Please Register or Sign in to view this content Quantum Commodity Intelligence is a premium paid subscription service for professionals in the oil Quantum Oil service subscribers have access to: Get in touch with us for subscription information on all Quantum platforms KARACHI: The prime minister has ordered an inquiry into the low offtake of domestically refined petroleum products by oil marketing companies (OMCs) A committee has been formed to investigate the sub-optimal capacity utilisation of oil refineries and the resulting decrease in the supply of critical petroleum products according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Energy’s Petroleum Division The notification said that the prime minister has nominated Minister of State for Railways Bilal Kiyani to lead the inquiry into the matter The terms of reference (ToRs) of the inquiry include analysing the reasons behind the low offtake of domestic petroleum products by OMCs The committee will also examine the effectiveness of the current system for planning and forecasting monthly import requirements of petroleum products and assess the balance between domestic production and imports The inquiry will further evaluate whether the Pakistan (Oil Refining 2016 -- specifically Rule 35(g) -- are being implemented in letter and spirit based on available data on OMC sales and refinery inventories the committee instructed stakeholders to come prepared with an overview of the issue and their specific perspectives on the ToRs It also sought suggestions and recommendations for improving the current mechanism for pricing and managing the petroleum products supply chain refineries raised concerns about the low offtake of high-speed diesel (HSD) which led to the shutdown of one refinery unit and reduced capacity operations at others They urged the government to act to ensure the smooth uplift of HSD to maintain refinery operations Members of the Zarea Board of Directors seen posing for a group photo in this image.— Zarea website/FileKARACHI:.. A Dubai Islamic Bank building seen in this undated photo — The News/FileKARACHI: Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan.. The Standard Chartered bank logo is seen at their headquarters in London A JS Bank branch seen in this undated image.— The News/File KARACHI: JS Bank has announced its financial results.. This representational image shows a laptop screen from glasses — Unsplash/FileLAHORE: Pakistan’s data centre.. The representational image shows the flags of China and Pakistan — APP/FileLAHORE: A high-profile Chinese business.. Copyright © 2025. The News International, All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Authors A new indoor ice skating facility and remodeled restaurant operated by The Stillery are planned for the former Libby Montana space in Mequon The bar and restaurant closed in August after 24 years in business at 5616 W The new plans come from Commerce Street Holdings LLC are tied to Barrett Lo Visionary Development which developed The Moderne and The Couture mixed-use high rise apartments in downtown Milwaukee Dan Beyer of Dan Beyer Architects created the blueprints for the Mequon development and presented the concept in front of Mequon's Planning Commission which approved the proposal at its July meeting The new concept will include an indoor ice staking rink in the former indoor volleyball dome a remodeled restaurant that will be operated by The Stillery The plan said the ice skating rink would be smaller than a regulation-sized hockey rink and will cater to youth and area high schools "Instead of diving 30 miles down to the Rock (in Franklin) or someplace this gives them an opportunity to have something on the north side of Milwaukee," Beyer said during the commission meeting The plan also said it would host small-sided adult leagues with teams consisting of four or five players The developer and Mequon's planning staff made an agreement that there would be no adult leagues on Fridays and Saturdays to ease the strain on potential traffic in the area The restaurant portion will be remodeled and operated by The Stillery which has locations in Richfield and Grafton The remodel will include moving the primary entrance north on the property (farther from West Donges Bay Road and closer to the current volleyball warehouse) and outdoor seating with green space for lawn games BLVD and The Stillery did not respond to requests for comment Beyer could not comment further on the development at this time Libby Montana Bar and Grill served food including bar fare and pizza, plus hosted adult volleyball leagues in its indoor volleyball dome until it closed on August 13, according to a Facebook post about its closure. "Animal House" actor Mark Metcalf, and his ex-wife, Libby Wick Libby Montana's Facebook page has remained active since the restaurant's closure with posts encouraging patrons to visit their staff at the bars and restaurants they are now working at STUART, Fla. — A Florida bill that would lift certain child labor laws is making its way through the House and Senate The bill under consideration would allow children as young as 14 to work overnight shifts on school days — a significant change from current laws which prohibit minors from working between 11 p.m WATCH: WPTV Reporter Cassandra Garcia listens to the concerns of local parents about proposed bill lifting child labor laws Jaclyn Donges lives in Martin County and has teenage children She said that the labor laws in places are designed to safeguard minors like her kids she also recognizes the role a job can play in a teenager's upbringing and thinks there's room for improvement in child labor laws especially for kids who are homeschooling or have flexible hours that they can just have an opportunity to work,” Donges said Donges voiced her unease about the overnight work provision it said that it would allow them to work overnight and I think that’s concerning because our children need their sleep,” Donges said The Florida American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) which represents several labor unions in the state director of politics and public policy at Florida AFL-CIO argued that the bill put power in the wrong hands "These bills that are moving will give all the power to the employers and make it so much easier for these 16 and 17-year-olds to be exploited," Templin said The proposed legislation comes amid growing labor shortage concerns with Governor Ron DeSantis and the Trump administration also cracking down on immigration “There’s a lot of pressure from the business community to do things like this because we’re seeing a real shortage of a labor market that’s willing to work for low wages “Instead of changing business models and finding ways to incentivize people to do this work they keep trying to find new sources for cheap labor.” While Donges recognizes the importance of offering job opportunities to young people she believes the proposed legislation misses the mark “I think they need to go back to the drawing board maybe gather some opinions from actual parents and students,” Donges said As the debate over child labor laws continues it’s clear that finding a balance between offering opportunities for teens and ensuring their safety and well-being will be a key issue moving forward grew up on a plant nursery in New Jersey; he played in woods and fields and developed an appreciation for animals A 1994 graduate of York College of Pennsylvania he studied biology and fine arts and says working at Penn Vet has been like coming full circle “I have an appreciation and understanding for the work that the researchers A year ago Donges took on the role of guest editor of the 100th issue of Bellwether He has had a hand in nearly half of those 100 issues then taking on the photography and captions and in 2018 became the magazine’s production manager “Just by the fact that I had been there through it all “Especially now having read every magazine preparing for the 100th issue.” Donges started collecting ideas from anniversary and milestone magazine issues on campus and at other universities Then he went through each of the previous Bellwether issues In the 58 pages are clinical and research stories and “where are they now” stories about alumni or quirky factoid from each issue,” Donges says so there is a four-page foldout with the 100 facts “That was a lot of fun.” The inside of the magazine’s cover has a mosaic of all 100 covers The 100th cover features an illustration of a sheep with veterinary iconography drawn in the whorls and folds of the wool which ties into the magazine’s name: the lead sheep of a flock was called the bellwether “The word has come to take on the meaning of being a pioneer leading the way in a profession,” Donges says Bellwether is a record of Penn Vet’s history Donges says he was struck that the magazine has chronicled entire veterinary careers just documenting the professional careers of our faculty who was a resident at New Bolton Center when the magazine was launched Richardson treated Penn Vet’s most famous patient who broke his leg at the 2006 Preakness Stakes in the race for the Triple Crown The issue is one more milestone for Penn Vet which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2034 serving as editor was a “wonderful opportunity,” he says “The very first editorial meeting I had piles of information from all the magazines take it away.’ And I was terrified,” Donges says “Just feeling my way into being comfortable in that role as editor gaining confidence in making certain decisions the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt The new Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology boasts adaptable laboratory spaces to support the dynamic needs of pioneering research and some that don't burn' - the tagline of the Jac Donges hat and gloves store on North 3rd Street We look into the story of the lesser-known of the Donges brothers and his beautiful West Side house Listen to the Urban Spelunking Audio Stories on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side. He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert. He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry. In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club. He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.  