Latest news with #Academics
National Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Tennis officials refuse call to cancel Davis Cup match-up between Israel and Canada in Halifax
Tennis officials are refusing to give in to the demands of an open letter calling for the cancellation of a match-up between Israeli and Canadian players that's scheduled to be hosted in Halifax next month. Article content On Sept. 12 and 13, Canada and Israel will play each other in the Davis Cup, the leading team tennis event in the world. The result of the tie, a series of five matches, will determine which country advances to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers. Article content Article content Article content The letter, which was signed by more than 400 academics, activists, athletes and writers argues that sport can no longer be treated as simply sport given the international scrutiny over Israel's military operations in Gaza. Article content Article content 'This is an important moment for Sport Canada and Tennis Canada to promote social justice and stand on the right side of history,' says a letter addressed to the two organizations. Article content The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which organizes the Davis Cup, said in a statement that it would not bar Israel from competing. Article content 'We recognize this is a highly complex situation that goes far beyond sport. However, Israel has not been excluded from international sporting events and it has not been suspended by the International Olympic Committee,' the ITF said. 'Across tennis, careful consideration is given to the participation of teams and players representing every nation, and the safety of all players, tournament staff and supporters is always paramount at every event. We will continue to work closely with Tennis Canada in relation to this event.' Article content Article content Tennis Canada also said the match will go ahead as planned and emphasized that its role is to promote the sport and create opportunities for players and fans. Article content Article content 'Tennis Canada acknowledges the ongoing and deeply complex situation in the Middle East,' the organization said in a statement. Article content 'Our focus remains on ensuring a safe, fair, and professional competition for all athletes, staff, volunteers and spectators.' Article content Signatories to the letter include journalists and University of British Columbia professors Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, Alex Neve, formerly the secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, and now a professor at the University of Ottawa, and three former United Nations special rapporteurs. Scores of other academics across a variety of research fields, including geography, history and kinesiology, also signed the letter. Article content They argue that Canada has issued sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, and Defence Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The letter also alleges that Israel is committing a genocide, something the Canadian government has not stated. Israel denies the allegation.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
University of Technology Sydney tells staff facing axe to 'wash delicates' to help manage stress as it suspends 146 courses
The University of Technology Sydney has suspended new enrolments for 146 courses across six faculties as it prepares for a controversial redundancy program to save $100 million dollars. Academics said their shock at the scale of the course cuts was compounded by bizarre stress management advice provided by an outside health company. They were directed to a wellbeing hub that included 50 tips for staff potentially losing their jobs. The advice included "do that task you've been dreading, like washing delicates, organising receipts for your taxes, or cleaning a bathroom". Other suggestions included "bake a dessert" and "brush or floss your teeth every day. Dental work later in life can be painful and expensive!" The ABC understands staff and the NTEU asked the university to withdraw the list of tips, concerned they "trivialise psychosocial harm and are profoundly embarrassing for a university". "This list naturally de-legitimised concerns of already distressed staff," said Dr Hossai Gul, a UTS researcher and representative for the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). Academics were angry they weren't consulted on the course suspensions, saying university governance arrangements weren't followed. "The list of course suspensions is devastating across some faculties, and staff are in absolute shock and could not speak at the meeting today," Dr Gul said. The suspended courses include 12 in the Business School, 60 in Design in Society, 14 in Engineering and IT, 33 in the Faculty of Health, two from the Faculty of Law, 21 from the Faculty of Science and four trans-disciplinary courses. A staff member from the Faculty of Health who did not want to be identified, expressed concern about suspending the Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education and Management, which they said taught a large number of Indigenous educators. Staff have reported high rates of psychological distress as they waited for updates on the controversial redundancy program called Operational Sustainability Initiative (OSI). In an email to staff, Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt said the suspensions were "temporary" and no final decision had been made on either course cuts or job losses. "I want to be very clear that no decision has been made to discontinue any course. The temporary suspension is aimed at prospective new students for 2026," said Professor Parfitt. Professor Parfitt said the suspended courses had "low student enrolments" and the suspensions were necessary to prevent students applying for courses that may not proceed. SafeWork New South Wales is investigating the impact OSI is having on staff. Those staff expressed concerns about other briefings from management on the redundancy process. "UTS staff describe leaving in a worse psychological state than when they arrived. Several flagged increased heart rate, agitation, or feelings of invalidation triggered by the session's structure and content. Some have called these sessions a form of institutional violence," Dr Gul said. In a statement, a university spokesperson said they were "very mindful of our need to support staff through periods of uncertainty and change". "The externally-developed resource on '50 tips' is just one of many support resources available. Other material includes key internal contacts, training, counselling, well-being and career resources," the spokesperson said. "We recognise that the change process is difficult, and not all resources are going to be suitable for everyone and we review resources available based on the feedback from staff." Do you have a story to share? Email The spokesperson said the university had sought to hear from staff in town hall meetings and drop-in sessions. OSI is designed to save the university $100 million dollars, which UTS said was necessary because revenue was not covering its costs. Documents released under Freedom of Information laws showed the university paid consultants KPMG $5 million to design OSI. Staff have been told 400 people — about ten per cent of the workforce — will lose their jobs later this year in a process that has seen a significant backlash on campus and criticism from federal parliament. Staff already angry at the redundancy process were further outraged when ABC news revealed the vice-chancellor and a team of senior executives spent at least $140,000 on a trip to the US for an alumni event. A number of other Australian universities are also laying off staff and cutting courses. The sector has sought more funding from government for both teaching and research.
