A Guide to Advancing Your Accountancy Career
Learn about the various course levels offered by AAT try this site, the globally recognized skills-based accountancy and finance qualifications, and how to study online at your own pace.
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is the most prominent professional organization in the United Kingdom that provides internationally recognized qualifications in skills-based accounting and finance.
An AAT certification can assist you in achieving your objectives if you want to establish a career in accounting or finance. AAT certifications are a great option for people looking to start or advance their careers because they are widely recognized and respected by employers.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your existing skills, AAT has a wide range of qualifications to meet your needs.
The qualifications, which range from level 2 to level 4, provide individuals with an adaptable and accessible means of acquiring the knowledge and abilities necessary for success in their chosen field.
It is now even simpler to earn your AAT certification and acquire the skills you need to succeed in your career with the option to study entirely online. Studying online allows you to study at your own pace and on your own time, making it a great option for people who are juggling work or other commitments.
You can tailor your education to fit your life with AAT, which is the first step toward a successful accounting or finance career.
An Overview of the Courses Offered by AAT
AAT provides a number of accounting and bookkeeping courses at three distinct levels: Levels two, three, and four The courses you choose to take will entirely depend on your current level of accounting knowledge and expertise as well as your long-term career objectives.
AAT Level 2 is a foundational level that teaches you about accounting practices and fundamental knowledge like the principles of bookkeeping controls, how costing works, and the general business environment in which accounting fits.
For those seeking their first position in the industry but lacking prior experience in accounting or finance, this level is ideal. The AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting typically consists of four units, each of which is followed by four computer-based exams that are taken at an AAT exam center that has been approved.
On the other hand, the AAT Level 3 course is intended for individuals who have completed the Level 2 Certificate or who have substantial practical experience in accounting and a solid understanding of double-entry bookkeeping.
Management accounting techniques, financial statement preparation, business tax procedures, and general business awareness are all covered in this course.
There are four in-person and four computer-based assessments for Level 3 exams at an AAT exam center. The AAT Level 3 diploma in accounting is a great option for people who already work in the field and want to move up in their careers.
How can I minimise furniture fading in my orangery or conservatory
Because fading cannot be reversed once it has occurred, it is essential to regularly take protective measures to prevent it. Using treatments with UV stabilizers and reducing the amount of UV rays that can enter your orangery will all help keep the interior of your home looking fresh and vibrant for longer.
UV stabilisers can be applied to any fabric to improve its longevity
Fabric protection can be applied to natural fibers like cotton and silk, and leather can be protected with protectants and conditioners to prevent drying and discoloration from natural oils evaporating. Varnishes, lacquers, and waxes can be applied to furniture and wooden floors to shield them from harmful sunlight.
Utilizing solar glazing that has also been laminated in your orangeries and Timber windows birmingham UK conservatories is the best way to ensure that your furnishings remain in top condition throughout the entire year because UV rays are present even on cloudy days.
We provide Sun Guard for the construction of modern orangeries. This neutral glass prevents some UV rays and glare from entering your orangery while still allowing in a significant amount of natural light. Compared to air-filled double glazing or single-glazed panes, our solar glass also reduces heat transmission, which saves energy and maintains a more constant temperature in the room. Utilizing film to laminate the glass is an additional optional improvement that can be made to reduce UV damage to furnishings.
Blinds are another option for halting the fading of furniture. Check out our guide to selecting blinds for your orangery or garden room because it can be difficult to find blinds that fit perfectly in bespoke conservatories and orangeries.
Last but not least, regularly rotating sofas, moving furniture, and turning cushions is yet another easy way to reduce furniture fade. You can prevent cushions from fading on one side more than the other or unfaded shapes from being highlighted on wooden floors by moving furniture. You can extend the life of your home’s original appearance by paying attention to its fiber content and performing simple housekeeping procedures.
How to Choose the Right Storage Unit Size
In the event that you have been considering leasing a plastic storage boxes unit however are as yet concluding which size to pick, look no further! Our careful aide will assist you with picking the right storage unit size and the best storage unit for your particular necessities.
What makes the biggest difference when you pick a unit is to get one that is sufficiently large to hold all that you plan to store. You don’t maintain that the storage unit should be too little or too huge on the grounds that why pay extra for something you mightn’t? Picking the ideal size can be somewhat precarious, yet at the same it’s certainly feasible.
Figure out What You Need to Store
It tends to be enticing to store pretty much anything in the storage unit, yet arranging will significantly help you. Make a rundown of each and every classification of things you wish to keep in the unit. You can be as intensive with your rundown as you like or simply note down each thing.
After you have noted down each thing, measure the more-larger than usual things like furnishings, table, seat, bed, and so forth. It will assist you with deciding the rough size you really want. You can likewise actually take a look at STORED’s site and contrast the sizes with see better which unit size will turn out best for you.
STORED offers storage unit sizes going from 9 sqft, the size of storage space, to the biggest size, 400+ sqft, which is essentially as large as a 10-bed house/enormous office. It can fit all family things, occasional stock, 16-man office furniture, or 300+ storage boxes.
What To Do Assuming You Pick Some unacceptable Size
Indeed, even subsequent to estimating every one of your things over and again and ascertaining which storage unit size could turn out best for you, you may as yet wind up with some unacceptable size. Assume you lease a unit bigger than required. Then you can essentially change back to a more modest size. Moving everything to another unit might be a problem, however it is superior to paying extra.
The STORED-support group can move your booking relying upon accessibility without problem. You should simply get in touch with them and ask about unit move data and subtleties. Any prepaid lease will be credited to your new unit at whatever point you choose to change your unit size.
We have one more method for tackling the issue of requiring more storage space. As opposed to moving every one of your things into a bigger unit, just lease an extra unit. STORED gives the least expensive rates all over town and offers many arrangements and advancements that can help you whether you pick individual, business storage, or understudy storage.
Services Provided by a Locksmith in Michigan
Locksmiths have many administrations that they can accommodate clients going from private to business projects. We should investigate a portion of the normal administrations that Locksmith in Sutton Coldfield can perform for you, as well as a not many that you probably won’t know about!
Key Substitution and Replicating is presumably the most widely recognized assistance other than open your vehicle entryway after you secure the keys in the vehicle. Locksmiths have all the gear fundamental in their vehicle generally speaking to make a duplicate of a significant key on the spot.
On the off chance that you lose a key that is vital and you really want a substitution, numerous locksmiths can make a swap key for you without any preparation. This assistance is significant to the general population and has saved many individuals from migraines throughout the long term.
Entryway and Window Lock Fixes
On the off chance that your lock on an entryway or window is broken, you don’t necessarily in all cases need to completely supplant the lock. There are many secures being used today that are intended to be effortlessly fixed by an expert locksmith.
Fixing a lock at times might be a less expensive choice contrasted with substitution, and a talented locksmith ought to have little issue recognizing and fixing the issue. Some likewise give entryway fix and establishment as one of their many administrations, so try to inquire.
In the event that you have a harmed lock, fixing it ought to be at the highest point of your plan for the day. Security for your home or business ought to continuously be a main need.
Rekeying Locks
This is an incredible choice for huge structures and organizations that utilization similar locks and keys to get a structure. A locksmith can go through each lock and change the pin game plan and make new keys in case of a security break or on the other hand in the event that keys disappear.
Organizations that have missing keys are typically the consequence of a terminating or on the other hand on the off chance that a representative stops the work environment and neglects to return keys that permit admittance to classified data or basic regions, permitting disappointed previous representatives to illicitly possibly get to these areas.
There are safer choices accessible, for example, keyless passage, camera frameworks and expert key frameworks that can bring your business exceptional.
Safe Establishment and Choice
Some locksmith organizations could likewise have practical experience in the establishment of safes. Assuming this is the kind of thing that the locksmith offers, they will choose the most ideal choice for your specific security circumstance and safe necessities.
This can be anything from a little safe for an office setting to an enormous safe need to get huge amounts of significant material or data.
Alarm exits, otherwise called crash bars, are the crisis entryways that are usually found in business structures like schools and emergency clinics. Crisis entryways assist with restricting the potential for human wave charges when a lot of individuals race to the ways out in case of a crisis.
A locksmith organizations offer clients the capacity to introduce crash bar arrangements to their business and public structures, and at times, these are expected for the structure with regards to somewhere safe and construction standards.
HOW DO FRACTIONAL CO2 LASERS DIFFER FROM OTHER LASERS
The fractional CO2 Victoria House Clinic Laser Hair Removal Specialist is widely recognized as one of the best options for laser skin resurfacing. However, you need to do some research first before rushing into the closest clinic that offers these kinds of treatments. There are a lot of different lasers on the market, including fractional CO2 laser variations. When it comes to the effectiveness of the treatment and the client’s safety, the quality of the laser and the medical professional administering it are just as important as anything else. Consider the following important aspects of fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing:
VERSUS FRACTIONAL ERBIUM LASERS FRACTIONAL CO2 LASERS
A fractional CO2 laser and fractional erbium laser differ significantly. The erbium laser does not penetrate the skin as deeply as the other laser, and their wavelengths are distinct. As a result, clients won’t see immediate or lasting results and will need to undergo multiple treatments. In many instances, a fractional CO2 laser delivers the best results in a single treatment because it penetrates much deeper into the skin.
Are all fractional CO2 lasers created equal
The fact that a clinic offers fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing does not guarantee that they use the best laser. There are some clinics that use cheaper lasers made overseas that don’t meet safety standards and might not have been checked by the FDA. Another thing to think about is whether the laser used in the office is owned or rented. A fractional CO2 laser needs to be calibrated precisely, and moving from one office to another could throw off the calibration. Knowing that your physician uses a fractional CO2 laser and that your safety is unaffected during treatments gives you peace of mind.
Trust Your Reputable Medical Professional When it Comes to the Kind of Laser They Use, You Must Be Able to Trust Your Medical Professional Asking all of the hard questions to learn more about the particular fractional CO2 laser they use is the best way to gain their trust. You might want to think about other options if the responses to your questions are unclear or inconsistent with the research you’ve done.
Ole & Steen, Pret, and TraceGains announce new senior hires
New leadership appointments have been unveiled at Ole & Steen, Pret, and TraceGains to support growth in key markets including the UK.
Roles cover marketing, business development, and sales, as well as a change to the chairman of the board.
Check out the round-up of latest hires at the bakery brands and ingredients solutions provider as follows:
Ole & Steen
Bakery chain Ole & Steen has appointed Sarah Harris (pictured above) as its new Group CMO to help accelerate growth of the brand across the UK, Denmark, and the US.
Harris brings over 25 years of experience in retail and hospitality marketing to the help shape the next chapter of Ole & Steen, spanning marketing, brand, product, and digital strategy. She is also to play a pivotal role in strengthening customer engagement and loyalty as the brand continues to invest in digital and sustainability-led innovation.
Harris joined the company on 19 May from Starbucks, where she spent nearly a decade in various senior leadership positions including most recently as director of marketing, product, digital and sustainability UK. She was said to have transformed the food offering of the chain, doubling Starbucks Rewards app engagement, and leading award-winning campaigns that helped elevate the brand and deliver strong commercial results.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Ole & Steen at such a dynamic moment in its growth journey,” commented Harris. “I’m passionate about building brands that connect deeply with their communities, and I look forward to driving strategies that enhance the customer experience and support long-term success.”
Ole & Steen currently operates 23 stores across London as well as one each in Oxford, Windsor, and Guildford. It launched new sweet and savoury bakery items as part of a spring 2025 menu, and regular creates new seasonal versions of its popular Cinnamon Social.
Pret A Manger
José Cil has been named chairman of high street chain Pret, succeeding Konrad Meyer who will remain on the board as a director.
