All posts tagged: funding

Black Mirror director says she turned down HBO’s Harry Potter series: ‘Say no to funding transphobia’

Black Mirror director says she turned down HBO’s Harry Potter series: ‘Say no to funding transphobia’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Black Mirror director Ally Pankiw has revealed there’s one show she won’t be working on any time soon – HBO Max’s controversial Harry Potter series. Pankiw, who directed a 2023 installment of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian hit, shared a post on Instagram that appeared to show a text conversation she had with her agent in which she categorically distanced herself from the show, declaring: “It is simply this easy to say no to funding transphobia.” Rowling declined to comment. The director was alluding to the outspoken views of author JK Rowling, who is serving as an executive producer on HBO Max’s high-profile project. In recent years, Rowling has come under fire for various comments about gender ideology, with many, including stars of the Harry Potter films, accusing her of transphobia, which she denies. Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout are heading …

Northern Ireland school funding crisis strengthens case for ending religious segregation – Humanists UK

Northern Ireland school funding crisis strengthens case for ending religious segregation – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

Northern Ireland’s school funding crisis strengthens the case for ending religious segregation in education and moving towards a single, inclusive school system, Northern Ireland Humanists has said. According to new Education Authority figures, schools across Northern Ireland carried forward a combined deficit of more than £173 million at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. This is an increase of around £70 million over the year. The Department of Education has described the scale of school deficits as ‘stark’.  The cost of segregated schools The figures come amid renewed criticism of the cost of maintaining Northern Ireland’s divided education system. Responding to the figures, Chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Education Committee and Alliance MLA Nick Mathison said:  ‘Educating our children in a divided system continues to cost us millions of pounds each year.’ Northern Ireland Humanists has long argued that maintaining separate schools along religious lines is both socially damaging and an inefficient use of public money. It campaigns for an inclusive education system in which children of all religions and beliefs are educated …

AI firm Databricks valued at 0 billion as it bags billion in funding

AI firm Databricks valued at $190 billion as it bags $5 billion in funding

Published by Sam Flores

Aug 13 : Databricks said on Thursday it had raised $5 billion at a $190 billion valuation, as the data and artificial intelligence software company looks to expand investments in products that help businesses build and manage AI applications. The funding comes six months after Databricks was valued at about $134 billion in a previous round, as investor demand for companies tied to the AI boom remains strong. The latest round was led by existing investors Coatue, Blackstone, MGX and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price, along with new investor Sixth Street Growth. Databricks also said it had surpassed a $7 billion annualized revenue run-rate and posted more than 80 per cent year-over-year revenue growth in the second quarter. The company said it remained cash-flow positive on an adjusted basis over the last 12 months. Founded in 2013, Databricks provides software that helps companies store, manage and analyze data, as well as develop AI applications. The company competes with Snowflake and is widely viewed as a candidate for a future stock market listing. The San …

Advocates worry as government limits drug test strip funding : NPR

Advocates worry as government limits drug test strip funding : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A drug user uses a test strip on Aug. 22, 2018, in New York, to see if fentanyl has been added to heroin, which could increase the risk of overdose. Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo hide caption toggle caption Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo Last year, Baltimore had three mass overdose incidents in the span of three months in its Penn North neighborhood. In one incident, more than two dozen people were hospitalized after many were found unresponsive, lying in the streets or on sidewalks. No one died, but some came close. Follow-up testing found that the street drugs contained high levels of N-methylclonazepam, a benzodiazepine that operates similarly to Xanax or Valium. Like opioids, benzodiazepines suppress breathing. When they’re combined, the risk of overdose goes up. And benzodiazepines don’t respond to opioid overdose reversal drugs. Afterward, the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition created test strips specifically for benzodiazepines. The group distributed them — along with test strips that identify other harmful adulterants, such as fentanyl, xylazine, and medetomidine — at clinics and neighborhood events. The strips, available at no …

U.S. Senate passes short-term funding bill to avert federal shutdown

U.S. Senate passes short-term funding bill to avert federal shutdown

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 22, 2026. Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Republican-led U.S. Senate passed a temporary measure to fund federal agencies through December 11 on Saturday, in a move intended to avert a crippling federal government shutdown weeks before the November midterm elections. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed its own short-term funding measure last month. The two chambers will have to resolve their differences before President Donald Trump can sign it into law before current funding expires on September 30 — less than five weeks before the November 3 congressional elections. Democrats said the Senate version, in contrast to the House version, would prevent the Trump administration from reallocating funding to border security from other programs. It also includes language to allow funding adjustments for housing and food assistance programs. The Senate measure would also temporarily block the White House budget office from implementing a new rule giving political appointees control over hundreds of billions of dollars in grant money. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google …

