Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Foreign exhibitors eye greater opportunities at agricultural fair in NW China
Foreign exhibitors attending the 31st China Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Fair are looking to further expand their businesses in the Chinese market.
Source: Scottish Government
An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland
The Scottish Government today published the Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023. The publication details statistics on the employment and production from Scottish fish farms. It is structured to follow industry trends within the farmed Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and other species sectors.
Some key figures from this publication are:
Background
Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2023 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Source: Scottish Government
An Official Statistics in Development publication for Scotland.
Scotland’s onshore GDP contracted by 0.3% in August 2024, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. This follows revised growth of 0.5% in July 2024.
In the three months to August, GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.1% compared to the previous three month period. This indicates an decrease in growth relative to the growth of 0.4% (revised from 0.6%) in 2024 Quarter 2 (April to June).
In August, the largest contribution to headline GDP was made by the Information & Communications sector which contracted by 3.2%, contributing -0.2 percentage points to the overall contraction. The largest positive contribution was made by the Education sector which grew by 1.4%, contributing 0.1 percentage points towards GDP.
Background
The quarterly statistical publication and data and the monthly statistical publication and data are available online.
All results are seasonally adjusted and presented in real terms (adjusted to remove inflation). GDP growth relates to Scotland’s onshore economy, which means it does not include the output of offshore oil and gas extraction.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the output of the economy in Scotland and are designated as official statistics in development. This means that they are still in development but have been released to enable their use at an early stage. All results are provisional and subject to relatively high levels of uncertainty.
Further information on GDP statistics is available online.
These estimates are compiled in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Source: City of Sheffield
Rainbow Meadow in Shire Brook Valley is now home to a host of new four-legged friends as we see the arrival of Highland cows and Dexter cows.
The cows have been brought to the meadow to graze which will help manage the field naturally , creating open spaces for wildflowers to grow and preventing brambles from taking over the meadow.
As well as grazing, through moving and walking around the field this will create and maintain the open spaces. Sheffield City Council has welcomed the cows to maintain the land in a great condition, in between woodland and open grassland.
Locals are welcome and encouraged to come down and view the cows from the gate but should not climb the gate as there is a risk of injury from livestock. Dogs are not permitted to be in the field.
The introduction of the cows forms part of Sheffield City Council’s Species Survival Fund which aims to protect, enhance and widen areas of heathland, and it will help to manage and create areas of meadow, benefitting species of flora such as orchids and invertebrates such as dragonflies.
The Council’s Species Survival Fund was awarded more than £1million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as being supported by funding from partners and other organisations, totalling almost £400,000.
These include National Grid, The Environment Agency, South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Yorkshire Water, Friends of Richmond Park and the South Yorkshire Badger Group.
The mix of habitats are particularly important conserve in the area for invertebrate, fungi, birds and wildflowers – the diversity of which will fall if the site is allowed to become dominated by trees.
Areas the project will cover:
The project will improve sites covering a total area of 449.5 acres. The project will involve conservation management, woodland works to open sightlines, creation of leaky dams and new areas of wet woodland, removing 1/3 of the silt and Typha from a former mill pond, creating ditches and hedgerows, and removal of invasive species.
Species the fund will support include mice, bats, reptiles, amphibians (including toads and newts), birds such as swifts, house martins, skylarks, barn owls and kingfishers.
Patrick Gray, Grazing Co-ordinator at Wild Sheffield, said:
“We now have 18 cows on Rainbow Meadow including 17 Dexter Cows and one Highland Cow.
“The lack of grazing over the past few years has led to the meadow being overrun with brambles and scrub. The objective of the grazing is to maintain the site as a woodland pasture, which consists of a mix of veteran trees, young trees, and open grassland.
“This is a pilot scheme, and in the future plan to have grazing at Sally Clark Meadow across the lane, and at Linley Bank.”
The current plan of winter grazing is to remove the build-up of vegetation on the pasture so that ideal conditions are created for spring when all the interesting and colourful wildflowers begin to germinate.
Wild Sheffield, in partnership with Sheffield City Council, would like to set up a volunteer scheme for members of the public to assist in keeping an eye on the cows, reporting any sick or injured or escaped animals.
If you want to find out more about how you can get involved, please email Patrick Gray from Wild Sheffield for more details p.gray@wildsheffield.com.
Source: City of Liverpool
Following a trade and investment mission to the United States, Liverpool’s Head of UNESCO City of Music, Kevin McManus spent some time in New York looking at ways in which to boost music tourism to Liverpool. He writes about how the trip explored how more meaningful links can be developed between the two great music cities.
You can make a good argument that the two greatest music cities in the world are Liverpool and New York. ( Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans may try and force themselves into the reckoning as well but let’s ignore them for now…!)
I was fortunate enough to recently spend a couple of days in New York as part of a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority mission to the US and was keen to look at what opportunities there are to link the two cities’ music sectors to our mutual advantage.
There are no two ways about it, New York is an amazing city with an incredible music heritage which is why almost every musician wants to play there. New York is still a hugely important centre for the music industry and I was there to see what meaningful links we could begin to develop between the two cities. Historically of course The Beatles led the British music invasion of the US in the ‘60s and the Strawberry Fields corner of Central Park is a memorial to the life of John Lennon.
There are more recent success stories such as that of Sentric Music, the Liverpool founded music publisher which still has its HQ in our city, but has its North American base in New York. I caught up with the Sentric team who are steadily building the company’s US profile which is great advertisement for the fact that you can grow a global music business from Liverpool.
We had a really useful, practical session with Visit Britain and we were able to talk to them about the strength of the Liverpool music brand and how we could work together to grow music tourism to the city.
