The Chinese government forced Apple to remove VPN apps from the App Store there way back in 2017, and the company is now having to do the same in India.So far, a small number of VPN apps have been removed to comply with an anti-privacy law barring anonymous use, but many more are likely to follow Hundreds of VPN apps removed in ChinaThe Chinese government has long banned the use of VPN apps, which many of its citizens used to avoid government surveillance of their online activities.Back in 2017, Apple was forced to remove hundreds of VPN apps from the Chinese App Store, with CEO Tim Cook saying at the time that the company had to reluctantly comply with the law.We would obviously rather not remove the apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law wherever we do business. We strongly believe in participating in markets and bringing benefits to customers. Were hopeful that over time the restrictions we are seeing are loosened.First VPN apps removed in IndiaIndia introduced a new law back in 2022, which effectively banned the anonymous use of VPNs, as well as outlawing services like NordVPN that keep no logs of customer activity.Implementation was delayed after numerous objections, and was then introduced but not enforced. However, enforcement has now begun, TechCrunch reporting that Apple has begun removing VPN apps from the Indian App Store.The rules mandate that VPN providers and cloud service operators maintain comprehensive records of their customers, including names, addresses, IP addresses and transaction histories, for a five-year period.More than half-a-dozen VPN apps, including Cloudflares widely-used 1.1.1.1, have been pulled from Indias Apple App Store and Google Play Store following intervention from government authorities, TechCrunch has learned.The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued removal orders for the apps, according to a document reviewed by TechCrunch and a disclosure made by Google to Lumen,Harvard Universitys database that tracks government takedown requests globally.It seems the government is identifying non-compliant apps individually, so the process is likely to be a long drawn-out one, but the end result is likely to be similar to China, with hundreds of apps removed. No respectable VPN app is going to comply with this law.9to5Macs TakeThis is obviously at odds with Apples privacy values, but the company is in a no-win situation. It has to comply with local laws in each of the countries in which it operates, even in the case of regressive legislation by repressive governments.While it could in theory take the moral high ground and pull out of these markets, China is its primary manufacturing hub, and India has evolved to become its second-largest production center, meaning that simply isnt a practical option. Photo byChris YangonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a new jailbreak technique that could be used to get past a large language model's (LLM) safety guardrails and produce potentially harmful or malicious responses.The multi-turn (aka many-shot) attack strategy has been codenamed Bad Likert Judge by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 researchers Yongzhe Huang, Yang Ji, Wenjun Hu, Jay Chen, Akshata Rao, and Danny Tsechansky."The technique asks the target LLM to act as a judge scoring the harmfulness of a given response using the Likert scale, a rating scale measuring a respondent's agreement or disagreement with a statement," the Unit 42 team said."It then asks the LLM to generate responses that contain examples that align with the scales. The example that has the highest Likert scale can potentially contain the harmful content."The explosion in popularity of artificial intelligence in recent years has also led to a new class of security exploits called prompt injection that is expressly designed to cause a machine learning model to ignore its intended behavior by passing specially crafted instructions (i.e., prompts).One specific type of prompt injection is an attack method dubbed many-shot jailbreaking, which leverages the LLM's long context window and attention to craft a series of prompts that gradually nudge the LLM to produce a malicious response without triggering its internal protections. Some examples of this technique include Crescendo and Deceptive Delight.The latest approach demonstrated by Unit 42 entails employing the LLM as a judge to assess the harmfulness of a given response using the Likert psychometric scale, and then asking the model to provide different responses corresponding to the various scores.In tests conducted across a wide range of categories against six state-of-the-art text-generation LLMs from Amazon Web Services, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and NVIDIA revealed that the technique can increase the attack success rate (ASR) by more than 60% compared to plain attack prompts on average.These categories include hate, harassment, self-harm, sexual content, indiscriminate weapons, illegal activities, malware generation, and system prompt leakage."By leveraging the LLM's understanding of harmful content and its ability to evaluate responses, this technique can significantly increase the chances of successfully bypassing the model's safety guardrails," the researchers said."The results show that content filters can reduce the ASR by an average of 89.2 percentage points across all tested models. This indicates the critical role of implementing comprehensive content filtering as a best practice when deploying LLMs in real-world applications."The development comes days after a report from The Guardian revealed that OpenAI's ChatGPT search tool could be deceived into generating completely misleading summaries by asking it to summarize web pages that contain hidden content."These techniques can be used maliciously, for example to cause ChatGPT to return a positive assessment of a product despite negative reviews on the same page," the U.K. newspaper said."The simple inclusion of hidden text by third-parties without instructions can also be used to ensure a positive assessment, with one test including extremely positive fake reviews which influenced the summary returned by ChatGPT."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Derek Bentley, Partner and Head of Energy Transition, Solomon PartnersJanuary 3, 20254 Min ReadRazvan Ionut Dragomirescu via Alamy StockTwo generational megatrends are colliding and, without bipartisan collaboration and partnerships among public and private entities, the fallout could have catastrophic economic and social implications.The transition to clean energy is one of our centurys great societal megatrends. Global investment in clean energy infrastructure is on track to hit $2 trillion this year, approximately twice the worldwide investment in fossil fuels but still short of the $4.5 trillion per year needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the most extreme effects of climate change.A second generational megatrend is complicating the energy transition: The sudden and meteoric rise of artificial intelligencehas led to a surge in demand for electricity. Grid operators are expecting electricity demand to increase by 40% to 100% by 2030, largely driven by data centers associated with AI, and this degree of growth is unprecedented since power grids were established nearly 150 years ago.The intersection of energy and AI will reshape both industries, but, currently, no single technology can fill the substantial gap between demand and supply. Solutions will require collaboration across the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Justice, utilities, grid operators, state and local agencies, as well as the private sector.Related:Power-Hungry AIA ChatGPT AI query uses about 10 times more energy than a Google search. The force behind AI -- the hyperscalers -- have aggressive decarbonization targets. However, most AI computing requires consistent power that naturally intermittent renewable power generation cannot provide.Without enough consistent power generation to meet data center demand, the US risks falling behind in the global AI race. That would be catastrophic on several fronts: from ceding economic growth and productivity gains; to jeopardizing national security; to conceding the leadership position that would allow a nation to shape global standards and steer the overall direction of AIs development and deployment.Pressure on the GridWith unprecedented levels of new demand, grid operators are increasingly concerned about their ability to provide the power generation that data centers need while also maintaining grid reliability, especially while decarbonizing the broader energy mix.Consider Loudoun County, Virginia, where over 35% of hyperscaler data centers are located -- and where Dominion Energy has seen a 500% increase in power demand from data centers from 2013 to 2022.Dominions solar capacity has grown by more than 630% since 2015, but its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan would add up to seven new gas-powered plants, more than doubling the companys gas fleet in Virginia to maintain reliability. The plan also proposes delaying by more than a decade the closure of two existing coal-fired power plants.Related:Even with these adjustments, Dominion has been telling large purchasers that the utility wont be able to provide sufficient new power to meet demand for at least five years due to grid constraints. Keep in mind that a data center takes only about one year to build.Multiple SolutionsAnalysts estimate that the US will need to spend$665 billion through 2030on generating capacity alone, not to mention spending on transmission and grid upgrades. Europes grid, which is older, could need on the order of$1 trillionin investment.While energy storage is on a long-term trajectory to solve renewables intermittency problem, deployment remains nascent as technical performance and safety track records improve and costs decline. Small modular nuclear reactors offer another potential solution, but substantial improvements are required which many experts estimate will take 10 or more years to achieve.Related:To meet the insatiable interim appetite for carbon-free power, several previously uneconomic, decommissioned nuclear power plants -- including Three Mile Island, scene of the worst commercial nuclear accident in US history -- are slated to reopen and they still would not provide enough new power. Parties are even starting to discuss possibly building new nuclear reactors.Perhaps even more vital and beyond technological solutions, legislation must create uniform permitting processes for such large amounts of new generation and transmission to be built. Currently, these differ by state and county, which creates enormous inefficiencies and results in moving targets that are prone to change based on partisan politics.Interconnection reform is also required to enable new power generation to dispatch onto the power grid. According to POWERGRID International, interconnect timelines from making an initial request to having an operational plant have increased from less than two years for projects built in 2000-2007, to more than four years for those built in 2018-2023.Unless we advance collaborative and holistic solutions, the energy transition and AI are two megatrends thatwill continue to collide and intersect in ways that create considerable challenges.About the AuthorDerek BentleyPartner and Head of Energy Transition, Solomon PartnersDerek Bentley is a Partner and Head of Energy Transition at Solomon Partners, a leading financial advisory firm.See more from Derek BentleyNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10)We are seeking a detail-oriented and organized Data Entry Specialist to join our team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for accurately inputting, managing, and maintaining data to ensure the smooth operation of our business processes. Key Responsibilities: - Input and update data into company systems with accuracy and efficiency. - Verify data for errors and inconsistencies and resolve discrepancies. - Maintain data integrity and confidentiality at all times. - Generate reports and summaries as required. - Collaborate with team members to improve data management processes. - Provide administrative support as needed. Qualifications Required: - High school diploma - Proven experience in data entry or a similar administrative role. - Excellent typing speed and accuracy. - Strong attention to detail and organizational skills. - Ability to manage time effectively and meet deadlines. - Associate degree or certification in business administration or a related field. - Previous experience in retail or customer service.