Reporting by Robert Harvey;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Marketplace focuses on the latest business news both nationally and internationally and wider events linked to the financial markets It is noted for its accessible coverage of business When Chris Donges was diagnosed with heart failure in 2018 he was given two options: Wait for a heart transplant or implant a medical device onto his heart Chris Donges was diagnosed with heart failure in 2018—and when his health dramatically declined he opted to use a new life saving medical device to help his heart pump blood This story is from The Pulse Find it on Apple PodcastsSpotify, or wherever you get your podcasts Chris Donges had always perceived his life as normal The 30-year-old was in a loving relationship with his girlfriend He was an avid Philly sports fan — meaning he’d often attended 76er basketball games where he spent most of his childhood years But Chris’ simple life became a lot more complicated in October 2018 — two days before Halloween He was at a 76ers game with Meghan when he decided to grab a quick snack during halftime He filled his plate with a small salad and two measly yeast rolls — and it was enough to make him sick Chris and Meghan left the game and drove to a local hospital in Wilmington Chris thought he would be diagnosed with pneumonia or a really bad cold But the emergency room staff ran a few tests and diagnosed Chris with left-sided heart failure There are two ventricles in the heart chamber The right ventricle absorbs blood into the heart The left ventricle in Chris’ heart had weakened over time; therefore he wasn’t getting enough blood supply to the rest of his body “They basically said when they looked at the x-ray my heart almost looked like the size of a gallon of milk,” Donges said “That’s what my heart got up to in size.” Doctors measure this kind of heart failure with something called an ejection fraction — a percentage that measures how well your heart is pumping blood to the rest of your body Chris’ ejection fraction was hovering around 40 percent — right at the line doctors consider heart failure He stayed in the hospital for two weeks because fluid had built up in his lungs blood can back up into the veins that take blood through the lungs Stories about the people and places at the heart of health and science Chris’ doctors removed the fluid and would only let him leave the hospital on one condition: He had to wear a LifeVest, a device that monitors life-threatening arrhythmia Some vests can provide shock treatment when cardiac arrest is measured Chris wore the vest for a month — and he seemed to be doing well — until the vest alerted him while driving on I-95 “My ejection fraction almost fell down to roughly 5 percent,” Donges said “I felt just pain in the center of my chest I didn’t even have anything to spit up He learned that the pain in his chest was due to a blood clot — a problem his vest wouldn’t be able to resolve When the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs blood flow will slow and cause clots to form She said that Chris’ doctors immediately placed him on life support and later put him in a medically induced coma “He had this giant ECMO machine where you saw all these giant tubes of just blood getting pushed around through his body,” Carter said “He had these little sensors on his head that would monitor his brain activity to make sure everything was still okay there his doctors thought that if he could regain enough strength they’d be able to wake him from the coma — but that hope began to wear thin as Chris’ health declined Chris’ doctors proposed two options to his family: Chris could be added to the heart transplant list and wait for a new heart Or they could implant a left ventricular assist device onto Chris’ heart Most LVAD patients don’t have a pulse with this device. Still, it can keep them alive for up to six years, according to Abbott — the company that develops the newest LVAD model, the HeartMate 3. It looks like the cap you would fasten on a vehicle gas tank It is surgically implanted on the left ventricle’s bottom section forcing the heart to contract and pump blood to the rest of the body The device is battery operated — meaning the LVAD is connected to a battery outside of the patient’s body with a cord Most patients are given extra batteries to switch out when needed and they usually carry the battery and its case in a backpack that they wear all day long he had no interest in becoming one with any device But Meghan and his family decided that waiting for a heart transplant would be too risky Chris’ family decided to go the LVAD route His doctors intended to implant the device in December Chris had to be pretty healthy to endure the surgery without complications because And Chris’ health took a turn for the worse when he got pneumonia a few days before Christmas “It was the first time I think I cried the whole time for him,” Carter said “because they thought they missed the window and I didn’t know what they were going to do.” Two days after Christmas — Chris’ doctors decided to schedule the surgery and his doctors wanted to ensure the device worked properly; therefore he stayed in the coma for an additional two weeks “I remember one of the first things I asked was like the day or time or that was like one of the biggest shocks to me was going to sleep in December and waking up in January I started crying because I missed Christmas but his road to recovery was far from over He had forgotten how to use the rest of his body His next steps were to start physical therapy at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation in Philadelphia He participated in exercises like walking around a parking lot or gripping objects While Chris was taking his not-so-first steps Meghan was learning how to be his caregiver “They gave us this full binder of information about the HeartMate 3 and how certain alarms would go off,” Carter said Because the LVAD is situated inside of a patient’s body its exit site is considered an open wound that needs to be carefully cleaned one to two times a week This process is called the dressing change and it is the most critical part of using an LVAD since it’s an open wound technically but we’ve gotten into a very good groove.” Chris finally returned home on Valentine’s Day His family and friends welcomed him home with a grand dinner — and the couple continued physical therapy at home for the next few months but she was also worried about his progress “I didn’t really know what his limitations were,” Carter said “He didn’t know what his limitations were I really just took everything with a grain of salt Chris could walk up and down the staircase at home Even simple tasks like reaching for the TV remote were stamps of progress Their hard work and patience had finally paid off and now they wondered if their homebound training could be of good use outside their home Although about 250,000 people in the U.S Meghan said there is little information online about how to live with the LVAD — and travel with it So, they decided to sort of be the guinea pigs of this small community. They began an Instagram feed called Life with a Device The page documents their adventures with the LVAD and helpful information about the device The first trip they documented was an impromptu visit to Disney World in Orlando But getting to Disney proved to be more difficult than they had imagined a bomb technician stopped Chris in the Philadelphia Airport The technician had never seen an LVAD before they ran their different tests,” Donges said But you get a little intimidated when a guy comes up [to you] with bomb technician on his shirt at the airport And you have these people looking at you.” Chris and Meghan said they laugh about the incident now after living with the LVAD for three years Chris has gotten the hang of traveling with the device He is extremely grateful that he went the LVAD route Chris and Meghan welcomed a baby girl named Logan into the world Chris also serves as an ambassador for Abbott — helping potential LVAD patients make the best decision for them He is not on the heart transplant list because some patients with this condition recover over time Chris is still young and hopes his heart will regain the strength to pump blood without the device he’ll use the LVAD and live life to the fullest WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. For those who count on electricity for home medical equipment "We were building the plane while we were flying it,” said one consultant The virtual reality training program is a nine-minute video that can be viewed on virtual reality headsets Nichole Currie is a producer for WHYY's "The Pulse." Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyone’s stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY Construction continues along Interstate 43 where Wisconsin's Department of Transportation is modernizing the freeway that is over 50 years old and has exceeded its design life Beginning on Thursday, Nov. 14, crews will be reconstructing I-43's southbound lanes, and traffic between Glen Oaks Lane and just south of Donges Bay Road will be shifted east onto the northbound lanes, according to a Nov. 8 Facebook post by the WisDOT's I-43 North-South Project account the southbound ramps at Mequon Road will close through spring 2025 WisDOT encouraged drivers to detour around it using the southbound exit ramp to Highland Road and the County Line Road entrance ramp to I-43 southbound The 14-mile stretch where the entire reconstruction project is taking place begins at Silver Spring Drive in Milwaukee County and extends north to Highway 60 in Ozaukee County the project will expand I-43 from four to six lanes reconstruct five interchanges along the corridor add a new interchange at Highland Road and replace the Union Pacific railroad bridge over I-43 in Glendale It will also expand a section of Port Washington Road in Glendale from two to four lanes The I-43 freeway is among the busiest routes in Wisconsin and is a critical interstate link between southeast Wisconsin and the entire state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13. William E. Donges, III, 43, of Lock Haven, passed away Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at his home. Born Aug. 21, 1975, in Richmond, Ind., he was a son of William E. and Catherine Mayer Donges, Jr. William was a 1993 graduate of Upper Dauphin High School. He then earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Bio Chemistry from Lock Haven University and was currently completing his Master’s Degree through Capella University. On Oct. 8, 1995, he married his love, the former Amber Meskell, with whom he celebrated 23 years of marriage. William previously served as a teacher at Alternative Rehabilitation Communities, Inc. in Harrisburg. More recently he wrote for Adventure Games. He attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Lock Haven. William enjoyed being on his computer — especially writing on Quora, for which he once earned the Top Author Award. He also enjoyed cooking and, most of all, spending time with his family. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Memorial contributions in William’s name may be made to Autistic Self Advocacy Network through the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of the Moriarty Funeral Home & Crematory, 112 E. Church St., Lock Haven, Pa. 17745. Online condolences may be given by visiting www.moriartyfuneral.com. Copyright © 2025 Ogden Publications of Pennsylvania, LLC | https://www.lockhaven.com | 9-11 W. Main Street, Lock Haven, PA 17745 | 570-748-6791 Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Tassilo Hummel ISLAMABAD: The government is considering providing relief to refineries -- which have incurred Rs13 billion in losses during the first nine months of the current fiscal year due to sales tax exemptions and inventory losses -- either by shifting relief of Rs4.60 per litre in the Inland Freight Equalisation Margins (IFEM) or by imposing a 3-5 per cent sales tax on petroleum products the government may shift part of expected Rs8-10 per litre relief in POL products’ prices to refineries by increasing IFEM to help offset the losses they have incurred a senior official at the Petroleum Division told this scribe Another proposal under consideration is to impose sales tax of 3-5 per cent on POL products; however the losses refineries have incurred so far would not be mitigated as sales tax cannot be imposed retrospectively from July 1 the government also requires to enforce an ordinance “The IMF has no objection but it wants to impose 18 per cent sales tax on POL products which will cause an increase of POL produce by Rs45 per litre The fund says 3-5 per cent sales tax is allowed on essential items sales tax should be imposed on petroleum products by 18 per cent.” The government is most likely to move Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday) for a decision in favour of refineries refineries informed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) chairman and the DG oil that they have reached the verge of collapse on account of sales tax exemption It stated refineries have so far braved the losses of Rs13 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year mainly due to the imposition of sales tax exemption on petrol and their losses would increase to Rs18 billion by June 30 Refineries in the letter