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK academics studying topics sensitive to China face harassment, survey finds
Academics and students of Chinese studies in Britain are being subject to harassment, surveillance and pressure to self-censor as they seek to avoid disruption to funding, a survey of universities by a transparency group has concluded. The findings by UK-China Transparency coincide with new government guidance stating that universities may be breaching rules by having partnerships with foreign governments that require academic staff to pass ideological tests – for example, by hosting Confucius Institutes. Academics working on topics that are politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist party (CCP) reported instances of harassment from colleagues and pressure from university administrators related to the financial consequences of damaging relations with China. One academic involved in sensitive research stopped teaching after experiencing harassment from a visiting scholar from China, who whispered 'we're watching you' in one case and interrogated the academic about their personal history at another event. Another scholar experienced a severe campaign of online harassment. A respondent stated that their Chinese students had confided in him that they had been asked to spy on campus events by Chinese police, and another said they were told by Chinese students that surveillance was omnipresent and that students were interviewed by officials on their return to China. The results suggest that the academic landscape is mixed, with some institutions demonstrating higher resilience and supporting scholars working on sensitive topics than others. They are based on 50 responses to a questionnaire circulated last year among China studies scholars working at UK universities. Nearly two-thirds – 64% – of respondents thought their universities' financial dependency on international students from China affected administrators' 'sense of the importance of relationships with the Chinese government', compared with 16% who felt that this was not the case. Twenty-two per cent said they had been told by a manager or administrator that relations with China were a factor in their institution's decision-making, and a further 10% said they believed they were, while 52% said they were not. And 38% thought these concerns made it 'more difficult to study or conduct original investigative research on sensitive issues', compared with 46% who said this was not the case. One academic said they had faced pressure to remove teaching elements that could offend nationalist Chinese students and had been asked by funders whether planned research would offend the Chinese government. The same academic said their university's recruitment team had received threats from the Chinese government in relation to their sensitive research. Another respondent said their faculty had been opposed to a sensitive event and another gave a secondhand account of an incident at another university where a research project had been cancelled and its funding returned because of Chinese government pressure on the university's management. Other respondents argued that specialising in sensitive research work created opportunities, with one respondent suggesting that in the current environment 'a strongly anti-Chinese stance' could create 'a stifling effect on those who wish to discuss nuance'. Another respondent said that 'sensitive topics are welcomed by some institutions but not others'. A Chinese embassy spokesperson said: 'The relevant report is completely groundless and absurd. China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and respects freedom of speech and academic freedom in the UK and other countries. China consistently requires its citizens, including overseas students, to abide by local laws and regulations. 'The relevant parties should remain committed to actions that promote educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK, rather than the opposite.' David Tobin, a lecturer in east Asian studies at the University of Sheffield, said the report was 'addressing long-term pervasive issues in British universities that I've encountered since 2007'. He said he had experienced one incident in a previous job where a senior colleague invited representatives from the Chinese consulate and Chinese state media journalists to visit. After being left to wander around the building unattended, he said they entered his working area and observed the sensitive material he was working with on his computer screen. 'The key challenge academics like myself researching subjects that are considered sensitive by the CCP is that our access to the field is blocked if we write about anything that the party state does not approve of,' Tobin said. 'Chinese scholars here are as afraid as they would be in China because they are not protected when they are at home and their families are harassed inside the PRC [China] if they write about the party system.'
