Author: TECH

The government is to overhaul a flagship initiative that helps disabled and sick people to move into work include tailored support for SMEs. The Disability Confident scheme was launched by the previous Conservative government in 2016 and around 19,000 businesses are signed up. The voluntary initiative accredits employers based on how well they support workers with disabilities. There are three levels of accreditation. Two thirds of employers agree that joining the scheme had a positive impact on their organisation, but the Keep Britain Working review by Sir Charlie Mayfield, published last November, said that it “lacks teeth”. The government today…

A local mother is speaking out about suicide prevention for adopted and foster children after losing her own adopted child.

At age 65, the average Social Security payment is $1,583 per month, with men receiving more ($1,756) and women less ($1,426). The average 401(k) balance for people aged 65 to 69 is $252,800—providing about $800 per month to spend under the 4% rule. With an average of about $2,400 per month from Social Security and 401(k) savings combined, many retirees may face financial challenges without additional support or income, particularly in higher-cost areas. Options like downsizing, relocating, part-time work, and reverse mortgages can help stretch limited resources. At age 65, many retirees find themselves relying on a combination of Social…

“If only…” Those two words paired together create one of the saddest phrases in the English language. In the end, more than anything else, we regret the little chances we didn’t take, the priceless opportunities we were too busy to nurture, and the good decisions we waited too long to make. Angel and I have learned this over the past 15 years from the countless hours we’ve spent coaching hundreds of clients, students, and live event attendees from around the world. The exact same regrets pop up in the personal stories people share with us, time after time. Here are…

Next Wednesday, Social Security recipients across the U.S. are to get their first benefits of the new year, in what is the fourth payment run on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) schedule for January. Because of the way the SSA organizes its monthly payment calendar, next week’s beneficiaries are among millions who have endured the longest possible wait for their January money.Who gets a payment from Social Security on Wednesday, Jan. 21?Payments are scheduled to go out to certain recipients of retirement, disability and survivor benefits.Of the just over 70 million Americans who receive one of these benefits, most are…

Every year since 2007, researchers have conducted the Healthy Minds Study, gathering confidential data about the mental and behavioral health trends of college students. For the third year in a row, respondents reported decreased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The 2024-2025 study recorded responses from more than 84,000 students at 135 colleges and universities. Results showed continuing declines, including severe depression dropping to 18% in 2025, down from 23% in 2022, and suicidal thoughts decreased to 11% from 15%.“These sustained reductions tell me this is not a blip,” said Justin Heinze, a co-principal investigator of the study. “Whether it’s distance from…

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Artemis Adolescent Healing Center announces the expansion of its comprehensive treatment services for adolescents struggling with mental health and behavioral challenges. The expanded continuum of care will provide families in Arizona and nationwide with enhanced access to specialized therapeutic interventions designed to support teens through every stage of their healing journey. The expansion represents Artemis Adolescent Healing Center’s commitment to addressing the growing need for adolescent mental health services across Arizona and the United States. Recent years have seen an unprecedented increase in teens experiencing anxiety, depression, and related behavioral health concerns, creating an…

3) An interpreter in your pocket: Silence Speaks UK startup Silence Speaks is developing an artificial intelligence avatar that translates text into sign language in realtime. Designed by deaf engineers and reflecting regional sign language styles, the system aims to capture emotion and intent as well as the words themselves. It holds promise for use at transport hubs, shopping centres, in education and healthcare settings, for broadcasting and video conferencing and in personal banking. Silence Speaks is also experimenting with personal, creative uses including the ‘signing’ of greeting cards: recipients can scan a QR code in a card to access…

25 years ago today, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia. The collaborative online encyclopedia created and maintained by a community of volunteer editors, Wikipedia is one of the most-visited websites on the internet. The nonprofit funded primarily through donations has 6.2 million articles in English—and also features articles in 250 languages, altogether attracting 1.7 billion unique visitors monthly. Pages, particularly in English, get updated with remarkable speed to include deaths, sports results, and political events. READ a bit more… (2001) In 2006, TIME Magazine said the open-door policy of allowing anyone to edit had made Wikipedia the biggest and…

– credit, President.kg On Christmas Eve, the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan inaugurated its first solar power plant, one that will power a small city and cut 120,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The 100-megawatt installation will generate 210 million kWh of clean electricity annually, and represents one of the largest foreign investments into the country of any kind since independence. It’s seen as the start of a big push to de-carbonize, with outside investors having inked 12 other agreements for solar and wind resources that will bring 5 gigawatts of clean energy online in the coming decades. Kyrgyzstan’s energy…