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  • MIL-OSI Translation: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of the Bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Monday, September 23, 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Francis has appointed Bishop of Isiro-Niangara, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, HE Mgr. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi, until now Bishop of the Diocese of Isangi, transferring him from the same See. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He has held the following positions and carried out further studies: Formator in the Minor Seminary of Rungu (1985-1986); Professor and spiritual animator in the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Philosophy Saint Augustin, Kisangani (1986-1996); Vicar General of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001); Diocesan Administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003); Rector of the National Marian Shrine of Blessed Anuarite (2003-2006); Doctorate in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013); Chaplain of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, Work of Don Guanella, Rome; Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected Bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides 23/09/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics and Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL

    Flickr/House of Lords, CC BY-NC-ND

    Having made a pre-election pledge to do so, the government is moving forward with the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, a piece of legislation that will remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

    The bill is almost certain to pass through parliament, ending a centuries-old tradition of hereditary membership in the House of Lords. But who are these hereditary peers, and how did they come to sit in parliament in the first place? Some of the answers may be surprising.

    The House of Lords has ancient roots – though it has changed very fundamentally over the years. The original precursor of the English (and subsequently UK) parliament was a single-chamber body, bringing together the powerful in the land to advise the monarch. It is difficult to put a date on when this began but it included representatives of the nobility and the church.

    Initially, there was no presumption that those invited to participate in one session of parliament would be invited to the next, but gradually arrangements became more fixed. The “temporal” (as opposed to “spiritual”) members of parliament became the holders of hereditary titles, which would be passed down through their family line. Over time, the members of what became the House of Commons split off, with the two chambers regularly sitting separately from the 14th century.

    Pitt The Younger, a big fan of handing out peerages.
    Wikipedia/Bonhams

    Some modern preoccupations about the House of Lords can be traced back centuries. By the time of Charles I, there were already concerns that too many new peerages were being created and that the chamber was growing too large. There was even talk of money changing hands in some cases. As early as 1719, a bill was proposed to cap the size of the House of Lords, and allow new peerage creations only when existing lines died out. That bill was, however, unsuccessful.

    By the late 18th century, the monarch was following prime ministerial advice in creating peerages. William Pitt the Younger became a prolific distributor of titles, roughly doubling the number of Lords temporal from 212 to 314. In the mid-19th century, the House of Lords stood at around 450 members, and by the early 20th century, it exceeded 600 members. Immediately before it was reformed by Tony Blair’s government in 1999, its size was double that.

    The reforms begin

    In the late 19th century, under prime ministers William Gladstone and Lord Salisbury, there were deliberate moves to broaden the peerage and move it away from landed interests. Titles were awarded to industrialists, former diplomats, military personnel and civil servants. Notable appointees in this period included the artist Frederic Leighton, the surgeon Joseph Lister, and the former House of Commons clerk Thomas Erskine May. This helped to boost the “crossbenches” in the Lords, and build the chamber’s reputation for expertise.

    Nonetheless, in another pattern familiar today, around two-thirds of those appointed were former MPs. Prominent among them were those who had held high office – routinely including former prime ministers and speakers of the House of Commons.

    The hereditary nature of titles created an obvious difficulty with size – that a seat created for a person did not die with them, but was passed to their (exclusively male) successors. Every peerage awarded (with a small exception for those with legal expertise under the Appellate Jurisdictions Act 1876) was a hereditary peerage, and large numbers continued to be created.

    While some lines died out due to lack of male successors, pressure grew for the creation of life peerages rather than allowing members to pass their seat in the Lords on. The first bill to allow such appointments was introduced in 1849, but it was not until the Life Peerages Act 1958 that change finally occurred.

    By 1957, the year before the act, half of members (who by now exceeded 800) owed their hereditary peerages to 20th-century creations. Among them were the descendants of Asquith, Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin and Field Marshal Montgomery. Even Labour’s Clement Attlee (who, upon assuming office in 1945, faced a House of Lords containing just 16 Labour members) was given a hereditary peerage in 1955. His grandson still serves in the House of Lords.

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    After 1958, the creation of new hereditary peerages became much rarer. It was, notably, only at this point that women entered the chamber for the first time – and only in 1963 that women inheriting the few hereditary titles not travelling purely down the male line were allowed to take seats in the chamber. An interesting anomaly was Margaret Thatcher’s bestowal of a hereditary peerage on her former home secretary and de facto deputy prime minister, Willie Whitelaw, in 1983 – the first such awarded for 18 years. Having only daughters, Whitelaw did not pass his peerage on.

    The reform implemented by the Blair government in 1999 was originally intended to sweep away all of the hereditary peers. But while over 650 departed, a deal between the parties allowed 92 to remain – with replacements when these peers died or retired largely filled by a bizarre system of byelections, where the only eligible candidates were hereditary peers.

    These byelections were recently halted in expectation of the bill, leaving 88 hereditary peers currently serving in the chamber. All of them are men, 45 are Conservative (and only four Labour), while 43 (49%) hold peerages created only in the 20th century.

    This group is anomalous, and long overdue reform. It is also less historic in certain respects than many might assume.

    Meg Russell has in the past received funding from the ESRC for her research on the House of Lords.

    – ref. Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment – https://theconversation.com/britain-is-finally-abolishing-hereditary-peers-from-the-house-of-lords-a-constitutional-expert-on-the-historical-reforms-that-built-up-to-this-moment-239073

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tim Lamont, Research Fellow, Marine Biology, Lancaster University

    As a team of marine biologists, assessing the health of thousands of square metres of coral reef can be a daunting prospect. Often, we have to monitor some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and there’s a strict time limit due to the safety regulations associated with Scuba diving.

    Accurately measuring and classifying even small areas of reefs can involve spending many hours underwater. And with millions of reefs around the world that need monitoring in the face of looming threats to their existence, speed is critical.

    But now, a digital revolution for coral reef monitoring could be underway, enabled by recent advances in low-cost camera and computing technology. Our new study shows how creating 3D computer models of entire reefs – sometimes known as digital twins – can help us monitor these precious ecosystems faster, more accurately and in greater detail than ever before.

    We worked at 17 study sites in central Indonesia – some reefs were degraded, others were healthy or restored. We followed the same protocol at rectangular areas measuring 1000m² in each location, using a technique called “photogrammetry” to create 3D models of each reef habitat.

    One of us Scuba dived and swam 2m above the coral back and forth in a “lawnmower” pattern across every square metre of this reef, while carrying two underwater cameras programmed to take photos of the seabed twice per second. Within just half an hour, we’d taken 10,000 high-resolution, overlapping pictures that covered the entire area.

    Later, we booted up a high-performance computer, and with the help of specialist experts from an underwater science tech company called Tritonia Scientific, we processed these images into accurate 3D representations for each of the 17 sites. The resulting models surpass traditional monitoring methods in speed, cost and the ability to consistently reproduce accurate measurements.

    Our research paper applies this technique to assess the success of the world’s largest coral restoration project. Mars Coral Reef Restoration Project is located at Bontosua Island on the Spermonde Archipelago in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

    Our findings show that, when well-managed, coral restoration efforts can bring back many elements, including the complexity of reef structure across large areas. By comparing the 3D models, we can see how complex the surface structure of the coral reef looks and measure its details at different scales – these aspects would be far too tricky for divers to accurately measure underwater.

    3D model video visualisation of a 50m×20m reef restoration area.

    In an earlier 2024 study, our team applied photogrammetry to measure coral growth rates at the level of individual colonies. By capturing detailed 3D models before and after a year of growth, we revealed that restored reefs can achieve growth rates comparable to healthy natural ecosystems.

    This finding is particularly significant, as it highlights the potential for restored reefs to recover and function similarly to untouched reef environments.



    Read more:
    Restored coral reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years – new study

    Beyond coral reefs

    Photogrammetry is becoming a widely adopted tool across various fields, both on land and in the ocean. Beyond coral reefs, it is used to monitor forests with drones, develop detailed architectural and urban planning models, and monitor soil erosion and landscape changes.

    In marine environments, photogrammetry is a powerful tool for monitoring and measuring environmental changes such as variations in coral cover, shifts in species diversity and alterations in reef structure. It has also been used to develop cost-effective methods for measuring coral reef rugosity (the bumpiness or texture of the reef’s surface).

    Greater rugosity generally indicates more complex habitats, which can support a wider variety of marine life and reflect healthier reef systems. Additionally, it measures the complexity of different shapes and structures within the reef. These methods provide crucial baselines that help scientists like us track changes over time and design effective conservation strategies.

    Although this method is cheaper and quicker than traditional fieldwork, there are still significant financial barriers. The necessary equipment and software can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the specific equipment and software used, and mastering these techniques takes time. It may be some time before these methods become standard for most field biologists.

    Beyond coral reef monitoring, photogrammetry is increasingly being used in virtual reality and augmented reality development, enabling the creation of immersive, lifelike environments for education, entertainment and research. For example, The US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s coral reef virtual reality offers an engaging way to explore coral reefs through virtual reality.

    In the future, photogrammetry could revolutionise environmental monitoring by offering faster, more accurate baselines and assessments of ecosystem changes such as coral bleaching and shifts in biodiversity. Advances in machine learning and cloud computing are expected to further automate and enhance photogrammetry, increasing its accessibility and scalability, and establishing its role as an essential tool in conservation science.


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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Tim Lamont receives funding from the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

    Rindah Talitha Vida receives funding from Friends of Lancaster University in America through the Global Impact Small Grants and research studentship funding from Sheba Hope Advocate Program.

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

    – ref. Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems – https://theconversation.com/our-digital-3d-models-of-huge-coral-reefs-could-help-revive-these-precious-ecosystems-237711

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SRI LANKA – President Dissanayake: the new face of the nation

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the new president of Sri Lanka, the Electoral Commission announced yesterday after the election on Saturday, September 21. A member of parliament with a left-wing political orientation, Dissanayake obtained – as announced by the Electoral Commission – more than 5.7 million votes, followed by candidate Sajith Premadasa with 4.5 million.During his election campaign, Dissanayake sought to win the favor of the working class and attracted the support of young people and the lower middle classes, as Sri Lanka tries to recover from an economic and political crisis that has brought the country to its knees and exacerbated widespread poverty.Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans revolted and forced President Rajapaksa to flee the country, “and since then there has been a great desire for change in society: this is the result, which I would not hesitate to call historic”, Father Basil Rohan Fernando, priest of the Archdiocese of Colombo and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies on the island, told Fides.Father Fernando notes “a positive atmosphere in society: first of all, it should be noted that the electoral process was peaceful and transparent and then, after the vote, there were no clashes between opposing factions, as has often happened in the past”. Furthermore, he notes, “there is an atmosphere of great hope in society. The population wanted something new, they strongly desired change and so the will of the people was democratically expressed”.While the international press describes Dissanayake as a “Marxist” president, Father Fernando notes: “This label should not be alarming and relates to past ideological positions. The new president fits perfectly into the democratic framework and his stated aim is to work for the poor and vulnerable, which is what the nation needs. It is expected that in a month’s time, the president will call a general election to renew parliament, which will give the nation a completely new face, with educated and skilled young people entering active politics, which will be a clear break with the old establishment, which was involved in games of corruption.” As for the Catholic community – about 1.5 million faithful out of a population of 22 million – the priest notes that in the “coastal belt, which includes Colombo, Chilaw and other places where the bulk of Sri Lanka’s Catholic population lives, support for Dassyake was very high. This suggests that there was also a consensus within the Catholic population. I generally see the faithful satisfied and full of hope. The population expects a lot from the new president.” In particular, the Catholic Church does not forget the sensitive issue of the Easter attacks of 2019: “The hope is that even on this front, a serious episode five years ago now, a wound in national history, we can sincerely and truly promote the justice that is still lacking, with the recognition of those responsible and help for the victims.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Grangemouth job losses are a stark reminder of the cost of a greener industrial future

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Phil Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy, Co-Director Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS), University of Bath

    Grangemouth refinery has been in operation for more than 100 years. dvlcom – www.dvlcom.co.uk/Shuttershotck

    The recent announcement that Grangemouth oil refinery in central Scotland will close next year marks a notable moment in the energy transition towards net zero.

    As countries strive to meet climate targets and reduce their use of fossil fuels, the tensions between preserving jobs in “dirty” industries and creating new “green” jobs are becoming increasingly stark.

    Grangemouth, operated by Petroineos (a joint venture between PetroChina and INEOS), has been producing oil and chemical products for more than a century. It is Scotland’s only oil refinery and a major supplier of fuel to domestic and international markets.

    Its closure marks an abrupt end of an era for the local economy, which until now has been heavily dependent on the refinery. Around 400 jobs are thought to be at risk – although trade unions have warned that nearly 3,000 jobs could be affected in the wider local economy and supply chains.

    The closure reflects broader trends in the fossil fuel sector, with falling demand and governments prioritising climate action. The UK government is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

    To achieve this, there must be dramatic reductions in fossil fuel consumption such as in transport and heating. Many energy-intensive industries (including steel and ceramics) are also shifting towards renewable energy sources, leading to the gradual phasing out of refineries such as Grangemouth.

    Green jobs: a path to the future?

    The growth of renewable sectors offers new job creation opportunities. Green jobs in renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental conservation are seen as critical in developing a sustainable economy. But as yet, they are not always available in the regions where jobs in long-established industries are being lost.

    The new government hopes to create 650,000 jobs in the UK by 2030, working with business through a combination of its Green Prosperity Plan and proposed National Wealth Fund. These jobs will be critical in sectors such as offshore wind, hydrogen production and electric vehicle manufacturing.

    The closure of fossil fuel-dependent sites such as Grangemouth highlights the importance of a “just transition”. This is a framework pushed by trade unions where workers in polluting industries are offered clear pathways to secure jobs in a post-carbon economy.

    Governments, business and unions need to cooperate to ensure these new green jobs are not only available to workers facing redundancy, but also provide similar levels of pay and working conditions as the jobs being lost.

    Despite the promise of new green jobs, the immediate reality for workers in “dirty industries” is much more uncertain. For those employed in refining, oil drilling, or making internal combustion engine cars, the idea of transitioning to green jobs in some regions can seem remote.

    Production may disappear or require far fewer workers. Also, the skills of displaced workers do not always match those required for new green jobs. And retraining programmes are not always available or accessible.

    For communities such as Grangemouth, with a population of 17,000, the economic shock of losing a major employer can be catastrophic. Jobs in oil refineries are relatively well paid and once offered long-term stability. Replacing these with green jobs offering the same benefits is challenging.

    Renewable industries can take years to take root. Yet, in the here and now, displaced workers face the prospect of unemployment. There is a tension between the urgent need to address the climate emergency and the impetus to protect jobs and livelihoods.

    Policies for a just transition

    To address these tensions, governments need industrial policies to support a “just transition” to ensure that no one is left behind, as economies shift away from fossil fuels.

    This includes programmes to allow displaced oil workers to retrain and become equipped with the skills for new green jobs. Governments, businesses and unions will need to collaborate to deliver on this – with a focus on local needs. Several local authorities are already being proactive – using national and local funding and working with training providers to retrain workers in roles ranging from heat pump installers to electric vehicle technicians.

    For Grangemouth, new targeted investment will be needed to help diversify the local economy. Government funding for renewable energy projects, infrastructure development and support for small businesses and startups could and should help.

    Workers facing redundancy from polluting industries should be helped to retrain in greener sectors like heat pump installation.
    Virrage Images/Shutterstock

    On this, the UK and Scottish governments have provided £100 million of joint funding for Project Willow, a feasibility study looking at the Grangemouth plant’s next steps.

    Local supply chains will also need to diversify into new markets. For instance, elsewhere some auto sector firms are diversifying into making wind turbines and heat pumps as they adjust to the challenges of net zero.

    In the short term, displaced workers facing unemployment will need more generous social security. Better unemployment benefits, healthcare and housing support – perhaps repackaged as part of a lifetime learning allowance – will be essential. They could safeguard workers (and their families) as they retrain for the new green jobs.

    The closure of the Grangemouth refinery is an abrupt reminder of the complexities of transitioning to a green economy. While green jobs represent the future, they cannot simply replace traditional jobs overnight. There is an urgent need for a proactive industrial strategy to facilitate industry and regional diversification, alongside new investment in training and infrastructure.

    For Grangemouth (and communities facing similar challenges, such as at Port Talbot in south Wales), the road ahead may be uncertain. But with innovative approaches – like that of Gamesa in Spain, which has recruited staff from the car industry and used their expertise to streamline its wind turbine production – a “just transition” will be possible.

    Phil Tomlinson receives funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for Made Smarter Innovation: Centre for People-Led Digitalisation.

    David Bailey receives funding from the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe programme.

    – ref. Grangemouth job losses are a stark reminder of the cost of a greener industrial future – https://theconversation.com/grangemouth-job-losses-are-a-stark-reminder-of-the-cost-of-a-greener-industrial-future-239132

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Taliban suspends polio vaccine campaign in Afghanistan – here’s the likely impact

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lee Sherry, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow

    The Taliban recently announced that they are suspending its polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan. The announcement was made shortly before the campaign was due to start.

    The suspension is temporary, according to the Taliban, and is due to security fears and the fact that women are involved in administering the vaccine.

    Poliovirus is a highly infectious virus that mainly affects children under the age of five, but anyone who is unvaccinated can be infected. The virus spreads from person to person mainly through traces of contaminated faeces on people’s hands getting into their mouths or, less commonly, through contaminated food or water.

    It initially infects the intestines, leading to symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache and vomiting in the early stages of the disease. But, as the infection progresses, the virus can invade the nervous system, often leading to paralysis. In the worst cases, affected children will die as the paralysis spreads to the muscles that control breathing.

    Polio was a major global childhood health concern in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the development of polio vaccines has given us the ability to prevent polio-induced paralysis. There are two main types of polio vaccine: live-attenuated oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), made from weakened poliovirus, and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV).

    Following the introduction of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, OPV and IPV have nearly eliminated the disease. Yet polio remains a global threat, as was seen recently with the emergence of polio in the Gaza Strip.

    Afghanistan is one of only two countries, alongside neighbouring Pakistan, where polio has continued to spread. So the news that the Taliban have suspended polio vaccination will probably have major consequences for the control of the disease in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

    Earlier in 2024, Afghanistan had used a house-to-house vaccination strategy, recommended by the WHO, for the first time in five years. This tactic ensures that most children have access to the vaccine. However, in the southern Kandahar province, the Taliban used a mosque-to-mosque vaccination campaign, which has been proven to be less effective. So Kandahar is believed to have a large number of unvaccinated children who are now susceptible to infection.

    Locally, this setback in vaccination not only poses a risk to the children of Afghanistan, but also poses a risk to children in bordering Pakistan. This is due to the high levels of movement across the borders between the two countries.

    “Afghanistan is the only neighbour from where Afghan people in large numbers come to Pakistan and then go back,” Anwarul Haq, the coordinator at the National Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Eradication, told Associated Press.

    Much wider spread

    Afghanistan has already seen an increase in paralytic polio cases in 2024, rising from six in 2023 to 14 confirmed cases in 2024 so far. Paralysis occurs in about one in 200 infections, so this increase in paralytic polio suggests a much wider spread of infection in the region. This includes Pakistan, which has reported 13 cases so far this year.

    With the reduced number of vaccinations and an increasing number of children vulnerable to polio infection, we are likely to see an increased number of paralytic polio cases in the near future. This potential increase in viral spread coupled with the number of people travelling in and out of the region may lead to the spread of polio beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan and into areas such as India and Iran.

    Unfortunately, those who are not vaccinated will also be susceptible to vaccine-derived poliovirus. This is where the OPV vaccine, which contains a weakened version of the virus, has been able to spread in areas with low vaccination coverage, allowing the virus to return to virulence.

    This has seen new vaccine-derived outbreaks seeded across several countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which now accounts for most paralytic polio cases worldwide.

    Lee Sherry has previously worked on a WHO-funded project to develop new vaccines for poliovirus.

    – ref. The Taliban suspends polio vaccine campaign in Afghanistan – here’s the likely impact – https://theconversation.com/the-taliban-suspends-polio-vaccine-campaign-in-afghanistan-heres-the-likely-impact-239316

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We’re in a golden age for body horror films – as Demi Moore’s The Substance proves

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Reader in English Literature and Film, Manchester Metropolitan University

    In the 1980s, film scholar Barbara Creed coined the term the “monstrous-feminine”. It refers to the way that female monsters are typically portrayed as threatening and disgusting for reasons connected to their bodies and their sexuality. New film The Substance takes a leaf out of Creed’s book by proposing a feminist critique of female experience through the visceral language of the body horror, a sub-genre preoccupied with the transformation, destruction or grotesque exaggeration of the human body.

    The Substance is a film about a fading Hollywood star who will go to any lengths to stay beautiful. After having her TV aerobics show cancelled, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) resorts to a mysterious serum that can create a “better” version of her – a younger double she can inhabit a few days at a time.

    As the pull of success and the return of public recognition lure Sparkle away from her older, now abandoned self, horrendous mutations ensue. It seems poignant that the protagonist of this dark parable should be played by Moore, an actor whose looks have long been scrutinised.

    In the October issue of Sight and Sound, the film’s director, Coralie Fargeat, explains that it’s not intended as a caricature, but “a mirror of society’s misogynistic mentality”. It really is “that gross … that violent in the real world,” she argues.

    Many agree with her. In a review for Film International, film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas goes as far as to call The Substance a “documentary”, due to its “emotional fidelity”. That is, its ability to make literal the disconnection between body and consciousness caused by ageing, which impacts women particularly negatively.

    The trailer for The Substance.

    A growing body of films

    The Substance is not the only major film in 2024 to be marketed, either fully or in part, as “body horror”. This is surprising because body horror originally emerged as a niche, often independently produced, sub-genre.

    Body horror’s gruesome aesthetic and themes of corporeal decay, transformation and mutilation can be off-putting for many viewers. Yet films like Love Lies Bleeding, Tiger Stripes and I Saw the TV Glow (which all had wide releases in 2024) have turned to the sub-genre. Their directors have been drawn to its ability to tell timely stories about the way corporeality, identity and social interactions cannot be separated.

    These films are largely about marginalised or maladjusted people. They show how our personal actions and sense of identity are always affected by the availability of role models and the limitations imposed on people by governmental, educational, religious and familial forces. For example, the teenage protagonist in Tiger Stripes rebels against the expectations that, because she is a girl, she should cover her hair, show modesty and be courteous.

    From Poor Things and Infinity Pool (both 2023) to Hatching (2022) and Titane (2021), the 2020s are shaping up into something of a new golden age for body horror.

    Novelist A.K. Blakemore has written of the rise of “femcore” – a literary trend of “ultraviolent body-horror”. Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts (2020), Alison Rumfitt’s Brainwyrms (2023), Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part (2024) and the anthology Of the Flesh (2024) are included under this label.

    And there’s a similar trend emerging in streaming shows, from the episode The Outside from Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) to Alice Birch’s remake of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers (2023).

    A sub-genre with substance

    One of the key things that characterises this contemporary wave of body horror is the influx of directors who identify as women and as queer.

    There were far fewer women and queer directors in the late 1970s and 1980s, when body horror gained popularity thanks to films like The Evil Dead (1981), The Fly (1986) and Hellraiser (1987), than there are now. This decade has made big moves towards inclusion, and the film industry has been greatly impacted by social movements like Me Too, Trans Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter, even if much work is yet to be done.

    Body horror is particularly appealing to creators who would have previously found it difficult to make a living in the world of commercial filmmaking. Filmmakers (including Rose Glass, Amanda Nell Eu, Jane Schoenbrun, Hanna Bergholm, Julia Ducournau, Michelle Garza Cervera, Natalie Erika James, Alice Maio Mackay, Nia DaCosta and Coralie Fargeat) have found a valuable lexicon for feminist, trans-activist and anti-racist messages in the sub-genre. Many of them talk about their work as highly personal – if not based on their direct experience.

    The body horror sub-genre is attuned to the violence of social exclusion and discrimination. Its metamorphic, painful, insidious and carnal nightmares help articulate the concerns of a new generation of artists for whom corporeality, and sometimes simply being visible, has become a political statement.

    David Cronenberg closed his classic body horror film Videodrome (1983) with the emblematic line: “Long live the new flesh!” He needn’t have worried. It’s here to stay.


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

    – ref. We’re in a golden age for body horror films – as Demi Moore’s The Substance proves – https://theconversation.com/were-in-a-golden-age-for-body-horror-films-as-demi-moores-the-substance-proves-239229

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Graphene at 20: still no sign of the promised space elevator, but here’s how this wonder material is quietly changing the world

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Lyth, Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow, Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde

    High Level Specialist

    Twenty years ago this October, two physicists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a groundbreaking paper on the “electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films”. Their work described the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene, a crystalline form of carbon equivalent to a single layer of graphite, just one atom thick.

    Around that time, I started my doctorate at the University of Surrey. Our team specialised in the electronic properties of carbon. Carbon nanotubes were the latest craze, which I was happily following. One day, my professor encouraged a group of us to travel to London to attend a talk by a well-known science communicator from the University of Manchester. This was Andre Geim.

    We were not disappointed. He was inspiring for us fresh-faced PhD students, incorporating talk of wacky Friday afternoon experiments with levitating frogs, before getting on to atomically thin carbon. All the same, we were sceptical about this carbon concept. We couldn’t quite believe that a material effectively obtained from pencil lead with sticky tape was really what it claimed to be. But we were wrong.

    The work was quickly copied and reproduced by scientists across the globe. New methods for making this material were devised. Incredible claims about its properties made it sound like something out of a Stan Lee comic. Stronger than steel, highly flexible, super-slippery and impermeable to gases. A better electronic conductor than copper and a better thermal conductor than diamond, as well as practically invisible and displaying a host of exotic quantum properties.

    Graphene was hailed as a revolutionary material, promising ultra-fast electronics, supercomputers and super-strong materials. More fantastical claims have included space elevators, solar sails, artificial retinas, even invisibility cloaks.

    Just six years after their initial work, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, further fuelling the enthusiasm around this wonder stuff. Since then, hundreds of thousands of academic papers have been published on graphene and related materials.

    But not everyone is on board. Skim through the comments section of any popular article on the material, and you’ll quickly find the sceptics. We have endured decades of empty promises about the real-world impact of graphene, they complain. Where are the game-changing products to enrich our lives or save the world from climate change, they ask.

    So has graphene been a resounding success or a damp squib? As is so often the case, the reality is somewhere in between.

    Graphene’s ups and downs

    In terms of public perception, it’s fair to say that graphene has been held to an impossible standard. The popular media can certainly exaggerate science stories for clicks, but academics – including myself – are not immune from over-egging or speculating about their pet projects either. I’d argue this can even be useful, helping to drive new technologies forward. Equally, though, there can be a backlash when progress looks disappointing.

    Having said that, disruptive technologies such as cars, television or plastic all required decades of development. Graphene is still a newcomer in the grand scheme of things, so it’s far too early to reach any conclusions about its impact.

    What has quietly occurred is a steady integration of graphene into numerous practical applications. Much of this is thanks to the Graphene Flagship, a major European research initiative coordinated by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. This aims to bring graphene and related materials from academic research to real-world commercial applications, and more than 90 products have been developed over the past decade as a result.

    These include blended plastics for high-performance sports equipment, more durable racing tyres for bicycles, motorcycle helmets that better distribute impact forces, thermally conductive coatings for motorcycle components, and lubricants for reducing friction and wear between mechanical parts.

    Safer motorbike helmets are just one of many ways in which graphene is coming to market.
    n_defender

    Graphene is finding its way into batteries and supercapacitors, enabling faster charging times and longer life spans. Conductive graphene inks are now used to manufacture sensors, wireless tracking tags, heating elements, and electromagnetic shielding for protecting sensitive electronics. Graphene is even used in headphones to improve the sound quality, and as a more efficient means of transmitting heat in air-conditioning units.

    Graphene oxide products are being used for desalination, wastewater treatment and purification of drinking water. Meanwhile, a range of graphene materials can be bought off the shelf for use in countless other products, and major corporations including SpaceX, Tesla, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Apple are all rumoured or known to be using them to develop new products.

    From promise to practicality

    The impact of graphene on materials science is undeniable. The impact on consumer products is tangible, but not as visible. Once a material is embedded in a working product, there is little need to keep mentioning it, and proprietary concerns can make companies reluctant to get into details in any case. Consumers can therefore be blissfully unaware that their car, mobile phone, or golf club contains graphene, and most probably don’t care, as long as it works.

    As production methods improve and costs decrease, we can expect graphene to become ever more widely adopted. Economies of scale will make it more accessible, and the range of applications is likely to continue to expand.

    Personally, after two decades, I still get excited when I try it out for something new in the lab. While I may be guilty of having contributed to the initial hype, I remain optimistic about graphene’s potential. I’m still waiting for my ride on a space elevator, but in the meantime, I’ll take comfort in the fact that graphene is already helping to shape a better future – quietly and steadily.

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

    – ref. Graphene at 20: still no sign of the promised space elevator, but here’s how this wonder material is quietly changing the world – https://theconversation.com/graphene-at-20-still-no-sign-of-the-promised-space-elevator-but-heres-how-this-wonder-material-is-quietly-changing-the-world-239223

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Advancing Sustainable Development – 2:10 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Advancing Sustainable Development through Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI event in New York City, New York., on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJlzUU4ySd0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event – 11:00 AM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivers remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event on AI for Humanity: Charting the Global Course for Human Rights-Based Governance in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRobgVHr19w

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken hosts a G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support – 9:45 AM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hosts a G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL4tTyzS4gU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: WHO will be the SOY? | U.S. Army

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #SoldieroftheYear #AUSA

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken participates at the High-Level Meeting – 4:00 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary Blinken participates at the High-Level Meeting to Launch the Friends of Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN8-gnA1-Xc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Army Cribs: VOLAR Barracks! | U.S. Army

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    : Jedhel Somera

    On this edition of Army Cribs, we take you on a virtual tour of the all-new Volar Barracks at Fort Campbell, Ky!

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Cribs #Barracks

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dadwqMpRo4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: This Week in NJ – September 20th, 2024

    Source: US State of New Jersey

    Governor Murphy Announces $180 Million Awarded to Nonprofit Groups and Local Governments Through Lead Remediation and Abatement Program

    At the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, Governor Murphy announced that his Administration will soon commit $180 million to nonprofit organizations and local governments across the state through the Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Lead Remediation and Abatement Program (LRAP). These funds help grantees conduct lead-safe repairs in homes where adults and children are exposed to lead-based paint. Once DCA obligates the final $40 million this month, it will have awarded all of the Murphy Administration’s historic investment made in the State Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 budgets to address the threat of childhood lead poisoning.

    “We are providing grants to communities up and down our state — from Paterson to Vineland — so we can ensure that every one of our children is protected from the dangers of lead-based paint,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This funding will directly benefit thousands of households and is a perfect example of how safe housing is at the heart of our Administration’s vision for making New Jersey the best place, anywhere in America, to raise a family.”

    “DCA is incredibly proud to administer a grant program that is protecting New Jersey’s families and children from the detrimental effects of lead poisoning,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “By collaborating with nonprofit groups and local governments, we are providing residents with the information and financial assistance they need to live free of lead-based paint in their homes.”

    READ MORE

    Murphy Administration Announces Opening of Income-Based Charge Up+ EV Incentive

    Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)  announced the opening of Charge Up+, an additional income-based incentive of $2,000 available through the State’s Charge Up New Jersey electric vehicle (EV) incentive program. The announcement follows the launch of Year Five of Charge Up New Jersey in July 2024.

    “I’m thrilled to announce this additional step toward ensuring every New Jerseyan can choose clean transportation, regardless of their income,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “My administration continues to prioritize lowering emissions and improving air quality in our communities, no matter the zip code, by making EVs more affordable and accessible to all.”

    “Through the introduction of Charge Up+, the Murphy Administration is once again building upon the success of its highly popular EV incentive program,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “Combined with the Charge Up base incentive and federal EV tax credit, this additional incentive will further expand the number of New Jersey families who can reap the environmental and economic benefits of clean transportation.”

    Through Year Five of the Charge Up New Jersey program, all eligible vehicles up to a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $55,000 can receive a $2,000 base incentive. Residents can take advantage of this incentive directly at the car dealership or showroom and apply the incentive instantly to their purchase or lease at the point of sale. Charge Up New Jersey also offers a $250 rebate for the purchase and installation of a qualifying Level 2 charger through the In-Home EV Charger Incentive.

    The additional income-based incentive of $2,000 will be available to prequalified income-eligible applicants for a total of $4,000. Customers who are eligible for the Charge Up+ incentive must prequalify before visiting the dealership to ensure that the full $4,000 can be applied to their purchase or lease.

    READ MORE

    DCF Awards Funding to Expand Universal Home Visiting Initiative in New Jersey

    As part of the State’s efforts to expand Family Connects NJ — New Jersey’s universal nurse home visitation program — the Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) has awarded contracts to two partner-agencies to make free nurse visits available to every family with a newborn in an additional six counties. Beginning January 2025, this lifesaving program will continue in Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, and Middlesex Counties, and expand to Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, and Ocean Counties. 

    The law establishing a universal nurse home visitation program was signed by Governor Murphy in July 2021, making New Jersey the second state in the nation to advance a universal home visitation program specifically designed to support parents and families welcoming a newborn through childbirth, adoption, or foster care placement, as well as families that have experienced the tragedy of stillbirth or neonatal loss. Family Connects NJ is a key component to First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative, which aims to make New Jersey the safest, most equitable state in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.

    Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a leading cause of preventable pregnancy-related deaths in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that the majority of pregnancy-related deaths occur postpartum. In fact, in March of this year, a total of 14% of nurse home visits—more than 1 in 10—resulted in a referral of a mother or an infant to the emergency room for follow-up on something that couldn’t wait for the regular checkup, with the most common reason being post-partum hypertension. This is critical since post-partum hypertension is a life-threatening complication commonly associated with stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.

    In January, the program launched in five counties — Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer and Middlesex.

    “Having a strong support system during the early days of parenthood is crucial. When new parents bring their baby home for the first time, it can be overwhelming. It takes a village to raise a child, and through Family Connects NJ, the State of New Jersey is committing to be part of that village while families adjust to life with a newborn,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This innovative home visitation program raises the bar for postpartum care by ensuring both new mothers and their babies can access the care and resources they need. I’m pleased to see this successful, life-saving program expand into more New Jersey counties, enabling more families to benefit from critical support.”

    “Family Connects NJ is the most robust universal nurse home visitation program in the nation, providing the support new mothers need to ensure they and their families are healthy and thriving in the crucial weeks post birth,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “I am thrilled to continue our planned expansion of this vital program as we enter six additional counties starting in January.  Family Connects NJ will help cement New Jersey as the gold standard and the safest, most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.”

    READ MORE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Here we go, from Coleraine to Sandy Row – TUV hail fundraising efforts for the Cancer Fund for Children by Coleraine and Belfast Rangers Supporters Clubs

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    TUV Vice Chairman and East Londonderry representative, Councillor Allister Kyle said:

    “I am very proud to be associated with the phenomenal efforts of both Glasgow Rangers Supporters clubs who managed to raise £50,000 for the Cancer Fund for Children through the Emmie Smillie Foundation

    “The comradeship of the two clubs shows how great goals can be achieved when likeminded people come together. The money was primarily raised by a sponsored cycle from Coleraine to Belfast which was watched by Rangers fans on the popular channel GersTV

    “The money will go to good use at Daisy Lodge, Newcastle, County Down, where there purpose-built therapeutic centre is located. Under the careful stewardship of Cancer Fund for Children families can avail of support from right across the island of Ireland who are affected by cancer.

    “The completely self-funded unit is dependent on donations. It is set up to allow families to spend quality time together in a safe and supportive environment, far removed from the pressures of cancer treatment and hospital wards. It also offers both privacy and the opportunity to meet and gain support from other families.

    “I welcome talk of future fundraising for this and other very worthwhile causes and certainly look forward to getting more involved. Too many times our heritage, culture and social life is demonised by many, and the good news stories are pushed to the side, but here we have people rising to the fore just as the founding fathers of our football club did for in a selfless way for the betterment of others.”

    KOB RSC, South Belfast chairman Sam Chestnutt said:

    “Raising this money for such a worthy cause has been a real privilege for us and our visit to Daisy Lodge was such a humbling experience that many of us will not easily forget. Our 67 mile cycle was tough, but it was nothing in comparison to what those affected by cancer experience and we are just glad that we could contribute to the efforts of Cancer Fund for Children in this way.

    “Both clubs worked hard and put a lot of time and energy into raising £50,000 but we couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of our local communities, friends both here in NI and further afield and everyone else who contributed in any way.

    “We look forward to future fundraising opportunities and are committed to doing our bit to assist those in need.”

    Coleraine True Blues Chairman John Gamble said:

    “We’re absolutely delighted to hit the milestone of £50,000. At the start of the project we didn’t think we would be as successful. I am really proud of the effort put in by my club and our friends in the city, and it means so much more to us now when we’ve seen the amazing work that goes on in Daisy Lodge and how our fundraising will be put to good use.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Foreign affairs lecture held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of West Asian & North African Affairs Deputy Director General Yang Xin delivered a lecture titled “China-Middle East Relations” at the Civil Service College today.

    The lecture is part of a series on the country’s foreign affairs organised by the college in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Addressing the talk, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said that Hong Kong, as a key link for the Belt & Road Initiative, can capitalise on its unique advantages under “one country, two systems” to actively participate in and contribute to the initiative, adding that Hong Kong will give full play to its roles as a super connector and super value-adder.

    She highlighted that possessing the advantages of being an international city and enjoying the support of mature professional services, Hong Kong has been promoting co-operation with Middle East countries in a wide range of areas such as finance, innovation and technology, business, transportation and energy in recent years. The city has also been playing a bridging role in connecting the Mainland and the Middle East region.

    The civil service chief noted that today’s talk enabled civil servants to understand how Hong Kong can seize opportunities from the country’s overall development and promote deeper and broader co-operation with the Middle East, thereby better supporting national strategies.

    Mrs Yeung pointed out that the series on the country’s foreign affairs has been well received since its launch. She noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and in celebration of this important day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will organise a series of celebratory activities. Among the activities organised by the Civil Service Bureau, training on the country’s foreign affairs is one of the key initiatives.

    About 100 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended the talk at the college today. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnicians took part in the final of the high-tech championship

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    From September 17 to 21, the final of the high-tech championship was held in Veliky Novgorod. It gathered students from colleges and technical schools from 80 regions of Russia and 16 foreign countries at the Innovative Scientific and Technological Center “Intellectual Electronics – Valdai”.

    The tournament is held as part of the All-Russian Championship Movement for Professional Skills. In addition to the competitive part, a business program was prepared with the participation of representatives of federal and regional authorities, businesses, and educational institutions. Experts discussed the introduction of modern technologies, qualifications, and training of future specialists, taking into account global trends. The panel discussion “Russia’s Human Resources Potential: Forming Future Specialists for Technological Leadership” raised issues of necessary competencies for graduates, attracting them to industrial enterprises, and integrating personnel training systems with business. One of the speakers at the session was Dmitry Tikhonov, Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education at SPbPU.

    He noted that the key focus is now on practice: university graduates must be ready to solve real business problems. Therefore, educational programs are in demand, where students solve cases from enterprises, work on specialized software, have the opportunity to do an internship in partner companies. Enterprises that are involved in the educational process also have advantages – it is much easier for them to recruit for the necessary positions and adapt employees. Currently, SPbPU implements corporate Master’s programs and professional training in the 3rd and 4th years for internships and employment.

    Dmitry Vladimirovich also spoke at the foresight session “Consortium: a driver for the formation of future competencies.”

    “Our task together with enterprises is to be able to adapt real tasks and research for schoolchildren as well,” the vice-rector is confident. “This must be done promptly and taking into account the level of training. Therefore, the university’s efforts are also aimed at career guidance for schoolchildren, holding competitions, olympiads, conferences and full-fledged educational programs for them.”

    Director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” SPbPU Sergey Salkutsan participated in several sessions. One of them touched upon the topic of technological sovereignty in the field of unmanned aircraft systems. Sergey Vladimirovich presented two developments – simulators “Lean Production” and “New Industrial Challenge” for testing various technological solutions. Also at one of the sessions, the director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Advanced Engineering School SPbPU shared the experience of training personnel for the high-tech industry at the Polytechnic University using the example of master’s programs with industrial partners.

    At the session “Technological teams: you can’t buy them, you can’t grow them,” Sergey Salkutsan spoke about how SPbPU PISh forms student teams for various projects and emphasized

    the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and the presence of competencies among team members to achieve the best result. And Deputy Head of the Directorate of Continuous Education and Marketing Communications Ivan Kurta shared the experience of industry partnership at the Polytechnic University in the context of additional professional education. This approach allows students, employees and teachers to obtain the most relevant industry knowledge directly from employees of large enterprises and build their own development trajectory.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/education/polytechnics-took-participation-in-the-finals-of-the-high-tech-championship/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: 6 Things to Know About Taking Climate Action

    Source: Samsung

    Real talk – every one of us can make choices to tackle climate change and take better care of the environment. Whether it’s by reducing energy consumption or opting for eco-conscious products, small changes can add up to make a big difference. As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, Samsung is helping you make those choices easier with innovative technology designed to minimize your environmental impact.
    In this edition of our “Things to Know” series, we’re unveiling six essential tips to live more sustainably using Samsung technology—perfectly timed for Climate Week NYC. Let’s dive in:
    1. Use SmartThings Energy to Monitor & Reduce Consumption
    Ever wonder which appliance is using the most energy? SmartThings Energy in the SmartThings app will easily help you figure it out, so you can start trimming down your home’s carbon footprint (and your energy bill!). Plus, the app’s energy-saving tips and automated features make it an absolute breeze to take action and stay efficient—no guesswork required.
    Specifically, our AI Energy Mode power-saving feature can help you reduce energy consumption through real-time monitoring and AI-based energy-saving adjustments. For example, SmartThings Energy can notify you if your refrigerator door is left open, saving both energy and money. And if you’re in New York or California, you can even earn rewards for energy efficiency with SmartThings Flex Connect.
    2. Switch to ENERGY STAR Certified Appliances
    Samsung offers more ENERGY STAR® appliances than ever before, with 50% of eligible products1 earning the certification as of late 2024. Curious how much you could save? Switching to ENERGY STAR appliances could knock up to $450 off your energy bills each year! And here’s a fun fact: if every household in the U.S. used ENERGY STAR certified electric cooktops, we could prevent nearly 1.75 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually. How’s that for a win-win?
    In fact, Samsung is the first and only brand to earn SHEMS certification (Smart Home Energy Management Systems) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program. If you’re looking to minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your savings, head to Samsung.com for deals on some of our latest eco-innovations, including:
    Get a minimum $300 trade-in credit on any good condition smartphone when you buy a qualifying Certified Re-Newed device.2

    3. Cook Smarter with Induction Technology
    In case you missed it, the Inflation Reduction Act made history in 2022 as the biggest investment in climate and energy ever in the U.S., and Samsung is all in! Our Smart Induction Cooktop even snagged the title of the first in the industry to win the EPA Emerging Technology Award in 2021—because it’s not just about cooking; it’s about cutting energy use and lowering emissions, too.
    Fast forward to today, Samsung is proud to offer 11 induction cooking products, all ENERGY STAR certified. Plus, rebates through the Inflation Reduction Act can make upgrading to energy-efficient cooking appliances more affordable if available in your state.
    Not sure about induction cooking? Swing by Samsung 837 in the Meatpacking District on September 24 for a live demo by Chef Christian Petroni and a discussion moderated by Jaeki Cho with Chefs Esther Choi, Priyanka Naik and Eric Adjepong about the benefits of induction cooking. RSVP here.
    4. Trade-In & Trade Up for Sustainability
    More circularity, less waste, and a serious glow-up? Yes, please! Samsung’s Certified Re-Newed program breathes new life into used smartphones for a more circular economy. Each device gets a brand-new battery, goes through a rigorous 147-point Quality Inspection to ensure like-new standards and is backed by a 1-year warranty. Plus, all parts are 100% genuine Samsung to keep things running smoothly.
    You can also trade in smartphones, wearables, tablets, buds, TVs, and even some non-Samsung devices and score exclusive promos on newer models. It’s the perfect way to ditch your old tech without adding to the waste pile, all while staying ahead of the curve with the latest gear!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Piero Cipollone: From dependency to autonomy: the role of a digital euro in the European payment landscape

    Source: European Central Bank

    Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

    Brussels, 23 September 2024

    It is a pleasure to be here today to meet the new members of this Committee and to update you on the status of the digital euro project. Let me also congratulate Madame Lalucq on her election as ECON Chair.

    The ECB appreciates the open and valuable exchanges we have had with the ECON Committee on the digital euro since the beginning of the project. I am fully committed to continuing these exchanges and look forward to our future discussions.

    Today I will focus on three key areas. First, Europe’s dependency on foreign players for retail payments. Second, the benefits of a digital euro for everyone, including consumers, merchants and banks. And third, the progress we have made on the digital euro project so far.

    Foreign dominance in the European payment landscape

    Fast-forward to the year 2030. Imagine you are at the football World Cup in Spain. You want to buy a drink, but you can only pay with Alipay. This scenario is not as far-fetched as it may seem: this summer, buying tickets for the European Football Championships in Germany was only possible with Chinese or American means of payment.

    Could you imagine this happening in the United States? Going to the finals of the American football league, for example, and having no American means of payment available? I certainly cannot.

    The Eurosystem will of course continue to ensure that people in Europe can pay with cash.[1] However, cash is becoming less and less popular as digital payments and online shopping grow.[2]

    For example, more and more people are buying their groceries online. But you can’t use cash to pay for these. More often than not, the only option is PayPal or an international card scheme like Visa or Mastercard.

    And more and more people are using digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay on their mobile phones. By 2027 these platforms are expected to handle 40% of e-commerce and 27% of in-store payments in Europe.[3]

    At the same time, the share of companies in the euro area not accepting cash has been increasing significantly.[4]

    These developments are contributing to the marginalisation of elderly and less tech-savvy people. They also make us dependent on non-European companies, which is risky.

    Imagine what would happen if you could not pay digitally. For example, two weeks ago significant parts of the European card payments market were shut down for almost an entire day.[5] Just like with electricity, gas or water, we don’t think about payments until they stop working. For energy, we had to learn this the hard way following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For payments, we owe it to Europeans to do better.

    We need our own strong digital payments system.[6] We can achieve this by bringing central bank money into the digital era with the introduction of a digital euro: a digital form of cash, issued by the central bank and available to everyone in the euro area.[7]

    A digital euro would strengthen Europe’s financial sovereignty and resilience because it would be built with European technology and infrastructure. It would empower Europe to independently develop and manage digital payment solutions, supporting the further deepening of the Single Market.[8]

    But most importantly, the digital euro would offer tangible benefits to all stakeholders – consumers, merchants and banks.

    Benefits for European citizens

    We strongly support the Single Currency Package[9], which will ensure that cash remains widely accessible and accepted. At the same time, it will pave the way for a digital euro, which would take the advantages of cash into the digital world.

    Consumers could use a digital euro for all payments, everywhere in the euro area, also when shopping online. With a digital euro, making or receiving payments would be free of charge and as easy as using cash today. Consumers would need to use only one device and remember just one password. In addition, having a single means of payment for all circumstances would make it easier for users to have an overview of their expenditure.

    Importantly, a digital euro would seek to promote digital financial inclusion by ensuring that no one is left behind.[10] It would be accessible to everyone across the euro area, via a mobile app or a physical card, so everyone can choose the technology that they are most comfortable with, no matter how old or tech-savvy they are.

    Finally, a digital euro would offer the best possible privacy and data protection afforded by the current technology used in large payment systems.[11] From the outset, ensuring user privacy has been a central focus of the digital euro project.

    A digital euro would be available both online and offline.[12] With the offline functionality, users would enjoy cash-like privacy. The details of your offline payments would only be known to you and the recipient. For online payments, too, we would ensure that your personal data remain your own. The Eurosystem will not be able to identify you, nor directly link you to your payments.[13]

    New opportunities for merchants

    A digital euro would also bring new opportunities for European merchants.

    Right now, merchants in Europe are largely dependent on a handful of dominant online or card payment methods, often relying on non-European providers. International card schemes currently account for 64% of card transactions in the euro area.[14]

    This costs European merchants a lot of money. They collectively pay a significant amount each year to international card schemes like Visa or Mastercard. And the cost is mostly borne by smaller merchants, who incur charges three to four times higher than those of their larger competitors.[15]

    A digital euro would include safeguards for merchants by capping the fees they pay to banks for processing payments.[16] A digital euro would thus narrow the gap between what smaller and larger merchants are charged for digital payments.

    By providing a true alternative to existing payment solutions, a digital euro would also put all merchants, large and small, in a stronger position to negotiate better conditions with other providers. Finally, it could provide a safety net for merchants in case of network or power outages, thanks to its offline functionality.[17]

    Benefits for banks

    Banks would benefit too, particularly in our rapidly evolving payment landscape, in which new players – especially big tech companies from outside Europe – are increasingly entering the market. The banks would be remunerated for the services they offer, while the Eurosystem would cover the costs of the digital euro scheme and infrastructure.

    When you compare a digital euro with services like PayPal or Apple Pay, the benefits for banks become even clearer. For instance, banks do not earn anything if people top up their PayPal wallet via direct debit. And with Apple Pay, banks actually have to pay a fee just to let their cards be used in Apple Wallet.

    A digital euro would also open up a new source of revenue by allowing banks to provide value-added services to their customers.[18]

    We are working closely with the market to ensure that a digital euro leverages the existing standards as much as possible, which would keep costs down and support Europe’s competitive payment landscape.[19]

    Moreover, cards and applications currently available in only one or a handful of Member States could use these standards to reach customers across the euro area without the need to invest in new acceptance infrastructure. Therefore, a digital euro would mean that European payment service providers could offer their customers the convenience of using their product everywhere in the euro area – just like international card companies. It would also strengthen banks’ negotiating positions vis-à-vis these companies.

    Finally, banks and other payment service providers would be responsible for distributing a digital euro, thus serving as the sole point of contact for digital euro users. So a digital euro could help banks retain their customers in the face of growing payments competition.

    Project preparation phase at full speed

    Let me now give you a brief update on where we stand with the project.[20]

    We started the investigation phase back in 2021 and are now at the midpoint of the preparation phase, with roughly one more year to go.

    One of our key focus areas during this phase is to develop a methodology for determining the maximum amount of digital euro a person could hold at any time.[21] The holding limits are important to ensure financial stability and prevent large-scale transfers from bank deposits to digital euro, especially during crises.

    These limits would be high enough to avoid negatively affecting the digital euro user experience.[22]

    Experts from the ECB, the national central banks in the Eurosystem and national competent authorities, building on their unique know-how, have started to identify the factors that could influence the holding limit calibration, on the basis of three key areas defined in the draft Regulation: usability, monetary policy and financial stability.[23]

    While the exact holding limits would be defined closer to the potential launch and on the basis of a well-defined governance process enshrined in the draft Regulation,[24] we are committed to ensuring that our methodology would be predictable. This is why ECB experts regularly talk to consumers, merchants and financial institutions, to keep everyone updated on the technical work and to gather feedback.

    We are also working on finalising the digital euro rulebook, which will provide a clear set of rules and standards to ensure a consistent user experience across the euro area.[25] This will also help private companies roll out their own solutions.[26] We are working closely with all the representatives in the Rulebook Development Group, including consumers, retailers, banks and non-bank associations.

    In addition, we are currently in the process of selecting potential providers[27] who could develop a digital euro platform and infrastructure.[28]

    Finally, we are also looking closely at other key technical aspects, such as privacy and offline functionality. We will keep you updated on all these developments.

    By the end of 2025 the ECB’s Governing Council will decide whether to move to the next phase of the project. But the Governing Council will not take any decision about the issuance of a digital euro before the legislative act has been adopted.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, introducing a digital euro across the euro area would take time, but it is key for Europe’s future. Countries across the world are exploring retail central bank digital currencies. If we want to be standard-setters and keep our position among the frontrunners, we need to move swiftly.

    A digital euro is a common European project, which is why we are talking to all the relevant stakeholders and carefully listening to their views and concerns. I also remain committed to engaging regularly with the European Parliament.

    Introducing a digital euro that all banks and other providers make available to their customers and that all merchants accept, everywhere in the euro area, would take several years. Market participants need certainty to invest in the digital euro and this requires coordination between co-legislators and the central bank.

    I appreciate all the work that the ECON Committee has done on the digital euro so far. The legislative discussions are now in your hands. The ECB is of course ready to engage with the negotiating team and to provide continued technical support when needed.

    It is important that the legislative and technical work advance in parallel, swiftly and in close cooperation. Together, we can ensure that the digital euro strengthens Europe’s financial sovereignty and serves all its citizens.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/ARAB EMIRATES – Bishop Martinelli closes the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia: they are our roots

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    AVOSA

    Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) – The Jubilee in honor of Saint Aretha and his Companions, Martyrs of Arabia, was also a precious opportunity to rediscover the long history of Christianity in Arabia, a history “rooted in the apostolic witness and saturated with the blood of the martyrs”. A source from which the composite and vibrant community of millions of Catholics today scattered in the various countries of the Arabian Peninsula can also draw. This is what the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, bishop Paolo Martinelli (ofm.Cap.), emphasized with an eye to the present and the future, who celebrated the closing Mass of the Jubilee year yesterday, Sunday 23 September. More than 3,000 Catholics took part in the solemn Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, during which the Holy Door was closed.The Jubilee, which began on October 23, 2023 (see Fides, 20/10/2023 and 24/10/2023), was celebrated jointly by the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (with the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (led by Bishop Aldo Berardi with Barhain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia). The closing ceremony of the Jubilee in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia was brought forward because Bishop Martinelli will be in Rome in October for the assembly of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. In the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, a similar closing ceremony is planned for October 23.“The communion that the Catholic communities of the Arabian Peninsula have experienced through the joint celebration of the Jubilee Year,” said Bishop Martinelli in his homily, is one of the reasons why these saints are so important to us as “we come from many different countries, have different liturgical rites and spiritual traditions. Each of us has devotions to saints from our own culture and we may wish to celebrate them here as well. But Saint Arethas and his companions are saints of this land of Arabia in which we now live. Therefore, they are our saints, whom we all can celebrate in common” as “one Church, the Church of Arabia.” In fact, “coming to this country in the Gulf as migrants – insisted the Apostolic Vicar – we become an indivisible part of the history of this Church of Arabia, rooted in the Apostolic testimony and watered by the blood of the martyrs”.Saint Arethas and his Companions are venerated in all Catholic and Orthodox churches. Historical sources report that they were Arab Christians from the ancient Christian city of Najran in southern Arabia (in present-day Saudi Arabia) who were martyred in 523 AD. Arethas, whose Arabic name was Al-Harith bin Ka’b, was born in 427 AD and served as ruler of the predominantly Christian city until his martyrdom at the venerable age of ninety-five. In the 6th century, the king of Himyar (in modern-day Yemen), Dhu Nuwas, began a systematic persecution of Christians in southern Arabia, burning churches, forcing people to convert, and killing those who refused to renounce their Christian faith. Priests, deacons, nuns, and entire families—men, women, and children—were burned alive. According to tradition, the relics of Saint Arethas and his companions, the martyrs of Najran were kept in a magnificent cube-shaped shrine that became a popular pilgrimage site for Arab Christians in late antiquity. The shrine was destroyed in the 7th century when Christians were expelled from southern Arabia.The relics of Saint Arethas eventually found their way to Mount Athos in Greece. Their return to the Arabian Peninsula after nearly fourteen centuries is therefore considered an extraordinary blessing for today’s Christian communities in the Gulf. The Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree authorizing the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Berardi (O.S.S.T.), to impart the “Apostolic Blessing with Plenary Indulgence” by the Pope after the celebration of Holy Mass on an appropriate day of the Holy Year to “all the faithful present who are deeply contrite and moved by love.”At the end of the Jubilee, Bishop Martinelli also wrote the Pastoral Letter “Joy and Jubilee,” which was published yesterday, Sunday, September 22. In the Letter, the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia reviews the Jubilee Year of Saint Aretha, describing the spiritual fruits it has brought to the Vicariate and invites prayer in the spirit of Pope Francis’ call for the Holy Year 2025.In the letter, Bishop Martinelli announces that the feast of Saint Aretha will be celebrated every year on October 24th from now on, to ask that the memory of the Arab martyrs continue to inspire and accompany the journey of Catholic communities. “They constitute a deep root of the tree in which we find ourselves today. We are called to inhabit with faith this land.” After celebrating the holy martyrs of Arabia for a whole year, it is now “easier to recognize that “being Christians in the Gulf means belonging to this Church in the Gulf. We are not only faithful who come from different churches: here, we all together form the Catholic Church in Arabia,” writes the bishop. Looking ahead to the upcoming Jubilee 2025, the Bishop invites everyone “to prepare well for the Holy Year 2025 by getting into the mode of prayer”, and summarizes the gestures and practices that in the spiritual life of the people of God unite prayer, Sacraments, reading of the Word. In this summary, he refers to the Our Father, the Liturgy of the Hours, personal prayer, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. “Prayer,” underlines Bishop Martinelli, “is the request to keep alive the desire for God in daily life,” says Bishop Martinell, referring to Saint Augustine.As the Catholic community in the Gulf moves from one Jubilee to another, Archibishop Paolo’s letter recalls with gratitude the gifts received and shared during the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia, and at the same time suggests the path to follow in the future.The Jubilee has brought together the entire Church of the Arabian Peninsula at its ancient source. “Individuals, families, groups, young people, associations and movements, children and the elderly: everyone came to celebrate the victory of these holy martyrs of Arabia through their pilgrimage to the Holy Door”. During the Jubilee year, the various communities in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman had the opportunity to host the relics of Saint Arethas. Many stressed that they had come to know the holy martyrs of Arabia only thanks to the Jubilee. “Every day”, recalled a woman cited by the Apostolic Vicariate in the testimonies collected and disseminated, “the priest told of the torments endured by Saint Arethas and his companions, and reported how their suffering was transformed into a beautiful crown for our Lord Jesus Christ. This touched me deeply, because I realized how easily we worry and lose ourselves over little things”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 23 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi as bishop of Isiro-Niangara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, transferring him from the pastoral care of the diocese of Isangi.Bishop Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the diocese of Isiro-Niangara.After ordination, he first held the roles of formator in Rungu Minor Seminary (1985-1986), teacher and spiritual animator of the Saint Augustin Interdiocesan Major Seminary of philosophy, Kisangani (1986-1996), vicar general of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001), diocesan administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003), and rector of the Blessed Anuarite National Marian Shrine (2003-2006). After receiving a doctorate in missiology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013), he went on to serve as chaplain of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence, Opera Don Guanella, Rome, and professor of pastoral theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been apostolic administrator of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, on the margins of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.

    The Prime Minister congratulated the Secretary-General on the adoption of the Pact for the Future, and the two leaders discussed progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As Co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group and the SDG Stimulus Leaders group, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to championing global action toward meeting the SDGs. He underscored the urgent need for development finance in support of the SDGs and for innovative approaches and tools to tackle multifaceted challenges.

    The Prime Minister and the Secretary-General exchanged views on pressing global issues and ongoing challenges to the rules-based international order. They reiterated their strong support for democracy and the need to foster global peace and stability.

    On the situation in the Middle East, the leaders reiterated the need for an urgent ceasefire and expressed their deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They agreed on the importance of securing a path toward lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and underscored the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, ensuring humanitarian access to the affected areas, and protecting civilians.

    Prime Minister Trudeau and Secretary-General Guterres discussed the situation in Haiti and agreed on the need for ongoing and sustained support for the transitional government and the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support mission. 

    Prime Minister Trudeau emphasized Canada’s ongoing support for Ukraine and our commitment to work with international partners to address the global impacts of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion.

    Secretary-General Guterres thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for Canada’s strong support for the UN. The two leaders agreed to remain in contact and to continue working together, particularly in the context of Canada’s G7 Presidency next year.

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

    Disney has long promoted a sanitized and nostalgic view of American history. Bettmann/Getty Images

    As a top producer of children’s entertainment, Disney is no stranger to America’s culture wars.

    Liberals have long criticized the company for its products’ promotion of gender stereotypes and racist tropes. Meanwhile, conservatives have excoriated the company for being “too woke,” whether it was casting actresses of color in live action remakes of the “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White” or coming out against a Florida statute that curtails discussion of gender and sexuality in public schools.

    As Disney CEO Bob Iger grapples with the unenviable task of navigating criticism from all sides, I can’t help but recall how executives decided to table an effort to “Disneyfy” American history 30 years ago.

    My research and teaching investigates how media companies such as Disney construct historical narratives for popular consumption. I can only imagine how today’s culture wars would have expressed themselves at Disney’s proposed theme park, which would have featured everything from Civil War forts to Native American villages.

    Disney eyes the outskirts of DC

    From his early days as an animator, Walt Disney presented a sanitized and nostalgic view of America.

    Mickey Mouse represented the “everyman,” while the company’s animators drew a largely optimistic portrait of America, first in the studio’s animated films and later in their theme parks. Anyone who has walked down Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., witnessed Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents or visited Epcot’s American Adventure can see how Disney strives to present an uncomplicated, uncritical view of the nation and its leaders.

    In 1984, Michael Eisner became the company’s CEO. He was credited with revitalizing Disney’s brand through producing hit animated features such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid,” and spearheading theme parks such as Disney–MGM Studios – now known as Hollywood Studios – and Disneyland Paris.

    Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, seated on the left, appears with former President Ronald Reagan at a Disney World parade in 1990.
    Mike Guastella/WireImage via Getty Images

    A visit to Colonial Williamsburg inspired Eisner’s next venture: a theme park based on U.S. history that would be built outside of Washington, D.C.

    Beginning in 1993, the company quietly started purchasing real estate in northern Virginia using shell companies. The land acquisitions became public knowledge only a few days before the announcement of the theme park, aptly named Disney’s America.

    The news was largely welcomed by politicians. Eisner had already gained the support of the state’s outgoing and incoming governors, along with the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development. The plan was to build the park in Haymarket, Virginia, a small, wealthy area southwest of Washington, D.C., a few miles from Manassas, the site of two major Civil War battles.

    History isn’t so simple

    Although Disney had diligently worked to consolidate support ahead of the announcement, signs of conflict emerged during the first press conference, which featured Bob Weis, a Disney vice president who had helped oversee the planning of several theme parks.

    “This is not a Pollyanna view of America,” he told the group of assembled reporters. “We want to make you a Civil War soldier. We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave or what it was like to escape through the underground railroad.”

    Questions over how Disney would tell the complex – often discriminatory – history of the nation spurred a group of historians, led by David McCullough, to lodge their concerns: How would Disney construct its narrative of the United States? And how would the park affect Manassas, one of the most important Civil War battle sites?

    The proposed theme park was to be located just a few miles from Manassas National Battlefield Park.
    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    According to the original plans and brochures, Disney’s America would contain nine sections: a Colonial-era Presidents Square, an Indigenous village, Ellis Island, a factory town from the Industrial Revolution, a Civil War fort, a county fair, an early 19th-century port, a World War II-era battlefield and a Depression-era family farm.

    On the surface, these themed areas seemed fitting. You could easily see them as exhibits at the Smithsonian. But issues emerged when people took into account that this was still a Disney theme park, with entertaining guests and making money likely taking precedence over historical accuracy and contemporary sensitivities and sensibilities.

    The story of immigration, for example, would have been told through the musical-comedy stylings of Kermit the Frog and the other Muppets.

    There were also concerns over how Disney would handle the exploitative and violent history of the treatment of a number of groups.

    This included the enslavement of Africans and the genocide of Indigenous populations, the latter of which was also connected to the forthcoming 1995 release of “Pocahontas.” Historians later highlighted the film’s distorted history, and it isn’t far-fetched to imagine rides or attractions based on those misrepresentations at Disney’s America.

    Mickey Mouse goes to Washington

    Even as plans came together for Disney, criticism began to mount.

    Disney issued an ultimatum to the Virginia legislature to improve infrastructure surrounding the site, threatening to abandon the project if the US$150 million for infrastructure improvements were not passed on the last day of the Virginia General Assembly’s legislative session in March 1994.

    In June, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a resolution opposing the park, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing regarding the proposed project’s environmental impact.

    The proposed logo for Disney’s America.
    Wikimedia Commons

    The now-infamous hearing featured discussions regarding sewage, traffic and lodging, and even saw U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, who at the time was a registered Democrat, place a Mickey Mouse hat on the lectern in a show of support.

    As criticism mounted, Disney decided to shift its approach. In the summer of 1994, it renamed the project Disney’s American Celebration.

    Rather than highlight periods or events in American history, the new concept would focus more on themes: Democracy, Work, Family, Generations, Streets of America and the Land.

    Many of the attractions featured in these lands would have resembled attractions already in Disney parks. For example, Generations would have been similar to the Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress, while the Land was already a pavilion at Epcot.

    This would have also opened more opportunities for sponsorship. The Work section of the park would have included virtual factory tours of popular brands such as Apple or Crayola, while Streets of America would have featured cuisine from around the country, similar to Downtown Disney, which opened in 1997 in Disney World and in 2001 at Disneyland.

    It all falls apart

    Disney abruptly announced on Sept. 28, 1994, that it would abandon these plans.

    Although the criticism from historians was a factor, there were also concerns about the park’s profitability in colder months. The company faced mounting debt from its Paris theme park and uncertain leadership after the death of senior executive Frank Wells in a helicopter crash in April 1994. Eisner, meanwhile, had undergone bypass surgery in July 1994.

    Many of the attractions that were planned for the Virginia site found their way into Disney parks, particularly in Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim.

    Disney, both under Walt’s leadership and after his death, has long leveraged patriotism for the sake of its media content and park experiences. From Mickey Mouse to the Hall of Presidents, Disney’s nostalgic, linear and uncomplicated view of American progress has been foundational to the Disney experience.

    However, an entire park dedicated to this approach – just down the road from a real battlefield integral to the bloodiest war in U.S. history – was too much for historians and other critics to ignore.

    Disney’s failure to profit from an uncritical celebration of America may have been a blessing in disguise, as it avoided constructing yet another battlefield in the culture wars.

    Jared Bahir Browsh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was – https://theconversation.com/inside-the-collapse-of-disneys-america-the-us-history-themed-park-that-almost-was-236931

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Help for those worried about losing winter fuel payments

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    In the last 12 months, the council has already focused on increasing the uptake of any benefits residents might be entitled to, but which they are missing out on, in particular pension credit.

    This is now even more relevant with the government having identified that as many as 880,000 pensioner households are missing out on pension credit with the average underclaim understood to be worth £3,600 per year.

    Leader of the council, Councillor Stephen Simkins said the council was doing all it could to assist eligible residents to apply.

    He said: ‘We’re ahead of the game on this and have already been working on helping people apply for any benefits they might be missing out on since August last year.

    ‘We will do all we can to help people, as we have throughout the cost of living crisis, and we will not leave anyone behind.

    ‘We identified 900 pensioners who are eligible, but not claiming pension credit at the start of this project and to date 770 completed forms have been received, representing 754 households.

    ‘I’m happy to say the success rate of claims for those identified as eligible following an assessment is 90% and 324 households are now in receipt of pension credit and other associated benefits including Attendance Allowance and Housing Benefit because of our campaign.

    ‘The average increase in income per household is £175 per week, with the total benefit gain to those 324 households being £44,321 with lump sum back payments totalling £139,439 and an annual benefit gain of £1.5 million.

    ‘So, it’s well worth checking if you’re eligible and applying and we are here to help with a dedicated team. So don’t delay contact us today.’

    The council has made accessing support as easy as possible, by providing a range of options for people who are missing out on this benefit to get in touch through a range of channels. Our website has been updated and there is a dedicated message on the customer service helpline to direct queries specifically about pension credit.

    Members of the public can make contact by phone, email or in person at customer access points.

    Funded by the government’s Household Support Fund, the council has 2 officers within the Welfare Rights Service dedicated to raising awareness of unclaimed benefits and supporting people to make relevant benefit claims.

    And following the announcement about the withdrawal of Winter Fuel Payments, the council is increasing capacity by employing an additional full time officer to scale up the activity around missing benefits.

    So here are the key details people need to know about eligibility and applying:

    • If you are over State Pension Age and have a low income you could be eligible for pension credit and receive the winter fuel payment, even if you own your home or have savings.
    • You need to apply without delay, request a backdate of any potential award when you apply (as it will not be done automatically) and demonstrate you were entitled to it during the period of the qualifying week, which was last week 16 to 22 September, 2024. 
    • The maximum amount of time a backdate can be applied is 3 months, so applicants must have claimed pension credit on any day up to and including 21 December, 2024.
    • The average pension credit payment is more than £75 per week – that’s over an extra £3,900 per year. Plus, getting pension credit can provide a passport to help with things like rent, council tax, cold weather payments and a free TV licence for people aged 75 and over.
    • People can have savings or another pension and still get extra money.

    As it stands, it is most likely that to be eligible for this year’s winter fuel payment you must be entitled to pension credit, and you must have made your claim for pension credit by 21 December, 2024.

    To make a claim or to find out how much Pension Credit you might receive you can call the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234.

    To apply online or to request a paper form please visit Pension Credit.

    If you need help making a claim, you want to talk to someone about your potential Pension Credit entitlement or to see if there are any other benefits you could be missing out on then ring our ‘missing benefits’ team on 01902 555351 or email them at wrs.benefitshelpline@wolverhampton.gov.uk

    You can also contact: Citizens Advice or telephone 0800 144 8848 or Age UK or telephone 0800 678 1602.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By A. Peter Klimley, Adjunct Associate Professor of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis

    Manta rays breaching in waters off Costa Rica. Peter Loring, iStock/Getty Images

    Many sharks and rays are known to breach, leaping fully or partly out of the water. In a recent study, colleagues and I reviewed research on breaching and ranked the most commonly hypothesized functions for it.

    We found that removal of external parasites was the most frequently proposed explanation, followed by predators chasing their prey; predators concentrating or stunning their prey; males chasing females during courtship; and animals fleeing predators, such as a ray escaping from a hammerhead shark in shallow water.

    We found that the highest percentage of breaches, measured by the number of studies that described it, occurred in manta rays and devil rays, followed by basking sharks and then by eagle rays and cownose rays. However, many other species of sharks, as well as sawfishes and stingrays, also perform this behavior.

    A breaching white shark surprises researchers off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

    Why it matters

    It takes a lot of energy for a shark or ray to leap out of the water – especially a massive creature like a basking shark, which can grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) and weigh up to 5 tons (4.5 tonnes). Since the animal could use that energy for feeding or mating, breaching must serve some useful purpose.

    Sharks that have been observed breaching include fast-swimming predatory species such as blacktip sharks and blue sharks. White sharks have been seen breaching while capturing seals in waters off South Africa and around the Farallon Islands off central California.

    However, basking sharks – enormous, slow-swimming sharks that feed by filtering tiny plankton from seawater – also breach. So do many ray species, such as manta rays, which also are primarily filter feeders. This suggests that breaching likely serves different functions among different types of sharks and rays.

    The most commonly proposed explanation for breaching in planktivores, like basking sharks and most rays, is that it helps dislodge parasites attached to their bodies. Basking sharks are known to host parasites, including common remoras and sea lampreys. The presence of fresh wounds on basking sharks that match the shape and size of a lamprey’s mouth suggests that breaching has torn the lampreys off the sharks’ bodies.

    Basking sharks are filter feeders that live on plankton. They may breach to rid their bodies of parasites.

    Other species may breach to communicate. For example, white sharks propelling themselves out of the water near the Farallon Islands may do so to deter other sharks from feeding upon the carcass of a seal.

    Researchers have seen large groups of mantas and devil rays jumping together among dense schools of plankton – presumably to concentrate or stun the plankton so the rays can more easily scoop them up. Scientists have also suggested that planktivorous sharks and rays may breach to clear the prey-filtering structures in their gills.

    Understanding more clearly when and how different types of sharks and rays breach can provide insights into these animals’ life habits, and into their interactions with their own species and competitors.

    How we did our work

    I worked with marine scientists Tobey Curtis, Emmett Johnston, Alison Kock and Guy Stevens. Across our various projects, we have seen breaching in bull sharks in Florida, basking sharks in Ireland, white sharks in South Africa and central California, and manta rays in the Maldives. Each of us has proposed different explanations for why the animals did it.

    We reviewed scientific studies and video footage to see what species had been observed to breach, under what conditions, and the functions that other researchers had proposed for them doing so. This included information gathered from data logging tags attached to sharks and rays, digital photography, and imagery from underwater and aerial drones.

    Our review proposes further studies that could provide more information about breaching in different species. For example, attaching data loggers to individual animals would help scientists measure how quickly a shark or ray accelerates as it propels itself out of the water.

    Experiments in aquarium tanks could provide more insight into why the animals breach. For example, scientists could add remoras to a tank containing bull sharks, which can live in an aquarium environment, and observe how the sharks respond when remoras attach themselves to the sharks’ bodies.

    In the field, researchers could play audio recordings of splashes from breaches to elicit withdrawal or attraction responses from sharks tagged with ultrasonic transmitters. There remains much to learn about why these animals spend precious energy jumping out of the water.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    A. Peter Klimley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication – https://theconversation.com/sharks-and-rays-leap-out-of-the-water-for-many-reasons-including-feeding-courtship-and-communication-238487

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Patrick Turner, Associate Research Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame

    Graduates found jobs in high-paying sectors, new research shows. izusek/E+ via Getty Images

    When Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana realized most of the clients in its job-training program lacked a high school diploma, it set out to address the issue.

    In 2010, with the help of per-pupil funding from the state, the nonprofit opened The Excel Center, a tuition-free high school tailored for adults. The charter school offered flexible schedules, free on-site child care, transportation assistance and a life coach. Thirteen years later, research by my team at the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities shows that The Excel Center is a success.

    Indiana graduates of the program, which has now expanded to 10 other states and the District of Columbia, were able to find better jobs and earn substantially more over their lifetimes than their peers who did not graduate from the program.

    At the Lab for Economic Opportunities – or LEO – I worked with colleagues Rebecca Brough and David Phillips to measure the economic return of graduating from The Excel Center. We found that graduates of The Excel Center experience a nearly 40% increase in earnings five years after applying – or roughly US$80,000 more in their pockets over their lifetimes – than similarly situated adults who applied but did not enroll. The LEO team did not receive any funding from The Excel Center or Goodwill in its research, although Goodwill provided assistance with data.

    More steady employment

    According to our research, graduates of The Excel Center didn’t just earn more, but the jobs they found were more stable. Excel graduates experienced a 22% increase in continuous employment within the same industry over five years than their peers in the comparison group. Graduates of the program were 19% less likely to work in the hospitality industry – among the lowest-paid sectors in the country – and more likely to work jobs such as pharmacy technician, dental assistant or in HVAC maintenance.

    Graduates of Excel found jobs in high-paying sectors, such as HVAC maintenance.
    Mikael Vaisanen/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    In addition to a diploma, students earned industry-recognized credentials, such as those in phlebotomy and child development, and certification as nursing assistants and pharmacy technicians. These credentials opened up careers in industries such as health care and education.

    Some students used the certificates as a launching point for additional study at the local community college. At the time we conducted our research, Excel graduates in Indiana were more likely to have earned college credits: Roughly 30% of Excel graduates earned college credit, compared with 11.5% of the group that didn’t enroll.

    To reach these conclusions, we looked at the data of more than 9,000 Excel Center applicants from 2013–15. We focused on their earnings over the five years before and after they applied to the program. Our analysis compared the experience of Excel students – both graduates and nongraduates – with other adult residents of Indiana from similar backgrounds who had expressed interest in going to The Excel Center but never enrolled.

    Why it matters

    The Excel program is not just good for the students who graduate; it offers the states who help fund the program a return on their investment. Because graduates earn more, they pay more in taxes, allowing states to recoup much of the per-student cost over the graduates’ working careers. Each additional dollar of government funding generates $20 in benefits for the typical Excel Center student, measured as the present value of their lifetime increase in after-tax earnings.

    In contrast, federally funded programs such as Job Corps and Adult Education and Literacy primarily help adults without credentials study and pass a high school equivalency exam, such as the GED test. But research suggests a GED diploma has little effect on earnings, especially for women.

    More than 23 million adults in the U.S. lack a high school credential such as a diploma or a GED certificate. They are not only shut out of most jobs but also earn substantially less than their peers who have graduated from high school.

    Plans to expand

    Goodwill is leveraging the LEO study to expand the impact of its programs. In addition to the 18 Excel Center campuses the group currently operates throughout central and southern Indiana, it has partnered with Goodwill regions across the country to bring adult high schools to Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.

    LEO’s data was cited directly when Arizona, which had been one of 18 states without a high school option for adults, decided to join the Excel roster. In February 2020, state lawmakers – prompted by testimony from Goodwill and by the LEO research – amended the state’s law to establish a continuing high school program in the state.

    Patrick Turner has received funding to support his research from J-PAL North America, the TIAA Institute, the Russel Sage Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Policy Impacts.

    – ref. Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages – https://theconversation.com/goodwill-created-a-new-high-school-for-dropouts-it-led-to-better-jobs-and-higher-wages-235079

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial News: Detached Signature for Forex and Stock Market Reports

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    Continuing with the news Scheduled release of the currency and stock market systems, we inform you that the transition to sending reports with a detached signature, previously planned for September 23, 2024, is postponed to a later date.

    We will inform you additionally about the implementation of a new method of signing reports.

    Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232PR@moex.com

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73304

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City aims to further crime prevention work and help more young people stay safe

    Source: City of Coventry

    The Council’s Youth Justice Service has set out its plans to help the city’s young people in the coming year and build on recent successes to steer them away from crime and keep them safe.

    The Council’s Youth Justice Service has set out its plans to help the city’s young people in the coming year and build on recent successes to steer them away from crime and keep them safe.

    The service has to submit proposals every year for its aims and how it will achieve them.

    The update on the existing two-year plan details how it will continue the work which was judged as ‘outstanding’ after the last inspection by HMI Probation.

    The joint inspection on serious youth violence in March 2024 found the city had ‘achieved tangible and sustained progress’ to reduce harm to children from serious youth violence and child criminal exploitation over a number of years.

    Inspectors from Ofsted, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the Care Quality Commission and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, looked at a number of areas and said children at risk of criminal exploitation and serious youth violence are safer as a result of the effective partnership work undertaken in the city.

    It said there was a mature, coordinated approach to helping young people in the city, with a strong culture of support, collaboration and learning making a positive difference for highly vulnerable children in Coventry.

    Now, the latest annual report sets out how the service will continue that progress and help even more young people.

    The YJS aims to prevent offending and reduce the number of children entering the justice system, working with families, victims and partner organisations to keep children and young people away from crime and create safer communities.

    The plan sets out how the service will continue the work of the past year that has helped to sustain reductions in the number of children with formal criminal records and maintain a low reoffending rate for children.

    The plan also outlines how the service aims to reduce offences involving weapons and work to help those most at risk of offending, including new initiatives in the coming year to keep children in schools and improve work with children who are stopped and searched by the police.

    Cllr Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:

    “There has been some fantastic work through the Youth Justice System in recent years that has made a real difference to the lives of many children, young people and families. Now we have to continue that work and go on to help even more in our city.

    “The plans outlined for the coming year will not just help individuals, but whole communities, and we look forward to working with our partners to keep young people safe, and on the right path.”

    Find out more about the Youth Justice Service.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 09/23/2024, 10:41 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the RU000A0JUKX4 security (DOM.RF30ob) were changed.

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09/23/2024

    10:41

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on September 23, 2024, 10:41 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 103.12) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1071.43 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 8.13%) of the RU000A0JUKX4 security (DOM.RF30ob) were changed.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73310

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –