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Sheila Pankhurst

@profpankhurst.bsky.social
1.8K followers 2.4K following 366 posts

Followed the science exodus from Twitter. Interested in wildlife conservation, climate change. European at heart. Lucky to live in Cumbria. Banner pic is the Rannerdale bluebells. She/her. #covidisnotover

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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Powerful and important letter about artificial so-called intelligence from Sheila Hayman from Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, in the FT today
Margaret McGirr’s letter (“AI can lend a hand, but it will struggle to replace one”, July 21) and Chine McDonald’s guest column (“This retro revival is more than a longing for the past”, Opinion, August 7) both touch (sic) on something that should be obvious, but is carefully ignored by almost everyone in the tech world. Namely that our intelligence is embodied, evolved and biological, and inseparable from our bodies.
The brain’s job is to control the body in the world; it is the last organ to develop.
Every square centimetre of our hands (and of the rest of our skin) contains about a 170 touch sensors or nerve endings, sensitive to different kinds of touch: a slap, a burn, a caress, a hug — each of which travels to different parts of the midbrain, prompting the appropriate response. Quickly to the autonomic nervous system for something dangerous; more slowly via a different channel for something carrying meaning.
In addition to the hand’s limitless versatility, it is self-repairing, regulates its own temperature, knows without being programmed how much pressure to exert on an egg, a tennis ball or a day-old chick, and can fuse neurologically to whatever it holds.
So when we put a glass down on the table or slide a knife through an apple, we feel the table, or the apple, not the glass or handle in our hand (try it!).
Finally, and most urgently, the entire human body — including the hands — does everything on 25 or so watts of completely renewable energy: a tiny fraction of what a humanoid robot, even one of the current primitive iteration of robots, needs.
The “retro revival” is thus not cultural nostalgia.
It’s millions of years of evolution crying out to be heard, before we suppress it totally in the service of an automated — and dead — planet.
Sheila Hayman
Member of the Advisory Board, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, London NW1, UK
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Sharing this link to the (UK) Campaign for National Parks - have just discovered their site on Bluesky bsky.app/profile/camp...
bsky.app
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Plug-in solar panels are coming to the UK from August 27th! It's been in the pipeline for a while & it's already common in Germany. But it's BRILLIANT because it opens up these technologies to renters & ppl w/o their own roof. Plugs into a normal socket & supplies ~ 10-20% of household needs. ☀️🎉
theguardian.com
UK households free to install plug-in balcony solar panels from end of August
Law change means renters and flat owners may be able to cut bills as energy costs soar amid Iran war
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
First time Reform has lost the lead with any pollster since mid-April 2025
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Chemist & X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin's meticulous research was instrumental in uncovering DNA's molecular structure. Most famous for her role in the DNA double helix discovery, her work also revolutionized our understanding of viruses & coal. She was born #OTD in 1920. #WomenInSTEM 🧵
A classic, black-and-white studio portrait of a young Dr. Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958), the pioneering British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose data was foundational to uncovering the double-helix structure of DNA. Captured from the chest up, Franklin sits in a three-quarter pose, her body angled slightly toward the left while her gaze directly meets the viewer. She possesses a calm, intelligent, and subtly enigmatic expression, with her dark hair neatly parted on the side and styled back away from her face. She wears a dark, long-sleeved button-down blouse with structured shoulders, a sharp collar, and fabric buttons down the front placket. The background is a soft, minimalist studio gradient of neutral grays that creates a gentle vignette effect, casting a soft light on the right side of her face. The composition is clean, formal, and balanced, evoking a mood of quiet determination, dignity, and brilliant intellectual poise characteristic of the early 20th-century scientific vanguard.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
So encouraging to see this. We were incredibly lucky to be at Foulshaw when one of the chicks left the nest, and watched it fly out towards the estuary - very special #Cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Record number of osprey chicks at Cumbria nature reserve
Cumbria Wildlife Trust says it is delighted to see a new breeding pair boosting numbers.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Delighted! Beavers belong back in our landscape (and beaver-created wetlands are excellent refuges for other animals during wildfires) #Cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reintroduction of wild beavers in Cumbria moves closer
An application to fully reintroduce beavers to the Eden catchment is started.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
“Verify your age” Angel Delight
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Neil @enanem.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Trafalgar Square’s tree this Christmas.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Once a rodent biologist, always a rodent biologist..
