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Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI Video: Central African Republic: Role of MINUSCA remains critical – Briefing | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Briefing by Valentine Rugwabiza, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, on Central African Republic, during the 9758th meeting of the Security Council.

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    Special Representative for the Central African Republic Valentine Rugwabiza said that the role of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country (MINUSCA) remains critical.

    Rugwabiza addressed at the Security Council, the “Positive momentum and opportunities stemming from the dialogue between the Government and active armed groups, as well as the continuous progress made in the implementation of the Political Agreement, notably the organization of local elections, the strengthening of border management and extension of State presence and authority, with increased local ownership in support of peace and social cohesion.”

    She also reported that the dissolution of six armed groups and three factions of armed groups signatories of the Political Agreement, remained effective and resulted in the disarmament and demobilization of their combatants, with the integration of some of them in the national armed forces.

    She also said, “30,000 birth certificates have been issued to vulnerable groups, enabling them to register as voters, during the electoral registration process to start next month. This marks a significant step towards an inclusive electoral cycle which will culminate with the general elections slated for end of 2025.”

    She continued, “In this context, the completion of the upcoming 2025-2026 electoral cycle is paramount to reinforce institutional stability and require MINUSCA’s essential multidimensional assistance, coupled with commensurate resources, to ensuring inclusive, transparent, and peaceful elections.”

    She concluded, “The risk of reversal remains. The tangible and transformational progress achieved in close collaboration with CAR Government now requires expansion and consolidation and the role of MINUSCA remains critical. We therefore count on the continuous and concerted support of this Council to extend the mandate of MINUSCA for an additional year, until 15 November 2025 and avail commensurate and timely resources for its implementation.”

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Security Council should extend UN mission in Central African Republic for one year, envoy says

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    The Security Council should extend for an additional year the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), its chief said today. Valentine Rugwabiza, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country, cautioned that hard-won gains could be lost without the Mission’s continued presence.

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Haiti: the situation has worsened – BINUH Briefing | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Briefing by María Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of BINUH, on the question concerning Haiti – Security Council, 9757th meeting.

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    Addressing the Security Council, Salvador said, “The situation in Haiti has regrettably worsened. There are more than 700,000 internally displaced persons, which represents a 22 per cent increase in the last 3 months. The political process, despite initial advances, which I reported in July, is now facing significant challenges, turning hope into deep concern.”

    She also said, “The security situation remains extremely fragile, with renewed peaks of acute violence. Haitians continue to suffer across the country as criminal gang activities escalate and expand beyond Port-au-Prince, spreading terror and fear, overwhelming the national security apparatus. The humanitarian situation is even more dire.”
    She continued, “The MSS mission remains critically under-resourced, which could impact deployment and impede it from carrying out its tasks in support of the Haitian National Police and of the Forces Armées d’Haïti.”

    Also addressing the Council Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, said, “So far, this year, we have seen a staggering increase in reported incidents of sexual violence against women and children, including gender-based violence. Armed groups are also actively recruiting and using children in their operations. We estimate that children account for 30 to 50 percent of armed group members. They are being used as informants, cooks, and sex slaves, and they are being forced to perpetrate armed violence themselves.”

    She concluded, “This is a pivotal moment for the country … with the Transitional Presidential Council and the Government now in place leading the effort … and with the Multinational Security Support Mission supporting security initiatives. These are important steps. Now we must do our part. The international community has the tools, and the resources to help Haiti emerge from this crisis, and to embark on a sustained road to recovery. The question is one of will.”

    Antonio Rodrigue, Haitian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said “I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep concern regarding the alarming situation of mass deportations of our compatriots by the Dominican Republic. While we acknowledge the inalienable right of any state to manage its borders and enforce its migration policies, these actions must align with the fundamental principles of international law, especially those that safeguard human dignity and the rights of migrants.”

    Roberto Álvarez Gil, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Dominican Republic, said, “The Dominican government cannot accept the reckless call to halt repatriations, as this would be equivalent to declaring an open border, encouraging greater irregular migration to the country. We will never allow this.”

    He also said, “The crisis enveloping Haiti is its own responsibility, exacerbated by the lack of timely and sustained support from the international community.”

    Erastus Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, said, “While the MSS is a critical and innovative intervention, it is only part of the solution. Haiti’s stability will only be accomplished through a multi-pronged approach that addresses the root causes of its challenges.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z2IZLJYstU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Haiti:Interview with Resident Coordinator in Haiti | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    UN News interviews Ms. Ulrika Richardson, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USmYpgT_z38

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Spiritual Care: VA Chaplains – Service Beyond Religious Roles

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

    Welcome to our special tribute to the VA Chaplains who serve Veterans, their caregivers, and their families across the nation. In honor of Spiritual Care Week, we’re shining a spotlight on the diverse roles chaplains play within the VA system – roles that extend far beyond the traditional image of religious service.

    Chaplains at the VA are much more than spiritual advisors. They are compassionate guides, supporting Veterans and their families through some of the most challenging moments in life. From crisis intervention and mental health support to assisting caregivers and providing grief care, our chaplains walk beside Veterans every step of the way. They offer help in unexpected ways – whether it’s a listening ear, connecting Veterans with essential services, or simply being a comforting presence in times of need.

    In this video, you’ll hear from VA leadership and chaplains as they share their personal experiences, showcasing how they integrate spiritual care into whole-person health. They support not only Veterans, but also VA employees, offering emotional and spiritual well-being in both times of crisis and everyday life.

    Who is this for?

    If you’re a Veteran, caregiver, survivor, or part of the VA team, this video is for you. Whether you’ve worked with a VA chaplain before or are learning about their roles for the first time, we hope this video inspires you to see how spiritual care plays a vital role in your journey of healing and support.

    Chaplains featured in this video include:

    Deb O’Neill Lewis: Offering holistic support, from helping Veterans navigate VA facilities to providing emotional and practical care.
    Mohammed M. Hossain: Serving Veterans of all faiths and backgrounds, embodying service to humanity beyond religious lines.
    Carol Ramsey Lucas: Guiding Veterans through spiritual recovery, addressing grief, moral injury, and supporting PTSD groups.
    Dallas Jones: Drawing from personal health experiences to offer empathy and understanding to Veterans and their families.
    Cindy Wallace: Integrating mind, body, and spirit to help Veterans find meaning and hope in their lives.
    Jonathan Morse: Promoting spiritual growth, helping Veterans navigate life’s challenges across all faiths.
    Kyle Gildner: Using creative expression like music to help Veterans rediscover their purpose and heal from trauma.
    Lacyndra Purdy: Supporting caregivers and staff through compassion and education.
    Kimberly Willis, Executive Director, VA National Chaplain Service: Leading the VA’s spiritual care efforts, especially in critical moments of grief, crisis, and moral injury.

    Special Messages from:
    Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
    Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Under Secretary for Health

    Join us in celebrating our VA Chaplains who provide “Service Beyond Religious Roles” and are truly at the heart of whole-person care within the VA.

    Watch now to learn more about the invaluable work of VA Chaplains and their service to Veterans, families, and caregivers.

    #VAChaplains #SpiritualCareWeek #ServiceBeyondReligiousRoles #VeteranSupport #Caregivers #VAEmployees #WholeHealth #HealingJourney

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92DGa8xrGIY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Report 11/2024: Collision between on-track machines near to Strood

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    RAIB has today released its report into a collision between on-track machines near to Strood, Kent, 16 November 2023.

    The site of the accident (courtesy of Babcock Rail).

    R112024_241024_Strood

    PDF, 7.15 MB, 37 pages

    This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

    Request an accessible format.
    If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@raib.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

    Summary

    At about 04:15 on 16 November 2023, an on-track machine driver was injured while coupling a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) to a tamper on the High Speed 1 (HS1) line near Strood, in Kent. The tamper, which had been stationary, moved and struck the driver after a second MPV collided with the other end of it at a speed of about 20 km/h (12 mph). This second MPV was being driven towards the tamper with the intention of coupling all three vehicles together at the end of a night shift.

    RAIB’s investigation found that it had become normal practice for this coupling operation to be undertaken with another vehicle approaching the other end of the tamper. The established method of working was for the approaching vehicle to come to a stand at a ‘holding point’ situated around 50 to 100 metres away from the stationary vehicles. The final movement would then be made at very slow speed and under control of the driver responsible for the coupling operation.

    However, on this occasion the second MPV did not stop at the holding point. This was because the driver propelling (reversing) the second MPV did not have a view of the railway in the direction of travel of the vehicle and was reliant on radio messages from a machine controller at the rear to know when to slow or stop the vehicle. On the night of the accident, the radio being used by the machine controller had developed an intermittent fault, which led to a breakdown in communication with the driver. Due to the design of the radio, neither the driver nor the machine controller were initially aware that communications had been lost. Although the machine controller subsequently realised that the radio was not working and alerted the driver that they needed to brake by a shouted warning, this occurred too late to avoid the collision.

    RAIB found that the type of radios being used during the movement did not transmit a constant ‘confidence tone’ which would have alerted staff to the loss of communications. It was also not normal practice for machine controllers to communicate constantly on long transit moves. In addition, RAIB found that the type of MPVs used on HS1 were not fitted with any facility for machine controllers riding on the rear deck to brake the vehicle, despite an internal recommendation to fit this facility after a previous similar accident in 2021.

    An underlying factor in this accident was that Network Rail High Speed, the infrastructure manager for HS1, did not have safe systems of work for propelling moves or working on track when engineering vehicles were running during a possession. A possible underlying factor was that the strategic safety assurance undertaken by HS1 Ltd, which has the concession to operate HS1, did not identify that the recommendation to fit a braking facility to the rear deck had been closed with no actions being taken.

    Since the accident, Network Rail High Speed has fitted its MPV fleet with emergency stop buttons adjacent to the rear deck, secure communications systems and is due to install a rearwards-facing camera, connected to an in-cab monitor.

    Recommendations

    RAIB has made four recommendations. The first three are addressed to Network Rail High Speed and the fourth to HS1 Ltd. The first recommendation aims to control the risks of engineering vehicle operation on HS1, while the second looks to keep staff working on the line safe by implementing a robust procedural framework. The third recommendation is that Network Rail High Speed ensures that internal recommendations and local actions are reviewed and implemented in a way that reflects their intent, and in a way that can be tracked and used to support safety decision‑making. The final recommendation is for HS1 Ltd to exercise effective strategic safety assurance of its suppliers.

    Notes to editors

    1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.

    2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.

    3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

    Newsdate: 22 October 2024

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry shows its support for National Adoption Week by highlighting adoption journeys of all kinds

    Source: City of Coventry

    Adoption Central England (ACE), the regional adoption agency for Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Coventry, and Solihull, is supporting this year’s National Adoption Week campaign

    Sponsored by Adoption England, and which continues until Sunday 27 October.

    The national campaign, YouCanAdopt, aims to raise awareness of adoption and dispel myths around who is eligible to adopt, as more adoptive parents are needed for those children who are waiting to join new families.

    A heartwarming video from the campaign demonstrates this through the stories of three adoptive families sharing their experiences in conversations onboard a train. This setting symbolises the adoption journey that conveys, despite the ups and downs and detours on the way, that it is overwhelmingly a positive and rewarding to do to provide a permanent family home to a child who is waiting for this opportunity. The film can be viewed at www.youcanadopt.co.uk

    Cllr Pat Seaman, Cabinet Member, Children and Young People said:

    “It remains vitally important that regional campaigns such as this continue to highlight the need, and reinforce the message, for families to step forward to provide that loving care and support that children of all ages are looking for.

    “There are around 60 children in the region currently waiting for adoptive families and we urgently need more people to come forward and welcome these children into their families.

    “The need to support and provide a loving and caring environment for children in care sadly remains a pressing need for many cities and towns, including Coventry.

    “Adoption Central England is a well-established adoption service with experienced staff who can guide and support you through the process and beyond and is keen to hear from anyone who is thinking about adoption.”

    “Therefore, I would encourage people out there in the local community to watch the new ‘Journey’ film and consider adoption, as it can play a massive and important role in improving many children’s lives.”

    Adopters can be any age, from any background, and can be single or in a couple. The most important thing is that they can provide a secure and loving home to a child, or children, and can be there to support them to thrive.

    Adoption Central England recognises the importance of supporting people on their adoption journeys and ensures adoptive parents are never alone and that there is a network of ongoing support around them. The nature of adoption has changed over the years and help is available for adoptive families as they deal with unique issues that only adoptive families experience.

    ACE welcomes enquiries about adoption from all section of the community and experienced adoption social workers are available to answer any questions you may have. The ACE website contains a wealth of information about becoming an adoptive parent, the children who are waiting, and of the ongoing support that is available to you through the service.

    To find out more about National Adoption Week, or to seek information or support, visit  www.youcanadopt.co.uk or contact Adoption Central England on ACE 0300 369 0556 or though the website on www.aceadoption.com

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Auction for Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair stalls ends

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         â€‹The open auction for stalls at the 2025 Victoria Park Lunar New Year (LNY) Fair concluded today (October 24). The total revenue was $6,728,088.
     
         A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said that a total of 383 stalls at the Fair, including 158 for regular size dry goods, 46 for large size dry goods, 175 for wet goods and four for fast food, were let out during the three-day open auction.
     
         To summarise the results of the auction held during the past two days (October 23 and 24), the successful bids for the regular size dry goods stalls ranged from $8,540 to $36,000, which averaged out to $11,700. The highest bid of $36,000 was about 4.2 times the opening price of $8,540. The auction of regular dry goods stalls fetched a total of $1,843,850. For the large size dry goods stalls, the successful bids ranged from $12,810 to $41,000, which averaged out to $15,783. The highest bid of $41,000 was about 3.2 times the opening price of $12,810. The auction of large size dry goods stalls fetched a total of $726,040.
     
         The three auction days for the Victoria Park LNY Fair stalls attracted about 1 300 participants in total.
     
         The auction for stalls of the Tat Tung Road Garden LNY Fair in Tung Chung will be held tomorrow (October 25) at Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon. The auction session is scheduled from 9.30am until completion of the auction.
     
         The auctions for stalls of the LNY fairs in Cheung Sha Wan Playground and Fa Hui Park in Sham Shui Po, Tsz Wan Shan Estate Central Playground in Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground in Kwun Tong will be held at the above-mentioned venue from October 28 to 31. The auction sessions are scheduled from 9am or 9.30am to 12.30pm (AM session) and 2pm until completion of the auction (PM session).
     
         The spokesman reminded the successful bidders to comply with all stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs detects four large-scale sea smuggling cases with suspected illicit cigarettes and duty-not-paid manufactured tobacco seizure worth about $240 million (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Hong Kong Customs stepped up efforts to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities by sea. Through risk assessment and intelligence analysis, four related cases involving sea containers were detected from October 3 to 21. A total of about 51 million suspected illicit cigarettes and about 1 700 kilograms of suspected duty-not-paid manufactured tobacco with an estimated total market value of about $240 million and a duty potential of about $180 million were seized.
          
         In the first case, Customs on October 3 selected and inspected a 40-foot container, arriving from Thailand to Hong Kong and declared as carrying rice noodles, at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 8 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside the container, and a 63-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case was arrested.
          
         In the second case, on October 10, Customs selected and inspected two 40-foot containers, arriving from Singapore via the Mainland to Hong Kong and declared as carrying lighting accessories and kitchen utensils, at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 21 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside the containers.
          
         In the third case, Customs inspected a 40-foot container declared as carrying kitchen utensils and arriving in Hong Kong from Vietnam via the Mainland on October 16. About 10 million suspected illicit cigarettes were seized, and a 66-year-old truck driver was arrested. During the subsequent control delivery operation on the same day, Customs officers further arrested a 44-year-old man at a metal hut in Tong Yan San Tsuen, Yuen Long. The next day, they seized about 1.8 million suspected illicit cigarettes and about 1 700kg of suspected duty-not-paid manufactured tobacco at another metal hut in Kwu Tung, New Territories.
          
         In the fourth case, after a follow-up investigation, Customs on October 21 inspected a 40-foot container, arriving in Hong Kong from Vietnam via the Mainland and declared as carrying kitchen utensils, at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 11 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside.
          
         Investigations of the four cases are ongoing.
          
         Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.
          
         Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

         Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
         â€‹
         Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 80 80 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).            

