Author: admin_fijitimes
Sydney, Oct 5 (IANS) Australia is one of the world leaders in mammal extinctions and 10 species have been identified as among the most imperilled, the country’s national environmental organisation said on Saturday. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has consulted a range of ecologists and biologists and identified 10 species as at serious risk of extinction, the organisation said in a media release. They are Tasmania’s Maugean skate, the swift parrot, the regent honeyeater, a small wallaby called the Top End nabarlek, the Baw Baw frog, Victoria’s grassland earless dragon, the central rock-rat, the Kangaroo Island assassin spider and two…
Lima, Oct 7 (IANS) Junior shooters capped off a dominant performance with a gold medal in the men’s 50m pistol team event at the ISSF Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, as India topped the medal tally with 13 gold, three silver and eight bronze medals. Italy was second with five gold and four silver and bronze medals each, while Norway placed third with four gold and a total of 10 medals. The junior men’s 50m pistol team of Deepak Dalal (545), Kamaljeet (543) and Raj Chandra (528) combined for a tally of 1616, to put it across Azerbaijan by a point.…
New York, Oct 6 (IANS) Scientists have been trying to improve advanced pain management using artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery and now, an AI algorithm has identified multiple gut metabolites and US FDA-approved drugs that have potential to be repurposed as non-addictive, non-opioid pain medications. Feixiong Cheng, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Genome Center, and tech giant IBM are using AI for drug discovery in advanced pain management. The team used the new AI tool to predict how 369 gut microbial metabolites and 2,308 FDA- approved drugs would interact with 13 pain-associated receptors. The AI framework identified several compounds that…
The NSW Faith Affairs Council met today. In light of recent events, the NSW Faith Affairs Council have released the following statement: As people of faith, we recog nise that our common humanity makes us one family, and we embrace each other as brothers and sisters. We acknowledge the pain many in our community are feeling due to events in the Middle East. We implore those who are grieving to find solace in the compassion and understanding of others, and to refrain from any words or acts which promote hate and resentment or incite violence. Our state has shown great resilience throughout…
London, Sep 27 (IANS) Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) on Friday fined Meta 91 million euros (around $101.5 million) for 2019 breach that exposed hundreds of millions of Facebook passwords. The Irish regulator announced its final decision following an inquiry into Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (MPIL) which was launched in April 2019, after meta said it had inadvertently stored certain passwords of social media users in ‘plaintext’ on its internal systems (without cryptographic protection or encryption). “It is widely accepted that user passwords should not be stored in plaintext, considering the risks of abuse that arise from persons accessing such…
Multicultural and multifaith community groups will be supported to host grassroots festivals and events with Multicultural NSW’s Stronger Together Grants Program now open. This funding is in addition to $500,000 the NSW Government has already invested in almost 80 cultural events and festivals this year. Eligible organisations can apply for grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 to help organise festivities that celebrate and embrace our state’s vibrant cultural diversity. Every year hundreds of grassroots not-for-profit organisations across NSW use the Festival and Event grants to celebrate their cultural heritage and share food, music and entertainment with the community. Multicultural NSW…
Suva, Sept 18 (IANS) Fiji and Japan signed an exchange of notes on Wednesday for a second stand-by disaster loan financing of around 72.0 million Fijian dollars (around 32.4 million US dollars), which will assist in any future needs for disaster recovery and rehabilitation. According to Fijian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad, the loan facility comes with a 40-year term, including a 10-year grace period, and carries an interest rate of 0.4 per cent per annum. He said the financing can be accessed once a ‘Declaration of Natural Disaster’ is declared by the cabinet on the…
Canberra, Sep 17 (IANS) Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached a deal on a free trade agreement. Don Farrell, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, on Tuesday announced that negotiations on the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have concluded, Xinhua news agency reported. He said at a press conference in Canberra that the deal would eliminate tariffs on more than 99 per cent of Australian products entering the UAE. “This is the first trade agreement with the Middle East,” Farrell said. “The UAE is not only our largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East, but…
Federal Member for Parramatta, Dr Andrew Charlton Hosts Domestic Violence Roundtable with NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin to Close Gaps in Services Parramatta, 13 September 2024 – Today, Dr. Andrew Charlton MP, Federal Member for Parramatta, alongside New South Wales Women’s Safety Commissioner, Hannah Tonkin, hosted a critical roundtable at Cumberland Women’s Health Centre to address domestic violence in Western Sydney. The event brought together grassroots service providers and leaders from all levels of government, alongside essential local services, to address the gaps in support systems for the thousands of domestic violence victims in Western Sydney. Dr. Charlton said: “The…