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Stephen Barlow @steb77.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This is a very good overview by @fionaharvey.bsky.social, but this whole campaign against Net Zero, on the basis of economics and jobs, demonstrates just how confused the thinking has become over climate change. There is a complete lack of joined up thinking necessary for us to understand it. 1/🧵
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Lucy Fisher @lucyfisher.ft.com · 24/06/2026
The decade that made Andy Burnham Terrific piece by @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social on her 10 years covering Burnham in Manchester - and what she's learned about the man poised to become PM www.ft.com/content/9949...
ft.com
The decade that made Andy Burnham
What 10 years covering the Manchester mayor’s many reinventions taught me about the man who wants to lead Britain
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Thank goodness. Vaccination offers a much better way forward, with continued vaccination of badgers and especially vaccination of cattle, where urgent progress getting an effective vaccine out to farmers is badly needed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Badger cull ends in England as licence will not be renewed, Defra says
Defra confirms permission to use an active culling licence will not be given, ending the practice.
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Dr Jill Whitelock @jillwhitelock.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
A flowering grass growing as a pavement plant in Laundress Lane, Cambridge. #WildflowerID #WildflowerHour
A fluffy flowering grass.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Beavers are back in the wild on the River Lowther in Cumbria. At the (rather wonderful) Cumbria Nature Festival last weekend, Tom Bowser gave an excellent talk on the benefits to biodiversity and to flood water management following beaver reintroduction www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #Cumbria
bbc.co.uk
Rumours of Cumbria's first wild beavers confirmed
Beavers are living near the River Lowther in Eden after probably being released illegally.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Wishing Sir David Attenborough a very happy 100th birthday. What a remarkable man. www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
bbc.co.uk
Attenborough: The risk-taker who changed how we see Earth - BBC News
A celebration of the career of Sir David Attenborough on his 100th birthday in video, audio and pictures.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Bringing beavers back to Britain- should you wish to support this, match funds are available from today for a week only, doubling any donation beavertrust.org/donate/ #beavers
beavertrust.org
Donate - Beaver Trust
Together we can restore beavers and regenerate our landscapes You can support beavers by making a one-off or monthly donation to support Beaver Trust’s work. Earth raise 2026 Flooding in winter. Droug...
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Britain is home to almost half of the world’s bluebells, found in ancient or semi-natural woodlands, flowering in April and May. 'Bluebell woods' by contemporary UK painter Susan Entwistle #WomensArt
Painting of a woodland carpeted with light purple blossoms
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Following on from my previous post, this is a recent addition to the species list for our bird feeders …
The photograph is taken through a window, so you can see the window frame. Outside the window is a wooden stand with a number of hanging bird feeders, and perched on top of the stand is a magnificent sparrowhawk, feathers slightly ruffled in the wind. Unsurprisingly there are no small birds on the feeders.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Sensible advice, although I will be sad not to see and hear the goldfinches and sparrows on the feeders outside my office window in the summer months. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Take down bird feeders this summer to cut spread of avian disease, says RSPB
Charity advises replacing seed and nut feeders, where birds gather, with small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
There's a lot being shared right now about China's incredible shift towards renewable energy - and rightly so. But this, from the UK, is equally astonishing & encouraging. It's not just that change can happen. It's that it *is* happening. (Via climateactapp.substack.com/p/your-daily...)