suggested to the government to shift the relief expected in the next fortnight in the shape of an increase in Internal Freight Equalisation Margin (IFEM) by Rs4.60 per litre each on petrol and diesel from April 16 onward till June 2025 “The resolution of sales tax exemption issue is imperative for the survival of the industry which is also critical to national security request that the benefit of the forthcoming price reduction be extended to the refineries to adjust their sales tax claims of approximately Rs18 billion through IFEM (Internal Freight Equalisation Margin) over 2.5 months (equivalent to PKR 4.60 per litre on petrol and diesel each) providing the much-needed solace to the industry They pleaded their case asking the government’s top mandarins that while the freefall in petroleum product prices has posed a significant threat in the form of inventory losses it also presents an opportunity as a substantial price reduction in petrol and diesel “This reduction offers the government a chance to address critical issues including the adjustment of unadjusted sales tax claims which currently stand at Rs 13 billion for the past 9 months and are expected to reach Rs18 billion by the end of FY 2024-25.” Apart from operational losses of Rs18 billion refineries upgrade projects valuing $5-6 billion are at a halt just because of the budgetary measure of sales tax exemption--imposed in the finance bill for 2024-25 The upgrade project has become unviable in the presence of the sales tax exemption Refineries also urged the government to permanently resolve sales tax issue in the forthcoming Federal Budget 2025-26 through requisite legislation in the Sales Tax Act The letter also mentions that refining margins have been shrinking in the international market over the past nine months resulting in lower profitability for local refineries has further exacerbated the financial strain on the refineries must be included in national decision-making Water data says normal flows remained above 30,000 cusecs per day Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had met PM Modi Trump’s suggestion of possibly seeking third term has been sharply questioned by legal and constitutional scholars CM directed School Management Councils to provide necessary facilities in schools worth Rs10 billion within 90 days Victory propelled Karachi to second place in standings with 10 points pushing Islamabad to third and Lahore to fourth KARACHI: The local refining industry is set to export huge quantities of furnace oil in the coming weeks with expected shipments surpassing 100,000 tonnes Since the beginning of the current fiscal year domestic demand for furnace oil has nearly disappeared prompting refineries to focus on exports.Pakistan Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) has issued a tender for the export of 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil while Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) has requested authorization from the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) to proceed with its own export plans PRL aims to export 50,000 tonnes by the end of this month and an additional 25,000 tonnes in early September.According to industry sources local consumption of fuel oil has been virtually non-existent this fiscal year Pakistan set a record by exporting 820,000 tonnes of fuel oil with nearly 137,000 tonnes exported in May alone The decline in domestic consumption is attributed to power plants ceasing to use furnace oil for electricity generation as it is a costly option that ranks low in priority for fuel use “We are exporting furnace oil even at lower rates than the domestic price because storing it at the refinery can disrupt operations,” industry representatives noted The new refining policy will reduce furnace oil production once refineries are upgraded The policy aims to cut the output of high-sulphur fuel oil by 78 per cent from 15,500 tonnes per day to 3,400 tonnes per day It also calls for a significant decrease in the production capacity of fuel oil at refineries as upgraded facilities will produce more gasoline and diesel from crude oil Existing refineries are encouraged to modernize and expand to produce environmentally friendly fuels meeting Euro-V standards while maximizing the output of motor gasoline and diesel and minimizing furnace oil production.However refinery upgrade agreements have stalled due to the lack of a sales tax exemption on petroleum products which has deterred refineries from finalizing agreements with Ogra outdoor patio tables and stylized bench seating Mike and Marcia Clancy hold up the donor plaque dedicated to them and the Ladish Company Foundation The donation also raises awareness for the need to fundraise for additional improvements to the outdoor spaces at the school families and staff gathered in Donges Elementary School’s courtyard last week to enjoy new outdoor furniture thanks to a charitable donation from Mike and Marcia Clancy on behalf of the Ladish Company Foundation The $75,000 donation allowed for the purchase of picnic tables umbrellas and stylized bench seating that will allow students to use the courtyard space for classroom instruction during the warmer months of the school year The Clancys accepted a donor plaque dedicated to the foundation According to the Mequon-Thiensville School District the Clancys were inspired to give back to Donges Bay after watching their great-niece receive the Donges Bay Hackett Award in June 2022 during a special ceremony on the last day of school the special award is named after two siblings and former Donges Bay students who died of a rare genetic disorder called Sanfilippo syndrome It is presented to the student who goes the extra mile to show kindness compassion and acceptance towards all during their time at the school Touched by the unique award and how it separates itself from other school recognitions that typically honor academic or athletic achievements the Clancys reached out to Donges Bay Principal Chris Gray to share their interest in making a donation Gray and a team of Donges Bay educators decided to use the funds to enhance the new courtyard space that had been finished in 2022 as part of the district’s most recent referendum project 'I’m blessed to have Harper go to school here (my other great-nieces and nephews) — they’re all coming through so we’re blessed to have them here for school It’s just part of our thanks for everything Donges Bay has done,' Mike Clancy told those in attendance on Sept The school hopes to build off of this donation and continue to add to the courtyard space and other outdoor areas with sunshades as Gray noted that a critical part of bringing school improvement projects to fruition is the support provided through family and studentled fundraising 'The Donges Bay PTO is holding its annual Fun Run on Friday so we hope to raise enough money during that event to make some purchases that will help us continue to create a positive and inspiring learning environment for our students,' Gray said 'We are fortunate to have so many passionate and resourceful families here at Donges Bay and we are always very appreciative of their support.' Photo courtesy of the Mequon-Thiensville School District "I’m blessed to have Harper go to school here It’s just part of our thanks for everything Donges Bay has done," Mike Clancy told those in attendance on Sept as Gray noted that a critical part of bringing school improvement projects to fruition is the support provided through family and student-led fundraising "The Donges Bay PTO is holding its annual Fun Run on Friday so we hope to raise enough money during that event to make some purchases that will help us continue to create a positive and inspiring learning environment for our students," Gray said "We are fortunate to have so many passionate and resourceful families here at Donges Bay and we are always very appreciative of their support." 10 things to know this week from the WOW counties (Waukesha Ozaukee and Washington) sent on Sundays Get the latest Ozaukee County news delivered Tuesday and Thursdays so you don't miss out on updates Have Ozaukee County breaking news alerts sent to your inbox as they happen Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: a platform investment of Mutares AG (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) specializing in steel construction and high-quality roof and facade solutions has successfully completed the acquisition of the FDT Group the Donges Group was able to further expand its position in the German and European markets With the well-known products “Rhepanol” and “Rhenofol” FDT is an established supplier of flat roof roof systems and ideally complements the product portfolio of the Donges Group After completion of the add-on acquisition the Donges Group plans to achieve total annual sales of around EUR 230 million the Donges Group is now concentrating on developing a comprehensive change program along five strategic pillars for the successful realignment of FDT the product portfolio aligned with customer and competitive requirements foreign business optimised and structural costs made more efficient and sustainable The fifth pillar comprises the realization of the planned synergies within the Donges Group With the already completed acquisitions of Kalzip and Normek the Donges Group is now positioning itself as a European integrated provider in German and European industrial and commercial construction By expanding its product portfolio and the corresponding product knowledge the Group will gain a clear unique selling proposition and will be able to offer potential customers a much more attractive depth of value added and technical expertise than its competitors The integrated product range now includes three complementary roof and façade solutions and the possibility of combining them with steel building construction solutions The Donges Group has been part of the Mutares Group since November 2017 and represents a strategic platform investment in its Engineering & Technology portfolio segment Following the rapid and successful completion of the turnaround program Donges is now concentrating on further increasing profitability and optimizing its key business areas is already the third add-on acquisition of the Donges Group The transaction is part of the sustainable repositioning of the portfolio company as a specialist provider of steel bridge construction steel building construction and roof and facade solutions in the European market Following the successful completion of the acquisition the Donges Group expects total annual sales of around EUR 230 million and employs around 800 people in 12 countries You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers Too many automated requests from this network KARACHI: Local refineries are now yielding better gross refining margins (GRM) on the processing of crude oil thanks to an improving spread on diesel and furnace oil (FO) the industry GRM is approaching $8.5 per barrel marking the highest GRM in the past 10 months the lowest GRM was recorded at $1 per barrel in June 2024 Industry GRM is the combined weighted average spread of all products refined by major refineries in Pakistan The spread refers to the difference between the price of refined products and crude oil The spread on diesel (HSD) has now reached $20 per barrel this month This increase is attributed to extreme cold weather in the US and Europe along with news of potential further sanctions on Russian oil supply Another factor contributing to the rising GRM is the improvement in furnace oil prices relative to crude oil crude oil prices have fallen by 10 per cent while FO prices have remained nearly unchanged This has led to a significant improvement in the spread on FO which bodes well for National Refinery Limited (NRL) and CNERGY both of which have the highest