Latest news with #opportunity
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Your daily horoscope: June 3, 2025
As an air sign you are good at adapting to new situations and that will be a factor in your favour over the coming year. Others may be worried by the frenzied pace of change but for you it will be exciting and full of opportunity. It may be true that you have all the facts on your side but that won't stop friends and colleagues saying and doing stupid things. Some people cling so tightly to their illusions that day becomes night even though the sun is still shining. You may think that other people should be taking on more of the workload but just telling them to do it won't change a thing. You need to find a way to make it financially painful for them if they carry on avoiding their responsibilities. If you get too involved in your daily routine you could miss out on a creative opportunity of some kind. Do what has to be done and do it well but keep one eye open and don't be afraid to drop everything if a better offer comes along. As one of the zodiac's more sensitive signs you are usually good at spotting when a family member is feeling low. If that is the feeling you sense today you must do what you can to raise their spirits. Start by reminding them how much you love them. Your leadership skills will be much in demand over the next 24 hours, so much so that you may have to ration yourself! Help those who clearly need it the most and tell those you can't help today to ask you again tomorrow. The fact that you gained from someone else's misfortune is no big deal so long as you did not engineer that misfortune for them. Life gives and life takes and over time we all get what we need and deserve the most. Tell them that. Your confidence is such that you honestly believe you can do almost anything, but take notice of the word 'almost' because one or two objectives may still be beyond you. Later in the week though they will come within reach as well. You may be concerned that you are not making the most of your chances but don't worry about it too much because there will be other opportunities to shine. Come the end of the week you will be spoilt for choice. If you owe someone a favour you must pay it back quickly. Even if they say they don't expect anything in return you can be sure they will want something from you in the future. It may cost less if you repay the favour now. You may be pretty straightforward in your dealings but some of the people you are going to have to deal with between now and the end of the week will be sneaky in the extreme. Keep your wits about you and don't let anyone make decisions for you. If you want to make your life both simpler and happier then a major clear-out of your possessions is a must. Find a new home for anything that no longer serves a clear purpose for you but which could be of benefit to other people. If someone you work or do business with keeps making life difficult for you then get ruthless and tell them your partnership is at an end. You don't need them today, you won't need them tomorrow and you probably didn't need them yesterday either. Discover more about yourself at
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
DPM Zahid sees silver lining in US visa issues, calls for stronger UK-Malaysia education ties
LONDON, June 3 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that policy and systemic changes in the United States (US), including in the education sector, should be viewed as opportunities to explore the advantages of education in other countries. Ahmad Zahid, who is also Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said this includes exploring new opportunities in the United Kingdom (UK), which has long established educational cooperation with Malaysia. 'We know that Mara (Majlis Amanah Rakyat) has decided to stop sending its sponsored students to the US. My approach is this: when there is a threat, there is always an opportunity. We have to look at the other side of the coin. 'In situations like this, I believe the UK education system, which we are familiar with, can be put to good use,' he said. Ahmad Zahid, who is also National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Committee chairman, said this during a press conference after chairing a meeting with the Malaysian delegation in conjunction with his four-day working visit to the UK starting yesterday. On Sunday, Mara chairman Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki announced that Mara will stop sending its sponsored students to the US starting this year, following the introduction of new policies and directives under President Donald Trump. Previously, the Trump administration issued an order to halt the processing of all foreign student visas and was reportedly considering screening new applicants based on their social media posts. Ahmad Zahid also said he would use his working visit to broaden cooperation in the field of TVET, particularly in exploring new areas such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics and green energy in collaboration with UK universities. 'There are many new technology sectors, especially in green energy, that have already been implemented here and from which we can learn. We hope programmes like 'training the trainers' (ToT), for example, will bear fruit once they have undergone courses here,' he said. Among the key items on Ahmad Zahid's itinerary in the UK are meetings with representatives of leading institutions such as University College London, delivering a public lecture on Malaysia's TVET direction and engaging with Mara-sponsored students. — Bernama
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
Your daily horoscope: May 31, 2025
The year ahead could be good and it could even be great but it certainly won't be boring. Take events as they come and strive to see the opportunities in each and every situation. Above all, believe you deserve the very best that life has to offer. Make it your business this weekend to clear the air of any bad feelings at home and at work – then everyone can start as friends again come Monday morning. Forget what other people said about you and invite them to forget what you said about them! Not everyone can be as rational in their thinking as you, so make allowances over the next 48 hours for some of the stupid statements that friends and family members come out with. Treat them like you would treat a child, with amused indulgence. The fact that your heart is not really in what others expect of you is of no importance. The only thing that matters is that you go out of your way to make them happy – because if they are happy they won't make life difficult for you. The fact that you helped out a friend in a crisis does not mean they will help you out in a similar way. If they say they are not in a position to assist you don't argue about it. The planets indicate that could work in your favour. If some of the people you love get excitable this weekend make it your business to calm them down by explaining that whatever it is that got them upset it means nothing in the greater scheme of things. Help them take a more philosophical attitude to life. A task you thought was going to be simple could turn out to be one of the hardest things you have ever done. That will make it all the more satisfying when you make a resounding success of it, which of course you will. If you find yourself in the spotlight this weekend don't try to escape it – instead, put on a show and make sure everyone knows what a hugely talented Libra you are. It's not always enjoyable being in the public eye but it could be if you embrace it. Someone who can use their influence to help your career will move into your life over the next 48 hours and you must not let them move out again without taking advantage of what they can offer. Don't hide your ambition, flaunt it instead! There is no point reacting to criticism if it comes from people you don't respect. Whatever it is they say about you this weekend just treat it as a joke and let them know you won't be changing your ways, not for them and not for anyone. The more other people try to wind you up this weekend the more you must call on your powers of self-control. The only reason they are trying to upset you is because they know you will outshine them. Stay calm and refuse to take the bait. If you are beginning to have doubts about what you are doing then it might be a smart move to make a tactical, if temporary, retreat so you can think it through from a safer position. A sight adjustment to your plans is probably all that's needed. Make an effort to see a dispute of some kind from the point of view of the people who oppose you. It can be all too easy to label others 'the enemy' just because you have contrasting ideas. Difference is what makes the world go around. Discover more about yourself at
