Latest news with #VSS
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Yugvani catalogue serves as a guide for literary research
Nagpur: 'Yugvani Sahitya Suchi', a meticulously compiled catalogue documenting the literary content published in Yugvani—the official publication of the Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (VSS)—from 1995 to 2020, was released on Tuesday at Granth Sahwas, the cultural complex of the VSS. Renowned literary critic and former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Dr Akshaykumar Kale, unveiled the catalogue. He emphasised the importance of bibliographic indexes in the evolution and refinement of literature. "While preparing indexes on specific subjects, unnecessary or irrelevant portions get filtered out, leading to a purification of literary content. For scholars, a good index acts as a torchbearer—shedding light on the path of exploration," he said. The event was presided over by VSS president Pradeep Date and was attended by Yugvani editor Prafulla Shiledar and Dr Swapnil Deshmukh, editor of the newly released catalogue. "An index is the key to the literary chamber one wishes to enter. It guides researchers with detailed references, including genre classification and page numbers. Creating an index requires technical expertise, familiarity with the content, and the ability to synthesise information meaningfully," Dr Kale added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Descubra ofertas de voos imperdíveis Voos | Anúncios de Pesquisa Saiba Mais Undo In his introductory remarks, Shiledar noted that Yugvani is one of the longest-running literary journals in Marathi, making this compilation especially valuable for students and researchers. Pradeep Date said such indexes allow researchers to reconnect with past literary references and expressed hope that more subject-specific catalogues would be undertaken in the future. Vrushali Deshpande conducted the proceedings and proposed the vote of thanks. Several notable literary figures were present, including VSS general secretary Vilas Manekar, vice president Rajendra Dolke, library head Vivek Aloni, Dr Tirtharaj Kapgate, poet Shyam Dhond, Sunil Shinkhede, Rajshree Banhatti, Dr Monali Pophare, and Madhuri Wadibhasme.
Scotsman
5 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Vets save dog's life after his heart stopped following car crash
A dog owner has thanked vets for their lifesaving actions after his beloved pet was injured in a road accident and his heart stopped multiple times during surgery. Free weekly newsletter Join our weekly YourWorld newsletter for updates, behind-the-scenes insights from editor David Summers, and your chance to shape what's next. Free weekly newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Six-year-old cocker spaniel Dougal was on a walk when he slid off an icy pavement and was hit by a passing car. He was referred to Linnaeus-owned Veterinary Specialists Scotland (VSS) in Livingston, where the expert team discovered his front leg was fractured badly, involving the wrist. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dougal underwent surgery to fuse the wrist, called pancarpal arthrodesis (PCA), but while under anaesthetic his heart stopped several times and surgery was postponed. Dougal Anne French, specialist in veterinary cardiology at VSS, carried out an investigation which found bruising to Dougal's heart which was sustained when he was hit. Anne said: 'Dougal was hospitalised with us for several days to give time for any bruising of the heart to improve. A few days later, the PCA surgery was attempted and again under anaesthesia Dougal developed a slow heart rate and his heart kept stopping for prolonged periods. 'We had to use an external pacer to look after Dougal's heart while we completed surgery on his leg. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The leg recovered well, however, tests revealed Dougal's heart continued to stop for up to 10 seconds at a time. After discussions with his owner, the decision was made to implant a permanent pacemaker which has now helped resolve his heart problems. Dougal Owner James Springthorpe from Broxburn said: 'When we were told his heart had stopped and surgery had to be postponed, we were devastated. We knew, however, he was in good hands at VSS. 'The surgery to repair his leg was very complex and with the added concern over his heart it was an awful time for my wife and I. We thought we would lose him but Anne French and her team did an amazing job under very difficult circumstances.' Due to his active nature, Dougal was calmed with sedatives in the weeks after his pacemaker was implanted to ensure the lead did not become displaced. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad James added: 'Thank you to VSS, they are a wonderful, dedicated team who have got Dougal back to his old self. Nothing gets in his way now!' Dougal at VSS VSS is a specialist-led multidisciplinary referral hospital offering services in cardiology, dermatology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine (feline and canine), neurology, orthopaedics, and soft tissue surgery, supported by specialists in diagnostic imaging and anaesthesia and analgesia. For more information about VSS and the services it offers, visit or search for Veterinary Specialists Scotland on social media.
Glasgow Times
30-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
42 Glasgow new volunteers join Victim Support Scotland
A total of 42 new volunteers in Glasgow have applied to join Victim Support Scotland (VSS) following a recent recruitment appeal. The response was part of a wider campaign across the country, which saw hundreds express interest in volunteering to help individuals and families impacted by crime. Read more: Glasgow team complete Edinburgh Marathon for 'important' cause It comes as Volunteers' Week begins, running from June 2 to 8. James Whyte, head of volunteering at VSS, said: "We are thrilled to see this level of enthusiasm and interest in our volunteering opportunities across Scotland. "Our volunteers do such vital work for people affected by crime, and to see more people willing to contribute their time and skills to supporting victims and witnesses is amazing." VSS is an independent charity offering emotional and practical support to people affected by crime. Read more: Glasgow and Lanarkshire groups to perform for National Theatre's 30th anniversary Its volunteers provide trauma-informed assistance in courts, including Glasgow's High Court and Sheriff Court, as well as through in-person services and remote options like helplines and webchat. James said: "Thank you to everyone who has registered to volunteer. "And if anyone else is keen to get involved, we welcome more applications from people in Glasgow." "If you are compassionate, resilient and a great listener, and can commit to a minimum of four hours a week, please visit our website to apply."
IOL News
26-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Why civic groups are pulling out of the SANParks Visitor Safety Services agreement
Founding members withdraw from the Volunteer Safety Services (VSS) initiative with Table Mountain National Park and SANParks. Image: SANParks Founding members of the Visitor Safety Services (VSS) initiative have formally withdrawn from their Memorandum of Understanding with SANParks and Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). This decision comes amid what Friends of Table Mountain have reported as one of the worst years on record for contact crimes in Table Mountain National Park. The VSS framework, established after a proposal to senior SANParks executives in December 2023, aimed to mobilise civil society to support TMNP in addressing growing safety concerns in the park. According to a statement, the founding members, all volunteers from organisations such as Love Our Trails, Table Mountain Watch, Friends of Table Mountain, and Parkscape, contributed hundreds of hours over two years to help create a safer, more welcoming park. 'Despite all efforts and SANParks' public statements of support, the VSS team encountered ongoing resistance, poor communication, lack of urgency, and unfulfilled commitments from TMNP management. 'Repeated offers to co-create solutions – ranging from logistical and incident response support to joint patrols, safety communications, SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) frameworks, branded apparel, and volunteer recruitment – were largely ignored or indefinitely delayed,' the statement said. Although SANParks publicly backed the VSS programme, members said its actions failed to reflect a genuine partnership. VSS founding members highlighted several unmet commitments, including delayed safety hut rollouts, lack of formal operating procedures, exclusion from key safety planning discussions, and stalled delivery of approved volunteer gear. These challenges, they argue, reveal a broader pattern of limited communication, lack of urgency, and missed opportunities to improve visitor safety through collaboration. 'Given this reality, and after long deliberation and heartfelt effort, the original VSS founding members – excluding the SANParks Honorary Rangers, who operate under a separate mandate –have formally withdrawn from the MoU with TMNP and SANParks, and will now pursue independent Volunteer Safety Services initiatives,' the statement continued. Blake Dyason, of Love Our Trails and co-founder of the initiative, said the decision stemmed from TMNP's lack of prioritisation. 'We believed in this partnership and gave it everything we had. But when simple, approved commitments like shirts and huts can't be delivered for months, it's clear that deeper systemic changes are even further off.' 'Until TMNP treats visitor safety as an urgent priority with an inclusive strategy and real action on the ground, meaningful collaboration will remain out of reach.' Meanwhile, a report by Friends of Table Mountain revealed that women are 70% more likely to be targeted in criminal attacks on the mountain. The non-profit, which tracks violent crime through social media, police, and other reports, recorded 78 attacks in TMNP between January and mid-May this year, more than double the number of female victims compared to males. 'This is the highest number of violent crimes on TMNP ever recorded in the first five months of any previous year. If this trend continues, 2025 will break the record for the most violent crime on the mountain, with more than 200 attacks predicted by December. Previously 2023 held this dubious honour with 151 attacks in total,' the group said. JP Louw, SANParks head of communications and spokesperson, said SANParks has taken note of the regrettable decision by some members to leave the VSS initiative but does not agree with the reasons cited for their withdrawal. 'We also want to emphasise that the VSS project is continuing and, as was announced at the point of its introduction, it is not an exclusive but an inclusive effort. It will always remain open for any volunteers who wish to play a meaningful partnership role in Table Mountain National Park. 'Table Mountain National Park continues to relate successfully with other groups that participate in the VSS. We will also continue to engage all volunteers who are interested in constructive engagements about how best we can cooperate in the interest of what we all cherish, which is Table Mountain National Park.' According to Louw, SANParks has implemented several measures in recent months to address rising contact crime levels in TMNP, including: An increase the ranger corps and other support functions in TMNP by 49% (with a 43% increase in conservation staff), including increasing the SEAM Special Operations team from 16 to 40 rangers. Aerial deployment of the SANParks helicopter over peak visitor seasons to augment ground operations. Joint operations with SAPS, City Law Enforcement, Metro Police and community safety initiatives. Information sharing and joint deployment through the Table Mountain Safety Forum, held every second week. Targeted operations managed through the Operations Centre of SANParks and Fusion Centre of City of Cape Town. Cape Argus
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ESG Outlook: GOTS' Claudia Kersten on Catalyzing Systemic Change
ESG Outlook is Sourcing Journal's discussion series with industry executives to get their take on their company's latest environmental, social and governance initiatives and their own personal efforts toward sustainability. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the leading worldwide standard for the processing of organic fibers, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile value chain. As a Voluntary Sustainability Standard (VSS) setter, GOTS defines what sustainability should look like in practice and provides a framework others can follow. The company sets stringent, but achievable, environmental and social criteria that drive meaningful change. Here, Claudia Kersten, manager director of GOTS, discusses the organization's role to make sure that claims of sustainability are credible, consistent and grounded in third-party verification. More from Sourcing Journal ESG Outlook: Reistor's Mehma Singh on Democratizing Conscious Fashion Catherine Chiu of Crystal Int'l Group on Unlocking Potential for Female Employees ESG Outlook: Rachel Molina of Another Tomorrow on Farm-Level Data and Digital IDs Name: Claudia KerstenTitle: Managing DirectorCompany: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) What do you consider your company's best ESG-related achievement over the last 5 years? Strengthening the integrity and influence of sustainable textile production globally. As an organization that sets VSS, we help others achieve their ESG goals through a robust standard that covers environmental protection, human rights and responsible business practices along the entire value chain. We achieve this by continuously strengthening our resources and regularly revising our standard to stay aligned with evolving science and policy. This gives companies the assurance that they are always equipped to meet and exceed regulatory compliance, irrespective of how legal standards evolve. We're also proud of our partnership with the European Space Agency which, when it was launched, was the first project of its kind to use AI and satellite imagery to detect organic versus non-organic cotton fields. This enables us to enhance the integrity of organic cotton and prevent fraud across the value chain. What is your company's latest ESG-related initiative? We recently launched a new vision and mission, shaped by the evolving needs of the industry and the growing urgency for climate and social action. This transformation is about going beyond product-level certification to help catalyze systemic change. It's reflected in the development of our latest standard update, which includes enhanced criteria on environmental protection, labor rights and accountability. We're addressing issues like carbon intensity and worker agency more directly, ensuring our standard remains a strong driver of progress in a complex global landscape. What is the biggest misconception consumers have about sustainability in fashion? A common misconception is that sustainability is just about the product—what it's made of, whether it's organic or recycled. But sustainability isn't just about materials; it's about systems. That includes how fast we produce, how we treat workers, and whether we internalize the full environmental and social costs. We play a key role in helping shift the focus from surface-level fixes to systemic transformation. If products carried their true cost, including environmental degradation and labor exploitation, many of today's problems could be addressed more effectively. As consumers become more aware of worker conditions and how clothing is produced, how can the industry best spread the word on progress? The best way to communicate progress is through credible, third-party certification like ours. They provide evidence—not just marketing claims—that a product meets verified sustainability criteria. Brands should use them not only to prove their efforts but also to talk about them transparently. As standard setters, we also need to do our part by making sustainability achievements more visible and accessible to both brands and consumers. What do you consider to be the apparel industry's biggest missed opportunity related to securing meaningful change? The Covid-19 crisis presented a unique opportunity to rethink how fashion operates. In 2020 and 2021, we saw a surge in ESG pledges, but many of them weren't backed by concrete action. When value chains shut down, millions of garment workers were left without protection, severance, or income. Brands had the chance to rebuild around fairness, resilience and shared responsibility—but instead, many reverted to business-as-usual, prioritizing cost-cutting over long-term change. That moment could have been a turning point. Unfortunately, it wasn't. What was your company's biggest takeaway from the Covid crisis that is still relevant today? We were already a fully virtual organization before the pandemic, so operationally, we were well-prepared. The real test came in the audit process, where independent, on-site inspections are critical for credibility. During the pandemic, we had to innovate. Virtual audits became necessary, and while they were never a full substitute for physical visits, they demonstrated how adaptable and creative systems can be without sacrificing integrity. It taught us that flexibility and trust can go hand in hand, especially when supported by strong frameworks and oversight. On a personal level, what is your philosophy on shopping and caring for your clothes? I buy less but better. When I do shop, I look for GOTS-certified or other credible certifications, or I choose second-hand. I also repair my clothes and encourage swapping or sharing instead of constantly buying new. For me, it's about consuming more consciously, extending product life, minimizing waste and encouraging others to do the same. How much do you look into a brand's social or environmental practices before shopping? I always research a brand's practices before buying. As someone leading a sustainability standard, it's not just a job, it's a deeply held value. I've seen the best and worst of textile production, so I seek out brands with credible commitments and avoid those that fall short. In fact, I filter my product searches to prioritize sustainable options and don't even consider conventional ones. Anything new you are doing to boost sustainability beyond the fashion industry? In my personal life, it's nothing extravagant—just consistent. I try to reduce my CO₂ footprint, eat organic and regional food, and choose sustainable alternatives in everyday purchases, whether that's cleaning products or home goods. I also try to engage in discussions and education with people of all ages to raise awareness. Any final thoughts? ESG isn't a checklist. It's a mindset. It requires a shift in how we think, make decisions and define success—not only in business, but also in daily life. If we adopt this mindset collectively, we can drive the systemic changes that sustainability demands. 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