share of FO and HSD in their product mix “We expect the earnings of local refineries to rebound in the second quarter of FY25 after being depressed in the last two quarters,” said Farhman Mahmood He anticipates that the average industry GRM will remain around $5.5 per barrel during the second quarter of FY25 reflecting a 30% quarter-on-quarter increase company-specific GRM may vary depending on the product mix and crude grade Mahmood added that the signing of upgrade agreements under the New Refinery Policy is in progress and may take another 1-2 months He also noted that the signing of upgrade agreements with refineries will occur after the deed of settlement with the federal government once the sales tax issues are fully resolved The last deadline set by the SIFC for signing the upgrade agreements was January 7 the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) and other departments are continuously engaged with refineries to resolve the sales tax issue Refineries were granted interim relief to claim sales tax from IFEM but the modalities for covering these sales tax claims are yet to be notified Donges Supa IGA in Young was among the state's best independent supermarkets to have been recognised at the 2025 NSW and ACT IGA Awards of Excellence last week Donges staff and management attended the awards which were held last Friday and hosted by journalist Deborah Knight The annual awards provided an opportunity to formally acknowledge and celebrate the incredible achievements of independent retailers across the state Donges Supa IGA were named as the winner of the prestigious awards for the NSW and ACT Large Dairy and Freezer Department of the Year Award and Large Meat Department of the Year Award "The team at Donges IGA Young always keep their customers at the heart of their decision making every day and in the dairy and freezer department that’s no exception," A NSW and ACT IGA spokesperson said "The range of everyday and gourmet products has seen shoppers gravitate towards the store complimenting the overall shopping experience and leading to solid and sustained growth across the year in this category "Great pride is taken in availability and presentation to keep the community happy in Young The store has also been serving exceptional quality meat in town for over 50 years!" A total of 22 awards were presented during the evening highlighting the amazing milestones and support that these IGA stores provide to their local communities The awards were judged on a range of criteria merchandising and the stores' overall performance This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page KARACHI: Pak Arab Refinery Limited (Parco) will shut down for approximately 40 days to conduct maintenance and inspection turnaround “The refinery will remain closed for 38 days starting from October 10 to November 18,” said Irteza Qureshi in an interview with The News on Wednesday He noted that the shutdown process has already begun and that the refinery will be completely shut down by Thursday Descon Engineering Ltd has been awarded the turnaround contract for Parco’s maintenance Parco has the capacity to process 120,000 barrels of crude oil daily and plays a key role in meeting the domestic demand for petroleum products “Parco caters to 40-50 per cent of the petroleum needs in the country,” industry sources stated Parco is a joint venture between the government of Pakistan (60 per cent) and the emirate of Abu Dhabi (40 per cent) Regarding the long shutdown of the refinery Qureshi mentioned that Pakistan Refinery and Attock Refinery also experienced shutdowns in January and February this year He explained that Parco’s shutdown was necessary for maintenance purposes Oil sector insiders noted that government authorities have instructed other refineries in the country to enhance their production of petroleum products due to Parco’s closure adequate storage arrangements are crucial.The refinery undergoes significant shutdowns every three to five years for inspections and necessary upgrades Qureshi stated that the refinery will remain closed with government approval and this will not affect the oil supply chain in the country as necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the continued supply of oil products oil companies are required to maintain 20 days’ worth of storage for petroleum products in addition to the five to six days of stock held at the refineries about . contact . advertising . support John Donges is a Philadelphia-based artist who studied science and art in college John is the in-house photographer for the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine he enjoys Philadelphia and people as subject matter John also performs on stage with the Dumpsta Players and is serving on the board of DP Arts Consortium He has been shooting for Quince Productions for five years In shooting Richard Greenberg’s THREE DAYS OF RAIN my first photographic challenge was to capture the unique structure of the play: the first act is set in 1995 and involves a brother/sister and their old friend – the son of their father’s architecture partner and oldest friend the three actors play the parents of their Act I characters So it was a dual challenge to photograph basically two casts instead of one and to try and paint a visual portrait of what is both similar and different between each character and his/her parent and to portray the look of two very different decades the two acts are set in the same loft/studio which has been abandoned in Act I when Walker (the brother) moves in but is more colorful and full of life in Act II Two very different settings as well as two very different sets of characters: how could I convey this not-quite-accurate memories of Act I in this dusty while maintaining the sharp focus of these three distinctive characters how do I capture the more vibrant environment but at the same time distant-in-time feel of Act II especially with its alternation between sun and rain I’ve photographed two dozen shows for Quince urban scenes against a graffiti-covered wall to basement rehearsal rooms where our “set” in the pre-production phase consisted of a ladder and a bucket or a “bed” made of two couch cushions and a suitcase covered with a comforter It was a very different process to be photographing the actors on the set and helped me go further in presenting a more complete picture of the play We decided to do the shoot with ambient stage light rather than adding light so as to capture the real feeling of the play Shooting with my Nikon D600 camera with a 50mm 1:1.4D lens I was basically reactive for the whole shoot trying to adjust to changing conditions of either people moving or light changing I wanted to capture each set of relationships – brother and sister and getting into a new one (I don’t want to give away too much) I wanted to suggest the couplings and uncouplings and past couplings and couplings that never happened etc that intrigued the viewer as to how things might unfold without giving them too much Mark Sherlock as Walker I love the way his crazy shirt makes him pop from the background This is one of the few scenes in the play with all three characters in it and I was interested in the contrast between the indoor and outdoor settings with a slightly brighter light on Nan and Pip (Jessica Snow and Robert Ian Cutler) inside and Walker (Mark Sherlock) isolated outside but with the focus moving towards him This ultra-important moment towards the end of Act I shows the contrasting feelings of Walker (Mark Sherlock) who’s excited about his father’s journal I wanted to convey the feeling of something important about to happen without letting on what that “something” is In Act II Robert Ian Cutler and Jessica Snow play Theo and Lina the parents of (respectively) Pip and Nan from Act I The street light and shadows emphasize for me the period costumes in creating a back-in-time feel Ned and Lina (Mark Sherlock and Jessica Snow) from the clothing to the cigarette Lina holds The focus moves to Lina by keeping Ned on the edge of focus Ned (Mark Sherlock) and Theo (Robert Ian Cutler) in their architecture studio The director loves these shots looking past the back of one character and I think in this case it’s a good way to focus in on Theo and show the differences between him and Pip (Cutler’s first act character) Another view of Robert Ian Cutler as Theo and Mark Sherlock as Ned I like the prominence of the drafting table as the architecture work is all-important in the show Mark Sherlock as Ned and Jessica Snow as Lina Snow’s face is so expressive that I took several of these to get just the right play of light across it and the photo suggests something important happening without giving away the game Mark Sherlock as Ned and Robert Ian Cutler as Theo in an important Act II scene where Pip brings the news that….well These two shots of Robert Ian Cutler contrast his characters in the different acts nicely having the light from inside illuminate him in a moody way in the Act II shot (left) and lighting him from the street lamp for a more innocent look in the Act I shot (right) Want to find out what’s in that briefcase? See Quince Productions’ THREE DAYS OF RAIN. There’s a special LGBT + Friends preview April 9, and the play runs at the Walnut Street Theater Studio 5 [825 Walnut St] April 10-26, 2014, www.quinceproductions.com and website in this browser for the next time I comment This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed Support Phindie operations from injuries due to a motorcycle accident the son of Gina (Fulkroad) & Timothy Donges of Millersburg Brett attended Millersburg Area High School Brett previously worked at Rite Screen in Elizabethville He was a Lead at Capstone Logistics.  Brett had an amazing amount of love for his children and his dog Zues Brett is survived by his parents Gina (Fulkroad) & Timothy Donges and Jeffery & Lorie Boyer; three children Skylar (mother Megan Gossard) Tyler Legge and wife Nina; Grandmother Carol Fulkroad; Grandparents Dr Bill and Cathy Donges; special friend regarded as a brother Ryan Fry; special partner and child Erica & Sophia Duvall; and several aunts He was preceded in death by his grandfather Gene Fulkroad (Maternal) and grandparents Harry & Joyce Boyer (Paternal) A public viewing will take place at Millersburg Assembly of God Church The burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery Fellow motorcyclists are invited to participate in “The Last Rev” Meal to follow at Millersburg Assembly of God Church participants are asked to wear black and purple; his favorite colors Memorial shirts will be available through Multiply Inc. Memorial financial contributions may be sent to the Gift of Life Donor Program by going online to https://www.donors1.org/give-to-gift-of-life/ Flowers and/or other memorial contributions may be sent to Millersburg Assembly of God Church The Dimon Funeral Home & Cremation Services Inc. Tower City is honored to serve Brett's family Tuesday World Subscribers only Friedrich Merz bets on two private sector converts to revive the German economy and reform the state World Subscribers only 'A Pope in the tradition of Francis': From New York to Ghana Catholics hope for continuity at the Vatican World Subscribers only Chancellor Merz's diplomatic first week 2025."