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SCS visits Immigration Department (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    SCS visits Immigration Department (with photos)
    SCS visits Immigration Department (with photos)
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         The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited the new headquarters of the Immigration Department (ImmD) in Tseung Kwan O today (October 24) to gain a first-hand understanding of the department’s services, latest developments and the work of its frontline staff.     Mrs Yeung and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, first met with the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok, and other directorate staff, and received a briefing on the latest developments of the department. They also met with staff representatives from various grades in the department to hear their concerns and views.     Mrs Yeung said that “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” has put forward various initiatives to strengthen the governance capabilities and management of the civil service with a view to forming a high-quality and efficient government team. She encouraged the ImmD colleagues to stay united and continue to provide quality and efficient services with a team spirit striving for innovation and progression.     She then visited the Registration of Persons Office where ImmD staff briefed her on the self-service personal documentation services at the ImmD headquarters. The new Personal Documentation Submission Kiosks allow citizens to apply for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports on a self-service basis, and in the future, self-application services for Hong Kong identity cards will be introduced for the first time to save time and provide more convenience. The Personal Documentation Collection Kiosks integrate various functions of the existing collection kiosks. The new kiosks will further facilitate the submission of applications and collection of personal documentations in a self-service manner, thereby providing public services of higher quality.     Mrs Yeung then visited the new Marriage Registry at the headquarters. Its marriage hall adopts a novel design with various photo-taking spots set up in the outdoor area such as the heart-shaped garden for newlyweds and guests to pose for photos. It has been very popular since its opening in June this year.     During her visit, she also toured the Enterprise System Management Centre, which is responsible for monitoring the operation of the computer systems of all control points and offices. The centre operates around the clock and monitors the status of various computer systems in real time. It provides prompt response and co-ordination where necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the computer systems.     She said, “The strategic leverage of technology to streamline workflow, and digitalisation to improve the efficiency of processing document applications is both a trend and a more effective use of manpower resources. Most importantly, it brings more convenient public services and experiences to the public. In the face of enormous service demand, the ImmD’s efforts in actively developing new information technology systems to enhance service quality are commendable.”

     
    Ends/Thursday, October 24, 2024Issued at HKT 19:14

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CFS urges public not to consume a kind of imported corn flour due to detection of excessive tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    CFS urges public not to consume a kind of imported corn flour due to detection of excessive tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine
    CFS urges public not to consume a kind of imported corn flour due to detection of excessive tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 24) urged the public not to consume a kind of imported corn flour, due to the detection of excessive tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine. The trade should stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.     Product details are as follows:Product name: Primeal Corn Flour [PRIMEAL FARINE DE MAIS Maismeel] Brand: PrimealPlace of origin: FranceNet weight: 500 grams per packLot number: 630907Best-before date: February 18, 2025Importer: ICOSMOBEAUTY LIMITED     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission that the above-mentioned product is under recall, due to the detection of tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine at a level exceeding the relevant limit of France. Investigations by the CFS revealed that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong the affected batch of the product concerned.”     For the sake of prudence, the above-mentioned importer has stopped selling and removed from shelves the affected batch of the product upon the CFS’s instructions and has initiated a recall. Members of the public may call the importer concerned at 9214 4287 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.     The spokesman said that consumption of products detected with tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine may cause short-term adverse effects, for example, dilated pupils, change of heart rate, dryness of the mouth, and flushed skin. Tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine will be excreted from the body and therefore there are no long term health effects.     The spokesman urged the public not to consume the affected batch of the product if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product concerned immediately if they possess it.     The CFS will alert the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing.

     
    Ends/Thursday, October 24, 2024Issued at HKT 19:14

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deputy Administrator Coleman at the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) Session

    Source: USAID

    DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: First, I want to thank the Italian Presidency for its strong focus on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment over the past year.

    I want to commend our collective efforts to make PGI an initiative built to last. The standing Secretariat sets PGI up for longevity and success, and we expect that PGI will remain an on-going G7 priority across multiple presidencies. The United States has marshaled multiple agencies, including USAID, the Department of State, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the U.S. Export-Import Bank, from across the U.S. government to support our contributions.

    Over the last four years, we’ve witnessed significant progress. Notably, the U.S. announced our support for three important economic corridors, Lobito in Southern Africa, Luzon in the Philippines, and the Trans-Caspian in Central Asia, which have received tremendous support from our G7 partners. The European Union and Italy have signed an MoU to cooperate on developing the Lobito Corridor; we are cooperating with the EU in Central Asia on the Trans-Caspian Corridor; and we are working closely with Japan on the Luzon Corridor.

    But even as we celebrate this progress, we acknowledge that there is much left to be done. The gap for infrastructure financing continues to grow; our partners in Africa and the Indo-Pacific face unsustainable debt levels; and threats like climate change, global conflict, and market instability create additional challenges to navigate.

    So, we are doubling down on our efforts. Just this year, the United States approved a loan of over $550 million from the Development Finance Corporation to support the rehabilitation of the Lobito Atlantic Railroad, building on our support earlier in 2022 to help put together the private sector consortium responsible for operating the railroad. USAID is also providing support to the Angolan Ministry of Transportation to create a full-time public-private partnership unit dedicated to helping the government partner more deeply with the private sector for infrastructure development.

    This is the comparative advantage of the PGI approach: by creating sustainable sources of financing, ones that ideally do not add to a country’s debt burden, and prioritizing supporting investments in agriculture, digital services, health, and other critical sectors, PGI is creating the conditions for the long-term success of these infrastructure investments.

    When I travel abroad – and I’m sure it’s the same when you all travel abroad – the number one request we receive from our partners is more support for trade, investment, and infrastructure. So, through PGI, we’re putting those local voices in the lead, and meeting a priority demand.

    When President Biden travels to Angola in December, the first sitting U.S. president to visit that country, the Lobito Corridor will be a focus of his historic visit. PGI is the framework through which we can collectively coordinate our investments in such strategic initiatives as these economic corridors to harness maximal benefit: for developing clean energy; expanding access to digital finance; supporting female smallholder farmers as engines of local growth; and providing the communities in the region with a full range of opportunities to benefit from the investments. Through PGI, the U.S. and G7 are not just trying to get the job done, but we’re committed to getting the job done right, with openness and transparency, in partnership with local communities, and with an eye toward building sustainable progress.

    The U.S. is pleased to be contributing to the development of critical infrastructure around the world, and we know we cannot do this work alone: we rely on the leadership and contributions of our G7 partners. We also know that to meet global needs, we must play the long game. We look forward to our continued collaboration on PGI in the years to come as we seek to advance this critical global priority.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor, Office of the Trade Representative seek review of alleged denial of labor rights at Hidalgo, Mexico, cement plant facility

    Source: US Department of Labor

    WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the Mexican government review an alleged denial of workers’ rights at Odisa Equipment Services, a cement plant machinery manufacturing facility in Hidalgo, Mexico.

    The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

    The request follows a Sept. 23, 2024, petition filed by a union affiliated with the Confederación Regional Obrera Mexicana, a federation of Mexican labor unions. Filed under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, or RRM, the petition alleges Odisa interfered with workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining through the intimidation and dismissal of workers for union activity. 

    “We are deeply concerned by the anti-union activity at the Odisa facility,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “Such practices violate Mexican labor laws and undermine the labor protections established under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. We look forward to working closely with the government of Mexico to resolve these denials of rights.”

    The Interagency Labor Committee found sufficient and credible evidence that supports the allegations, resulting in USTR submitting the request for review using the RRM. 

    “This is another example of how the Biden-Harris administration is keeping corporations accountable and lifting up working communities by protecting workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “The United States remains committed to empowering workers through the USMCA, and we look forward to collaborating with the government of Mexico to address the ongoing denials of rights at this facility.”

    The Mexican government has 10 days to decide whether to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the claims and present its findings. 

    A subsidiary of Odisa, which has manufactured concrete batch plants, truck mixers and material handling equipment for nearly 50 years, Odisa Equipment Services exports material handling equipment, including sheet metal and aluminum goods, to dozens of countries including the U.S. 

    Learn more about the department’s international work.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Labor welcomes new Apprenticeship Ambassadors, recognizes organizations for promoting, expanding, diversifying Registered Apprenticeship

    Source: US Department of Labor

    WASHINGTON – At a White House ceremony today, the U.S. Department of Labor welcomed the latest cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors and recognized current ambassadors for meeting or exceeding their commitments to expand and diversify Registered Apprenticeships. 

    With today’s addition of 138 new organizations, the department has selected 441 Apprenticeship Ambassadors since the initiative’s launch. The latest cohort includes organizations from emerging and high-growth industries, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, education, financial services, healthcare and hospitality.

    Apprenticeship Ambassadors are helping to modernize Registered Apprenticeships by making specific commitments to sponsor promotional and training activities, conduct outreach to people from underrepresented populations, launch Registered Apprenticeship Programs and hire apprentices. To date, these organizations have held more than 10,800 promotional and outreach activities and 2,600 training sessions, established 520 Registered Apprenticeship Programs and hired more than 155,000 apprentices. Approximately 90 percent of ambassadors offer programming geared toward underrepresented groups. 

    “The Apprenticeship Ambassador initiative shows how a powerful national network can promote and expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs successfully for the benefit of workers, employers and communities nationwide,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. “We congratulate our Apprenticeship Ambassadors for their achievements and partnership and look forward to the continued growth of these programs with the help of our latest cohort of ambassadors.” 

    The department announced the first cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors on July 12, 2022, and a second cohort on May 17, 2023. In addition to their local efforts, ambassadors are actively involved with national initiatives such as National Apprenticeship Week, Youth Apprenticeship Week, Good Jobs Great Cities Academy, Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint and the Apprentice Trailblazer Initiative. 

    The new cohort of organizations have committed collectively to the following actions: 

    • Develop over 500 new Registered Apprenticeship Programs and 300 resources in their first year.
    • Host over 1,200 outreach and recruitment activities, 600 trainings and 500 promotional meetings.
    • Hire more than 6,700 new apprentices.

    The department’s Office of Apprenticeship will collaborate with Apprenticeship Ambassadors to promote Registered Apprenticeship as part of the 10th Annual National Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 17-23, 2024. 

    View the list of Apprenticeship Ambassadors.

    Read about the Apprenticeship Ambassador initiative and apply to become an ambassador.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California joins federal partners to enhance flood protection and wildlife habitat in Sacramento River Basin

    Source: US State of California 2

    Oct 23, 2024

    What you need to know: State and federal partners today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost cooperation on multi-benefit water projects in the Sacramento River Basin. 

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today highlighted a new agreement between state and federal partners to enhance collaboration on floodplain projects in the Sacramento River Basin that bolster flood protection and habitat for fish and wildlife.
     
    The MOU furthers state-federal coordination on the planning, design and implementation of multi-benefit floodplain projects in the Sacramento River Basin that increase flood protection, restore habitat and ecosystems, improve groundwater recharge and water supply reliability, and sustain farming and managed wetland operations. The agreement is backed by the Floodplain Forward Coalition comprised of landowners, irrigation districts, and higher education and conservation groups.

    “As California grapples with more extreme cycles of wet and dry, it’s more important than ever that we leverage our common interests to meet the needs of our communities, wildlife and economy. This state-federal partnership with support from wide-ranging stakeholders demonstrates the kind of collaborative solutions that can safeguard our communities, wildlife, businesses and water supplies in the face of climate impacts.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The MOU was signed today in Sacramento by representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Department of Water Resources, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
     
    Sacramento Valley bypasses are natural overflow areas that are critical to protecting farms, cities and communities from floodwaters. The lowlands also serve as essential habitat for many fish, birds and wildlife, including Chinook salmon, that have historically relied on the basin’s floodplains for food and habitat during their migrations.
     
    More information on the MOU can be found here.

    Recent news

    Oct 23, 2024

    News What you need to know: California Highway Patrol officers conducted blitz operations this weekend, targeting sideshows that led to 22 arrests and the seizure of 36 vehicles. These actions are part of the state’s ongoing enforcement surge in the region, in…

    Oct 22, 2024

    News What you need to know: Since January 2024, California has seized more than $191 million worth of illegal cannabis, with $70.7 million worth of illegal cannabis seized in the last three months alone.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the…

    Oct 21, 2024

    News What you need to know: California is deploying 10,000 service members in the upcoming service year, offering paid positions and higher education financial support for young Californians looking to give back to their communities.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CHP recovers more than 2,000 stolen vehicles in Oakland since February

    Source: US State of California 2

    Oct 23, 2024

    What you need to know: California Highway Patrol officers conducted blitz operations this weekend, targeting sideshows that led to 22 arrests and the seizure of 36 vehicles. These actions are part of the state’s ongoing enforcement surge in the region, in partnership with the city, which has resulted in 1,125 arrests, and the seizure of 2,213 stolen vehicles and 110 illegal guns since February 2024. 

    OAKLAND – The California Highway Patrol cracked down on sideshows in Oakland this weekend as part of Governor Newsom’s enforcement surge to improve public safety in Alameda County and the East Bay. This week, CHP responded to and subsequently conducted investigations arising from multiple sideshows in the region, arresting 22 individuals and seizing 36 vehicles.

    Governor Newsom launched the CHP operation in February in partnership with the City of Oakland, in response to increased public safety needs in the region, including organized retail theft and sideshows. He then again quadrupled the shifts of CHP officers in Alameda County in July to provide CHP support to the city seven days per week. The most recent surge in officers has led to a 57% increase in arrests, a 44% increase in stolen vehicles recovered, and a 188% increase in guns seized compared to the previous three-month period.

    This builds on CHP’s ongoing work in the region, which has led to the arrest of 1,125 suspects, the seizure of 2,123 stolen vehicles, and the seizure of 110 illegal firearms since February.

    “California has provided robust investments to support the Oakland community by cracking down on crime and uplifting programs that help prevent it. Our recent work in Oakland should send a strong message that lawlessness and crime will not be tolerated in our state. I thank our CHP officers for their work on the ground to help make the East Bay safer for all its residents.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    According to the California Department of Justice’s most recent verified data, unlike most communities in California, crime spiked considerably in Alameda County last year. Alameda County had the highest homicide, violent crime, and property crime rates of California’s 10 largest counties in 2023. While new verified data will not be available until next year, local reporting indicates that crime appears to be going down in 2024.

     In July, Governor Newsom announced the state was ramping up efforts to crack down on crime in the East Bay by increasing the deployment of CHP officers in Oakland, quadrupling the number of CHP officer shifts over four months to help local agencies target organized crime, sideshows, carjacking, and other criminal activity seven days a week.

    In just the three months since Governor Newsom announced the deployment of additional officers to the area, CHP has made 524 arrests and seized 920 stolen vehicles, and taken 52 firearms off the street. 

    Technology to investigate illegal sideshows

    As part of this work, California installed a network of cameras on state highways, completed in September. The new cameras, announced by Governor Newsom in April, improve vehicle identification, allowing law enforcement agencies to search for vehicles suspected to be linked to crimes and receive real-time alerts about their movement. These cameras have contributed to multiple investigations of sideshows in the area, including the following operations:

    On October 20 at approximately 3:15 a.m., a CHP airplane observed a sideshow in progress at the intersection of 98th Avenue and Edes Avenue in Oakland. A vehicle was identified as a participant, and when an enforcement stop was attempted, the suspect fled from the officers. With constant aerial surveillance and assistance from cameras near the sideshow, ground units safely pursued the suspect and successfully arrested two individuals for attempting to evade law enforcement and impounded the vehicle for 30 days.

    CHP video footage of sideshow on 98th and Edes Avenue 

    CHP video footage of arrest of individual after pursuit on the Bay Bridge

    • Later that evening, at approximately 9:30 p.m., a CHP helicopter observed a sideshow in progress on West Grand Avenue under I-880 in Oakland. Spectators were shining laser lights at the law enforcement aircraft, and upon breaking up the sideshow, 14 individuals were arrested for being spectators at a sideshow and six vehicles were towed.

    Today, CHP conducted investigations into the recent sideshows, issuing a number of search warrants that will result in the seizure of additional vehicles owned by participants and spectators of the sideshows that occurred over the weekend.
     

    “The dedicated men and women of the CHP are working tirelessly to combat crime, improve public safety, and hold sideshow participants accountable for their reckless actions,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “We remain committed to ensuring the streets of Oakland are safer for everyone, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to uphold the law and protect our residents.”

    Stronger enforcement. Serious penalties. Real consequences.

    Recently, the Governor signed into law a bipartisan package of bills to impose stricter penalties, increase accountability, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat sideshows and deter illegal activities such as drifting, street racing, and blocking intersections. The new laws expand vehicle impoundment authority for law enforcement, including for spectators and those aiding in illegal speed contests and sideshows, standardize terminology for “sideshows” and “street takeovers” statewide, and target reckless driving activities on highways and parking lots.

    The Governor also recently signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California. Building on the state’s robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills establish tough new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars. 

    Supporting and investing in Oakland 

    In March, the Governor released Caltrans’ 10-Point Action Plan to support the city’s efforts to improve street safety and beautification. The comprehensive plan outlines actionable steps the state is taking to further support the city through blight abatement efforts, homeless encampment resolutions, community outreach initiatives, employment opportunities, and other beautification and safety efforts. A detailed overview of the state’s investments in Oakland and Alameda County is available here.

    California has invested in violence intervention and prevention efforts in the city — including through CalVIP, which provides funding for cities and community-based organizations with the goal of reducing violence in the city and adjacent areas. The state has also expanded opportunities for youth by transforming Oakland’s schools into community schools, mandating and funding after-school programs, awarding Oakland grants for youth coaches, establishing targeted college and career savings accounts, and providing tuition-free community college for students at Oakland community colleges. 

    Videos above may be attributed to the California Highway Patrol. 

    Recent news

    Oct 23, 2024

    News What you need to know: State and federal partners today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost cooperation on multi-benefit water projects in the Sacramento River Basin.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today highlighted a new agreement between…

    Oct 22, 2024

    News What you need to know: Since January 2024, California has seized more than $191 million worth of illegal cannabis, with $70.7 million worth of illegal cannabis seized in the last three months alone.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the…

    Oct 21, 2024

    News What you need to know: California is deploying 10,000 service members in the upcoming service year, offering paid positions and higher education financial support for young Californians looking to give back to their communities.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Announcement on Open Market Operations No.210 [2024]

    Source: Peoples Bank of China

    Announcement on Open Market Operations No.210 [2024]

    (Open Market Operations Office, October 24, 2024)

    In order to offset the impact of factors such as tax peak, and to keep liquidity adequate at a reasonable level in the banking system, the People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB798.9 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on October 24, 2024.

    Details of the Reverse Repo Operations

    Maturity

    Volume

    Rate

    7 days

    RMB798.9 billion

    1.50%

    Date of last update Nov. 29 2018

    2024年10月24日

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: WTO advanced trade policy course underway in Geneva

    Source: World Trade Organization

    Case-based learning and practical application of WTO agreements are central to the course,  allowing participants to enhance their analytical and negotiation capacities. Discussions, simulations and case studies also provide participants with hands-on experience with WTO tools and databases.

    Opening the course in a video message, WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen told participants:  “The course’s various interactive sessions will give you an opportunity to discuss how the multilateral trading system can be strengthened, reformed and modernized.  This is in line with the strong political message that members delivered at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference held in February in Abu Dhabi.”

    Noting the importance of the course in fostering practical trade policy expertise, Saudi Arabia’s WTO Ambassador and patron of the course, Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel, stressed that the case-based learning approach will help participants strengthen their trade policy analytical skills and better harness the global trading system to improve their economies’ participation in trade.

    Underscoring Ambassador Almoqbel’s comments, Bridget Chilala, Director of the WTO’s Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation, stressed that the WTO-led technical assistance and training activities are essential to help empower developing and least-developed WTO members and observers in engaging effectively in international trade.

    In addition to attending WTO meetings over the next two months, participants will also familiarize themselves with the work of other international organizations dealing with trade and engage with various stakeholders in Geneva.

    More information about the WTO’s trade-related technical assistance activities can be found here.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion

    • Developed in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics specifically for the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator1, Thales’s TH1507U gyrotron has achieved a significant milestone by reaching a total output of 1.3 megawatts in radiofrequency at a frequency of 140 gigahertz for 360 seconds.
    • Thales’s gyrotron plays a crucial role in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator project by providing heating and stabilization of the plasma, which are essential for reaching the temperatures required for magnetic confinement nuclear fusion.
    • The Wendelstein 7-X project not only aims to enhance the fundamental understanding of plasmas, but also to contribute to the development of commercial fusion reactors, thereby providing a pathway to a clean and sustainable energy source.
    View into the plasma vessel of Wendelstein 7 – X (November 2021) ©MPI for Plasma Physics, Jan Michael Hosan

    To achieve nuclear fusion, a process in which two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus that releases massive energy, the magnetic confinement process requires heating a gas to create a plasma, which is then confined by a powerful magnetic field.

    Thales, a global leader in the design and manufacture of plasma heating systems, is the only European manufacturer of ‘gyrotron’ electronic tubes. These are high-power vacuum tubes used to heat plasma and reach temperatures 10 times higher than the sun’s core. This equipment is therefore essential to initiate nuclear fusion reactions by magnetic confinement. It was developed in collaboration with the European Gyrotron Consortium (EGYC), which aims to create an autonomous European source of highly reliable gyrotrons.

    The Wendelstein 7-X, world’s largest stellarator, launched its experimental campaign (OP2.2) in September 2024, following a year of maintenance. This research center is at the forefront of studying nuclear fusion through magnetic confinement. Located in Germany, its activities focus on the exploration and optimization of plasmas, which can reach temperatures of several million degrees Celsius in a stable and controlled state.

    Thales, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of plasma heating systems, is the only European manufacturer of “Gyrotron” electronic tubes. These high-power vacuum tubes are used to heat plasma to temperatures ten times greater than that of the sun’s core. This equipment is essential for initiating nuclear fusion reactions through magnetic confinement. It was developed in collaboration with the European GYrotron Consortium (EGYC)2, which aims to create an, autonomous European source of highly reliable gyrotrons. Operating at a strategic nominal frequency of 140 gigahertz (GHz), theses reactors can also adapt to other frequencies.

    Wendelstein 7-X, the world’s largest stellarator, is a cutting-edge research center for the study of nuclear fusion by magnetic confinement, inaugurated in 2015. Located in Germany, its activities focus on exploring and optimizing plasmas, which can reach temperatures of several million degrees Celsius, in a stable and controlled state. In September 2024, Wendelstein 7-X launched its experimental campaign.

    “The world record set by our Gyrotron marks a significant milestone in the race for fusion and illustrates our commitment to technological innovation and excellence. This technological breakthrough positions Thales at the forefront of high-power plasma heating solutions, essential for addressing the energy challenges of tomorrow.” said Charles-Antoine Goffin, Vice President of Microwave & Imaging Sub-Systems at Thales.

    Nuclear fusion is considered an opportunity to create a clean energy source as it does not generate greenhouse gases and is abundant as its resources being present in large quantities in nature. It is therefore identified as one of the solutions to address two crucial challenges: the need to reduce global carbon emissions and the ever-growing demand for energy in various sectors of the economy, such as transportation, construction, agriculture, and the digital industry.

    1A stellarator is a magnetic confinement device used in nuclear fusion research. It maintains a hot plasma by using a complex network of external coils to generate a helical magnetic field, without requiring internal electrical current. This configuration allows for continuous operation and reduces the risk of instabilities.

    2The European Gyrotron Consortium (EGYC) includes the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Euratom-Hellenic Association (HELLAS), the Institute for Plasma Science and Technology of the Italian National Research Council (ISTP-CNR), the Polytechnic University of Turin, and Thales, the industrial partner.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Joint report explores scope for coordinated approaches on climate action, carbon pricing, and policy spillovers

    Source: World Trade Organization

    The report was presented on the 23rd of October by the Joint Task Force on Climate Action, Carbon Pricing, and Policy Spillovers, convened by the World Trade Organization and joined by the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Bank.

    Entitled “Working Together for Better Climate Action: Carbon Pricing, Policy Spillovers, and Global Climate Goals,” the report arrives at a time when countries around the world are scaling up actions to curb climate change. Mitigation policies are on the rise, including carbon pricing policies, with 75 carbon taxes and emission trading schemes currently in effect worldwide, covering approximately 24 per cent of global emissions

    The report stresses that climate action needs to be stepped up to meet global emission reduction targets, while contributing to broader development goals. It also makes four important contributions to that end: 

    • The report provides a common understanding of carbon pricing metrics to improve transparency on how countries are shifting incentives for decarbonization.
    • The report examines the composition of climate change mitigation policies, emphasizing the important role of carbon pricing as a cost-effective instrument that also raises revenues.
    • It outlines how international organizations can support the coordination of policies to foster positive and limit negative cross-border spillovers from climate change mitigation policies. The report also analyses the advantages and disadvantages of carbon border adjustment policies, including their impact on developing countries.
    • It shows how such coordination can help to scale up climate action by closing the transparency, implementation and ambition gaps.

    The report also makes clear that international organizations’ future work can help fill important knowledge gaps. These include a need for more granular and better data on embedded carbon prices and embedded emissions, the design of border adjustment policies and their interoperability, and other approaches to enhance cooperation to increase ambition and ensure a just transition for all.

    WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “Trade-related climate policies are on the rise, with over 5,500 measures linked to climate objectives notified to the WTO from 2009-2022. Such policies lead to cross-border spillovers which can increase trade tensions and retaliatory trade actions. Future work by international organizations should focus on concrete ways to come to the coordination of more ambitious carbon pricing policies which help to close the climate action gap and address their cross-border spillovers. This may require a framework to ensure interoperability between carbon pricing and other climate mitigation policies.”

    IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said: “This joint report of the five institutions highlights why carbon pricing and equivalent policies are important to scale up climate action. Global emissions need to be cut urgently to put the world on track to achieve the Paris goals and global ambition needs to be doubled to quadrupled. Carbon pricing should be an integral part of a well-designed policy mix, complemented with public investment support and sectoral policies, and international coordination on mitigation action could unlock progress.”

    OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said: “Countries currently take different approaches to reduce emissions, but achieving net zero requires us to align these efforts for a truly global impact. The OECD’s Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches, now with 59 members, is bringing together national perspectives and building a common understanding of climate policies and their effects. More coherent and better-coordinated global mitigation policies can help prevent negative cross-border impacts such as carbon leakage or trade distortions, while maximizing opportunities for innovation, cost savings and shared benefits from the climate transition.”

    UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan stated: “To ensure a just and green transition, UNCTAD encourages and supports developing countries in crafting the right policy mix to advance climate mitigation. We are strengthening our research and providing a safe space for dialogue to ensure that climate-related measures, including Border Carbon Adjustments mechanisms (BCAs) are evidence based and minimize negative spillovers on developing countries and other sustainable development goals. This is especially critical for less advanced economies, which often have limited productive capacity, infrastructure for monitoring, verification, reporting, and fiscal space. We are committed to helping developing countries decarbonize and diversify their economies by seizing environmental-related export opportunities and working with our member states to reduce the compliance and trade costs associated with these transitions.” 

    Axel van Trotsenburg, World Bank’s Senior Managing Director (SMD), said: “Through its technical assistance and financing, the World Bank helps countries make sure climate policies are tailored to each country’s context, capacities, political constraints, and development priorities. We think carbon pricing can play a central role in these policies, because it provides the right incentive for the private sector and creates public revenues to support broad development progress and help vulnerable populations manage the green energy transition. But with every country introducing their own climate policies, there is also a growing need for more cooperation and coordination. The product of in-depth exchanges across five international organizations, this report provides concrete ideas to make sure climate policies are designed in ways that benefit lower-income economies and help them accelerate their development, create jobs, and participate in global value chains.”

    The report is available here.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: RBI imposes monetary penalty on The Aurangabad District Central Co-operative Bank Limited, Bihar

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated October 22, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.25 lakh (Rupees One Lakh Twenty Five Thousand only) on The Aurangabad District Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bihar (the bank) for contravention of the provisions of section 26A read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act) and non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Membership of Credit Information Companies (CICs) by Co-operative Banks’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI, conferred under section 47A(1)(c) read with sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of BR Act and section 25 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005.

    The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of contravention of statutory provisions / non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions.

    After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made by it during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charges against the Bank were sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:

    The bank had failed to:

    1. transfer eligible amounts to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund within the prescribed period; and

    2. submit credit information of its borrowers to any of the four Credit Information Companies.

    This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2024-2025/1363

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the ASEAN Youth and Heritage Forum Delegates

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn together with AMCA Ministers and representatives of the AMCA Plus Three Meeting today met and engaged with the delegates of the ASEAN Youth and Heritage Forum that was convened on the sidelines of the 11th AMCA and Related Meetings in Melaka, Malaysia. The young future leaders were encouraged to actively champion and safeguard the region’s diverse cultural heritage, which forms the foundation of ASEAN Identity.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: Israel continues its war on journalism

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    An Israeli airstrike destroyed the press office of the Lebanese news broadcaster Al Mayadeen on Wednesday night, continuing Israel’s historically unprecedented military assault on the press.

    Also in continuation of Israel’s war on journalism, the IDF has published the names of six Al Jazeera reporters who it claims are actually members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, citing as evidence documents which it claims Israeli forces found in Gaza.

    These allegations would mark these journalists as legitimate military targets.

    Al Jazeera has denounced these claims as unfounded, saying in a statement: “The Network views these fabricated accusations as a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide.”

    There is of course no reason to ever believe any claim Israel makes about anything whatsoever absent mountains of independently verifiable evidence, after the mountains of lies it has churned out over the last year.

    The fact that Western news outlets are treating these allegations as plausible is evidence of their propagandistic nature.

    Israel claims everyone it wants to kill is Hamas. The journalists are Hamas, the hospitals are Hamas, the UN is Hamas, the aid trucks are Hamas, the schools are Hamas, the mosques are Hamas, the water infrastructure is Hamas, the civilian homes are all Hamas, and Hamas is hiding behind every woman and child in Gaza.

    The only exception to this rule is in Lebanon, in which case everyone Israel wants to kill is Hezbollah.


    “Israel hates truth” . . . Gaza: The Al Jazeera investigation into Israeli war crimes.

    Why journalists are killed
    Israel hates truth, which is why it kills journalists at every opportunity and blocks them from entering Gaza. This is because truth tends to have a marked anti-Israel bias.

    We saw this illustrated recently when Israel announced that there is a secret Hezbollah bunker underneath a hospital in Beirut, so the press simply sent a bunch of reporters to go and investigate because Israel can’t block the press from entering Lebanon like it can in Gaza.

    Even Western outlets like the BBC and Sky News entered the hospital and interviewed medical staff, reporting that they found no trace of evidence supporting Israel’s claims and that the hospital staff all denied the existence of any Hezbollah bunker on the premises.

    And you may be sure those outlets would have eagerly reported any sign of Hezbollah if they were given the opportunity.

    Criminal institutions need to function in the dark. They cannot function in the light of visibility and critical journalism and inconvenient video footage.

    That’s why the mafia murders witnesses. That’s why the inner workings of the US war machine are shrouded in government secrecy. That’s why Julian Assange spent five years in a maximum security prison.

    And that’s why Israel does everything it can to kill and obstruct journalists who tell the truth about its crimes.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: WHO – Regional health leaders agree to improve financing to achieve universal health coverage, prioritize digital health

    Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

    MANILA, 24 October 2024 – Health leaders from nations across Asia and the Pacific today endorsed action frameworks on health financing and digital health at the seventy-fifth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.

    Health financing to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development

    Despite recent reforms in health financing, public health spending in the Western Pacific Region remains inadequate to meet growing needs. In many countries, current policies have not yet achieved the goals of equitable service access and financial protection. As a result, families are being pushed into poverty from the financial burden of paying for health services. In 2019 alone, more than 300 million people in the Western Pacific faced catastrophic health costs. Medicines and outpatient care are the primary drivers of out-of-pocket spending, exposing critical coverage gaps in primary health care (PHC) systems.

    Increasing public health spending, prioritizing PHC and adopting comprehensive financing strategies to promote health in national development are essential to achieving universal health coverage(UHCUHC) and sustainable development.

    The Regional Committee, WHO’s governing body in the Western Pacific, today endorsed the Regional Action Framework for Health Financing to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development in the Western Pacific. The Framework aims to improve health financing through five action domains: 1) greater reliance on public funding for health; 2) more equitable and efficient health spending; 3) financing PHC now and into the future; 4) strengthening governance for health financing; and 5) promoting health for all in economic and social policy.

    Accelerating digital health transformation

    The Regional Committee also considered digital health – the use of information and communications technology to manage health and promote well-being – which is playing an increasingly significant role in transforming health care by leveraging technology to increase access to care. Digital health is growing rapidly in the Western Pacific Region. However, these changes bring about new challenges related to governance, coordination with a wide range of actors, sustainable financing, and the ethical and secure use of digital health tools and data.

    The Regional Action Framework on Digital Health in the Western Pacificendorsed by the Region’s health leaders today will guide countries and areas in developing national digital health plans. It will also facilitate collaboration with WHO to advance national digital health strategies aligned with country priorities. The Framework calls on countries to prioritize governance, socio-technical infrastructure, financing and economics, digital health solutions, and data in strengthening health systems in the era of digital transformation.

    Achieving transformative primary health care

    Although more than 45 years have passed since primary health care (PHC) was identified as the cornerstone for achieving Health for All in theDeclaration of Alma-Ata, many health systems in our Region remain hospital-centric, while PHC is understaffed and under resourced. With countries facing rapidly ageing populations, an increased burden of NCDs and health security risks, a worsening economic outlook and other changes, transformative PHC is more critical than ever.

    In a panel discussion held at the Regional Committee on Tuesday, delegates from Cambodia and Singapore and a representative of the Asian Development Bank discussed how a transformative PHC approach – which emphasizes keeping people healthy rather than only treating the sick, and the importance of active community engagement and effective communication – can improve health outcomes.

    Recognizing the need to support countries in achieving transformative PHC, the Regional Committee in 2022 endorsed the Regional Framework on the Future of Primary Health Care in the Western Pacific. It highlights five strategic areas for health system transformation, covering models of service delivery, individual and community empowerment, the health workforce, health financing and enabling healthy environments. WHO is supporting countries with implementation of the Regional Framework.

    Improving oral health

    On Wednesday, delegates from Malaysia, Tonga and Vanuatu participated in a panel discussion on oral health. In the Western Pacific Region, the rate of oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease and tooth loss has grown by 30% over the past 30 years. One in five adults over the age of 60 has lost all their teeth, causing difficulty in eating, poor nutrition and a lower quality of life.

    Oral diseases disproportionally affect poor and disadvantaged populations. But they are mostly preventable and can be treated in their early stages. Left unaddressed, they cause pain and reduce the quality of life of individuals affected. At the population level, they add to the burden of noncommunicable diseases and impact health systems and economies in the Region.

    The WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Oral Health (2023–2030)was developed in response to a 2021 World Health Assembly resolution calling for a shift in oral health policy planning from traditional restorative dental care to a focus on promoting oral health and preventing oral diseases. WHO is working to accelerate the implementation of the Global Strategy in the Western Pacific, making oral health an integral part of universal health coverage and improving access to essential oral health services for everyone, especially the vulnerable.

    Accreditation of non-State actors to attend Regional Committee meetings

    The Regional Committee for the Western Pacific also adopted a decision to formalize the procedure for non-State actors that are not already in official relations with WHO to be accredited as observers at their meetings. The decision highlights the valuable role that non-State actors play in society, recognizes their contributions to advancing public health and to supporting the achievement of WHO’s strategic objectives. It marks an important step towards strengthening regional health governance, and a more inclusive approach to knowledge sharing, dialogue and health policy making.

    Expected closure of the session, time and place of next year’s meeting

    The seventy-fifth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific is expected to conclude tomorrow.

    Notes:

    The seventy-fifth session of the Western Pacific Regional Committee began on 21 October and is scheduled to conclude on 25 October at WHO’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila, Philippines. The agenda and timetable are available online. A livestream of proceedings, all other official documents, as well as fact sheets and videos on the issues to be addressed can be accessed here. For real-time updates, follow @WHOWPRO on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube and the hashtag #RCM75.

    Working with 194 Member States across six regions, WHO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for public health. Each WHO region has a regional committee – a governing body composed of ministers of health and senior officials from Member States. Each regional committee meets annually to agree on health actions and to chart priorities for WHO’s work.

    The WHO Western Pacific Region is home to more than 1.9 billion people across 37 countries and areas: American Samoa (United States of America), Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (France), Guam (United States of America), Hong Kong SAR (China), Japan, Kiribati, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Macao SAR (China), Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia (France), New Zealand, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States of America), Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Viet Nam, Wallis and Futuna (France).

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Terminator at 40: this sci-fi ‘B-movie’ still shapes how we view the threat of AI

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom F.A Watts, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Royal Holloway University of London

    October 26, 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of director James Cameron’s science fiction classic, The Terminator – a film that popularised society’s fear of machines that can’t be reasoned with, and that “absolutely will not stop … until you are dead”, as one character memorably puts it.

    The plot concerns a super-intelligent AI system called Skynet which has taken over the world by initiating nuclear war. Amid the resulting devastation, human survivors stage a successful fightback under the leadership of the charismatic John Connor.

    In response, Skynet sends a cyborg assassin (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 – before Connor’s birth – to kill his future mother, Sarah. Such is John Connor’s importance to the war that Skynet banks on erasing him from history to preserve its existence.

    Today, public interest in artificial intelligence has arguably never been greater. The companies developing AI typically promise their technologies will perform tasks faster and more accurately than people. They claim AI can spot patterns in data that are not obvious, enhancing human decision-making. There is a widespread perception that AI is poised to transform everything from warfare to the economy.

    Immediate risks include introducing biases into algorithms for screening job applications and the threat of generative AI displacing humans from certain types of work, such as software programming.

    But it is the existential danger that often dominates public discussion – and the six Terminator films have exerted an outsize influence on how these arguments are framed. Indeed, according to some, the films’ portrayal of the threat posed by AI-controlled machines distracts from the substantial benefits offered by the technology.

    Official trailer for The Terminator (1984)

    The Terminator was not the first film to tackle AI’s potential dangers. There are parallels between Skynet and the HAL 9000 supercomputer in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    It also draws from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein, and Karel Čapek’s 1921 play, R.U.R.. Both stories concern inventors losing control over their creations.

    On release, it was described in a review by the New York Times as a “B-movie with flair”. In the intervening years, it has been recognised as one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. At the box office, it made more than 12 times its modest budget of US$6.4 million (£4.9 million at today’s exchange rate).

    What was arguably most novel about The Terminator is how it re-imagined longstanding fears of a machine uprising through the cultural prism of 1980s America. Much like the 1983 film WarGames, where a teenager nearly triggers World War 3 by hacking into a military supercomputer, Skynet highlights cold war fears of nuclear annihilation coupled with anxiety about rapid technological change.



    Read more:
    Science fiction helps us deal with science fact: a lesson from Terminator’s killer robots

    Forty years on, Elon Musk is among the technology leaders who have helped keep a focus on the supposed existential risk of AI to humanity. The owner of X (formerly Twitter) has repeatedly referenced the Terminator franchise while expressing concerns about the hypothetical development of superintelligent AI.

    But such comparisons often irritate the technology’s advocates. As the former UK technology minister Paul Scully said at a London conference in 2023: “If you’re only talking about the end of humanity because of some rogue, Terminator-style scenario, you’re going to miss out on all of the good that AI [can do].”

    That’s not to say there aren’t genuine concerns about military uses of AI – ones that may even seem to parallel the film franchise.

    AI-controlled weapons systems

    To the relief of many, US officials have said that AI will never take a decision on deploying nuclear weapons. But combining AI with autonomous weapons systems is a possibility.

    These weapons have existed for decades and don’t necessarily require AI. Once activated, they can select and attack targets without being directly operated by a human. In 2016, US Air Force general Paul Selva coined the term “Terminator conundrum” to describe the ethical and legal challenges posed by these weapons.

    The Terminator’s director James Cameron says ‘the weaponisation of AI is the biggest danger’.

    Stuart Russell, a leading UK computer scientist, has argued for a ban on all lethal, fully autonomous weapons, including those with AI. The main risk, he argues, is not from a sentient Skynet-style system going rogue, but how well autonomous weapons might follow our instructions, killing with superhuman accuracy.

    Russell envisages a scenario where tiny quadcopters equipped with AI and explosive charges could be mass-produced. These “slaughterbots” could then be deployed in swarms as “cheap, selective weapons of mass destruction”.

    Countries including the US specify the need for human operators to “exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force” when operating autonomous weapon systems. In some instances, operators can visually verify targets before authorising strikes, and can “wave off” attacks if situations change.

    AI is already being used to support military targeting. According to some, it’s even a responsible use of the technology, since it could reduce collateral damage. This idea evokes Schwarzenegger’s role reversal as the benevolent “machine guardian” in the original film’s sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

    However, AI could also undermine the role human drone operators play in challenging recommendations by machines. Some researchers think that humans have a tendency to trust whatever computers say.

    ‘Loitering munitions’

    Militaries engaged in conflicts are increasingly making use of small, cheap aerial drones that can detect and crash into targets. These “loitering munitions” (so named because they are designed to hover over a battlefield) feature varying degrees of autonomy.

    As I’ve argued in research co-authored with security researcher Ingvild Bode, the dynamics of the Ukraine war and other recent conflicts in which these munitions have been widely used raises concerns about the quality of control exerted by human operators.

    Ground-based military robots armed with weapons and designed for use on the battlefield might call to mind the relentless Terminators, and weaponised aerial drones may, in time, come to resemble the franchise’s airborne “hunter-killers”. But these technologies don’t hate us as Skynet does, and neither are they “super-intelligent”.

    However, it’s crucially important that human operators continue to exercise agency and meaningful control over machine systems.

    Arguably, The Terminator’s greatest legacy has been to distort how we collectively think and speak about AI. This matters now more than ever, because of how central these technologies have become to the strategic competition for global power and influence between the US, China and Russia.

    The entire international community, from superpowers such as China and the US to smaller countries, needs to find the political will to cooperate – and to manage the ethical and legal challenges posed by the military applications of AI during this time of geopolitical upheaval. How nations navigate these challenges will determine whether we can avoid the dystopian future so vividly imagined in The Terminator – even if we don’t see time travelling cyborgs any time soon.

    Tom F.A Watts receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowship scheme.

    – ref. The Terminator at 40: this sci-fi ‘B-movie’ still shapes how we view the threat of AI – https://theconversation.com/the-terminator-at-40-this-sci-fi-b-movie-still-shapes-how-we-view-the-threat-of-ai-236564

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: An Indian village went from hunting Amur falcons to being their biggest protectors. Here’s how conservationists can harness the power of persuasion

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Diogo Veríssimo, Research Fellow in Conservation Marketing, University of Oxford

    An Amur falcon feeds on flying insects as it migrates across Nagaland, India. Greeneries/Shutterstock

    Wildlife conservation is an exercise in human persuasion. It may seem counterintuitive that we hold the keys to the survival of wildlife, but 98% of all threatened species are threatened exclusively by human activities such as pollution, invasive species or habitat loss.

    Influencing human behaviour to benefit nature is hard, but it can be done. In the case of the Amur falcon, we found that legislation and enforcement were successful at stopping hunting of this migratory raptor and maintaining changes in hunting practices. But the key to success involved fostering local pride in the bird, alongside providing economic incentives.

    The Amur falcon is a bird the size of an apple with a yearly commute from Siberia to Africa and back – the equivalent in total to six trips from London to New York. One key stop in the bird’s journey is the forests of Nagaland in north-east India.

    Since its construction in 2000, an artificial reservoir over Nagaland’s Doyang river has attracted vast numbers of winged termites – in turn increasing the number of Amur falcons stopping to feed on these insects. As the numbers of falcons rose, they became very easy targets for local hunters, for whom wildlife hunting is an integral part of their traditional culture. These birds were hunted for food as well as traded in local markets, earning significant seasonal revenue for the hunters.

    Fast-forward to November 2012. The scale of the hunt at Doyang reservoir, particularly in Pangti village, came to the attention of conservationists like us, who estimated that between 120,000 and 140,000 birds (about 10% of the global adult population) were being caught in only ten days. These birds stopped at the Doyang reservoir to fatten up before their migration to Africa, but were trapped using fishing nets hung across trees.

    A global media campaign was spearheaded by the environmental charity Conservation India. A hard-hitting short film, The Amur Falcon Massacre, was shared online to show the true horror and scale of this hunt. Conservationists tried to leverage India’s membership of the Convention on Migratory Species, and such pressure led to the Indian government making a global commitment to protect species including the Amur falcon.

    The government took swift action. It warned Pangti villagers that unless the hunting stopped, it would cut off funding for crucial development projects. Faced with this threat, the village council imposed a ban on hunting falcons in 2013 – without consulting the broader community.

    That decision was deeply unpopular with local villagers. Falcon hunting had been an important source of income, and many villagers were resistant to the ban. Though the hunting stopped, local trust in the council leadership was low because the ban was seen as authoritarian.

    However, the decision was backed by financial incentives and environmental outreach from charitable organisations and the government’s forest department. This helped reframe the falcons as “honoured guests”, and to connect local people more empathetically with the birds. Hunting was actively discouraged; eventually, it ceased altogether.

    An Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) in flight.
    Touhid biplob/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-ND

    By 2017, a sense of pride began to grow within the community. Awards and recognition from external bodies, including the Indian government, for Pangti’s conservation efforts helped create a positive image of the village worldwide. The community’s emotional bond with the falcons strengthened. Villagers even held prayers for satellite-tagged falcons before releasing them. Falcon conservation became a symbol of local identity and pride, which helped overcome the initial resistance to the hunting ban.

    This allowed conservation measures to expand. The community outlawed air guns to prevent the hunting of small birds, and extended the hunting ban to cover all wildlife for six months of the year. These actions showed the community wasn’t just enforcing government rules; it was actively creating new conservation initiatives of its own.

    The power of persuasion

    Human actions drive biodiversity outcomes. These can be destructive, like poaching, or protective, like community-led conservation. The end of the indiscriminate killing of the Amur falcon in Nagaland highlights that, while behaviour change can take place in a short period, maintaining it over the long term is often much more challenging.

    For instance, while the initial ban was effective in quickly eliminating hunting, the shift from resistance to pride in falcon conservation took years to fully develop. Sustaining this change has required continuous community engagement and building of pride in the species.

    Visual storytelling – in this case, a film widely shared on social media – can also play a powerful role in turning local issues into global ones. The international attention brought to the unsustainable hunting of the Amur falcon was instrumental in prompting government action. This shows how global media exposure can elevate a local conservation issue, creating a sense of urgency that compels authorities to act.

    However, while media campaigns can quickly drive policy changes, they don’t always lead to lasting behaviour change. Campaigns that rely on shock and urgency may alienate local communities, creating resistance.

    Sustainable behaviour change requires building trust, understanding local values, and supporting community leadership. True change happens when people feel empowered and see benefits from their actions – not simply when they feel pressured to comply.


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

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

    Sahila Kudalkar received funding from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for research on Amur falcon conservation in Nagaland.

    Diogo Veríssimo 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. An Indian village went from hunting Amur falcons to being their biggest protectors. Here’s how conservationists can harness the power of persuasion – https://theconversation.com/an-indian-village-went-from-hunting-amur-falcons-to-being-their-biggest-protectors-heres-how-conservationists-can-harness-the-power-of-persuasion-239856

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM:Clause 4&5 of Bela Act is amongst the urgent matter to be discussed

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM:Clause 4&5 of Bela Act is amongst the urgent matter to be discussed

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsYAoLL1zBg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM: G20 and other upcoming events will form part of the discussions

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM: G20 and other upcoming events will form part of the discussions

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS8jRb1X4xo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM: The Clearing House will try to resolve all issues brought to them

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    THE GNU CLEARING HOUSE MECHANISM: The Clearing House Mechanism will try to resolve all issues brought to them

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZlE8s9WJCM

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Home Secretary launches new support for Windrush victims

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Home Secretary commits to a ‘fundamental reset’ in the government’s response to the appalling Windrush scandal.

    Victims of the Windrush scandal will be better supported to apply for compensation through a £1.5 million fund as the Home Secretary sets out a ‘fundamental reset’ to the Windrush generation.

    The Home Secretary has today set out the first steps that the new government is taking to ensure justice is finally delivered for victims of the Windrush scandal. She will commit to working more closely with communities affected, and to appointing a new Windrush Commissioner to hold the government to account on the delivery of the recommendations in the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned Review. The Commissioner will act as a trusted voice for victims and Windrush communities and also champion improvements and lasting change.

    In a written statement, Yvette Cooper has published details of £1.5million in government grant funding, which will be used to increase advocacy support for victims applying to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

    Within weeks of taking office, the Home Secretary re-established the Windrush Unit within the Home Office, to oversee its response to the scandal and embed lasting cultural change across the department. The unit was disbanded under the previous government in July 2023.

    These actions come as the Home Secretary later today chairs a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders and sets out the government’s renewed commitment to work with them to achieve justice for victims. This follows a separate meeting the Home Secretary has had with Wendy Williams, to discuss her vision for a changed Home Office.

    Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

    The Windrush scandal caused terrible pain and heartache for so many families in the Windrush generation and in wider Commonwealth communities. It is rightly recognised as a period of national shame.

    The hurt and anguish felt by so many has been compounded further for those who haven’t received the compensation and justice they are owed. The Windrush generation have been let down and we are committed to a fundamental reset of the response to this scandal.

    We are changing the government’s approach – working more closely with victims, stakeholders, and communities, as well as those affected by all the department’s work, to ensure a scandal of this kind can never happen again and dignity can be restored to those so tragically affected.

    The government is determined to hear first hand from the Windrush generation, their families and wider commonwealth communities to ensure that their experiences are listened to and learned from.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –