Latest news with #CFT
Libya Review
5 days ago
- Business
- Libya Review
Libya's Central Bank Calls to Adopt Law to Curb Terror Financing & Protect Economy
The National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in Libya has issued a strong appeal for the immediate adoption of the country's long-awaited anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) law. In a statement, the committee stressed that safeguarding Libya's financial system is a shared national responsibility that requires coordinated action across legislative, executive, judicial, and regulatory bodies. It warned that the country's current legal framework remains vulnerable to exploitation by criminal networks, placing Libya's financial integrity at serious risk. The committee emphasized the urgent need to establish a comprehensive and internationally compliant legal and institutional structure to prevent Libya from being isolated from the global financial system. Without swift reform, Libya could face damaging international scrutiny, heightened due diligence measures, and even blacklisting by global financial watchdogs. Citing recent intelligence and international reports, the committee said that there are growing concerns over suspicious transactions potentially flowing through Libya's financial networks. These incidents reflect the fragility of existing controls and expose the country to potential legal consequences and reputational harm on the global stage. The statement underscored that adopting the draft AML/CFT law is critical for Libya to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and to demonstrate the country's commitment to transparency and financial accountability. Failure to act, the committee warned, could result in severe economic consequences, including restricted access to international financial services, increased investor hesitation, and a further erosion of public confidence. The committee concluded by urging all relevant institutions, including the Central Bank, Parliament, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and financial regulators, to act swiftly and decisively to pass and implement the new legislation. Tags: Central BankeconomylibyaMoney Laundering
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Will SA finally be off the grey list after Financial Action Task Force visit?
The Financial Action Task Force greylisted South Africa due to its failure to comply with its standards and measures. The Financial Action Task Force concluded its on-site assessment of South Africa during the last week of July, the last step before the October 2025 Plenary can consider whether to remove South Africa from its grey list. Countries must comply with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and measures to combat illicit financial flows, terrorist funding and potential threats to the integrity of the global financial system. The FATF is an intergovernmental body established to protect financial systems and the broader economy from threats of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Greylisting subjects the financial services sector to increased scrutiny and stricter regulations to ensure that it addresses the deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing systems. It serves as an early indication that the country's financial system is at risk of misuse for illegal purposes, Bianca Botes, director at Citadel Global, said at the time. 'The logical consequence is detrimental to South Africa's international reputation as it is seen as a high-risk jurisdiction for financial transactions, making countries hesitant to engage in financial and law enforcement cooperation.' ALSO READ: South Africa was greylisted due to endemic corruption SA had to upgrade laws for Financial Action Task Force South Africa had to upgrade its anti-money laundering and counterterrorism laws and regulations, implement improved supervision of financial institutions and enhance the country's ability to investigate and prosecute money laundering and terrorism cases. In addition, South Africa had to complete this by January this year, but problems with compliance on the side of some estate agents and lawyers slowed the process down. However, the FATF announced in June that the country had substantially completed all 22 action items in the action plan adopted. The FATF decision noted that South Africa's progress warrants an on-site assessment to verify that critical reforms, including anti-money laundering and the combating of the financing of terrorism reforms, have been implemented and that the necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain progress. The FATF Joint Group held meetings with South African government officials and representatives of financial institutions and designated non-bank financial institutions. At the conclusion of the meetings, the FATF Africa Joint Group held a meeting with Deputy Minister of Finance David Masondo and Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel. They assured the FATF of government's commitment to continue to improve the country's anti-money laundering and the combating of the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) system. ALSO READ: South Africa making more progress to get off FATF grey list All eyes now on FATF meeting After the onsite visit, the FATF Africa Joint Group will submit a report to the October 2025 FATF Plenary, which will consider any recommendations from the report on whether South Africa can be delisted from the FATF grey list. According to a statement from National Treasury, Masondo and Nel assured the FATF Africa Joint Group that government will continue to actively partner with the FATF Global Network in preserving and advancing the integrity of the South African and global financial systems.
