnerabilities Microsoft said that "no known ransomware" works on the operating system but by gaining "system"-level access we showed that it's entirely possible to take control of the machine to install ransomware If there's a lesson to be learned (and repeated again and again) You can send tips securely over Signal and WhatsApp at 646-755–8849 You can also send PGP email with the fingerprint: 4D0E 92F2 E36A EC51 DAAE 5D97 CB8C 15FA EB6C EEA5 Assembly and testing of Wärtsilä marine gear boxes will be moved to the Siemens Mechanical Drives facilities in Voerde The technology group Wärtsilä and Flender (Siemens AG Mechanical Drives) have reached an agreement regarding the contract manufacturing of Wärtsilä’s marine gear box portfolio the assembly and testing of the gear boxes will be moved to the Siemens Mechanical Drives facilities in Voerde By taking advantage of synergies with processes developed at the Siemens plant the new arrangement will secure the quality and delivery punctuality of the Wärtsilä gear boxes and will thus provide greater customer value and interfacing with shipyards and owners will continue to be Wärtsilä’s responsibility “We believe that we have found the best possible partner for ensuring that our gear box offering is of the expected quality and for being able to serve our customers in an efficient We wish to emphasise that it is only the production arrangements that are being revised; all the terms and conditions of our contracts with customers remain unchanged,” says Arto Lehtinen “We are pleased to be cooperating with Wärtsilä in the production of their marine gear boxes The products are excellent and they fit well with our manufacturing programme at this facility,” says Felix Henseler The gear box is a vital link between a ship’s main propulsion engine and the controllable pitch propeller Several configurations and sizes are offered according to the actual vessel requirements Wärtsilä’s gear boxes come in both single and two-speed variants the latter being of particular benefit to enhance the performance of certain types of vessels Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox In a significant milestone for the company Thordon Bearings has seen its RiverTough tailshaft bearing solution surpass 500 installations in the workboat sector Primarily a retrofit solution but also increasingly.. VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has launched the first Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) immersion suit in the world designed for women working in offshore wind energy using guidance on diversity and inclusivity.. Agreement sees Sallaum Lines become an early adopter to transition to Inmarsat Maritime’s fully managed bonded connectivity service from traditional VSAT solutions Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news For general inquiries and to contact us,please email: [email protected] To submit a story idea or contact our editors, please email: [email protected] For advertising opportunities contactEmail: [email protected]Phone: +1.805.704.2536 Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe Most of civilized America was shocked by the news that our government has created “Tender Age Shelters,” to house infants and toddlers taken from their parents under the Trump Administration’s new “zero tolerance,” policy to arrest asylum-seekers when they arrive at our southern border  While the inhumanity of imprisoning young children is new to our country it is anything but in the broad sweep of humanity’s lifespan  One such place where it did was called Buschmannshof According to William Manchester’s brilliant history of the Krupp family Buschmannshof was a concentration camp near the city of Essen  Its prisoners ranged in age from a few days to two years old  The camp was built and operated by the Krupp Concern family-run conglomerate led by Alfried Krupp  The Krupp family was the chief arms supplier not only to the Nazi regime but to every German government for nearly 400 years  Krupp’s weapons literally made possible Germany’s initial conquest of most of Europe and the Soviet Union in the early days of the war As the sinew of his nation’s military power Krupp operated hundreds of factories throughout the country and was its largest single industrial employer Hitler prohibited Alfried from employing foreign workers at any of his factories but after losing much of his male workforce to the needs of the Wehrmacht and the destruction caused by Allied bombing he was forced to look elsewhere to keep his assembly lines running  He contracted with the Waffen SS (which operated the government-run concentration camps like Auschwitz) to put thousands of prisoners to work as slave laborers in his factories Krupp initially selected mostly Jewish females who had been captured in Hungary to work in his plants in Essen prisoners from other Eastern European countries and Russia as well as Allied prisoners of war were also conscripted to labor beside Krupp employees When the first prisoners arrived from Buchenwald in 1942 husbands and wives were allowed to remain together in the concentration camps that were established near the factories to house them nine months after the first slaves appeared prisoners began giving birth to dozens of babies  (No one knows exactly how many because there was a concerted effort by the Nazis near the end of the war to erase any trace of the camp’s existence  Manchester indicates that thousands of children may have begun and ended their lives at Buschmannshof.) The sheer number of infants quickly overwhelmed the hospitals in Essen and because babies were taken from their mothers minutes after being born and never returned Krupp’s people had to come up with a plan to permanently house the prisoner-newborns  A ramshackle compound of seven small barracks buildings near the small town of Voerde-Bei-Dinslaken outside of Essen Living conditions at Buschmannshof were beyond horrific  Babies sent to the camp weren’t even given names  Because the tide of the war was already turning inexorably against Germany when the camp opened Buschmannshof never had sufficient resources to provide even minimally humane care for its prisoners  Every child was severely malnourished and given little to no medical intervention even though epidemics of diphtheria and other diseases repeatedly spread like wildfires among the prison population  Most were never given clothes to wear or even proper formula to eat  They slept and spent their days on straw pallets covered with rubber sheets there was no one to provide care when it was needed  For most of the time Buschmannshof operated there were only four Ukrainian women who themselves had given birth at the camp to tend to the hundreds of babies who were housed there at any given time  The majority died within weeks of arriving  (One guard testified at the Nuremberg trials after the war that an average of 50 to 60 babies died every day at Buschmannshof  Some of the dead were buried in numbered graves in nearby cemeteries were cremated in the same manner as other concentration camp victims.) as Allied forces moved ever closer to the camp a decision was made to move the few dozen remaining children of Buschmannshof east to keep them under “the protection,” of the German Army  Manchester believed that a person or persons unknown decided to kill the children who they had not already managed to exterminate through disease to prevent them from being discovered by the Allies after the war I am not suggesting that Donald Trump’s “Tender Age Shelters” are in any way materially akin to Buschmannshof or any other Nazi slave labor or mass extermination facility ne’er do well hangers-on or mindlessly loyal followers are crypto-nazis in any way shape or form (even though some proudly claim that title for themselves)  I’m also not attempting to fill the vacuum of publicly available objective evidence of the quality of care at the Trump post-natal jails with a false equivalency to some of the most evil crimes ever committed by the hand of Man What I am trying to do is ask a few questions about how the leaders of our government could believe that any public policy objective could be advanced by actions that gratuitously impose the most devastating mental and emotional anguish imaginable on children too young to even begin to process the experience  Are our leaders – and their most ardent followers – so bereft of humanity so devoid of human empathy - that they can’t see that sundering our national values simply to gain partisan advantage will destroy the legacy that our founders gave us to pass on to future generations Trump’s kinder-prisons aren’t Buschmannshof and if we allow our leaders to pay no price for creating them - how far away are we from becoming a people who would contemplate actually building another Buschmannshof to serve a future political expedient Not signed up for Daily Kos yet? Create a free account TransportEXCLUSIVE | Shell has quietly closed down all its hydrogen filling stations in the UKFacilities shut down because 'prototype tech had reached its end of life', oil giant tells Hydrogen Insight The Group's presence in the continent is diversified and spans an array of manufacturing sectors the subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group's metal flagship company Hindalco Industries is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminium products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminium Novelis has ten manufacturing facilities across Europe in Germany and Switzerland to better serve its customers is a leader in aluminium surface finishing It also hosts a Research & Innovation Centre specialising in surface treatment and coating is the world’s largest aluminium recycling centre producing up to 400,000 metric tons of aluminium sheet ingots from recycled material annually The plant also manufactures rolled aluminium products using the latest cold rolling technology a state-of-the-art laser workshop and continuous annealing and finishing lines is the world’s largest aluminium rolling and casting facility It is operated as a joint venture between Novelis and Norsk Hydro produces foil trays for the food industry (OHLER® Packaging Systems) and aluminium coil cores and flexible tubes (OHLER® Flextubes) Novelis operates two more plants in Germany which joined Novelis as part of the Aleris acquisition in 2020 and the casting and recycling facility located in Voerde specialises in rolling aluminium for the worldwide aerospace industry and serves the markets for moulding and tooling A modern facility in Bresso manufactures pre-painted and bright finish-rolled aluminium It also produces sheets with speciality finishes for facades and architectural exteriors and interiors Novelis also operates an integrated sheet mill with continuous casting capability in Pieve In addition to manufacturing aluminium coils for the Bresso plant it also produces shipping sheets and coils for external markets Switzerland serves as the company's regional headquarters the regional office serves as the hub for the company’s commercial operations for Europe Novelis also operates an integrated plant in Sierre which can handle the entire process from casting to finishing The plant operates a state-of-the-art continuous annealing line and possesses laser-cutting capability It also hosts a Research & Innovation Centre which is at the forefront of developing new automotive sheet alloys surface treatment and joining technologies is a global leader in casthouse expertise and equipment Novelis has a significant presence in the United Kingdom which has helped the company consolidate its status as a leader in recycling operations The can-to-can recycling plant in Latchford is also an essential part of Novelis’ European production system It has enough capacity to recycle every aluminium beverage can sold in the UK A second plant at Crick serves as a shearing facility for aluminium sheets It boasts of a warehouse spanning 25,000 sq metres complete with a railhead connection for train deliveries the global leader in manufacturing high-quality carbon black additives is another manufacturing major holding the ABG flag high in Europe which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017 is among the world's most efficient carbon manufacturing plants The company has two other plants in Europe — in Northern Hungary and Trecate the three plants have been able to cater to the carbon black requirements of customers in Europe Aditya Birla Chemicals is a leading manufacturer of bulk and speciality chemicals and viscose filament yarn the company generates over $80 million in annual revenue Aditya Birla Chemicals (Europe) GmbH comprises nine companies including CTP Chemicals and Technologies for Polymers GmbH and CTP Advanced Materials GmbH (CTP AM) in Germany Aditya Birla Domsjö (Domsjö) is a speciality pulp and bio-refinery company based in Sweden In addition to the production unit in Domsjö the company operates a smaller plant in Latvia through a subsidiary The company has a production capacity of 255,000 tonnes of dissolving cellulose 120,000 tonnes of lignin and 14,000 tonnes of bio-ethanol all with an origin in sustainable Swedish forestry It refines renewable wood raw materials into speciality cellulose and lignosulfonates and produces complementary products Domsjö's products are primarily sold outside Sweden with Asia being one of its largest markets Environment-friendly practices and processes underpin Domsjö operations The bio-energy generated during manufacturing is used internally and makes Domsjö virtually independent of fossil energy sources It is the only company in the world to have an environment-friendly closed-loop bleaching process with zero emissions which helps the company to serve major customers such as DuPont is among the largest textile yarn manufacturers in Europe the plant partners many reputed technical fibre manufacturers Its specialities lie in special grey (white) or highlighted yarn for the fabrics and knitwear and sewing thread ABG’s strong footprint in Europe demonstrates the Group's resilience and ability to achieve balanced It is also a testimonial to the Group’s strong customer-centric approach and focus on innovation Mail: sandeep.gurumurthi@adityabirla.com The technology group Wärtsilä and Flender (Siemens AG Mechanical Drives) have reached an agreement regarding the contract manufacturing of Wärtsilä’s marine gear box portfolio the new arrangement will secure the quality and delivery punctuality of the Wärtsilä gear boxes and interfacing with shipyards and owners will continue to be Wärtsilä’s responsibility “We believe that we have found the best possible partner for ensuring that our gear box offering is of the expected quality We wish to emphasise that it is only the production arrangements that are being revised; all the terms and conditions of our contracts with customers remain unchanged,” says Arto Lehtinen “We are pleased to be cooperating with Wärtsilä in the production of their marine gear boxes The products are excellent and they fit well with our manufacturing programme at this facility,” says Felix Henseler The gear box is a vital link between a ship’s main propulsion engine and the controllable pitch propeller Wärtsilä’s gear boxes come in both single and two-speed variants Link to imageCaption: Assembly and testing of Wärtsilä marine gear boxes will be moved to the Siemens Mechanical Drives facilities in Voerde Mr Arto LehtinenVice President, PropulsionWärtsilä Marine Solutions.Tel: +358 10 7095325arto.lehtinen@wartsila.com Ms Marit Holmlund-SundSenior Manager Marketing, Communications, Marine SolutionsWärtsilä CorporationTel: +358 40 538 3519marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Please log in here to leave a comment This effect even occurs with virtual nature – such as nature videos an international team of neuroscientists led by the University of Vienna has shown that experiencing nature can alleviate acute physical pain simply watching nature videos was enough to relieve pain Using functional magnetic resonance imaging the researchers found that acute pain was rated as less intense and unpleasant when watching nature videos – along with a reduction in brain activity associated with pain The results suggest that nature-based therapies can be used as promising complementary approaches to pain management The study was recently published in the renowned journal Nature Communications "Pain processing is a complex phenomenon" explains study lead and doctoral student Max Steininger from the University of Vienna In order to better understand it and identify treatment options Steininger and his colleagues investigated how nature exposure influences pain: participants suffering from pain were shown three types of videos: a nature scene The participants rated the pain while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging The results were clear: when viewing the nature scene the participants not only reported less pain but also showed reduced activity in brain regions associated with pain processing the researchers showed that viewing nature reduced the raw sensory signal the brain receives when in pain made up of different pieces that are processed differently in the brain Some pieces of the puzzle relate to our emotional response to pain Other pieces correspond to the physical signals underlying the painful experience such as its location in the body and its intensity which usually change our emotional response to pain viewing nature changed how the brain processed early the effect appears to be less influenced by participants’ expectations and more by changes in the underlying pain signals," explains Steininger we know that people consistently report feeling less pain when exposed to natural environments the underlying reason for this has remained unclear – until now Our study suggests that the brain reacts less to both the physical source and the intensity of the pain." The current study provides important information on how nature can help alleviate pain and highlights that nature-based therapeutic approaches can be a useful addition to pain treatment that this effect was observed by simply watching nature videos suggests that taking a walk outdoors may not be necessary Virtual nature – such as videos or virtual reality – appears to be effective as well This opens up a wide range of possible applications in both the private and medical sectors providing people with a simple and accessible way to relieve their pain The study was conducted at the University of Vienna in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Birmingham (UK) and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development Researchers from the fields of neuroscience and environmental psychology worked together on this research topic for the first time at the University of Vienna. Claus Lamm and Mathew White are also members of the interdisciplinary Environment and Climate Research Hub (ECH) at the University of Vienna The ECH brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to produce outstanding scientific knowledge that can provide solutions to pressing problems such as climate change biodiversity loss and environmental pollution Claus Lamm: Nature exposure induces analgesic effects by acting on nociception-related neural processing DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56870-2