Latest news with #ACT
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cumbrian charity offering £100 prizes for community-led projects
A Cumbrian charity wants to shine a spotlight on the success of community-led projects. ACTion with Communities in Cumbria (ACT) is inviting groups and volunteers behind more than 200 schemes to share their stories. Lorrainne Smyth, chief executive of ACT, said: "Our charity has been operating in a support role since 1948 and knows that highlighting projects encourages others to consider similar work in their local area. "This is a celebration of what can happen when people come together for the common good. "We want these powerful local voices to be heard and to help communicate their journeys, determination and creativity in bringing ideas to fruition. "Following a two-year campaign, Greystoke has managed to secure a regular bus service to travel through the village, designed and delivered by the people who live there. "The challenge is now to get passengers onboard. "Bus committee meetings are held – on the bus!" ACT is calling for submissions of up to 300 words, with a £100 prize available for the first entry drawn in each of five categories. The charity can also help groups prepare their submissions. Ms Smyth said: "Lots of people are doing great things. "We support them in the background so they can be more effective and more sustainable, involving more people with less worry. Projects supported by ACT include parish-led plans in Ireby, Cockermouth and Eaglesfield. Other schemes include affordable housing and village hall improvements in Levens, and warm hub schemes in West Cumbria. Ms Smyth said: "We are urging organisations to come forward to tell us in 300 words about their work. "We can even help write submissions. "The first one drawn in each category gets a £100 prize and we look forward to sharing their stories." For more information, visit or email info@
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Tata memorial hosp raises 2.8 cr for scholarships for pediatric cancer survivors
Mumbai: Mrinal (name changed) was 18 months old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and underwent treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel. Last year, when the 19-year-old Badlapur resident got admission to biomedical engineering in a city college, the premier cancer hospital paid her tuition fees and will financially support her for the rest of her education. She is one of the 40 engineering students to receive scholarships from the hospital in the last four years. In fact, the public hospital has, through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, raised Rs 2.8 crore to help 918 students who fought cancer and are pursuing courses ranging from medicine to computer science in the last four years. According to data released by TMC to coincide with Childhood Cancer Survivor Month in June, it raised Rs 1.4 crore in 2024-25 to help 421 students who were previously treated at TMC's seven centres across the country. TMC, which functions under the department of atomic energy, registered 3,876 children in the 0-15 age group for treatment at its various hospitals. Across India, roughly 75,000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each year, accounting for about 3–4% of all cancer cases in the country. This number is rising due to improved awareness, diagnostic capabilities, and access to care. "As more and more children are being cured of cancer, the number of childhood cancer survivors registered at TMC's after completion of therapy (ACT) clinic continues to grow," said Shalini Jatia of TMC's ImPaCCT Foundation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo As the number of survivors grows, there is a need to support their long-term well-being and reintegration into society, she said while explaining TMC's support for their education. TMC's ACT clinics have 5,681 paediatric cancer survivors registered for follow-ups. Of these, 3,930 are male survivors, who make up 65% of the recipients. The majority of the beneficiaries, like Mrinal, hail from Maharashtra, while 35% of the 918 beneficiaries are from other states. TMC doctors said that education has been "one of the most transformative aspects" of its survivorship programme. "What began as a small effort through the ImPaCCT School Programme has now grown into a robust educational support system," said Jatia, adding that the programme also helps restore the youngsters' confidence. |
West Australian
11 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Bol headlines crack men's field for Elite Mile at Leonora Golden Gift
