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  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC – 28 01 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 28 JANUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 0.375p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 9,675,396 1.2209    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 9,675,396 1.2209    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 3,680 85.9415p
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 700 87.7p
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 10,000 87.9661p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 29 JANUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [LOUNGERS PLC – 28 01 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary Clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 LOUNGERS PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

    28 JANUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 1p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 1,292,477 1.2432    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 1,292,477 1.2432    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    1p ORDINARY SALE 937 320.22p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 29 JANUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC – 28 01 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 28 JANUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 1p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 12,260,907 2.2682    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 12,260,907 2.2682    

    NOTE: On 28/01/2025 a discretionary client transferred in 6,062 shares.

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    1p ORDINARY SALE 7,000 61.1p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 29 JANUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Why are workers’ rights in the garment industry a gender discrimination issue?

    Source: Amnesty International –

    More than half of factory workers who produce garments for the fashion industry are women. This means that when we talk about protecting human rights in the garment and fashion industry, we must also specifically consider the rights of women. Many of the issues facing garment workers, like low wages and precarious employment, disproportionately affect women.

    Gender discrimination is rife in the garment industry. Women face a persistent wage gap, earning less than men for comparable work. They also endure rampant gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace.

    Empowering women workers is crucial for combating gender discrimination. When states and companies suppress labour rights, such as the right to form unions, they not only undermine workers’ rights but also specifically impede women’s ability to advocate for change. The garment industry lacks sufficient safeguards for workers, especially women. Empowering women workers with greater authority and decision-making opportunities ensures that any new safeguard introduced by employers are designed and implemented based on the genuine, lived experiences of those it aims to protect.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: States throughout the Americas must not play a part in President Trump’s harmful policies against people seeking safety

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In response to the executive actions announced by US President Trump, including calling for mass deportations, declaring a national emergency and an invasion, militarizing the US-Mexico border, reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols (better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy), ending asylum at the border, and shutting down the CBP One mobile application, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said the following:

    The executive actions adopted by President Trump severely impact the rights of people seeking safety and place countless lives at risk, fabricating non-existing threats to expand militarization, externalization of borders, generalized use of immigration detention, expedited removals and criminalization of migrant rights defenders

    -Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

    “The executive actions adopted by President Trump severely impact the rights of people seeking safety and place countless lives at risk, fabricating non-existing threats to expand militarization, externalization of borders, generalized use of immigration detention, expedited removals and criminalization of migrant rights defenders. These policies make it near impossible for individuals to seek asylum in the United States and will result in thousands of people being forcibly returned to places where their lives or safety are at risk. President Trump is also calling for the use of criminal prosecutions for people crossing irregularly into the United States, a policy that resulted in the mass separations of families during Trump’s first term. To this day, there are families – mostly from Central America – who have still not been reunited from the first iteration of this cruel policy.

    The United States is also pressuring countries to accept deportation flights with individuals that are not nationals of those countries and threatening sanctions on those countries that refuse. All these policies have implications for countries throughout the Americas, continuing the troubling trend of the United States entering into bilateral agreements aimed at deterring migration.

    As the United States becomes increasingly unsafe for asylum seekers, the Canadian government must withdraw from the agreement immediately

    -Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

    The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States bars most people crossing into Canada via the United States from seeking refugee protection in Canada, and vice versa. The agreement has forced individuals to attempt dangerous border crossings and has pushed people underground in order to seek safety. As the United States becomes increasingly unsafe for asylum seekers, the Canadian government must withdraw from the agreement immediately

    The United States and Mexico jointly implemented the Migrant Protection Protocols – known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy – that trapped asylum seekers in camps along the US-Mexico border where they were at serious risk of human rights violations, with thousands of reports of people being assaulted, raped, kidnapped, and extorted. Amnesty International is calling on Mexico not to participate in any reiteration of the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

    The Mexican government must urgently adopt measures to ensure the safety and security of those who had been waiting in Mexico for CPB One appointments, including allowing them to apply for international protection in Mexico and travel freely throughout the country

    -Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

    “The shutdown of the CBP One application has created an insurmountable barrier for approximately 270,000 vulnerable individuals attempting to seek safety in the United States. They are now stranded in Mexico with no clear pathway to protection. Following the termination of CBP One, the Mexican government must urgently adopt measures to ensure the safety and security of those who had been waiting in Mexico for CPB One appointments, including allowing them to apply for international protection in Mexico and travel freely throughout the country”.

    The United States must instead respond to this moment of global displacement with funding and policies of welcome, to respond to the crisis with policies that are humane rather than those that hurt.

    Amnesty International calls on the governments of the region to refrain from participating in policies that undermine the rights and dignity of those seeking safety

    -Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International

    President Trump will only be able to implement his harmful policies if countries in the Americas agree to play along. As the members states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) meet urgently this Thursday to discuss migration, Amnesty International calls on the governments of the region to refrain from participating in policies that undermine the rights and dignity of those seeking safety.”

    For more information or to schedule an interview, contact [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: JSO mass-hearing a ‘critical opportunity to rethink the crackdown on peaceful protest’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Two-day hearing will see 16 Just Stop Oil activists seek to challenge historically draconian sentences for peaceful protest 

    Activists were sentenced for up to five years imprisonment, for a range of peaceful protests 

    ‘Now is the time for the courts to step back from the anger and irritation aimed at protesters – for calmer heads to prevail, and for reason to return to sentencing for protest offences’- Kerry Moscogiuri 

    Ahead of a major legal test over the right to protest which is due to begin at the Court of Appeal today (Wednesday 29 January) in which 16 Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists will challenge jail terms of unprecedented length related to peaceful protest, Kerry Moscogiuri, Campaigns and Communications Director at Amnesty International UK, said: 

    “This week’s hearing is a critical opportunity for the courts to rethink the increasingly harsh approach being taken against the right to peacefully protest.  

    “In recent years, UK politicians have instigated a severe crackdown on peaceful protesters, often cheered on by sections of the media. Police powers to interfere with peaceful protests have been expanded, a raft of new criminal offences have been created and maximum sentences for protest offences are now dramatically increased.

    “It is the duty of the independent courts to protect fundamental rights, regardless of whether governments and newspaper like the actions of peaceful protesters or not. Sadly, the courts have increasingly bowed to this political pressure and have abandoned their historic approach of treating conscientious protesters with leniency.  

    “The result has been catastrophic for those caught up in the crackdown and for the free exercise of protest rights in this country. 

    “Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right that everyone must always be able to enjoy – it helped forge the society we live in today and should continue to play a crucial role in the world of tomorrow.  

    “Protest can be irritating and antagonising for other people, but it is precisely this form of protest that must be protected. Choosing only to allow protest that doesn’t disturb or inconvenience anyone else renders all protest protections meaningless.  

    “Now is the time for the courts to step back from the anger and irritation aimed at protesters, for calmer heads to prevail, and for reason to return to sentencing for protest offences.” 

    An injustice of historic proportions 

    This week’s hearing involves 16 JSO activists from four separate cases. The decision by the court to conduct the hearing as a single, mass two-day event highlights the significance of this case – it is rare for so many different appeals to be combined.  

    The appeal is being supported by environmental justice organisations Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace UK. Last month, the two groups were granted permission to intervene specifically on the appeal brought by Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Cressida Gethin and Roger Hallam, all of whom were sentenced in July last year at Southwark Crown Court for their participation in a Zoom call to organise a planned M25 protest. However, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace UK’s submissions have been written to assist those involved in the other linked appeals too. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pharmacies sell some products that have little or no evidence of working – so why do they do it?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colin Davidson, Professor of Neuropharmacology, University of Central Lancashire

    Under the UK’s Pharmacy First initiative, people are encouraged to see their pharmacist before consulting their GP – especially for minor ailments. It’s a tough four-year course to become a pharmacist in the UK, so you’re in good hands if you seek their advice.

    However, on stepping in to any community pharmacy, you might be surprised by the welter of products on sale – from decongestant drugs to homeopathic remedies – that have little or no evidence to support their effectiveness.

    For example, oral phenylephrine has been shown to be ineffective as a nasal decongestant. Following a review of the evidence, late last year, the US Food and Drug Administration advised that oral versions of the drug (pills, soluble powders and syrups) should no longer be sold as a treatment for a blocked nose.

    Phenylephrine is the main decongestant ingredient in many over-the-counter cold remedies.

    Meanwhile, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s chief safety officer, Alison Cave, said there are “no safety concerns” over phenylephrine products and “people can continue to use as directed”. Although safety is not what’s in question. Effectiveness is.

    The flu drug oseltamivir also has little evidence of effectiveness – at least in otherwise healthy people. The UK government, however, still recommends its use in seasonal flu outbreaks.

    A recent meta-analysis of 33 clinical trials, with a combined 19,000 patients, showed that oseltamivir, and similar antivirals, might be useful if given to patients who are at a high risk of severe disease. However, they only worked if given within 48 hours of exposure to the flu virus. These drugs had little or no effect on most people who are at low risk or who look for treatments after the 48-hour window.

    In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded the status of oseltamivir from “essential” to “complementary”.

    The WHO strongly advises against giving oseltamivir to people with “suspected or confirmed non-severe seasonal influenza virus infection”. The drug doesn’t seem to help people at low risk of severe flu and can have unpleasant side-effects.

    What about supplements and other non-medicines?

    Of course, pharmacies don’t just sell drugs. They also sell supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, herbal medicines and homeopathic remedies.

    Although more than half the UK population takes a multivitamin or dietary supplement, scientists still debate their benefits. A recent large study found that taking a daily multivitamin doesn’t appear to be associated with a mortality benefit.

    On the other hand, taking a vitamin D supplement is recommended for those with a deficiency – especially during the dark winter months. Studies have shown that it may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in older people. And people with periods can benefit from vitamin C as it helps with iron absorption.

    Medicines in the UK must demonstrate safety, quality and efficacy – but these criteria don’t apply to supplements, herbal medicines and homeopathic products. These products only have to demonstrate safety and quality.

    The Royal Pharmaceutical Society states that there is “no evidence from randomised controlled trials for the efficacy of homoeopathy over placebo, and no scientific basis for homoeopathy”. However, it was only as recently as 2017 that the NHS agreed to cease providing homeopathic treatments.

    If the evidence says that they don’t work, why do people take these products?

    Placebo effects may be part of the reason. The person may believe that the treatment will work and this may lead to them thinking that they feel better. Most of these products are sold for self-limiting conditions and are aimed at helping people feel better while they recover.

    Many of these products are sold for self-limiting conditions.
    fizkes/Shutterstock

    Pharmacies have always sold complementary therapies, although these products have changed with the times. You won’t find tonic wine anymore, and there’s much less call for malt extract with cod liver oil.

    So why do UK pharmacies sell products with little or no evidence of effectiveness?

    Data from Community Pharmacy England suggests that 90% of the income of the average pharmacy comes from the NHS. But, over the last ten years, that funding has seen a 30% real-term cut, even in the face of new services, such as Pharmacy First.

    Is it any wonder then that community pharmacies are moving into private services, such as weight loss, and expanding the range of lifestyle products they sell?

    Also, many pharmacists work for larger companies and these companies might value profit over evidence-based treatments. Their shops can be crammed with dubious products with high profitability.

    This conflict between pharmacies making a profit and providing the best treatment options and advice is not new and is something that Australia struggled with quite recently, leading to calls for pharmacies to drop products that lack evidence.

    As long as pharmacies face NHS spending cuts and have to rely on the sale of products that have little or no evidence for their efficacy to remain afloat, the situation is unlikely to change. In the meantime, ask questions about anything you are considering buying. You can be reassured that if a product isn’t right for your condition, your pharmacist will tell you.

    The Conversation offered the Royal Pharmaceutical Society the right of reply and Elen Jones, the society’s director for England and Wales wrote:

    “Community pharmacies are the ideal place for open conversations with patients to ensure they make informed decisions about their health, including discussing any questions about the evidence of a product’s clinical effectiveness …

    “In the case of homeopathy, the RPS is clear that it has no scientific evidence to support its clinical efficacy beyond a placebo effect and does not endorse it as a form of treatment. Pharmacists should advise people considering homeopathic products about their lack of efficacy beyond placebo and also advise that individuals do not stop taking their prescribed medicines when considering using a homeopathic product.

    “Offering a variety of products can be an opportunity for patients to access the pharmacy as a ‘gateway to healthcare,’ encouraging them to seek advice for conditions because they trust their pharmacist. Pharmacists play a crucial role in providing evidence-based care daily, guiding patients towards treatments that are safe and clinically effective, with patient care and safety always as the highest priority.”

    Colin Davidson has previously received funding from the NIH (USA) and the European Community for projects related to drug abuse. He is currently a consultant on novel psychoactive substances for the UK Defence Science Technology Labs and is a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (UK). He was Head of School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire from 2017-2023.

    Cathryn Brown is a pharmacist and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She is currently a member of the Labour party, and regularly donates to Sense about Science.

    – ref. Pharmacies sell some products that have little or no evidence of working – so why do they do it? – https://theconversation.com/pharmacies-sell-some-products-that-have-little-or-no-evidence-of-working-so-why-do-they-do-it-246847

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI could help overcome the hurdles to making nuclear fusion a practical energy source

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tan Sui, Associate Professor (Reader), University of Surrey

    Efman / Shutterstock

    The pursuit of nuclear fusion as a clean, sustainable energy source represents one of the most challenging scientific and engineering goals of our time. Fusion promises nearly limitless energy without carbon emissions or long-living radioactive waste.

    However, achieving practical fusion energy requires overcoming significant challenges. These come from the heat generated by the fusion process, the radiation produced, the progressive damage to materials used in fusion devices and other engineering hurdles. Fusion systems operate under extreme physical conditions, generating data at scales that surpass the ability of humans to analyse.

    Nuclear fusion is the form of energy that powers the Sun. Existing nuclear energy relies on a process called fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to produce lighter ones. Fusion works by combining two light elements to make a heavier one.

    While physicists are able to initiate and sustain fusion for variable periods of time, getting more energy out of the process than the energy supplied to power the fusion device has been a challenge. This has so far prevented the commercialisation of this hugely promising energy source.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful and essential tool for managing the inherent challenges in fusion research. It holds promise for handling the complex data and convoluted relationships between different aspects of the fusion process. This not only enhances our understanding of fusion but also accelerates the development of new reactor designs.

    By addressing these hurdles, AI offers the potential to significantly compress timelines for the development of fusion devices, paving the way for the commercialisation of this form of energy.

    AI is reshaping fusion research across academic, government and commercial sectors, driving innovation and progress toward a sustainable energy future. For example, it can play a transformative role in addressing the challenges of developing materials for fusion reactors, which must withstand extreme thermal and neutron environments while maintaining structural integrity and functionality.

    By connecting datasets from different experiments, simulations and manufacturing processes, AI-driven models can generate reliable predictions and insights that can be acted on. A form of AI called machine learning can significantly accelerate the evaluation and optimisation of materials that could be used in fusion devices.

    These include the doughnut-shaped vessels called tokamaks used in magnetic confinement fusion (where magnetic coils are used to guide and control hot plasma – a state of matter – allowing fusion reactions to occur). The superheated plasma can damage the materials used in the interior walls of the tokamak, as well as irradiating them (making them radioactive).

    Machine learning involves the use of algorithms (a set of mathematical rules) that can learn from data and apply those lessons to unseen problems. Insights from this form of AI are critical for guiding the selection and validation of materials capable of enduring the harsh conditions within fusion devices. AI allows scientists to develop detailed simulations that enable the rapid evaluation of materials performance and their configurations within a fusion device. This helps ensure long-term reliability and cost efficiency.

    AI tools can help narrow the range of candidate materials for testing, characterise them based on their properties and perform real-time monitoring of those installed in fusion reactors. These capabilities enable the rapid screening and development of radiation-tolerant materials, reducing reliance on traditional, time-intensive approaches.

    Controlling plasma

    AI also offers a way to better control the plasma in fusion reactors. As discussed, a key challenge in magnetic confinement fusion is to shape and maintain the high-temperature plasma within the fusion device, often a tokamak vessel.

    However, the plasmas in these machines are inherently unstable. For example, a control system needs to coordinate the tokamak’s many magnets, adjust their voltage thousands of times per second to ensure the plasma never touches the walls of the vessel. This could lead to the loss of heat and potentially damage the materials inside the tokamak.

    Researchers from the UK-based company Google DeepMind have used a form of AI called deep reinforcement learning to keep the plasma steady and be used to accurately sculpt it into different shapes. This allows scientists to understand how the plasma reacts under different conditions.

    Meanwhile, a team at Princeton University in the US also used deep reinforcement learning to forecast disturbances in fusion plasma known as “tearing mode instabilities”, up to 300 milliseconds before they appear. Tearing instabilities are a leading form of disruption that can occur, stopping the fusion process. They happen when the magnetic field lines within a plasma break and create an opportunity for that plasma to escape the control system in a fusion device.

    My own collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) addresses critical challenges in materials performance and structural integrity by integrating a variety of techniques, including machine learning models, for evaluating what’s known as the residual stress of materials. Residual stress is a measure of performance that’s locked into materials during manufacturing or operation. It can significantly affect the reliability and safety of fusion reactor components under extreme conditions.

    A key outcome of this collaboration is the development of a way of working that integrates data from experiments with a machine learning-powered predictive model to evaluate residual stress in fusion joints and components.

    This framework has been validated through collaborations with leading institutions, including the National Physical Laboratory and UKAEA’s materials research facility. These advancements provide efficient and accurate assessments of materials performance and have redefined the evaluation of residual stress, unlocking new possibilities for assessing the structural integrity of components used in fusion devices.

    This research directly supports the European Demonstration Power Plant (EU-DEMO)
    and the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project, which aim to deliver a demonstration fusion power plant and prototype fusion power plant, respectively, to scale. Their success depends on ensuring the structural integrity of critical components under extreme conditions.

    By using many AI-based approaches in a coordinated way, researchers can ensure that fusion systems are physically robust and economically viable, accelerating the path to commercialisation. AI can be used to develop simulations of fusion devices that integrate insights from plasma physics, materials science, engineering and other aspects of the process. By simulating fusion systems within these virtual environments, researchers can optimise reactor design and operational strategies.

    Tan Sui would like to acknowledge funding from the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering under the Industrial Fellowships programme.

    – ref. AI could help overcome the hurdles to making nuclear fusion a practical energy source – https://theconversation.com/ai-could-help-overcome-the-hurdles-to-making-nuclear-fusion-a-practical-energy-source-247608

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Pakistani media misses stories about solutions during smog season

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rabia Qusien, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Alliance for a Sustainable Future, George Washington University, George Washington University

    It isn’t just hazy — it’s suffocating. During smog season in Lahore, Pakistan, something as simple as breathing can become a major health risk. People keep their windows shut to protect themselves, yet they can smell smoke even indoors.

    When we speak to family and colleagues in Pakistan by phone, they often have to break off, unable to speak because they are coughing and gasping due to the smog and particulate-laden air.

    This is normal for residents of many major cities in Pakistan. The smog has worsened in recent years. Fine particulate air pollution known as PM2.5 increased by 25% in 2024 compared to 2023.

    Smog started engulfing all major cities in Punjab, bringing life to a halt in major metropolitans. In November 2024, 129,229 patients visited hospitals due to respiratory diseases.

    Pakistan is the fourth most polluted country in the world, thanks mostly to the smog that descends on cities such as Lahore and Sheikhupura every winter. Conditions are so bad that life expectancy in these cities is seven years shorter than when World Health Organization’s air quality guideline are met.

    Our research into media representations of climate issues shows that the media has an important role in informing the public about the dangers and causes of smog. But often, the reporting leaves out the human toll and ignores the impacts on health and lifestyle.

    Clouded narratives

    We analysed 356 news stories related to smog in Pakistan during 2017 and 2019, which appeared in six newspapers. We found that the public health implications of smog were discussed in only 15% of stories – that includes any mention of precautionary measures such as wearing masks, moisturising skin (to build a barrier effect against environmental substance), eating a balanced diet (to maintain a healthy immune system), and reducing time spent outdoors when smog is heavy.

