Latest news with #AndrewGray
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU ministers approve new 150 billion-euro arms fund
By Andrew Gray BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union on Tuesday approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about U.S. security commitments to the continent. The approval, by ministers from EU countries meeting in Brussels, was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defence projects. The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said. "We adopted SAFE – first large-scale defence investment programme on the EU level," Poland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on X. "The more we invest in our security, the better we deter those who wish us harm." The European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed the fund in March as fears grew among European leaders that they could not be sure that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration would defend them from attack. Alarmed by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fearing they could be Moscow's next target, EU countries have already increased defence spending by more than 30% in the past three years. But EU leaders say that is not enough. Moscow has condemned the EU's rearmament push as an incitement to war based on an "invented story" of a Russian threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as Russia made similar statements before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU initiative seeks to break down national barriers by financing joint projects between EU countries and includes a strong "buy European" element as it aims to boost the continent's defence industry. For a project to qualify for SAFE funding, 65% of its value must come from companies based in the EU, the broader European Economic Area, or Ukraine. However, companies from countries that have signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU can also be eligible, if they meet further conditions. Britain signed such an agreement with the EU earlier this month, bringing British companies such as BAE Systems a step closer to participation in SAFE projects. The Commission used a fast-track procedure to launch the legislation, bypassing the European Parliament and only requiring the approval of EU governments. 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
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU ministers approve new 150 billion-euro arms fund
By Andrew Gray BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union on Tuesday approved the creation of a 150 billion-euro ($170.7 billion) EU arms fund, driven by fears of a Russian attack in the coming years and doubts about U.S. security commitments to the continent. The approval, by ministers from EU countries meeting in Brussels, was the final legal step in setting up the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme, using joint EU borrowing to give loans to European countries for joint defence projects. The measure was backed by 26 of the EU's 27 member countries, with Hungary abstaining, diplomats said. "We adopted SAFE – first large-scale defence investment programme on the EU level," Poland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on X. "The more we invest in our security, the better we deter those who wish us harm." The European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed the fund in March as fears grew among European leaders that they could not be sure that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration would defend them from attack. Alarmed by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and fearing they could be Moscow's next target, EU countries have already increased defence spending by more than 30% in the past three years. But EU leaders say that is not enough. Moscow has condemned the EU's rearmament push as an incitement to war based on an "invented story" of a Russian threat. Such words have not reassured European leaders, as Russia made similar statements before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU initiative seeks to break down national barriers by financing joint projects between EU countries and includes a strong "buy European" element as it aims to boost the continent's defence industry. For a project to qualify for SAFE funding, 65% of its value must come from companies based in the EU, the broader European Economic Area, or Ukraine. However, companies from countries that have signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU can also be eligible, if they meet further conditions. Britain signed such an agreement with the EU earlier this month, bringing British companies such as BAE Systems a step closer to participation in SAFE projects. The Commission used a fast-track procedure to launch the legislation, bypassing the European Parliament and only requiring the approval of EU governments.
Otago Daily Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Funding to bolster long-running study
PHOTO: ODT FILES The next phase of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study's research into oral health is expected to have a ripple effect on many generations to come, following a significant funding boost. The study's dental team has received a three-year grant from the Clare Foundation, to undertake vital research which aims to understand how oral health changes with age, and the life course histories that are behind those changes. The study follows the lives of 1037 babies born in Queen Mary Maternity Hospital, between April 1, 1972, and March 31, 1973. It is New Zealand's longest-running longitudinal study and is considered the world's most detailed study of human health and development. University of Otago Sir John Walsh Research Institute multidisciplinary dental research group leader Prof Jonathan Broadbent said the grant would be used to support the collection and analysis of dental data in the study's age 52 assessments, which started last year. No other birth cohort study in the world had been dentally assessed from early life to this age, he said. "Oral health has been an integral part of the study since the members were only 5 years old. "Some study members have had ongoing dental problems through life, others have developed problems as they age, while others have had no tooth troubles at all. "It is essential to understand how oral health changes with age, and the life course histories that are behind this." He said a team of researchers with dental specialties, including public health, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, Māori health, and qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, would work together to produce and share information on the natural history of oral conditions and early dental ageing. It aimed to better understand people's experiences of oral conditions and oral healthcare services and identify factors that promoted equity in oral health. Study biostatistician Associate Prof Andrew Gray was excited about the data being collected. "High-quality statistical analyses start with great data, and the Dunedin Study is unparalleled in that respect. "This all flows from the amazing generosity of study members who keep coming back for assessments." Prof Broadbent said he was "extraordinarily grateful" to the Clare Foundation for the funding, which would allow the wider assessment to continue.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska House votes to raise age of sexual consent — but with a caveat
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, speaks in favor of House Bill 62 on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska Legislature is on pace to raise the state's age of sexual consent to 18 next year, after the state House voted 39-0 to approve House Bill 101 on Monday. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which is expected to take it up in January, when lawmakers convene for the second year of the 34th Alaska State Legislature. The bill comes from Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, who said on Monday that it represents a way to fight rape and child sexual assault. Under current law, it is legal for an adult to have sex in Alaska with a 16-year-old or 17-year-old who consents. If that child is assaulted, Gray said, they must prove that they did not consent. 'This makes prosecutions of these cases of sexual assault and sex trafficking more difficult, especially if the young person had seen the perpetrator on multiple occasions, or if alcohol and drugs were involved,' Gray said. The bill has a significant exception: 'For teens 13 to 15 years old, they can consent to sex with someone up to four years older than them. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can consent to sex with someone up to six years older than them,' he said. That exemption came at the suggestion of domestic violence shelters, sexual assault experts and homeless shelters, who were concerned that without the close-in-age exemption, they would deter teens from seeking help. Additional clauses in the bill criminalize the sending of explicit images of 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds. 'It is my hope that this bill will prevent the strategic targeting of 16- and 17-year-olds by predators,' Gray said. Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, also spoke in support of the bill. 'This bill reminds us that those who are under 18 are still children,' she said. 'They're vulnerable youth. They are figuring out who they are in the world. … Raising the age of consent to 18 makes it easier for law enforcement to say, 'We're going to help you.' It puts the onus on the offender instead of on the victim. That child victim no longer would have to prove that what happened to them was not consensual.' Vance and Gray unsuccessfully attempted last year to change the age of consent, but the proposal ran into technical problems and the session ended before those could be resolved. HB 101's passage came three years after the Legislature voted to limit child marriage by banning marriages involving Alaskans younger than 16. Because sex is permitted between married partners of any age, that effectively raised the state's age of consent to 16. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alaska House votes to streamline Alaska's sexual assault kit tracking system
Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, speaks in favor of House Bill 62 on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House voted to advance a bill that would establish a statewide tracking system for sexual assault examination kits, expedite processing times, and ensure that survivors can privately monitor the status of their own kit. Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed the legislation, House Bill 62, and the House passed the bill on Friday with a vote of 39 to 0. One member, Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, was absent. Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage and chair of the House Judiciary Committee spoke in support of the bill on the House floor on Friday. 'House Bill 62 is a vital step toward strengthening Alaska's response to sexual assault,' he said. 'Currently, there's no legally required timeline for when health care providers must notify law enforcement after completing a kit. House Bill 62 corrects this.' If passed, the legislation would set more expedient timelines for processing sexual assault examination kits, which is a collection of physical evidence that can be used in criminal prosecution. Health care providers would have to notify law enforcement that a kit is ready for forensic testing within 14 days. The law enforcement agency would then have to submit the kit for forensic testing also within 14 days, down from 30 days. The lab would have to test the kit within 120 days, down from 180 days or six months. Alaska law enforcement has made major progress on a statewide backlog in testing sexual assault examination kits in recent years, and Gray urged support for the bill to continue that positive trend. 'Supported by advocacy groups, medical professionals and public safety officials, this bill is the result of a statewide collaboration,' he said. 'With the backlog of untested kits now behind us, House Bill 62 ensures that we never have a backlog again.' The legislation would also create a tracking system for survivors to privately monitor their own forensic kit through the testing process. David Kanaris, chief of the scientific crime detection laboratory in the Department of Public Safety testified before lawmakers in February that this was a major priority for the department. 'Doing this previously had to be done through them contacting a law enforcement agency,' he said of kit tracking. 'Which can be a traumatic experience in itself for the victim-survivor, and so allowing them to do it at their own pace through the kit tracking system was huge for us.' The state already has a tracking system in place, supported by grant funding, according to the department, and the bill would provide that the state maintain the system, at an estimated cost of $200,000 per year. With just five days left in the legislative session, the Alaska Senate is likely to take up the bill next year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