> World Trump's proposal to reopen Alcatraz deemed 'absurd' in San Francisco World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France Subscribers only 21 charged over French prison attacks as investigation narrows in on drug traffickers France Subscribers only French mosque stabber was driven by 'morbid fascination,' prosecutor says France Subscribers only At the trial of Kim Kardashian's robbers Videos World expos: From Paris 1855 to Osaka 2025 Videos How the Trump administration is attacking scientific research in the US Videos Tesla cars set on fire in Las Vegas as calls to boycott Musk's company grow worldwide Videos Can France's nuclear deterrent protect Europe Opinion Subscribers only 'It is pointless to imagine a significant wave of American academics leaving' Opinion Subscribers only 'The American dream is dying' Opinion Subscribers only 'The trade war creates new opportunities for Europeans and France' Magazine Subscribers only Tracking down the pianos taken from French Jews during the Nazi Occupation Magazine Subscribers only Eve Rodsky the American helping couples balance the mental load Magazine Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris were forced out by police on Wednesday evening but the operating staff of the neighboring refinery renewed the action until at least Friday By Marjorie Cessac Workers block the entrance to the Donges refinery LOIC VENANCE / AFP "Rumor has it that it could well be today." With sunglasses and a casual look Jordan (who didn't want to give his name) was right Jordan came to help his friends hold the picket line on Wednesday the removal of striking workers did take place at the Société Française Donges-Metz (SFDM) oil depot The gendarmes intervened "calmly" to clear out the 40 or so people who since Tuesday had been blocking the entry for tankers into this strategic site near the refinery and the docks that supply the region's petrol stations The impact was also starting to be felt at the pump While on Wednesday 15% of petrol stations in France had run out of diesel or gasoline southeast and Paris region recorded even higher rates: "Nearly one station in three or four is on average already out of one petroleum product," according to the government the SDFM depot is connected to a pipeline that serves Le Mans "The blockage was already beginning to disrupt supplies to Le Mans And it had led to a shortage in a depot in Meurthe-et-Moselle (northeast) You have 76.9% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial French oil giant TotalEnergies has resumed its work in several units at its Donges refinery on the Atlantic coast of France which holds capacity of 230,000 barrels per day underwent a full shutdown on the first of March for maintenance works according to data from industry monitor IIR TotalEnergies has warned that the restart of operations may result in increased flaring and noise pollution in the surrounding area in the coming days The company alerted residents of potential unpleasant odors in the area from Feb 28-29 and March 1-3 due to the maintenance works Doaa is a staff writer with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication majoring Journalism from Ahram Canadian University She has 2-3 years of experience in copywriting Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " By David Spratt | September 4 Original images from Edge2Edge Media / Unsplash / 1xpert / gizemg / Adobe or trust a dam wall if there were a 10 percent chance of it collapsing acceptable probabilities of failure generally range from one-in-10,000 to one-in-10-million are policies like carbon budgets accepted when they have success rates of just 50 to 66 percent Policy-relevant scientific publications, such as those produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, focus on the probabilities—the most likely outcomes. But, according to atmospheric physicist and climatologist Hans Joachim Schellnhuber “calculating probabilities makes little sense in the most critical instances” because “when the issue is the survival of civilization is at stake conventional means of analysis may become useless.” Have scientists and policy makers given too much weight to middle-of-the-road probabilities A key approach to climate “risk” is estimating how much damage will be caused by a climate event These two key factors combine to give the size of the risk in dollar terms by multiplying the probability (likelihood) of an event happening by the monetary damage (impact) caused should it happen Policy makers faced with a number of choices should rationally pick the option with the lowest overall monetary risk events may have a relatively high probability—for example light rainfall—but cause little damage; these are low risk events But very heavy storms made more intense by climate warming can result in widespread flooding and loss of property and life and are considered a high risk because the potential damage is so large It is the high-end possibilities that matter most One of the big things that make climate projections difficult is non-linear change Although complex systems like the Earth system and its components generally exist in well-defined stable states shifts from one stable state to another are often sudden and disruptive as when huge areas of polar sea-ice disappear in just one season systems are stable in their ability to return to the same equilibrium state after a temporary disturbance and resilient in their ability to absorb change and disturbance and still maintain the same basic relationships and positive feedback (or amplifying) processes internal to the system may destabilize it The events that precipitate these non-linear shifts are called tipping points The change may be abrupt and irreversible on relevant human time frames and this can start a chain reaction impacting other systems a cyclist can maintain stability on a bike even as it tilts or wobbles to some degree for example—and stability is lost and the system quickly transitions to a new state with bike and rider horizontal on the road may also be affected in a cascade of non-linear changes via Gfycat This matters because many large climate systems—polar ice sheets atmospheric and oceanic circulation—can be stable through a certain amount of warming or cooling non-linear change fundamentally alters the system Jonathan Donges of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research says that “to effectively prevent all tipping risks the global mean temperature increase would need to be limited to no more than one degree – we are currently already at about 1.2°C.” Faster than forecast. As I previously wrote in the Bulletin, scientific observations and data from around the globe show that many of the changes that scientists thought would occur later this century are already here Many current changes are at the upper limit of scientific projections and global ocean surface temperatures are at the top of the projected range including sea-surface warming in the North Atlantic and the eye-watering decline of sea-ice around Antarctica “On the one hand, we knew these things were going to happen. These have been the predictions for a long time,” Claudia Tebaldi, a scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, told the Washington Post earlier this year has seemed so extreme.… The size of the anomalies is surprising.” This year, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, has become a flashpoint for debating how to express and explain climate risk This phenomenon refers to the complex web of ocean currents covering the breadth and length of the Atlantic which help regulate global weather patterns would result in much colder weather in parts of Europe by 3 to 6 degrees Celsius (5.4 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) a shifting of the tropical monsoon that billions of people rely upon for food production and more rapid sea level rises in parts of the United States and Europe but eminent scientists have said it cannot be easily dismissed This is starkly different from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projection that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation would weaken in the 21st century but “a collapse is very unlikely,” with only a 50/50 chance of collapse by 2300 in a high-emission scenarios “However, ‘very unlikely’ in IPCC jargon only means less than ten percent,” Rahmstorf added and “this is only of limited reassurance in the case of a major risk that you want to rule out with a probability of 99.9 percent.” One of the main policy-making tools for the IPCC’s emissions-reduction analysis and the creation of carbon budgets are climate–energy–economy models known as Integrated Assessment Models How Integrated Assessment Models deal with risk and uncertainty is a key question because of their political centrality While the word “model” suggests some technocratic neutrality, Integrated Assessment Models are in fact social constructs where “the very structure of a model depends on the modeller’s beliefs about the functioning of society.” They have the power to privilege particular policy pathways and entice policy makers into thinking that the forecasts the models generate and the way they deal with risk have some kind of scientific legitimacy But this is not the case. “What they are not, it is important to note, are forecasts or predictions for the future,” says Joeri Rogelj director of research at the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment the scenarios in the IPCC database have no inherent predictive power—and no amount of analysis selection or staring at spaghetti plots will change that.” Integrated Assessment Models deal with risk by providing cost-benefit risk analysis of various emission-reduction and energy choice scenarios and depend on being able to quantify both the damages caused by climate disruption because damages are essentially unquantifiable and the likelihoods may be deeply uncertain Unquantifiable damages. We do not have realistic measures of the economic costs from future climate damages. Tom Kompas, a professor of environmental economics and biosecurity at the University of Melbourne, says projections for economic damages under different global warming scenarios “are difficult to come by highly aggregated measures drawn from basic computational models… which can often be very misleading given their extreme and implicit tendency to average effects.” In other words, we cannot put a dollar figure on how much damage climate disruption will cause at the levels of warming towards which we are now heading. It is a case of “deep uncertainty” which occurs when decision makers and stakeholders do not know or cannot agree on the likelihood of different future scenarios Adding to the uncertainty are system climate feedbacks and tipping points Feedbacks occur when an initial change in a system for example warming generated by carbon emissions causes a secondary change which in turn magnifies the initial effect and becomes self-reinforcing which is retreating due to the burning of fossil fuels but as the heat-reflecting white ice is replaced by dark ocean water more heat is absorbed in this feedback loop In a complex system, second-order social impacts including armed conflict, state breakdown, and mass migration are deeply uncertain. Climate change is a “ruin” problem of irreversible harm and a risk of total failure meaning negative outcomes are economically unquantifiable and may pose an existential threat to human civilization Climate models are complex sets of mathematical equations that approximate the real world—in the atmosphere including human emissions—as best they can models have become more accurate in describing what is likely to happen Models assume that all relevant processes can be quantified by way of a mathematical value Model projections are generally communicated as a most likely outcome and a range to incorporate uncertainty; for example: “the projected warming is 2.4°C with a range of 1.6-3.2°C (95% probability).” and have been right on-the-money at projecting future temperatures based on increasing emissions There is also a straightforward relationship between warming and how much moisture the air can carry: an extra seven percent for each 1 degree Celsius rise and thus the capacity for more intense rainfall events Warmer seas can also generate stronger cyclones But assigning probabilities to non-linear or sudden-change events and tipping points