    Our research highlights how Pakistani media treats smog as a seasonal inconvenience, rather than a major public health emergency requiring urgent and sustainable attention.

    As we collected data, we found that news articles related to smog started appearing after the issue intensified in both English and Urdu newspapers. Most news editors, especially in Urdu newspapers, only seemed interested in smog-related stories during smog season which is from October to February, though haze hangs in the sky throughout the year.

    Pakistani media tended to attribute smog to local factors, including urbanisation, industrialisation, vehicle emissions, and the burning of waste or crops. The media remained critical of government efforts to reduce smog impacts but did not mention many sustainable policy options.

    There are other regional issues at play here, too. Given the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict, the Pakistani media blames smoke from stubble burning on the Indian side of the border for smog outbreaks, irrespective of the direction of prevailing winds.

    The media often covers the disastrous effects of smog, such as the strain on the economy, closure of schools, transport delays and utility supply disruptions. More than 20% of news reports in each newspaper were about such effects.

    However, the media published far fewer stories about the knock-on effects on human health and about communities that were vulnerable to smog, such as daily wage labourers working outdoors and inhaling toxic air.

    Smog through a solutions lens

    By adopting a more human-centred and solutions-journalism approach (rigorous reporting that’s focused on responses to particular social and environmental challenges), the media landscape in Pakistan could become much more comprehensive.

    Solutions-focused reporting of smogs should ideally cover environmental justice by showcasing how vulnerable communities are more affected by smog. With more human-centred story angles, the media can explain the health implications of smog.

    Linking routine actions, such as burning fossil fuels, crops and waste, to major health issues, such as respiratory disease is essential. Powerful storytelling can emphasise how mitigating those effects can benefit human health.

    Burning of crops to clear stubble after the harvest contributes to air pollution.
    Haani Pasha/Shutterstock

    Media coverage of sustainable solutions could be increased. Currently, the media focuses mainly on stories about short-term policy actions. That includes emphasising the ban on outdoor activities and holidays in schools or publishing stories about the number of registered cases against farmers burning crops. Stories might also cover tickets issued to smoke-emitting vehicles, industrial units sealed during smog season and the temporary pause to development projects to control smog.

    The 2019 media coverage we analysed highlighted sustainable solutions in just 12 instances. That included stories about tree planting, rooftop gardening and urban forestry. Although people mostly read and understand Urdu, the number of stories based on solutions journalism in Urdu newspapers is lower than in English newspapers.

    Solution-focused journalism can help demonstrate how stern policy action reduces environmental challenges and creates opportunities. For example, using crop stubble for cement production and knowing which trees are best for reducing air pollution.

    The road to improving public understanding of smog starts with increasing the scientific and environmental literacy of journalists in Pakistan. Once reporters and editors are more comfortable with the science, they will feel better equipped to craft solutions-focused narratives that engage their audiences in powerful stories about what is happening to air quality in Pakistan and other developing countries.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Rabia Qusien receives funding from Dublin City University.

    David Robbins is affiliated with the Green Party of Ireland/Comhaontas Glas.

    – ref. How Pakistani media misses stories about solutions during smog season – https://theconversation.com/how-pakistani-media-misses-stories-about-solutions-during-smog-season-246084

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Brics: growth of China-led bloc raises questions about a rapidly shifting world order

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gabriel Silva Huland, Teaching Fellow, School of International Studies, University of Nottingham

    Brics has emerged as a significant international force since 2009 when it was established at a summit in Russia. What began as a five-member group encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is now expanding with the integration of five new members and eight new partner countries. Even more countries may be joining in the next few years.

    This growth raises essential questions about whether Brics will challenge the leadership of traditional powers such as the US, UK and the European Union.

    But analysts are also questioning how united the bloc really is and whether a perceived lack of unity constitutes an obstacle to the bloc’s expansion. Brics is undoubtedly diverse. Iran and Saudi Arabia compete as regional powers in the Middle East, Egypt and Ethiopia have had different conflicts around the Nile’s governance, and the skirmishes between China and India are well known.

    Yet, the bloc’s strength may reside in its capacity to integrate this diverse array of countries that are not fully aligned. Building loose international organisations might be the key to navigating international politics in these times of increasing polarisation.

    The rise of Brics must be contextualised within the ongoing competition between the US and China. The rivalry between the world’s two largest economies is likely to intensify in the coming years, shaping the contemporary global order. China’s announcement of a record US$1 trillion (£804 billion) trade surplus for 2024 and its solid 5% economic growth have bolstered the narrative that its development model represents an alternative to the US-sponsored neoliberal policies that have dominated much of the world in the past four decades.

    Political leaders and economic elites worldwide are closely observing the US-China competition – and most countries strive to maintain an equidistant approach. Countries traditionally within the US sphere of influence, including Brazil and Peru, have been cautiously moving towards China, attracted by the economic opportunities the Asian giant offers. Others previously in China’s orbit, like Vietnam, are working to maintain or expand their ties with the US.

    Brics countries represent 45% of the world’s population and about 35% of global GDP.
    Sunflowerr/Shutterstock

    China is unquestionably the driving force that holds Brics together. Without China, it wouldn’t have come into existence. All Brics countries share two key characteristics. They are global south countries that do not belong to the traditional group of hegemonic powers. And they have significant economic ties with China, especially through trade relations.

    Belt and road

    The official Brics narrative emphasises multilateralism, cooperation and fair global development. But in fact the group serves primarily as an instrument for China to project its power and influence. China achieves this through a combination of rhetoric and by using the bloc as a special trade platform linked to the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI).

    Brics seeks to position itself as an alternative to US hegemony, promoting free trade and multilateralism. In times of political turbulence and the growth of illiberal forces, this narrative serves as a powerful legitimising tool for the group globally. But the group’s diversity also poses significant challenges to its rise as an alternative to the US-led global order. It is unlikely that Brics will evolve into a unified military alliance like Nato or a free trade area like Asean or the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA – formerly Nafta). The group’s diversity prevents it from acquiring these characteristics.

    Aware of this, China strategically uses Brics to increase its business opportunities and international influence. It maintains a fine balance between a loose bloc and a more solidified military or economic alliance. Contrary to the Cold War era, when the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, had well-defined spheres of influence, the current world order appears to be shaped by loose, interconnected international blocs.

    Many of Brics member states are also partners with China in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
    Net Vector/Shutterstock

    China’s prominence within Brics is clear and unlikely to change. It accounts for two-thirds of both the group’s GDP and intra-Brics trade. The country is the primary trade partner for Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran. China also holds significant investments in these nations. Russia is the largest recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment within the Brics with an accumulated stock of more than USU$10 billion.

    Most Brics member states are also directly or indirectly involved in BRI. While the major BRI projects may not be located within Brics countries – they are primarily in central, south and southeast Asia – Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Iran also host BRI initiatives. Though not an official BRI member, Brazil has become a key partner due to its role as a central food supplier to China.

    These figures highlight that expanding Brics is one of China’s foreign policy priorities. The country uses the group to project both economic and ideological influence. Donald Trump’s plans to impose trade tariffs on several countries, including China, is likely to prompt China to intensify this policy. It is a distinct possibility that the recent episode with Colombia, where the US president reportedly threatened to impose tariffs if Colombia continued to push back against deportation flights, could encourage more countries to seek closer trading relationships with China.

    Strategic friendships

    Some analysts correctly claim that Brics is divided between anti-western states and those that prefer to remain nonaligned. While the anti-western group, led by Russia, advocates for a confrontational stance towards the US, the nonaligned countries – including India and Brazil – favour a more nuanced approach.

    Analysts argue that the US should try to develop closer relations with non-aligned countries to influence internal Brics debates. But this overlooks the fact that China is not only the de-facto leader of Brics but also has an unequivocal strategy of favouring a nuanced approach towards the west, based on multilateralism and free trade. So, despite what Russia may want, it’s unlikely that Brics will assume a confrontational stance towards the west.

    China knows that a non-confrontational approach is the best way to attract more countries and solidify the Brics as a loose bloc that advocates for more democratic global governance.

    So far, this strategy appears to be working.

    Gabriel Silva Huland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Brics: growth of China-led bloc raises questions about a rapidly shifting world order – https://theconversation.com/brics-growth-of-china-led-bloc-raises-questions-about-a-rapidly-shifting-world-order-248075

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Victorian melodrama turned the sweet music of gothic into something dark and sinister

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma McEvoy, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Westminster

    In 1764, Horace Walpole published the first gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, set in a labyrinthine castle surrounded by woods. The novel features the supernatural, with a dark secret from the past at its core. Today, 260 years later, gothic is still with us in the form of “contemporary gothic” plays, fiction, films, music and computer games.

    Central to the popularity of gothic is the way it affects its audiences. It is supposed to unsettle, to make the flesh creep and provoke feelings of claustrophobia. Soundtracks for gothic films are integral to creating such effects, building suspense and unease while amplifying the visceral impact of sudden jump scares.

    Alejandro Amenábar’s soundtrack for The Others (2001), for example, weirds its listeners out. The hollow but reverberant timbre of brushed piano strings evokes the spaces of the house, conjuring up the old-fashioned alienness of the place. Action, set and music sympathetically resonate.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The soundtrack for The Substance (2024) shrieks with the strings and sudden dissonances of The Nightmare and Dawn (taken from Bernard Herrmann’s score for Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece, Vertigo). Then, it deepens the sense of disquiet with the sinister incantations and medieval-sounding harmonies of Swedish composer Anna von Hausswolff‘s Ugly and Vengeful.

    Both soundtracks impressively succeed in doing what we expect gothic music to do: provoke unease, create suspense and drive home the horror elements.

    But has the music of the gothic always been called upon to unsettle and scare? Has it always sounded so, well, gothic? These are questions I explore in my new book The Music of the Gothic 1789–1820.

    Over the last few years, I’ve been rummaging through archives in London, Oxford and Dublin searching for settings of songs from novels and music associated with gothic plays such as The Mysteries of the Castle (1795). I uncovered many treasures, some of which probably haven’t been performed for a couple of centuries.

    Thanks to a grant from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust, I was able to bring some of this music to audiences once more with the help of a group of wonderful musicians, headed by Seb Gillot, who performed the tracks you can hear in this article. You can see them performing live below.

    The gothic novels and plays of the 1790s were populated by sweet-singing heroines and heroes. Among the music I encountered was a song by the composer and singer Harriet Abrams (c. 1758-1821), in which a woman imprisoned in a madhouse sweetly pleads with her cold-hearted jailer.

    I also found music for gothic plays by the Northumbrian William Shield (1748-1829) and the Irish tenor Michael Kelly (1762-1826), who wrote songs about jolly mariners , comic poachers_ and young peasant girls on their way back from market.

    None of this material sounded remotely what we would now describe as gothic. Even the music accompanying the entrance of a blood-covered ghost in The Castle Spectre (1798) was warm and stately – and singularly unterrifying.

    I realised that none of the music from the 1790s – a period when gothic was phenomenally popular – was intended to scare. On the contrary, it was called upon to provide relief from the scare. In late 18th-century gothic plays such as The Italian Monk (1797), music was associated with romance, comedy and sublime religious experience, but not horror or terror.

    At what point then did the kind of gothic music we know today come into being? The evidence can be found in books such as Remick Folio of Moving Picture Music (1914) which contains music for silent film accompanists. With names like Mysterioso, or Forboding and Wind Storm, or Hurry, they were evidently designed for scenes of suspense and mystery.

    Such music is indebted to the music of Victorian melodrama, but what I wanted to know was when melodrama acquired its distinctive gothic sounds.

    Digging into the past of gothic

    Very often in research you discover that things happen gradually. There is trial and experiment, a series of influences, a slow accumulation of examples, and then a tipping point. But when it comes to gothic music, that is not the case. There is a definite date when a specific kind of music erupted onto the entertainment scene. The date was 1802, and the occasion a new dramatic production – a “melo-drame” or musical drama called A Tale of Mystery with music by Thomas Busby.

    Busby’s music was conceptualised very differently to the music of the 1790s. For a start it was intended to add to, not to provide relief from, the gothic elements of the play.

    Most crucially, it was not part of the imagined world of the drama. The fictional characters did not sing it – they did not even “hear” it: Busby’s music was directed at the audience. Instrumental music calculated to disturb, it was chaotic and unnerving, with lots of fast, disjointed short phrases, disturbing chords and cliffhanger endings.

    Instantly recognised as new and revolutionary, it caused a sensation. After audiences had a taste of the new gothic in A Tale of Mystery, music on the page and on the stage soon became something darker and more troubling.

    The older kind of music didn’t disappear overnight, of course, but melodrama took hold and the music of gothic was transformed. Not just on stage but also on the page. Gothic music was no longer uplifting but sinister.

    As seen in The Woman in Black (2012), there’s nothing like a music box in a deserted house to terrify audiences. And who doesn’t thrill to the sound of the diabolically thundering organ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera?

    Emma McEvoy received a research grant from the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust for the project “The Music of Gothic Literature and Theatre 1790-1820”.

    – ref. How Victorian melodrama turned the sweet music of gothic into something dark and sinister – https://theconversation.com/how-victorian-melodrama-turned-the-sweet-music-of-gothic-into-something-dark-and-sinister-246797

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Court orders tagger caught on camera to pay £1,300

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Court orders tagger caught on camera to pay £1,300

    A tagger has been forced to pay more than £1,300 in fines and costs after admitting daubing graffiti in four locations across Canterbury city centre.

    Magistrates in Margate heard that Alexander Taylor of Paxton Avenue, Folkestone, was captured defacing the underpass in St George’s Street, Canterbury, with his tag by CCTV operators in May last year.

    Canterbury City Council’s Environmental Crime team, Graffiti Officers and CCTV operators worked to trace the 24-year-old back to a vehicle parked in Ivy Lane.

    The registered keeper of the vehicle was then invited to interview.

    On Thursday (23 January), the court was told how Taylor was then linked to tags on Newingate House in Lower Bridge Street, a wall next to the entrance to the Beaney in Best Lane and the old Nason’s building in the High Street.

    All were breaches of the council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

    Taylor pleaded guilty to all four offences. Magistrates fined him £532 and ordered him to pay £200 costs, £365.12 compensation for cleaning costs and a victim surcharge of £213.

    This case follows that of the Mr Slime tagger who was ordered to pay £1,500 in fines and costs in November.

    Cllr Connie Nolan, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, Safety and Enforcement, said: “Another tagger being asked to fork out a large sum of money must act as a warning to anyone tempted to scrawl across the city’s walls – we will track you down.

    “Tagging isn’t harmless fun. It affects people’s quality of life and makes an area feel unsafe.

    “And the cost of cleaning up after taggers and hunting them down could be better spent on other frontline services helping those in need.

    “I pay tribute to the team behind this court case but also to our officers who cleaned off more than 5,000 tags across the district in 2024.”

    Published: 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Meeting of the Academic Council of the State University of Management: preparations for the 2025 admissions campaign begin

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On January 28, a meeting of the Academic Council was held at the State University of Management.

    The meeting traditionally began with a congratulatory part. Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev presented the medal of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation “For impeccable work and distinction” to Associate Professor of the Department of Management in International Business and Tourism Industry Elena Frolova, honorary certificates of the Ministry of Education and Science “For significant merits in the field of education, scientific activity and conscientious work” to Associate Professor of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations Galina Dovzhik and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Project Management Artem Geokchakyan.

    The rector also presented a first-degree diploma of the international startup competition “Business Generation 2024” to 3rd-year students of the Institute of Economics and Finance Victoria Kostikova and Yulia Popova and their consultant, professor of the Department of Theory and Organization of Management at the State University of Management Nadezhda Psareva.

    In addition, Vladimir Stroyev presented a Letter of Gratitude from the IEF for providing humanitarian aid in the conditions of the SVO, after which he congratulated the birthday people of the month.

    Director of the Institute of Marketing Gennady Azoev made a report on the activities of the Institute of Marketing in 2024 and on development prospects for 2025.

    “We exceeded the recruitment plan for the 2024 admission campaign, in 2025 it will be a bit more difficult, since both the control figures and the cost of education are higher, but still more profitable than competitors. This year we will participate in the network program “Development and Marketing of Digital Products” together with the Mari State University. I would also like to note the high interest of foreign students in the tournaments and competitions for bachelors and masters held by the institute, it is worth expanding this area,” shared Gennady Azoev.

    Also, at his suggestion, a new educational program, “International Marketing and Brand Management,” taught in English, was approved.

    Vice-Rector Pavel Pavlovsky spoke about the successes of work in the field of educational activities and proposed opening a Center for the implementation of projects in the social and humanitarian profile at the State University of Management.

    “We closely cooperate with centers engaged in the development of key traditional values and ways of communicating them to young people. One of them is the Digoria Center. The Ministry of Education and Science proposes to place part of this project on the territory of the State University of Management. Our university has long had the right to be called the ideological center of the state agenda, let me remind you that all the heads of Rosmolodezh are connected with the State University of Management in one way or another. Today, the issues of educating the younger generation and interacting with young people are extremely important for the country, and we can help in this direction,” concluded Pavel Vladimirovich.

    The Academic Council also considered issues of assigning recommendation stamps to educational publications, assigning employees to departments to prepare candidate dissertations, approving the Russian language as the language of education at the university, and other working issues.

    At the end of the meeting, Vladimir Stroyev recalled the start of work within the framework of the 2025 admissions campaign.

    “A new admission campaign has begun and everyone needs to actively participate. The work is not easy every year, the number of applicants will increase and we need to prepare properly so that as many children as possible come to GUU. To strengthen this work, we have created an entire operational headquarters that will make decisions collectively. I am personally present there and have already seen that it was not created in vain, since there are moments that require coordinated actions and systematic work that we can improve,” the GUU rector concluded.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 01/29/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin: Hero of the Soviet Union awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Moscow

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Great Patriotic War veteran Boris Kravtsov was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Moscow. This in his blog Sergei Sobyanin said.

    On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward an initiative to award the titles of honorary citizens of regions, cities and municipalities to front-line soldiers who participated in the Great Patriotic War.

    “In response to this initiative of the head of state, I submitted to the Moscow City Duma a proposal to award the title of honorary citizen of the city of Moscow to war participant Boris Vasilyevich Kravtsov. Today, the deputies supported my proposals,” the Mayor of Moscow noted.

    He specified that in the coming days he would send proposals to municipal councils of deputies to award the title of “Honorary Resident of the Municipality” to all Muscovites who participated in the Great Patriotic War.

    Boris Kravtsov was born on December 28, 1922 in Moscow. In June 1941, he was mobilized into the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. As a lieutenant, he fought on the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts. He participated in the Battle of Kharkov, the Battle of Stalingrad, then fought for Donbass, liberated the cities of Pavlograd and Zaporozhye.

    On October 24, 1943, Guards Senior Lieutenant Boris Kravtsov and a reconnaissance group crossed the Dnieper River to Khortitsa Island near Zaporozhye. From there, he transmitted targeting information to the artillery via radio, ensuring the suppression of enemy firing points. When enemy soldiers surrounded the scouts’ dugout, Boris Kravtsov called in Soviet artillery fire on his position, which allowed it to be cleared of the enemy. The Red Army soldiers themselves survived the shelling. On December 31, 1943, he received a severe shrapnel wound to the thigh.

    By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 19, 1944, for the heroic feat demonstrated in the performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders, Boris Kravtsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In June 1944, after a long treatment, with the rank of captain, he was discharged from the army due to injury.

    After the war, Boris Vasilyevich graduated from the Law Institute, and then worked his entire life in the justice and prosecutor’s offices, rising from a judge to the Minister of Justice of the USSR.

    After retirement, Boris Kravtsov became an active participant in the veterans’ movement. In 2022, Vladimir Putin awarded him the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree.

    “Boris Vasilyevich recently turned 102 years old. He is the only living Hero of the Soviet Union in the country, awarded this title for his exploits during the Great Patriotic War,” added Sergei Sobyanin.

    On behalf of the residents of the capital, he congratulated Boris Kravtsov on being awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City of Moscow” and thanked him for his heroic deeds and selfless service to the Motherland and the city.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12323050/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Unique Landscape Architecture Program Reaccredited

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The landscape architecture program in UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) has been re-accredited for four more years by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB), a national accrediting body.

    UConn’s landscape architecture program is a professional degree program that prepares students to work as landscape architects.

    “It’s a program that’s unique to UConn in that it offers this professionally accredited program,” Jill Desimini, director and associate professor of landscape architecture, says. “It means that as an undergraduate, you earn a professional degree, and you can go on to enter the profession without additional study.”

    To work as a landscape architect, one path is to attend an accredited undergraduate or graduate landscape architecture program. After completing the program, graduates work with a landscape architect in the field before sitting for the exam they must pass to become a licensed landscape architect.

    The program at UConn has been accredited since 1998. The accreditation process involves the program submitting a self-evaluation report ahead of a visit from a LAAB team who observes the program and verifies the information provided by the program.

    UConn’s is one of the few landscape architecture programs in the country that are aligned with a plant science program. At UConn, landscape architecture is part of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA).

    This provides students with the opportunity to learn about both design principles central to landscape architecture, applicable science, and the plant species at their disposal.

    “Students come out with a strong understanding of design principles, but also a strong understanding of the underlying science,” Desimini says.

    UConn’s landscape architecture students also have the opportunity to work on experiential learning projects that take advantage of the resources at UConn like the PSLA research farm and UConn Forest. Students also work on service learning projects that benefit Connecticut communities.

    “Because it’s a land grant institution and is home to UConn Extension, we’re able to have more long-term relationships with communities and support work that is happening across the state,” Desimini says. “Our students are working on real-world projects and real-world designs with communities, and they can hit the ground running with those skills and that experience.”

    Many faculty in the landscape architecture program are also active researchers, giving students additional opportunities to gain experience conducting work in the studio, lab, and field. This area will only become more important as landscape architects continue to be confronted with equity and climate change-related challenges, says Desimini.

    “Our program is in a new and exciting chapter,” Desimini says. “The focus is on work that combines STEM and design for the betterment of our communities and landscapes.”

    This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface.

    Follow UConn CAHNR on social media

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: W&T Offshore Announces Closing of $350 Million Senior Second Lien Notes Offering And Additional Strengthening of Balance Sheet

    Source: W & T Offshore Inc

    Headline: W&T Offshore Announces Closing of $350 Million Senior Second Lien Notes Offering And Additional Strengthening of Balance Sheet

    HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (“W&T Offshore” or the “Company”) today announced the closing, on January 28, 2025, of its previously announced offering of $350 million in aggregate principal amount of 10.750% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2029 (the “Notes”) at par in a private offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and receipt of proceeds from a previously-announced insurance settlement. In conjunction with the issuance of the Notes, the Company entered into a credit agreement with certain lenders and other parties which provides the Company a revolving credit facility of $50 million.

    • Closed $350 million of Notes;
      • Lowered the interest rate from the previous 11.750% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Senior Second Lien Notes”) by one hundred basis points;
      • Repaid $114.2 million outstanding under the term loan provided by Munich Re Risk Financing, Inc., as lender (the “MRE Term Loan”);
    • Entered into a new credit agreement for a $50 million revolving credit facility through July 2028 that is undrawn and replaces the previous credit facility provided by Calculus Lending, LLC; and
    • Received in cash $58.2 million of the previously announced $58.5 million insurance settlement related to the Mobile Bay 78-1 well, with the remainder expected shortly, which further bolsters W&T’s balance sheet.

    Tracy W. Krohn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We have begun 2025 with several positive events that improve W&T’s financial position. Over the past month, we have strengthened the balance sheet by closing the new senior second lien notes offering, entering into a new revolving credit facility and collecting our insurance settlement. I would like to thank our banks for running such a smooth process. The new senior second lien notes, which received improved credit ratings from S&P and Moody’s, had a broad distribution. This included international investors and was significantly oversubscribed, further demonstrating the investment community’s confidence in W&T’s underlying asset base. We are likewise pleased to now have access to the bank revolver market again. With pathways in place to bring additional fields back online and our successful actions to enhance our balance sheet, we are well-positioned for success moving forward.”

    The Company has used a portion of the proceeds from the Notes offering, along with cash on hand to, (i) purchase for cash pursuant to a tender offer, such of the Company’s outstanding 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes that were validly tendered pursuant to the terms thereof (the “Tender Offer”), (ii) repay outstanding amounts under the MRE Term Loan, (iii) fund the full redemption amount for an August 1, 2025 redemption of the remaining 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes not validly tendered and accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer and (iv) pay premiums, fees and expenses related to the offering of Notes, the Tender Offer, the redemption of the remaining 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes, the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes and the repayment of the MRE Term Loan. On the closing date of the offering of the Notes, the Company completed all actions necessary to satisfy and discharge the indenture governing the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes.

    On January 28, 2025, in conjunction with the issuance of the Notes, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), by and among the Company, as borrower, Texas Capital Bank, as Administrative Agent, lender and L/C Issuer, TCBI Securities, Inc., doing business as Texas Capital Securities, as Lead Arranger and Bookrunner, the other lenders named therein and other parties thereto which provides the Company a revolving credit and letter of credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), with initial lending commitments of $50 million with a letter of credit sublimit of $10 million. The Credit Facility matures on July 28, 2028.

    The Credit Facility is guaranteed by each of the Company’s wholly owned direct and indirect subsidiaries (the “Guarantors”) and is secured by a first-priority lien on substantially all of the natural gas and oil properties and personal property assets of the Company and the Guarantors, other than the Company’s membership interest in its Unrestricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the Credit Agreement) and minority ownership in certain joint venture entities. Certain future-formed or acquired majority-owned domestic subsidiaries of the Company may also be required to guarantee the Credit Facility and grant a security interest in substantially all of their natural gas and oil properties and personal property assets to secure the obligations under the Credit Facility.

    This press release is being issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes, and it does not constitute a notice of redemption of the 2026 Senior Second Lien Notes.

    The Notes and the related guarantees have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or any other securities laws, and the Notes and the related guarantees may not be offered or sold except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. The Notes and the related guarantees are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in the United States under Rule 144A and to non-U.S. investors outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S.

    This press release is being issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of the Notes, the related guarantees, or any other securities, nor does it constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy or a sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

    ABOUT W&T OFFSHORE

    W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and has grown through acquisitions, exploration and development. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had working interests in 53 fields in federal and state waters (which include 46 fields in federal waters and 7 in state waters). The Company has under lease approximately 673,100 gross acres (515,400 net acres) spanning across the outer continental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with approximately 514,000 gross acres on the conventional shelf, approximately 153,500 gross acres in the deepwater and 5,600 gross acres in Alabama state waters. A majority of the Company’s daily production is derived from wells it operates.

    FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release regarding the Company’s financial position, operating and financial performance, and potential to return fields back to production are forward-looking statements. When used in this release, forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “target,” “could,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “goal,” “will,” “should,” “may” or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Items contemplating or making assumptions about actual or potential future production and sales, prices, market size, and trends or operating results also constitute such forward-looking statements.

    These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and speak only as of the date of this release. While management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as results actually achieved may differ materially from expected results described in these statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of such statements, unless required by law.

    Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, among other things, the regulatory environment, including availability or timing of, and conditions imposed on, obtaining and/or maintaining permits and approvals, including those necessary for drilling and/or development projects; the impact of current, pending and/or future laws and regulations, and of legislative and regulatory changes and other government activities, including those related to permitting, drilling, completion, well stimulation, operation, maintenance or abandonment of wells or facilities, managing energy, water, land, greenhouse gases or other emissions, protection of health, safety and the environment, or transportation, marketing and sale of the Company’s products; inflation levels; global economic trends, geopolitical risks and general economic and industry conditions, such as the global supply chain disruptions and the government interventions into the financial markets and economy in response to inflation levels and world health events; volatility of oil, NGL and natural gas prices; the global energy future, including the factors and trends that are expected to shape it, such as concerns about climate change and other air quality issues, the transition to a low-emission economy and the expected role of different energy sources; supply of and demand for oil, natural gas and NGLs, including due to the actions of foreign producers, importantly including OPEC and other major oil producing companies (“OPEC+”) and change in OPEC+’s production levels; disruptions to, capacity constraints in, or other limitations on the pipeline systems that deliver the Company’s oil and natural gas and other processing and transportation considerations; inability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or to obtain adequate financing to fund capital expenditures, meet the Company’s working capital requirements or fund planned investments; price fluctuations and availability of natural gas and electricity; the Company’s ability to use derivative instruments to manage commodity price risk; the Company’s ability to meet the Company’s planned drilling schedule, including due to the Company’s ability to obtain permits on a timely basis or at all, and to successfully drill wells that produce oil and natural gas in commercially viable quantities; uncertainties associated with estimating proved reserves and related future cash flows; the Company’s ability to replace the Company’s reserves through exploration and development activities; drilling and production results, lower–than–expected production, reserves or resources from development projects or higher–than–expected decline rates; the Company’s ability to obtain timely and available drilling and completion equipment and crew availability and access to necessary resources for drilling, completing and operating wells; changes in tax laws; effects of competition; uncertainties and liabilities associated with acquired and divested assets; the Company’s ability to make acquisitions and successfully integrate any acquired businesses; asset impairments from commodity price declines; large or multiple customer defaults on contractual obligations, including defaults resulting from actual or potential insolvencies; geographical concentration of the Company’s operations; the creditworthiness and performance of the Company’s counterparties with respect to its hedges; impact of derivatives legislation affecting the Company’s ability to hedge; failure of risk management and ineffectiveness of internal controls; catastrophic events, including tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics and other world health events; environmental risks and liabilities under U.S. federal, state, tribal and local laws and regulations (including remedial actions); potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; the Company’s ability to recruit and/or retain key members of the Company’s senior management and key technical employees; information technology failures or cyberattacks; and governmental actions and political conditions, as well as the actions by other third parties that are beyond the Company’s control, and other factors discussed in W&T Offshore’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q found at www.sec.gov or at the Company’s website at www.wtoffshore.com under the Investor Relations section.