A three-pronged WA attack of Matthew Ramsden, Luke Shaw and Jack Wilson will each be vying to upstage race favourite Peter Bol in Sunday's Men's Elite Mile, as part of this weekend's $65,000 Leonora Golden Gift program. Bol, 31, arrives in the northern Goldfields with the fastest 800m time in Australian history, 1.43.79 seconds, set in Perth in April. A veteran of three Olympics (2016, 2021, 2024), Bol won his semifinal at the Paris Games in 2021 before running a close fourth in the final — missing out on a bronze medal by 0.53 seconds. Ramsden, 27, is a nine-time member of the national athletics team who won the 1500m gold medal six years ago at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Townsville. With an 800m personal-best of 1.47.27 seconds, Shaw, 23, is considered a dark horse while Wilson, at just 19 years of age, is a world under-20 800m finalist. All four, however, face seasoned competition from eight-time New Zealand 800m champion Brad Mathas. Among the Women's Elite Mile field, NSW's Georgia Winkcup joins other top fancies, Queenslander Brielle Erbacher, ACT's Zoe Melhuish and Victorian Stephanie Kelly. Each Elite Mile final carries $25,500 in prize money. The men's event includes three heats on Saturday with the first two in each, plus the next two fastest, qualifying for Sunday's eight-man final. Among the women, two heats will be raced with the top three in each, plus the next two fastest, progressing.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers' union files complaint against NM school after questions about student's immigration status
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – A local teachers' union wants to know why a New Mexico school district is asking students about their citizenship status. The union has now filed a complaint against the district, hoping to get more answers. 'We would like to prevent it from happening again,' said Mary Parr-Sánchez, President of the National Education Association of New Mexico (NEA-NM). Story continues below Entertainment: First-of-its-kind indoor pickleball facility coming to northeast Albuquerque Community: Albuquerque church leaning on faith after 2 members killed by their son Environment: What should New Mexicans do if they come across a raccoon? In an effort to prepare students for real-world jobs, Española Public Schools has used optional career-readiness programs that help connect students with potential future employers. One of those programs is a standardized test called the ACT WorkKeys Assessment. To take the test, students must provide personal information. 'Collecting demographic information on students is not out of the norm,' Parr-Sánchez said. 'Like, if they're male or female, how old they are, their ethnicity, that type of thing. That is normal demographic information.' What's not common are questions related to students' citizenship status. But, according to a group of teachers with Española Public Schools, as part of the assessment, the district directed teachers at Española Valley High School to ask students for their country of origin, and their 'alien registration number'. 'We were contacted by educators and their leadership from Española that Española Valley High School was asking teachers to collect immigration data,' Parr-Sánchez explained. According to Parr-Sánchez, a former teacher with 25 years of experience, and someone who's administered standardized tests, these types of questions raised concerns. As the current president of the NEA-NM, a local teachers' union, she's taken steps to figure out who sent the directive, and why, by filing a complaint with the state. The district has until June 2nd to formally respond. 'They were terrified to be asked to give private information about their students,' Parr-Sanchez said about the teachers who brought the incident to her attention. The union argues the incident goes against a bargain reached by the district and teachers' union, arguing the directive is out of educators' agreed-upon 'work conditions.' They also believe it violates FERPA, a federal law that protects student privacy. 'Our mission is to educate every child that comes to our schools regardless of their race, ethnicity, country of origin,' Parr-Sánchez added. Española Public Schools said they've started an investigation into the concerns and will take appropriate action if any violations are found. It's unclear who, or why the directive was sent out. The district sid they are unable to comment further, as the investigation takes place. NEA-NM provided KRQE News 13 with a quote from the ACT testing group, that states 'ACT does not ask for, or collect information about examinees immigration status… this is not a requirement for taking our exams and is not information we collect or use in any way.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scoop
a day ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Deputy PM Handover: Seymour Vows Straight Talk, Peters Fires Up Campaign
David Seymour has vowed to keep speaking freely as he takes over as deputy prime minister, while an unshackled Winston Peters shifts into campaign mode, planning to avoid another handover next term. And both men were quick to demonstrate their fire after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ he still regards the number two job as largely ceremonial. The handover of the deputy prime ministership, as agreed during coalition negotiations, marks a new milestone for the government and the half-way point of its term. Seymour will head to the governor-general's official residence in Auckland on 31 May to be sworn in. In separate sit-down interviews with RNZ, the ACT and NZ First leaders remarked on the honour of holding the position, though downplayed the significance of the change. Seymour told RNZ the transition – in most respects – would be 'business as usual', adding, 'I've actually been the acting prime minister several times, and we're all still here, so don't worry.' Peters too was matter-of-fact: 'We signed up to that in 2023 – so we don't have reflections on it. Just stick to your word and keep going.' Ceremonial? 