NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Light housing operation pact signed

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Housing Bureau today awarded the second operation and management contract of the Light Public Housing (LPH) projects to Easy Living Consultant Limited & Yan Chai Hospital Joint Venture at a tender sum of about $168 million.

    The contract includes the operation and management of two LPH projects at Choi Hing Road and Choi Shek Lane in Ngau Tau Kok. Both venues will provide about 2,290 and 148 LPH units respectively, with intakes expected in the second quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

    Under the bureau’s steer and supervision, the operating organisation will need to carry out pre-management works effectively to ensure the smooth handling of LPH application and intake matters, and provide various services and ancillary facilities for the residents and local community immediately upon intake.

    Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho pointed out that having one organisation handle the operation and management of two LPH projects in proximity could enhance flexibility and utilisation of resources, thereby increasing efficiency and expanding the service scope.

    She said: “I aspire to work closely with various operating organisations in the coming years to ensure effective operation and management, hence allowing the residents and nearby community to benefit from the projects’ ancillary facilities and community services.

    “I would also like to appeal to other organisations that are interested in operating LPH to actively participate in the tenders of other projects, thereby working together with the Government to improve the living environment of grassroots people and help them in their pursuit towards happiness.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Silver Bond allocations announced

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The subscription and allocation results for the latest batch of Silver Bonds were released today.

    A total of 300,413 valid applications, seeking a total of $69.9 billion in bond principals, were received.

    More than half of the applications, 166,177, were for 23 units or fewer. These applicants will be allocated the full number of units applied for.

    The other 134,236 applications were for more than 23 units. These applicants will be allocated 23 units each, with 23,737 of them being allocated one additional unit after a ballot.

    The bonds will be issued on Wednesday. The final issuance amount will be $55 billion.

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan said this was the first batch of Silver Bonds issued under the Government’s Infrastructure Bond Programme, which will support infrastructure projects for the good of the economy and people’s livelihoods, and aims to give citizens a sense of participation in Hong Kong’s long-term development projects.

    He highlighted that the positive response to the bond issuance shows that the Silver Bond scheme continues to be well-received by senior residents.

    “We will keep the effectiveness of the scheme and future arrangements under review, taking account of investor response, market conditions and other relevant considerations,” he added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government appoints members to Council of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Government appoints members to Council of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited
    Government appoints members to Council of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited
    *****************************************************************************

         The Government announced today (October 21) that the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, has reappointed the following persons as Council members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited for a period of two years, until the conclusion of the company’s Annual General Meeting in 2026. Mr Andrew Fan Chun-wahMrs Nina Lam Lee Yuen-bingMr Clarence Ling Chun-kitMs Wong Shu-ming

     
    Ends/Monday, October 21, 2024Issued at HKT 19:30

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SEE attends Singapore International Energy Week in Singapore (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    SEE attends Singapore International Energy Week in Singapore (with photos)
    SEE attends Singapore International Energy Week in Singapore (with photos)
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         The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, attended the 17th Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) today (October 21).      SIEW is organised by the Energy Market Authority under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore. The theme this year is “A Connected and Sustainable Energy World”. Mr Tse attended the SIEW Summit to speak on the topic of Asia’s Collaborative Journey to a Sustainable Energy Future, and engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges with other participants.      Speaking at the Summit, Mr Tse said that Hong Kong strives to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. The carbon emissions in Hong Kong peaked in 2014. Compared to the peak, the carbon emissions of Hong Kong have reduced by about a quarter and the target is to reduce them by half before 2035. Hydrogen energy is a low-carbon energy with development potential. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is advancing with prudence to create an environment conducive to the development of hydrogen energy, which includes improving legislation, setting up infrastructure and funding trial projects. He said, “Our country places great emphasis on developing hydrogen technology, and has a number of high-quality products and advanced technology. Hong Kong can grab the opportunity to become a hub for the country to promote different products and technologies, helping Hong Kong and other countries to promote a green transition.”      Mr Tse also pointed out that there are three key elements to promote regional collaboration, namely political will to set policy targets, active participation from industries and the establishment of an exchange platform for sharing experiences and seeking co-operation. He expressed his gratitude to SIEW for providing an excellent platform that brings together various parties to explore new opportunities and collaboration.      In the afternoon, Mr Tse met with the Senior Minister of State for the MTI, Ms Low Yen Ling, to exchange views on hydrogen development. He later met with officials of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to learn more about the latest developments of green maritime fuel in Singapore.      Mr Tse also visited a local shipping company today and received a briefing on the supply chain and bunkering operations of green marine fuels, particularly the application of green methanol.       Tomorrow (October 22), Mr Tse will visit a local enterprise to understand better the developments and applications of sustainable aviation fuel. He will return to Hong Kong the same evening.