is very difficult This deficiency covers the cryosphere (the frozen parts of the Earth like glaciers and sea ice) and changes in some oceans and atmospheric circulatory systems—including in the Southern Ocean the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and non-linearity restricts the ability to assign probabilities to future events then the dependence on Integrated Assessment Models to provide action choices is a very bad policy-making choice When the very foundation of modern human societies and the complex and fragile globalized network within which they co-exist are threatened the normal approach to risk management is not appropriate given current model deficiencies the largely unquantifiable nature of climate damages how can scientists and policy makers deal with the questions of risk and deep uncertainty they should recognize the limitations of both Earth system and climate-economy models and not assign them an exalted position for which they are ill-suited Other forms of knowledge drawn from past climate history should be given more weight Asking a group of climate experts what they think is likely to happen given their knowledge and experience will produce a more frank picture than those drawn strictly from peer-reviewed literature where conclusions must be “beyond reasonable doubt.” they should recognize that the high-end possibilities have by far the greatest overall risks Because climate change represents an existential risk to human society particular focus must be given to one question above all others: “What is the plausible worst-case scenario and what do we have to do to avoid it?” Writing about the “climate endgame,” Luke Kemp from Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and his colleagues agree that “prudent risk management requires consideration of the bad-to-worst-case scenarios” because low-probability high-impact extreme outcomes have damages so large as to perhaps be unquantifiable They say that large uncertainties about dangerous surprises “are reasons to prioritize rather than neglect them.” Policy makers and global leaders seem not to recognize that when risks are existential a bad outcome means the future is unrecognizably different from before By downplaying the high-risk possibilities the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others are foolishly conducting a dangerously unprecedented experiment: how much heat—how much change—can human systems tolerate before society collapses Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Stefan Rahmstorf’s name as Rahmsdorf The Bulletin elevates expert voices above the noise. But as an independent nonprofit organization, our operations depend on the support of readers like you. Help us continue to deliver quality journalism that holds leaders accountable. Your support of our work at any level is important we promise our coverage will be understandable Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Spratt: Thank you for this interesting article You have done a good job identifying a serious problem left to wonder what a policy maker should do about it “politics is the art of the possible,” and given that policy makers and the societies that they represent are unable to reach even the more modest carbon reduction goals it is hard to imagine how more robust action would be possible although I take your point about peer reviewed literature tending to err on the side of caution David Spratt is an Australian climate policy analyst and advocate, and Research Director at the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration.... Read More Copyright © 2025 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. All rights reserved. Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 36-2136497 Terms of UsePrivacy Policy 1307 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 | 773.834.3779 Volume 8 - 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01758 Alexithymia represents a multifaceted personality construct defined by difficulties in recognizing and verbalizing emotions and externally oriented thinking experience of negative affects is exacerbated and experience of positive affects is decreased in alexithymia Findings from research based on self-report indicate that all alexithymia facets are negatively associated with the experience of positive affects whereas difficulties identifying and describing feelings are related to heightened negative affect which can be measured using indirect assessment methods relates to processes of the impulsive system The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between alexithymia components and implicit and explicit positive and negative affectivity in healthy adults the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered to two hundred and forty-one healthy individuals along with measures of depression and trait anxiety Difficulties identifying feelings were correlated with explicit negative trait affect Difficulties describing feelings showed smaller but also significant correlations with depressive mood and trait anxiety but were not correlated with explicit state or trait affect as assessed by the PANAS Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures concrete way of thinking appears to be generally unrelated to dispositions to develop positive or negative affects Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be associated with increased conscious negative affects but not with a heightened disposition to develop negative affects at an automatic response level The above-mentioned results based mainly on self-report or direct measures of emotions suggest a differential association between alexithymia components and negative affect it seems that the IPANAT is useful in gathering information on dispositions to affective reactions in the absence of conscious self-reflection it is quite possible that explicit affect scores are less informative about spontaneous affective responsivity and experiences than implicit affect scores Two hundred and forty-one volunteers (192 women) with a mean age of 24.76 years (SD: 3.85) and a mean school education of 12.37 years (SD: 0.75) participated in the present study All participants were native German speakers They were free of any lifetime history of psychiatric or neurological disorders According to self-report all participants did not use psychotropic medication Participants were recruited via public notices Notices with a short description of the study the exclusion criteria and a contact telephone number were posted in several locations on the campus of the University (e.g. More than 92% of participants were university students from various disciplines Men did not differ from women on any of the variables examined in our study (i.e. Men (mean age: 26.53; SD: 3.70) were about 2 years older than women (mean age: 24.31; SD: 3.77) [t(239) = 3.70 The present study was carried out according to the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013) Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants prior to data collection The study was approved by the competent ethics committee of the Medical Faculty at the University of Leipzig Cronbach’s alpha was 0.79 for implicit PA and 0.76 for implicit NA The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; German version: Krohne et al., 1996) was administered to measure state and trait positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) The PANAS consists of 10 negative and 10 positive mood questions rated on a five-point scale (1 = not at all The mean PANAS-PA trait score was 36.67 (SD: 5.35) and the mean PANAS-NA trait was 16.29 (SD: 5.01) in our sample the mean PANAS-PA state was 33.84 (SD: 5.91) and the mean PANAS-NA state was 13.21 (SD: 3.96) Cronbach‘s alpha was 0.74 for the PANAS-PA S (state) and 0.79 for the PANAS-NA S Cronbach‘s alpha was 0.81 for the PANAS-P T (trait) and 0.85 for the PANAS-NA T Depressed mood and trait anxiety were measured by administering the Beck-Depression Inventory (BDI-II; German version: Hautzinger et al., 2009) and the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory trait version (STAI; German version: Laux et al., 1981) the mean BDI-II score was 7.08 (SD = 4.99) and the mean STAI-Trait score was 38.06 (SD = 9.00) Cronbach‘s alpha was 0.79 for the BDI-II and 0.88 for the STAI in our sample Verbal intelligence was assessed by means of the Mehrfachwahl-Wortschatz-Intelligenztest (MWT-B), a multiple-choice test using artificial and existent vocabulary of the German language (Lehrl, 2005) The MWT-B consists of 37 items and has no time restrictions the mean MWT-B IQ-score was 113.49 (SD = 11.31) Partial correlation analysis was conducted to illustrate the correlation between an alexithymia component and an affect score when other relevant alexithymia components were controlled demographic data were registered and participants were given the TAS-20 Participants were tested individually and received a financial compensation for taking part in the study implicit negative affect did not correlate with explicit positive and negative affectivity (trait or state) as assessed by the PANAS Implicit positive affect was only found to be correlated with explicit positive trait affect (r = 0.22; p ≤ 0.001) According to the results of dependent t-tests study participants had higher implicit positive than implicit negative affect scores [t(240) = 12.97 participants reported more explicit positive state affect than explicit negative state affect [t(240) = 44.94 p < 0.001] and more explicit positive trait affect than explicit negative trait affect [t(240) = 41.85 the total score of the TAS-20 showed significant correlations with all TAS-20 subscales (Difficulties identifying feelings: r = 0.74 p < 0.001; Difficulties describing feelings: r = 0.82 p < 0.001; Externally oriented thinking: r = 0.61; p < 0.001) The alexithymia component Difficulties identifying feelings was significantly correlated with Difficulties describing feelings (r = 0.47; p < 0.05) but not with Externally oriented thinking: r = 0.05; p = 0.46) Difficulties describing feelings was significantly correlated with Externally oriented thinking: r = 0.33; p < 0.001) Product-moment correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations of Difficulties identifying feelings with explicit negative trait affect (PANAS), depressive mood (BDI-II) and trait anxiety (STAI) (see Table 1) The alexithymia component Difficulties describing feelings was significantly positively correlated with depressive mood (BDI-II) and trait anxiety (STAI) Product moment correlations between alexithymia components (20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and implicit and explicit affectivity measures According to Steiger’s Z-tests the correlation coefficient of Difficulties identifying feelings and depression was significantly higher than that of Difficulties describing feelings and depression (Z = 3.08 the correlation between Difficulties identifying feelings and trait anxiety was significantly higher than that between Difficulties describing feelings and trait anxiety (Z = 4.44 The correlations of Difficulties identifying feelings with depression and trait anxiety remained significant when adjusting for Difficulties describing feelings (rp = 0.36 and rp = 0.44; ps < 0.001) the correlations of Difficulties describing feelings with depression and trait anxiety became non-significant when controlling for Difficulties identifying feelings (rp = 0.03 and rp = -0.02) Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures. All correlations coefficients of Externally oriented thinking with implicit and explicit affect were negative (but non-significant) (see Table 1 for details) The total score of the TAS-20 was found to be significantly positively correlated with explicit negative trait affect Product-moment correlation analysis showed no significant correlations