NewzIntel.com

Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Win for SA sport with new SASI up and running

    Source: University of South Australia

    26 September 2024

    UniSA’s Prof Jon Buckley and Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Katrine Hildyard with SASI athletes.

    South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) athletes have had a first look at their new, state-of-the-art Mile End facility, ahead of operations commencing next week.
     
    The nearly $90 million SASI build has been designed to give South Australian and SA-based athletes a competitive edge, featuring nation-leading spaces including:

    • Strength and conditioning gym, fit with five lane synthetic turf testing space (three lanes are 60 metres and two lanes are 40 metres) and anti-gravity treadmill.
    • Environmental chamber for athlete testing under a range of temperature, hypoxic and humidity conditions.
    • Full sized indoor sprung timber court and half court movement studio, designed for instant performance analysis under individual and team modes.
    • Ergometer training space, home to the SASI rowing and canoe/kayak programs.
    • Physiology laboratory and athlete health rooms, fit out for our allied health partners.
    • Athlete recovery centre, complete with athlete nutrition zone.
    • Biomechanics and exercise physiology laboratories fit for our allied health partners and for students to learn about the role that forces play in movement and physiological responses to exercise and training.

    The Malinauskas Government has invested $68 million towards the development, which provides a world-class sport, research and education hub to high performance athletes, coaches and university students.

    UniSA Prof Jon Buckley and SASI athlete and weightlifter Callum Thomas

    Project partner UniSA has contributed a further $20 million for capital costs, which will see the UniSA Sports Science Hub open on the second floor in the coming months, with high performance sport science laboratories and teaching spaces for students undertaking a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
     
    The building will also be home to the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, which was instrumental in the design and building process, working alongside COX Architecture and Hansen Yuncken.
     
    The new facility launches as one of the best high-performance sports precincts in the country. Its Mile End location sits right on the doorstep of Adelaide’s CBD, and is co-located with the pioneering National Centre for Sports Aerodynamics, upgraded SA Athletics Stadium, and the SA Netball Centre.
     
    The Mile End sports precinct is set to be a drawcard for international sports teams with world-renowned organisations having already expressed their interest in basing themselves in Adelaide to use these amenities.
     
    A SASI open day event will be held early next year where members of the public will be invited to come along and take a tour of the new facility.
     
    Quotes attributable to Katrine Hildyard
     
    Through this remarkable new SASI, our Government is proudly ensuring South Australia is at the forefront of world-class sport performance and research, and empowering more athletes to chase their sporting dreams.
     
    The new SASI and its state-of-the-art features will be a key site in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Games and beyond, supporting the work of our South Australian athletes and coaches and also attracting national and international teams to Adelaide.
     
    This almost $90 million development is a key part of the brilliant sporting precinct we are developing at Mile End with our National Centre for Sports Aerodynamics, upgraded Athletics Stadium and soon to be redeveloped SA Netball Centre all neighbours.
     
    We know that the new SASI will enable every athlete who uses this facility to have the best possible support around them as they strive to realise their ambition to compete at the highest level.
     
    Quotes attributable to SASI Director Keren Faulkner
     
    SASI’s new home in Mile End is something I am extremely proud of where we will help athletes develop into the best version of themselves, both in their sporting pursuits and in their everyday lives.
     
    As an organisation that is at the heart of South Australia’s sporting success, I’m thrilled that this space has been designed to be inclusive and support every type of elite athlete.
     
    It will also enable our coaches and staff to power greatness in their work where we’ve always had a world class team and now, we have the facilities to match this – the sky’s the limit in terms of what we can achieve.
     
    Our partnership with UniSA will also give us great opportunities to promote the way research, science and academia can work together with sport.
     
    Quotes attributable to UniSA Professor Jon Buckley, Executive Dean: UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance Academic Unit
     
    UniSA is very pleased to partner with the State Government and South Australian Sports Institute in this world-class development.
     
    The collaboration draws upon the expertise of SASI and UniSA to dually advance the preparation of high-performance athletes and educate the elite sports workforce of the future.

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen-Backed Bill to Reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Passes Congress, Heads to President’s Desk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    The Authorization Of The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Was Set To Expire On October 1, 2024
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that legislation she helped pass in the Senate to extend the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 10 years has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation is led by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and also cosponsored by Senators Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in the Senate. The Senate passed this bill in July, and it now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
    “For the last two decades, lawmakers from both parties have come together and worked in a bipartisan way to protect Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to continue this legacy by working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act and reauthorize this much-needed funding to help preserve one of Nevada’s most unique natural wonders for generations to come.”
    “I was thrilled to pass the reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act through the Senate this summer, and today’s vote means this critical legislation is officially on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud of our bipartisan work to deliver funding for vital programs that keep the lake clean, support local jobs, and support our tourism economy. It is an honor to help lead Team Tahoe and fight for the resources the basin needs to thrive.” 
    “The Lake Tahoe Region is grateful to Congress for their leadership in passing this critical piece of legislation to continue the collaborative work to protect and restore Lake Tahoe,” said Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Julie Regan. “Extending the federal investment in the EIP will leverage millions of dollars in state and local funding to implement the top priority projects for the lake and our communities.”
    The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is bicameral, and is cosponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-03), Dina Titus (D-Nev.- 01), Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), John Duarte (R-Calif.-13), and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.-06). It will allow critical funding to support environmental protection and habitat restoration programs across the basin for the next ten years. This law has delivered millions in federal dollars to Lake Tahoe since the original law passed in 2000.
    Senator Rosen has consistently worked across the aisle to protect Lake Tahoe and ensure it has the federal resources it needs to thrive. She also delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and recently helped secure $24 million to extend the popular East Shore Trail around Lake Tahoe.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congress Passes Temporary Government Funding Legislation, Senator Wicker Highlights Why This is the Wrong Approach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    WASHINGTON – Tonight, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown and temporarily extend funding until December 20, 2024. This gives lawmakers more time to reach an agreement on a long-term funding plan.

     U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released the following statement expressing why CRs pose a threat to our national security:

     “A CR maintains last year’s priorities and does not provide for needed investments in our troops and military. Even worse, the Biden-Harris administration has provided inadequate support to Pentagon modernization efforts while inflation soars and our adversaries have grown their militaries and have become more aggressive,” Senator Wicker said. “I am glad we avoided a shutdown, but this is not the right path forward. We cannot continue to ask our service members to do more with less.”

    Fortunately, the CR ensures that fundamental pro-life provisions like the Hyde Amendment are still in effect. The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions, has been attached to appropriations bills for nearly four decades.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Money Market Operations as on September 25, 2024

    Source: Reserve Bank of India
    (Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)
      Volume
    (One Leg)    		 Weighted
    Average Rate    		 Range
    A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV) 558,492.52 6.55 5.10-6.85
         I. Call Money 10,906.90 6.68 5.10-6.80
         II. Triparty Repo 383,880.85 6.49 6.24-6.65
         III. Market Repo 162,306.77 6.67 5.50-6.85
         IV. Repo in Corporate Bond 1,398.00 6.80 6.80-6.85
    B. Term Segment      
         I. Notice Money** 176.75 6.54 6.00-7.00
         II. Term Money@@ 526.00 – 6.95-7.50
         III. Triparty Repo 5,217.85 6.59 6.50-6.75
         IV. Market Repo 473.26 6.66 6.66-6.66
         V. Repo in Corporate Bond 0.00 – –
      Auction Date Tenor (Days) Maturity Date Amount Current Rate /
    Cut off Rate
    C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
    I. Today’s Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF# Wed, 25/09/2024 1 Thu, 26/09/2024 5,549.00 6.75
    4. SDFΔ# Wed, 25/09/2024 1 Thu, 26/09/2024 83,582.00 6.25
    5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*       -78,033.00  
    II. Outstanding Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo Fri, 20/09/2024 14 Fri, 04/10/2024 25,002.00 6.52
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo Tue, 24/09/2024 2 Thu, 26/09/2024 50,003.00 6.62
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF#          
    4. SDFΔ#          
    5. On Tap Targeted Long Term Repo Operations€ Mon, 27/09/2021 1095 Thu, 26/09/2024 600.00 4.00
    Mon, 04/10/2021 1095 Thu, 03/10/2024 350.00 4.00
    Mon, 15/11/2021 1095 Thu, 14/11/2024 250.00 4.00
    Mon, 27/12/2021 1095 Thu, 26/12/2024 2,275.00 4.00
    6. Special Long-Term Repo Operations (SLTRO) for Small Finance Banks (SFBs)£ Mon, 15/11/2021 1095 Thu, 14/11/2024 105.00 4.00
    Mon, 22/11/2021 1095 Thu, 21/11/2024 100.00 4.00
    Mon, 29/11/2021 1095 Thu, 28/11/2024 305.00 4.00
    Mon, 13/12/2021 1095 Thu, 12/12/2024 150.00 4.00
    Mon, 20/12/2021 1095 Thu, 19/12/2024 100.00 4.00
    Mon, 27/12/2021 1095 Thu, 26/12/2024 255.00 4.00
    D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI$       8,495.66  
    E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     87,990.66  
    F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     9,957.66  
    G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
         (i) Cash balances with RBI as on September 25, 2024 1,004,354.64  
         (ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending October 04, 2024 1,005,433.00  
    H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on¥ September 25, 2024 0.00  
    I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on September 06, 2024 427,689.00  
    @ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
    – Not Applicable / No Transaction.
    ** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
    @@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
    $ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
    & As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
    Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022.
    * Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF.
    € As per the Press Release No. 2020-2021/520 dated October 21, 2020, Press Release No. 2020-2021/763 dated December 11, 2020, Press Release No. 2020-2021/1057 dated February 05, 2021 and Press Release No. 2021-2022/695 dated August 13, 2021.
    ¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
    £ As per the Press Release No. 2021-2022/181 dated May 07, 2021 and Press Release No. 2021-2022/1023 dated October 11, 2021.
    # As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023.
    Ajit Prasad            
     Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    
    Press Release: 2024-2025/1159

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Peer Mental Health Service Launched, Further Support Planned

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says the new peer support service launched in Middlemore’s Emergency Department today is a positive step towards improving mental health outcomes.

    “Having someone with lived experience available to support someone in mental distress can make a crucial difference. With the right training and clinical supervision, I am confident that the peer workforce will help with some of the pressures that exist within mental health and addiction services,” Mr Doocey says.

    Middlemore is the first of eight hospitals set to trial the new service, with Auckland City, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch all in the planning stages with a further three hospitals to be added over the next two years.

    “Today I am also announcing:
    •    Six new Crisis Recovery Cafés will be rolled out around the country over the next two years.  
    •    The first Child and Youth Mental Health and Addiction Prevalence Survey ever undertaken in New Zealand.
    •    $6.6 million for Infant Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (ICAMHS) over two years, which will be used for additional frontline FTE.

    “I am committed to trialling new and innovative solutions to help address unmet need. Crisis Recovery Cafés are safe, welcoming places where people can go when they need support. It’s an alternative model of care that can prevent people ending up in ED.”

    Health New Zealand is working to have the first Crisis Recovery Café in place early to mid-next year and a further five will be rolled out over the next two years once locations are selected and tenders have been completed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Rogers Votes to Extend Federal Funding and Avoid a Government Shutdown

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Harold Hal Rogers (KY-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), Dean of the House, voted for the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 to avoid a government shutdown on September 30th and extend federal funding past the election, through December 20, 2024. Both the House and Senate passed the bipartisan bill on Wednesday, sending it on to the president’s desk for his signature. 

    The funding protects critical benefits programs and includes $231 million in additional resources for the Secret Service to ensure candidates and government leaders are protected, while also ensuring the full cooperation of the Secret Service with congressional investigations.

    “We have the responsibility to protect the federal programs and funding that Americans rely on everyday. This temporary extension will get us through the election, and will allow the president-elect to engage in our next steps,” said Congressman Rogers, a senior appropriator. “We cannot afford a government shutdown or any disruption in our national security, especially when our nation’s leadership hangs in the balance of an election that is only weeks away.” 

    The House Appropriations Committee passed all twelve federal funding bills earlier this summer, and the House has already passed five of those bills on to the Senate for consideration.  

    For more information about Congressman Rogers’ work in Washington and at home in Kentucky visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Statement on Continuing Resolution

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Published: September 25, 2024

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement on the Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend government funding through December 20, 2024:
    “This CR is yet another failure to follow our annual budget and appropriations process.  The Senate Appropriations Committee has already advanced all 12 individual appropriations bills and there is no reason the Senate should not have taken these up for a vote before now.  We have to stop with the bandaids on our growing fiscal crisis.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Joins Legislation to Ban Handgun Rosters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C..–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) to introduce the Modern Firearms Safety Act, which would prohibit states from enforcing handgun rosters.  These lists of pre-approved handguns require manufacturers to include costly features like microstamping, loaded chamber indicators and magazine disconnect mechanisms on firearms, preventing law-abiding citizens from purchasing the firearm of their choice.
    “Those on the Left continue to use every creative avenue possible to stifle Second Amendment rights and restrict gun ownership for law-abiding citizens,” said Crapo. “These practices must stop.”
    “Unconstitutional handgun rosters create unnecessary, burdensome requirements for firearm manufacturers while undermining the Second Amendment,” said Risch.  “The Modern Firearms Safety Act stops Democrats arbitrary handgun catalogs and protects law-abiding gun owners’ right to bear arms.”
    Several states, including California, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., have recently enacted unconstitutional handgun rosters. A 2024 federal district court ruling found California’s handgun roster requirements unconstitutional.
    Crapo and Risch are joined by U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Steve Daines (R-Montana), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) in introducing the legislation.
    “Blue states look for every avenue to ban guns for law-abiding citizens,” said Cassidy.  “Requiring unnecessary and imaginary modifications that don’t improve safety is just another tactic out of this playbook. The Second Amendment is a Constitutional right that shouldn’t be infringed upon just because of the state in which you reside.” 
    “Trying to impose unnecessary and overly stringent requirements on what features handguns must have is a blatant attempt to strip away core constitutional rights,” said Cornyn.  “This legislation ensures law-abiding gun owners in Texas can continue to exercise their Second Amendment right in a safe and responsible way without being subject to impractical restrictions.”
    “Our Founding Fathers were clear—the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” said Daines.  “Forcing Americans to outfit their firearms with onerous and costly features is a clear attempt to undermine the Second Amendment and law-abiding citizens’ constitutional rights, and it must stop.”
    “I am proud to join Senator Risch in our fight against the Democrats’ never-ending attack on our Second Amendment rights and our constitutional freedoms,” Marshall said.  “The Modern Firearm Safety Act will end the unconstitutional gun grab currently underway in far-Left states like California, New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Our legislation rightfully blocks Democrats from enforcing illegal handgun roster requirements designed to target law-abiding Americans.”
    “This commonsense legislation safeguards the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens by eliminating unnecessary barriers to purchase firearms,” said Tillis.  “I am proud to support responsible gun owners by introducing this legislation, which aims to prevent government overreach and uphold our constitutional freedoms.”
    The Modern Firearms Safety Act has received support from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and National Rifle Association (NRA).
    ?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Liu Ning at the sidelines of the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, China. They discussed the important role of the CAEXPO in strengthening ASEAN-China cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, tourism and connectivity, among others.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Lake Tuggeranong closed due to sewage contamination

    Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

    On 13 September 2024, the ACT Government assumed a caretaker role, with an election to be held 19 October 2024. Information on this website will be published in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions until after the election and conclusion of the caretaker period.

    Released 26/09/2024

    Lake Tuggeranong is closed until further notice due to sewage contamination. The cause of the contamination is currently being investigated.

    Action has been taken under section 22 of the Lakes Act 1976 (the Act) to close all areas of Lake Tuggeranong based on the advice from Health Protection Services (HPS).

    The lake is closed to all water activities pending water sample testing. The results of the tests will determine the next course of action.

    This includes primary and secondary activities such as swimming, windsurfing, rowing, fishing, boating and canoeing.

    Contact with water should be avoided and clothing that has been in the water should be washed immediately. Pet owners should not allow their animals to swim in or drink the water.

    Water users should look for signage which indicates the status of all waterways and lakes in the ACT. Warning signs are located at public access areas.

    For more information, please visit http://www.cityservices.act.gov.au.

    – Statement ends –

    ACT Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Directorate Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Next steps on the New Dunedin Hospital

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is seeking advice on two options for delivering the New Dunedin Hospital project within its existing funding appropriation to ensure the people of Dunedin get the modern, fit-for-purpose medical facilities they need.

    At the same time, Ministers have warned that much-needed upgrades to other regional hospitals could be at risk if budget blow-outs at New Dunedin Hospital aren’t addressed, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Health Minister Dr Shane Reti said today.

    “The project had approved funding of $1.59 billion under the previous government. In March this year, Cabinet agreed to authorise a further $290 million in capital funding due to cost pressures. The current appropriation is therefore $1.88 billion,” Mr Bishop says.

    “We now know that the New Dunedin Hospital, as currently designed, can’t be delivered within that appropriation. In fact, despite the project’s original 2017 cost estimates of $1.2 – $1.4 billion, it’s now possible it could approach $3 billion, which would make it one of the most expensive hospitals ever built in the southern hemisphere. 

    “This cost simply cannot be justified when hospitals around New Zealand are crying out for maintenance, upgrades and new facilities. Dr Reti and I are concerned that badly needed infrastructure upgrades to Whangarei, Nelson, Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North and Tauranga hospitals may be put at risk if New Dunedin continues to go so far over budget. 

    “Because of our concerns regarding the project, earlier this year Cabinet commissioned a one-off independent review into the project which was undertaken by independent expert Robert Rust, former chief executive of Health Infrastructure New South Wales.

    “Today we are releasing Mr Rust’s report and its findings to the public. The people of Dunedin deserve transparency about this problematic and poorly-managed project – and so do all the taxpayers who are funding it.”

    The Rust Review found that ‘the delivery of the NDH project as currently scoped and planned is probably not achievable within the approved budget and that there remains significant uncertainty as to the cost of the Inpatients Building.’

    Dr Reti says the uncertainty is due to several factors that not only impact its financial achievability but also go to the heart of whether the new hospital can deliver the health outcomes promised. 

    “The Rust Review makes it clear that, even now, the specifics and scope of the project are still being debated,” Dr Reti says.

    “To make matters worse, insufficient money had been set aside for other associated costs such as a pathology lab, refurbishment of the existing facilities and car parking which are collectively estimated at an additional $400 million. No business cases have been prepared for any of these additional elements of the project. 

    “Compounding our concerns is the fact that recent project pricing came in several hundred million dollars over the hospital’s appropriation, even without including the pathology lab, refurb of existing facilities or car parking.

    “Health NZ and Infrastructure Commission advice has made it clear that this project was troubled from the moment the site was selected in 2018 and has been trapped by this poor decision making ever since.

    “The extraordinary cost premiums associated with the land purchase and demolition costs, contaminated ground, piling difficulty, flood level risk, and an extremely constrained construction site flanked on three sides by state highways made it an unattractive project for contractors and suppliers, further driving up construction costs. Since the 2017 Business Case, the cost per square metre to build the hospital has increased by 200% from $10,000 per sqm to $30,000 per sqm.”

    Ministers have instructed Health NZ that the project is to be delivered within its current appropriated budget of $1.88 billion, and to provide urgent advice on two options for delivering it:

    1. Revision of the project’s specification and scope within the existing structural envelope, such as reducing the number of floors, delaying the fit-out of some areas until they’re needed, and/or identifying further services that can be retained on the existing hospital site or in other Health NZ buildings within Dunedin among other possible solutions.
    2. A staged development on the old hospital site including a new clinical services building and refurbishing the existing ward tower.

    Officials will deliver this advice in the coming weeks.

    “We’re incredibly frustrated by the challenges in delivering these much-needed, modern, fit-for-purpose hospital facilities, just as the people of Dunedin and its surrounding regions are. We remain committed to finding a solution, but we must now take urgent steps to apply the long overdue rigour which all taxpayers would rightly expect,” Mr Bishop says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New reporting for amateur charter fishing vessels

    Source: New Zealand Government

    A proposed new electronic reporting system will make it simpler for amateur charter vessels to record and report fish catch information, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says.

    “The new digital reporting, via an app, will replace the paper-based system which is out of date and slow,” Mr Jones says.

    “The new system will be a more efficient and effective method for these vessels to record and report their catch. There won’t be any additional reporting and it will bring amateur charter vessel catch reporting in line with the way commercial fishers provide catch information,” Mr Jones says. 

    “Electronic catch reporting means faster and more accurate information to support greater sustainability of our fisheries. This is an example of how technology can bring better outcomes for both fisheries management and those who earn a living from the seafood industry.

    “My officials are talking with amateur charter vessel operators to seek their feedback and fine-tune the changes to make sure they are practical and effective,” Mr Jones says.

    The new system has been developed by eCatch, which is the major provider of technology used by commercial fishers to report their catch to Fisheries New Zealand.

    Following consultation, eCatch will work with amateur charter vessel operators to ensure a smooth transition to the new system which is expected to come into effect on 1 November. There will be a six-week transition period for operators in which the old reporting method can still be used.

    Amateur charter vessel operators those paid for providing a vessel and guide services for recreational fishers. They are required to register with Fisheries New Zealand and must report what is caught on their fishing trips. There are currently around 190 such operators in New Zealand. More information can be found on MPI’s website.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 3rd global digital trade expo highlights AI innovations, low-altitude economy

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

    The exhibition area of humanoid robots is pictured at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. The third Global Digital Trade Expo opened in Hangzhou on Wednesday, showcasing the latest technological innovations and business development of the digital economy sector. [Photo/Xinhua]

    HANGZHOU, Sept. 25 — The third Global Digital Trade Expo opened in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday, showcasing the latest technological innovations and business development of the digital economy sector.

    Themed “Digital Trade, Global Access,” this year’s edition has attracted more than 1,500 enterprises from home and abroad, among which over 300 are international companies. Over 30,000 purchasers have signed up for the event, with more than 6,000 of them from foreign countries and regions.

    A total of 446 new products and technologies are scheduled to be showcased at the five-day expo. Notably, this year’s expo has set up special exhibition areas for robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) innovations and the smart traffic solutions of the low-altitude economy.

    The size of China’s low-altitude economy is estimated to have exceeded 500 billion yuan (about 70.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, with its scale expected to rise to 2 trillion yuan by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

    Co-hosted by the Zhejiang provincial government and China’s Ministry of Commerce, the event is currently China’s only digital trade themed expo at the national level. China’s digital industry has seen robust growth in recent years, reporting a total revenue of 32.5 trillion yuan in 2023.

    This photo taken on Sept. 25, 2024 shows the launching ceremony of the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Sales staff promote African products via livestreaming during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Sept. 25, 2024 shows the China Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A visitor poses for photos at the booth of “Black Myth: Wukong” during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Staff members promote products via livestreaming at the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Smart City Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People use VR devices to enjoy virtual concerts during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Kazakhstan Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Thailand Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Visitors try the games at the booth of “Black Myth: Wukong” during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Sept. 25, 2024 shows the main entrance to the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A visitor learns about a driverless aircraft at the Smart Mobility Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Staff members promote products at the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on Sept. 25, 2024 shows a view outside the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A foreign merchant consults about a small intelligent translation device at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Staff members showcase a smart office desk at the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi congratulates Communication University of China on 70th founding anniversary

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

    BEIJING, Sept. 26 — Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations to the faculty, students and alumni of the Communication University of China on its 70th founding anniversary.

    In a reply letter to its faculty and students, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on the university to cultivate more high-caliber journalism and communication professionals.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Screening, medicine, and MRI access will avoid hundreds of deaths from prostate cancer, MPs told

    Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation

    A prostate cancer screening programme starting with simple blood tests will halve the number of deaths from prostate cancer, MPs heard last night.

    At a Parliamentary event to mark prostate cancer awareness month, about 20 Ministers and MPs were encouraged to support pilots that would guide an eventual national screening programme for at-risk men.
     
    Prostate Cancer Foundation Chief Executive Peter Dickens said a diagnostic pathway which starts with a PSA blood test carries the promise of a 50 percent reduction in prostate-cancer specific mortality in New Zealand men.
     
    “Pilots are important for learning the lessons on how to optimally engage with and screen New Zealand men in the same way that women are successfully screened for cervical and breast cancer.”
     
    The Prostate Cancer Foundation is asking the Government to fund two PSA screening pilots which would test men based on age and familial and genetic risk. The cost is relatively low at an estimated $6.4 million, and learnings would inform an eventual national population-based screening programme.
     
    “Pilots will help us develop a comprehensive, optimum clinical care pathway for prostate cancer, which if done properly will take care of any issues with diagnosis and overtreatment.”
     
    “But we really need to move now on piloting so we learn the lessons we need to learn. The number of prostate cancer cases is likely to double by 2040. The clock is ticking. We need to pay attention to that now and start piloting prostate cancer screening.”
     
    Dickens said that medicines and access to MRI screening were also important for reducing prostate cancer deaths.
     
    “MRI is an absolute game changer. It’s a vital part of diagnostic pathway. The vast majority of men who are diagnosed in the public health service don’t have access. We need greater availability of MRI, and not just for prostate cancer.”
     
    And while there has been a lot of focus this year on funding for medicines, there’s been little good news for men with prostate cancer.
     
    “There hasn’t been a new drug funded for prostate cancer in last 10 years. People are paying up to $8000 a month to maintain their quality and length of life. We would encourage MPs  to keep a focus on access to medicines for a wide range of treatments,” Dickens said.
     
    Blue September is prostate cancer awareness month.  The Prostate Cancer Foundation offers a portfolio of services to help 42,000 men with a prostate cancer diagnosis and their families to fight their cancer battle.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Issues Statement on FAFSA Update: Urges Careful Implementation and Accessibility for All Students

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the Department of Education’s update on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

    “I wrote the FAFSA Simplification Act to make it easier for students to get the financial aid they deserve—it should be uncomplicated for students and parents to navigate this form and figure out what kind of federal aid they’re eligible for. And I want to be clear: I wrote this law to make the FAFSA accessible for everyone, including students who are unhoused, low-income, or first-generation—it’s important to me that I continue to see serious progress on this front. I will be closely following the Department’s implementation of these newly announced improvements to make sure a truly simplified FAFSA is the end result.”

    In May and February, Murray led Congressional oversight efforts of the newly simplified FAFSA form’s implementation and she has continued to stay in close contact with the Department of Education since then. The Senate Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill, authored and negotiated by Murray, which funds the Department of Education includes an additional $100 million for the administration of student aid programs—the funding will support a wide range of activities including implementation of the FAFSA. The bill also directs the Department of Education to undertake various activities related to the FAFSA, including conducting outreach to students who have uncompleted FAFSA applications, providing weekly updates to Congress on FAFSA implementation, and correcting errors that have made it difficult for unaccompanied homeless youth to access the FAFSA application. Murray’s funding bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee 25-3.

    As the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), in 2020, Senator Murray successfully negotiated—and got signed into law—bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid. Now, the changes are taking effect—making the financial aid application process easier to navigate for families and getting more federal support to more students.

    The bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act that Senator Murray negotiated was signed into law in December 2020. In particular, Senator Murray secured policies that, among other things:

    • Restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals, students who have been defrauded, and students with drug-related offenses;
    • Significantly expand who is eligible to receive Pell Grants and the maximum award; simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
    • Make the financial aid process easier to navigate for students experiencing homelessness and students formerly in foster care.

    More about the changes Senator Murray secured HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Competition Bureau seeks feedback on the new guidance for market studies

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Competition Bureau seeks feedback on the new guidance for market studies October 23, 2024 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

    October 23, 2024 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

    The Competition Bureau is seeking Canadians’ feedback on a new version of its Market Studies Information Bulletin, which has been updated following recent changes to the Competition Act. Market studies allow the Bureau to conduct in-depth examinations of a market or industry to identify competition issues and propose solutions. They aim to help understand and enhance competition in important sectors of the Canadian economy.

    The December 2023 amendments to the Competition Act established a new framework for undertaking market studies with information-gathering powers. This new information bulletin provides general guidance and information on how the Bureau conducts its market studies following these amendments. 

    It will answer five broad questions:

    • What steps do we take before launching a market study?
    • How do we launch market studies and decide how long they will take?
    • How do we obtain and use information, including confidential information?
    • What are the outcomes of a market study?
    • How do we follow up and monitor the impact of our market study?

    Interested parties are invited to submit their views by no later than December 23, 2024. Submissions can be made by e-mail at MS-consultation-EM-cb-bc@cb-bc.gc.ca or by completing the Guidance Consultation Form.

    Written comments that are not flagged as confidential may be published on the Bureau’s website. Feedback may also be incorporated into the final version.

    The Bureau expects to publish a final version of the Market Studies Information Bulletin in March 2025.

    The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses. Competition drives lower prices and innovation while fueling economic growth.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens and phishing emails related to Dah Sing Bank, Limited

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

         The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Dah Sing Bank, Limited relating to fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens and phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

         The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).

         Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites, login screens or emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Feedback sought on Marlborough Sounds blue cod fishery

    Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

    Fisheries New Zealand is seeking feedback on a proposal aimed at reducing fishing pressure on blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds, as well as a range of other potential measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the popular fishery.

    “We’re considering a range of options and management tools to address overfishing and increase abundance of blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds,” says Emma Taylor, director fisheries management.

    “The area sees very high levels of fishing effort, particularly in the holiday period, which, when combined with other factors such as sedimentation and marine heatwaves, is affecting the health of the fishery. This is despite catch limit reductions and other changes over the past decade.”

    Following a 2021 potting survey which indicated that the amount of fishing in the area was significantly higher than can be sustainably supported by the fishery, the commercial catch limit (TACC) for Marlborough Sounds blue cod was reduced.

    An advisory group of tangata whenua, fishers, and local residents was also formed to identify measures to reduce fishing pressure and increase abundance in the fishery. The group met throughout 2023 and identified several potential measures to improve sustainability and abundance for the fishery.

    We are now seeking public feedback on a proposal to extend the seasonal closure, which currently runs from 1 September to 19 December 2024. If approved, the new season would apply from the end of 2025 onwards.

    We are also seeking public input on a range of wider measures for future implementation identified by the group, such as:

    • closure of spawning areas to fishing to rebuild spawning populations
    • reduction of the combined daily bag limit for finfish in the area
    • options to increase information on recreational fishing, such as voluntary catch reporting
    • an educational campaign to improve fishing practices
    • tools to mitigate release mortality.

    “Marlborough Sounds blue cod are a taonga, and iconic for many Kiwis. We want to hear from fishers, tangata whenua, the local community, and anyone else with an interest in the fishery,” says Emma Taylor.

    Submissions can be made online or by mail until 5pm on 1 December 2024.

    More information, including on how to make a submission

    There will be 2 public drop-in information sessions to present information and assist with making submissions:

    • Tasman Bay Cruising Club in Nelson/Whakatū on Tuesday 12 November 2024 (4.30pm to 7.30pm)
    • Queen Charlotte Yacht Club in Picton/Waitohi on Thursday 14 November 2024 (4.30pm to 7.30pm).

    For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

    For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Defense and U.S. Small Business Administration Announce First Licensed and Green Light Approved Funds for the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    The Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today announced the first group of Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Licensees and Green Light Approved investment funds approved under the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative (SBICCT Initiative). This first group collectively plans to invest over $2.8 billion into over 1,000 portfolio companies.

    The SBICCT Initiative’s primary objective is to attract and scale private investment into technology areas critical to economic and national security. Funds licensed under the SBICCT Initiative are eligible for access to SBA guaranteed loans designed to enhance fund-level investment returns. Each fund can access up to $175 million in loans which can be accessed through the new Accrual Debenture, which aligns with the cash flows of longer duration and equity-oriented investment strategies and may also be accessed through the longstanding SBA Standard Debentures that aligns to credit strategies. DoD also provides Program Related Initiatives intended to drive value in the implementation of the Licensee’s respective investment strategies.

    The SBICCT Initiative was announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman in December 2022. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership, DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) and SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) aim to increase private investment in critical technologies, including component-level technologies and production processes vital to U.S. economic and national security interests.

    “This first group of SBICCT Initiative funds represents a consequential milestone in demonstrating the power of public-private partnerships to build enduring advantage by growing and modernizing our supply chains, strengthening our economic and national security, and benefiting the development and commercialization of critical technologies that are key drivers of our U.S. industrial base,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “I am proud of the collaborative work between OSC and our SBA OII colleagues to stand up and advance this important program.”

    These investment funds, as well as representatives of the SBA and DoD and investment industry advisors, gathered today at the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon to celebrate this accomplishment.

    “SBA and DoD entered into this historic initiative to ensure America maintains its global competitive edge,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “Today we are proud to recognize the early results of our Agencies’ collaboration and partnership with the U.S. investment community to fill capital access gaps vital to our national and economic security.”

    The SBICCT Initiative formally launched and began accepting SBIC applications in fall 2023. In early July 2024, the SBA granted the first SBICCT Initiative license. Just three months later, as of October 22, 2024, after taking the significant step to submit a formal application and undergo the rigorous underwriting and due diligence process, 4 funds are Licensed and 9 are Green Light Approved by SBA to raise private capital.

    These 13 funds, taken along with the other investment funds nearing the end of the diligence process, collectively project to invest over $4 billion in nearly 1700 portfolio companies focused on all 14 DoD Critical Technology Areas and component-level technologies and production processes. In addition, these funds plan to invest across asset classes including seed, venture, growth, buyout, direct lending, special situations, and fund-of-funds.

    Interest in the SBICCT Initiative continues to grow, as over 100 funds have expressed interest in the Initiative. Additional applications are expected in future quarterly filing windows. The next filing deadline is November 15, 2024. For more information on the SBICCT Initiative and the application process, please see the Investment Policy Statement here.

    About the Office of Strategic Capital

    Established by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III in December 2022, the Office of Strategic Capital has a mission to attract and scale private capital for national and economic security priorities. Follow the work of the Office of Strategic Capital at https://www.osc.mil.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Suppliers encouraged to submit feedback on supermarket dealings

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    To ensure farmers and suppliers get a fair go when dealing with the major supermarkets – Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Metcash – the Government is encouraging affected businesses to submit feedback to the 2024 Annual Food and Grocery Code (the Code) Independent Reviewer’s Survey.

    The survey monitors compliance with the Code, which mandates conduct between supermarkets and their suppliers, and is part of our work to ensure our supermarket system is fairer for farmers and for families.

    Tracking and reporting on supermarket conduct is key in cracking down on anti‑competitive behaviour in the food and grocery sector, which is a priority for the Government.

    This year’s survey incorporates recommendations of Dr Craig Emerson’s Review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct to monitor suppliers’ experience agreeing to exceptions to the Code and retribution concerns.

    These changes to the survey form part of the Government’s commitment to implement all recommendations of the review, announced in June this year.

    The Albanese Government will introduce legislation later this year to enact substantial multi‑million dollar penalties for serious breaches of the Code. The Government will also give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission new powers to issue infringement notices where it has reasonable grounds to believe a provision has been breached.

    The new mandatory Code with strengthened dispute resolution mechanisms will come into effect from 1 April 2025.

    Suppliers eligible for participation in the survey will have received correspondence from the Independent Reviewer, Chris Leptos AO, containing the survey link.

    The survey closes on 26 November and results will be published with the Independent Reviewer’s Annual Report.

    To see the previous years’ results, including how the major supermarkets rate against each other and the annual reports, go to Grocery Code Reviewer annual reports.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828 renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of feed containing, consisting of and of food and feed products produced from genetically modified maize MON 810 pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/1207 – B10-0146/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
    Members responsible: Martin Häusling, Biljana Borzan, Anja Hazekamp

    B10‑0146/2024

    European Parliament resolution on Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828 renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of feed containing, consisting of and of food and feed products produced from genetically modified maize MON 810 pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/1207 (2024/2840(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828 renewing the authorisation for the placing on the market of feed containing, consisting of and of food and feed products produced from genetically modified maize MON 810 pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/1207[1],

    – having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed[2], and in particular Article 11(3) and Article 23(3) thereof,

    – having regard to the vote of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed referred to in Article 35 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, on 26 April 2024, at which no opinion was delivered, and the vote of the Appeal Committee on 29 May 2024, at which again no opinion was delivered,

    – having regard to Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers[3],

    – having regard to the opinion adopted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on 30 November 2023, and published on 19 January 2024[4],

    – having regard to its previous resolutions objecting to the authorisation of genetically modified organisms (‘GMOs’)[5],

    – having regard to Rule 115(2) and (3) of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,

    A. whereas, on 6 October 2022, Bayer Agriculture BV, based in Belgium, submitted on behalf of Bayer CropScience LP, based in the United States, an application to the Commission for the renewal of Commission Implementing Decisions 2013/649/EU[6] and (EU) 2017/1207[7]; whereas, in accordance with Article 11(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, the period of authorisation of genetically modified pollen produced from genetically modified maize MON 810 (the ‘GM maize’) for food uses covered by Implementing Decision 2013/649/EU has been automatically extended until a decision is taken on the renewal application;

    B. whereas, on 30 November 2023, EFSA adopted a favourable opinion, which was published on 19 January 2024;

    C. whereas the GM maize has been modified to produce insecticides (‘Bt toxins’);

    Outstanding questions concerning Bt toxins

    D. whereas a number of studies show that side effects have been observed that may affect the human immune system following exposure to Bt toxins and that some Bt toxins may have adjuvant properties[8], meaning that they can increase the allergenicity of other proteins with which they come into contact;

    Bt crops: effects on non-target organisms

    E. whereas, unlike the use of insecticides, where exposure is at the time of spraying and for a limited time afterwards, the use of Bt GM crops leads to continuous exposure of the target and non-target organisms to Bt toxins;

    F. whereas the assumption that Bt toxins exhibit a single target-specific mode-of-action can no longer be considered correct and effects on non-target organisms cannot be excluded; whereas an increasing number of non-target organisms are reported to be affected in many ways; whereas 39 peer-reviewed publications that report significant adverse effects of Bt toxins on many ‘out-of-range’ species are mentioned in a recent overview[9];

    Member State comments

    G. whereas Member States submitted many critical comments to EFSA during the three-month consultation period[10], including that the compositional data for the GM maize should be checked and re-analysed and that the analysis should fulfil the present EFSA requirements, inter alia equivalence testing, and that the literature review did not include studies on the fate of Cry1Ab in the environment or on potential effects of Bt-crop residues on non-target organisms, which is problematic because publications indicate that a carryover from GM maize feed to manure may lead to exposure of soil organisms to Cry1Ab and that this may trigger negative effects on soil organisms with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services;

    H. whereas Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 states that GM food or feed must not have adverse effects on human health, animal health or the environment, and requires the Commission to take into account any relevant provisions of Union law and other legitimate factors relevant to the matter under consideration when drafting its decision; whereas such legitimate factors should include the Union’s obligations under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD);

    Reducing dependency on imported feed

    I. whereas one of the lessons from the COVID-19 crisis and the ongoing war in Ukraine is the need for the Union to end the dependencies on some critical materials; whereas in the mission letter to Commissioner-elect Christophe Hansen, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asks him to look at ways to reduce imports of critical commodities[11];

    Undemocratic decision-making

    J. whereas the vote on 26 April 2024 of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed referred to in Article 35 of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 delivered no opinion, meaning that the authorisation was not supported by a qualified majority of Member States; whereas the vote on 29 May 2024 of the Appeal Committee again delivered no opinion;

    K. whereas, in its eighth term, Parliament adopted a total of 36 resolutions objecting to the placing on the market of GMOs for food and feed (33 resolutions) and to the cultivation of GMOs in the Union (three resolutions); whereas, in its ninth term, Parliament adopted 38 objections to placing GMOs on the market;

    L. whereas despite its own acknowledgement of the democratic shortcomings, the lack of support from Member States and the objections of Parliament, the Commission continues to authorise GMOs;

    M. whereas no change of law is required for the Commission to be able not to authorise GMOs when there is no qualified majority of Member States in favour in the Appeal Committee[12];

    N. whereas, on 2 July 2024, the Commission renewed the authorisation for the placing on the market of the GM maize;

    1. Considers that Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828 exceeds the implementing powers provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003;

    2. Considers that Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828 is not consistent with Union law, in that it is not compatible with the aim of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, which is, in accordance with the general principles laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council[13], to provide the basis for ensuring a high level of protection of human life and health, animal health and welfare, and environmental and consumer interests, in relation to GM food and feed, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market;

    3. Calls on the Commission to repeal Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1828;

    4. Welcomes the fact that the Commission finally recognised, in a letter of 11 September 2020 to Members, the need to take sustainability into account when it comes to authorisation decisions on GMOs[14]; expresses its deep disappointment, however, that, since then the Commission has continued to authorise GMOs for import into the Union, despite ongoing objections by Parliament and a majority of Member States voting against;

    5. Urges the Commission, again, to take into account the Union’s obligations under international agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the UN CBD and the UN SDGs; reiterates its call for draft implementing acts to be accompanied by an explanatory memorandum explaining how they uphold the principle of ‘do no harm’[15];

    6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PB-SHABD: 24/7 News, 1500+ Reporters, Live Feeds, and Archival Access

    Source: Government of India (2)

    PB-SHABD: 24/7 News, 1500+ Reporters, Live Feeds, and Archival Access

    Digital News Portals can now access DD & AIR’s Trusted Repository via PB-SHABD – Fair, Objective and Reaching the remotest corners of India

    Free sign up available to media organisations for PB-SHABD services until march 2025

    Logo free content in text, video, picture, and audio form to be made accessible across India in all major Indian languages

    Posted On: 24 OCT 2024 7:04PM by PIB Delhi

    Digital News Portals can now register on the PB-SHABD portal  by filling a simple sign up form on https://shabd.prasarbharati.org/register. This will enable Digital News Portals to access logo free content in text, video, picture, and audio form throughout the India, in all major Indian languages on PB-SHABD. The service is free for media organizations to sign up and use until March 2025.

    Subscription criteria for YouTube-based Digital News Portals:

    1. Portals in English/Hindi need to have a minimum of 1,00,000 subscribers.
    2. Regional news portals need to have a minimum of 50000 subscribers.
    3. The Youtube account must be verified.
    4. The portal should have been in existence for a year.
    5. The portal must have uploaded at least 1 video each month, and at least 5 videos in the last one month at the time of application.

    A Digital Proforma may be filled by the digital news portals, which then will be verified internally at Prasar Bharati. Only after the completion of this process, will digital news portals be able to register for PB-SHABD.

    About PB-SHABD:

    Prasar Bharati-Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) was launched on March 13, 2024 as a news sharing service designed to provide media organizations with daily news feeds across various formats including video, audio, text, and photos.

    Extensive Network for Comprehensive Coverage

    Leveraging a robust network of over 1500 reporters, correspondents, and stringers, supported by 60 dedicated edit desks operating round the clock, PB-SHABD offers the latest news from every corner of India. More than 1000 stories, covering over 50 news categories such as agriculture, technology, foreign affairs, and political developments, are uploaded daily in all major Indian languages from the Regional News Units (RNUs) and headquarters combined.

    Main features of PB-SHABD

    The content provided through PB-SHABD is logo-free, and no credit is required on using content from this platform. Additionally, the service includes a Live Feed feature, offering exclusive coverage of live events such as National award ceremonies from Rashtrapati Bhawan, election rallies, important political events, and various press briefings, all without a logo.

    To further enhance access, a Media Repository is being developed as an archival library, allowing subscribers to easily access rare and archival footage from the Doordarshan and Akashvani libraries, along with special curated packages.

    Follow PB-SHABD on X and Instagram for the latest updates

    For more updates, PB-SHABD is available on X (former Twitter) at https://x.com/PBSHABD and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pbshabd/

    *****

     Dharmendra Tewari/Kshitij Singha

    (Release ID: 2067861) Visitor Counter : 5

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Listening to feedback: changes to York’s sexual health service

    Source: City of York

    A number of changes have now been agreed to the way sexual health services are provided in York, which follows a consultation on proposed changes and listening to respondents’ feedback.

    The consultation ran between July and September and saw over 100 people respond.

    The sexual health service in York is delivered through YorSexualHealth, provided by the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

    The council has worked closely with the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to review the service and its partnership, as part of the re-procurement of the service for the next 10 years.

    The consultation highlighted the need for a number of changes, following a 30 per cent reduction in the public health grant since 2015, which funds the service.

    The provision of free, comprehensive, open access sexual health and contraceptive services is a mandated Public Health function of local authorities, as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

    A report was taken to an Executive meeting in June to outline what these changes could mean, before going out to consultation.

    The contract with the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was renewed in July, and following Executive approval was extended for an additional 12-month period.

    In order to deliver the new contract, the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the council identified that some efficiencies would need to be made to the service. These will now be introduced soon, through a staged approach during the 12-month extension period, to ensure robust monitoring and evaluation.

    The changes include these staged service reductions over a 12-month period:

    1. A reduction in the number of clinic hours the service is open for: The council and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust listened to feedback on the Saturday closure proposals, which was unpopular with respondents. We have revised our thinking on this and are looking at closing the service at a different time to lessen the impact. Instead, the clinic will now close on a Wednesday morning.
    2. A further cap on activity relating to Preventx for York residents. (online STI testing): The service will now offer an ‘enhanced triage’ or clinician recommended approach, to ensure that service users get the right test for them, which is better for both the service user and the cost efficiency of the service. This also brings the online testing provision in line with the testing that is offered when attending the service in person.
    3. A cap on activity relating to LARC (Long-Acting Reversible Contraception) including contraceptive coils and contraceptive implants: York has a high number of LARC fitted per head of population, well above the national average. This means we are building from a strong position in access to contraception in the city, and need to ensure that this remains a specialist service available to those who need it. However, last year over 3,000 people attended for basic contraception needs, which GPs and Pharmacists can support with. Pharmacists can also issue repeat contraception and initial contraception. So our contraception activity will be focussed and prioritised according to need.

    Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health, said: “We’d like to thank everyone for their feedback during the consultation. We’ve listened to everyone’s comments and have made some changes to the proposals as a result. These service changes are not being made lightly – we know there will be impacts, and its our role to mitigate these as much as we can.

    “Sexual health services are vital, and we are proud of the quality of what has been available to people in York in recent years, and of the staff who deliver these vital services.

    “Sexual and reproductive health is not just about preventing disease or infection. It also means promoting good sexual health in a wider context, including relationships, sexuality and choices around conception. It is a vital aspect of overall health and wellbeing and of public health.

    “We are determined that we will meet York’s future needs to the same level, but there are always opportunities to make changes and do things more efficiently.

    “That is reflected in our performance figures, which reflect very well on those involved in delivering the services.”

    Jo Mannion, Consultant and Care Group Director for Family Health at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have successfully provided a range of high-quality, easily accessible sexual health services over the last few years, and we welcome the opportunity to build on this success in strong partnership with York.”

    The council and the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are continuing its analysis and work towards potential commencement of a new contract (under a section 75 partnership agreement) in 2025/6,

    Sexual health services are a key part of public health and are funded via the ring-fenced Public Health Allocation.

    The current contract with York and Scarborough NHS Trust and Nimbuscare Limited was extended earlier this year, following discussions with the providers through the Sexual Health Joint Management Board, chaired by the Director of Public Health.

    A benefit of a new service contract with the current Integrated Sexual Health Services contract with York and Scarborough NHS Trust, is that they have a proven track record and have been a provider of sexual health services in York for over 10 years.

    Following this consultation, a new legal agreement between two organisations will be agreed.

    View the findings of the consultation here

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Giving feedback is a skill: 3 tips on how to do it well for students

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Martina van Heerden, Senior Lecturer in English for Educational Development, University of the Western Cape

    It can be difficult to tell someone what you think of their work, even if you mean well and even if you think they’re doing a good job. Sometimes the person doesn’t understand what you mean, or doesn’t respond the way you’d hoped. Feedback should contribute to learning, but you might sometimes wonder if it’s any use at all. South African university lecturer Martina van Heerden studied the art of giving feedback to students in higher education. Her insights and three top tips are useful for effective communication in many areas of life.

    Why did you decide to study feedback?

    As a tutor, I initially did not get training on how to give feedback to students on their essays. After a while, I started thinking more about what exactly I was trying to say and do with my feedback. For example, if I told a student “your argument lacks depth”, was I just telling the to make a stronger argument in this essay, or was there a “deeper message”?

    So, in my PhD, I explored “what lies beneath” our feedback. What I found is that often feedback has very specific messages for students, largely about what is valued in a particular context; what the student is expected to know in that discipline.

    Feedback is a big concern in higher education globally. It is fairly well researched and most research identifies various problems with it. Students don’t seem to take up the feedback, or there are different understandings of its purpose, or it’s not as effective as it should be because of academic language and conventions. The blame tends to be put on students.

    I wondered if the problem lay instead with how educators approach and give feedback.

    Focusing on English literature studies, I analysed written comments given to first year students and worked with the tutors giving the feedback. English literature is a tricky discipline to give feedback in as it involves balancing language, literature and academic literacy aspects. Focusing too much on one aspect in feedback could mislead students.

    What did you find?

    There was a bit of misalignment between the purpose and the practice of feedback.

    Ideally, the underlying message of feedback in literature studies should be to develop students’ ability to think critically and analytically about texts. It could do this, for example, by asking questions that stimulate thinking around the topics and themes of the text (rather than asking students to merely provide more information on it).

    Most of the feedback in my study, however, focused on correcting surface-level errors like grammar and spelling. Although there is nothing wrong with this in itself, it could mislead students about what is valued in the discipline.

    Feedback is often quite frustrating for both students and educators – both research and practice wisdom attest to this. Educators are frustrated because students don’t seem to learn from feedback, and students are frustrated because they are getting what they feel is unhelpful feedback. These are global concerns. There is a big discrepancy between how useful educators and students perceive feedback to be.

    My work and other research highlights the importance of seeing feedback as a literacy – that is, as a skill – that needs to be developed deliberately.

    Too often, it is assumed that educators will know how to give effective feedback, or it is assumed that students will know what to do with feedback. But a lot of the time, they don’t – we go by our instincts and what is perhaps easier to identify and correct. For feedback to actually “feed forward” – beyond a specific essay or task – the skill needs to be developed.

    How can people give better feedback?

    I recommend asking yourself three questions:

    1.) What do I want to achieve with my feedback? Ask yourself if you just want to help students pass this essay or do well in this task, or if you want them to learn something. If they need to learn something, what should they learn?

    2.) How understandable is my feedback language? The language of feedback may be steeped in academic, professional, or industry terms which you take for granted. Or you may have developed your own feedback shorthand. This might be easy for you to understand – you’re the one writing it – but that doesn’t mean a student will. So, ask yourself whether someone who is not you would understand your feedback.

    3.) What do I want my students to do with my feedback? Too often, comments don’t really give students guidance on what to do. Correcting errors and making statements about students’ work takes agency and action away from students. Using questions and suggestions means that students become more active in the feedback process.

    Feedback is important for learning and development. Too often, though, it becomes another obstacle that has to be overcome. Useful, clear, actionable feedback can help students become better writers, researchers, thinkers and scholars.

    Martina van Heerden is a member of the South African Association of Academic Literacy Practitioners.

    – ref. Giving feedback is a skill: 3 tips on how to do it well for students – https://theconversation.com/giving-feedback-is-a-skill-3-tips-on-how-to-do-it-well-for-students-240572

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: : Feds Feed Families USDA End of Summer Thank you and Celebration – 2024

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

    Thank you to Feds Feed Families agency chairs, champions and leadership who supported Feds Feed Families activities this summer and helped to feed hungry people in our communities.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Si7eR3v58

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Rabuka’s message to free Kanaky movement: ‘Don’t slap the hand that feeds you’

    By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/Bulletin editor

    Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is cautioning New Caledonia’s local government to “be reasonable” in its requests from Paris ahead of a Pacific fact-finding mission.

    A much-anticipated high-level visit by Pacific leaders to the French territory is confirmed, after it was postponed by New Caledonia’s local government in August due to allegations France was pushing its own agenda.

    President Louis Mapou has confirmed the Pacific leaders’ mission will take place from October 27-29.

    Rabuka is one of the four Pacific leaders taking part in the so-called “Troika Plus” mission and confirmed he will be in Nouméa on Sunday.

    He told RNZ Pacific during his visit to Aotearoa last week that as “an old hand in Pacific leadership”, listening was key.

    “I’m hoping that they will be very, very reasonable about what they’re asking for,” the prime minister said.

    “When they started, the Kanaky movement started during my time as Prime Minister. I told them, ‘look, don’t slap the hand that has fed you’.

    ‘Good disassociation arrangement’
    “So have a good disassociation arrangement when you become independent, make sure you part as friends.”

    This week, Rabuka told RNZ Pacific in Apia that he would be taking a back seat during the mission.

    Veteran Pacific journalist Nick Maclellan, who is in New Caledonia, said there was “significant concern” that political leaders in France did not understand the depth of the crisis.

    “This crisis is unresolved, and I think as Pacific leaders arrive this week, they’ll have to look beyond the surface calm to realise that there are many issues that still have to play out in the months to come,” he said.

    He said there appeared to be “a tension” between the local government of New Caledonia and the French authorities about the purpose of Pacific leaders’ mission.

    “In the past, French diplomats have suggested that the Forum is welcome to come, to condemn violence, to address the question of reconstruction and so on,” he said.

    “But I sense a reluctance to address issues around France’s responsibility for decolonisation.

    ‘Important moment’
    “The very fact that four prime ministers are coming, not diplomats, not ministers, not just officials, but four prime ministers of Forum member countries, shows that this is an important moment for regional engagement,” he added.

    In a statement on Friday, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat said that the prime ministers of Tonga and the Cook Islands, along with Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister, would join Rabuka to travel to New Caledonia.

    Tongan PM Hu’akavameiliku will head the mission, which is expected to land in Nouméa after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa this week.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Giving feedback is a skill: 3 tips on how to do it well for students

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Martina van Heerden, Senior Lecturer in English for Educational Development, University of the Western Cape

    It can be difficult to tell someone what you think of their work, even if you mean well and even if you think they’re doing a good job. Sometimes the person doesn’t understand what you mean, or doesn’t respond the way you’d hoped. Feedback should contribute to learning, but you might sometimes wonder if it’s any use at all. South African university lecturer Martina van Heerden studied the art of giving feedback to students in higher education. Her insights and three top tips are useful for effective communication in many areas of life.

    Why did you decide to study feedback?

    As a tutor, I initially did not get training on how to give feedback to students on their essays. After a while, I started thinking more about what exactly I was trying to say and do with my feedback. For example, if I told a student “your argument lacks depth”, was I just telling the to make a stronger argument in this essay, or was there a “deeper message”?

    So, in my PhD, I explored “what lies beneath” our feedback. What I found is that often feedback has very specific messages for students, largely about what is valued in a particular context; what the student is expected to know in that discipline.

    Feedback is a big concern in higher education globally. It is fairly well researched and most research identifies various problems with it. Students don’t seem to take up the feedback, or there are different understandings of its purpose, or it’s not as effective as it should be because of academic language and conventions. The blame tends to be put on students.

    I wondered if the problem lay instead with how educators approach and give feedback.

    Focusing on English literature studies, I analysed written comments given to first year students and worked with the tutors giving the feedback. English literature is a tricky discipline to give feedback in as it involves balancing language, literature and academic literacy aspects. Focusing too much on one aspect in feedback could mislead students.

    What did you find?

    There was a bit of misalignment between the purpose and the practice of feedback.

    Ideally, the underlying message of feedback in literature studies should be to develop students’ ability to think critically and analytically about texts. It could do this, for example, by asking questions that stimulate thinking around the topics and themes of the text (rather than asking students to merely provide more information on it).

    Most of the feedback in my study, however, focused on correcting surface-level errors like grammar and spelling. Although there is nothing wrong with this in itself, it could mislead students about what is valued in the discipline.

    Feedback is often quite frustrating for both students and educators – both research and practice wisdom attest to this. Educators are frustrated because students don’t seem to learn from feedback, and students are frustrated because they are getting what they feel is unhelpful feedback. These are global concerns. There is a big discrepancy between how useful educators and students perceive feedback to be.

    My work and other research highlights the importance of seeing feedback as a literacy – that is, as a skill – that needs to be developed deliberately.

    Too often, it is assumed that educators will know how to give effective feedback, or it is assumed that students will know what to do with feedback. But a lot of the time, they don’t – we go by our instincts and what is perhaps easier to identify and correct. For feedback to actually “feed forward” – beyond a specific essay or task – the skill needs to be developed.

    How can people give better feedback?

    I recommend asking yourself three questions:

    1.) What do I want to achieve with my feedback? Ask yourself if you just want to help students pass this essay or do well in this task, or if you want them to learn something. If they need to learn something, what should they learn?

    2.) How understandable is my feedback language? The language of feedback may be steeped in academic, professional, or industry terms which you take for granted. Or you may have developed your own feedback shorthand. This might be easy for you to understand – you’re the one writing it – but that doesn’t mean a student will. So, ask yourself whether someone who is not you would understand your feedback.

    3.) What do I want my students to do with my feedback? Too often, comments don’t really give students guidance on what to do. Correcting errors and making statements about students’ work takes agency and action away from students. Using questions and suggestions means that students become more active in the feedback process.

    Feedback is important for learning and development. Too often, though, it becomes another obstacle that has to be overcome. Useful, clear, actionable feedback can help students become better writers, researchers, thinkers and scholars.

    – Giving feedback is a skill: 3 tips on how to do it well for students
    – https://theconversation.com/giving-feedback-is-a-skill-3-tips-on-how-to-do-it-well-for-students-240572

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Hungary

    Source: Australia Safe Travel Advisories

    We’ve reviewed our travel advice for Hungary and continue to advise exercise normal safety precautions. Hungary is part of the Schengen area. From November, the new European Entry/Exit System will start for all non-EU nationals, including Australians, travelling in or out of the Schengen Area (see ‘Travel’).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message on World Maritime Day: “Navigating the Future, Safety First” [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    hipping is vital to keeping our economies and societies afloat.

    It is the lifeblood of global supply chains, stretching across oceans, connecting goods and communities.

    Today, the maritime sector is undergoing a profound transformation as it steers towards greater digitalization, automation and decarbonization.

    New technologies and designs offer the opportunity to make important contributions to climate action. I count on the commitment of regulators, seafarers and ship operators alike.

    As this year’s theme reminds us, safety must remain a priority. While conflicts rage around the globe, targeted attacks have turned key global shipping routes into danger zones, killing seafarers and threatening their well-being. Such attacks are totally unacceptable and must be rejected by all.

    Safe navigation for the women and men who anchor this crucial industry must not be compromised.

    On this World Maritime Day, let’s play our part to ensure a safe, sustainable and prosperous maritime sector for all humanity.

    ***
    Les transports maritimes sont essentiels pour maintenir nos économies et nos sociétés à flot.

    Ils sont l’élément vital des chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales, qui s’étendent sur tous les océans et permettent d’acheminer les biens aux populations.

    Aujourd’hui, le secteur maritime connaît une transformation profonde et se dirige vers une plus grande dématérialisation, automatisation et décarbonation.

    Grâce aux nouvelles techniques et aux nouveautés en matière de conception, il est possible de contribuer fortement à l’action climatique. À cet égard, je compte sur la mobilisation des responsables de la réglementation, des gens de mer et des exploitants de navires.

    Le thème de cette année nous rappelle que la sécurité doit rester une priorité. Alors que des conflits font rage dans le monde entier, de grands axes maritimes sont devenus des zones dangereuses dans lesquelles des attaques ciblées tuent des gens de mer et menacent leur bien-être. Ces attaques sont totalement inacceptables et doivent être universellement dénoncées.

    La sécurité de la navigation des femmes et des hommes indispensables à ce secteur essentiel ne doit pas être compromise.

    En cette Journée mondiale de la mer, jouons notre rôle afin de garantir la sécurité, la durabilité et la prospérité du secteur maritime, pour l’humanité tout entière.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI Africa –