Described as “one of the most established leaders in the hospitality industry”, Cil most recently served as CEO of Restaurant Brands International, the Canadian multinational holding company that owns quick service brands including Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. During his time in that role, he helped grow the business to more than $40bn (£29.5bn) in system-wide sales and 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
As Pret’s new Chairman, Cil will work alongside the leadership team to help accelerate the brand’s growth, create exceptional food and coffee experiences for its customers, and deliver strong financial results for the company and its shareholders. Pret has expanded rapidly over the past five years and now serves customers at more than 700 locations across 21 countries, including South Africa since February 2025.
Joining Cil on the Pret board are industry veterans Elias Diaz Sese, co-founder of Popeyes UK, and Andre Molinari, head of international development at Tim Hortons. “I have a huge amount of admiration for Pret A Manger and believe we have only scratched the surface when it comes to fulfilling Pret’s true potential,” said Cil. “Elias and Andre are two exceptional leaders that will bring tremendous value to the Board, and I want to thank Konrad for helping Pret get back to what it does best.”
Meyer has been on the Pret board since its acquisition by JAB Holding in 2018. He took over from previous chairman Olivier Goudet last year.
TraceGains
Global ingredients marketplace TraceGains has appointed six new team members as a “major step forward in its European growth journey”. This includes scaling its local presence to meet customers needs in key markets including the UK, Ireland, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and Benelux (the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg).
Dean Fitzsimmons has been named as the new account executive for the UK and Ireland, with Matthew Anderson assuming the role of market development manager for Europe. Meanwhile, Hannah-Marian Thompson, Koen De Croo, Mandy Lämmel, and Tim Juchert have been appointed as market development representative, sales engineer, marketing manager, and account executive, respectively, for the DACH region.
“We’re seeing extraordinary demand across Europe as F&B businesses race to future-proof their operations against evolving regulations like the EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) and CSRD (Corporate Social Responsibility Directive), as well as challenges like supply chain disruptions, managing global supply networks, and growing consumer demands for transparency and innovation,” commented Michelle Henry, director of sales for Europe at TraceGains.
“Our growing European team brings the perfect mix of local insight, technical expertise, and commercial drive to help our customers turn these challenges into competitive advantages. With this expanded team, we’re doubling down on our promise to help brands thrive in an ever-changing global marketplace,” she added.
TraceGains serves over 1,500 customers worldwide, including half of the top 100 global F&B manufacturers, connecting brands to their supply chains across a global network of 100,000 supplier locations and more than 600,000 ingredients and products. Last year, it unveiled strategic partnerships with sustainability champions DitchCarbon, HowGood, Sedex, and Sustained Impact.
Small change in Earth’s oxygen levels may have sparked huge evolutionary leap
Published:
2024-07-02 10:00:00
New research provides the clearest evidence yet that the Cambrian explosion – a rapid burst of evolution 540 million years ago, could have been triggered by only a small increase in oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere and shallow ocean waters.
A new study published today in
Nature Geoscience
brings together datasets from an international consortium of scientists to show that minor increases in oxygen are may have been sufficient to propel major evolutionary leaps seen in the fossil record.
Lead author of the study
Dr Richard Stockey
, a paleobiologist at the University of Southampton who worked on the research as a PhD student at Stanford University, said: “The Cambrian explosion was a remarkable period of rapid diversification of life on Earth. Previously life consisted of single cell and small multicellular organisms. Then, within 20 or 30 million years, a geological blink, we see a variety of strange and complex creatures emerge with new body plans and features like mineralized shells, grasping appendages, and complex sensory organs like eyes.”
Just enough oxygen
For decades, scientists have theorised that the Cambrian explosion was prompted by a sudden rise in atmospheric oxygen which brought oxygen in the ancient ocean close to modern levels. But the evidence for this has been scattered and, in some cases, contradictory.
By conducting a comprehensive, large-scale data analysis, researchers have identified just a small increase in atmospheric oxygen at the time of the Cambrian explosion.
“Cambrian animals likely did not require as much oxygen as scientists used to believe. We found minor increases in oxygenation that are at the correct magnitude to drive big changes in ecology,” says senior study author Erik Sperling, an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability who leads the consortium.
Most animals were living in shallow water at the time, and mixing caused by wind and waves would have oxygenated these areas even as the deeper ocean remained unchanged.
“It’s not a huge increase in oxygen, but it might be enough to cross critical ecological thresholds, based on what we see in modern areas with naturally low oxygen,” adds Sperling.
The researchers also found evidence that oxygen levels in the deep ocean did not approach those in modern seas until about 140 million years after the Cambrian explosion – much later than previously thought.
Dr Stockey says: “From a global perspective, we didn’t see the full oxygenation of the oceans to near modern levels until about 400 million years ago, around the time that we see the appearance of large forests on land.”
Unearthing the answers
To investigate changes in oxygen over 700 million years of Earth’s history, researchers examined data showing levels of uranium and molybdenum in black shale – a sedimentary rock formed in low-oxygen environments on the bottom of ancient oceans.
These metals accumulate in sediment when oxygen is low, so their concentration in black shale indicates past oceanic oxygen levels.
Previous studies noted increased trace metals in black shale during the Cambrian explosion, but these have mostly been based on data from individual field sites, where local factors such as an increase in organic carbon can increase trace metal concentrations.
Using statistical and machine learning techniques, the researchers analysed data on a much larger scale and used oceanographic models to estimate historical oxygen levels.
“We found that changes in organic carbon in black shale have driven a lot of the changes in trace metals that scientists have been seeing for the last 15 or 20 years,” says Dr Stockey. “It’s not until 140 million years after the Cambrian explosion, in the Devonian period, that we see trace metals increasing at a rate that would indicate whole ocean oxygenation.”
A consortium for geochemical data
The black shale data were compiled as part of the Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project, a first in its field research consortium that brings together geochemical data in a standardised database for large-scale analysis.
“It’s a very different approach than we’ve used in the field before,” says Sperling, who launched the consortium in 2015. “Each individual research group, including ours, is still going out to the field and getting a snapshot of what’s going on, but then we need to all come together to analyse things.”