between Difficulties identifying feelings, Difficulties describing feelings, Externally oriented thinking and the total TAS-20 score on the one hand and verbal intelligence on the other hand. There were also no significant correlations of alexithymia scores with age and years of school education (see Table 1 for details) a prevalence of positive affect was also observed at an implicit affect level: our study participants were characterized by higher implicit positive than implicit negative affect scores implicit positive affect showed a small to medium correlation with explicit positive trait affect in our sample The small correlation between externally oriented thinking and explicit positive state affect (r = -0.12) was the highest observed in the present sample between alexithymia components and positive affect scales there is no substantial relationship between the facets of alexithymia as assessed by the TAS-20 and the actual or habitual experience of positive affect It is possible that individuals with clinically relevant degrees of alexithymia might manifest tendencies to experience less positive affects and might thus appear anhedonic our null findings challenge the idea that alexithymic features go along with a reduced experience of positive affect at least in healthy and educated young adults It should be noted that for externally oriented thinking and difficulties describing feelings non-correlations with positive and negative affectivity could be observed for the indirect (IPANAT) as well as the direct measure (PANAS) Based on our data it can be concluded that in healthy and educated adults the alexithymia facet externally oriented thinking is independent from dispositions to develop positive or negative affects all in all there appears not to exist a robust (positive) relationship between alexithymia and spontaneous physiological reactivity to stressors or aversive stimuli the data of the present investigation suggest that when examining the relationship between alexithymia and affectivity one should not focus on total or summary scores but should take into consideration the different facets of alexithymia and administer direct as well as indirect measures of affectivity Alexithymic characteristics and experience of affects appear to be largely independent of each other alexithymia components were found to be differentially related to explicit negative affect but not associated with explicit positive affect or implicit affectivity it can be concluded that in healthy young adults an externally oriented concrete way of thinking is unrelated to dispositions for positive or negative affects difficulties identifying feelings appear to be associated with an increased conscious experience of negative affects but not with a heightened disposition for negative affects at an automatic response level the generalizability of our findings is limited as we recruited primarily female university students as participants it is necessary that future research on this topic includes also samples of men elderly people and individuals with less education It appears promising to administer the IPANAT in psycho-physiological research on affective responsivity in alexithymia along with direct measures of affectivity Longitudinal experiments examining the recovery from (implicit and explicit) negative affects over time as a function of alexithymia components could give more detailed insights into the emotion regulation deficits associated with difficulties identifying feelings TS and U-SD contributed equally to the conception and design of the study as well as to the analysis and interpretation of data TS wrote the first draft of the manuscript and U-SD made critical revisions Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript for publication The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest Validation of the German version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale in normal persons and psychiatric patients The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale - I Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure “Affect dysregulation and alexithymia,” in Disorders of Affect Regulation: Alexithymia in Medical and Psychiatric Illness Parker (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale - II Alexithymia and anxiety: compounded relationships The validity of using self-reports to assess emotion regulation abilities in adults with autism spectrum disorder Abnormalities in automatic processing of illness-related stimuli in self-rated alexithymia and somatosensory amplification in young outpatients with panic disorder Personality and affect as determinants of medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: a follow-up study CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Testing the alexithymia hypothesis: physiological and subjective responses during relaxation and stress Predicting symptoms in major depression after inpatient treatment: the role of alexithymia Google Scholar Dimensions of alexithymia and their relationships to anxiety and depression A new conceptualization of alexithymia in the general adult population: implications for research involving older adults Alexithymic features and the labeling of brief emotional facial expressions - an fMRI study doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.09.044 Untersuchungen mit einer deutschen version der “Positive and Negative Affect Schedule” (PANAS) Google Scholar Evidence for a verbal deficit in alexithymia Affective agnosia: expansion of the alexithymia construct and a new opportunity to integrate and extend Freud’s legacy Google Scholar Lee, I. A., and Preacher, K. J. (2013). Calculation for the Test of the Difference between Two Dependent Correlations with One Variable in Common. Available at: http://quantpsy.org/corrtest/corrtest2.htm [accessed January 2017] Google Scholar Google Scholar The association between alexithymia as assessed by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and depression: a meta-analysis defensiveness and cardiovascular reactivity to stress Alexithymia and negative emotional conditions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Influence of alexithymic characteristics on physiological and subjective stress responses in normal individuals Ambulatory assessed implicit affect is associated with salivary cortisol Emotions in everyday life: An ambulatory monitoring study with female students Psychosomatic illness: a problem in communication CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Emotional intelligence and life satisfaction CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Latent structure of the alexithymia construct: a taxometric investigation and affects,” in Disorders of Affect Regulation: Alexithymia in Medical and Psychiatric Illness CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Reliability and factorial validity in a community population Deficits in early emotional reactivity in alexithymia An alternative to self-reports of trait and state affect The Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT) CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar When nonsense sounds happy or helpless: the implicit positive and negative affect test (IPANAT) Implicit but not explicit affectivity predicts circadian and reactive cortisol: using the implicit positive and negative affect test A cross-cultural validation of the implicit positive and negative affect test (IPANAT): results from ten countries across three continents CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The prevalence of “alexithymic” characteristics in psychosomatic patients CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Anhedonia and alexithymia: a potential correlation,” in Anhedonia and Affect Deficit States Fawcett (New York: PMA Publishing Corporation) Google Scholar Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior Implicit affectivity and rapid processing of affective body language: an fMRI study The measurement and conceptualization of mood awareness: monitoring and labeling one’s mood states CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “An overview of the alexithymia construct,” in The Handbook of Emotional Intelligence Google Scholar What’s in the name ‘alexithymia’ A commentary on “Affective agnosia: expansion of the alexithymia construct and a new opportunity to integrate and extend Freud’s legacy” The implicit positive and negative affect test: validity and relationship with cardiovascular stress-responses Somatoform disorders as disorders of affect regulation - a study comparing the TAS-20 with non-self-report measures of alexithymia Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar World Medical Association (2013) World medical association declaration of Helsinki Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects The distribution of basic emotions in everyday life: a state and trait perspective from experience sampling data CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test Citation: Suslow T and Donges U-S (2017) Alexithymia Components Are Differentially Related to Explicit Negative Affect But Not Associated with Explicit Positive Affect or Implicit Affectivity Copyright © 2017 Suslow and Donges. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Thomas Suslow, c3VzbG93QG1lZGl6aW4udW5pLWxlaXB6aWcuZGU= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish a 100% owned portfolio company of the Munich-based investor Mutares (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) has signed an agreement to acquire the complete business operations of Ruukki Building Systems Oy the Building Systems division of the Finnish Ruukki Construction Closing of the transaction is subject to the approval of relevant competition authorities and expected by the end of 2019 Details about the terms of the transaction were not disclosed is one of the leading suppliers of building system solutions in Northern and Eastern Europe The company is a project business specializing in the design manufacture and installation of building frame envelope and bridge structures out of steel Ruukki Building Systems operates four production sites in Finland The company offers heavy steel structures and bridges as well as other types of steel and concrete frame structures to its customers the business expects sales of around EUR 130 million with a significant profitability Donges Group continues its path for growth and success the acquisition of Ruukki Building Systems allows to complement its existing setup by additional engineering and production know-how in Eastern Europe and to realize synergies within the Group With this transaction and including the recent acquisition of Normek in February 2019 Donges sustainably strengthens its positioning in the attractive Nordic markets to develop into a European group specialized in engineered steel solutions and custom-made solutions for envelope systems Following the completion of today’s acquisition the Donges Group will have grown to more than EUR 400 million in annualized group sales having worldwide more than 1,400 employees CEO of Mutares: „This acquisition marks the seventh transaction and third add-on acquisition for Mutares in 2019 this is the next milestone in positioning itself as the leading independent European construction supplier for building We are proud to be able to acquire Ruukki Building Systems – an established player in the Northern and Eastern European markets that perfectly supports the ambitious growth and profitability strategy of our portfolio company Donges Group.“ SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company SSAB offers value added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger SSAB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has a secondary listing on Nasdaq Helsinki www.ssab.com The Donges Group has been part of the Mutares Group since November 2017 and represents a strategic platform investment in the Engineering & Technology portfolio segment Donges is one of the leading European construction and engineering companies specializing in the design and manufacture of building structures including building envelope solutions based on steel the group operates 13 production sites worldwide the Donges Group expects total annual sales of more than EUR 400 million and employs around 1,400 people in 14 countries www.donges-group.com He was born to Fred and Clara Edell Donges on November 25 Patricia (Haney) in 1957 and they were blessed with six children He worked for the United States Postal Service for 32 years a third degree Knight of Columbus and a founding Knight of St Michael The Archangel Knights of Columbus Council #14394 He loved the outdoors and gardening which was evident in his prized dahlia gardens He had a generous heart and loved to help others He donated 16 gallons of whole blood and over 200 platelets to the Inland Northwest Blood Center His last generous gift was full body donation to MedCure in Portland Oregon for medical science Clara Luella Smith of Dixon CA; his wife of 57 years Patricia their children Betty (Craig) Miller of Lacey WA Michael Donges of Spokane and Teresa (Mike) Leone of Spokane; 11 grand- children 12 great-grandchildren (with #13 arriving this fall) and numerous nieces nephews and other family and countless friends The family would like to thank Deacon Roy Buck who walked beside Fred throughout this entire journey for their loving care of Fred and our family in his last hours on earth the family suggests donations to Hospice of Spokane in Fred’s honor Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy , opens new tab Esso-branded Port Jerome-Gravenchon refinery in Normandy fuel deliveries were halted for at least 24 hours a representative of the hardline CGT labour union said.Reporting by Forrest Crellin and Dominique Vidalon BILLINGS — June is Pride Month and with festivities kicking off soon ZooMontana in Billings is receiving backlash for a Pride event being held there Some Billings community members are vowing never to visit the zoo again the zoo will hold a “Drag Queen Story Hour” on June 22 It's an event held across the United States where a drag queen reads a story to kids It's an event most Montanans have never experienced and one some say they will “never” attend "Why are we putting such a contentious issue right in the heart of that area?" the founder of Family Rights Alliance said Thursday in a video call with MTN News McKinney and others are demanding the zoo reconsider holding the event We really don’t appreciate this in our community and especially at this venue," McKinney said But ZooMontana is standing by its decision “While personal threats and threats of no longer supporting the zoo are concerning we will not let unwarranted fear and hate deter our decision to move forward with this harmless and fun reading event that is held throughout the country if your personal agenda does not fit this event we simply ask that you do not come to the zoo that day,” ZooMontana Director Jeff Ewelt wrote on Facebook Thursday “There are few times in my life that I can say I'm actually impressed I am pleased that it’s not just me standing up it’s the zoo standing up for what’s right,” Donges said Friday has posted on social media that the zoo shouldn't hold the event who running for the eastern Montana congressional district Donges says this is not an issue about what's appropriate for kids But those in our community that are at risk we need them to be able to feel at one with their gender identity "We have a number of supporters in this endeavor Donges says 406 Pride is used to this kind of reaction people think that their way of thinking is the right way all the time and there’s not a lot of room for people that think differently or progressively But McKinney and others say they’re far from a bully They see this as a moral issue and think the event crosses a line "To put something like this in the heart of a place for small children is just wrong," McKinney said VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN - After receiving criticism from residents 7 to push back a Donges Bay Road residential development that had been moving forward.  The Veridian Homes development would create 30 single-family lots on 15.4 acres in the empty lot south of Kinderberg Park.  saying the development would be cramped and inconsistent with surrounding homes the village board voted to rezone the land from agricultural to residential.  residents made the case that they weren't properly informed of the development and its progress Many of them were from the Windsong neighborhood "The methods of communicating to the stakeholders are not working," said resident Terry Tschetter "I talked to 40 homeowners about the rezoning Other residents said if they did receive a village notice about the meeting One said it was bad timing to have the public hearing near the holidays When there's an upcoming public meeting of particular interest to a group of residents village ordinance requires that notices be mailed to those within a 300-foot radius of the issue in particular Village Administrator Steve Kreklow said changes to that policy are now being looked at "I think we'll be looking at this as part of a larger effort to improve citizen engagement," he said "With distance requirements and other communication methods — using social media better doing some things to better utilize the village website notification emails or posting signs around properties." He led the push to re-vote on the zoning decision.  Wing used Washington County's geographic information system to map out the average lot sizes are for homes surrounding the proposed development He found that most lots in the development would range from 13,000 to 15,000 square feet while the surrounding lots are around 15,000 square feet or more "We should extend the fabric and not create islands," Wing said about the spacial differences "We've already established a neighborhood feel, an open airiness." Next steps on what to do with the development are expected to be discussed at a village plan commission meeting on Feb as long as Veridian first asks for deadline extensions for getting government approvals on the project said he'll re-evaluate whether the company is still interested in the development After the Mequon-Thiensville School District shifted attendance boundaries 120 elementary school students will attend different schools next year.  The change will move 95 students who live east of the Milwaukee River in the current Wilson Elementary School area to Donges Bay Elementary School and 25 students who live north of Highland Road in the current Wilson Elementary are to Oriole Lane Elementary School according to notes from the March 28 meeting The change will take affect for the 2022-23 school year Donges Bay and Oriole Lane elementary schools will all have capacity for increased enrollment with the completion of the referendum projects.  Wilson Elementary's capacity will go from 619 to 650; it's 2021-22 enrollment is 617 Donges Bay Elementary's capacity will go from 477 to 650; enrollment this school year is 425 Oriole Lane Elementary's capacity will go from 428 to 540 students Enrollment in 2021-22 is 437 putting it over capacity Although the greater capacity at each school would be enough to accommodate current enrollment levels the change will account for projected enrollment increases in each attendance area A task force of 21 district elementary school parents worked in February to develop a recommendation for adjusting the elementary school boundaries The recommendation will affect the fewest students and neighborhoods of all the options the task force considered It also decreases or results in no change in bus travel time and will more closely balance the number of Oriole Lane students going to either Steffen or Lake Shore middle schools An open house is expected to be held in April for affected families to tour their new school and meet their new teachers The district also said it will provide resources to help students make the transition group Wilson students of the same grade level together in classes and set up each new student with an established Donges Bay or Oriole Lane student to help them adjust to the new school Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12 a subsidiary of Mutares Group (DE000A2NB650) successfully completed the acquisition of the Kalzip Group from Tata Steel Europe last week Annual sales of the Donges Group increases to approx EUR 110 million as a result of the transaction and the number of employees to more than 400 The combined product portfolio of Donges and Kalzip comprises steel bridges for road engineering and industrial steel construction for buildings as well as aluminium roof and facade solutions for new projects or refurbishments Recent reference projects include the Danube Bridge in Linz the launch table for the Ariane 6 rocket for ESA the roof refurbishment of Wembley Stadium in London and the partial construction of the logistics and ferry terminal in Lübeck we are proud to have acquired an incubator in product diversity and market that strengthens the Donges Group in the long term and creates the basis for international growth,” says Johannes Laumann The technically high-quality products and solutions of the Kalzip Group fit perfectly into Donges SteelTec’s product portfolio and will enable the Donges Group to act as a total supplier in the future KARACHI: Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) has declined to sign the upgrade agreement with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) until the sales tax exemption on petroleum products is withdrawn In a letter addressed to Senior Executive Director (Refinery & Lubricants) at Ogra Rana Zaheer Ahmed ARL expressed surprise at receiving a notice from Ogra regarding the execution of the Upgrade Agreement and the Escrow Account Agreement as stated in letter No OGRA-19-8(11)/2023 dated August 6 ARL highlighted that Ogra is already aware of the sales tax issue’s impact on refining policy implementation and has been actively involved in discussions with the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) and Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) ARL pointed out that the recent Finance Act 2024 altered the status of petroleum products (including mogas This legislative change has significantly disrupted refinery operations and upgrade projects effectively negating the incentives provided under the Refining Policy given the constructive engagement with the government the sales tax issue would be resolved before the October 22 deadline ARL indicated willingness to finalize the Upgrade and Escrow Account Agreements with Ogra once the issue is addressed The oil sector is concerned about a potential Rs25 billion increase in annual operating costs and a Rs250 billion burden for refinery upgrades if the sales tax exemption remains This exemption could lead to both higher operational costs and financial challenges for essential refinery upgrades The Finance Act 2024 introduced a sales tax exemption on critical fuels such as petrol While the policy aims to benefit consumers it has adverse effects on the oil industry allowing companies to reclaim input taxes on production-related services and equipment The new exemption invalidates these claims leading to an accumulation of around Rs70 billion in outstanding input taxes as of June 30 a working group of the SIFC discussed the issue noting that the five refineries in the country are unlikely to secure financing for upgrade agreements under the current sales tax exemption Refining sector insiders indicated that other refineries may also refuse to sign agreements if Ogra approaches them for agreement signing