A new industrial facility in suburban Seattle is giving off a whiff of futuristic technology. It can safely treat fecal waste from people and livestock while recycling nutrients that are crucial for agriculture but in increasingly short supply across the nations farmlands. Within the 2.3-acre plant, which smells lightly of ammonia, giant rotating spindles turn steaming-hot septic sludge and biosolids from local wastewater treatment plants into what an engineer calls poop crepes. Giant scrapers then deposit the baked biomatter onto a combination conveyor belt and dryer to yield a growing pile of sterilized fertilizer. The waste-processing method uses compressed steam generated in an earlier step, cutting the electricity needed by 95%. Besides the dry fertilizer, the process yields nearly pure ammonia and water. This system, called Varcor, was designed by the Seattle engineering firm Sedron Technologies and is owned by the SanFranciscobased company Generate Upcycle. Wastewater treatment plants across the country are using high heat, composting, and devices akin to pressure cookers to transform leftover biomass into rich fertilizers, mulches, and other soil additives with names like Bloom and TAGRO (short for Tacoma Grow). Some process the wastewater in a separate step to extract phosphorusan essential plant nutrient and a common element in the human dietand layer it to form round pellets, in a technique a bit like building pearls. This technology, developed by a St. Louisbased company called Ostara, creates a slow-release fertilizer that can be sold back to farmers. We love tackling the yuck factor head-on, says the CEO of Epic Cleantec, which transforms wastewater into clean water and a natural soil additive. Even portable toilets can be vehicles for nutrient recovery, through nitrogen-capturing methods developed by peecycling groups like the Rich Earth Institute and Wasted in Vermont and by Sanitation360 AB in Sweden. Because our protein-rich diets contain abundant nitrogen, the element can be readily recycled from both urine and feces. Making fertilizer from the nutrients that we and other animals excrete has a long and colorful history; for generations it helped Indigenous cultures around the world create exceptionally fertile soil. These systems fell out of favor in Western culture, but researchers and engineers have joined advocates in reframing feces, urine, and their ingredients as invaluable natural resources to reuse instead of waste products to burn or bury. Several companies are now showing how to safely scale up the transformation with energy-efficient technologies. We love tackling the yuck factor head-on, says Aaron Tartakovsky, cofounder and CEO of Epic Cleantec, which uses a chemical reaction and heat to transform wastewater into clean water and a natural soil additive. A small sample of the truckloads of waste being transformed into dry fertilizer.BRYN NELSON A recent review in the Journal of Environmental Management, in fact, touts wastewater treatment plants as renewable biological nitrogen mines that can supply the essential but expensive component from reclaimed sewage sludge at a time when many farmers are finding it harder to obtain. Sewage can, the authors conclude, become an important raw material for the sustainable production of organic-mineral fertilizers from renewable resources available locally, with a low carbon footprint. Extracting nitrogen and phosphorus for reuse can also help remove those pollutants from the plants outflow and reduce the amount of organic matter destined for landfills and manure lagoons, which store and manage huge concentrations of livestock waste. Reinserting ourselves into natures recycling system, in other words, could help us meet the planets growing food needs without unduly fouling the environment. The Varcor system heats the incoming poop and separates it into solid matter and vapor. A process called mechanical vapor recompression allows the compressed steam to be reused as a heat source while the water and ammonia vapor are separated and distilled. The conveyor belt/dryer carries the remaining solids to the giant crepe-making spindles and then into a waiting truck below. The plant is now selling three to four truckloads of this dry fertilizer to farms every week. Stanley Janicki, chief revenue officer for Sedron Technologies, says several companies are also interested in using the ammonia product to make fertilizer instead of deriving it from fossil fuels. It could be really exciting to have a technology like this work if it can help us close the environmental loops on fertilizers and clean water access, Kimberly Worsham, founder and CEO of the sanitation and hygiene consulting agency FLUSH (an acronym for facilitated learning