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK academics studying topics sensitive to China face harassment, survey finds
Academics and students of Chinese studies in Britain are being subject to harassment, surveillance and pressure to self-censor as they seek to avoid disruption to funding, a survey of universities by a transparency group has concluded. The findings by UK-China Transparency coincide with new government guidance stating that universities may be breaching rules by having partnerships with foreign governments that require academic staff to pass ideological tests – for example, by hosting Confucius Institutes. Academics working on topics that are politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist party (CCP) reported instances of harassment from colleagues and pressure from university administrators related to the financial consequences of damaging relations with China. One academic involved in sensitive research stopped teaching after experiencing harassment from a visiting scholar from China, who whispered 'we're watching you' in one case and interrogated the academic about their personal history at another event. Another scholar experienced a severe campaign of online harassment. A respondent stated that their Chinese students had confided in him that they had been asked to spy on campus events by Chinese police, and another said they were told by Chinese students that surveillance was omnipresent and that students were interviewed by officials on their return to China. The results suggest that the academic landscape is mixed, with some institutions demonstrating higher resilience and supporting scholars working on sensitive topics than others. They are based on 50 responses to a questionnaire circulated last year among China studies scholars working at UK universities. Nearly two-thirds – 64% – of respondents thought their universities' financial dependency on international students from China affected administrators' 'sense of the importance of relationships with the Chinese government', compared with 16% who felt that this was not the case. Twenty-two per cent said they had been told by a manager or administrator that relations with China were a factor in their institution's decision-making, and a further 10% said they believed they were, while 52% said they were not. And 38% thought these concerns made it 'more difficult to study or conduct original investigative research on sensitive issues', compared with 46% who said this was not the case. One academic said they had faced pressure to remove teaching elements that could offend nationalist Chinese students and had been asked by funders whether planned research would offend the Chinese government. The same academic said their university's recruitment team had received threats from the Chinese government in relation to their sensitive research. Another respondent said their faculty had been opposed to a sensitive event and another gave a secondhand account of an incident at another university where a research project had been cancelled and its funding returned because of Chinese government pressure on the university's management. Other respondents argued that specialising in sensitive research work created opportunities, with one respondent suggesting that in the current environment 'a strongly anti-Chinese stance' could create 'a stifling effect on those who wish to discuss nuance'. Another respondent said that 'sensitive topics are welcomed by some institutions but not others'. A Chinese embassy spokesperson said: 'The relevant report is completely groundless and absurd. China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, and respects freedom of speech and academic freedom in the UK and other countries. China consistently requires its citizens, including overseas students, to abide by local laws and regulations. 'The relevant parties should remain committed to actions that promote educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK, rather than the opposite.' David Tobin, a lecturer in east Asian studies at the University of Sheffield, said the report was 'addressing long-term pervasive issues in British universities that I've encountered since 2007'. He said he had experienced one incident in a previous job where a senior colleague invited representatives from the Chinese consulate and Chinese state media journalists to visit. After being left to wander around the building unattended, he said they entered his working area and observed the sensitive material he was working with on his computer screen. 'The key challenge academics like myself researching subjects that are considered sensitive by the CCP is that our access to the field is blocked if we write about anything that the party state does not approve of,' Tobin said. 'Chinese scholars here are as afraid as they would be in China because they are not protected when they are at home and their families are harassed inside the PRC [China] if they write about the party system.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts warn of risks linked to period tracker apps
Women face 'real and frightening privacy and safety risks' when using period tracker apps, experts have warned. Academics from the University of Cambridge said that personal information in the app can be collected and 'sold at scale'. A new report from experts at Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy said that this 'poses risks and harms for users'. Researchers said that menstrual data can provide insights into people's health and their reproductive choices. These apps can collect information on exercise, diet, medication, sexual preferences, hormone levels and contraception use, they added. This information can be a 'gold mine' for consumer profiling, the authors of the new report said. Many women who download the apps do so when they are trying to get pregnant, which the authors point out leads to a dramatic shift in shopping behaviour. 'Data on who is pregnant, and who wants to be, has therefore emerged as some of the most sought-after information in digital advertising,' they said. The point out how period tracking apps have rapidly risen in popularity, with global downloads of the three most popular apps surpassing 250 million. 'Cycle tracking apps (CTA) are a lucrative business because they provide the companies behind the apps with access to extremely valuable and fine-grained user data,' the experts wrote in their new report. 'CTA data is not only commercially valuable and shared with an inextricable net if third parties (thereby making intimate user information exploitable for targeted advertising), but it also poses severe security risks for users.' They point out that in the wrong hands, the data collected by the apps could result in health insurance 'discrimination'; risks to job prospects or even domestic abuse. The research team called for better governance of the 'femtech' industry, including improved data security of these apps and for them to introduce 'meaningful consent options'. They also called for public health bodies to launch alternatives to commercial tracking apps. 'Menstrual cycle tracking apps are presented as empowering women and addressing the gender health gap,' said Dr Stefanie Felsberger, lead author of the report. 'Yet the business model behind their services rests on commercial use, selling user data and insights to third parties for profit.' 'There are real and frightening privacy and safety risks to women as a result of the commodification of the data collected by cycle tracking app companies.' Professor Gina Neff, executive director of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre, added: 'The use of cycle tracking apps is at an all-time high. 'Women deserve better than to have their menstrual tracking data treated as consumer data, but there is a different possible future.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