A chart from Our World In Data, showing the shift away from coal power in the UK - nearly 70% of electricity production in the late 1980s, to less than 0.1% in 2025.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
A single line in this piece just made my day: “The electricity system operator is understood to be preparing to run the grid without any gas for short periods as soon as this summer, in a first for the UK energy system.” Renewables *work*. And progress matters🎉 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Britain breaks solar energy record twice as UK’s biggest solar farm gets approval
Record high set on Monday and raised on Tuesday, with 14.4GW of electricity generated in sunny spring weather
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Just received my copy of this and it’s rather lovely. High quality paper and printing. And eel info.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Couldn’t be more pleased to see not one but two (three?) jars of Dalemain marmalade in the photo accompanying this article in the Guardian. Dalemain marmalade is of course the best (my favourite is their Kitchen Garden marmalade- it has rhubarb in it and is not too sweet). #Cumbria
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Good news. Beaver activity generates a wide range of biodiversity benefits. For additional research science based information about the impacts of beaver reintroductions, see The Beaver Trust website. beavertrust.org/beaver-basic... #Cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Plan to bring beavers to Ennerdale takes step forward
Forestry England wants to hear from local landowners to identify 20 potential release sites.
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Good morning parents, carers, and anyone else looking after children over the Easter holidays! Here’s my regular reminder of this thread of videos of TOYS you can make at home with scrap materials you probably have lying around
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Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I've had some requests to make this map available as a poster, and so I have! If you'd like to purchase my map of the eels' life cycle, you can get a copy at my etsy store here: etsy.me/3Nvk5jK The print copy looks like this: #eels #maps
A long, skinny map titled: "Life and Travels of the European Eel" with a subtitle reading: "From the Eel's Perspective." A label at the bottom of the map reads: "Begin Here." The map top half of the map is an mirror copy of the bottom half.

I will put the full text of the column in the alt text in an image in the next post in the thread.

 The map goes from the bottom of the page up, starting in the Sargasso Sea. An set of arrows show the eels paths to shore, then up a river and into a marshland. The arrows continue up the page to show the eel leaving the marshland and heading back downstream, and out to sea. The land is green and verdant at the bottom of the map, because the eels migrate upstream in the spring. The land is brown and dry at the top of the map, because eels migrate downstream in the autumn.

A column of text on the side tells about the eels' journeys and changes. It is more text than I can relate in the space allowed here. Each paragraph has an arrow pointing up to the next one, and they are designed to be read from the bottom of the page going upwards.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Coming to two venues in Cumbria this summer - highly entertaining outdoor theatre #Cumbria #outdoortheatre vimeo.com/378123187?fl...
vimeo.com
The HandleBards - Cycling Shakespeare
We are two troupes of actors who cycle across the UK, carrying all of our set, props and costumes on the back of our bikes, performing extremely energetic, charmingly…
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Reposted by Sheila Pankhurst
Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Fantastic news! 🦋🦋 Link to full report in 🧵 www.worldwildlife.org/news/stories...
worldwildlife.org
Monarch butterfly population increases 64%
Two new reports estimate a 64% increase in species population and a significant decrease in forest degradation in the butterfly's winter home
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The badger hide at RSPB Haweswater is very special; you get the chance of a really good close up view of these charismatic animals. And a plug for the Cumbria Badger Vaccination Project too (the Haweswater badgers have been vaccinated by the CBVP against TB) #Cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Most people only encounter badgers with roadkill'
The RSPB says interest in badgers has
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I had the privilege of seeing these fabulous iron horses at different stages when they were being made - they are much more impressive close up than this photo suggests. Ellie Barden, blacksmith and welder at Grace Forge, is hugely talented www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #Cumbria
bbc.co.uk
Carlisle horse sculptures installed on new Durdar Roundabout
The horses are near Carlisle Racecourse and represent the area's equestrian history.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
As I've said before the lack of focus on A&E in govt plans is bewildering even just from a political perspective. For many people it's their most viseral and memorable interaction with the state.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
On my list to explore - possibly this autumn. Goes through some beautiful countryside. #Cumbria #https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2xeexn3w4o
bbc.co.uk
New Westmorland and Furness Way walking route announced
Hikers will be able to tackle the 120 mile (193km) trail which will take eight to 17 days.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
When I retired, one of my resolutions was to try to learn more about identifying mosses and lichens. I’m making some progress with mosses, but finding lichens tricky .. Great respect for the experts involved in this work. #cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Borrowdale Valley rare lichens thriving due to farming practices
The National Trust says results from a lichen survey in Cumbria uncovered new species.