8 Chinese nuclear reactors awarded bn government funding

8 Chinese nuclear reactors awarded $25bn government funding

Published by skeptic

China has approved the construction of eight new nuclear generating units across four major projects, reinforcing its position as the world’s largest market for nuclear power expansion. The decision was approved by the State Council during a meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang, with the new Chinese nuclear reactors set to be built in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Liaoning, and Shandong provinces. The latest investment is expected to exceed 170 billion yuan (approximately $25.2bn), continuing China’s rapid programme of nuclear development. The approval follows the country’s decision to authorise 10 new nuclear units in 2025, demonstrating a sustained commitment to expanding low-carbon electricity generation. The newly approved projects will feature six Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors and two Guohe One (CAP1400) reactors. Alongside a growing fleet already under construction, the expansion further strengthens China’s long-term strategy to improve energy security, reduce carbon emissions and support rising electricity demand from industry and emerging technologies. Eight new Chinese nuclear reactors approved The State Council has approved four nuclear power projects, each comprising two reactors. The approved developments include: Two Hualong …

Germany announces funding for three national fusion hubs

Germany announces funding for three national fusion hubs

Published by skeptic

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space(BMFTR) will begin funding the national fusion hubs next month, as part of the Fusion 2040 programme and the High-Tech Agenda. In the first round of funding, BMFTR will give each of the three hubs around €125 million ($142 million) in funding, supplemented by private investment, international collaborations or federal state activity. The research and development programmes will be further expanded in six phases up to 2029, with the first projects due to commence early next year. The three selected hubs will focus on distinct technological areas: VEGA Dedicated to laser fusion and coordinated by Marvel Fusion and Focused Energy, this hub will be based at RWE’s former Biblis nuclear power plant in Hesse and aims to consolidate German expertise in photonics, optics, laser technology, and the development and manufacturing of targets. Targets are small spheres or cylinders containing the fusion fuel. These technologies will be used to develop application-oriented fusion technologies. STRIDE This hub will focus on magnetic fusion, with a specific focus on stellarator technology. Coordinated …

Western allies warn North Korean IT workers funding nuclear arsenal | Cybercrime News

Western allies warn North Korean IT workers funding nuclear arsenal | Cybercrime News

Published by Sam Flores

Pyongyang accused of using hard currency earned by AI-assisted workers to power armaments programme. Published On 31 Jul 202631 Jul 2026 A coalition of Western allies has warned against employing IT workers from North Korea, asserting that they are funding the country’s nuclear arsenal. In a joint statement issued on Friday, 19 government agencies across nine countries cautioned that Pyongyang is relying on IT operatives deployed in North Korea and globally to obtain work under stolen identities to generate illicit revenue, which is then used to fund the country’s prohibited nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The statement, which was signed by the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom among others, added that artificial intelligence is being implemented to expand Pyongyang’s network of fraudulent remote IT workers. It also warned that these workers represent an espionage threat and a source of cybercrime. North Korea has long insisted on its right to nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, despite them being forbidden under UN Security …

EU launches €10bn drive to build AI Gigafactories across Europe

EU launches €10bn drive to build AI Gigafactories across Europe

Published by skeptic

The European Commission has opened a call for tenders to establish up to seven AI Gigafactories across Europe, marking a significant step in its ambition to strengthen the region’s AI capabilities and technological independence. The initiative, delivered through the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), is backed by up to €10bn in combined EU and national funding and is expected to attract at least €20bn in private investment. The new facilities will provide the large-scale computing infrastructure needed to develop next-generation AI models while supporting businesses, researchers and public organisations across Europe. Designed to complement Europe’s existing network of 19 AI Factories, the AI Gigafactories will dramatically expand access to advanced AI computing resources, helping Europe develop cutting-edge AI systems using infrastructure built and operated within the region under EU standards for security, ethics and data protection. Commenting on the landmark investment, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “The opening of the AI Gigafactories call represents a milestone in our AI Continent ambitions. “Access to the raw scale …

The Future of the UK’s Renowned Lovell Radio Telescope Is in Question After a Funding Cut

The Future of the UK’s Renowned Lovell Radio Telescope Is in Question After a Funding Cut

Published by Sam Flores

LONDON (AP) — Scientists have reacted with alarm to news that the British government will cut funding to the world-famous radio telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwest England that has been helping explore the cosmos for almost 70 years. Government funding body U.K. Research and Innovation announced Monday that it will no longer fund the Lovell telescope, whose 250-foot-wide (76-meter-wide) parabolic reflecting bowl is a local landmark. It’s part of a network of seven radio telescopes across the country known as e-Merlin connected to the Jodrell Bank astrophysics center south of Manchester. UKRI said the telescope array will not receive public funding after March 2028, following “a rigorous prioritization process to focus investment on the areas that will deliver the greatest long-term scientific capability, impact and value for the U.K.” University of Manchester particle physicist Brian Cox called the cuts “devastating and irreversible.” Paul Howarth, president of the Institute of Physics, said recent cuts to physics funding, including at Jodrell Bank, were “a terrible blow to the scientific …