Latest news with #Fuchs
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
New Kamm 912T is one for the road-trippers
Hungary's Kamm Manufaktur has unveiled its new 912T, a bespoke touring model designed and engineered specifically for driving enthusiasts who enjoy road trips. Offering a more relaxed experience than the track-focused 912C and available in Coupé or Targa body styles, the 912T features a plush cabin fitted with handcrafted Fusina seats tailored for maximum long-distance comfort. Customers can also opt for extras such as a discreetly integrated audio system and wireless phone charging. Powering this lightweight grand tourer — which tips the scales at just 860kg — is an extensively reworked '616" four-cylinder boxer engine delivering 120kW and 201Nm of torque to the rear wheels via a smoother-shifting five-speed manual transmission. Exhaling through a non-valved touring exhaust system, it's a more tractable unit than the one found in the 912C and features a lower redline of 6,500rpm. A more comfortable ride is ensured by a tailor-made one-way Tractive suspension system, while customers can choose between classic 15" Fuchs alloy wheels or 15" alloys with a distinctive — and in vogue — 'steelies' look. As with the 912C, the 912T employs carbon fibre for key body panels, including the bumpers, wings, bonnet and boot lid. Metal doors and glass windows are retained and further enhance cabin refinement, particularly on longer journeys. Prices for the Kamm 912T start at €245,000 (R5.1m), excluding the donor car, and it will be built in limited batches of five. Production is scheduled to commence in early 2026 with build slots available for reservation via a €10,000 (R206,906) deposit.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
German government urged to start proper supervision of AI
ADVERTISEMENT German consumer groups and regulators have called upon the government to formally appoint a national authority to begin oversight of artificial intelligence providers. Germany missed the EU deadline of 2 August to notify the European Commission which market surveillance authorities it has appointed to oversee business compliance with the AI Act. The local regulators once appointed will then keep an eye on local providers of AI systems, ensuring they follow the Act. The Hamburg data protection commissioner, Thomas Fuchs, called on the federal government to quickly designate the AI market surveillance authorities – which in some areas also include the data protection supervisory authorities. "Due to the delay, companies and authorities are now missing their binding contact person for questions about the AI regulation. This is also a disadvantage for Germany as a location for AI innovation," Fuchs said. These concerns were echoed by Lina Ehrig, head of digital at the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV). Without supervision, companies could use AI to manipulate consumers or exploit individual weaknesses, for example via real-time voice analysis in call centres, VZBV warned. 'There needs to be a supervisory authority that keeps an eye on this and acts against violations. That hasn't happened so far," says Ehrig. According to a Commission official, some of the 27 EU member states have sent notifications about the appointments – which are now under consideration – however, it seems that most member states have missed the deadline. Euronews reported in May that with just three months to go until the early August deadline, it remained unclear in at least half of the member states which authority will be nominated. Despite the lack of national regulation, the Hamburg data watchdog said it started building capability and training personnel for the complex tests of AI systems to be ready for the moment of legal designation. The regulator earlier this year asked Meta questions about its AI tools. The AI Act entered into force in August 2024, but the provisions start to apply gradually. This month, national authorities need to be appointed, and rules on general purpose providers – such as ChatGPT, Claud AI and Gemini – start to apply.
Extra.ie
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
How Guinness stars in one of the greatest spy stories of War
Guinness may be 'good for you', but it was also the code word used in Soviet spies' secret meetings in the last century. As two of Russia's best spies met undercover in London, one would say: 'Stout is not good… I prefer lager' to which their fellow agent would reply: 'I think Guinness is best.' One of the greatest spy stories, beginning before the Second World War, is told by historian Ben Macintyre – and Guinness played a vital role. Pic:Agent Sonya, his vivid depiction of Russian spy Ursula Kuczynski Burton, who conducted some of the most dangerous espionage operations of the 20th century, is a bestseller. Born to a German Jewish family, Kuczynski Burton–Sonya was a Communist activist who spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s, most famously as the handler of nuclear scientist Klaus Fuchs. Kuczynski Burton planned an assassination attempt on Hitler in Switzerland, spied on the Japanese in Manchuria and prevented nuclear war (or so she believed) by stealing the science of atomic weaponry from Britain to give to Moscow. Pic: Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) In London, Russian agent Alexander Feklisov would visit the Nag's Head pub while carrying a copy of the Tribune to meet Klaus Fuchs. Feklisov would bring over a beer to Fuchs and say: 'Stout is not good. I prefer lager.' To which Fuchs would reply: 'I think Guinness is best.' Every few months, Fuchs met Feklisov at various pubs drinking Guinness and lager, handing over a fresh trove of secret scientific intelligence: Britain's atomic bomb planning, the construction of experimental reactors, notes on plutonium production and precise calculations of the nuclear tests that would enable Soviet scientists to assess the Western nuclear stockpile. Macintyre's book tells how Fuchs returned from the US to take up a post as head of Theoretical Physics at the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment, where scientists were designing a nuclear reactor to produce energy for civilian use. A second, secret agenda was the production of plutonium for making atomic weapons independently of the US. Fuchs was a pivotal member of the team. As a GRU (soviet military intelligence) officer, Kuczynski Burton was unaware of his return, for Fuchs was now a KGB asset. For a time, he eschewed spying, but after a year back in Britain, he received instructions to meet a KGB contact. An unidentified GRU chief is reported to have observed during the war, 'If we had five Sonyas in England, the war would end sooner'. Kuczynski Burton moved to East Germany in 1950 when Fuchs was unmasked, and published a series of books about her espionage activities, including her bestselling memoir, Sonja's Rapport. She died in 2000, aged 93
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Does University of Florida have a permanent ‘interim' leadership problem?
Last August, the University of Florida's then-Faculty Senate Chair Sarah Lynne was hoping the school would have found permanent replacements for several of its temporary leadership appointments by the end of the academic year. At her final meeting as chair on May 1, she offered a stark update to the faculty senators: 'Not a lot has happened in the last nine months.' 'I'd like to see a little bit less 'interim' in some of these titles,' she added. 'But we'll see how that goes.' For several years, Florida's flagship university has faced top-level turbulence — from Ben Sasse's short and controversial presidency, to a brief return of longtime leader Kent Fuchs, and most recently, a failed bid to appoint Santa J. Ono, the former president of the University of Michigan. That volatility has rippled through the institution, affecting leadership at every level. Sasse's 17-month tenure ended last July, leaving five of UF's 16 colleges without permanent deans — including four of its most prominent academic units: the College of Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Levin College of Law, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. UF's top academic officer is also there temporarily, with no clear succession plan for interim Provost Joe Glover. Four other high-level posts — including chief financial officer and general counsel — are held by interim appointees. And the director of UF's much-ballyhooed, GOP-backed Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education is soon departing for the University of Texas at Austin. Holding out for a permanent president UF had pinned its hopes on Ono to stabilize its leadership crisis, offering him a contract with directives to hire academic leaders 'firmly aligned' with Florida's higher education agenda. But the State University System's Board of Governors rejected Ono's nomination last month in a 10-6 vote, citing his past support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. More than a month later, UF has yet to announce a plan to replace interim President Fuchs, whose contract ends July 31. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the succession plan or the status of dean searches. Days before Ono emerged as the sole finalist of UF's presidential search on May 4, Fuchs paused all dean selections until his successor was in office and scrapped the liberal-arts dean search amid conservative backlash to the final four candidates — even as the school was on the brink of making a final hire. At the time, Fuchs said he froze hiring for positions including the liberal-arts dean to avoid drawing political scrutiny upon the presidential search. 'It would have been a mistake — an absolute mistake — for us to make a decision and to announce it and let the consequences flow,' Fuchs said at the May 1 Faculty Senate meeting. 'Letting things calm down, letting us then evaluate and specifically the next president — who, again, I'm absolutely convinced will have exactly the right set of values — is the right thing.' The canceled liberal-arts dean search cost UF tens of thousands. Public records obtained by the Miami Herald in May show UF paid $29,208 to WittKieffer, the headhunting firm hired for the process, as part of a $146,300 contract. UF has not responded to requests for records that would show how much it paid SP&A Executive Search, the boutique firm that helped recruit Ono. SP&A earned nearly $293,000 for the search that brought in Sasse. The leadership freeze has disrupted multiple colleges. The College of the Arts canceled its dean search without explanation, according to a June 27 memo from interim Dean Jennifer Setlow, who plans to stay another year. The status of the College of Engineering's dean search is unclear, though candidates were still scheduled to visit campus in May, according to the interim provost's remarks at that month's Faculty Senate meeting. Meanwhile, interim deans are cycling out. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is now on its second interim dean in a year, with Kevin Ingersent taking over from Mary Watt on Monday. Engineering Dean Forrest Masters, who's held the interim role since 2023, is leaving this month to become dean at Oregon State University. Warren Dixon, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, will step in as interim dean on July 11. Progress despite setbacks UF's leadership churn has been so persistent that Fuchs has floated the idea of removing the 'interim' title altogether from some positions, according to Faculty Senate minutes from March. The interim label often signals temporary stewardship, which can undercut authority and morale. Such leaders must juggle administrative duties with academic work — usually for significantly less pay than permanent appointees. Melissa Johnson, interim director of the UF Honors Program for nearly three years, earns less than half of her predecessor's salary. Yet, students and faculty now view her as the program's de-facto director, she said in an interview. Though her 'interim' title persists, Johnson takes pride in tangible progress — including a new strategic plan for the program. 'In a lot of cases, interim leaders are really seen as placeholders just kind of maintaining the status quo,' she said. 'That has never been anything I've been comfortable with.' Other interim leaders are also pushing forward. Johnson pointed to the Levin College of Law, where bar passage rates rose by more than 10 percentage points last year under Merritt McAlister, who's served as interim dean since June 2023. Still, UF's stop-start approach to leadership takes its toll. Johnson was a finalist for the permanent honors director position in 2023, but Sasse quietly canceled the search. Two years later, it hasn't resumed. 'There's definitely a sense of uncertainty after several years of high level leadership changes and competing priorities,' Johnson said. 'But there's also this sense of restlessness as we wait for more permanent leadership. We need that overarching vision to set UF in forward motion again. It's exciting to think about getting that spark back across campus.'
DW
27-06-2025
- Business
- DW
Has Israel-Iran conflict changed the Middle East? – DW – 06/27/2025
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding. Other countries in the region maintain ambiguous attitudes towards the 12-day war and would prefer stability to regime change, or even picking sides. It seems that the most dangerous phase of the current Israeli-Iranian conflict has passed. The ceasefire agreed to on Monday, under US President Donald Trump, has so far remained stable despite some ruptures. With this, Middle Eastern states are utilizing the pause to consider the conflict and its consequences. It seems that many of the countries in the region had one objective in common with regard to the fighting between Israel and Iran: Maintaining ambiguity. For example, Jordan expressed its condemnation of Israeli attacks on Iran along with 20 other Arab and Muslim-majority countries in a public statement. But at the same time, its air force prevented Iranian rockets and drones from flying over Jordanian airspace towards Israel. The Jordanians say they did this to protect their own citizens. Saudi Arabia also signed this statement, but is thought to have allowed Israeli planes into its airspace to shoot down Iranian projectiles. Stefan Lukas, founder of the Germany-based consultancy, Middle East Minds, previously told DW he believes that the Saudis also shot down Iranian missiles themselves, over their country, although there have been no verified reports about this. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Both Jordan and Saudi Arabia have a complex relationship with Israel, involving public criticism but behind-the-scenes cooperation. Both also rely on military cooperation with the US for their defense and Jordan also receives financial aid from the US, to the tune of $1.45 billion (€1.25 billion) in annual bilateral foreign assistance. This makes Jordan one of the countries receiving the most in US foreign aid in the world. Ukraine, Israel and Ethiopia are other major recipients of US aid money. At the same time, though, both countries are interested in maintaining stability in their own region — and that means maintaining a balanced relationship with Iran. That balancing act will continue to shape regional foreign policy, especially in the Gulf states, says Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, an associate professor of Islam at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Gulf states have seen how Iran has lost its potential to threaten them as much, Fuchs told DW, as they've seen how Iranian proxies — including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq — have been weakened. The Syrian state under dictator Bashar Assad, which formerly supported Iran, is under new leadership and also no longer an Iranian ally. "Against this background, naturally it seems sensible from the Gulf states' perspective to make an approach to this weakened — but still very important actor — in the region," Fuchs argues. "They have no interest in the regime there being weakened, let alone its overthrow and the chaos that would result. Jordan takes a similar position to that," he explained. In fact, some of Iran's neighbors seem more interested in preventing the fall of the current Iranian regime. "The question remains: Who would rule the Islamic Republic of Iran next?" Marcus Schneider, who's based in Lebanon and heads the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's regional project for peace and security in the Middle East, wrote for Berlin-based political magazine, International Politics and Society. "In the country, there isn't really any organized opposition, for understandable reasons — neither political nor armed [opposition]. In exile, there are two groups who are ready — the monarchists and the People's Mujahedin of Iran." But for both groups, their effectiveness and potential popularity with the Iranian public would be questionable, Schneider said. Egypt's position is just as ambiguous. Egypt's government welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel and announced it would continue to make diplomatic efforts with the goal of finding a long-term, lasting solution to regional crises. Egypt must also find a careful balance, Fuchs explains, because it too is so dependent on US military aid. This balancing act came out into the open again due to recent events. Cairo has regularly rejected any plans that mean accepting expelled Palestinains. "On the other hand, the Egyptian government has also done everything possible not to anger the Israelis and the US," Fuchs noted. "For example, by thoroughly halting the Gaza solidarity march that came from Tunisia on June 14, including attacking international activists, and not allowing them anywhere near Sinai." Egypt's Sinai region borders Gaza, and on June 10, a land convoy of around 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists and more than 100 vehicles crossed into Libya from Tunisia on their way to Gaza. Other marchers in Egypt, who planned to join the procession, were attacked by Egyptian security forces on June 14 near a checkpoint in the north-eastern city of Ismailia. Many were then deported. Egypt obviously wants to avoid any complications in its relationship with the US. The two nations have agreed to cooperate on fighting terrorism and to securing Egypt's borders against unrest in Libya, Sudan or the Gaza Strip. Egypt also gets a huge amount of military aid and receives around $1.3 billion annually from the US. That seems unlikely to change as the US, under President Donald Trump, has yet to comment on Egypt's disastrous human rights situation under autocratic leader, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. All the countries in Iran's neighborhood are aware of the importance of maintaining a balance between their partners. "A weakened Iran could be contained and tamed," Schneider wrote. "On the other hand, a country that's cornered, severely battered and fighting for survival is unpredictable." Fuchs adds that another thing has also become clear: The current US administration's course is irritating large parts of the Middle East. "President Trump, with his foreign policy and the use of social media, is throwing all certainties out the window," Fuchs argued. "I really doubt the US will focus attention on the Middle East in coming years. Israel and Iran are exceptions. There's very little interest in further interventions and the US' focus will inevitably shift to east Asia."