'How would he know?' The position was one of the last points of contention to be resolved during coalition negotiations. At the time, Luxon sought to play down its importance, saying it was 'largely a ceremonial role'. Eighteen months on, Luxon told RNZ he stood by that, noting Peters and Seymour were only ever left in charge for brief stints: 'When I do my trips [overseas], I'm pretty fast – in and out and back home pretty quickly.' To that, Seymour sniped: 'He doesn't think it's ceremonial when he leaves the country and relies on you to act for him. 'A couple of times when I've been acting prime minister… we had the CrowdStrike [IT outage], we had the Chinese ships … you're the person on the spot for those decisions.' Peters also gave Luxon's comments short shrift: 'When he [first] said that, he had no experience himself of the job, so how would he know?' He pointedly noted that the opposition asked him far fewer questions during Parliament's Question Time than they ever did Luxon: 'I kind of think that tells you something… experience matters, big time.' Seymour: 'Won't be losing my freedom to think' Asked whether the new role would temper his at-time-outspoken style, Seymour was defiant. 'I'm astonished you believe that my tone would need moderation or my remarks would need constraint,' Seymour told RNZ. 'I certainly won't be losing my freedom to think and to speak and to express what people in our communities are thinking.' Seymour denied ever criticising his coalition partners, saying he had only ever responded to criticism: 'Hopefully that won't be necessary again in this term of government.' He stressed he intended to discharge his new responsibilities 'very well' to demonstrate the ACT Party was 'a serious player'. 'My responsibility is going to be regulation, education, finance and health, just like the day before,' Seymour said. 'My job will be to show New Zealanders that ACT is politically competent and can deliver and execute in government. This is another chapter of that – becoming DPM.' Seymour said he'd not sought – nor received – advice from his predecessor, saying Peters had taught by demonstration. 'Some of those lessons, I'll take. Others I might leave with him.' Peters eyes 2026 as he passes the baton The NZ First leader said his role as deputy prime minister had been to 'offer experience… in a environment where a lot of ministers were new'. Peters said the privilege of the position also came with 'serious constraints' including a heavier workload and limits around expression. 'Speaking your mind is marvellous – but we're not in a free-think society here. We're in a coalition, and one should always remember it.' With his duties reduced, Peters said he would now have more time to focus on NZ First's election campaign, with a series of roadshows – 'not eating sausage rolls' – planned around the country. 'We took the first turn [as DPM], not the second one,' he said. 'It works out like a charm.' Peters also planned to ease back his relentless travel schedule as foreign minister, as previously signalled. He will be overseas at the time of the handover, visiting Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India. By his return, he will have visited 44 individual countries in the past 18 months. 'We've slogged it out trying to make up for the massive deficit that we inherited… it was pretty exhausting, and in that sense, it is going to be less now.' As for what his election campaign would look like, Peters said he had learned the 'bitter lessons' of 2020 and would bypass the mainstream media to speak directly to hundreds of thousands of 'forgotten New Zealanders' over the next 18 months. 'This time, we're getting the firepower, the army ready,' he said. 'We are better prepared than we've ever been in this party's political career.' And Peters made clear he would seek to avoid another handover of the deputy prime ministership next term. 'If we'd have been given a fair go in the 2023 election, there'd be no need for a handover,' Peters said. 'It's our intention to remove any doubt next election.' Early election? Full term, the plan The exact date of the next election remains unset, though Labour has stirred mischief by raising the spectre of an early vote. Peters said he was 'not really' preparing for that possibility: 'You can never forecast any of those things, but our plan is the full term and stable government.' Seymour also dismissed the idea his time as deputy prime minister could be cut short. 'It's in absolutely nobody's interest – except perhaps the complete Looney Tunes in the Greens and Te Pāti Māori and their enablers in Labour. 'There's only about 60 odd people in New Zealand – and they are odd people – who would benefit from an early election.' Even Labour leader Chris Hipkins told RNZ he thought it unlikely: 'Turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas.'
