All posts tagged: readiness

World Cup gives Los Angeles a chance to showcase Olympic readiness

World Cup gives Los Angeles a chance to showcase Olympic readiness

Published by Sam Flores

No matter how many times someone has been to Los Angeles, Schloessman said, she hopes that the fan zones will “drive people to places that they wouldn’t have ordinarily gone to because they haven’t heard about it.” Los Angeles has had something of a sports hosting marathon in recent years, with the Super Bowl, golf’s U.S. Open and the college football national championship all taking place there between 2022 and 2023. It’s all been building toward hosting two of the biggest sporting events in the world. “We said, ‘OK, we’ve got this run of events, and it’s all leading to the road to ’28,’” Schloessman said. “So how do we make sure that we are building on it each time and we’re not starting over? And so we said, ‘Let’s use the same team of experts across each of these events so they learn something new each time.’ We’re building a better experience each time, and we’re using what we learned the last time.” Public transit is one area where the World Cup will be …

Middle East live: US military at ‘peak readiness’, CENTCOM says, as Pakistan mediates Iran talks

Middle East live: US military at ‘peak readiness’, CENTCOM says, as Pakistan mediates Iran talks

Published by Sam Flores

22/05/2026 – 11:00 UAE-Israel ties under scrutiny as Iran war deepens Gulf divides Relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran have been severely strained since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran. The UAE, which signed the Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020, has come under repeated Iranian attacks since February. Israeli media reports last week of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s secret wartime visit to the UAE has put the focus on ties between the two countries. Andreas Krieg from King’s College London notes that the Israeli leak could have been aimed at potentially driving a wedge between the UAE and other Gulf states. He describes Israel as “the arsonist who then appeared as a firefighter” while the UAE and other Gulf states are “prisoners of geography”.  22/05/2026 – 10:36 Saudis warn against political chants, flags as Iran war casts shadow over Hajj pilgrimage More than a million Muslims are gathering in Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage overshadowed by the Middle East war, as animosity smoulders across the region despite a fragile …

Data readiness for agentic AI in financial services

Data readiness for agentic AI in financial services

Published by skeptic

For a financial services firm, managing this can be very challenging. A Forrester study found that 57% of financial organizations are still developing the necessary internal capabilities to fully leverage agentic AI. “The data exists in many different formats, created over the course of a bank’s history,” says Mayzak. “Take any bank that’s been around for 50 years: They might have 60 different types of PDFs for the exact same thing. And at the same time, we want the output of these systems to be 100% accurate. In many cases, there is no ‘good enough’.” That is, companies need to do it right, and the first time. Searching and securing results  An effective search platform is key to solving the problem of fragmented, poorly indexed, inaccessible data. Financial services companies that can readily sift through both their structured and unstructured data, keep it secure, and apply it in the right context will get the most value from agentic AI. This often requires designing AI systems with data access and utility in mind so they can …

Philippines, US and allies start military exercises testing ‘real‑world’ readiness

Philippines, US and allies start military exercises testing ‘real‑world’ readiness

Published by Sam Flores

Philippine and US forces will carry out maritime strike drills on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan during annual exercises that started on Monday, which Manila’s military chief said would ​test their readiness under “real-world ‌conditions”. The April 20 to May 8 exercises known as “Balikatan”, or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will be ⁠the largest yet in terms of participating countries, with Australia included again and Canada, France, New Zealand and Japan joining as active participants for the first ‌time. Source link

Orbán signals readiness to approve €90B EU loan to Ukraine once Druzhba oil is flowing – POLITICO

Orbán signals readiness to approve €90B EU loan to Ukraine once Druzhba oil is flowing – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Once oil deliveries are restored, we will no longer stand in the way of approving the loan,” Orbán wrote on X Sunday afternoon. Approving the financial lifeline to Kyiv could be among his last actions as Hungarian prime minister — a surprising turnaround for a leader who has weaponized anti-Ukraine sentiment for years. Orbán is set to step down in mid-May after losing last Sunday’s election to opposition leader Péter Magyar. The Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia has been at the center of a diplomatic quagmire between the EU and Hungary. In February, Orbán vetoed the EU’s €90 billion loan after Ukraine seemed to refuse to repair the infrastructure that was damaged by Russian strikes. But in a sudden turnaround,  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to repair the Druzhba infrastructure by the end of April shortly after Magyar won the election last weekend. There are high hopes in Kyiv that Hungary’s incoming leader will mend ties with Ukraine after years of bad blood under Orbán. “Through Brussels, we have received an indication …

South Korea ramps up security for BTS Seoul show as President Lee stresses safety readiness

South Korea ramps up security for BTS Seoul show as President Lee stresses safety readiness

Published by Sam Flores

RESTRICTED ROOFTOP ACCESS Precautions are also being taken to prevent accidents from fans attempting to watch the concert from nearby buildings. Authorities are coordinating with building managers to restrict access to rooftops and upper floors at 25 buildings around the square. This aims to prevent situations such as overcrowding on rooftops, falls or objects being thrown into the crowd. Six buildings closest to the square have also been asked to close their front entrances on the day of the concert to prevent spectators from bypassing the official access gates. City officials have been inspecting the buildings and putting tailored safety arrangements in place with each property. TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS AND CROWD CONTROL Major roads around the square, including sections of Sejong-daero and nearby streets, will be closed during the duration of the concert. Officials said trains may be instructed to pass through nearby subway stations if crowd levels become too high.  After the concert, authorities will guide spectators out in gradual stages to prevent overcrowding. Police are also preparing for the possibility that fans will gather …

Shifting from ambition to readiness – POLITICO

Shifting from ambition to readiness – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

First, data sharing. Solving complex public sector challenges with AI depends on information flowing safely across organizational boundaries. In practice, this means making it easier for departments and agencies to reuse data that already exists. While most public sector organizations have initiatives underway, only 35 percent have rolled out or fully deployed data-sharing methods. Second, data control and sovereignty. Concerns about compliance and control are a daily reality for public sector leaders, and they are slowing AI adoption. More than half of public sector organizations are concerned about AI sovereignty, which is becoming central to safeguarding digital resilience. Compliance with data-localization laws and control over sensitive information become more complex when AI services are hosted in foreign jurisdictions. A 2024 European Commission report found that 80 percent of Europe’s digital technologies and infrastructure are imported. Third, a data-driven culture. This is a critical pillar of AI readiness. Setting clear targets, aligning strategy with operational reality, and encouraging collaboration and shared behaviors across teams helps embed data use into everyday work rather than treating it as …

How to plan Ramadan meals: minimal work, maximum readiness | Food

How to plan Ramadan meals: minimal work, maximum readiness | Food

Published by Sam Flores

Ramadan arrives this year in February, in the heart of winter. Short days, cold evenings and the pressure of everyday work mean that preparation is no longer about producing abundance, but about reducing effort while maintaining care. For many households balancing jobs, children and long commutes, the question is not what to cook, but how to make the month manageable. The most effective approach to Ramadan cooking is not variety but repetition. A small set of meals that are easy to digest, quick to prepare and gentle on the body can carry a household through 30 days of fasting with far less stress than daily reinvention. The aim is to do the thinking once, not every day. At the centre of this approach sits one essential dish: soup. Across cultures, soup is the quiet constant of Ramadan. In winter, it becomes indispensable. Warm, hydrating and calming, it allows the body to transition gently into eating after a long fast. A split red lentil soup is particularly suited to February fasting. It is affordable, quick to …

EU accelerates quantum readiness with €50m photonic chips pilot

EU accelerates quantum readiness with €50m photonic chips pilot

Published by skeptic

Photonic chips are rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s most strategic technologies in the global race toward practical quantum systems. From 2026, a major new European pilot project – Photonics for Quantum (P4Q) – will unite expertise from across the continent to turn fragile laboratory breakthroughs into robust, manufacturable quantum-ready components. Spanning 12 European countries and backed by significant public investment, P4Q is designed to tackle one of the biggest bottlenecks in quantum innovation: reliably producing photonic chips that perform consistently at scale. From lab experiments to industrial-grade photonic chips Quantum technologies depend heavily on light. Photons are used to transmit information, enable ultra-precise measurements, and form the backbone of quantum communication networks. Yet many photonic chips still struggle to move beyond experimental environments. P4Q addresses this challenge head-on by focusing on repeatability, standardisation, and manufacturability. Rather than proving that a quantum photonic device can work once, the project aims to ensure it works every time – under real-world conditions and at industrial volumes. This shift marks a critical transition from academic research to deployable …

Europe signals readiness to hit back after Trump’s tariff threat

Europe signals readiness to hit back after Trump’s tariff threat

Published by Sam Flores

French President Emmanuel Macron, his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Elysée Palace in Paris, January 6, 2026. KAMIL ZIHNIOGLU FOR LE MONDE After Donald Trump threatened on Saturday, January 17, to raise tariffs against Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland if Greenland was not “entirely sold” to the US, the Europeans responded without delay. They were determined not to repeat the image of a paralyzed European Union they had shown in 2025, when Trump repeatedly targeted them. While the 27 member states have not yet agreed on confronting Washington, there has been an undeniable shift in attitude. Germany led the way, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz appearing much less hesitant than his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, and more aligned with the position of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, was to gather the heads of state and government in Brussels on Thursday, January 22, for an extraordinary summit. By then, the Europeans would have had the opportunity …