We tried to make the most of our visit by meeting with key people from the sector and a big thanks to a former colleague Vanessa Reed, now President of New Music USA, for introducing me to Shira Gans (from the New York Mayor’s Office) and Erika Elliott from Summer Stage.
It was a joy to meet Shira and Erika as well as catching up with Vanessa and they gave us so much food for thought as well as being receptive to developing a meaningful relationship with us. Hopefully these links will lead to opportunities for our artists and music businesses in the US.
Of course it wasn’t all one way.
We wanted to find out more about what was happening in New York, but at the same time we wanted the chance to share our exciting plans. We have an awful lot to be proud of at the moment in terms of our music sector and the ambition we are demonstrating through initiatives such as Accelerator City and our plans for a Music Hub and an immersive music attraction.
Supported by the City Region Music Board Liverpool, music is going places and part of the mission is to say to music businesses in the US that if they are looking for a UK or a European base then they should look to Liverpool first.
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Housing Department today alerted the public to a fraudulent website purporting to be the Cash Allowance Trial Scheme’s website and that seeks to obtain people’s personal and credit card information.
The fraudulent website is “https://cashalwaysget_hk2024.site”.
The department made it clear that the fraudulent website has no connection with the scheme and the case has been referred to Police for follow-up.
Anyone who has provided personal information to the website should contact Police. Call 3105 3333 for enquiries.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
CS to visit Guangzhou
CS to visit Guangzhou
*********************
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will depart for Guangzhou tomorrow evening (October 31) to attend the flag presentation and farewell ceremony of China’s 41st Antarctic expedition team, to be held the next day. Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong on November 1.
Ends/Wednesday, October 30, 2024Issued at HKT 18:00
NNNN
Source: NATO
From 27 to 29 October 2024, the delegation of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS) visited Pakistan for the 11th iteration of NATO-Pakistan Military Staff Talks. During the visit Director General of IMS (DGIMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak also met with the senior military leaders of this NATO partner country.
The NATO delegation was hosted by the Director General of the Joint Staff Lieutenant General Ahsan Gulrez. “NATO values its relationship with Pakistan and sees potential for further and deeper engagement. We have established solid military-to-military dialogue and laid foundations for practical cooperation” – underscored LTG Adamczak in his opening remarks. Both directors stressed the need for deeper discussion on capacity building and interoperability.
Military staff talks focused on areas of shared interest, including individual and collective training opportunities, participation in exercises and courses as well as exchange of knowledge in countering terrorism. Both sides agreed on the necessity of the continuous dialogue and increased cooperative security measures. At the conclusion of the staff talks LTG Adamczak and LTG Gulrez agreed on a military-to-military cooperation workplan for the coming year.
In the lead up to the staff talks DGIMS also met with Lieutenant General Avais Dastgir, Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami the Vice Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Aurangzeb the Director General of Warfare and Strategy of Air Staff. They discussed possible avenues for further military cooperation in the land, maritime and air domain.
While in Islamabad NATO delegation also visited the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP), a centre for research, development and innovation in the aviation, space, IT, and cyber domains.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Solidion Technology, Inc. (ticker “STI”), an advanced battery technology solutions provider, today announced that its battery scientists have successfully developed a cost-effective strategy for enabling completion of charging in 5 minutes for a wide range of lithium batteries.
Range anxiety, the fear that an electric vehicle (EV) may run out of battery power during a trip, has long been regarded as a key reason for consumers’ reluctance to adopt EVs. This issue is exacerbated by the notion that recharging batteries usually takes much longer time than refueling internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).
To be competitive with ICEVs, fast charging of EVs should be weather-independent and comparable in time as refueling a gasoline car. Variations in temperatures in different geographic regions and seasons poses a challenge in fast charging EV batteries, since batteries can behave very differently. In winter, half of the United States and most of Northern Europe has an average temperature below 0°C. None of today’s EV batteries allow for fast charging at low temperatures.
Responsive to EV market’s urgent need for a battery that can be fast charged at all climate conditions, Solidion’s technical team has developed and patented an effective method and system for fast charging a battery cell or pack without negatively impacting the battery. The strategy also allows a battery system to operate in a safe mode and avoid a thermal runaway problem.
The technology uses a graphene-based heat spreader to quickly move heat from a battery to warm it up before or during fast charging. It also has a cooling system that kicks in when the battery is in use, like when powering a device or electric vehicle. The heat spreader moves the heat to the cooling system for efficient cooling. The system switches between heating when charging and cooling when discharging. Graphene, with its super high thermal conductivity (5,300 W/m-K), is much more effective than copper, which has a lower conductivity (410 W/m-K) and is four times heavier.
Solidion is aimed at fully commercializing this technology in 2-3 years.
About Solidion Technology, Inc.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with production facilities in Dayton, Ohio, Solidion’s core business includes manufacturing of battery materials and components, as well as development and production of next-generation batteries for energy storage systems and electric vehicles for ground, air, and sea transportation. Recognized as a global IP leader in both the high-capacity anode, utilizing a non-silane based solution, and the high-energy solid-state battery. Solidion is uniquely positioned to offer two lines of battery products: (i) advanced anode materials (ready for production expansion); and (ii) three classes of solid-state batteries, including Silicon-rich all-solid-state lithium-ion cells (Gen 1), anodeless lithium metal cells (Gen 2), and lithium-sulfur cells (Gen 3), all featuring an advanced polymer- or polymer/inorganic composite-based solid electrolyte that is process-friendly. Solidion’s solid-state batteries can be manufactured at scale using current lithium-ion cell production facilities; this feature enables fastest time-to-market of safe solid-state batteries. Solidion batteries are designed to deliver significantly extended EV range, improved battery safety, lower cost per KWh, fastest time-to-market, and next-gen cathodes (potential to replace expensive nickel and cobalt with sulfur (S) and other more abundant elements).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Solidion Technology Inc., (Nasdaq: STI) (the “Company,” “Solidion,” “we,” “our” or “us”) desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “forecasts” “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs.
Contacts
For Investors: ir@solidiontech.com
For Media: press@solidiontech.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
ALAMEDA, Calif., Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jitterbit, a global leader in accelerating business transformation for enterprise systems, today announced the global expansion of its Premier Support program to provide businesses with enhanced “follow-the-sun” service and expert issue resolution.
Jitterbit’s Premier Support program offers flexible, tiered options that provide 24-7 access to experts for troubleshooting mission-critical operations, reducing downtime and ensuring business continuity.
“Immediate access to expert support is crucial for seamless business operations,” said Keith Trottier, SVP of Global Customer Support and Professional Services at Jitterbit. “Our Premier Support program delivers tailored, high-quality service — when it’s needed most — to quickly resolve issues and minimize disruption.”
First announced in May 2024, Premier Support is available via three tiers, which now support all time zones globally to meet the diverse needs of organizations. Customers can choose from:
For more information about Jitterbit Premier Support, visit jitterbit.com/premier-support.
Industry Recognition for Outstanding Customer Support
Jitterbit has consistently earned accolades for its exceptional customer service, underscoring the company’s dedication to delivering top-tier support. In 2024, Jitterbit received ‘Best Customer Support’ honors from Gartner Digital Markets for its Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) solution.
The company was also recognized with G2 Fall 2024 badges for ‘Easiest to Do Business With’ and ‘Best Support’ for Workplace Innovation Platforms for App Builder. Additionally, Jitterbit won a Silver Stevie Award in 2023 for ‘Customer Service Department of the Year.’
Enhanced Services Expands to Full Harmony Platform
In addition to the Premier Support follow-the-sun offering, Jitterbit is announcing that its Enhanced Services — previously only for iPaaS — is now available across the entire unified, AI-infused low-code Harmony platform.
Jitterbit Enhanced Services provides experts to help lighten the load on IT departments by providing tailored service and guidance to ensure that Harmony runs smoothly and efficiently. This service bridges skills gaps, controls costs, and offers immediate expertise. Jitterbit Enhanced Services include:
To learn more about Enhanced Services, visit jitterbit.com/service/enhanced-services/.
About Jitterbit Inc.
For organizations ready to modernize and innovate, Jitterbit provides a unified AI-infused low-code platform for integration, orchestration, automation, and app development that accelerates business transformation, boosts productivity, and unlocks value. The Jitterbit Harmony platform, including iPaaS, API Manager, App Builder and EDI, future-proofs operations, simplifies complexity and drives innovation for organizations globally. Learn more at www.jitterbit.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Laura Hunter
Head of Communications
Jitterbit
310-344-6426
laura.hunter@jitterbit.com
Source: ASEAN
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this afternoon met with Minister of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia, H.E. Heng Sour, on the sidelines of the 28th ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Meeting (ALMM), on 30 October 2024, in Singapore. They exchanged views on the follow-up actions to the ASEAN Guidelines on Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers in ASEAN, which was championed by Cambodia and adopted by the ALMM this year. Dr. Kao expressed the ASEAN Secretariat’s readiness to fully support Cambodia-led regional initiatives as well as that of other ASEAN Member States in order to advance social protection for all workers and to strengthen resilience and competencies of workforce in the region.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with Minister of Labour and Vocational Training of the Kingdom of Cambodia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: ASEAN
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this afternoon met with Minister of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia, H.E. Heng Sour, on the sidelines of the 28th ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Meeting (ALMM), on 30 October 2024, in Singapore. They exchanged views on the follow-up actions to the ASEAN Guidelines on Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers in ASEAN, which was championed by Cambodia and adopted by the ALMM this year. Dr. Kao expressed the ASEAN Secretariat’s readiness to fully support Cambodia-led regional initiatives as well as that of other ASEAN Member States in order to advance social protection for all workers and to strengthen resilience and competencies of workforce in the region.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with Minister of Labour and Vocational Training of the Kingdom of Cambodia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: GlobalData
Future of IVD hinges on three big industry themes, says GlobalData
Posted in Medical Devices
In vitro diagnostics (IVD) is driving a new age shift in healthcare, fueled by advances in medical technology (medtech). These innovations are revolutionizing how diseases are detected, monitored, and managed. At the recent AdvaMed’s MedTech Conference in Toronto, digital and artificial intelligence (AI) integration, point-of-care (POC) testing, and novel biomarkers were emphasized as important tools in improving the precision and accessibility of medical care. The focus on these innovations will support disease detection, enable earlier diagnosis, personalized treatments, improve patient outcomes, and expand healthcare access, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Expert speakers at the conference this year emphasized the need to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare. Manufacturers like Hologic focused on the lack of cytologists, which leads to delays in cervical cancer screening. To address this, they created an AI-led platform that streamlines and identifies abnormal cell samples to save cytologists’ time.
Other companies like Solventum and GE Healthcare highlighted that AI can be utilized as an administration tool by helping medical professionals with patient notes and documentation, manufacturer inventory management, managing waste in manufacturing factories, and improving customer product delivery. The main factors considered for improving medical care are, how can we serve patients better, maximize healthcare professional (HCP) time and expertise, and doing all this with existing regulations.
Selena Yu, Senior Medical Analyst, at GlobalData, comments: “Decentralized testing is the key to improving patient access to care, detecting diseases earlier, and monitoring patients. These POC tests include over the counter (OTC) tests, direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests, and tests done at patient side, which are typically performed by non-HCPs. The seminar speakers stressed the ongoing issue of healthcare “deserts” and how expanding alternate care outside of doctor offices is crucial to reach these at-risk populations.”
The lack of reimbursement for POC tests remains a significant barrier, even though access to care is improved when individuals can buy STI tests at local pharmacies. Without reimbursement, however, this convenience adds another layer of inaccessibility. The overall goal for increased decentralized testing is to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare systems so that more individuals are aware of their health status.
Moreover, experts in the IVD sector—including manufacturers, laboratories, and investors—highlighted key markets for future growth at AdvaMed’s MedTech Conference. The major focus areas included women’s health, neurology, autoimmunity, minimal residual disease, sepsis, and cancer screening especially liquid biopsy. Both speakers and attendees stressed the importance of clinical utility in developing IVDs, emphasizing the need for test results to be actionable, for appropriate actions to be taken based on those results, and for these actions to ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Yu concludes: “Innovation in IVD is growing particularity in digital and AI integration into healthcare, POC testing, and novel biomarkers. This will aid in disease detection, monitoring, and management, enabling earlier diagnosis, personalized treatments, improving patient prognosis, and increasing patient access to healthcare.”
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Major Sports Events Committee today announced that it has awarded “M” Mark status to the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2024, which will be held at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground from Friday to Sunday.
Major Sports Events Committee Chairman Wilfred Ng said Hong Kong is hosting this tournament again after seven years, adding that the committee looks forward to bringing in more visitors from abroad, thereby strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a centre for major international sports events.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Medical Products Administration Conference in Zhuhai today (October 30), and introduced the latest initiatives of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub as put forth in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”.
Co-organised by the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, the Conference serves as a platform for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to share their work experience in drug regulation, enhance the work mechanism for collaboration on drug and medical device regulation in the GBA, and foster the innovation development of drug and medical device regulation in the region. Deputy Commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration Mr Zhao Junning also attended the Conference.
During the Conference, representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao exchanged views on the current situation of regulation over drugs and medical devices in the three places, the mechanism for regulatory collaborations on drugs and medical devices in the GBA, the GBA standards for Chinese medicines (CM), as well as the feasibility of streamlining the registration and approval procedures for Hong Kong- and Macao-registered traditional proprietary CM for oral use for sale in the Mainland, and had an in-depth discussion on the way forward.
Professor Lo updated the attendees with the latest developments of Hong Kong’s healthcare policies put forward in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”, including complementing technological innovation with institutional innovation through expediting the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices, strengthening biomedical technology research and development (R&D) and translation, and promoting the internationalisation of CM.
Professor Lo said, “The HKSAR Government is determined to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub and expedite the provision of advanced diagnostic and treatment services to patients by leveraging the advantages of ‘one country, two systems’ and Hong Kong’s healthcare professional system, while actively integrating into the national development by dovetailing with the national initiative of fostering new quality productive forces in biomedical technology as set out in the Resolution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization and the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The HKSAR Government will enhance Hong Kong’s clinical trial capability and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications by rendering firm support to innovation and application of advanced biomedical technology, with a view to attracting the world’s top-notch biomedical enterprises and R&D institutions to set up operations in Hong Kong.”
Members of the Hong Kong delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Principal Assistant Secretary for Health Mr Gordon Chong; the Assistant Director of Health (Health Sciences and Technology), Dr Liza To; the Assistant Director of Health (Drug), Mr Frank Chan; and the Acting Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Mr Robert Law. The delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening.
Source: NATO
On Wednesday, 30 October 2024, the NATO Acting Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Boris Ruge, will travel to Zagreb, Croatia.
Ambassador Ruge will meet with the Prime Minister, Mr Andrej Plenković, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Mr Ivan Anušić.
He will also attend a joint session of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA), at the Croatian Parliament.
The event will be streamed live on the Croatian Parliament’s YouTube channel.
For more information:
For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office
Follow us on X: @NATO, @RugeBoris and @NATOPress
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Disclosure 15 / 2024
Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them in compliance with the EU Commission Market Abuse Regulation. Further details are included in the attachments.
Attachment
Source: China State Council Information Office
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that there is no trade war on the horizon with the United States, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s conciliatory remarks on trade with Mexico the day before.
“I do not see a trade war. The U.S. president spoke differently about Mexico yesterday,” Sheinbaum told a daily press conference.
Responding to questions at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, Trump said: “We’re dealing with Mexico, I think, very well. We just want to be treated fairly.”
Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports starting Feb. 1.
Sheinbaum also expressed willingness to strengthen collaboration with Washington and work with Trump on some priority issues, such as the distribution of fentanyl and migration.
Trump has signed various executive orders to strengthen anti-immigrant measures through mass deportations since taking office. In response, the Mexican government set up migrant care centers along the border and launched the “Mexico Embraces You” program to provide comprehensive care for deportees.
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: | Man Group PLC |
| (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. |
|
| (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree |
Spirent Communications plc |
| (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: | |
| (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure |
29/10/2024 |
| (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” |
YES / NO / 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: | 3 1/3p ordinary | |||
| Interests | Short positions | |||
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: | ||||
| (2) Cash-settled derivatives: | 6,632,775 | 1.15 | ||
| (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: | ||||
|
TOTAL: |
6,632,775 | 1.15 | ||
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 |
(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 |
| 3 1/3p ordinary | Equity Swap | Reducing a long position | 32,283 | 1.696 GBP |
| 3 1/3p ordinary | Equity Swap | Reducing a long position | 229,829 | 1.696 GBP |
| 3 1/3p ordinary | Equity Swap | Increasing a long position | 27,788 | 1.708 GBP |
(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 |
(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) |
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: | 30/10/2024 |
| Contact name: | Matthew Irwin |
| Telephone number: | +442071447255 |
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.
Source: China State Council Information Office
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday extended his warmest greetings to all people celebrating the Lunar New Year, or Chinese Spring Festival, in a video message.
Guterres kicked off the video message by saying “Chunjie Kuaile” — Chinese for “Happy Spring Festival.”
“I’m pleased to send my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating Lunar New Year and this Year of the Snake,” the UN chief said. “The snake symbolizes wisdom, resilience, and renewal. In the strained times, let us be guided by these qualities and renew our commitment to peace, equality, and justice.”
Guterres also expressed gratitude to China and the Chinese people for their support to the United Nations.
“I thank China and the Chinese people for your steadfast support of the United Nations, multilateralism and global cooperation. Let us embrace new beginnings with hope and determination to create a better future for all,” he said.
“May the Year of the Snake bring good health, happiness, prosperity, and new beginnings,” the secretary-general said.
The Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 29 this year.
Source: GlobalData
Supply chain resilience drives 18% YoY growth in global M&A deal activity in Q3 2024, reveals GlobalData
Posted in Strategic Intelligence
Despite high interest rates and modest economic growth, global mergers, and acquisition (M&A) deal activity surged during the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, with an 18% increase in total deal value year-over-year (YoY). Supply chain resilience drove this momentum, with $71 billion in supply chain-related transactions across 38 deals, spotlighting sectors like automotive, healthcare, and industrials, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Global M&A Deals in Q3 2024 – Top Themes by Sector,” reveals that in terms of deal volume, there was a 4% increase from Q3 2023 to record 7,890 deals in Q3 2024.
Priya Toppo, Analyst, Strategic Intelligence at GlobalData, comments: “An increase in geopolitical tensions, population growth, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations, labor shortages, and digital transformation have all contributed to a greater focus on supply chain related deals. This was especially true in the automotive, consumer, basic materials, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, and logistics and industrials sectors.”
The biggest supply chain deal was China First Heavy Industries’ merger with China Shipbuilding for $16 billion. This deal was also the biggest in the industrials sector in Q3 2024. It was followed by TowerBrook Capital Partners and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice’s acquisition of R1 RCM for $9 billion and Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems for $8 billion.
Toppo continues: “An ongoing trend is the dominance of North America in M&A deal activity, accounting for 3,112 deals worth $325 billion during Q3 2024. However, Europe, China, South America, and the Middle East and Africa saw a YoY decline in deal value.”
Toppo concludes: “The M&A forecast for the last quarter of 2024 is cautiously optimistic, as potential rate cuts in certain markets and a generally improving global economic outlook could drive the activity. Nonetheless, mega-deals may encounter obstacles, especially in the US, where antitrust issues remain a priority for regulators.”
Source: China State Council Information Office
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a sweeping pause Friday on almost all of the State Department’s existing foreign aid grants, according to reports by U.S. and British media that obtained an internal memo specifying the order in the form of guidance.
Effective immediately and valid for 90 days, Rubio’s guidance required State Department staffers to issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards,” U.S. outlet Politico reported.
For exceptions, the guidance allows foreign military financing for Egypt and Israel to continue and allows emergency food assistance and “legitimate expenses incurred prior to the date of this” guidance “under existing awards.”
At points, it also says the decisions need to be “consistent with the terms of the relevant award,” the outlet added.
“No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved … as consistent with President Trump’s agenda,” The Guardian, a British newspaper that has also obtained the memo, cited the document as saying.
The memo said senior officials “shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance” until Rubio makes a decision after a review, according to The Guardian.
In their respective reports, both Politico and The Guardian noticed the memo’s omission of current U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, which the reports said has sent shock waves across the State Department.
Source: GlobalData
In July 2023, France outlined its defense spending plans for the next six years in the Military Planning Law (LPM) 2024-30, expanding the modernization initiatives kickstarted by LPM 2019-25 to reflect evolving geostrategic dynamics and better incorporate emerging technologies, including unmanned and space-based assets. Against this backdrop, France is expected to increase defense spending from $60.4 billion in 2024 to $67.8 billion in 2029, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest report, “France Defense Market Size, Trends, Budget Allocation, Regulations, Acquisitions, Competitive Landscape and Forecast to 2029”, reveals that France’s defense spending is forecast to rise to $64 billion in 2025.
Tristan Sauer, Senior Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The deterioration of European security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance of France’s strategic reforms, providing the impetus for further and more diversified investment in defense and security capabilities. The most recent spending commitments will allow French defense expenditures to surpass 2% of GDP and finally attain the minimum threshold recommended for NATO members.”
France’s armed forces continue to pursue modernization across the different operational domains. The largest amount of spending is being directed to the fixed-wing aircraft, missiles and missile defense systems, naval vessels, submarines, and armored vehicles market segments over the next several years. Between 2024-2034, France’s largest investments are for the international FCAS New Generation Fighter program ($17.9 billion), the SNLE 3G nuclear submarines ($17.3 billion), and various upgrades to the Rafale fighter jet program ($12.9 billion).
Sauer continues: “These investments are indicative of a renewed strategic focus on the commensurate rise of both great power competition and the risk of high intensity conflict. Procurement of conventional capabilities such as aircraft, naval assets, artillery, armored vehicles, and weapons systems is being supplemented with investment in cybersecurity as well as space systems to account for the increasingly diffuse and multi-domain nature of modern warfare.”
As with many western nations, France is facing recruitment issues leading to personnel shortages despite growing investment. GlobalData forecasts that France will spend $125.9 billion on military personnel between 2025-2029, though spending will only increase at a CAGR of 0.5%, which is far slower than the 1.26% CAGR achieved between 2020-2024.
Sauer concludes: “France’s continued investments in modernization and acquisition programs provide substance to the broader political refocus on strategic competition and its associated risks, with the nation’s growing defense industrial base providing growing opportunities for international engagement. However, much like with the US and other NATO allies, lackluster performance with regards to personnel recruitment and retention is indicative of a wider challenge, which current investments have thus far failed to overcome.”
Source: GlobalData
Tech startups well placed to proliferate in Africa as digitalization enables growth in greenfield projects, says GlobalData
Posted in Technology
With digitalization as a key enabler of organic growth in greenfield projects in Africa, technology startups are well placed to capitalize on the desire of larger and established corporations wanting to move into various enterprise technologies in the region, according to research conducted by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Recent tie ups – including Safaricom’s deal with Kenyan SaaS startup tappi, American security firm Unartificial Labs tapping Tunisian startup Enova Robotics, and British payment processing firm partnership and financial inclusion firm Paymentology partnering with Zambian fintech startup Union54 – point to this trend.
Ismail Patel, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Technology and Services at GlobalData, says: “Africa remains a price-sensitive market not only for consumers but also for corporate buyers. This means that technology enablement beyond the deployment of costly physical infrastructure will be a space occupied by smaller vendors who are both less costly and seeking to build their own profiles in the region.”
GlobalData analysis finds Africa is seeing burgeoning growth in the number of tech startups across cybersecurity, IoT, fintech, SaaS, APIs, analytics, blockchain, and AI. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity associated with these startups has picked up over the past decade, and the number of contractual deals with startups, both inside Africa and beyond, is growing.
The expectation is that this expansion will continue to grow as there is plenty of room for organic growth across key sectors, including rural communities and SMBs (small and medium businesses), where digitalization is a prime enabler for next-gen technology adoption and boosting national economies. Still, the key buyers for these startups will remain the large African corporate enterprises looking to either partner with them or bring them in-house via acquisition.
Patel concludes: “Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Tunisia have emerged as the tech startup capitals across Africa. Tech enablement is being fueled by capital raising success stories across the board, from debt financing and governmental grants to angel and venture capital investments, all of which are encouraging the startup trends. In its own way, the region is responding to the global technological boom.”
Source: ASEAN
Co-Chaired by Lao PDR and Malaysia, the 17th Meeting of the HLTF-ACV starts today, 29 October 2024, in Hoi An, Viet Nam, with drafting sessions of the APSC Strategic Plan. The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the Strategic Plans of the three Community Pillars and ASEAN Connectivity are expected to be adopted in 2025.
The post The 17th Meeting of the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) convenes appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 30, 2024/APO Group/ —
The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) Board of Directors has approved an $8 million concessional loan to support the construction of a 25MW Solar Photovoltaic power plant in Zambia. The financing for the Ilute Plant will be sourced from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), a multi-donor Special Fund managed by the Bank. Ilute is expected to advance Zambia’s sustainable development and help the country unlock its renewable energy potential.
The venture has faced rising costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. Serengeti Energy Ltd (http://apo-opa.co/4hth8dE) and Western Solar Power Ltd (http://apo-opa.co/3YJBxUr) are leading the plant development in Zambia’s Sesheke District. Competitively selected by GreenCo Power Services Ltd (GreenCo) (http://apo-opa.co/4hiM3ci), this project will serve as a pilot for GreenCo’s energy aggregator model under the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) (http://apo-opa.co/3YIpw1h) open grid access framework. Acting as an intermediary off-taker, GreenCo will purchase the generated electricity through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement and sell it to the Southern African Power Pool Day-Ahead Market (http://apo-opa.co/3YELlih).
“We are delighted to support the Ilute Solar PV project – which will be the first project to use Africa GreenCo as an intermediate off-taker. SEFA’s support has been instrumental in bridging the financing gap and will pave the way for future projects that contribute to Southern Africa’s energy transition,” said Dr Daniel Schroth, African Development Bank Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Anton-Louis Olivier, CEO of Serengeti Energy, acknowledged SEFA’s support. He said, “We appreciate the support from the African Development Bank Group and SEFA in helping us move the Ilute 25MW Solar PV project forward. This loan addresses the financial challenges we’ve faced due to the pandemic and rising costs. The Ilute project is a testament to innovative collaboration and serves as a pioneering model for future renewable energy initiatives in Zambia as well as the wider region.” Serengeti Energy is a leading renewable independent power producer specialising in the development, construction, and operation of utility-scale renewable energy plants tailored to the needs of both public and private off-takers.
Source: Frontex
Frontex is responsible for implementing the EU Reintegration Programme (EURP), which helps individuals who return both voluntarily and non-voluntarily to their home countries re-establish their lives. The programme provides a range of support services, from accommodation to starting a business, helping returnees to integrate into their communities and build a sustainable future. The Agency works closely with local partners to ensure the successful implementation of these services, while also monitoring the delivery to ensure they meet the EU standards.
In the past months, Frontex has conducted several monitoring missions in different regions as part of its commitment to ensuring the effectiveness of the reintegration programme. These missions help the Agency assess the support provided to returnees, gather feedback from beneficiaries, and identify areas for improvement. Recent monitoring missions were carried out in Morocco, Bangladesh, and Armenia, offering valuable insights into the programme’s impact on returnees’ lives.
Monitoring missions to Morocco, Bangladesh, and Armenia
During the mission, Frontex officers and fundamental right monitor had an opportunity to discuss with FOO staff daily challenges related to their work as well as its results. FOO workers explained that the reintegration programme helped the returnees to establish small businesses, using financial support to purchase equipment and launch their ventures. Despite some challenges with accessibility in rural areas, FOO colleagues ensured that EURP beneficiaries were satisfied in general with the assistance received, and in particular with securing income-generating activities.
“Reintegration support allows returnees to come back to their countries with a sense of dignity. NGOs working in the area of reintegration need to navigate a complex landscape to successfully provide the assistance,” shared Ewa, a reintegration specialist.
“Fondation Orient Occident impressed us with their premises and facilities at the Headquarter in Rabat, which invite people to discuss, learn, create, work, and simply spend time together. They have rooms dedicated to different activities such as crafting, music, conference room, as well as some dedicated to children care and education. Migrants have opportunity to expose and sell their products in a small marketplace situated in the heart of the FOO Headquarter,” added Karolina, a reintegration expert.
In Bangladesh, the mission revealed the impact of the reintegration programme on returnees’ livelihoods. The local partner, BRAC, works with returnees to provide comprehensive support, including medical care, psychological services, and financial aid. Many returnees have used this financial assistance to start small businesses, with some beneficiaries investing in livestock, such as cows, to provide ongoing income for their families. One of the highlights of the mission was visiting a farm where returnees proudly showcased the cows they had purchased with funds from the programme, enabling them to support themselves and their communities.
Frontex observed that the EU Reintegration Programme is successfully meeting returnees’ essential needs while offering them a path to sustainable reintegration. Returnees expressed their satisfaction with the support received, praising the programme for providing them with the means to rebuild their lives and establish stable incomes. The mission also identified opportunities for improving the programme’s delivery to ensure it continues to meet the needs of returnees in the most efficient way possible.
“It was fascinating to see how reintegration assistance is implemented on the ground. Visiting cattle markets, meeting returnees at their farms or businesses, and witnessing the positive impact of the programme was very insightful. I was impressed by BRAC’s dedication and professionalism, going beyond the EURP provisions to support returnees, sometimes using their own resources. Seeing their work across all districts was truly inspiring,” said Robert, a reintegration expert.
“Our visit allowed us to see the real people behind the program documentation, both the counsellors and the beneficiaries. The honesty with which they shared their experiences, successes, and challenges, as well as their migration stories allowed us to understand their reality better,” added Natalia, EURP reintegration specialist.
“Living conditions in countries like Bangladesh are difficult. Reintegration programmes are essential to making a real impact, helping people stay and rebuild their lives,” concluded Grigorios Tsioukas, Frontex Deputy Fundamental Rights Officer.
The most recent mission took place in Armenia to monitor the delivery of assistance to returnees provided by Frontex local reintegration partner, Armenian Caritas. The mission allowed Frontex to assess how financial assistance and economic counselling help returnees re-establish themselves in their communities. During the mission, the team met several returnees who had used financial assistance to launch small businesses, such as a returnee who opened a fruit and vegetable shop and a taxi driver.
Returnees expressed satisfaction with the assistance they received, highlighting the importance of business support in helping them become self-sufficient. The mission team, which included a Fundamental Rights Monitor, found that Armenian Caritas’ services align with the programme specifications and EU standards.
Katarzyna, EURP reintegration specialist explains how important support for vulnerable groups is: “To fully understand the reintegration processes, its essential to recognise the unique characteristics of Armenia, where the migration landscape primarily involves families with children and elderly. Support for vulnerable groups is especially important and requires communication and coordination between the Member State, Frontex and Reintegration Partner to ensure timely and tailored assistance. Armenian Caritas is a very well-established organisation able to refer returnees to other services for specialised support, such as medical clinics or social services.”
More about Frontex reintegration assistance
The EU Reintegration Programme offers comprehensive support to individuals returning voluntarily to their home countries, including financial aid, healthcare, vocational training, and psychological support. Frontex’s monitoring missions help ensure that these services meet returnees’ needs and meet the EU standards. The Agency works with local reintegration partners to ensure returnees can successfully rebuild their lives and become active members of their communities.
Click here for more information.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on flash floods in Valencia, Spain.
The comment below was provided by our friends at the Spanish SMC:
Dr Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, Senior State Meteorologist and member of Spanish Meteorological Association, said:
What relationship can we say that this type of event has with climate change?
“In general terms, what we know is that, in the context of climate change, these types of intense and exceptional, rare rainfall events are going to become more frequent and more intense and, therefore, destructive.
“That is in general terms. Events of this type, which used to occur many decades apart, are now becoming more frequent and their destructive capacity is greater.
“Associating a particular event like this to climate change, i.e. asking the question that if we had not had climate change we would have suffered an event like this, requires a posteriori studies and can always be said in probabilistic terms, but not on the fly. This is something that will be analysed and these very destructive or very violent cases, then give rise to many studies that are done in academic and research fields.
“We can’t say anything on the fly, except that in the context of climate change, these types of events will be more frequent and more intense.”
What role do warnings play in these extreme events?
“What we have to bear in mind is that warnings are issued for relatively large areas, at the county level, and then the most extreme consequences are at the point level, often at the municipality level, and this depends on many other things that have nothing to do with precipitation.
“The warnings issued by the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, refer to precipitation, which is AEMET’s responsibility. But whether that rainfall then has more or less destructive effects also depends on the orography (geography dealing with the formation and features of mountains), on rainfall upstream, on public works, on where the municipalities are located, on whether there are obstacles or not…. All of this is something very particular. Between heavy rainfall and its destructive power, there is a whole chain of actions that must also be considered.”
Declared interests
No reply to our request for DOIs was received.
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: | Man Group PLC |
| (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. |
|
| (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree |
Smith (DS) plc |
| (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: | |
| (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure |
29/10/2024 |
| (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” |
YES / NO / N/A Offeror: International Paper Company |
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: | 10p ordinary | |||
| Interests | Short positions | |||
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: | ||||
| (2) Cash-settled derivatives: | 14,505,814 | 1.05 | ||
| (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: | ||||
|
TOTAL: |
14,505,814 | 1.05 | ||
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 |
(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 |
| 10p ordinary | Equity Swap | Reducing a long position | 578,451 | 4.693 GBP |
| 10p ordinary | Equity Swap | Increasing a long position | 77,532 | 4.698 GBP |
(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 |
(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) |
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: | 30/10/2024 |
| Contact name: | Matthew Irwin |
| Telephone number: | +442071447255 |
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.
Source: Samsung
LONDON, UK – October 30, 2024 – Samsung Electronics Co. (UK) Ltd has unveiled that Northern Ireland is set to become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the United Kingdom, with a staggering 77% of young people in the country looking to pursue a career in technology. The findings align with data from the Intellectual Property Office, which shows that patent applications have increased by 33% in Northern Ireland between 2022-23, compared to an increase of just 11% in London.
Whilst a high proportion of young people living in the Capital are considering working in technology (69%), other potential hotbeds for future innovators include the West Midlands (63%), North-East (63%), East of England (62%), East Midlands (61%) and Yorkshire and The Humber (57%).
In terms of cities, Coventry scored highly (79%), with Cambridge (76%) and Birmingham (71%) also being seen as future hotbeds for inventions and tech.
When it comes to motivation, almost half (48%) of young people polled were confident that they could invent or develop a technology product that would positively impact society. This desire for ‘tech for good’ can also be seen amongst the 85% of young people who believe that a career in technology would allow them to positively contribute to society, and the 20% who would be interested in working in tech start-ups with societal purpose. Other key areas of technology young people aspire to have a career in include app development (41%), cybersecurity (35%), AI for Good (31%) and health-based technology (30%).
The findings have been released as Samsung launches its fifth Solve for Tomorrow competition, which aims to find and support young innovators across the UK.
The research revealed that although young people are particularly ambitious when it comes to their ability to make positive change to the world through tech, they are facing challenges in making this a reality. In fact, the study found 39 per cent of those polled believe there are too few resources for them to make a change in society through technology. This is despite a third (33%) believing they have what it takes to create the next big tech invention.
Breaking Barriers To Entry
Despite the ambition of young people across the country, there’s still a strong sense that making a change in the world through tech isn’t an option for everyone. When asked, 96% of young people believed there are barriers to entering the tech industry, and 65% believe that their personal background impacts their ability to harness their creativity through tech.
A lack of education (40%), practical experience (36%) and lack of contacts or mentors in the industry (31%) were listed as the top barriers to entry for young people.
Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow competition asks 16–25-year-olds to come up with ideas that help solve societal challenges, then help bring them to life through offering free educational workshops, mentoring, funding and support.
Commenting on the competition launch, Soohyun Jessie Park, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Samsung Electronics UK, said: “We’re beyond excited to kick-off our fifth year of Solve for Tomorrow. Innovation is for everyone and no young person should ever feel discouraged to pursue a good idea. This is why we’re proud to be working with our partners Social Mobility Foundation and InnovateHer again this year. Our research shows the UK is full of young people with confidence and potential, but they still feel like they don’t have the support they need to make a difference through tech. That’s what the Solve for Tomorrow programme aims to address.”
Applications to the competition are now open, following a panel discussion launch event held at Samsung KX to inspire future changemakers, and featuring rapper and entrepreneur, Krept. The competition offers two age categories – 16-18 and 18-25. Winning teams in both categories receive £10,000 cash prize in funding, and three months expert mentoring with a personalised action plan, to help bring their ideas to life. Young people across the country can visit the Solve For Tomorrow website for more information, and enter here.
About his role as a Solve for Tomorrow ambassador, British musician, broadcaster and entrepreneur, Krept. said: “As an entrepreneur, I’ve been in the position where you have an idea but you don’t know how to make it a reality. It’s a struggle everyone faces, but unfortunately, it’s easier for some to get around that than others. Programmes like Solve for Tomorrow from Samsung are great – they help remove the barriers young people face, whether it’s not having a degree or not knowing the right person – I’m thrilled to be involved in this initiative.”
Talking at the panel event at KX, Sarah Atkinson, CEO of Social Mobility Foundation, said of the programme partnership: “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. At The Social Mobility Foundation, we work towards creating a culture where young people from all social backgrounds can thrive, leading to more representation and innovation. Solve for Tomorrow equips and empowers young minds to create solutions to real-world issues and we are proud to be partnering again with Samsung on this exciting initiative.”
Chelsea Slater, CEO at InnovateHer, also commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with Samsung on the Solve for Tomorrow initiative, which aligns perfectly with InnovateHer’s mission to empower the next generation of diverse innovators. This programme gives young people, especially girls, the opportunity to tackle real-world problems using technology, while building essential skills for the future. By working together, we’re ensuring that more young women are inspired, included, and equipped to lead in the tech industry—helping to create a more inclusive and innovative future for everyone.”
To enter this year’s competition, go to: www.samsung.com/uk/solvefortomorrow/competition/
Methodology Consumer research was commissioned to 1,000 UK teenagers aged 13-19 between the 4th and 10th October 2024 by OnePoll. Onepoll are members of ESOMAR and comply with the ESOMAR guidelines for online research.
Patent information was obtained via the Intellectual Property Office.