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Psychotherapy Offers Chronic Back Pain Relief for Three Years
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A type of psychotherapy called cognitive functional therapy (CFT) could help give people with chronic low back pain lasting relief for at least three years. This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers at Curtin University and Macquarie University in Australia, which demonstrated that CFT is the first treatment with good evidence to show that it can effectively reduce patient's pain-induced disability for more than a year. Around 8.2 percent of American adults have chronic severe back pain and nearly three-quarters of these patients have difficulties with mobility, social participation, self-care or work participation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. A previous study found that CFT was more effective than usual care—including painkillers, physical therapy and/or massage therapy—at improving self-reported physical activity in those living with low back pain for up to one year. The current randomized controlled trial is the first to show these effects are sustained for up to three. Man from behind with hands on lower back pain. Man from behind with hands on lower back pain. kieferpix/Getty Images "Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more of a talking therapy while CFT is more of a doing therapy—building trust, confidence and awareness in the body," study author and Macquarie physiotherapy professor Mark Hancock told Newsweek. "This is done through movement control and body relaxation during graduated exposure to feared and avoided movements and activities. CFT also addresses relevant lifestyle factors." RESTORE included 492 patients with chronic low back pain in Australia, who were randomly assigned to receive eight treatment sessions of usual care, CFT, or CFT plus biofeedback (which uses sensors to measure body functions like heart rate and enable the patient to modify them.) "CFT was delivered in the first three months [for those who had it] with one top up session at six months. There was no CFT intervention after this. This is the exciting finding—that the effect lasted. The intervention focuses on empowering patients to understand and manage their condition, so while we were pleased we were also not surprised," Hancock explained. While those who received CFT and CFT plus biofeedback saw improvements in their physical activity participation over usual care, the difference between these two groups at three years was small and insignificant, also consistent with the three-month and one-year results. Therapist with smiling patient on sofa. Therapist with smiling patient on CFT significantly reduced people's back pain and improved their function, which was largely maintained over three years of follow-up. "CFT uses a multi-dimensional clinical reasoning framework to identify and target the key factors contributing to each person's chronic back pain. It has three key elements," said Hancock. The first is "making sense of pain"—helping to guide a reconceptualization of pain from what the researchers call a 'biopsychosocial' perspective through the lens of the patient's own experience. Second is "exposure with control"—guiding pain and movement control strategies to build confidence for people to re-engage in valued activities like physical activity, work and social life. The third elemtent is "lifestyle changes"—promoting positive physical, social and psychological health. "It targets the root causes and that is why we believe it has long term effects unlike most treatments for back pain that just address the symptoms," Hancock added. "Mind and body approaches are key because beliefs impact our behaviors and pain experience [also building anxiety and fear]. If people believe their back is fragile, unstable and damaged, they brace and avoid activity. This sets off a negative spiral. Effective care must address both the physical and psychological factors that can't be separated." Woman lifting small dumbbells with medical professional. Woman lifting small dumbbells with medical professional. Harbucks/Getty Images In all groups in the study patients could receive other interventions if they wanted, so the difference between groups was the CFT, Hancock explained. RESTORE demonstrates that CFT has long-term benefits on physical activity of those with low back pain and provides an opportunity to markedly reduce its impact if the intervention can be widely implemented, the authors said. Its implementation requires scaling up of clinician training to increase accessibility and replication studies in diverse healthcare systems. "CFT can help almost all people with chronic low back pain, apart from those with serious causes like cancer, infection or fracture. That said it is not a magic cure, and there is more work to do. We found about 70 percent of people responded well but we still need to explore how we help the others. Interestingly, the effects were greatest for the worst affected patients," said Hancock. "Almost certainly, these principles extend beyond back pain and research is underway for other conditions." Hancock believes health policies should support interventions like CFT due to them being high-value, low-risk and sustained. "Some of the authors have developed this social enterprise to educate the public about back pain and to provide training resources for clinicians. We are currently training clinicians in several countries," added Hancock. He concluded: "Funding is a barrier to people getting this [the CFT] and other good care for back pain. In many countries, expensive and potentially harmful interventions like surgery, injections, imaging and opioids are covered but effective safe interventions like CFT are not. This needs to change." Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about chronic pain? Let us know via health@ Reference Hancock, M., Smith, A., O'Sullivan, P., Schütze, R., Caneiro, J. P., Laird, R., O'Sullivan, K., Hartvigsen, J., Campbell, A., Wareham, D., Chang, R., & Kent, P. (2025). Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (RESTORE): 3-year follow-up of a randomised, controlled trial. The Lancet Rheumatology.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Can a simple mental shift cure chronic back pain? New scientific study reveals breakthrough in pain relief
What Is CFT and Why Does It Work? You Might Also Like: Walking can relieve your lower back pain, study reveals. But there is a catch Numbers That Matter: Backed by Evidence CFT was more effective than usual care in reducing pain and disability even three years after treatment. Adding biofeedback showed no significant advantage, suggesting that the core value lies in the cognitive approach itself. Participants reported a marked improvement in quality of life and physical activity. You Might Also Like: Back pain is the new pandemic: What's really causing it and 4 moves to get over It The Human Side of Healing A Future Without Pills? In a world saturated with prescriptions, surgeries, and temporary fixes for chronic back pain , a groundbreaking new study is challenging the status quo. Researchers from Australia are offering an unexpected and transformative perspective: the key to long-term relief might be as simple—and as complex—as retraining the popping pills and resigning yourself to lifelong discomfort. According to a report from the Daily Mail, a recent clinical trial led by Macquarie University in Sydney has found that Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT)—a psychologically informed treatment that rewires the way patients perceive and respond to pain—can reduce disability and pain intensity for up to three in The Lancet Rheumatology, this large-scale study is turning heads in the medical community and sparking conversations about a new, holistic path to Functional Therapy blends psychological insights with physical rehabilitation. It focuses on how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence pain and mobility. Unlike traditional care—which often centers on medication or physical adjustments—CFT guides patients to understand their pain triggers, manage fear around movement, and reshape limiting beliefs about their in the study received seven CFT sessions over 12 weeks, along with a follow-up booster session. They were encouraged to gradually reintroduce activities they had long avoided due to fear of pain—restoring confidence as well as trial involved more than 1,000 participants suffering from chronic lower back pain. Three groups were compared: one received CFT, another received CFT plus biofeedback (a technique to control involuntary body functions), and the third group continued with "usual care," such as painkillers and general practitioner results were telling:Researchers called CFT a "high-value, low-risk" intervention with the potential to revolutionize the way we manage chronic up these promising findings, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal by Oxford Academic concluded that CFT offers moderate to high certainty of long-term review examined multiple trials and emphasized that CFT outperformed traditional therapies such as manual therapy, exercise, and education in reducing disability and improving self-efficacy. While results varied based on clinician experience and training, the overall trend pointed to CFT's effectiveness as a sustainable, cost-efficient treatment makes this discovery stand out isn't just the data—it's the philosophy. Instead of seeing chronic back pain purely as a mechanical or biomedical problem, CFT embraces the biopsychosocial model , which recognizes the interplay between mind and millions who feel stuck in a cycle of medication and immobility, this therapy offers hope. It empowers patients not to fight their pain, but to understand and work with it—freeing them from fear, and in many cases, freeing them from pain pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with millions affected each year. In the UK alone, nearly 9 million people live with back pain, according to Arthritis Research UK. Traditional treatments often offer only short-term relief and come with a host of side effects or introduction of CFT could change that narrative. By shifting the focus from short-term symptom management to long-term self-management, this approach could reduce the healthcare burden while giving patients their lives further studies are needed to refine and scale the therapy—especially ensuring consistent training standards for practitioners—CFT is already being hailed as a paradigm shift in pain management
Economic Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Economic Times
Can a simple mental shift cure chronic back pain? New scientific study reveals breakthrough in pain relief
Synopsis A new study from Australia suggests a novel approach to chronic back pain. Cognitive Functional Therapy or CFT can reduce pain and disability for years. The therapy focuses on changing how patients think and feel about their pain. A trial with over 1,000 participants showed CFT was more effective than standard treatments. It improves quality of life and physical activity. iStock A recent Australian study reveals Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) as a promising alternative to traditional back pain treatments. (Image: iStock) In a world saturated with prescriptions, surgeries, and temporary fixes for chronic back pain, a groundbreaking new study is challenging the status quo. Researchers from Australia are offering an unexpected and transformative perspective: the key to long-term relief might be as simple—and as complex—as retraining the mind. Forget popping pills and resigning yourself to lifelong discomfort. According to a report from the Daily Mail, a recent clinical trial led by Macquarie University in Sydney has found that Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT)—a psychologically informed treatment that rewires the way patients perceive and respond to pain—can reduce disability and pain intensity for up to three years. Published in The Lancet Rheumatology, this large-scale study is turning heads in the medical community and sparking conversations about a new, holistic path to Functional Therapy blends psychological insights with physical rehabilitation. It focuses on how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence pain and mobility. Unlike traditional care—which often centers on medication or physical adjustments—CFT guides patients to understand their pain triggers, manage fear around movement, and reshape limiting beliefs about their in the study received seven CFT sessions over 12 weeks, along with a follow-up booster session. They were encouraged to gradually reintroduce activities they had long avoided due to fear of pain—restoring confidence as well as mobility. The trial involved more than 1,000 participants suffering from chronic lower back pain. Three groups were compared: one received CFT, another received CFT plus biofeedback (a technique to control involuntary body functions), and the third group continued with "usual care," such as painkillers and general practitioner results were telling: CFT was more effective than usual care in reducing pain and disability even three years after treatment. Adding biofeedback showed no significant advantage, suggesting that the core value lies in the cognitive approach itself. Participants reported a marked improvement in quality of life and physical activity. Researchers called CFT a "high-value, low-risk" intervention with the potential to revolutionize the way we manage chronic up these promising findings, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal by Oxford Academic concluded that CFT offers moderate to high certainty of long-term review examined multiple trials and emphasized that CFT outperformed traditional therapies such as manual therapy, exercise, and education in reducing disability and improving self-efficacy. While results varied based on clinician experience and training, the overall trend pointed to CFT's effectiveness as a sustainable, cost-efficient treatment makes this discovery stand out isn't just the data—it's the philosophy. Instead of seeing chronic back pain purely as a mechanical or biomedical problem, CFT embraces the biopsychosocial model, which recognizes the interplay between mind and millions who feel stuck in a cycle of medication and immobility, this therapy offers hope. It empowers patients not to fight their pain, but to understand and work with it—freeing them from fear, and in many cases, freeing them from pain pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with millions affected each year. In the UK alone, nearly 9 million people live with back pain, according to Arthritis Research UK. Traditional treatments often offer only short-term relief and come with a host of side effects or complications. The introduction of CFT could change that narrative. By shifting the focus from short-term symptom management to long-term self-management, this approach could reduce the healthcare burden while giving patients their lives back. While further studies are needed to refine and scale the therapy—especially ensuring consistent training standards for practitioners—CFT is already being hailed as a paradigm shift in pain management.