    CONTACT:

    Al Petrie
    Investor Relations Coordinator
    investorrelations@wtoffshore.com
    713-297-8024

    Sameer Parasnis
    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
    sparasnis@wtoffshore.com
    713-513-8654

    Source: W&T Offshore, Inc.

    Source: W&T Offshore, Inc.

    Released January 29, 2025

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: DRC Green Corridor Project: Greenpeace Africa cautiously welcomes “World’s Largest Forest Reserve”, urges inclusive approach

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Kinshasa, 29 January 2025 – Greenpeace Africa welcomes the creation of the Kivu to Kinshasa Green Corridor Reserve, an ambitious initiative to establish a vast protected area of more than 54,000 km², which will be dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources. Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), made the announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22nd 2025.

    Established by a ministerial decree adopted on January 15 2025, this zone is designed to safeguard more than 100,000 km² of primary forests and  60,000 km² of peatlands while combating deforestation through tangible initiatives.  These initiatives focus on agricultural development and the promotion of renewable energy, aiming to enhance the socio-economic conditions of local communities. With  this project, the DRC government says is committed to not only preserving  nature but also  fostering a  green economy by actively engaging  local communities and prioritising their role in sustainable natural resource management 

    Since the announcement of the Kivu to Kinshasa Green Corridor Reserve, several issues have arisen, particularly concerning the human rights of local communities and indigenous peoples. Key concerns include the absence of prior consultations and the failure to adhere to the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from the affected local communities during the planning stage. Furthermore, there are significant challenges in effectively managing this community area, primarily due to the limited capacity of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) to oversee this extensive protected region, which encompasses the forest concessions of local communities, as well as industrial, mining, and agricultural concessions that fall under the authority of various ministries.

    Greenpeace Africa appreciates this positive initiative aimed at nature conservation and supporting local communities. However, the organisation urges the Congolese government to rethink its strategy, which has not adequately included indigenous peoples, local communities, and other relevant stakeholders. Without genuine involvement from these groups, the Green Corridor project may perpetuate a neo-colonial development model that overlooks the needs and rights of the affected communities, possibly exploiting them in the process. Historically, local communities and indigenous peoples have been passive observers or helpless victims in the management of resources on their ancestral lands. Significant strides are being made to empower indigenous peoples as key contributors to conservation efforts. It is essential to maintain this momentum and not regress.

    Greenpeace Africa strongly urges the Congolese Government to promote good governance and uphold the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples during the execution of the Kivu to Kinshasa Green Corridor Reserve project. This approach is essential for meeting the project’s goals while enhancing local communities’ living standards and safeguarding our natural resources.

    END

    For media enquiries contact:

    Raphael Mavambu, Communication and Media, Greenpeace Africa, +243 810 679 437, [email protected]

    Greenpeace Africa Pressdesk:
    [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI China: Harbin carries out an upgrade to provide better services for winter sports lovers and tourists

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Harbin carries out an upgrade to provide better services for winter sports lovers and tourists

    Updated: January 29, 2025 20:30 Xinhua
    This aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 23, 2025 shows visitors playing at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. As the 9th Asian Winter Games (AWG) approaching, Harbin, known for its stunning ice sculptures and deep-rooted winter sports culture, is brimming with anticipation. As the city’s iconic landmark, the Harbin Ice-Snow World, with this year’s edition, the largest in its history, boasts 1 million square meters. The park shares its theme this year with the upcoming AWG to be held in Harbin: Dream of Winter, Love Among Asia. Harbin, which successfully hosted the 3rd AWG in 1996, is once again stepping onto the world stage. The whole city is under an upgrade to provide better services for winter sports lovers and tourists. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 15, 2025 shows people having fun around a giant snowman by the Songhua River in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People take photos at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Jan. 20, 2025 shows the flame lighting ceremony for the 9th Asian Winter Games at the Sun Island Scenic Area in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 23, 2025 shows visitors playing at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Jan. 20, 2025 shows the flame lighting ceremony for the 9th Asian Winter Games at the Sun Island Scenic Area in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 23, 2025 shows a large logo of the 9th Asian Winter Games on the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 22, 2025 shows visitors play at the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Yabuli Ski Resort in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 16, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Jan. 8, 2025 shows a sculpture of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Monetary developments in the euro area: December 2024

    Source: European Central Bank

    29 January 2025

    Components of the broad monetary aggregate M3

    The annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 decreased to 3.5% in December 2024 from 3.8% in November, averaging 3.6% in the three months up to December. The components of M3 showed the following developments. The annual growth rate of the narrower aggregate M1, which comprises currency in circulation and overnight deposits, increased to 1.8% in December from 1.5% in November. The annual growth rate of short-term deposits other than overnight deposits (M2-M1) decreased to 4.5% in December from 6.1% in November. The annual growth rate of marketable instruments (M3-M2) decreased to 16.3% in December from 17.0% in November.

    Chart 1

    Monetary aggregates

    (annual growth rates)

    Data for monetary aggregates

    Looking at the components’ contributions to the annual growth rate of M3, the narrower aggregate M1 contributed 1.1 percentage points (up from 1.0 percentage points in November), short-term deposits other than overnight deposits (M2-M1) contributed 1.3 percentage points (down from 1.8 percentage points) and marketable instruments (M3-M2) contributed 1.0 percentage points (as in the previous month).

    Among the holding sectors of deposits in M3, the annual growth rate of deposits placed by households stood at 3.5% in December, unchanged from the previous month, while the annual growth rate of deposits placed by non-financial corporations increased to 2.9% in December from 2.3% in November. Finally, the annual growth rate of deposits placed by investment funds other than money market funds decreased to 7.4% in December from 7.9% in November.

    Counterparts of the broad monetary aggregate M3

    The annual growth rate of M3 in December 2024, as a reflection of changes in the items on the monetary financial institution (MFI) consolidated balance sheet other than M3 (counterparts of M3), can be broken down as follows: net external assets contributed 3.6 percentage points (as in the previous month), claims on the private sector contributed 1.7 percentage points (up from 1.2 percentage points), claims on general government contributed -0.4 percentage points (down from -0.3 percentage points), longer-term liabilities contributed -1.8 percentage points (down from -1.6 percentage points), and the remaining counterparts of M3 contributed 0.5 percentage points (down from 0.9 percentage points).

    Chart 2

    Contribution of the M3 counterparts to the annual growth rate of M3

    (percentage points)

    Data for contribution of the M3 counterparts to the annual growth rate of M3

    Claims on euro area residents

    The annual growth rate of total claims on euro area residents increased to 0.9% in December 2024 from 0.7% in the previous month. The annual growth rate of claims on general government was -1.0% in December, compared with -0.7% in November, while the annual growth rate of claims on the private sector increased to 1.7% in December from 1.3% in November.

    The annual growth rate of adjusted loans to the private sector (i.e. adjusted for loan transfers and notional cash pooling) increased to 2.0% in December from 1.5% in November. Among the borrowing sectors, the annual growth rate of adjusted loans to households increased to 1.1% in December from 0.9% in November, while the annual growth rate of adjusted loans to non-financial corporations increased to 1.5% in December from 1.0% in November.

    Chart 3

    Adjusted loans to the private sector

    (annual growth rates)

    Data for adjusted loans to the private sector

    Notes:

    • Data in this press release are adjusted for seasonal and end-of-month calendar effects, unless stated otherwise.
    • “Private sector” refers to euro area non-MFIs excluding general government.
    • Hyperlinks lead to data that may change with subsequent releases as a result of revisions. Figures shown in annex tables are a snapshot of the data as at the time of the current release.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Mine Action Service – Press Conference | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Press conference by Thomas Kontogeorgos, Chief of the Office for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR), Mai Shahin, Combatants for Peace (CFP), and activist Iris Gur on Mine Action Service.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZOdzKXl73Q

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Kristi Noem Delivers Welcome Remarks to DHS Staff

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    On Tuesday, January 28, Secretary Noem will address her staff for the first time and share her vision for the Department of Homeland Security.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xal4sktE6I4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Japan and WFP join forces to strengthen food security of vulnerable populations in Cameroon

    Source: World Food Programme

    YAOUNDE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a Japanese Yen 200 million (approx. US$ 1.27 million) contribution from the Government of Japan to provide lifesaving food assistance to crisis-affected people across six regions in Cameroon

    In collaboration with the government, WFP will provide general food distributions to 17,000 most vulnerable refugees, internally displaced people, vulnerable host populations, including primary school-aged children in the Far North, North, East, Adamawa, North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. 

    The funding will also enable WFP to reach 8,200 primary school children with nutritious meals sourced from Japan. Additionally, WFP will extend its integrated food and nutrition assistance to 8,800 refugees, IDPs, and vulnerable host communities located in the Far North, and Eastern regions (East, North, and Adamawa).

    “Japan’s support is more than just a lifeline—it is an investment in resilience and hope. By addressing urgent food and nutrition needs, we are creating pathways toward sustainable change for the most vulnerable populations in Cameroon,” said Gianluca Ferrera, WFP’s Country Director in Cameroon. “We are profoundly thankful for Japan’s unwavering dedication to the fight against hunger.”

    The humanitarian situation remains critical in Cameroon with 1.1 million people internally displaced as of December 2024, due to the protracted crisis in the lake Chad, North-West and South-West regions, and the adverse effects of climate change such as frequent droughts and floods.  The country also hosts 281,488 refugees from the Central African Republic in the Adamawa, East, and North regions. According to the November 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis over 2.7 million people are projected to experience acute hunger between June and August 2025. 

    “Through this partnership, the Government of Japan aims to address food security of communities and build their resilience,” said H.E. Mr. Kentaro Minami, Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon. “Our contribution reflects a balanced approach, addressing essential food and nutrition needs while laying the foundation for long-lasting solutions to improve livelihoods of vulnerable populations.”

    Overall, in Cameroon, WFP focuses on addressing food insecurity and malnutrition through emergency relief and recovery programmes. This includes the provision of cash and food assistance to crisis-affected people, school meals to primary school children, nutrition support and services to children under 5, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, and food assistance for asset creation. The main objective is to improve school attendance and learning, enhance local agricultural productivity, improve access to nutrition, and strengthen community resilience to climate shocks. WFP is dedicated to supporting vulnerable populations and fostering sustainable development throughout the country.