for universal sanitation and hygiene), says of Varcor. I love seeing new technologies coming on that can revolutionize how we use and reuse. But Worsham worries that managing such complex technology could prove unsustainable if it doesnt attract enough workers with the necessary skills. Securing regulatory permits and licenses could also pose challenges. When I look at why this has not been done before, it has very little to do with the technology, says Tartakovsky. It has everything to do with the regulatory framework. Many existing regulations, advocates say, simply never contemplated the potential for wastewater to generate useful products instead of pollutants. The water released by the Varcor plant, for example, is clean enough to be reused, but local officials are proceeding cautiously. To meet discharge regulations, the plant is sending its outflow to a nearby wastewater treatment plant instead of an adjacent wetland. Despite the challenges, the underlying technology is spreading: Two Midwestern dairies have adopted the system, and a third is working on it. Janicki says the biggest one installed, in Indiana, is five times the size of the Seattle-area septic conversion system, with the potential to convert 250 million gallons a year of cow manure into reusable water, organic fertilizer, and ammonia. The energy-efficient transformation of waste into naturally derived products could eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions from stored manure and traditional fertilizer production while offsetting the energy needed to run the farm. Waste-to-fertilizer strategies, even if scaled up, wont be enough on their own to help feed the planets burgeoning population. By viewing people as not only consumers but also producers, however, they could help us take far better advantage of some underrated natural assets that wont run dry anytime soon. Bryn Nelson is a Seattle-based science writer and the author of Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure.

Each year, about half a million Americans are diagnosed with Clostridioides difficile, a common bacterial infection of the large intestine. Only some patients respond to antibiotics. Infection recurs in about 20% of patients and proves fatal in about 30,000 cases annually. But there is a highly effective, albeit unconventional, treatment: fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which involves transplanting healthy stool into a patients gut. Although FMT is approved in many countries, access is still limited. In Europe, for example, only one in 10 patients with recurrent C. difficile is able to get FMT treatment. Access for children is especially challenging. Most banks collect samples only from adults, and transplanting them into children may cause unwanted side effects. Nikhil Pai, a pediatric gastroenterologist at McMaster Childrens Hospital and associate professor at McMaster University, is helping to change things. In 2022, he set up the first pediatric stool bank in Canada. Since then, the bank has stored more than 150 samples and completed five FMT procedures in children. Pai is collaborating with other researchers on designing oral crapsules to make treatment easier. Managing a stool bank: Pai and his colleagues take on multiple roles to keep the bank running. They recruit and screen donors, catalogue the samples, store them in a freezer at 80 C,and fundraise to keep the effort going. The bank also provides stool to researchers testing FMT as a treatment for other diseases. Theres a lot of different roles that weve taken on to be able to do this, Pai says. From donation to treatment: The bank recruits donors throughout the hospital. The healthy siblings of patients or children of hospital staff are eager to help. There is a very strong sense of citizenship that leads children to want to volunteer, he says. To ensure that their stool is healthy, donors are screened via a questionnaire and a blood test. Their stool is also tested for infectious diseases like HIV, SARS-CoV-2, and hepatitis. The bank matches each new patient with healthy stool from a donor of the same age and sex. The treatment is delivered via enema. Pai says theres an 80% success rate after one treatment and more than 90% after a second. Easing access: Pai says its crucial to fund stool banks so patients dont need to travel far for treatment. And hes hopeful that oral crapsules will make life easier for patients. Rather than needing to travel to a hospital with specialized personnel for an enema or endoscopy, they could take these like any other pill. One day, the treatment could extend to a range of other drug-resistant infections and gut diseases. Simon Spichak is a freelance science, health, and tech journalist based in Toronto.