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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity @smitfcharity.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
People experiencing homelessness were given £2,000 with no conditions through the Personal Grants Project. Early findings show the money went on rent deposits, furniture, courses and childcare. We’re proud to be funding this UK-first trial with CHI. Read more: loom.ly/ufqFIqg
bigissue.com
Homeless people were given free money, no strings attached. Here's what happened
A new trial gave homeless people £2,000 to spend however they choose. What they spent the money on may surprise you.
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Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
No Covid infection is mild. We need layered mitigations because Covid vaccines were designed to reduce disease severity not necessarily prevent infection and any infection can cause long covid. Yet we are still being gaslighted on this!
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Unpaid, but a wonderful place to be. www.welshwildlife.org/volunteer-sk...
welshwildlife.org
Volunteer on Skomer | The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
Skomer is an amazing island - but it couldn't run without our volunteers! We have short-term and long-term opportunities available, please see below for details.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Happy Christmas everyone. And thank you to Jay Mistry. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'I hold festive hikes after a lonely Christmas'
Hikes are held in Northumberland and the Lake District to bring people who might be alone together.
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Brigit Strawbridge @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
A Winter Walk - by one of my favourite artists and printmakers, Hester Cox @hestercoxprint.bsky.social More of Hester's stunning artwork, here: www.hestercox.com #art #printmaking #fox #winter
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.
The Strøget opens up into a large central space filled with people in central Copenhagen.
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Alom Shaha @alomshaha.bsky.social · 19/10/2024
Fellow parents! Carers! Anyone looking after children over half-term! Here is a thread of videos showing TOYS you can MAKE at home from scrap stuff you probably have lying around. First, the utterly delightful "balancing bird" alomshaha.com/balancing-bi...
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Small glimmers of hope - the restoration of UK access to Erasmus, a transformational educational exchange scheme www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4...
bbc.co.uk
Students react to UK rejoining Erasmus scheme as Tories accuse ministers of caving into EU
British students will be able to spend a year studying at EU universities without paying extra fees, and vice versa for European students.
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Tony Beales @tonybeales.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
#SundaySquirrel is in a hurry to be here today Cumbrian red squirrel #UKwildlife #mammals
Red squirrel in mid jump onto a fallen branch, front legs outstretched. The background is a mix of blurred fallen leaves, moss and grass
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Excellent as always.
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
More than 1,000 people have lost their lives .. barely a mention in the mainstream media
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
The Beaver Trust is advertising for a new Chief Executive. Not easy finding a link to the job advert other than via Facebook, but here’s the link to the recruitment pack. Closing date for applications is 10th December. #wildlife #beaver #speciesreintroduction beavertrust.org/wp-content/u...
beavertrust.org
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Sheila Pankhurst @profpankhurst.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
I’ve only just seen this. A really good wildflower-rich hay meadow is a wonderful thing. #Cumbria www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Lake District sees more hay meadows restored
Land in the Lake District, equivalent to the size of 23 football pitches, is restored.
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Cumbria Wildlife Trust @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Snacktime! 🐿️😍 During autumn, red squirrels scour their habitats for nuts, berries & other vital energy sources. They don't hibernate, so they cache lots of this foraged food in shallow holes and tree crevices to keep them going through the cold winter months. 🎥 Paul Burke #NatureInFlux
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Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD @dalupton.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Now published! My edited book ‘Long COVID and Society’ - my introduction is free to read for everyone. Download from the link below and check out the others chapters too (Chapter 14, about LC children and families, is also open access) link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
link.springer.com
Long COVID and Society
This is the first book to bring together academics and activists living with Long COVID to explore the social impacts of the new complex chronic condition.
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Reuters @reuters.com · 21/10/2025
Japan live: Sanae Takaichi elected as Japan's first female prime minister reut.rs/4ne1PXy
reut.rs
Japan live: Sanae Takaichi elected as Japan's first female prime minister
Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, won the lower house vote to choose the next prime minister, clearing the way for her inauguration as the country's first female premier later in the day.
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