    #                 #                   #

    The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

    Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, via @wfp_media @WFP_Cameroon

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Mauritania Presents Credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    Aicha Vall Verges, the new Permanent Representative of Mauritania to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented her credentials to Tatiana Valovaya, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

    Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Verges had been serving as Director of the Office of the Prime Minister of Mauritania since 2021.  She has also held various leadership roles within the Mauritanian Government, including as Minister of Social Affairs, Children and Families (2012–2013), State Inspector General (2011-2012), Secretary of State for Information and Communication Technologies (2008), and Deputy Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment (2005-2008).

    Ms. Verges also has experience in Geneva, having served as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for a four-year term from 2016.  A staunch defender of women’s rights, she has also served as President of the Association for Preventive Health for Women since 2008, and of the Network of Mauritanian Women Leaders since 2018.  Further, she has written numerous publications addressing issues related to gender and women’s rights.

    Born in Kiffa, Mauritania, in 1965, Ms. Verges holds master’s degrees on the management of political economics (2003) and on the management of economic sciences (1991).

    __________

    CR.25.51E

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media; not an official record.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Tribal Affairs Wins Best Tableau Award in Republic Day Parade 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Ministry of Tribal Affairs Wins Best Tableau Award in Republic Day Parade 2025

    Honouring Bhagwan Birsa Munda and the Spirit of ‘Janjatiya’

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 4:26PM by PIB Delhi

    The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been awarded the Best Tableau from Central Ministries/Departments at the 76th Republic Day Parade 2025 for its inspiring and culturally rich tableau based on “Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh”, commemorating the 150th birth anniversary year of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The tableau beautifully depicted the tribal ethos with a majestic Sal tree, symbolizing strength, sustainability, and the deep connection between tribal communities and nature. The central theme, “Jal, Jungle, Jameen”, showcased the timeless wisdom of India’s tribal heritage and their invaluable contributions to the freedom struggle and nation-building.

    The vibrant performance of Paika dance from Jharkhand and the rhythmic beats of Nagada from Chhattisgarh mesmerized the audience, embodying the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat and the spirit of Shreshtha Bharat. On this historic achievement, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram, expressed his gratitude, stating: “This honour is a tribute to the legacy of Bhagwan Birsa Munda and the rich cultural heritage of India’s tribal communities. The Ministry remains committed to empowering tribal communities through initiatives like PM-JANMAN, Dharti Aaba Abhiyan, and Eklavya Schools, ensuring their holistic development. This recognition reaffirms our vision of a Viksit Bharat where every tribal voice is heard and celebrated.”

    Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durga Das Uikey, emphasized the significance of the award, saying: “This award recognizes the invaluable contributions of tribal communities to our nation. Their legacy will continue to inspire generations, and we remain dedicated to preserving and promoting their cultural heritage.”

    Shri Vibhu Nayar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, lauded the team’s efforts, saying:
    “Winning the Best Tableau award is a moment of immense pride for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The tableau captured the essence of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh, reflecting the resilience and contributions of our tribal communities. This recognition further strengthens our resolve to preserve and promote rich tribal art, culture and heritage on a national and global scale.”

    Ministry of Tribal Affairs extends heartfelt thanks to the people of India for their overwhelming support and encouragement. This honour belongs to every tribal community whose stories, struggles, and triumphs continue to inspire generations.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ISRO’s 100th Launch Marks a Quantum Leap in India’s Space journey, Says Dr. Jitendra Singh

    Source: Government of India

    ISRO’s 100th Launch Marks a Quantum Leap in India’s Space journey, Says Dr. Jitendra Singh

    Dr. Jitendra Singh says, Privileged to Be associated with the Department of Space at This Juncture

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 4:17PM by PIB Delhi

     In his first response to the Indian Space Research Organisation’s  successful 100th launch from Sriharikota this morning, Union Minister of State for Space Dr Jitendra Singh  said, “the launch of GSLV-F15/NVS-02 Mission is not simply another landmark milestone but this launch, being the 100th one, marks a quantum leap in India’s Space journey.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed his deep sense of privilege in being associated with the Department of Space at such a momentous time when the world is amazed by a series of extraordinary achievements registered by the ISRO one after the other and highlighted the remarkable transformation of ISRO under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh briefing the media about the 100th launch of GSLV from Sriharikota.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that while ISRO was established in 1969, it took more than two decades to set up the first launch pad in 1993. The second launch pad came up only in 2004, marking another decade-long gap. However, in the last 10 years, India’s space sector has undergone unprecedented expansion, both in terms of infrastructure and investment. “This 100th launch marks a quantum leap in the space sector, which did not happen in the last six decades. We are now building a third launch pad in Sriharikota, and for the first time, expanding beyond Sriharikota with a new launch site in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district, where the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi last year in February,” he stated.

    The Minister also underlined the rapid rise of private sector participation in space. “In 2021, we had barely a single-digit number of space startups. Today, we are nearing 300, many of which are world-class enterprises and entrepreneurial success stories. India is positioning itself as a frontline player in the global private space sector,” he noted. This growth has translated into real economic impact—investment in the sector has surged, with Rs 1,000 crore invested in 2023 alone. The space economy, currently valued at $8 billion, is projected to reach $44 billion in the next decade, further cementing India’s role as a global space powerhouse.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh also highlighted India’s growing dominance in commercial space launches. “Today, 90% of foreign satellite launches are being carried out through ISRO, reflecting the global confidence in our capabilities,” he said. The reforms initiated in the past decade, including the unlocking of the space sector for private players, have led to greater innovation, investment, and international collaborations.

    Taking to social media, Dr. Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its unwavering commitment to excellence and its ability to consistently raise the bar in space exploration. He stated, “100th Launch: Congratulations ISRO for achieving the landmark milestone of 100th launch from Sriharikota. It’s a privilege to be associated with the Department of Space at this historic moment. Team ISRO, you have once again made India proud with the successful launch of GSLV-F15/NVS-02 Mission.”

    Reflecting on the remarkable journey of India’s space program, Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the visionary contributions of early pioneers like Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, whose efforts laid the foundation for India’s burgeoning space sector.

    The 100th launch from Sriharikota, therefore, is not just a numerical milestone but a symbol of India’s accelerated progress in space exploration. From decades of gradual development to a decade of transformational growth, ISRO’s journey stands as a testament to India’s technological prowess and its aspirations to lead in the global space economy. With new infrastructure, increased private participation, and record-breaking investments, India is poised for even greater achievements in the years to come.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) Results for 2023-24

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) Results for 2023-24

    (Reference & Survey period: October 2023 to September 2024)

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi

    Unincorporated Sector has witnessed significant growth in estimated number of establishments (by 12.84%), estimated number of workers (by 10.01%) and in GVA (by 16.52%; in current price) during October, 2023– September, 2024 as compared to October, 2022 – September, 2023.

    Over the two survey periods, the sector has demonstrated enhanced capital investment, greater accessibility to loans, and stronger trend toward digital adoption.

    About 58% of the establishments were headed by female proprietors in the Manufacturing sector during the survey period, an increase of 4 percentage points from the previous year.

    More than 37% of the establishments were registered with at least one act/authority.

     

    The key results of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for the reference period of October 2023 to September 2024 (ASUSE 2023-24) in the form of a factsheet were released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), on 24thDecember 2024 through a press note, accompanied by a press conference. The detailed report and unit level data of the survey is now being released through this press note. These are now available in the website of the Ministry (https://www.mospi.gov.in).Further, interactive tables and visualizations on ASUSE 2021-22 and 2022-23 results may be accessed on the Data Catalogue section of https://esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in/.

    A brief overview of the survey in terms of coverage, sampling strategy, data collection mechanism, etc., is provided in the Endnote.

    The unincorporated non-agricultural sector holds significant importance in the Indian economy, primarily due to its ability to absorb a significant portion of the country’s workforce, its inclusivity in providing employment opportunities to a diverse range of people and also for its contribution to country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Key highlights from ASUSE 2023-24 results

    The total number of establishments in the sector increased substantially from 6.50 crore[1]in 2022-23 to 7.34 crore in 2023-24, representing a healthy12.84% growth[2]. Among the broad sectors covered, the number of establishments in the “Other Services” sector recorded a growth of 23.55% followed by a 13% increase witnessed in the manufacturing sector. Around39% of the establishments in this sector were engaged in either retail trade (around 27%) or manufacturing of wearing apparel (around 12%)according to ASUSE 2023-24. Among the major states, highest number of establishments (rural and urban combined) has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, followed by West Bengal and Maharashtra during the same period.

    The Gross Value Added (GVA[3]) which is a key indicator of economic performance rose by16.52% driven by a 26.17% growth in other services sector.The top three states in terms of GVA were Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat during ASUSE 2023-24.

    The unincorporated non-agricultural sector employed more than 12 crore workers between October 2023 and September 2024, marking an increase of more than one crore workers from 2022-23 and reflecting robust labour market growth. More than one-third of this workforce was engaged in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Proportion of female workers to total workers has increased from 25.63% in ASUSE 2022-23 to 28.12% in ASUSE 2023-24. About 58% of the establishments were headed by female proprietors in the Manufacturing sector during the survey period.

    Figure 1 illustrates the percentages of female headed proprietary establishments across different broad activity categories over the two survey periods (ASUSE 2022-23 and ASUSE 2023-24).

     

    Among the activity categories, it is observed thatother retail trade, followed by manufacturing of wearing apparel and other community, social and personal services have reportedthe most number of establishments and engaged maximum number of workers at all-India level in ASUSE 2023-24. The percentage share of these three activity categories in estimated number of total establishments and total workers are given in Table 1.

    Table1: Percentage share of establishments and workers in respect of  top 3 activity categories

     

    Activity Category

    Number of Establishments

    Number of Workers

    ASUSE 22-23

    ASUSE 23-24

    ASUSE 22-23

    ASUSE 23-24

    Other Retail Trade

    30.38

    27.07

    29.80

    27.46

    Manufacture of Wearing Apparel

    11.27

    12.17

    8.39

    9.22

    Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities

    9.47

    10.90

    8.19

    8.93

     

    Percentage ofregistered establishments has increased marginally from 36.80% in ASUSE 2022-23 to 37.20% in ASUSE 2023-24 thus showing an increasing trend of registration in the sector.

    Use of internet, for entrepreneurial purpose, has increased from 13.50% in 2022-23 to 17.90% in 2023-24 in rural and from 30.20% to 37.00% in urban sector. Overall, it increased from 21.10% to 26.70% during ASUSE 2023-24 as compared to ASUSE 2022-23. Among the broad activity categories, about 35% of trading establishments used internet for entrepreneurial purpose, an increase of 10 percentage points from ASUSE 2022-23. This substantial growth reflects a strong trend toward digital adoption among establishments, highlighting the increasing reliance on the internet for business operations.

    Figure 2, given below shows the change in usage of internet in ASUSE 2023-24 as compared to ASUSE 2022-23 by type of establishment.

    Fixed assets owned by an unincorporated non-agricultural establishment, on average, has risen from Rs. 3,18,144 in ASUSE 2022-23 to Rs. 3,24,075in ASUSE 2023-24 showing an improved capital investment in the sector. At the same time, Outstanding Loan per establishment has increased from Rs. 50,138 in ASUSE 2022-23 to Rs. 53,710in ASUSE 2023-24, indicating an improvement in availability of loan in this sector.

    Endnote: A brief about the coverage, sampling scheme, sample size and data collection mechanism in the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE):

    A. Coverage of ASUSE:

    A.1. Geographically, ASUSE covers the rural and urban areas of whole of India (except some of the villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are difficult to access).

    A.2. Sector-wise, this survey captures unincorporated non-agricultural establishments belonging to three sectors viz., Manufacturing, Trade and Other Services.

    A.3. Ownership-wise, unincorporated non-agricultural establishments pertaining to proprietorship, partnership (excluding Limited Liability Partnerships), Self-Help Groups (SHG), co-operatives, societies/trusts etc. have been covered in ASUSE.

    B. Sampling Scheme:

    The survey has been conducted following a multi-stage stratified sampling scheme, where first stage units (FSUs) are census villages in rural area (except for rural Kerala, where Panchayat wards have been taken as FSUs) and UFS (Urban Frame Survey) blocks in urban areas.  The ultimate stage units (USUs) are establishments for both the sectors. In the case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling has been done in the form of hamlet groups in rural and sub-blocks in urban. 

    C. Sample Size:

    In ASUSE 2023-24, data were collected from a total of 4,98,024 establishments (2,73,085 in rural and 2,24,939 in urban) from 16,842 surveyed FSUs (8,523 in rural and 8,319 in urban).

    D. Data Collection Mechanism:

    ASUSE 2023-24 has been conducted based on area frame and establishments have been listed in the selected FSUs of both rural and urban sector. Mostly, data were collected from the selected establishments through oral enquiry pertaining to the ‘monthly’ reference period barring a few big establishments, which had provided annual data from their audited Books of Accounts. The data for the survey were collected in Tablet using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI).

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet Approves ‘National Critical Mineral Mission’ to build a resilient Value Chain for critical mineral resources vital to Green Technologies, with an outlay of Rs.34,300 crore over seven years

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 3:08PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs.16,300 crore and expected investment of Rs.18,000 crore by PSUs, etc.

    As part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and recognizing the indispensable role of critical minerals in high-tech industries, clean energy, and defense, the Government of India has undertaken several initiatives over the past two years to address challenges in the critical minerals sector.

    There is a need to establish an effective framework for India’s self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. In line with this vision, the Finance Minister announced the setting up of the Critical Mineral Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25 on 23rd July 2024.
     
    The National Critical Mineral Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet, will encompass all stages of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and recovery from end-of-life products. The mission will intensify the exploration of critical minerals within the country and in its offshore areas. It aims to create a fast track regulatory approval process for critical mineral mining projects. Additionally, the mission will offer financial incentives for critical mineral exploration and promote the recovery of these minerals from overburden and tailings.

    The mission aims to encourage Indian PSUs and private sector companies to acquire critical mineral assets abroad and enhance trade with resource-rich countries. It also proposes development of stockpile of critical minerals within the country.

    The mission includes provisions for setting up of mineral processing parks and supporting the recycling of critical minerals. It will also promote research in critical mineral technologies and proposes setting up Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals.

    Adopting a whole-of-government approach, the Mission will work closely with relevant ministries, PSUs, private companies, and research institutions to achieve its objectives.

    Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, has been amended in 2023 to increase exploration and mining of critical minerals. Consequently, the Ministry of Mines has auctioned 24 blocks of strategic minerals. Further, Geological Survey of India (GSI) has undertaken 368 exploration projects for critical minerals over the past three years, with 195 projects currently underway in FS 2024-25. Further, for FY 2025-26, GSI is going to take up 227 projects for various critical minerals. To foster innovation, the Ministry launched the Science and Technology – Promotion of Research and Innovation in Start-ups and MSMEs (S&T  PRISM) program in 2023, funding start-ups and MSMEs to bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization. Moreover, KABIL, a JV of Ministry of Mines, has acquired an area of about 15703 Ha in the Catamarca province of Argentina, for exploration and mining of Lithium. Government of India has already eliminated customs duties on the majority of critical minerals in Union budget 2024-25. This will increase the availability of critical mineral in the country and will encourage the industry to set up processing facilities in India. These initiatives highlight India’s commitment to securing critical mineral supplies.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet approves Mechanism for procurement of ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) under Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme – Revision of ethanol price for supply to Public Sector OMCs for Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 3:04PM by PIB Delhi

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved revision of ethanol procurement price for Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25 starting from 1st November, 2024 to 31st October 2025 under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme of the Government of India.  Accordingly, the administered ex-mill price of ethanol for the EBP Programme derived from C Heavy Molasses (CHM) for the Ethanol Supply Year 2024-25 (1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025) has been fixed at Rs.57.97 per litre from Rs.56.58 per litre.

    The approval will not only facilitate the continued policy for the Government in providing price stability and remunerative prices for ethanol suppliers but will also help in reducing dependency on crude oil imports, savings in foreign exchange and bring benefits to the environment.  In the interest of sugarcane farmers, as in the past, GST and transportation charges would be separately payable.  Increase in prices of CHM Ethanol by 3% will assure sufficient availability of ethanol to meet the increased blending target.

    Government has been implementing Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 20%. This Programme is being implemented across the country to promote the use of alternative and environment friendly fuels. This intervention also seeks to reduce import dependence for energy requirements and give boost to agriculture sector.  During the last ten years (as on 31.12.2024), ethanol blending in petrol by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) has resulted in approximate savings of more than Rs.1,13,007crore of foreign exchange and crude oil substitution of about 193 lakh metric tonnes.

    Ethanol blending by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) has increased from 38 crore litre in Ethanol Supply Year 2013-14 (ESY – currently defined as ethanol supply period from 1stNovember of a year to 31st October of the following year) to 707crore litre achieving average blending of 14.60%in ESY 2023-24.

    Government has advanced the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol from earlier 2030 to ESY 2025-26 and a “Roadmap for ethanol blending in India 2020-25” has been put in public domain. As a step in this direction, OMCs plan to achieve 18% blending during the ongoing ESY 2024-25. Other recent enablers include enhancement of ethanol distillation capacity to 1713 crore litre per annum; Long Term Off-take Agreements (LTOAs) to set up Dedicated Ethanol Plants (DEPs) in ethanol deficit States; encourage conversion of single feed distilleries to multi feed; availability of E-100 and E-20 fuel; launch of flexi fuel vehicles etc. All these steps also add to ease of doing business and achieving the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    Due to the visibility provided by the Government under EBP Programme, investments have happened across the country in the form of network of greenfield and brownfield distilleries, storage and logistics facilities apart from employment opportunities and sharing of value within the country among various stakeholders.  All distilleries will be able to take benefit of the scheme and large number of them are expected to supply ethanol for the EBP programme. This will help in quantifiable forex savings, crude oil substitution, environmental benefits and early payment to cane farmers.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: “Journey of the Mahatma: Through His Own Documents”

    Source: Government of India (2)

    “Journey of the Mahatma: Through His Own Documents”

    Special exhibition will be inaugurated on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day at National Gandhi Museum Rajghat

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 2:56PM by PIB Delhi

    On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, the National Archives of India (NAI) and the National Gandhi Museum (NGM) in collaboration with the National Film Archives of India, and Prasar Bharati Archives, are announcing a special exhibition titled “Journey of the Mahatma: Through His Own Documents”. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Ms. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, Grand-daughter of Mahatma Gandhi and Chairman, National Gandhi Museum on 30th January 2025 at 3:00 PM in the Exhibition Hall of the National Gandhi Museum, Rajghat, New Delhi.

    This carefully curated exhibition traces the transformative journey of Mahatma Gandhi, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore the life and legacy of the Father of the Nation. Through a combination of rare photographs, official documents, audio recordings, videos clippings, and personal correspondences, the exhibition provides a vivid portrayal of Gandhi’s path from his early life in Porbandar to his pivotal role in India’s independence movement.

    The exhibition comprises 30 panels showcasing Mahatma’s life journey and few significant events such as his education in England, his formative years in South Africa, and his leadership during key milestones in India’s freedom struggle, including the Champaran Satyagraha, Dandi March, and the Quit India Movement. It also highlights his work for social justice, communal harmony, and untouchability eradication, along with his final efforts to maintain peace during Partition and his enduring legacy after independence.

    This exhibition brings together a rich collection of archival material that captures Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence, justice, and peace. The exhibition will be opened for public view for a limited time. All citizens, students, historians, and Gandhi enthusiasts are invited to experience this tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and gain a deeper understanding of his life and legacy.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju meets YPO global delegation

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 1:12PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju met the YPO global delegation at his office on 28th January. The delegation was hosted by the Hero Motors Company and had members from Israel, USA, UK, Costa Rica, and India.

    Shri Rijiju said that the discussions were engaging and revolved around innovation, collaboration and a shared vision for progress.

    In a post on ‘X’, the Union Minister wished the YPO Global Delegation a truly purposeful and memorable visit to India. He further said that the delegation members were very impressed with India’s grand new Parliament building.

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