Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture
14 October 2024
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lizzy Lowe, Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow in Ecology and Entomology, Edith Cowan University
If you notice a tiny, strikingly coloured spider performing an elaborate courtship dance, you may have seen your first peacock spider.
New species of peacock spider are discovered every year; the tally is now 113. One newly discovered species, Maratus yanchep, is only known to exist in a small area of coastal dunes near Yanchep, north of Perth.
As Perth’s suburbs sprawl ever further north and south, it means one problem – the housing crisis – is worsening another, the extinction crisis.
The dunes which are home to Maratus yanchep are just 20 metres from land being cleared for large new estates.
If the species was formally listed as threatened, it could be protected. But the spider was only described in 2022 and has not been listed on state or federal threatened species lists. That means Maratus yanchep has no protection, according to the state government.
Peacock spiders are tiny. Many have bodies just 4–5 mm across. The males only put on their mating displays during short periods of the year, typically August to September. Their size and habits also make it hard to learn about their populations and preferred habitats. This is partly why we’re only now realising how many peacock spider species there are.
Concerted effort by enthusiasts such as Jurgen Otto has greatly expanded our knowledge. Of the 113 described species, each has distinctive colouring and its own dances (males have the colour and the moves). But we know there are more species of peacock spider waiting to be recognised by western science.
Many species of peacock spider are only known from within a very small area of suitable habitat.
This puts the species at high risk of extinction because a single threat such as a large bushfire or a suburban development can destroy all their habitat at once.
Before any native bushland is cleared in Australia, developers have to undertake an environmental impact survey to look for threatened species and assess what damage the development would do. If a threatened species is found, the development can be scaled back or denied.
The problem is, these surveys only look for species known to be in danger. If a species isn’t listed on Australia’s growing list of threatened species, it won’t be looked for.
But Maratus yanchep has not been assessed to see if it is threatened. This means it has no protection from development.
This points to a wider problem. Large, well-known Australian vertebrates such as koalas and platypuses tend to get more attention – and conservation efforts – than humble invertebrates. We face an uphill battle to conserve our wealth of invertebrates.
Worldwide, many invertebrates are in real danger of disappearing. Australia is home to at least 300,000 invertebrate species, dwarfing the 8,000-odd vertebrates – but only 101 are currently listed under the federal government’s laws protecting threatened species, the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act. The problem here is we don’t have enough data to assess most invertebrate species for formal conservation listing and protection.
Listing a species as threatened requires a large amount of data on where the species is and isn’t found. This takes time and specialist knowledge. But funding is scarce.
As a result, our efforts to gather data on invertebrates often relies on passionate volunteers and enthusiasts, who may often pick one genus – say peacock spiders – and set out to expand our knowledge.
When clear and immediate threats do appear – such as clearing coastal dunes in Yanchep – we are again reliant on the unpaid work of volunteers to gather information.
Perth is one of the longest cities in the world. Its suburbs sprawl for 150 kilometres, running from Two Rocks in the north to Dawesville in the south.
Many Perth residents want to live by the coast, driving demand for new housing on the city outskirts. This drives destruction of native bushland and pushes species towards extinction. Some species tolerate the change from bushland to suburbia, but these are a minority – less than 25%. Small, localised species are at highest risk of extinction.
Perth’s sprawl shows no sign of slowing. Land clearing for housing has contributed to the worsening plight of the Carnaby’s cockatoo. Fifty years ago, the iconic cockatoo flew over the city in flocks as large as 7,000. There’s nothing like that now.
Efforts are underway to protect Maratus yanchep. The not-for-profit charity Invertebrates Australia is working to nominate it for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Greens MP Brad Pettitt raised the issue in Parliament in August.
The one thing peacock spiders have going for them is their looks. They are spectacularly beautiful. They’re also easily identified by the distinct patterns on the males – for most species you don’t need expert training to tell them apart, just decent eyesight.
As a result, peacock spiders have drawn attention from dozens of amateur arachnologists and photographers who collect and share information on where they can be found. This citizen science data is often able to be used as evidence in listing a species as threatened – and unlocking vital protection.
Images of these spiders also boosts their public profile and support for their protection.
Despite the recent groundswell of interest in saving this tiny spider, it may be too late. To avoid the mass extinction of iconic Australian species, we must find better ways of building without large-scale habitat clearing.
Read more:
Photos from the field: zooming in on Australia’s hidden world of exquisite mites, snails and beetles
Lizzy Lowe is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia
Jess Marsh is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia.
Dr Leanda Denise Mason is affiliated with Centre for People, Place, and Planet.
– ref. This beautiful peacock spider was only found two years ago. Now it could be dancing its last dance – https://theconversation.com/this-beautiful-peacock-spider-was-only-found-two-years-ago-now-it-could-be-dancing-its-last-dance-238437
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
USDA leadership, governmental and non-governmental partners will host an expo featuring Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, a historic $3 billion investment in approximately 140 projects nationwide through which the U.S. Department of Agriculture is delivering on the promise of positioning American agriculture as a global leader in delivering voluntary, incentives-driven, market-based climate solutions.
Source: Government of India (2)
About 4.97 lakh plant saplings planted so far, under the plantation drive ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ by the various PSUs of the department
3884 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sammrudhi Kendras (PMKSK), have been identified as the Campaign sites under the Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0 initiatives with an aim to improve the PMKSKs with clean premises, enhanced facilities and easy accessibility for farmers
Posted On: 10 OCT 2024 6:13PM by PIB Delhi
Department of Fertilizers (DoF), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India and its 9 PSUs observed ‘Swachhata – Pakhwada’ from 01.09.2024 to 15.09.2024 and ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ Campaign from 17.09.2024 to 01.10.2024 respectively.
The Swachhata Pledge was undertaken in the Department of Fertilizers on 17.9.2024 in which officers/staff participated in the event. The Plantation drives under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ are currently underway among the PSUs of Department of Fertilizers, Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) etc. About 4.97 lakh plant saplings have been planted so far, under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ by the various PSUs of DoF, IFFCO, KRIBHCO etc.
Besides, Shramdaan activities, Essay writing and Quiz Competition were also conducted in which officers/staff in DoF actively participated in the said events. A Webinar on avoidance of ‘Single Use Plastics’ was conducted in DoF, in coordination with RCF on 10.09.2024 through Video Conferencing.
Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0 is also being observed by the Department of Fertilizers and its 09 PSUs from 2ndOctober, 2024 to 31st October, 2024. PSUs under DoF have been sensitised to gear up for the Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0 initiatives for further institutionalizing cleanliness and also to reduce pendency/redundancy.
3884 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sammrudhi Kendras (PMKSK), have been identified as the Campaign sites under the Swachhata Special Campaign 4.0 initiatives relating to Department of Fertilizers with an aim to improve the PMKSKs with clean premises, enhanced facilities and easy accessibility for farmers.
Besides, all efforts will be ensured by the Department of Fertilizers and its PSUs for making progress towards the review and weeding out of old files (both physical and e-files) as per the Record Retention Schedule, disposal of Public Grievances, digitization of records, reduction of paper work, disposal of the e-waste, as well as scrap material etc so that efficiency and space availability gets improved. The progress of Special Campaign 4.0 will be monitored on a dedicated portal http://www.scdpm.gov.in by DARPG and updated information will be uploaded in the SCDPM portal by the Department of Fertilizers on a regular basis.
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has released Guidelines to implement the Special Campaign 4.0 from 2nd October to 31st October, 2024, in order to achieve the goals of institutionalizing Swachhata and reducing pendency in Government offices.
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MV/AKS
(Release ID: 2063911) Visitor Counter : 51
Source: Government of India (2)
SARAS Mela will also have a learning pavilion and knowledge sharing pavilion specifically for capacity building of women self-help groups
Posted On: 10 OCT 2024 6:04PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Rural Development and National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) is organizing the SARAS Ajeevika Mela for the third consecutive year from 13th October to 29th October 2024 at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29, Gurugram. More than 900 rural women artisans from around 30 states are participating in the SARAS Mela. The fair will showcase products from different states such as Tussar sarees, Bagh prints, Patola sarees from Gujarat, Katha sarees from West Bengal, Rajasthani prints, Chanderi sarees from Madhya Pradesh, woolen products and natural food products from Himachal-Uttarakhand, wooden products from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, various dry fruits and handloom products from Jammu and Kashmir, Palash products and natural food from Jharkhand along with different varieties of products from rural culture across India will be on display at the fair.
In the fair, self help group’s Didis will be provided with knowledge about Various Ministries of the Government (various departments of Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Rural Development, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Textiles etc.) through special capacity building of women self help groups learning pavilion and knowledge sharing pavilion. Under various ministries’ schemes, the Didi’s of the self help groups will be connected and informed about various means of livelihood and various training programs will also be organized for their skill development.
Apart from this, a SARAS Food Court will also be set up in Gurugram SARAS Mela featuring 50 live food stalls from about 25 states. There will be dishes from all over India including Rajasthani Kair Sangri-Gatta ki Sabzi, Bengal’s Fish Curry, Telangana Chicken, Bihar’s Litti Chokha, Punjab’s Sarso Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti. Cultural programs will be organized every day in the fair and arrangements have also been made for a kid’s zone for children’s sports and entertainment. Lakhs of visitors and customers from the national capital region including Delhi-Gurugram will participate in the fair. All arrangements are being made keeping in mind the convenience of the visitors. Keeping transparency in mind, arrangements have been made for online registration/nomination of self-help groups in this SARAS Aajeevika Mela. B.C. Sakhi and journalist sisters from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh will also participate in the fair.
This time, a North-East Pavilion has also been set up at the Gurugram SARAS Mela so that priority can be given to the North-Eastern states and state-wise pavilions will be made for each state to give them priority. Medical help desk and ambulance facilities will be available for health services at the fair. The contribution of Gurugram district administration and Haryana State Livelihood Mission is also being taken to provide various facilities to the women of self-help groups and to make the fair a success.
With the support of the Ministry of Rural Development (Government of India) and the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), SARAS Melas have been organized for the last 26 years. This has provided employment opportunities to lakhs of rural women and lakhs of women have learned marketing skills as well.
The Ministry of Rural Development, in collaboration with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), is providing a marketing platform through SARAS Melas to rural women self-help groups to sell their products. Through SARAS Melas, members of rural women self-help groups get an opportunity to directly communicate with urban customers, know the market interest and accordingly determine the pricing of their products by improving the packaging of their products.
Through SARAS Melas, women of rural self-help groups are not only creating livelihood opportunities but are also setting a great example of women empowerment in the country. This is definitely a milestone in the livelihood journey. SARAS Melas are being organized continuously since the year 1999. The living standards of lakhs of women have improved through these fairs.
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SS
(Release ID: 2063900) Visitor Counter : 38
Source: United States Small Business Administration
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are available in Pennsylvania for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations with economic losses from drought that began on Sept. 24.
The declaration includes the primary county of Greene, and the adjacent counties of Fayette and Washington in Pennsylvania, and Marshall, Monongalia and Wetzel in West Virginia.
“Working capital loans from the SBA are essential to eligible small businesses when the Secretary of Agriculture declares a disaster due to farmers’ crop losses,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. “These loans help sustain rural economies when a disaster occurs.”
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. Apart from aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4% for small businesses and
3.25% for private nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition. Eligibility is based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
For information and to apply online visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 6592955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Submit completed loan applications to SBA no later than June 2, 2025.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sba.gov.
Source: United Nations – Geneva
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the ninth periodic report of New Zealand, with Committee Experts praising the State’s achievements in promoting gender equality and raising questions about initiatives to address high levels of violence against women and discrimination against Māori women and girls, and reports of reduced funding for those initiatives.
In the dialogue, several Committee Experts commended New Zealand’s efforts promoting gender equality. One Expert welcomed that the State party had achieved gender parity in Parliament recently, while another Expert congratulated the State party on ranking fourth in the Global Gender Gap Index.
Natasha Stott Despoja, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for New Zealand, said the rates of violence against women and girls in New Zealand were alarming. She also expressed concern about reports of reduced funding for initiatives to prevent violence against women.
Another Committee Expert said Māori women and girls continued to face disproportionate levels of discrimination. The Committee was alarmed by austerity measures which weakened efforts to fight discrimination in many Government bodies, including the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority. How would the State party promote the rights of indigenous peoples?
Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo, Acting Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand, said that although Māori women and girls continued to experience various inequalities, the Government was reviewing the role of the Māori Tribunal and had stopped all efforts to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Government needed to implement the Declaration, she said.
Introducing the report, Kellie Coombes, Secretary for Women and Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women of New Zealand and head of the delegation, said New Zealand’s women leaders had held the role of Prime Minister for 16 out of the last 27 years. In October 2022, women Members of Parliament gained an equal share of seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives, making the State one of only six countries in the world to have achieved gender equality in Parliament.
The delegation added that the Government had implemented temporary special measures to improve women’s representation in political bodies and the defence force. A woman had been appointed as the leader of the New Zealand Army in September 2024. New Zealand also held back funding from sporting bodies that did not have a certain level of female representation on their boards.
Emma Powell, Chief Executive of the Interdepartmental Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence of New Zealand, said the National Strategy for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence guided efforts to address the underlying social conditions and norms that led to family violence and sexual violence. The State party aimed to reduce the number of annual crimes against women by 11,000 in the next two years. For 2024, ministers had agreed not to cut the budget devoted to combatting family and sexual violence.
Paula Rawiri, Deputy Secretary of Policy at Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry for Māori Development) of New Zealand, said New Zealand was working to ensure that it was a nation where Māori women and girls could thrive. The Ministry for Māori Development would soon publish reports on disparities in justice, health, education, employment and socio-economic wellbeing. This body of work would yield valuable insights on legislative and policy levers to combat intersecting forms of discrimination against Māori women and girls.
In closing remarks, Ms. Coombes said New Zealand had made good progress toward gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, underpinned by its commitment to the Convention. There was more work to be done, and the Committee’s concluding observations would help the State party to achieve its goals.
Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chair, in concluding remarks, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue, which had allowed the Committee to better understand the situation of women and girls in the State party. The Committee called on the State party to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in New Zealand.
The delegation of New Zealand consisted of representatives from the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence; Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development); Ministry for Women; and the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of New Zealand at the end of its eighty-ninth session on 25 October. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Monday, 14 October to hold a meeting with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutes from Chile, Canada, Japan and Cuba, whose reports will be reviewed next week.
Report
The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of New Zealand (CEDAW/C/NZL/9).
Presentation of Report
KELLIE COOMBES, Secretary for Women and Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women of New Zealand and head of the delegation, said New Zealand strongly valued diversity and took pride in promoting human rights and equal treatment for all people. It was the first country where women gained the right to vote and had a strong record of women’s political leadership. In September, the State marked the one hundred and thirty-first anniversary of women’s suffrage. Women leaders had held the role of Prime Minister for 16 out of the last 27 years. In October 2022, women Members of Parliament gained an equal share of seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives, making the State one of only six countries in the world to have achieved gender equality in Parliament. New Zealand ranked fourth out of 146 nations on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index.
Since the last report was submitted, New Zealand had had a change of Government. The new Government’s key focus areas included rebuilding the economy, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services. It was committed to the protection of the human rights of all women and girls in New Zealand, the promotion of gender equality, upholding women’s safety and wellbeing, protecting women and girls from all forms of violence, and reducing gender inequities in health. Through deliberate action, the public service gender pay gap had fallen from 12.2 per cent in 2018 to 7.1 per cent in 2023, its lowest level. Work was now progressing alongside New Zealand businesses to develop a gender pay gap calculation tool.
Work towards improving health outcomes for women and girls included the extension of free breast cancer screening for women aged 70-74, which would mean around 120,000 more women would be eligible for screening every two years. The introduction last year of a world-leading self-test for cervical screening had seen more than 80 per cent of women being tested take up this option. In 2023, for the fourth consecutive year, women’s representation on public sector boards reached 50 per cent or above, with women now holding 53.9 per cent of these roles. Women were also better represented in board chair roles, reaching 46.2 per cent – a significant increase from 41.9 per cent in 2022.
Māori and ethnic diversity of public sector boards had also continued to increase since data collection for ethnicity began in 2019. The Global Women and the Champions for Change Group had achieved at least 40 per cent representation of women at board level. Women’s representation on councils was the highest it had ever been, at nearly 46 per cent at the 2022 elections. The online safety organization “Netsafe” was developing an online toolkit for workplaces to protect women in leadership positions from harassment and abuse.
Women’s participation in the New Zealand labour force had steadily increased, from 54.3 per cent in 1991 to 67.4 per cent in June 2024. The women’s employment rate was currently at 64.5 per cent, remaining the fifth highest since measurement began in 1986. Families in New Zealand had been negatively impacted by rising living costs. Recent initiatives to support working parents included a six per cent increase in paid parental leave, and the introduction of the “FamilyBoost” payment to help families meet the cost of early childhood education. The Government had also committed to prioritising a bill to allow parents to share parental leave as they see fit and introduce a three-day stay policy to ensure mothers and babies were entitled by law to 72 hours post-partum care.
Health outcomes were improving overall for women in New Zealand and women had a longer life expectancy than men. However, women spent more years in poor health than men with more medical interventions for conditions experienced across their lifetime. Health challenges were bigger for many groups of women and girls, including wāhine Māori (Māori women), Pacific women, rural women and disabled women.
The State party was committed to gender equality in New Zealand for all women and girls. Despite significant progress, challenges remained, and the Government needed to continue to build on the progress it had made to improve outcomes for all women and girls.
EMMA POWELL, Chief Executive of the Interdepartmental Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence of New Zealand, said New Zealand had high and concerning rates of family violence and sexual violence. Women were three times as likely as men to experience intimate partner violence. One in three women experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. In December 2021, the National Strategy for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence was launched. It guided the efforts of the Government, indigenous peoples, communities and specialist sectors to address the underlying social conditions and norms that led to family violence and sexual violence.
The first action plan to implement the strategy, spanning 2021-2023, was now complete, and from its 40 actions progress had been made across a range of areas, including the development and implementation of new family violence workforce capability frameworks and training, and expanded community-led responses to violence. The next action plan would be published by the end of the year. It would prioritise improving multi-agency responses, and strengthening the evaluation of what worked to support investment, further equipping workforces to respond to victims of violence.
PAULA RAWIRI, Deputy Secretary of Policy at Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry for Māori Development) of New Zealand, said that after a period of nationwide mourning of the recent passing of Kingi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero IIV, a beacon of implicit reverence for indigenous women had appeared through the anointment of a young Māori queen. New Zealand was driving a transformational journey of advancement for Māori women and girls, working to ensure that New Zealand was a nation where Māori women and girls could thrive. The Ministry for Māori Development had implemented research arising from the Mana Wāhine Kaupapa Inquiry on systemic discrimination, deprivation and inequities experienced by Māori women as a result of Treaty of Waitangi breaches by the Crown. An initial tranche of reports would shortly be published on the representation of Māori women in public sector decision-making roles and disparities in justice, health, education, employment and socio-economic wellbeing. This body of work would yield valuable insights on legislative and policy levers to combat intersecting forms of discrimination against Māori women and girls.
The Ministry had also developed a series of national strategies, which were driving better outcomes and equality for Māori women and girls across fields such as justice, child protection, living with disabilities, access to technology, housing and education. It was working to ensure greater representation of Māori women in public sector decision-making roles and within Māori communities. Māori women, girls and families continued to carry the burden of socio-economic inequity. There was much more to do but when Māori society thrived, New Zealand society also thrived.
SAUNOAMAALI’I DR KARANINA SUMEO, Acting Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand, said the Human Rights Commission had “A” status accreditation under the Paris Principles. Māori women and girls continued to experience various inequalities. The Government was reviewing the role of the Māori Tribunal and had stopped all efforts to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Government needed to implement the Declaration and provide mental health support for Māori women and girls. There had been a recent reduction in funding for responses to gender-based violence.
This year, a report from a Royal Commission of Inquiry revealed cases of torture of women and girls in New Zealand institutions. The State party needed to implement the Inquiry’s recommendations and develop legislation to reduce online harm against women. The social security system disadvantaged women and could lead to their financial entrapment. In 2023, one in eight children lived in poverty in New Zealand and gender and ethnic pay gaps persisted. For every one dollar a New Zealand man earned, Māori and Pacific women earned less than 70 cents. The Government lacked urgency to address this issue. Workplace harassment was also affecting women. The Government needed to reinstate the Fair Payment Agreement Act and ensure the right to equal work for all genders and persons with disabilities.
Questions by a Committee Expert
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for New Zealand, said that New Zealand had long been a global leader in national development, both with regard to its labour force, being the first country to introduce minimum wage, and with regard to gender equality, being the first country in the world to afford women with the right to vote. She commended the progress that had been made toward ensuring women in rural communities had access to abortion through the national establishment of the abortion telehealth service. However, there were concerns around the Government’s reinterpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi and the removal of several equity measures, including the Māori health authority, and removal of State support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Māori women and girls had reported feeling unhoused, unnoticed and unsafe. What progress had been made in protecting their rights, and in implementing the recommendations issued by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse of Māori women and girls in institutions?
The Committee noted recent steps taken to address family and sexual violence, including the 2018 passing of the Family Violence Act, the Sexual Violence Legislation Act in 2021, and the launch of the National Strategy and Action Plan to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence in 2022. However, the rates of violence against women and girls in New Zealand were alarming. Women were disproportionately at risk of facing violence. Ms. Stott Despoja expressed concern about reports of reduced funding for initiatives to prevent violence against women, and the cessation of a safety-focused regulatory review of online services and platforms before it was completed. What had been the impact of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting on women and girls? Were women and girls of Muslim faith facing increased social hostility in the public space?
It was welcome that the Convention and New Zealand’s reports had been published on the Ministry for Women’s website. Did the State party plan to publish these in Pacific languages? There was a concerning lack of specific mentions of gender within New Zealand’s Human Rights Act. What steps had been taken to amend the Act to include specific prohibitions of discrimination on the grounds of gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics? It was also concerning that legal aid funding for cultural reports had been removed. Around 67 per cent of women in prison in New Zealand were Māori. Did the State party have a replacement strategy for these reports? How many times had gender-discrimination cases been brought before the courts in the last five years, and how many times had the Convention been invoked?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the New Zealand Law Commission was reviewing whether the Human Rights Act adequately protected transgender people and people with diverse sexual characteristics. The Government would consider any recommendations made when the review was completed in 2025. In September this year, the Government launched a Human Rights Monitor, which recorded and tracked recommendations from the United Nations treaty bodies. The Government would consider the recommendation to publish information related to the Convention in Pacific languages.
Recently, New Zealand had changed the threshold for persons who could receive legal aid, increasing access for marginalised women and girls, including Māori and Pacific women and girls. There had been six court cases since 2018 that had referred to the Convention.
The Ministry for Women had developed a working relationship with the New Zealand Islamic Council since the Christchurch shooting and was working to support Muslim women and girls in the community, including to reach leadership positions. The Government had launched an impactful campaign that sought to challenge perceptions of this group.
New Zealand was committed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Treaty of Waitangi, and the positive outcomes that both sought for the Māori community. The Government had decided to focus on meeting targets in nine key areas, aiming to support families at community level, so as to implement the Declaration. Recent policy changes had affected the Māori community. The Government would work together with Māori organizations to address concerns related to these changes.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert congratulated New Zealand for ratifying all nine of the United Nations human rights treaties. New Zealand’s first national action plan on women, peace and security concluded in 2019. The Committee hoped that the next iteration of the plan would include measures addressing security both internally and externally. Could more information on New Zealand’s feminist diplomacy be provided? The omission of language as grounds for discrimination in State legislation needed to be revisited. It was welcome that the 2023 budget included a gender lens. Did the budget address intersectional discrimination against women with disabilities?
It was welcome that there were six Supreme Court judgements on the Convention. Did the Māori Tribunal apply the Convention in its decision making? Data was part of the Māori knowledge system, and the way that the digital domain was governed had implications in this regard. The Government had reportedly failed to protect Māori from online risks, including related to the protection of their data. How would the Government protect and support access to data for Māori women?
Another Committee Expert said that New Zealand had made history in the nineteenth century by being the first country to allow women to vote. It was welcome that the State party had achieved gender parity in Parliament recently. Māori women and girls continued to face disproportionate levels of discrimination. The current Government had disestablished the Māori Health Authority. The Committee was also alarmed by austerity measures which weakened efforts to fight discrimination in many Government bodies. What temporary special measures was the State party planning to achieve full gender parity in political representation? How would the State party address gaps created by budget cuts in the protection of the rights of women and girls? How would the State party increase Māori representation in local governments and promote the rights of indigenous peoples domestically and internationally?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said New Zealand continued to progress work aligned to its national action plan on women, peace and security. It was developing a second national action plan, but no decisions had been made yet. The State had co-hosted a women, peace and security summit in Samoa in 2019, which had launched a gender defence network that included defence forces from countries in the region. New Zealand had also supported gender mainstreaming in Fiji and the development of the State’s first women, peace and security action plan. There was also a gender focal point network within the defence force. The New Zealand police provided support in eight Pacific nations to strengthen the frontline response to gender-based violence.
New Zealand supported women’s leadership, and equitable access to health and education in the Pacific. In 2021, it launched a gender action plan to ensure that its official development assistance incorporated a gender lens. At least 60 per cent of official development assistance focused on promoting gender equality. The State party published an annual report of official development assistance, which outlined spending on policies promoting gender equality.
The State party had ministries supporting Pacific peoples and persons with disabilities. It had developed databases of women in leadership positions. The Ministry for Women had developed a tool that supported Government bodies to implement a gender perspective.
The State party ensured the independence of the judiciary. Judges and members of the judiciary received training that encouraged them to operate in a gender responsive manner.
The Government had implemented temporary special measures to improve women’s representation in political bodies and the defence force. A woman had been appointed as the leader of the New Zealand Army in September 2024. New Zealand held back funding from sporting bodies that did not have a certain level of female representation on their boards. Women currently held 31 per cent of board-level roles in private companies. The Government was considering policies to accelerate progress in this area. New Zealand was encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths fields, and was working to address online harassment of women in leadership through its “Netsafe” programme.
New Zealand was advocating for issues, including reproductive health and rights, equal pay for equal work, and women’s participation within the United Nations human rights mechanisms. The State had also worked to strengthen language on gender equality and women’s empowerment in General Assembly resolutions.
Funding for the Ministry for Women had recently been reduced by around seven per cent. It continued to work to fulfil its mandate with this budget. The Ministry worked collaboratively with other Government bodies to achieve results for the communities they represented.
Questions by Committee Experts
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for New Zealand, asked whether the 2024 budget had gender budgeting. Was the Government planning a national action plan on the rights of women and girls?
A Committee Expert congratulated the State party on ranking fourth in the Global Gender Gap Index and for its efforts to reduce harmful gender stereotyping. However, some stereotypes against women remained prevalent. What measures were in place to address these? The high level of violence against women and girls was alarming. Domestic violence rates had increased over the last five years. How was the Government responding to this? How did it protect women who left violent partners? Two-thirds of family violence incidents were not reported to the police. Was the Government considering restorative justice models to address family and sexual violence, and raising awareness on economic harm as a form of family violence?
There had been an increase in gender-based abuse on online platforms, yet funding for reducing online harm had been reduced. Would the State party review laws to increase accountability and transparency for online companies? The Committee welcomed a new bill that would make stalking a crime. What was the timeline for its implementation?
The Crimes Act of 1961 was amended in 2016 to address trafficking in persons for various purposes, including forced labour. How many traffickers had been penalised for sex trafficking over the reporting period? The Government had implemented legislation to address modern slavery, but had this year disbanded the modern slavery leadership group. How was the Government addressing modern slavery? The State party fully decriminalised prostitution in 2003. What had been the positive and negative implications of this legal measure?
The Government had also rolled back protections for migrant workers in work visa and seasonal employment schemes. Employers were now allowed to increase accommodation costs, and visa applications for migrants’ spouses and children were no longer supported. Did the State party intend to ratify the International Labour Organization Convention 190 on workplace violence?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said gender budgeting was not included in the 2024 budget due to time constraints after the formation of the new Government. However, agencies reported on the implications of budgeting for women. The Ministry for Women was not currently prioritising the development of a national action plan on the rights of women and girls.
Sport played an important role in countering gender stereotypes. The 2023 Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by New Zealand, had increased the profile of women’s sports and athletes. The Broadcasting Standards Authority monitored portrayals of women and girls in the media and had issued guidance on their representation.
New Zealand’s Crime and Victims Survey showed that there had been an increase in family violence and sexual assault in the last two years. The State party aimed to further strengthen data collection on these crimes and reduce the number of annual crimes against women by 11,000 in the next two years. The National Strategy on Family and Sexual Violence had been renewed and the Government was developing a new set of actions under the strategy. For 2024, ministers had agreed not to cut the budget devoted to combatting family and sexual violence. Judicial and police training programmes had clear curricula addressing family and sexual violence and capacity building efforts were ongoing.
Work was underway to recognise stalking as a crime and the bill on stalking was expected to pass by the end of this year. Economic harm against women and girls was pervasive in New Zealand. The Government would strengthen awareness raising campaigns on this issue, targeting vulnerable groups.
New Zealand’s policy was to not ratify international conventions until domestic law aligned with them. The State party would consider aligning domestic legislation with International Labour Organization Convention 190 before ratifying it. Employers were allowed to recruit seasonal migrant workers in sectors where there were staff shortages. They were required to pay for half of workers’ airfares, provide quality accommodation for employees, and respect their rights.
Work on addressing trafficking in persons was ongoing. In the last 12 months, there had been 17 certified instances of trafficking identified, but there had been no convictions secured related to people trafficking over the reporting period. The action plan against forced labour, people trafficking and slavery was in place until 2025. There had been various policies and laws implemented to prevent trafficking and exploitation of migrants under the action plan. Training in trafficking in persons had been provided for 400 frontline border officials, and fora on combatting trafficking in persons were held annually.
The Prostitution Reform Act of 2003 decriminalised prostitution, aiming to protect sex workers’ rights. There was an issue with section 19 of the Act, which prohibited foreign nationals from engaging in sex work. This section aimed to protect migrants from exploitation but could have a negative impact on migrant workers. Changes to this legislation would require careful consultation with stakeholders. On balance, the Act was a positive advancement for sex workers’ rights in New Zealand, but the State party would continue to assess how it was implemented.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked about the causes of the recent rise in gender-based violence. The Expect welcomed the State’s efforts to prevent underage marriage. What these made any achievements? Was the Government working to identify underage and forced marriages that went under the radar?
Another Committee Expert welcomed efforts by the State party to promote women’s participation in sports and address sexual and family violence. What work was the State party doing with perpetrators of sexual violence? How many complaints were reported of discrimination against intersex persons each year?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the cost-of-living crisis had exacerbated the situation of vulnerable families, potentially leading to an increase in rates of violence. There was also a high rate of revictimisation, indicating that some State responses lacked effectiveness. The State party was working with civil society to address this issue.
Coerced marriage was illegal in New Zealand. A Family Court judge needed to provide permission for young people aged 16 or 17 to marry. The police’s policy on forced and underaged marriages had been updated to address a wider range of coerced unions. Sexual offenders were required to participate in 50 hours of counselling sessions. The Government was changing the design of rehabilitation programmes to counter reoffending and implementing awareness raising programmes promoting positive masculinity. The Ministry of Māori Development was involved in community-led efforts to address sexual and family violence against Māori women.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert said New Zealand had made remarkable steps in promoting gender balance. The Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked New Zealand at fifteenth worldwide in women’s representation in political bodies. However, the representation of women in Parliament had recently decreased from the 2022 peak. Some political parties had implemented quotas of 50 per cent female representation, but not all had. Only 29 per cent of the managerial positions of private companies were held by women. Did the State party plan to introduce gender quotas for all political parties? What initiatives were in place to support women politicians and women in the foreign service? What was the representation of women in the judiciary?
Another Committee Expert said that since 2006, persons born in New Zealand were not automatically entitled to New Zealand nationality; at least one parent needed to now be a New Zealand or Australian citizen for the child to receive nationality. What was the status of the bill to repeal this legislation and were there measures to address the harm it had caused, including for Western Samoan persons? The process for granting citizenship for stateless persons was too long and did not have a deadline. Would the State party consider ratifying the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that in 2022, the Government announced funding for intersex healthcare, including peer support and training for practitioners. The Government promoted a human rights-based approach to intersex health. There was a lack of data on intersex healthcare, but work was underway to collect such data by 2027.
New Zealand had a Harmful Digital Communications Act that addressed online stalking and posting images without consent. Complaints related to online abuse could be sent to the Online Safety Authority “NetSafe”, which could bring cases to courts as necessary. The Authority was pushing back strongly against online abuse.
The issue of gender quotas within political parties was a matter for the parties themselves. There was a push to make Parliament more family friendly. Parliamentary recess periods were being aligned with school holidays and there was a play area on Parliament grounds. Several women parliamentarians were balancing work and childcare. The share of women in the judiciary was 53 per cent.
Questions by Committee Experts
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for New Zealand, asked if there would be further legal amendments to ensure intersex persons had the same protection as males and females.
Another Committee Expert commended New Zealand’s progress in women’s education, including its endorsement and implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, and provision of educational support to pregnant teenagers and Māori girls. Around 34 per cent of women with disabilities had received no education and there was a lack of teaching aides for children with disabilities. How would the State party address these issues?
Indigenous and poor children lacked access to internet services. How would the State party facilitate online learning for poor and indigenous women? There continued to be high levels of bullying of marginalised children in schools. How would the State party address impunity for bullying in schools? The Government had recently cut funding for the school lunches programme by over 100 million United States dollars. Did the State party intend to revive this funding? How was the State party facilitating the teaching of indigenous and Pacific languages in schools?
One Committee Expert said New Zealand had progressive traditions that had been reflected in its achievements in women’s employment and representation in managerial positions. What measures were being developed to support migrant women and Pacific Islander women to access employment, particularly in the private sector? Was the State party using new technologies to analyse the employment market and barriers to it?
There was reportedly a high level of workplace violence; 38 per cent of women had suffered such violence. The State party had not ratified International Labour Organization conventions related to workplace violence. How many complaints had been submitted to the Human Rights Commission on workplace harassment? What progress had been made in the plan to combat workplace harassment? Had the State party considered measures to support working mothers, such as a four-day working week? Were women able to access employment in fast-growing technology sectors?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Law Commission had published an issues paper on legislation on intersex persons. Consideration of this paper would address increased protection for intersex persons.
New Zealand was committed to ensuring that education was accessible and inclusive for all students, including women and girls. School boards needed to ensure that schools were safe, inclusive places for all students and staff and that students could receive the highest standard of education. There were measures in place to strengthen the learning support system for children with disabilities, including measures to increase teachers’ ability to meet the needs of all learners.
The Ministry of Education’s digital technologies programme aimed to increase students’ access to digital technology for learning and their digital literacy. The rural broadband initiative had significantly increased access to the internet in rural areas. When the programme was completed in 2025, more than 99 per cent of rural areas would have access to the internet. More than 650 Māori communities had gained access to the internet through the programme.
Data on bullying indicated that students with disabilities, poor students and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex students were disproportionately affected by it. Bullying prevention and response work by the Bullying Prevention Advisory Group aimed to foster safe and inclusive environments in schools. The Department of Internal Affairs had developed resources that helped children and parents to stay safe online. The school lunches programme was still in place, though its funding had been reduced.
Education legislation included provisions that called on the Crown to respect Māori persons’ education rights. The Government had committed to a Māori education action plan that promoted their identity, culture, language and rights as indigenous peoples, and fostered educational environments free from racism. Barriers to implementing this plan included the lack of teachers in rural areas.
In August 2024, the employment action plan was launched, which aimed to promote access to employment for marginalised groups, including women. The State party was developing a voluntary calculation tool for the gender wage gap. It would consider whether to make the tool mandatory in the future. Over 100 businesses had already published their gender pay gaps online as part of the initiative.
In 2023, changes were made to the legal system to help women to seek justice when they experienced workplace harassment. The deadline for filing a complaint was extended from 90 days to one year. Grievances related to workplace harassment could be raised with mediation bodies, the Employment Relations Authority, or courts if required. The Government provided 26 weeks of paid parental leave for workers of either gender. Pay was equal to workers’ normal pay up to a threshold of 700 New Zealand dollars, and leave could be shared between both parents.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said it was remarkable that the Government provided free period products to students. Was the State party considering making education in indigenous languages compulsory in all schools across the State?
Another Committee Expert said New Zealand had a shortage of nurses due to the aging of society and the demands of the profession. There was also a shortage of midwives. The wages of these professions were not following inflation. What measures were in place to increase the number of nurses and midwives, particularly in rural areas? What measures were in place to protect persons with disabilities from sterilisation procedures being implemented on them without their free, prior and informed consent?
Abortion services had been made legal and available for most women, but there was a lack of training on abortion for rural health workers, limiting access in rural areas. How was the State party ensuring access to abortion services in rural areas and preventing stigmatisation of persons who sought abortions? What measures were in place to speed up the diagnosis of endometriosis? How would the State party prevent cervical and uterus cancer in Māori women and implement the Committee’s general recommendation 39 on indigenous health?
NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for New Zealand, said women made up 90 per cent of COVID-19 pandemic-related redundancies in 2020. Marginalised women had disproportionately high levels of poverty and women obtained an average of 25 per cent less superannuation than their male counterparts. How was the State party addressing this? The 2023 budget had included funds for free early childcare for two-year-old children. Had these funds been invested as planned in 2024?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said education providers were required to provide Māori language education to all students who wished to receive it. Making such education compulsory would require extensive consultations with stakeholders.
The health workforce plan for 2023 and 2024 aimed to address challenges in the workforce and attract more healthcare staff. Support funding was provided to former midwives to encourage them to return to the profession. Support was also being provided to nursing and midwifery students to help them to access work, with additional support being provided to Māori and Pacific students. The State party had exceeded its targets for recruiting Māori and Pacific nurses.
It was illegal for sterilisations to be performed without consent. Persons with disabilities had the right to informed consent regarding such procedures and the right to refuse medical treatment. The Health and Disability Commissioner received and worked to resolve complaints related to health services. In 2024, the Ministry of Health had implemented a programme to respond to the needs of persons with disabilities and promote supported decision making.
Medical practitioners were provided with training on abortion care and contraception. Self-screening technologies were being implemented to increase cancer screenings. The Māori Health Authority’s role had been brought within the Health New Zealand agency. The Authority had provided health services tailored to Māori, including Māori women. Health New Zealand would continue with this mandate, aiming to provide faster and higher quality health services, including cancer screening, for Māori women.
The 2024 budget included a partial refund for early childhood education fees. The first allotment of these funds had recently been distributed to families. Families could access 20 free hours of early childhood education per week once their children turned three.
New Zealand had a high level of occupational segregation, which led to the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacting women in the tourism and hospitality sector. Support payments were provided to persons impacted by the pandemic.
Questions by Committee Experts
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, said that the 1979 law on sterilisation allowed parents and guardians to make a decision on sterilisation on behalf of persons with disabilities in their care. Was this law still being applied?
A Committee Expert asked how women could lead data governance. What mental health services would be made available to rural women farmers, who were disproportionately affected by climate change? Was the State party implementing relevant international conventions on climate change?
Would the State party follow the Bangkok Rules in its treatment of women prisoners? What legal services were available for migrant women who were victims of harmful practices? Forty per cent of women with disabilities experienced intimate partner violence. How was the State party addressing this?
Another Committee Expert asked about measures implemented to address issues in the family court system, including measures with a gender lens. There was a shortage of family law legal aid providers, especially in rural areas. How was this being addressed? What child support payments had been ordered for fathers in the past 10 years? Had payments decreased? How did the State party train family court mediators on parental alienation? How were family members protected from violent fathers? Was the State party investigating discriminatory inheritance practices?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Ministry of Health was focused on delivering better outcomes for women living in rural communities. It was working to increase awareness of telehealth services and improve transport and accommodation assistance for rural people seeking healthcare.
The State party had implemented measures to increase access to healthcare, including maternal healthcare, for women in prisons and had invested in employment, re-education and training programmes for those women. The Bangkok Rules were reflected in the State’s 2004 and 2005 legislation on correctional facilities.
New Zealand had victims support services and legal aid services that were available for migrants. In 2025, the Government planned to conduct a review of its legal aid services. Migrants, including temporary migrants, who were victims of family violence could apply for a special residency visa that fast-tracked access to New Zealand citizenship. The State party would engage with stakeholders to assess how harmful practices were affecting migrant women.
The State party would continue to increase the reach of training for family court staff. Resources had been updated to increase the accessibility of family courts for children and young people. There were bills before parliament that aimed to protect women from abuse in courts and that removed the mandatory two-year period for resolving family disputes. Judges were compelled to take note of family violence when considering guardianship of children, and to incorporate child witness statements when assessing family violence. The Government continued to pursue improvements in legislation related to family courts.
Concluding Remarks
KELLIE COOMBES, Secretary for Women and Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women of New Zealand and head of the delegation, said the Committee’s questions and reflections showed the time and energy it had invested into analysing the situation of women and girls in New Zealand. New Zealand had made good progress toward gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, underpinned by its commitment to the Convention. There was more work to be done, and the Committee’s concluding observations would help the State party to achieve its goals. The dialogue with the Committee had been positive, constructive and engaging.
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue, which had allowed the Committee to better understand the situation of women and girls in the State party. The Committee called on the State party to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in New Zealand.
Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.
CEDAW24.026E
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 10 OCT 2024 3:46PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri George Kurian inaugurated the newly established Animal Quarantine & Certification Service (AQCS) at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in Kochi, Kerala today. This facility is a significant step in facilitating the import of pet dogs and cats, aligning with the Government’s commitment to enhancing the “Ease of Living” for pet owners.
On this occasion, Union Minister of State Shri George Kurian invited suggestions from various stakeholders for further improving import and export processes for livestock, fishery products and related activities which is expected to boost economic activity in the region.
In support of this initiative, Cochin International Airport has established several facilities including a 24-hour air-conditioned pet station, a dedicated cargo section, a veterinary doctor on call, a customs clearance center and a facilitation center for travelers accompanying pets. This new service marks a crucial advancement in supporting pet travelers and improving overall import and export processes related to animal and fishery products in Kerala.
During the event an agreement was signed by Ms. Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying with CIAL for operating the Animal Quarantine facilities. Managing Director of CIAL, Mr. S. Suhas said that the decision will greatly benefit travelers accompanied by pets. This partnership aims to streamline the process, providing world-class services for pet owners and travelers making it easier to bring animals into Kerala.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying regulates the import of livestock and livestock products under the Livestock Importation Act of 1898, amended in 2001, with a focus on preventing the introduction of exotic diseases into India. At present, live animals, including pets, are imported through six major entry points where AQCS stations are located: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. This new facility at Cochin International Airport will reduce the cost and effort for pet owners importing animals into Kerala, offering them a more convenient option.
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(Release ID: 2063826) Visitor Counter : 31
Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
Next Generation Apples – Sassy™ Apples clinched the Primary Sector Award category at the 2024 New Zealand Food Awards in Auckland last night (Thursday, 10 October 2024).
Launched in 2023, Sassy™ Apples is a new apple variety developed by Plant and Food Research, and grown and marketed by New Zealand-based growers Next Generation Apples, comprising Golden Bay Fruit and Taylor Corp.
“Sassy™ Apples were developed through plant-breeding techniques to create an apple with a crisp texture, high flavour, long storage and shelf life, novel skin and flesh colour, optimal harvest maturity, and pest and disease resistance,” says Vincent Arbuckle, deputy director-general of New Zealand Food Safety.
“It is exciting to see how investment in research can lead to practical advances without sacrificing on bite or flavour.
“Sassy™ Apples are an example of excellence across the supply chain – from research to the orchards, to our supermarkets. Our judging panel for the Primary Sector Award noted the impressive research and innovation behind this product.”
Mr Arbuckle said the high calibre of entries in the Primary Sector category this year reflected an exciting and thriving food and fibre sector.
The other finalists were Waitoa Free Range Chicken (Waitoa Flavour Kit, Thai Green Curry), Good Guise Paneer, and Akaroa Salmon (Hot Smoked Mānuka Salmon Portion 180g).
“All finalists demonstrated a commitment to the kind of quality and ability to overcome challenges which has always formed the foundation of New Zealand’s food production,” Mr Arbuckle said.
The New Zealand Food Awards are held annually by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University to celebrate food and beverage excellence and innovation in Aotearoa.
New Zealand Food Safety has been involved with the awards for more than 20 years, and has been a sponsor since 2008.
Vutter Avo Spreadable – a dairy-free butter, produced by Feliz Wholefoods – took out the 2024 Supreme Award.
For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Powering up the food system (PPF)
People | Planet | Food – Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Mike Casey, about producing cherries without using fossil fuels and running a charity called Rewiring Aotearoa.
They discuss what it takes to build a fully electrified orchard and the emerging opportunities for farmers and growers to help address growing demand for renewable power. Mike explains how Rewiring Aotearoa is helping kiwis save money on energy bills, reduce their carbon emissions, and have the resilience to keep their lights on and homes warm. This episode highlights the changing relationship between energy, food production, and the everyday decisions we all make about how to live our lives.
For further information on Rewiring Aotearoa see: http://www.rewiring.nz
To view our full catalogue of podcasts go to our Scigest page: http://www.plantandfood.com/scigest
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Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister
We, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Canada gathered in Vientiane, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic on 10 October 2024, at the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit on Enhancing ASEAN Connectivity and Resilience, in support of the priorities of the Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024;
Recalling the establishment of an ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership on 6 September 2023 and REAFFIRMING our shared commitment to jointly address new challenges, including through cooperation in ASEAN-led mechanisms, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF);
Emphasising the importance of adhering to key principles, shared values and norms enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);
Recognising the long history of cooperation between ASEAN and Canada since the establishment of Dialogue Relations in 1977;
Noting that both the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy share relevant fundamental principles in promoting an ASEAN-centred, open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law;
Acknowledging Canada’s support for ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture, which underscores Canada’s commitment to regional peace, security and prosperity and to ASEAN integration and ASEAN Community-building process;
Supporting this year’s ASEAN Chairmanship theme of “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”;
Noting that Canada, as G7 president in 2025, is keenly interested in ensuring that its presidency is informed by the views of ASEAN Member States;
Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Look it is just fantastic to be here at Ferguson Australia. Can I thank Andrew and Kate and all of the staff here for taking us around and talking us through the whole process of lobsters and lobster exports. And it’s wonderful to be here with Don, my wonderful colleague, the Trade Minister, and also with Joe Szakacs, the State Minister for Trade and Investments.
We’re here the morning after the Prime Minister has announced we have agreed a timetable with China to allow the full resumption of Australian live rock lobster exports by the end of this year. And what does that mean for Australians, for Australian jobs and Australian workers? It means that in businesses like Ferguson Australia, for workers like the team we’ve seen here today, we have been able to open up an export market which is so important to the industry, to profits, and also to jobs and wages for Australians. I know from our discussions that the Fergusons have been involved in the fishing industry here in South Australia since the 1960s, but obviously, when under the previous government, the businesses were effectively blocked from entering the Chinese market, that a lot of businesses like this one here in South Australia took a really big hit. A $700 million market was shut down overnight. But as a result of the excellent work by the Albanese Government, the Prime Minister and obviously the Trade Minister as well, we’re able to start exporting this first-rate Australian product back into the Chinese market.
Obviously, this has occurred in the context of the stabilisation of our relationship with China. I said before the election and what we have delivered on is that we would look to stabilise the relationship with China without compromising on things which are important to Australians. When we came to government we inherited some $20 billion worth of trade impediments. $20 billion worth of trade impediments under Peter Dutton. Now, less than $500 million of those impediments remain.
Obviously, we will continue, as we have over the last two and a bit years, to press for those trade impediments to be removed. The approach we have taken to China has been patient, it has been calibrated, it has been deliberate. And our approach has paid dividends for Australians, for Australian businesses and for Australian workers. Very pleased that we have seen this announcement overnight by the Prime Minister. Very pleased that we’ll see Australian rock lobster in the Chinese market again. And again, I thank the Ferguson’s for their hospitality today and I’ll hand over to the Trade Minister.
Don Farrell, Trade and Tourism Minister: Well, thank you, Penny, and thank you for the really good work that you’ve done with the Prime Minister to stabilise our relationship with China that has resulted in this decision yesterday to lift the final impediment on the final product back into China. We lost more than $700 million worth of trade with rock lobster going into China. By the end of the year, of course, Chinese consumers will have the advantage of the wonderful Australian product. The best rock lobster in the world comes from Australia and particularly from South Australia. And we are so pleased that the stabilisation process that you, as Foreign Minister, undertook has resulted in now the final removal of all the products.
As you said, two and a half years ago, we started with $20 billion worth of trade impediments. They have now been removed. And of course, what that’s meant is greater prosperity for Australian producers, and more jobs for Australian workers. But we’re not going to rest on our laurels, as you will have seen in the last week or two, we’ve negotiated new free trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates and we’re encouraging companies like Fergusons to expand, to look at other markets so that we diversify our trading relationships. That’s the best way we can increase our prosperity and increase the number of jobs in this country.
I want to thank the Fergusons. I was here only a couple of months ago where we said we’d be back with some good news, and that’s today. We’ve got that good news. And I want to thank the industry for sticking with us, it’s been a tough four years for this industry and all the way along the line I’ve wanted to give them some hope to make sure that they understood that if they stick with it, we would eventually get this sort of result. And I’m so pleased that the industry have toughed it out. They’ve diversified, but now the opportunity exists for them to go back into China. We’ve got a wonderful product here. We’ve got a clean and green image in China. We know from all of the other products that we’ve got back into the Chinese market over the last two and a half years, we actually go back with a greater volume than when we started. So, I’ve got the greatest of confidence that we’re not just going to stay where we are in terms of our exports, we’re actually going to increase those exports into the Chinese markets, and that’s very good news for this country. Thank you very much. And I want to thank my state colleagues, they’ve been working really hard with us – Joe and Claire. We’ve never given up hope. We’ve kept persisting and that persistence has now paid off. Thank you very much.
Joe Szakacs, SA Minister for Trade and Investment: Thank you, everyone. Can I start by acknowledging the incredible work of the Commonwealth Government, particularly led by Senator Wong and Senator Farrell. The stabilisation of the China relationship has meant that important trade matters for South Australia have been able to be prosecuted by the Commonwealth Government, the Albanese Government, and thanks to their hard work and the support provided by our State Government here, we’ve seen these materialise today. Just yesterday, I announced that the trade numbers, the exports to China from South Australia, have hit another all-time high at $4.27 billion. To give some context for the impact that this announcement today or yesterday will have on the local industry in lobster, this was an over $70 million industry for South Australia that flatlined overnight. So, the resumption of the full exports of South Australian lobster into China will have a material impact for local jobs and local economic prosperity.
Can I also say that the South Australian Government has been planning for this day for some time. Just a couple of months ago, I was actually just down here with Senator Farrell and Andrew to announce the $475,000 Seafood Support Package that our government implemented. That package is now ready to go. It supports one of two things. It supports the immediate re-engagement with China of our seafood industry, and particularly our lobster industry. It also supports and builds on the important diversification work that has been occurring to other markets, like Hong Kong, like Vietnam, like Korea and Japan. And we were in there inside today and we saw fresh live lobster being packed to head over to Hong Kong. That’s exactly the work that our State Government has been undertaking to diversify.
Also, I just want to note that with the resumption of China Southern Airlines into South Australia, into Adelaide in December, we will see 15 tonnes of air freight every flight open up. Why is that critical? Well, it’s critical for lobster. We can’t put lobster on a boat. We can’t move lobster through ports of other states or territories. We need the best South Australian lobster to be in a plane, in the belly of a plane, into market in one day. With 15 tonne of air freight every single day being opened up from Adelaide to Guangzhou, that means direct air freight route for companies like Ferguson and other local producers. So, I just, again want to say thank you and particularly pay note to the Commonwealth Government for their extraordinary efforts in this regard.
Clare Scriven, SA Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development: So, this is a wonderful announcement, but particularly for our regional economies. The rock lobster industry is worth $158 million to South Australia overall, and a significant amount of that has been in terms of China and the market there. So, it’s been a really difficult time for the lobster fishermen and also for the economies in our regional areas who rely on that lobster fishing industry. So, this is a great announcement. We are really pleased that the Federal Government and State Government has worked so hard to be able to achieve this and we look forward to an uplift for our regional economies as well as our lobster fishermen.
Foreign Minister: Thanks, Clare. Okay, happy to take questions.
Journalist: Minister Wong, when will the first lobsters hit China? Is this an immediate thing?
Foreign Minister: Well, the announcement is by the end of the year that the trade impediments will be removed. Obviously, we’re hoping a little bit earlier than that. I was speaking to Andrew before about how that might be operationalised by the industry. I know with wine we started with a few shipments and then obviously month by month those, those exports grew. But the announcement is by the end of the year, but we’re hoping for earlier.
Journalist: Now, do you trust China as a trading partner after the past four years? And what lessons have you learnt here?
Foreign Minister: Well, we learnt a few lessons as a country, didn’t we? The first is that Peter Dutton talking tough isn’t the same as being tough. And that Mister Dutton and his colleagues really took an approach to the relationship with China which ultimately didn’t end up with a relationship that was stable, where we could agree, disagree, cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest. We saw that the Opposition continues to seek to politicise the China relationship. Now, I’ve been very clear: China has a set of interests. Some of those are very different to Australia’s. There are going to be areas where we disagree and Australia has been very clear about standing up for those issues which are important to Australians. But we also know that its important to engage and we will continue to do that in a mature, calibrated and deliberate way.
Journalist: And will you pull back on other issues you might have with China to try and keep these trade deals going?
Foreign Minister: Well, I think you’ve seen that we have been very clear about those areas where we disagree. And the whole point about trying to stabilise a relationship is to recognise there will be areas where you disagree and those will continue. There will be areas where you can cooperate and you want to work on them. And perhaps most importantly, you have to engage. You have to keep engaging in dialogue, in visits, in discussion, and we will continue to do that. And I was very pleased, for example, last night at the airport I saw a number of the Australian parliamentarians who are going to Beijing for the first parliamentarian trip for some time. So, we will have areas where we continue to have different views. Your Government will continue to articulate Australia’s position on them in accordance with our national interests. But we also recognise that it is important for us to seek to work with China to open up these markets. The reason is what you saw in there. This is about Australian jobs.
Journalist: I just have some questions from Canberra about the Middle East. So, the Opposition says Australians fleeing from Lebanon should be made to pay for Government-supported flights back home if they’ve ignored Government warnings. What’s your response to that?
Foreign Minister: Look, we’re taking the same approach on this as we talk to people who had to flee in the earlier part of the conflict after the horrific events of October 7. But I would say this; we have a flight scheduled for Sunday, that’s October 13, there are no further flights scheduled beyond that. So, I’d say to Australians, there is a flight scheduled on October 13. There are no further flights scheduled and any further flights would obviously, as I said, flights are not going to be scheduled indefinitely and are subject to operational and security constraints. You should leave now if you wish to leave.
Journalist: And did the government go too far with its wording on the October 7 motion in Parliament? Should you have ensured it was wording the Coalition would support?
Foreign Minister: Well, you know who’s gone too far in this and that’s Mr Dutton. Mr Dutton is out of step with the majority of the international community, including allies such as the US, the United Kingdom, members of the G7. He refused to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Can I remind everybody that a ceasefire in Gaza has been called for, led by the United States and backed in by every single member of the United Nations Security Council.
So, the United States and every member of the UN Security Council have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but Mr Dutton does not want to vote for it. I’d also make the point that we had a debate in the Senate yesterday – the Coalition there was prepared to support a broader motion, including some of the issues that Mr Dutton refused to support in the House. Mr Dutton is doing what he always does, which is to seek to divide, to seek to inflame. Whenever there is a moment where we need Australians to come together, you can always count on Peter Dutton to look to divide Australians. Whenever there is a moment where we need Australians to come together, Mister Dutton will always work to divide them.
Journalist: Thank you, Ministers. I just wanted to ask about biosecurity testing requirements. Is that something we’ve agreed to?
Trade and Tourism Minister: Thanks, Dominic. So, we have been in discussions, of course, for some months now with the Chinese authorities in order to deal with all of the biosecurity issues that have been raised by the Chinese Government in the past. We have now got a way forward to resolve all of those biosecurity issues in a way that meets all of the Chinese requirements. So, what you’ll see, I think, between now and Christmas when there’s a full resumption, is a gradual resumption of exports of Australian rock lobster into China that will meet all of the requirements of the Chinese Government.
Journalist: And what does that mean for Australian companies? Do they have to do anything extra or is that onus on the government when it comes to testing?
Trade and Tourism Minister: Well, every government imposes its regulations on products coming into their country. China is no different from that. But I’m very confident, as a result of all of the discussions that have taken place, particularly the good work of the Agriculture Minister, Minister Collins, and before that, Minister Watt, we will ensure that we satisfy all of the requirements that the Chinese Government require about all of the products that we export into China.
Journalist: Thank you. And just one for the Foreign Minister, if that’s all right. Yesterday you met with the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar and he put forward some suggestions about how Australia could act in terms of responding to the junta’s rule. I’m just wondering if there’s any particular ideas that you were receptive to or if we’re considering any further measures that he suggested?
Foreign Minister: We are very concerned about the situation in Myanmar. We’re concerned because, as a decent country, the loss of life and the disrespect for human rights concerns us all. We’re also concerned because Myanmar is critical to regional stability. If you look at the history of Southeast Asia, the history of ASEAN, stability in Myanmar has been a central part of the stability of the region. So, that matters to Australia. We are very concerned about the situation. We are very concerned about the behaviour of the regime. You would have seen previously that we have put sanctions on particular members of the regime. And recently I also put sanctions on particular companies, including those supplying jet fuel, given that the regime was in engaging in attacks on its own people.
I was very pleased to meet with the Rapporteur. We discussed the situation in Myanmar. We discussed the need to focus more on the humanitarian crisis. People might recall I visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh some time ago. I made the point that that is Australia’s largest single humanitarian contribution, under both governments. We have put very substantial amounts of humanitarian support there because it is a humanitarian crisis in our region. And we’ll continue to work with both the international community, regional partners, to try and contribute to finding stability in Myanmar and certainly averting or dealing with the humanitarian crisis which is on our doorstep.
Thanks very much, everybody.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The upcoming weekend at the Moskino cinema park will be held in the format of a cinema weekend. On October 12 and 13, Muscovites will be able to join staged filming, attend various master classes and taste unusual dishes at the Golden Autumn festival venues. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of cinema, try yourself in various creative directions and simply relax with your family and friends.
On Saturday, October 12, three tents will be open on the territory of the cinema park festival “Golden Autumn”In the first of them, from 12:00 to 19:45, three master classes will be held for visitors every hour.
The program will open with a traditional Russian tea ceremony. Guests will try four types of hot drinks with gingerbread, buns and pretzels. You will also be able to try on Pavlovo Posad shawls, kokoshniks, caps and take photos against the backdrop of old samovars.
The chef will teach lovers of pelmeni and vareniki how to make them correctly. Red fish and cherries are used as filling. You can taste the dishes you have prepared yourself.
In addition, guests will be treated to a master class on making traditional Russian drinks: cherry lemonade, lingonberry mors, and honey sbiten.
In the second tent at 11:00 there will be a master class on pumpkin carving. A specialist will teach children and adults to make real works of art from vegetables, carving ornaments and patterns on them.
Visitors will then be able to decorate cutting boards using decoupage techniques, using lace, beads, jute and dried flowers.
You will learn how to decorate jars in the third tent. For this, you will use burlap, lace, ribbons, beads, ears of corn and acrylic paints. Here you can also decorate wooden horseshoes.
The next day, October 13, in the second tent, guests will be able to make candles from beeswax with the addition of essential oils, dried herbs and dried flowers, and then lip balms from natural wax.
The third tent will host a master class on creating eco-friendly bird feeders from cardboard and based on a grid of sticks and dough. After that, guests will make a panel from cereals.
Guests of the cinema park will also be able to try a variety of dishes. For example, chicken and beef liver pates with berries and mushrooms, rabbit with pine nuts, trout, tuna, duck, as well as red fish riet with olives.
In addition, visitors to the cinema park’s gastronomic venues will enjoy the following types of honey: forest, buckwheat, sweet clover, linden, acacia, taiga, bee bread and honeycomb. They will also offer gingerbread or traditional handmade gingerbread with different flavors – from berry layer to condensed milk.
Farmers will present sausages and delicacies – raw smoked meat and dishes from duck, lamb and veal. In addition, there will be a lot of smoked and dried fish on the shelves.
The most popular product presented in the shopping chalets will be cheese. Guests of the Moskino cinema park will be able to choose from hard, semi-soft and soft, from cow’s and goat’s milk, with or without fillers.
Visitors to the Golden Autumn festival who purchase farm produce at the fair will be able to use the cashback system for the purchased ticket — this is a refund of the cost of the ticket to the cinema park or a free ticket to the cinema park, which will be valid until the end of the year. Upon purchase, festival guests will receive a coupon with a number that must be indicated in a message to a special chat bot of the cinema park in the Telegram messenger.
After processing the application, you can choose the return method – 100% cashback in money on a card or ticket. The coupon is valid until the end of the day it is issued. The cashback application will be reviewed and registered in the chatbot no later than October 17, 2024. You can receive the service once, if you try to create another application, the previous one will be canceled. You must be careful when filling in contact information. If the data is incorrect, the service cannot be provided.
The cashback service can be provided no later than 30 days from the date of registration of the application in the chatbot.
During the cinema weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to take a photo “from the past” against the backdrop of the “County Town” stage. And for an additional fee – a professional photo as a keepsake and a retro-style card with various filters applied.
A costumed photo session with partisan props will be held at the Partisan Village site, and in the Cowboy Town space, in themed costumes with a frame with the inscription “Wanted.”
In addition, those who wish will be able to dress up as movie characters and take some photos as a keepsake.
The President of Russia and the Mayor of Moscow ceremoniously opened the Moskino cinema park
Guests of the cinema park will be able to go on a walking tour called “Cinema Expedition”. It includes a visit to the sites “County Town”, “Pitersky Bar”, “Cowboy Town”, “City Yard”, “Streets of Berlin” and “Gonzaga Theater”. An experienced guide will tell the participants the secrets of creating scenery, the intricacies of film production in the Moskino cinema park, as well as about the projects filmed in these scenery.
“Cinema Expedition” will appeal to both adults and children. Excursions lasting 1.5 hours will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. Meeting at the educational center, tickets can be purchased on site using a QR code. The excursion is intended for adults and children from 10 years old.
An animation program awaits children in the fairy tale park. The kids will be able to play the game “Drawing”, which will help participants test their knowledge of geometric figures. Thus, it will be necessary to construct an oval, square or rhombus from a rope with their eyes closed. The “Mega Tetris” test is suitable for those who like active games. The relay race to find Tetris pieces will end with the creation of a high tower from them.
Anyone can take part in the animated sports programs from 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday, October 12 and 13.
There will also be children’s attractions on the territory: excavators, a two-story carousel and a Cheburashka carousel.
Staged filming will take place on location. Everyone will have the opportunity to try on the images of the most famous heroes of Russian cinema. Comfortable conditions will be created for changing the image.
The set of the “Pitersky Bar” is planned to be used for filming a scene from the movie “The Three Musketeers”. The “Cowboy Town” site will be used to film the famous scene of the acquaintance of the residents of an American town with the main character of the movie “The Man from Boulevard des Capucines” – Mr. Johnny Fest. All visitors to the park can take part in the staged filming.
At the “County Town” site, visitors will see an immersive show based on the famous comedy film “12 Chairs”. On the streets, you can meet Ostap Bender and Kisa Vorobyaninov, who are trying to find the treasured chair. Guests will witness the conflict between familiar and beloved characters.
On Saturday and Sunday, visitors to the Gonzaga Theatre will be able to go on a fascinating journey through countries with shadow theatre artists, visiting different parts of the world together, which will leave lasting impressions.
The parking lot near the Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technology will host an outdoor exhibition called “Behind the Ribbon,” as well as armored vehicles for the airborne, infantry, and support vehicles: BMD-1, BTR-60, BTR-70, Ural-375, GAZ-66, BTR-60, and other models.
This weekend, the Moskino Kinopark cinema will delight viewers with new Russian films. Morning sessions are for the little ones, they will be shown the cartoons Luntik. Returning Home and Malyshariki. Birthday.
In the afternoon, the program includes the films “Ruki Vverh”, “Vasilisa and the Guardians of Time” and “The Count of Monte Cristo”. All screenings are paid. The schedule and ticket purchase are available on the website.
For an additional fee, visitors to the cinema will be able to participate in master classes where children will learn about string art, or thread graphics, create the main cinematic symbol – a clapperboard, and also attend a class on artistic makeup, where they will be able to turn into their favorite superheroes. The events are intended for children aged six and up.
In addition, there will be master classes in acting, aimed at revealing the creative potential of the participants, studying the basics of managing emotions, and getting acquainted with different roles – from dramatic to comedic.
And for dance lovers, there will be classes called “Dance in the World of Cinema,” where they will talk about the features of body language and the ability to express emotions through movement.
At the master classes “Sing in the World of Cinema” you will have the opportunity to learn how to control your voice and breathing. Vocal exercises of the stars will help to reveal hidden talents.
The cost, detailed description and time of the event can be found atcinema platform “Moskino”.
Photoshoot in the Wild West and a master class in sand animation: how the weekend went at the Moskino cinema parkHistorical authenticity and the magic of immersion: what filming locations does the Moskino cinema park offer?
This weekend, guests of the Moskino Cinema Park will be able to earn points for the city loyalty program “Million Prizes.” For visiting entertainment events at the Moskino Cinema Park, participants will be awarded 625 city points. They can only be received once if you have a full or standard account on mos.ru. To take part in the promotion, you must show your ticket and personal QR code for a participant in electronic city projects to the administrator at the entrance on the day of the event. You can find the QR code on the website, by logging in using your mos.ru account and clicking on the button with the shield image in the upper right corner of the screen.
Points can be exchanged for goods and services from more than 400 partners of the city loyalty program “Million Prizes”. For example, you can get discounts in restaurants and pharmacies, a ticket to a museum, top up your “Troika” transport card, or donate points to charity.
Entry to the events of the cinema weekend is by tickets, which can be purchased online only, cash payment is not accepted. Parking for personal vehicles is free.
The cinema park is part of the Moscow Cinema Cluster, which unites infrastructure facilities, services and services for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government as part of Sergei Sobyanin’s project “Moscow – City of Cinema”. Currently, the cinema park has 18 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities, including the sets “Center of Moscow”, “Moscow of the 1940s”, “Vitebsk Station”, “Yurovo Airport”, “Cathedral Square of Moscow”, “Deaf Village”, “Partisan Village”, “County Town”, “Cowboy Town”, “Pitersky Bar” and others.
The structure of the capital’s film cluster also includes the Maxim Gorky Film Studio (sites onRyazansky Prospect, Sergei Eisenstein Street and in Valdaisky Proezd), the Moskino cinema chain, the Moskino film commission and film platform.
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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Over two million guests from Russian regions visited Moscow cafes and restaurants in the first half of 2024. Most often, these were residents of St. Petersburg, Krasnodar Krai and Tyumen Oblast, reported Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.
“There are more than 22 thousand establishments in the capital – these are fine dining restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, family cafes. Many of them use farm products, the menu offers both signature versions of traditional treats and modern dishes,” said Natalia Sergunina.
Over the past few years, demand for domestic products in Moscow has grown significantly. Now their share in the total consumption in the capital makes up 84 percent. Vegetables, cheeses, meat and fish are brought from more than 80 regions of the country.
Festivals, in particular “Tastes of Russia” and “Moscow — on the Wave. Fish Week”, as well as the projects “Moscow Breakfast” and “Moscow Tea Party”, introduce the variety of farm products and gastronomic concepts. The city is currently hosting festival “Golden Autumn”, where more than 150 large and small farms from all over the country presented their products.
During the recent large-scale forum-festival “Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030” a competition “Dessert of the Future” was held. It involved 30 cafes, bakeries, restaurants and hotels of the capital. Over three weeks, city residents and tourists tried 2.5 thousand portions of cakes, pastries and pastries. Among the treats were varenets with condensed milk, ice cream and lingonberries, chocolate millefeuille and sweet sushi. The results were announced in September, the winner was a team from a large hotel chain. According to its representative, festivals give chefs the opportunity to experiment with traditional and modern cooking techniques and also attract new guests.
Another iconic gastronomic project has united regional chefs at the forum-festival “Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030”. They prepared dishes worth up to 300 rubles from domestic products. You could try them on Manezhnaya Square. The main prize was contested by perepechi with farmer’s cheese and green onions, Far Eastern fisherman’s slice with crab salad, sugudai from nelma with baked potatoes, the dessert “Kalinnik” and other delicacies. The winner was mini-chebureki with crab and shrimp – visitors bought them most often.
Thanks to such events, interest in restaurants of regional and national cuisine is growing. For example, a representative of a Baikal and Buryat-Mongolian establishment noted that residents and tourists, who a couple of years ago cautiously ordered dishes with specific names, now come for them from all over the capital and even from other cities.
Moscow is becoming a Russian and international center of gastronomic tourism. If you had breakfast, lunch and dinner in different establishments of the city every day, it would take 20 years to visit them all. Many restaurants and cafes are also targeting visitors from specific countries, such as China or India. They undergo certification for compliance with the culinary traditions of the country, over time they become more famous and open new places.
Development of the tourism industry – resultcomprehensive support for the industry and close cooperation between the city and business. The volume of tourist and excursion consumption in the first half of 2024 amounted to 650 billion rubles, of which revenues to the capital’s budget are estimated at 89 billion rubles. Both figures are a third higher than in the record pre-pandemic year of 2019.
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 accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Interview with Dr. Alaa Slih Hamadto, a cleantech entrepreneur from Sudan.
Dr. Alaa Slih Hamadto is the CEO and founder of Solar Foods, a clean technology startup and pioneer in the dried food industry in Sudan. Solar Foods purchases produce from smallholder farmers, dries it with solar energy, and packages it in an environmentally friendly manner that meets the needs of both the retail and wholesale market.
Dr. Hamadto was a participant of the panel “Women, Peace, and Security: How to Promote Stability in Conflict-affected Countries by Funding Female Entrepreneurs” at the 5th World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum in Bahrain on 16 May 2024.
Source: European Union 2
The EU Agri-Food Days allow stakeholders to discuss the outlook of European agriculture, agricultural market trends, food security, sustainability, digital technologies and data flows together with farmers, EU policy makers, business representatives, analysts and digital experts.
This event allows participants to reflect on current and upcoming challenges in the European agri-food sector and assess how the common agricultural policy and the EU Green Deal can contribute to deliver a greener, fairer and more competitive agriculture in Europe.
Source: Government of Western Samoa
Representatives of line ministries with a stake in science, technology and innovation for development and representatives of the National University of Samoa have validated the draft National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy at a workshop at Nafanua convened on 2nd October by the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. The involvement of multiple ministries reflects the fact that, as the minister put it, ‘science is everywhere’. The workshop was hosted by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa.
This will be Samoa’s first National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, the aim of which is to enhance the interaction of science, technology and innovation with our society in the years to come. The policy will enable science, technology and innovation in addressing complex issues affecting Samoa such as climate change, food security, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, poverty reduction, health, education, gender equality and clean energy.
In recent years, we have witnessed groundbreaking discoveries and innovative technologies in fields ranging from agriculture to healthcare, climate science and artificial intelligence. Yet, these advancements come with complex challenges that require thoughtful frameworks, which the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy strives to address.
The validation process has been a crucial step in elaborating the policy, not merely as an exercise in approval but, rather, as an opportunity for critical reflection and constructive dialogue.
The validation workshop was well attended by a wide range of stakeholders who included policymakers and technical experts in communication, technology, education, health, environment, agriculture and other areas where science plays an important role. Each brought unique insights and experiences to the table that were vital to finalizing a policy that truly serves different sectors’ collective interests and, most importantly, Samoa’s people. For instance, the participants stressed the importance of collaboration and of taking an intersectoral approach for the policy to be impactful.
At the workshop, the Honourable La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt acknowledged UNESCO for its continual funding and support, which has been instrumental in the development of this Science, Technology and Innovation policy.
END.
SOURCE – Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa
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Source: IMF – News in Russian
October 10, 2024
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by Mr. Olaf Unteroberdoerster, held discussions with the Ivoirian authorities during Sept. 23 – Oct 9 on progress under both the authorities’ economic and financial program supported by the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Extended Credit Facility (ECF), and the climate reform program supported by the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), as well as on the 2024 Article IV consultation. The EFF/ECF arrangement for an amount of SDR 2.6 billion (about US$3.5 billion) and the RSF arrangement for an amount of SDR 975.6 million (about US$1.3 billion) were approved by the IMF Executive Board respectively on May 24, 2023, and March 15, 2024.
“After constructive discussions with the Ivoirian authorities, I am pleased to announce that performance under the two programs has been satisfactory so far and that we reached staff-level agreement on all policies and reform measures in line with the programs’ objectives. On the EFF/ECF arrangement, the authorities and staff agreed on additional revenue measures to meet 2024 fiscal targets, on the 2025 key policy measures including further revenue-based fiscal consolidation to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2025, and on structural measures to further strengthen domestic revenue mobilization, public financial management, and governance.
“On the RSF, understandings were reached on the timely implementation of reform measures falling due in the remainder of 2024, focusing on strengthening climate policies governance , reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing green and sustainable financing for private and public companies. Discussions also focused on the coordination between stakeholders and national development plans, and the next steps following the Climate Financing Round table of July 2024 with a view to announcing specific financing and technical assistance pledged at the COP29 in mid-November 2024.
“The completion of the programs’ reviews and disbursement of the next tranches for a total of about US$[825] million will be subject to approval of the IMF’s Executive Board.
“Côte d’Ivoire’s economy remains resilient, notwithstanding a slight moderation of growth in 2024 to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent in 2023, in part reflecting weaker agricultural production and construction activity in first half of the year and a challenging regional and external environment. More favorable terms of trade, led by higher cocoa prices, is expected to narrow the current account deficit to less than 5 percent of GDP in 2024. The budget deficit is expected to fall to 4 percent of GDP in line with program targets. The medium-term outlook remains favorable. Growth is projected to average 6.7 percent over the period 2025-2029 supported by a recovery in cocoa production and higher hydrocarbon and mining production. Inflation is projected to average 4 percent in 2024 and continue to decline over the medium term within the BCEAO target range by end 2025.
“Thanks to continued strong domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) efforts under the government’s comprehensive medium-term revenue mobilization strategy (MTRS) adopted in May 2024, the fiscal deficit is expected to further decline to 3 percent of GDP in 2025, converging to the WAEMU target. Prudent fiscal and debt management will also help safeguard a moderate risk of debt distress rating for public and external sector debt. The current account deficit is projected to decline further to average about 2 percent of GDP on the back of favorable terms of trade, a rebound in agricultural exports, and further increases in hydrocarbon exports. As a result, Côte d’Ivoire is expected to contribute significantly to the recovery of regional official reserves.
“In the 2024 Article IV consultation, discussions highlighted the links between informality, socio-economic and gender disparities, growth, and the tax system. Reducing informality across the economy could help deliver higher and more inclusive growth, support poverty reduction, boost human capital, sustain domestic revenue mobilization, and steadfast efforts to reach upper-middle income status.”
The IMF team met with His Excellency Mr. Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, Vice President of the Republic; His Excellency Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister; Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production; Mrs. Nialé Kaba, Minister of Economy, Planning and Development; Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Finance and Budget; Mr. Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy; Mr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mr. Moussa Sanogo, Minister of Assets, the State Portfolio and Public Enterprises, and senior officials of the Government and the BCEAO, as well as representatives of the business community and donors.
PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot
Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org
Source: International Monetary Fund
October 10, 2024
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by Mr. Olaf Unteroberdoerster, held discussions with the Ivoirian authorities during Sept. 23 – Oct 9 on progress under both the authorities’ economic and financial program supported by the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Extended Credit Facility (ECF), and the climate reform program supported by the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), as well as on the 2024 Article IV consultation. The EFF/ECF arrangement for an amount of SDR 2.6 billion (about US$3.5 billion) and the RSF arrangement for an amount of SDR 975.6 million (about US$1.3 billion) were approved by the IMF Executive Board respectively on May 24, 2023, and March 15, 2024.
“After constructive discussions with the Ivoirian authorities, I am pleased to announce that performance under the two programs has been satisfactory so far and that we reached staff-level agreement on all policies and reform measures in line with the programs’ objectives. On the EFF/ECF arrangement, the authorities and staff agreed on additional revenue measures to meet 2024 fiscal targets, on the 2025 key policy measures including further revenue-based fiscal consolidation to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2025, and on structural measures to further strengthen domestic revenue mobilization, public financial management, and governance.
“On the RSF, understandings were reached on the timely implementation of reform measures falling due in the remainder of 2024, focusing on strengthening climate policies governance , reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing green and sustainable financing for private and public companies. Discussions also focused on the coordination between stakeholders and national development plans, and the next steps following the Climate Financing Round table of July 2024 with a view to announcing specific financing and technical assistance pledged at the COP29 in mid-November 2024.
“The completion of the programs’ reviews and disbursement of the next tranches for a total of about US$[825] million will be subject to approval of the IMF’s Executive Board.
“Côte d’Ivoire’s economy remains resilient, notwithstanding a slight moderation of growth in 2024 to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent in 2023, in part reflecting weaker agricultural production and construction activity in first half of the year and a challenging regional and external environment. More favorable terms of trade, led by higher cocoa prices, is expected to narrow the current account deficit to less than 5 percent of GDP in 2024. The budget deficit is expected to fall to 4 percent of GDP in line with program targets. The medium-term outlook remains favorable. Growth is projected to average 6.7 percent over the period 2025-2029 supported by a recovery in cocoa production and higher hydrocarbon and mining production. Inflation is projected to average 4 percent in 2024 and continue to decline over the medium term within the BCEAO target range by end 2025.
“Thanks to continued strong domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) efforts under the government’s comprehensive medium-term revenue mobilization strategy (MTRS) adopted in May 2024, the fiscal deficit is expected to further decline to 3 percent of GDP in 2025, converging to the WAEMU target. Prudent fiscal and debt management will also help safeguard a moderate risk of debt distress rating for public and external sector debt. The current account deficit is projected to decline further to average about 2 percent of GDP on the back of favorable terms of trade, a rebound in agricultural exports, and further increases in hydrocarbon exports. As a result, Côte d’Ivoire is expected to contribute significantly to the recovery of regional official reserves.
“In the 2024 Article IV consultation, discussions highlighted the links between informality, socio-economic and gender disparities, growth, and the tax system. Reducing informality across the economy could help deliver higher and more inclusive growth, support poverty reduction, boost human capital, sustain domestic revenue mobilization, and steadfast efforts to reach upper-middle income status.”
The IMF team met with His Excellency Mr. Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, Vice President of the Republic; His Excellency Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister; Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production; Mrs. Nialé Kaba, Minister of Economy, Planning and Development; Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Finance and Budget; Mr. Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy; Mr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mr. Moussa Sanogo, Minister of Assets, the State Portfolio and Public Enterprises, and senior officials of the Government and the BCEAO, as well as representatives of the business community and donors.
PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot
Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Thomas Gift, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre on US Politics, UCL
Pennsylvania has many slogans and nicknames. “The Keystone State.” “State of Independence.” “Home of beer, chocolate, and liberty and Taylor Swift.” And now: “centre of the political universe”.
According to recent analysis by political statistician Nate Silver, how Pennsylvania swings on November 5 is likely to determine the next leader of the free world. If Kamala Harris wins the state, her odds of taking the White House reach 91%. If Trump wins, his odds skyrocket to 96%.
That’s how much Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes matter (270 are needed to win the Electoral College), and how much the state is a bellwether nationally for how each candidate is performing with “must-win” voters.
Nearly every statewide poll conducted in Pennsylvania (PA) in the last month shows a statistical tie in the presidential contest. FiveThirtyEight forecasts in its simulations that Harris would win the state 54 times out of 100 elections and Trump 46 times, meaning the state is a virtual toss-up.
In 2016, Trump pulled off a narrow upset in PA, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton 48.2 to 47.5%. The victory cracked the crucial “Blue Wall,” alongside Michigan and Wisconsin, which paved Trump’s path to the White House. In 2020, President Joe Biden, thanks partly to touting his family’s roots in the working-class city of Scranton, beat Trump in Pennsylvania 50 to 48.8%. In the last 10 elections, Pennsylvania has selected the eventual occupant of the Oval Office eight times.
The world is watching as the US election campaign unfolds. Sign up to join us at a special Conversation event on October 17. Expert panellists will discuss with the audience the upcoming election and its possible fallout.
Beyond the race for the White House, arguably there’s nowhere else with a more high-stakes race. Most notably, incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey has been exchanging barbs with Republican challenger Dave McCormick in an election that could tip the balance of the US Congress.
Democratic political strategist James Carville once quipped that Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between. Today, one could say it’s the Land of Walmart, Tractor Supply Co. and Fox News v the Land of Starbucks, Lululemon stores and MSNBC.
Zooming out, an electoral map of the state looks a lot like that of the country: vast swaths of Republican red in the rural, central parts of the state, and dashes of Democratic deep blue in the east and the west denoting its population centres.
Pennsylvania reflects the political realignment of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the last decade plus. Predominantly white, blue-collar Americans have gravitated to the Republican party. Meanwhile affluent urbanites have remade the Democratic party, formerly a base for the working class, into the party of the college educated and those who are less likely to be religious. But the Democrats still pick up 49% of the non-college educated and their share of the suburban vote has been rising.
Neither presidential candidate, however, is writing off key constituencies in PA. The Harris team has opened up 50 headquarters across Pennsylvania in an effort to make inroads in conservative, rural communities. Meanwhile, Trump has made a major play for Black voters and had looked like he was on track to win the highest support from Black voters of any Republican presidential candidate in history.
Particularly up for grabs are moderate suburbanites, such as those on Philadelphia’s “Main Line” (an area of well-off suburbs) and in upscale outskirts of the state capital of Harrisburg, who tend to be more liberal on social issues and conservative on economic issues.
Democrats have a slight edge in overall registration numbers in PA, at 44% compared to Republicans at 40% (12% of Pennsylvanians identify as independents). However, the registration advantage for Democrats is the thinnest it’s been in decades.
As 2024’s biggest electoral prize, no state has been bombarded with more cash and attention than PA. Harris and Trump have criss-crossed the state for months at locations such as the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex (a huge agricultural showground) and at union rallies.
Harris and her allies have spent US$21.2 million (£16.9 million) on political ads in Pennsylvania (that’s three times what they’ve spent in Georgia, twice what they’ve spent in Michigan and 18 times what they’ve spent in North Carolina). To match, Trump and his allies have doled out $20.9 million in PA (twice what they’ve spent in Georgia, three times than they’ve spent in Michigan and eight times what they’ve spent in North Carolina).
Dollars have funnelled into negative ads galore on the many issues that Americans more broadly face, including inflation and the cost of living crisis, crime, abortion and immigration. The war in Ukraine has featured as an especially central issue for Pennsylvania’s large Polish community in an attempt by the Democrats to harness historic fears about Russia.
No topic, however, has sparked more controversy than fracking, the process of extracting oil and gas from underground rock. PA has become a national leader in fracking, triggering outrage among environmentalists, even as advocates tout the industry as an enormous wealth and job creator for the state.
Harris, who declared as a Democratic presidential primary candidate in 2019 that: “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” now says “let me be absolutely clear, as I’ve been when I said it back in 2020, I will not ban fracking”. Trump has unequivocally championed fracking as part of his “drill, baby, drill” message on lowering prices and creating domestic energy independence.
If Pennsylvania’s presidential race is anywhere near as tight as the polls suggest, a winner might not be announced in Pennsylvania, or the country, on election night. With the counting of absentee and overseas ballots (and the possibility of a recount), the process could drag on for days, if not weeks.
That’s one reason why both sides are already “lawyered-up” in anticipation of litigious combat. In 2020, the US Supreme Court declined to intervene in a case in Pennsylvania that tested rules surrounding the timing of when mail-in votes could still be counted. However, other aspects of electoral protocols or the integrity of ballots could again be challenged.
Already in 2024, Pennsylvania has been politically consequential. The first assassination attempt of Trump occurred in the tiny town of Butler, PA. Harris’s decision to snub popular state governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate also raised concerns, and could lead to considerable second-guessing if she loses PA and the presidency. Pennsylvania also hosted the one (and likely only) debate between Harris and Trump.
Whether Harris or Trump ends up as president will depend on whether their political stars align. Either way, those stars revolve around Pennsylvania, the centre of the political universe.
Thomas Gift 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. The vote in Pennsylvania could decide the US election – it’s a battle for the suburbs – https://theconversation.com/the-vote-in-pennsylvania-could-decide-the-us-election-its-a-battle-for-the-suburbs-240587
Source: US State of Connecticut
What do qubits, parallelism, entanglement, photonics and decoherence have in common?
The answer to this question, and many more, will be top of mind when UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE) hosts a two-day Quantum Computing (QC) Workshop, November 20-21 at UConn Health in Farmington. The workshop will feature hands-on learning about quantum computing fundamentals, algorithms, security impacts, communications and applications.
This interactive event is being coordinated by UConn’s Center for Advanced Engineering Education and the School of Computing, in collaboration with QuantumCT and the Connecticut Advanced Computing Center. It is open to the public, including industry leaders, engineering organizations, faculty, state government, and anyone interested in the field.
Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, director of UConn’s School of Computing, says quantum computing offers the potential of speeding up computations by an exponential factor and can make a huge impact on every walk of life.
“Quantum computing exploits the unique features of quantum mechanics to solve problems quickly and more efficiently than traditional computing,” he explains. “QC applications are far and wide, embracing medicine, manufacturing, drug design, climate modeling and much more. The impact of this rapidly evolving technology appears limitless and can provide significant benefits for industry, science, health care, and society at large.”
According to Nora Sutton, Director of the Center for Advanced Engineering Education, workshop activities will include interactions with industry and academic experts, comprehensive exploration of quantum computing, and networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders.
“We’re very excited about this workshop, which is designed to immerse participants in the cutting-edge world of quantum technology,” says Sutton. “These real-world applications will help participants uncover the revolutionary, transformative potential in AI, cybersecurity, health care, and more. UConn and CoE are on the forefront of quantum learning, and working to become an educational leader in this important, dynamic field.”
Quantum mechanics is the area of physics that studies the behavior of particles at a microscopic level. At subatomic levels, the equations that describe how particles behave is different from those that describe the macroscopic world. Quantum computing is a multidisciplinary field comprising aspects of computer science, physics, and mathematics that utilizes quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than on classical computers.
Quantum computers take advantage of these behaviors to perform computations in a completely new way. The field includes hardware research and application development. Potential benefits include advanced machine learning, portfolio optimization in finance, simulation of chemical systems, significant healthcare applications and solving problems currently impossible even using powerful supercomputers.
Visit the UConn Engineering site for more information or to register.
Source: US House of Representatives Republicans
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
Washington, October 10, 2024
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17)
PEORIA, IL – Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced that he helped secure over $22,000 for Illinois State University (ISU) Police. The money will be used to improve relations with underserved communities on campus.
“We need to make sure Illinois State University police have the tools to keep every student and neighbor safe,” said Sorensen. “That means providing them with the resources to engage with the many diverse communities that exist on campus and across Bloomington and Normal. I was proud to help ISU secure this important grant funding that will make their campus safer for students, university police, staff, and faculty.”
“Illinois State University Police is grateful to Representative Sorensen for supporting this effort to engage and uplift marginalized voices on our campus,” said Illinois State University Chief of Police Aaron Woodruff. “This funding will create new training, accreditation, and engagement opportunities that will enrich our student experience and enhance safety for the broader Bloomington/Normal community.”
The $22,005 in funding for ISU is coming from the Community Policing Development (CPD) Program under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, which provides funding to local and state law enforcement agencies to implement demonstration or pilot projects that offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, community engagement, problem solving, or organizational changes in support of community policing.
This past May, Sorensen wrote a letter on behalf of ISU to the CPD grant program manager in support of the university receiving this grant. Sorensen also led a group of 24 of his colleagues in calling on Congress to fully fund the COPS program in direct response to roundtable discussions and meetings he has hosted with law enforcement from across Central and Northwestern Illinois.
Congressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17)
ROCKFORD, IL – Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced $200,000 for law enforcement in Winnebago County to improve access to mental health and wellness services.
“When our police are out keeping our neighborhoods safe, they see and encounter problems that we can’t even imagine dealing with,” said Sorensen. “Making sure they have access to proper mental health care is giving our law enforcement the tools they need to thrive. I am grateful that this funding will have a huge impact on improving the daily lives of our brave men and women in law enforcement. I will continue fighting to bring home more resources from the federal government to support our police in Northern Illinois.”
“Law enforcement professionals, police officers, correctional officers, telecommunicators and support staff face unique challenges that can impact their mental well-being, making it essential to provide them with the necessary resources and support,” said Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana. “This grant will enable us to implement comprehensive mental health programs, wellness training, and peer support initiatives. We are committed to fostering a supportive environment where our members can prioritize their mental health, ensuring they can serve the community effectively and safely. We greatly appreciate the support from our congressional partners and the community as we work toward this important goal.”
The $200,000 in funding for Winnebago County is coming from the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, which provides funding to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring programs that are national in scope.
This past May, Sorensen led a group of 24 of his colleagues in calling on Congress to fully fund the COPS program in direct response to roundtable discussions and meetings he has hosted with law enforcement from across Central and Northwestern Illinois.
Congressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.
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Source: The White House
In celebration of International Day of the Girl, the First Lady is honoring ten young women who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities
In honor of International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will celebrate ten young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.
As an educator for more than 40 years, Dr. Biden has continued to be a champion for young people here in the United States and abroad. Together with the White House Gender Policy Council, Dr. Biden is hosting the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize the profound impact young women are having on their communities and their efforts to strengthen our country for generations to come.
“Everywhere I travel, I see inspiring girls leading change in their communities,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “These incredible honorees are meeting the challenges they see in the world by developing innovative new technologies, expanding access to education, erasing silence through the power of art and poetry and more. It is an honor to celebrate these young leaders at the White House and I hope that their courage and determination inspires the next generation.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed. Since day one in office, this Administration has taken actions to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls. A full summary of these actions can be found via a White House Fact Sheet released today HERE.
“Girls Leading Change” will begin at 5:30 PM ET today, Thursday, October 10th, and be available via livestream at whitehouse.gov/live
2024 Girl Leading Change Honorees
Cheyenne Anderson (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Cheyenne Anderson, Iztac Citlali (White Star), age 17, is an artist and photographer who aims to lift up underrepresented communities, including those of her own Chicana, Mexica, and Apache heritage, through creative art forms. In ninth grade, Cheyenne created and co-edited a book, titled South Valley, which features poetry and artwork from fellow youth poets and local community members that showcase the beauty and spirit of Albuquerque’s South Valley. Through her art and elevating the art of others, Cheyenne hopes to inspire people of all backgrounds to share their unique stories.
Emily Austin (Alcabideche, Portugal)
Emily Austin, age 17, is a proud daughter of a U.S. Navy service member. Emily and her family have moved to seven different duty stations. She has attended seven different schools, over the course of her education. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Bloom, an organization started by military-connected teens dedicated to empowering teens from military families and elevating their voices. Emily started the Bloom Ambassador program to directly connect teens from military families to Bloom staff members and opportunities in their region, cultivating a sense of community and providing peer support through the shared joys and challenges of the military lifestyle.
Sreenidi Bala (Farmington, Connecticut)
Sreenidi Bala, age 16, is an advocate for the accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students of all abilities. After recognizing a gap in STEM education for neurodivergent students in her school district, Sreenidi developed an elective to fill that gap called ASPIRE Adaptive STEM. Sreenidi also founded Code for All Minds—a free online platform offering educators and families comprehensive lessons in coding, digital citizenship, and essential technology skills tailored for students with learning disabilities. Through partnerships with neurodiversity advocacy groups and local college access programs, Code for All Minds has created and distributed adaptive STEM curriculums to schools across the country.
Noel Demetrio (Lake Forest, Illinois)
Noel Demetrio, age 17, is dedicated to supporting refugee and immigrant communities. Noel is the founder of Project Xenia, a local program that aims to educate students about displacement and show how they can support and welcome refugees into their community. Project Xenia has also helped fund scholarships for Ukrainian refugees in her local community. Noel serves as a Girl Delegate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the United Nations and attended the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to advocate for the rights of girls all over the world.
Serena Griffin (Oakland, California)
Serena Griffin, age 17, is passionate about empowering youth through poetry, songwriting, and storytelling, and using creative expression as a tool for social change. She is the founder of EmpowHer Poets, a free afterschool program that provides writing workshops to local Bay Area youth, particularly young girls of color, to encourage them to find power in their voices. In addition, Serena is the current Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureate. She also serves as a member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Youth Advisory Council, advising on the impact of state legislation on youth and its implementation in schools.
Pragathi Kasani-Akula (Cumming, Georgia)
Pragathi Kasani-Akula, age 17, is a scientist and innovator dedicated to developing novel solutions that make health care more accessible to people across the world. Following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she developed a prototype for a low-cost, less invasive test to detect triple negative breast cancer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pragathi also worked with the ScioVirtual Foundation to teach an online course on epidemiology to students across the nation, including education on how to advance public health.
Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico)
Meghna “Chili” Pramoda, age 17, and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, age 16, are advocates for digital safety for all. As co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO), the Pramoda sisters have educated and empowered over 5 million teens worldwide. STO’s work consists of year-round online awareness campaigns through social media and teen-led large-scale survey and research initiatives on topics such as internet usage and patterns of cyber incidents. During the COVID-19 pandemic when the world moved online, the Pramoda sisters noticed that older members of their community often felt isolated due to a lack of digital literacy. As a result, STO expanded from a teen-focused organization to one that also educates parents, teachers, and grandparents on safe digital practices and on how to build judgment-free spaces online.
Kira Tiller (Gainesville, Virginia)
Kira Tiller, age 18, is a disability rights activist who aims to expand accessibility and amplify the voices of young people with disabilities. After Kira discovered that the flashing lights during school fire drills posed a seizure risk for her due to her epilepsy, she dedicated herself to advocating for legislation to ensure students with disabilities are fully accommodated and protected during emergency situations at school. Kira founded and is the executive director of a national, student-led organization called Disabled Disrupters, which advocates for state and federal disability rights legislation and helps students take action to advance disability equity.
Morgaine Wilkins-Dean (Denver, Colorado)
Morgaine Wilkins-Dean, age 18, is a Gold Award Girl Scout who is working to eliminate gun violence in her community and across the country. Morgaine’s high school experienced three firearm-related incidents in a single year that resulted in the loss of two of her classmates. As a result, Morgaine worked with the Denver Public School Board on gun violence prevention and safe gun storage policies. Due in part to Morgaine’s advocacy, this school year, for the first time, Denver Public Schools are required to educate families about the risks associated with unsecured firearms at home.
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Source: The White House
The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our ties with ASEAN and deliver on our commitments to the region. Over the past three and a half years, we have pursued an unprecedented expansion in the breadth and depth of U.S.-ASEAN relations, including upgrading our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and institutionalizing cooperation in five new areas—health, transportation, women’s empowerment, environment and climate, and energy—as well as deepening our cooperation in foreign affairs, economics, technology, and defense. To date, we have made significant progress in fulfilling 98.37 percent of our commitments in the ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action (2022-2025) and its Annex. The United States will continue working with ASEAN, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms, to build an open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture in which ASEAN is its center.
DELIVERING ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
This year, the United States and ASEAN are celebrating 47 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to ASEAN centrality and supporting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which shares fundamental principles with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. ASEAN is at the heart of the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, as reflected in numerous U.S. initiatives to promote economic prosperity and regional stability. Through the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States has demonstrated that we are a reliable and enduring partner for our combined one billion people. Key U.S.-ASEAN accomplishments under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership include:
As a reflection of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaching its full potential, the United States and ASEAN celebrated the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC in December 2023. The Center has already hosted several high-profile ASEAN-related events and is on track to become the key hub for ASEAN’s engagement with the United States.
The U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) is a key mechanism for our engagement on innovating sustainable cities of the future. Since it was launched in 2018, USASCP has invested more than $19 million in over 20 projects across urban sectors throughout the region. USASCP tackles the varied challenges of rapid urbanization, including accelerating climate action and promoting sustainable urban services.
This year marks the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative’s (YSEALI) second decade of building youth leadership capabilities across Southeast Asia to promote cross-border cooperation on regional and global challenges. YSEALI’s 160,000 strong digital network and 6,000 plus alumni community is creating new opportunities for its members to shape YSEALI’s next 10 years of impact. The State Department is well on its way to doubling the number of Southeast Asian youth participating in the YSEALI Academic and Professional Fellowships by 2025, in line with the commitments laid out by President Biden and Vice President Harris during the May 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit.
ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCE
The Biden-Harris Administration continues to build greater connectivity with ASEAN and enhancing regional resilience to bolster economic development and integration. The United States is ASEAN’s number one source of foreign direct investment, and U.S. goods and services trade totaled an estimated $500 billion in 2023. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $14.7 billion in economic, health, and security assistance to Southeast Asian allies and partners. During that same period, the United States provided nearly $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance, including life-saving disaster assistance, emergency food aid, and support to refugees throughout the region. As a durable and reliable partner of ASEAN, the United States supports the governments and people of Southeast Asia in enhancing the region’s connectivity and resilience. In addition to U.S. companies’ substantial investments, the United States is cooperating with the private sector to equip the region’s workforce with the skills needed to succeed in Southeast Asia’s burgeoning digital economy. Other key U.S. initiatives supporting this effort include:
Over the past three and a half years, the Biden-Harris Administration has also spurred investment and economic growth through the advancement of over $1.4 billion in private sector investments in the ASEAN region. This past year alone, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $341 million in ASEAN markets. To further our cooperation and support, DFC has announced that it will open new offices in Vietnam and the Philippines to source more opportunities and further advance private sector investment. DFC’s key initiatives and investments have included:
We look forward to continue advancing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in 2025 by formulating a new plan of action to guide the next five years of our enduring partnership as we work to further the prosperity of our combined one billion people.
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Source: World Trade Organization
The Director-General said she detected a “meeting of minds” on an initiative from the Chair of the agriculture negotiations, Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, outlining two options for advancing the negotiations.
“I sense that there’s a willingness to try to break the gridlock on agriculture and to try and move the process forward,” she said. “I also sense that people like the idea of meeting in various configurations with each other and trying to find common ground.”
More than 50 members took the floor to voice their views on the Chair’s report outlining two options for advancing the negotiations. The first option is based on group discussions, where members can form smaller groups to discuss specific issues and then feed their outcomes into broader talks at the Committee on Agriculture in special session (CoA SS) and its dedicated sessions. The second option is based on a facilitator-led process, whereby facilitators appointed by the Chair would guide inclusive discussions on various topics, provide updates and ensure members’ inputs shape substantive negotiations.
DG Okonjo-Iweala said she sensed an “appetite” to see both options going forward but that a number of delegations have questions about the process and wanted clarity on several issues. She said she and the Chair would convene a meeting to seek answers to those questions and then lay out a process and timelines for engagement for members’ consideration.
Ambassador Acarsoy said members recognized the need to resume negotiations after recent setbacks this year at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi and the July General Council. Members emphasized that rebuilding trust is crucial for progress and agreed the status quo is undesirable, requiring fresh ideas to break the deadlock, he said.
“So, the question before us today is how we take concrete steps forward,” Ambassador Acarsoy said. He also said some members support the idea of establishing “milestones” on the road to the WTO’s next Ministerial Conference (MC14) for achieving progress. He stressed that periodic meetings may be needed at the Heads of Delegations level, with senior officials where necessary, to help ensure progress on the most intractable issues.
The Director-General noted members’ calls for updating and reforming WTO multilateral disciplines in agriculture, emphasizing that while agriculture is crucially important to the world, reform “hasn’t gone very far” in the past 25 years. She said: “We don’t want to continue to see agriculture as an issue that is put on the back burner. We want it to be the process that is alive.”
DG Okonjo-Iweala voiced her support for the process proposed by the Chair. “We need to start somewhere,” she said. “We need to give the process that the CoA SS Chair just outlined a chance.” The Chair’s proposal, she added, offers members a fresh opportunity, respecting past mandates while considering new challenges such as climate change and water issues.
DG Okonjo-Iweala said: “I intend to accord as much time, importance, and priority to agriculture in the coming weeks and months, but that depends on you.”
Source: European Parliament
On 14 October, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development will hold a public hearing on the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, which has enabled the main stakeholders to envision the development of the European farming and food systems. Members will also discuss a draft delegated regulation on the controls on organic products to be exported to the Union.
Source: European Parliament
On 14 October, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development will hold a public hearing on the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, which has enabled the main stakeholders to envision the development of the European farming and food systems. Members will also discuss a draft delegated regulation on the controls on organic products to be exported to the Union.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
October 10, 2024
Seven small businesses in Marion and Jefferson counties to benefit
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas today announced a federal investment of more than $2 million to help lower energy costs for farmers and small businesses in Marion and Jefferson counties while reducing carbon emissions.
“Rural Oregonians are often on the frontlines of the fight against the climate crisis, whether that is combating wildfires, drought, or other extreme weather events caused by climate change,” Wyden said. “I applaud this federal investment that addresses this issue by supporting small Oregon businesses investing in becoming more climate resilient and reducing carbon emissions.”
“Oregon’s small farms, ranches, and businesses know that leaning into renewable energy sources can help them significantly lower their energy costs, increase profits, and improve sustainability over the long run,” said Merkley, who prioritized REAP funding when he previously served as the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes the agriculture funding bill. “Too often, the upfront costs of making that switch often leave rural businesses stuck with outdated energy infrastructure and higher monthly bills. This federal funding from REAP is critical to help rural Oregon businesses in Jefferson and Marion counties overcome financial hurdles and realize energy-efficient projects that are good for both their pocketbook and the planet.”
“I am proud to announce that five more rural businesses in Oregon’s Sixth District have been selected for USDA’s REAP program,” said Rep. Salinas. “Federal partnership—when combined with the relentless work ethic and ingenuity of rural Oregonians—can be an incredible resource for our local farmers and small businesses. This funding will allow awardees to switch to renewable energy, helping them save money on utility bills while transitioning to clean energy. That’s a win-win for both our economy and our climate.”
The $2.08 million federal investment is through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America program, and will be distributed as follows:
Hanson Pacific, Inc. – Aurora: $99,444
Barnett Farms and Nursery – Aurora: $30,943
Champoeg Nursery, Inc. – Aurora: $43,889
Oregon Flowers Inc. – Aurora: $697,824
Blazer Industries, Inc. – Aumsville: $345,627
Hari Nursery – Salem: $45,663
Haystack Farm & Feed, Inc. – Culver: $822,360