Morning Lane residential proposals highlight conflicts between Londons housing needs and night-time economySource: Stephen Davy Peter Smith ArchitectsThe proposed developments on Morning LaneTwo proposed residential developments on Morning Lane in Hackney have highlighted the ongoing tension between the demand for urban housing and the pressures facing Londons nighttime economy. The planned schemes, located at 2 and 46 Morning Lane, have attracted criticism for their potential impact on the adjacent MOTH Club, a celebrated independent music venue.The 4-6 Morning Lane proposal, designed by Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects, seeks to introduce a six-storey building with seven residential units a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom flats and a 55m2 retail unit at ground level. The adjacent 2 Morning Lane development, by the same architects, proposes a five-storey building with five residential units and a 66m2 retail unit.The proposed development sites are located close to Mare Street in central Hackney. The immediate surroundings include Hackney Town Hall and the Grade II* listed Hackney Empire.The design and access statement describes the existing site as comprising three single-storey retail units, which it characterises as being in moderate condition and of no notable architectural merit.Abutting the two sites is the MOTH Club, housed in a distinctive red-brick former trades hall on Valette Street. Established in 1972 as the General Browning Club for ex-servicemen, it has evolved over the past decade into a vital hub for live music, comedy and cultural events. Renowned acts such as Lady Gaga and Jarvis Cocker have performed on its stage, cementing its place in Londons independent music scene.The venue was originally established as the General Browning Club, also known as the M.O.T.H. (Memorable Order of Tin Hats) Club, serving as a social hub for ex-servicemenSource: Google Street ViewAerial image showing the 2 Morning Lane site outlined in redSource: Stephen Davy Peter Smith ArchitectsAerial image showing the 4-6 Morning Lane site outlined in redSource: Stephen Davy Peter Smith ArchitectsThe sites on Morning Lane with single storey retail unitsSource: Google Street ViewThe proposed developments on Morning LaneSource: Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects1/5show captionConcerns about the developments impact on the venue have been raised by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which has cited the declining number of nightclubs in London a 29% drop between 2020 and 2024 as indicative of broader issues facing the industry. In a statement, the NTIA noted: Both developments, if approved, put one of Londons most loved independent grassroots venues at serious risk, as well as impacting the identity of the local area.A noise assessment, conducted by Hawkins Environmental, evaluated the MOTH Clubs operations. The report concluded that the venue presents a low risk of noise disruption. It highlighted the clubs noise management strategies, such as signage requesting patrons to respect neighbours, and noted no significant noise from music or patrons during a site visit. The report stated: The MOTH Club would unlikely be a constraint upon the development of the site.However, the NTIA warned that new residential developments near nightlife venues often lead to conflicts over noise, despite such assessments. These proposals have balconies directly overlooking MOTHs smoking area and back onto the stage wall, the association said. This could lead to conflicts, noise complaints, and a serious threat to the venues ability to operate.The MOTH Club has launched a petition opposing the proposed developments, which has attracted nearly 14,000 signatures.The conflict encapsulates a wider debate about balancing the urgent need for new housing with the preservation of vibrant cultural and social spaces. As Hackney Council considers these applications, many in Londons nighttime and live music economy will be watching closely. The outcome may set a precedent for how the city navigates the competing priorities of housing and nightlife.