The analytical toolkit that Dr Stockey developed for this work could help researchers understand not only ancient oxygen levels, but also temperature, food supply, and other potential drivers of early evolution. Consortium members are also collecting new data to fill in periods of geologic time that are under-sampled and conducting analyses that expand into older and younger time intervals.
“To harness the power of these more advanced data science approaches, particularly for geological data, we need everyone to be speaking the same language,” says Dr Stockey. “This community-driven data science approach has allowed us to be way more confident about the way we reconstruct Earth’s evolution in space and time.”
Sustained increases in atmospheric oxygen and marine productivity in the
Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic eras
is published in
Nature Geoscience
.
April: new-grief-centre | News and features
Grief affects everyone but is still very much a taboo subject in the UK. A new Centre – the first of its kind in the UK – hopes to shift public attitudes towards grief and create communities that are compassionate and connected in their support of people who are bereaved. The Centre for Grief Research and Community Engagement (Grief Centre) at the University of Bristol is launched today [24 April].
The Grief Centre will focus on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research into grief, death and loss, aiming to increase understanding of these fundamental aspects of being human and provide the space for new thinking, ideas and approaches.
It will bring researchers together with people from diverse communities, artists and creatives, voluntary and community sector organisations, health and social care services, policy makers and funders to develop social and creative interventions and knowledge exchange initiatives to change the way grief and death are seen, supported and discussed.
The Grief Centre, funded by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, will be co-directed by Bristol’s Lucy Selman, Professor of Palliative and End of Life Care at the Palliative and End of Life Care Research Group and Centre for Academic Primary Care, and Dr Lesel Dawson, Associate Professor in Literature and Culture in the Department of English.
Professor Selman and Dr Dawson are co-founders of Good Grief Festival, an award-winning public engagement and grief literacy initiative, and collaborators on a £2.4 million Arts and Humanities Research Council funded national partnership to tackle coastal health inequalities.
Research will focus on issues such as:
• equity, diversity and widening access to bereavement support;
• support for bereaved children and young people;
• ‘disenfranchised grief’ (grief or sorrow that is hidden or not acknowledged by society);
• the therapeutic role of creativity in grief;
• community-based approaches to bereavement support;
• co-production and community-led research.
Through the Good Grief Festival platform, the Centre will also offer public courses on grief and bereavement to build grief literacy, and develop training for both professionals and academics to grow their skills in supporting and doing research with people who are bereaved.
Professor Selman said: “Our vision is to develop a pioneering Grief Centre, which brings together research, education, policy, advocacy, enterprise and innovation. The Centre will establish the University of Bristol as a centre for excellence in grief research.”
Dr Dawson added: “Equity and inclusion will run through all our work. While loss and grief affect us all, bereaved people in the UK face substantial inequities, with people from minoritised ethnic communities, sexual minority groups and more deprived backgrounds known to experience barriers to accessing bereavement support.”
Welcoming the launch of the Centre, Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said: “The new Grief Centre will strengthen the University of Bristol’s commitment to civic involvement through collaborations with local charities, communities, faith groups and artists. It will be further enriched by the wealth of University of Bristol academics who work on topics related to grief, loss, death and the end of life.”
The Grief Centre will deliver its first in-person public engagement event during Dying Matters Awareness Week (5-11 May): Dying for Beginners: An interview with Kathryn Mannix, on Friday 9 May 2025 from 12-1pm at 11 Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1TB.
Please register to attend.
To find out more about the Grief Centre, visit the Centre website.
Further information
About Bristol Centre for Grief Research and Engagement
The Bristol Centre for Grief Research and Engagement focuses on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research into grief, death and loss to increase understanding of these fundamental aspects of being human. Established in 2025, the Centre brings together programmes of research, scholarship, policy and civic engagement at the University of Bristol, building on successful advances by the University’s researchers and scholars.
The Centre provides the space for new thinking, ideas and approaches in grief research. Working in collaboration with a wide range of partners from across the health, faith, voluntary, policy, creative and community sectors, the Centre aims to change the way grief and death are seen, supported and spoken about, helping to build more compassionate, connected communities.
Follow the Centre on social media:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefcentrebris
• X: https://x.com/GriefCentreBris
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GriefCentreBris
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/griefcentrebris/
• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/griefcentrebris.bsky.social
The stunning Greek island with beautiful views that’s ‘cheaper than Santorini’ | World | News
Greece consistently ranks as one of the most sought-after destinations in Europe, drawing travellers with its awe-inspiring landscapes. Among its many gems, the picturesque town of Lindos on the island of Rhodes stands out for its unparalleled beauty.
Located nearby, the Lindian Village All-Inclusive Resort Rhodes, Curio Collection by Hilton, is the ideal haven for exploring the enchanting town of Lindos and beyond, reports The Mirror.
This April, Lindian Village is set to reimagine itself as a premium all-inclusive resort, becoming an even more appealing choice for a wide variety of guests, including solo adventurers, honeymooners, and retirees.
However, it truly shines when it comes to family-friendly luxury. The resort has features to delight little ones, from two sparkling pools and a fun-filled play area that captivated our two-year-old for hours to a superb kids’ club and child-friendly dining options. The resort also provides a babysitting service for parents craving a moment of relaxation.
Arguably, the highlight of Lindian Village is its private beach—a stunning stretch of coastline with crystal-clear turquoise waters. Guests can enjoy lounging in luxury, choosing between comfortable sunbeds, spacious cabanas, or even cosy beanbag sunbeds—our personal favourite.
Attentive staff are always nearby, ready to take drink orders, and beach towels are conveniently provided. For those wishing to indulge in a nightly ritual, sipping a piña colada while watching the sunset is an experience not to be missed. Thrill-seekers can also partake in exhilarating water sports as a dedicated provider operates on the beach, offering high-energy activities on the Aegean Sea.
The resort’s dining options add to the appeal, with a diverse buffet and three à la carte restaurants available as part of the all-inclusive package. Alas, Ouzeri serves the finest Greek cuisine, Era Ora Trattoria offers authentic Italian dishes, and Niku Restaurant provides an exciting Peruvian-Japanese fusion experience.
Niku, in particular, is a standout, offering a fine dining atmosphere that still caters to younger guests. For a casual snack, guests can visit the resort’s gelateria or the Yummy Truck, which serves hot dogs, burgers, and healthy salad bowls.
Lindian Village’s accommodations are designed to cater to both couples and families. The suites, especially those with private pools, provide an extra touch of luxury and comfort.
Every room is designed with contemporary furnishings, ensuring guests feel pampered at this five-star resort. The emphasis on privacy ensures that guests can unwind and feel like they have their own exclusive space.
In response to the wildfires that ravaged Rhodes in 2023, Lindian Village initiated the Bee Revived project, a conservation effort to recover the island’s ecology. The resort has ‘adopted’ 380,000 bees as part of the project.
Guests can participate in the Bee Revived Experience, where they can learn about the vital role of bees and sample their honey. This activity is a unique opportunity to engage with the island’s environmental initiatives, and guests can enjoy a 50% discount on the experience as part of their stay.
A short 15-minute drive from the resort takes you into Lindos, where visitors can wander through charming narrow streets lined with traditional Greek tavernas and souvenir shops. The highlight of any trip to Lindos is the Acropolis of Rhodes, a historical site dating back to the 5th century BC, which offers breathtaking views of Lindos and its surrounding beaches. After a rewarding hike to the top, families can celebrate with a traditional souvlaki meal by the beach.
Nightly rates at Lindian Village All-Inclusive Resort Rhodes, Curio Collection by Hilton, start from £285, with the resort reopening on 27 April 2025.
Greece offers a rich tapestry of history, culture, and natural beauty, making it an exceptional holiday destination. The country is known for its idyllic islands, pristine beaches, charming villages, and ancient ruins, all of which draw millions of visitors annually.
Popular destinations include the iconic Santorini with its sunset views, the lively island of Mykonos, and the cultural hub of Athens, home to historical landmarks like the Parthenon.
Beyond the attractions, Greece is also famed for its hospitality, delicious Mediterranean cuisine, and relaxed lifestyle, making it a perfect place to unwind and experience authentic local culture. Whether you seek cultural immersion, beach relaxation, or thrilling water sports, Greece offers a diverse array of experiences for every type of traveller.
The country’s warm Mediterranean climate ensures sunny skies for most of the year, making it a popular spot for both summer holidays and off-season escapes.
International Women’s Day 2025: Interview with Justice Nallini Pathmanathan of the Federal Court of Malaysia
International Women’s Day (IWD) is held on 8 March every year. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. The IWD 2025 campaign theme is Accelerate Action, emphasising the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. In this interview, international judge Justice Nallini Pathmanathan shares her experiences and reflects on the importance of IWD.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your current role?
I have been a judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia since 2018. This is the apex court, the highest court in our legal system. I enjoy the privilege of being the first female judge of South Asian ethnicity to be elevated to the superior judiciary in Malaysia.
What is your background and career journey so far?
My initial background is in the sciences. I studied physiology as a first degree at the University of London. I then undertook a conversion course in law in 1983, prior to being called to the Bar at Middle Temple in the UK in 1984, and the Malaysian Bar in 1986.
I went on to practice at the Bar in Kuala Lumpur at Messrs Skrine, where I remained for 21 years prior to being elevated to the Bench in March 2007. My practice was initially in family and industrial relations law, later moving on to commercial law.
I am a Bencher of The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple and sit on the Steering Group of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC).
What made you decide to pursue a career in law and/or justice?
Law was not my initial choice of career. Coming from a family with a strong background in medicine, I always envisioned myself as a doctor. However, when my attempt at pursuing medicine was unsuccessful, I went on to study physiology and then moved on to the law, at my father’s suggestion. From the moment I began learning the law, I enjoyed it.
Are there any women who have inspired you in your life and/or career?
I cannot single out any one woman. Both women and men across various fields have been sources of inspiration in my career. However, the recent increase in female appointments to high judicial office is inspiring. They include the Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat; the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Baroness Sue Carr; Justice B. V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court of India; Justice Ayesha Malik the first female judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan; and Lady Justice Martha Karambu Koome, the Chief Justice of Kenya. There are many more inspirational figures, too many to name here.
The theme of International Women’s Day this year is ‘Accelerate Action’ – what does this mean to you?
People who have achieved high office have a duty to address the issue, that women have for millennia been pushed to the back. For example, they should ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for women to advance, based on ability and talent, and flexible working practices, as women often bear responsibility for childcare and managing the home.
Another step would be to provide access to leadership training for women, and policies for advancement which are clear, well-known to stakeholders and applied equitably. Mentoring can also be an essential part of training within the legal profession. Initiatives like these should be targeted, as no one solution fits the legal profession in every jurisdiction. The International Bar Association researched this important topic in its 50:50 by 2030: Progress Report 2024.
Finally, these steps cannot be cosmetic. Reducing gender disparity should be a part of the culture built into organisations and institutions.
Horizontal segregation (the under or over-representation of a gender in a particular occupation or industry) should be eliminated. It prevents women in the profession from being pushed into particular types of less well-paying work, and allows them to practice in the more high profile and lucrative sectors, should they choose to do so.
What advice would you give to any women or girls who want to pursue a career in law and/or justice?
I would advise them to explore and understand the profession they are embarking on. The rate of attrition is high amongst women legal practitioners in Malaysia.
I would also advise them never to underestimate their own abilities as they are equally competent to their male counterparts.
Finally, I would say the law is a career you should consider pursuing. It affords fulfillment at all levels, whether you are arguing your first case as junior counsel or submitting as senior counsel on complex points of law at the highest level.
Archives Revealed awards new cataloguing grants and first-ever consortium grant
Archives Revealed has awarded 12 cataloguing grants and its first ever consortium grant to archives across the UK.
Archives Revealed is a partnership programme between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund which helps unlock collections across the UK and build the skills needed to care for them into the future.
These are the first grants of their kind awarded since The National Lottery Heritage Fund invested £5 million in the Archives Revealed partnership programme. In total, £675,000 has been awarded in this round – more in a single round of applications than ever before.
The new consortium grants offer up to £150,000 in funding for groups of archive and heritage organisations to collaborate on projects for the cataloguing of archive collections in the UK. Cataloguing grants provide individual organisations with up to £50,000, also for the cataloguing of significant collections.
In addition, both programmes offer funding which supports grantees to share their collections with new audiences through engagement and educational activities.
The first successful consortium grant, worth £145,000, has been awarded to The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in partnership with the Nerve Centre, Northern Ireland’s leading media arts centre.
Their proposed project, “Now We’re Talking”, will catalogue and widen access to the papers of two significant cultural figures from Northern Ireland: the author and broadcaster, Sam Hanna Bell, and the folklorist, writer and broadcaster, Michael J Murphy.
David Huddleston, acting PRONI Director, said: “Murphy and Bell were chroniclers of Northern Ireland’s people, culture and traditions and their works provide a unique lens through which to view the region’s history. Using their extensive archives as a starting point, this project aims to reconnect communities with their shared cultural heritage through an exploration of tradition, memory, and identity.”
The successful cataloguing grant applicants are:
- Derry City and Strabane District Council Tower Museum – £39,620
- University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections – £50,000
- The Mulberry Bush Organisation – £39,615
- Royal Academy of Dance – £49,352
- Peak District National Park Foundation – £45,000
- Poetry Archive – £39,260
- National Paralympic Heritage Trust – £45,230
- City of Edinburgh Council – £50,000
- Sandwell Archives – £49,055
- Rotherham Archives and Local Studies – £42,406
- Belfast Library and Society for Promoting Knowledge – £39,432
- Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust (Brighton & Hove Museums) – £50,000
Between them, these organisations will be cataloguing collections with records dating as far back as 1792. The topics covered include influential women in the paralympic movement, The Cassell Hospital in Surrey (recognised for its role in de-medicalising hospital treatment for people struggling with poor mental health), community youth theatre in Nottingham and much more.
Through their project, “Landscapes Unlocked”, the Peak District National Park Foundation (PDNPF) will be working in partnership with the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) and Derby Record Office to catalogue, and open up to the public, PDNPA’s image archive. This features over 40,000 images spanning the 20th century.
Roisin Joyce, PDNPF Director, said: “This collection tells us about the changes to people and nature in our national parks […] it also has huge potential to help us better understand landscape change, a vital research area in the face of climate change. We look forward to opening up the collection and drawing out stories to share with communities inside and beyond the boundaries of the park.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our archives are home to our stories. Records, collections and histories all shine a light on who we are, how we live and what is important to us. I am delighted that funding from all four partners is enabling Archives Revealed projects to unlock and share many more of these stories right across the UK, safeguarding them for future generations. It is incredibly exciting to celebrate these grants, including the first consortium grant which represents a step-change for the archive sector and an opportunity to share skills and knowledge, foster partnerships and build organisational resilience in the sector. All of this is vital for protecting the future of our archives and delivering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”
Sue Bowers, Director of the Pilgrim Trust, said: “I would like to congratulate all the fantastic projects that have been awarded funding. As a founder member of the scheme 20 years ago, we are delighted that the newly expanded partnership enables the unlocking of so many more UK archive collections representing the lives of people across the UK for research and for all to enjoy.”
Archives Revealed is the only funding programme in the UK dedicated to the cataloguing and unlocking of archival collections.
The next round of applications for catalogue and consortium grants opened on Monday 24 February. We will be hosting a webinar for potential applicants to ask questions about the cataloguing and consortium grants on Thursday 6 March. Archives Revealed will also be running a series of trainings and skills development opportunities throughout its delivery.
‘Sleepmaxxing’: What is the viral trend, and will it improve your sleep? | UK News
As a journalist who does shift work – I’m obsessed with sleep.
I don’t get enough of it, and it’s pretty irregular when I do.
And so, when my Apple Watch informs me I’ve had more than 8 hours – with solid REM metrics – everyone will know about it.
‘Sleepmaxxing’ is a concept I came across on TikTok – it describes viral hacks to optimise your sleep, from drinking magnesium-laced ‘Sleepy Girl’ mocktails to sleeping with your mouth taped.
It’s a trending topic – with millions of videos on it and search interest hit an all-time high earlier this year.
But what is ‘sleepmaxxing’, and does it work?
‘A cornerstone of wellness’
‘Sleepmaxxing’ is a viral TikTok trend. Pic: iStock
The catch-all term is a wellness trend popular with Gen-Z and millennials – a perceived blueprint to help you catch a deeper, longer slumber.
It’s a nod to ‘looksmaxxing’ – another TikTok trend popularised on the app, focused on enhancing physical attractiveness.
Sleep specialist Sammy Margo told Sky News it’s a fad among those “who are increasingly prioritising sleep as a cornerstone of wellness”.
Ms Margo said: “It typically involves creating elaborate bedtime routines, investing in sleep accessories, and tracking sleep metrics.”
However, sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley is unimpressed – and says the practice is an unhealthy “obsession” that can often be counter-productive.
He told Sky News: “The worry about getting good sleep actually makes sleep worse.
“It is being done by people who sadly believe that things on TikTok have any resemblance to actual science.”
What are the sleep trends?
According to the NHS, better sleep can be obtained through better diet and exercise, meditation and mindfulness.
However, for Gen-Z et al, it’s a slightly more complicated – and creative – picture.
Trends include tech-free winddown-down periods an hour before bedtime; sleeping in cooler temperatures; blackout curtains and sleep masks; sleep tracking via smartwatches and sleeping with weighted blankets or cooling pillows.
And then… there are the viral trends.
The NHS encourages more traditional methods to help people sleep – diet, exercise and mindfulness. Pic: iStock
The ‘Sleepy Girl’ mocktail
This viral drink has been made by thousands of TikTok users to help them sleep.
The mocktail combines magnesium power, tart cherry juice and lemonade – and has been popularised by the likes of viral bloggers including model Nara Smith, who in one TikTok video told her 11 million followers that her midwife recommended it to help her overcome sleepless nights.
Model Nara Smith swears by the ‘Sleepy Girl’ mocktail. Pic: AP
However, according to sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning at Trouble Sleeping, the evidence to suggest that the drink can result in better sleep is “generally weak” and from limited studies.
She told Sky News: “Magnesium has been associated with improved sleep but improvements are generally only seen when someone has a magnesium deficiency to start with.”
Dr Browning has warned that excessive magnesium from the mocktail can also lead to diarrhoea – and may be problematic for those with kidney issues.
Mouth taping
Mouth taping ‘can be risky’, a sleep expert told Sky News. Pic: iStock
What it says on the tin – and the goal is to prevent snoring and a dry mouth.
It can also help humidify the air through nasal passages.
However, Dr Browning warns that using tape to keep the mouth shut and to force nasal breathing “can be risky” – and can potentially lead to skin irritation and anxiety, particularly if the person doing it wakes up stressed and confused.
She told Sky News: “If you restrict breathing through the mouth, if the airway through the nose becomes blocked such as because of nasal congestion, the person will be unable to breathe properly.
“Stopping mouth breathing therefore does not solve problems caused by nasal congestion or undiagnosed sleep apnoea and can lead to difficulty breathing in the night, potentially worsening the problems, and means that the underlying cause is not resolved.”
Kiwis before bed
The kiwi trend is backed by a small-scale study. Pic: iStock
Another trend is eating kiwi fruits before bed.
A study of 24 people found that eating two kiwis before sleeping could improve sleep.
Read more on Sky News:
‘Comedy on prescription’ trials underway
Ronan Keating criticises ‘broken’ justice system
EastEnders best bits on 40th anniversary
However, this was a small-scale study and requires greater research before any conclusions about the efficacy of kiwis before bedtime can be reached.
Music playlists
Experts say nstrumental music with a slower tempo can help you fall asleep. Pic: iStock
Creating an atmosphere conducive to sleep is key – and music helps.
Freddie Moross, founder of Myndstream – a company specialising in music for health and wellbeing – told Sky News that the “surge in popularity of sleep music is undeniable”.
“Sleep Music is one of the fastest-growing genres of music.
“This trend is reflected in the consistent high ranking of editorial sleep playlists, like Apple Music’s Sleep Sounds, which often sits at the top of the charts of their 200 programmed playlists and Spotify’s top 3 sleep playlists accumulating over 9.5M monthly listeners.”
Mr Moross adds: “Instrumental music with a slower tempo, typically 60-80 beats per minute, is often most effective”.
Looking beyond the trends, Dr Neil Stanley says the answer to better sleep is simple.
“You need just three things to help you sleep, a bedroom conducive to sleep, a relaxed body, and a quiet mind.
“Unfortunately, there is no money or clicks in common sense.”
On Mohammed Siraj’s Champions Trophy Exclusion, Rohit’s Blunt Verdict: “Effectiveness Comes Down…”
A significant point which came out from India’s squads for the ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy was the exclusion of pacer Mohammed Siraj, with captain Rohit Sharma saying his effectiveness goes down by a little bit when not handed the new ball. Rohit also said that Siraj, who has 71 ODI wickets against his name in 44 games, including picking a remarkable six-fer in the 2023 Asia Cup final, was not locked in for a certain role in the team, especially with question marks still around Jasprit Bumrah’s availability.
In place of Siraj, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has earned a spot after becoming the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He joins the fast-bowling department for the twin 50-over assignments alongside Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya.
“That’s purely because we thought over it. We are not sure about Bumrah, whether he is going to play or not. So, we thought of wanting someone who can bowl with the new ball and at the backend. So we picked Arshdeep to bowl at the backend. Shami, we all saw what he can do with the new ball.”
“That is where we feel that Siraj’s effectiveness comes down a little bit when he is not bowling with the new ball. We discussed it at length about it, as we are only taking three seamers there because we wanted all these all-rounders with us. It’s an unfortunate thing that he has to miss out.”
“But we had no option but to get the guys who can perform a certain role. I personally feel we have guys who can bowl with the new ball, be effective in the middle, and at the back end, as well as cover all facets of the game. With these three bowlers, we think we can do that,” said Rohit in the press conference in Mumbai after the squad announcement.
In eight ODIs, Arshdeep has picked 20 wickets and brings in the variety via his left-arm angles and variations. For the England ODI series, India have also got seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, with Rohit equating his inclusion with that of young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“Arshdeep hasn’t played a lot of ODIs, but he has been around the white-ball circuit for a long time. I don’t think I feel comfortable saying he is not experienced. He has bowled some tough overs, played T20Is and can handle that pressure. Shami is a stalwart in white-ball cricket, and what he did in the World Cup was superb to watch.”
“With Harshit, we needed something different. He has shown he has got the potential. So, we need to back him. It’s very hard to ignore numbers, but look at Jaiswal. We picked him based on what he has done in the last 6–8 months. He has not played a single ODI game, but we still picked him because he has shown potential.”
“Sometimes, we need to do that, and in that, some players will miss out, which is very unlucky and unfortunate. If you talk about everyone, we can’t please everyone. Yes, it’s a tough call, but we needed to take it, as at the end of the day, you try and make the best team, and the best possible squad to win games under different situations,” added Rohit.
Shami is back in the 50-over set-up after last featuring in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he picked 24 wickets to become the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. An Achilles injury needing surgery kept him out of action for nearly a year, before making a competitive comeback in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy in Indore last year.
Though Shami missed out on the Test series in Australia due to knee swelling, he has been picked for the five T20Is against England, starting on January 22 in Kolkata. “We don’t have to speak about the quality that he brings. To get him involved in T20Is was precisely that – just to get him back into international cricket and play under pressure a little bit even though it’s 20-over cricket,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
“You have to be at high intensity and just to get him up to pace before the ODIs start. I mean, he has got obvious quality. So if he was fit, he was always going to be part of the discussion. We are hoping that he comes through these games. By the time the Champions Trophy comes around, he is at 100 per cent,” he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
The UK Graduate School welcomes local colleges, universities for inaugural ‘Grad Day at UK’
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 27, 2024) — “Is graduate school for me?”
“What is it like being a graduate student at UK?”
“What can I do with a master’s degree?”
The University of Kentucky Graduate School set out to help answer these questions by hosting the inaugural “Grad School Day at UK” regional event. Undergraduate students from six area Kentucky colleges and universities, curious about attending UK to earn a graduate degree, were welcomed on campus by UK staff, faculty and students.
Transylvania University, Centre College, Georgetown College, Simmons College of Kentucky and Midway University attended the event Oct. 19, and Morehead University was welcomed earlier that week. By intentionally partnering with Kentucky’s universities and colleges, graduate opportunities are being showcased to a wider audience of undergraduates around Kentucky.
Visiting students from around the Commonwealth were engaged and inquisitive while taking advantage of all that UK had to offer. They spent much of the day learning from current UK graduate students and faculty and touring programs’ facilities. Current UK graduate students, many of whom also hailed from similar backgrounds, helped to shed light on what it’s like to come to UK from a smaller college or university.
“I really enjoyed my tour of the IBS [Integrated Biomedical Sciences] program,” said one of the visiting students. “I have not been on UK’s campus much, and I think I got a great glimpse into what life as a graduate student could look like.”
Students received information not only about their field or program of interest, but also learned about ways to fund graduate school, what graduate education is like, how to make the most of their senior year, tips on making their graduate school applications stand out, as well as what the UK experience is like.
Grad School Day offered a full-day program that included graduate student panels, information sessions, and a tabling exhibit showcasing the various colleges and programs UK has to offer. Staff and faculty from the various programs stood ready to answer any questions the students brought to them and to distribute materials about particular fields of study.
Panel discussions featuring current UK graduate students covered topics such as “Research 101: What are the expectations?”, “Making the Transition” and “Living in Lexington: How different is it?”
One of the UK panelists recounted, “They were very engaged, appreciative and smiling. It was really fun, and our panel was excellent at going down the line answering each query and connecting our experiences throughout to identify helpful themes.”
The Graduate School now plans for this annual event to grow each year, increasing access by attracting additional colleges and universities and continuing to educate college students around the Commonwealth about graduate school and life at UK.
“The University of Kentucky’s mission is to offer opportunities to students across the Commonwealth,” said Padraic Kenney, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School. “I am excited about opening doors for students from our Kentucky neighbors and making that voyage of discovery possible.”
About the Graduate School
The University of Kentucky Graduate School is a thriving community of scholars, researchers and students, all dedicated to improving lives through excellence in education, research, leadership, creative work, service and health care. Offering advanced graduate degrees in 90 program areas, doctoral degrees in 55 fields, master’s degrees in 85 fields and graduate certificates in 52 focus areas, U.S. News & World Report ranks several of UK’s graduate programs among the nation’s best. The Graduate School is comprised of several offices committed to supporting graduate students and the staff and faculty of its graduate programs. Services of the Graduate School include: career advising, teaching and research support, community building, health and wellness resources, funding opportunities, admissions assistance, recruitment support and academic services.
Scientists analyse record storm surges to help predict future flooding
Published:
2024-06-19 11:13:00
Researchers at the University of Southampton have conducted the most detailed spatial analysis to date of storm surges along the coast of the UK and Ireland.
The oceanographers found coastlines in the north of the Irish Sea experience the longest and largest surges, while those occurring around the southwest coast of England have the smallest geographical footprint and last the shortest amount of time.
Across all coastlines investigated, and over a period stretching four decades, the winter seasons of 1989/90 and 2013/14 stood out as having the highest number and most severe storm surge events.
The study findings are published in the June edition of the journal Weather and Climate Extremes and
online
.
A storm surge is an abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as above that of the normal tide height for the area. The surge is caused by wind pushing water onshore and is influenced by a storm’s size, speed and where it tracks in relation to the coast. The storm surge footprint is the extent of simultaneous flooding along a stretch of coastline, and influences the damage associated with coastal flooding.
“Storm surges are the most important driver of flooding in many coastal areas,” explains
Ivan Haigh
a Professor at the University of Southampton and co-author of the study. “If we can understand how the differing characteristics of storms affect surges in many different coastal locations, we can more accurately predict the impact they will have on those localities, how best to counter the effects and how they may increase with climate change. Our research will help improve the accuracy of statistical models used to make these predictions.”
The research, which also involved scientists in Spain, the USA and The Netherlands, examines data on storm surges recorded between 1980 and 2017.
The team identified 270 extreme storm surge events over the study period, based on their duration, footprint size, severity and how frequently a similar event may reoccur. From this they classified eight distinct surge footprint types and linked them to the characteristics of the storms which caused them.
In the course of their research, they found the most extreme surge event was in the winter of 1989/90 – caused by a storm on 26 February 1990 which affected sea levels along the north, east and west coasts. Remembered for extreme flooding in the towns of Towyn and Clwyd in Wales, the event forced five thousand people to be evacuated from their homes and businesses.
The stormiest season in the study period was the winter of 2013/14, which contained the most frequent severe flooding events. In total there were 13 flooding episodes, compared with five in 1989/90. This includes the storm surge of 5 December 2013, which saw some 36 flood warnings in East Anglia and resulted in the loss of properties along the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
Lead author of the study,
Dr Paula Camus
of the University of Southampton and Universidad de Cantabria (Spain), comments: “It is crucial we learn lessons from past storm surges in order to help inform our response to future coastal flood risk. Changes to our climate will likely mean more frequent and extreme events, so having accurate data on which to base decisions about infrastructure and emergency response is crucial. We hope our study can better inform the assessment of risk and impacts.”
The researchers acknowledge that their study doesn’t take into account astronomical influence on the height of tides, but say this can be incorporated in the future. They also say their method could be adapted and applied to any coastal region globally.
A timeline of historic coastal flooding events in the UK and other data can be found
here
.