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Musk Is Leaving Washington Pretty Much as He Found It
This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, the Goldilocks choice of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. Last night, Elon Musk thanked President Donald Trump 'for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.' The key word to note here is 'opportunity.' He had a chance to do something big! But he … did nothing with it, other than turn the White House into a car dealership for a day and ruin thousands of livelihoods for no apparent reason.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Oldham's relationship with Manchester makes things more complex'
He's one of the country's most influential voices urging our political leaders to do more on social mobility: the all-important issue of ensuring everyone has a chance to succeed in life regardless of their background. And Alun Francis, the current chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC), can trace back his passion for the subject to his time as Principal of Oldham College, where he realised the debate was leaving out many of the young people studying there. As a typical further education college, the majority of students will come with lower school grades and are unlikely to end up at Oxbridge but can still be trained and prepared for important, interesting occupations which will improve their lives. READ MORE: Liverpool FC parade crash press conference: All the key points READ MORE: Liverpool parade incident LIVE as 27 - including four children - in hospital after car drives into crowd Mr Francis, who grew up in north Wales, tells The Northern Agenda podcast about his work to help these young people in Oldham and his new role as Principal and Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College. Listen to the full episode here: "I felt too much of the debate about social mobility had become a bit narrow," he says. "It was very much focused on what we've recently called the lucky few. "Those are the academically very able, but poorer members of the community. I'm not saying they don't need some help, I'm not criticising that, but I think that can be a very narrow way of doing social mobility. "Particularly if you start to think of it in terms of the shape of our economy, because it does tend to then lead to 'well let's find people with the talent to go to elite universities and then to professional jobs'. "Those elite universities often means leaving home, leaving the place you grew up in and for professional jobs the epicentre has been London and the South East. "And if you follow that route then it becomes 'well we've strengthened London, we know London's economy is very strong you can see the pipeline of talent going into those areas, that's absolutely fine'. "Except that the reality is we look out the window and we can see huge regional disparities. We can see significant differences in terms of economic opportunity." He advocated this new way of looking at the problem when applying for a role at the SMC, the body that promotes social mobility in England and assesses whether progress is being made on the commission. This year is the 15th anniversary of the Child Poverty Act, the legislation that brought the commission into being. And there remain huge disparities in the life opportunities young people enjoy depending on where they're born. A recent report by the Sutton Trust charity revealed the top 20 constituencies for opportunity are all in London, with the North East and North West in England over-represented among the lowest ranked areas. Mr Francis says education isn't a magic bullet to bridge the gap and that the state of the economy - and a lack of higher-paid professional jobs in some parts of the country - is at the heart of the issue. "We've also got some issues around opportunity for those at the bottom end," he says. "An inability to move out of what might be described as an opportunity bottleneck. "That's where there's a mixture of low paid, low qualification work, welfare, family breakdown, a range of interconnected problems which actually mean that instead of having a trampoline those who grow up in those areas end up having a bit of a swamp which holds them back rather than projects them forward." Mr Francis joined Blackpool and The Fylde College in 2023 after 13 years at Oldham College, and says the Greater Manchester borough and the Lancashire coast have a number of similar challenges. And he says in one respect, Blackpool has more economic opportunities than Oldham because of the resort's strong tourism economy and recent successful regeneration work. The Blackpool Multiversity scheme will see some of the country's worst housing stock knocked down and replaced with a centre for learning that offers a variety of ways to acquire higher level skills, rather than just one route to university. Oldham's relationship to the booming city of Manchester "makes things more complex", he says, though praises the Atom Valley development zone to the north of the city bringing world-class research, manufacturing and materials together. Mr Francis says: "Manchester has boomed incredibly quickly but the vast majority of the jobs have tended to be south side of the city region. For a long time, people thought it was just about transport, but the Metrolink gives people access into the city centre. "It doesn't allow you to get across Greater Manchester that easily. If you're looking for a job in the airport, but live in the north side of Greater Manchester, that's quite difficult. However, the Metrolink hasn't proved to be the solution." So what are the solutions to improving social mobility? Mr Francis tells me an approach that adapts to the varying needs of different places is the way forward. But what hasn't helped is the constant churn of policies and decision-makers, with more than 20 Ministers for skills coming and going over the course of the last three or four Westminster administrations. And he says governments need to stop doing things that are very expensive but not necessarily effective. Perhaps surprisingly he cites New Labour's flagship policy of Sure Start centres as an example of this. The centres did "definitely achieve some good outcomes", he says, but only improved education achievement by one GCSE grade for people living nearby. "When you consider how much it cost, there may be other ways of achieving that improvement in grades which would be more effective." He adds: "We need to come up with better solutions that are more affordable, but also start to have a better track record in terms of effectiveness. "And that's why we've moved down the direction of the place-based approaches, because quite honestly, there's not a great toolkit of things that we can say 'do these things and everything will be fine'."