The practice was granted planning permission for the home behind 13 Calmont Road in Bromley. Five previous applications to build on the site, which fronts onto Ambleside, were refused between 2015 and 2017.But planning officers assessing the latest proposals noted that the National Planning Policy Framework had a presumption in favour of sustainable development and that Lewisham was under-performing against housing completion targets.They concluded: The provision of one residential dwelling is welcomed and carries a significant planning merit. The standard of accommodation, design, impact on neighbours and the highway system, contribution to sustainable development and the environmental impacts are all considered acceptable, subject to conditions.AdvertisementGouldstone & Co said its single-storey scheme had been designed carefully to sit within the surrounding built environment, respecting the amenity of the existing dwellings and mature trees.The practice said its proposal was for a single family home designed around three courtyards that provided 50m of private amenity space accessible from all habitable rooms.The house also becomes quadruple-aspect, providing high-quality accommodation on a small site, it added in planning documents.Mature trees on the site will be retained and the new property will be set back from the pavement edge, with bedrooms at the back.Gouldstone & Co said the massing of the 97m scheme meant it would fit well within the tight site.AdvertisementThe ridge of the house enables its highest part to be in the centre of the site and the lower eaves to be nearer to the neighbouring gardens, said the practice.The building line is also pulled in from the rear boundary of the existing Ambleside housing. As the house is only a single-storey dwelling, there is no potential to overlook existing homes or their amenity spaces. Source:Gouldstone & CoGouldstone & Co's approved plans for infill site behind 13 Calmont Road Bromley - elevation sketchProject dataLocationCalmont Road, Bromley, LondonLocal authorityLondon Borough of LewishamType of projectResidentialClientCaswell&DainowArchitectGouldstone & CoLandscape architectHeard LandscapesGross internal floor area97m Source:Axson Office / Gouldstone & Co

AHMM's former studio at the White Collar Factory Source:&nbsp Timothy SoarAllford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has reported a loss for the second year in a row, despite an increase in income Accounts published at Companies House last week for the year ending 31 March 2024 show the company made a pre-tax loss of 1.4 million the fourth year in a row the company has been in the red.However, this loss was less than the 1.78 million deficit posted in the previous 12 months. The fourth-largest architecture practice in the AJ100, whose revenue fell slightly from 49.9 million to 47.9 million over the same period, said sustained global economic challenges had led to a 23 per cent cut in employee numbers and a reduction in office space.AHMM blamed its latest loss on one-off costs of restructuring, claiming the move had returned the business to profitability.AdvertisementCosts associated with the significant restructuring made during the accounting period totalled 3.2 million, with 1.1 million in redundancy-related payments and a further 2.1 million in payroll costs associated with those job cuts, the directors said in a foreword to the accounts.AHMM spent a further 800,000 exiting office space at the White Collar Factory studio in Old Street, Shoreditch, east London, which it designed and completed in 2017.The practice said the one-off nature of the redundancy programme and giving up the White Collar Factory studio meant the business had returned to profitability in the current year and was on a renewed and stable financial footing for the future.The income recorded in the latest accounts was the practices third-highest ever turnover on record. Yet, the practice has not returned to pre-pandemic levels of turnover, when it reported an income of 55.3 million in 2020.AHMM told the AJ that ongoing global economic challenges in the construction sector and work being paused or delayed had presented challenges over the 12 months, prompting two rounds of redundancies.AdvertisementBefore these job cuts, the practice recorded a headcount of 524 staff across the UK. That figure rose to 551 before falling by 23 per cent to 422, the directors said. Redundancies were both compulsory and voluntary.Directors acknowledged the difficult financial year in a strategic report, which highlighted domestic and international challenges to the economy and profession.The combined pay of the companys directors decreased during the period, going from 2.6 million to 1.8 million. The highest-paid AHMM director took home 373,687 a 17 per cent decrease on the 449,535 of the previous year.AHMM earned more money in the UK 41.1 million than any other architecture practice except BDP (96.9 million) for the financial year ending 2023. BDPs accounts for the last financial year have not yet been published.Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects both employ more qualified architects than AHMM, but earn significantly less in Britain (37.9 million and 1.8 million respectively). Zaha Hadids accounts for the year ending March 2024 have not yet been published.AHMMs successes in 2024 include gaining consent on the Ken Dodd Comedy Centre in Liverpool, a part-retrofit and rebuild of 1 Victoria Street in Westminster, and 50 Baker Street, a major mixe-use scheme also in Westminster.The practice also established a presence in Sydney, Australia, which its directors said would enable new business opportunities.The company said its Scope 1,2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions totalled 1,405.8 tCO2e in 2022. For 2023, the latest year for emissions reporting, the figure was down to around 1,006 tCO2e. AHMM said it had made its biggest reduction in Scope 3 emissions as the result of reducing IT equipment purchasing and events, with Scope 3 emissions going from 1,327 to 859 tCO2e. However, Scope 1 and 2 emissions increased slightly as a result of more staff in the office, the practice said.2025-01-03Gino Spocchiacomment and share

Multiple important refinance rates have moved down. Refinancing makes sense if you can get a lower interest rate on your home loan.