     
    Ends/Monday, October 21, 2024Issued at HKT 19:10

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SCST reviews preparatory work for test event to be held at Kai Tak Sports Park (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, visited the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) today (October 21) to inspect the construction progress of the KTSP and review the preparatory work for the test event to be held there on October 27 (Sunday).
          
         The first test event of the KTSP will take place at the Public Sports Ground on October 27, with around 1 000 invited spectators attending a local football match. With its proximity to the Sung Wong Toi Station of the MTR, it is expected that the majority of the spectators will make use of railway services to access the Public Sports Ground. The MTR Corporation Limited has made preparation for the operation arrangements of the Sung Wong Toi Station and Kai Tak Station earlier.
          
         At the visit today, Mr Yeung also asked the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (KTSPL) to ensure smooth arrangements for the test event and enhancement measures of the pedestrian facilities and the environment to provide a good experience for visitors.
          
         “The first test event at the Public Sports Ground on October 27 marks a milestone for progressing to the official commissioning of the KTSP. The Government and KTSPL will organise multiple test events and drills. With the concerted efforts of different bureaux and departments, we are confident that the test events and drills will enable us to accumulate invaluable experience for better preparation of the full commissioning of the KTSP,” Mr Yeung said.
          
         As mentioned in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”, the major facilities of the KTSP will be completed by the end of this year. The KTSP, being the largest sports infrastructure project ever commissioned in Hong Kong, will be open in the first quarter of 2025. It will boost sports development and inject impetus into related industries such as recreation, entertainment and tourism, and also mega-event economy.
          
         To ensure smooth operations after its official commissioning, the KTSP will organise a series of test events and drills from end-October to the first quarter of next year. The schedule of test events will dovetail with the construction progress of the facilities in respective venues of the KTSP as well as the readiness of the operator. The test events and drills will begin from the periphery of the KTSP, followed by the testing of facilities within the precinct gradually. The number of participants at the test events and drills will also increase incrementally, from 1 000 as a start to around 50 000 participants eventually. It is expected that a total of around 150 000 to 200 000 participants will take part in the test events and drills before the official commissioning of the KTSP.                 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Vicki Wu Attended the Flag-raising Ceremony in Celebration of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) National Day

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Vicki Wu Attended the Flag-raising Ceremony in Celebration of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) National Day. Attendees were all moved by the sight of the national flag rising confidently.
    At the reception afterwards, DG Wu expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Branch for hosting the ceremony and to the Taiwanese communities, including the Branch, for their contributions to the full-page congratulatory messages for ROC National Day published in the four most influential Chinese newspapers in OZ.
    DG Wu mentioned that President Lai Ching-Te’s first National Day speech, titled “Taiwan Together for Our Shared Dream,” calls for unity among fellow citizens. The President emphasized that his top priorities are building economic resilience, deepening partnerships with fellow democracies, and responsibly maintaining the peaceful status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
    The unwavering support of overseas Taiwanese communities has always been and will continue to be essential for Taiwan. We look forward to collaborating with our communities and moving forward together in solidarity.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ambassador Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu and Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu Visited Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Ambassador Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu and Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu visited Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus where they were warmly welcomed by Associate Dean (Academic), Associate Professor Julia Lynch, and Associate Dean (Research), Professor Zahid Islam, from the Faculty of Business, Justice & Behavioural Sciences at Charles Sturt University.
    The university also arranged a tour of the campus facilities and teaching environments, hoping to attract more outstanding Taiwanese students and strengthen academic exchange and cooperation between Taiwan and Australia.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Vicki Wu Attended the Inauguration of the 27th Committee of the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association(ATFA)

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Congratulations to the inauguration of the 27th Committee of the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association (ATFA). Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Mrs. Vicki Wu attended the ceremony, along with MPs including Hon. Paul Fletcher, Dr. Hugh McDermott, Tim James, Matt Cross, and Clr. Barbara Ward.
    The guest speakers acknowledged the active participation and contributions of the overseas Taiwanese community to Australia’s multiculturalism, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between TW and AU in upholding shared democratic values. They look forward to continued bilateral cooperation across various sectors and to further strengthening our enduring friendship.
    DG Wu offered sincere congratulations to President-elect Kathy Sieh and expressed heartfelt gratitude to Aileen and her team for promoting the Taiwanese community’s civic engagement and media literacy. He especially thanked Aileen to change her flight to attend TECO Sydney’s forum on TW’s participation in the WHO at the NSW Parliament in May, spoke out in her capacity as a surgeon.
    DG Wu praised ATFA for not only continuing to represent the unity of our community but also embodying the shared values of TW and AU. TECO Sydney will work hand in hand with ATFA to ensure the unity and harmony of the Taiwanese community and to make greater contributions to Australian society.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: With the support of Rosneft, Tatyana Navka’s ice show toured India with success

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    With the support of Rosneft, Tatyana Navka’s ice show “The Love Story of Scheherazade” toured in the Indian city of Ahmedabad (Gujarat) from December 18 to 20. Ice shows were held in India for the first time.

    Musical performances based on Arabian tales and the novels “A Thousand and One Nights” took place at the sports stadium EKA ARENA. An ice rink was installed at the stadium especially for the show, for the creation of which more than 100 tons of real ice were used.

    The audience had a unique opportunity to feel the atmosphere of several Eastern cultures at once: India, Egypt, Ancient Babylon and Persia, and also to see unique special effects and costumes, to appreciate the skills of famous Russian figure skaters. The show was attended by stars of world figure skating, multiple champions of Russia, Europe and the world, Olympic champions. Among them were the author of the idea, director and general producer of the project Tatyana Navka, as well as Victoria Sinitsina, Nikita Katsalapov, Povilas Vanagas, Ivan Righini, Egor Murashov and many others.

    The show aroused great interest among the people of India. Spectators travelled from New Delhi, Mumbai and other cities of the country to see the ice show in Ahmedabad. The show was also attended by Indian politicians and representatives of the business community.

    All five performances of the ice show were sold out. Most of the viewers saw ice for the first time. And the highest skill of the skaters and unique special effects caused thunderous applause throughout the show. At the same time, after the performance, the viewers were in no hurry to leave and thanked the artists for the unique performance.

    Rosneft actively supports significant cultural projects and contributes to the development of cultural ties between Russia and other countries. Thanks to the Company, large-scale projects aimed at reviving spiritual and national values are being implemented. Among such projects are support for the Sretensky Monastery Choir, the State Hermitage Museum, the White Steamship project, and much more. Earlier, with the participation of Rosneft, Tatyana Navka’s ice show Evenings on a Farm based on the works of N.V. Gogol was shown in Moscow.

    Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft October 21, 2024

    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.

    http://vvv.rosneft.ru/press/nevs/item/220931/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Precautionary Measures Taken by Government Agencies

    Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

    JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT

    Shell reported that an estimated 30 to 40 metric tonnes of slop, a mixture of oil and water, was leaked from its land-based pipeline into the water yesterday. 

    2. Agencies are working closely with Shell to clean up the leaked oil in the channel between Pulau Bukom and Bukom Kecil. As 21 October at 3 pm (Singapore Time), there are no other oil sightings.

    3. As a precautionary measure, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has deployed a current buster system off Changi at the entrance to the East Johor Strait to collect oil slick, if sighted, and prevent potential spread beyond our port waters. Another current buster system has also been deployed to the west of Singapore, as a precautionary measure. 

    4. While no oil has been observed at Sentosa, Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, East Coast Park and West Coast Park so far, agencies have preemptively deployed oil absorbent booms to protect the three beaches and the biodiversity-sensitive coastlines on Sentosa, the lagoons at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, Berlayer Creek and the Rocky Shore at Labrador Nature Reserve, as well as the mangroves and other key areas at the Marsh Garden at West Coast Park, as well as key areas at East Coast Park. The lock gates of Sentosa Cove have been closed, with oil absorbent booms deployed. Additionally, deflective booms will be progressively deployed across the key areas of Sentosa, including the three beaches which currently remain open for land-based and waters activities. 

    5. To date there has been no oil sightings at Kusu, Seringat, St John’s, Lazarus island, and Pulau Hantu. Singapore Land Authority will continue to assess if oil-absorbent booms will be required at the lagoons of these islands.

    6. As a precautionary measure, the National Environment Agency has advised the public against swimming and conducting other primary contact water activities at the beaches at East Coast Park, Kusu, St John’s, and Lazarus island. Information on water quality at these beaches is available at https://go.gov.sg/beach-water-info. 

    7. PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, is closely monitoring the seawater intake at its desalination plants. No oil has been detected near the Jurong Island Desalination Plant and Marina East Desalination Plant, which are located nearest to the oil leak location. Seawater quality readings remain normal, and the plants’ operations are not affected. As a precautionary measure, PUB has also deployed oil containment booms across Marina Barrage. 

    8. JTC has advised companies on Jurong Island and waterfront-facing companies in the western region to be on alert and to take precautionary measures as necessary.

    9. To date, there has been no reports of fish farms being affected by the leak. Nonetheless, Singapore Food Agency is in contact with our farmers and has advised them to continue to be vigilant and to take precautionary measures as necessary.  

    10. Businesses which have claims-related queries arising from this oil leakage can contact Shell appointed administrator at +65 6632 8689 (during office hours: 9:00am – 5:30pm) or email shell_claims@crawford.asia.

    11. We have informed the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities of the incident and advised them to look out for any oil sightings along their respective coastlines.  

    12. Investigations into the incident are currently ongoing. 

    Annex: Photos of Agencies’ precautionary measures 

    For photos, please refer to the following https://go.gov.sg/shell-oil-leak-media

    The link will expire on 24 October 2024.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Transformation of Triller Group Begins With Appointment of CEO and Additions to the Board

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Triller Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ILLR) (“Triller Group” or “the Company”) today announced important updates to its executive leadership team and board of directors (“Board”).

    This marks the initial step in a series of forthcoming announcements as Triller Group strengthens its management lineup and kickstarts the transformation journey of the Company.

    Kevin McGurn, former T-Mobile/Vevo/Hulu Senior Executive, joins as Chief Executive Officer

    Triller Group proudly announces that its Board appointed Kevin McGurn as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company starting in November 2024. Mr. McGurn brings a wealth of leadership experience and industry expertise to the Company. Having most recently served in an executive role for T-Mobile’s marketing division, Mr. McGurn has a proven track record of driving hyper-growth and innovation in the media and music landscape.

    As President of Sales and Distribution at Vevo, the Universal Music and Sony Music Entertainment video joint venture, Mr. McGurn led the company’s expansion as a global music television network. Previous to Vevo, Mr. McGurn served as Head of Sales at Fullscreen and Otter Media Companies building revenue businesses throughout the creator economy. As Senior Vice President of Sales at Hulu, Mr. McGurn played a pivotal role in building Hulu’s sales team from the ground up, generating over half a billion dollars in advertising revenue.

    Mr. McGurn’s impressive career also includes senior positions at Shazam, NBC Universal and DoubleClick, equipping him with the strategic vision and operational acumen needed to lead the Company into its next phase of growth.

    “The future is bright in the world of entertainment, and I am extremely excited to join the team at Triller Group to maximize our value to Creators, Fans, and Brands.” said Mr McGurn. “Our renewed focus means Triller Group is well positioned to deliver best in class entertainment, when, where and how our fans watch it. We will continue to build from our strong roots in vertical video, music and sports, and optimise our expertise in mobile and connected television.”

    James McCann, founder of 1-800-Flowers.com, joins the Board

    Triller Group is delighted to announce that James McCann has joined its Board, assuming the role of Chairman of the Nominations Committee. He has over four decades of leadership experience as the founder and former Chairman and CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc., where he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s success. As Chairman of the board of directors for Willis Towers Watson and director for Scott’s Miracle-Gro and International Game Technology PLC, he is expected to bring a depth of governance expertise to the Board of the Company.

    Bobby Sarnevesht moves to the Board

    Triller Corp.’s former Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sarnevesht now sits on the Board, contributing a wealth of experience and understanding of the Company’s operations and goals. In addition, Mr. Sarnevesht’s entrepreneurial track record positions him uniquely to help guide the Company as it navigates new opportunities.

    Start of the Company’s Transformation

    “My fellow directors and I are thrilled to announce the first steps of our ambitious transformation plan. Kevin’s extensive experience and track record of driving growth and innovation position him uniquely to lead the Company and carry out our shared vision of a single, integrated platform that delivers for creators, brands and users while generating value for all of our stakeholders” said Bob Diamond, Chairman of the Board. “Jim will bring his unparalleled expertise in building and scaling successful businesses to the Board, combined with his deep understanding of consumer engagement, which will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and grow. Jim’s visionary leadership and entrepreneurial spirit align perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to leveraging his insights to drive our strategic initiatives forward. We also look forward to Bobby’s contributions to the Board. His experience within our company positions him uniquely to help guide the Board as we implement our new transformation plan.”

    In the coming weeks, the Company plans to announce further enhancements to its leadership team and capabilities. The Company expects to share detailed insights into its strategic business plan during an upcoming investor and media event scheduled for November 2024. This event is expected to highlight the Company’s future vision and immediate growth strategies. Triller Group looks forward to engaging with stakeholders as it unveils exciting developments in this new chapter of progress.

    The latest press release is available on the Company’s website, please visit: http://www.agba.com/ir.

    About Triller Group Inc.

    Triller Group is a US-based company that operates two main businesses: the newly merged US-based social media operations (Triller Corp.), and the legacy operations of the Company in Hong Kong (“AGBA”).

    Triller Corp. is a next generation, AI-powered, social media and live-streaming event platform for creators. Pairing music culture with sports, fashion, entertainment, and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology, Triller Corp. uses proprietary AI technology to push and track content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks, enabling them to reach millions of additional users. Triller Corp. additionally owns Triller Sports, Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC); Amplify.ai, a leading machine-learning, AI platform; and TrillerTV, a premier global PPV, AVOD, and SVOD streaming service. For more information, visit http://www.triller.co.

    Established in 1993, AGBA is a leading, multi-channel business platform that incorporates cutting edge machine-learning and offers a broad set of financial services and healthcare products to consumers through a tech-led ecosystem, enabling clients to unlock the choices that best suit their needs. Trusted by over 400,000 individual and corporate customers, the Group is organized into four market-leading businesses: Platform Business, Distribution Business, Healthcare Business, and Fintech Business. For more information, please visit http://www.agba.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; the Company’s future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us following the consummation of the business combination; expectations regarding our strategies and future financial performance, including its future business plans or objectives, prospective performance and opportunities and competitors, revenues, products, pricing, operating expenses, market trends, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and our ability to invest in growth initiatives and pursue acquisition opportunities; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in Hong Kong and the international markets the Company plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the SEC, the length and severity of the recent coronavirus outbreak, including its impacts across our business and operations. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

    Investor & Media Relations:  

    Bethany Lai
    ir@agba.com

    Anthony Silverman
    ads@apellaadvisors.com

    # # #

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Tse Chin-wan attends energy summit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today attended the opening day of the 17th Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).

     

    SIEW is organised by the Energy Market Authority under Singapore’s Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI). The theme this year is ‘A Connected & Sustainable Energy World’.

     

    Mr Tse attended the SIEW Summit, where he gave an address on ‘Asia’s Collaborative Journey to a Sustainable Energy Future’, and held in-depth discussions with other participants.

     

    Mr Tse said Hong Kong is striving to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. He highlighted that hydrogen energy is a low-carbon energy with enormous potential, and explained that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is taking steps towards creating an environment conducive to its development.

     

    He added that efforts have been made to improve legislation, set up infrastructure and fund trial projects.

     

    “Our country places great emphasis on developing hydrogen technology, and has a number of high-quality products and advanced technology,” he said. “Hong Kong can grab the opportunity to become a hub for the country to promote different products and technologies, helping Hong Kong and other countries to promote a green transition.”

     

    In the afternoon, Mr Tse met Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for the MTI Low Yen Ling, to exchange views on hydrogen development.

     

    He later met Maritime & Port Authority officials to learn more about the latest developments concerning green maritime fuels in Singapore.

     

    Mr Tse also visited a local shipping company and listened to a briefing on the supply chain and bunkering operations associated with green marine fuels, in particular green methanol.

     

    Tomorrow, Mr Tse will visit a local enterprise to hear about developments in and applications of sustainable aviation fuel. He will return to Hong Kong in the evening.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cancellation and refund arrangements of Piano Recital by Evgeny Kissin

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 21) that the Piano Recital by Evgeny Kissin scheduled for November 16 (Saturday) at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre has been cancelled because the performer is unable to come to Hong Kong to perform as planned.

         Refund arrangements are as follows:

    For ticket payments made by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay or mobile payment through electronic wallet, related refunds shall automatically be handled through the same methods previously used to purchase the tickets according to the latest record of URBTIX in around 60-80 days. 
    For ticket payments made by cash, Octopus or Faster Payment System, ticket holders are advised to take their original intact tickets (with stubs) for refunds during office hours at the location and period listed below: 

         Refund period: October 28, 2024 (Monday) to January 27, 2025 (Monday) 
         Location: URBTIX Maoyan Customer Service Centre
                       Unit 1418, 14/F, Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 
         Office hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm 

         For details of the refund arrangements, please refer to the announcement at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CP. For refund enquiry, please call URBTIX Ticketing Enquiries and Customer Service hotline at 3166 1100 or email to urbtix@maoyan.com.hk. For programme enquiry, please call 2268 7321 or email to cp2@lcsd.gov.hk.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: RBI imposes monetary penalty on Family Home Finance Private Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated October 17, 2024, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) on Family Home Finance Private Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra (the company) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI conferred under section 52A of the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.

    The statutory inspection of the company was conducted by the National Housing Bank with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the company advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions.

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

    The company had not:

    1. conducted risk categorisation of its customers;

    2. conducted review of risk categorisation of its customers; and

    3. conducted periodic updation of KYC of its customers.

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

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2024-2025/1348

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tim Walz’s candidacy for vice president underscores the political power of teachers

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christopher Chambers-Ju, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington

    As a former high school teacher, Tim Walz represents a rarity among politicos. PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

    On July 25, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the American Federation of Teachers – the first labor union she addressed after announcing her candidacy for president.

    Even though she was speaking to a roomful of teachers, Harris didn’t focus on teacher-specific issues. Rather, she spoke about general policies that working people want, such as sick leave and paid family leave. She also spoke about the labor movement more broadly. “When unions are strong, America is strong,” she said.

    At the Democratic National Convention in August, Harris’ running mate Tim Walz proudly claimed his identity as a teacher. On Instagram, he described himself as being a “dues-paying, card-carrying member of my teachers union for years.”

    Public school teachers are not often talked about as a major force in national politics. They are not wealthy donors. They rarely hold public office. Many congresspeople claim to have been “educators,” but that includes law school professors, school fundraisers and school district superintendents.

    Teachers and their unions, however, can be influential in politics – in the U.S. and globally. Walz’s candidacy prompts a reexamining of their role. Whose interests do they represent? Can teachers really speak on behalf of broader communities?

    Our view, based on political science research we and others have carried out, is that teachers are one of the most – if not the most – well-organized groups advocating in favor of the economic interests of working people in politics today.

    The rise of teachers as political candidates around the world

    Tim Walz taught social studies for 20 years at Mankato West High School in Minnesota. When he served in Congress, he was one of only a handful of teachers from public K-12 schools. The overwhelming majority of congresspeople are lawyers and business professionals who are mostly from higher-income backgrounds, and a disproportionate number studied at elite institutions.

    Walz’s candidacy as a high school teacher turned high-profile politician has few obvious precedents in the United States. But Walz is far from unique globally.

    In many developing democracies, from Colombia to Indonesia and India, teachers are a large group of public sector workers who are organized through powerful labor unions. Around the world, teacher candidates have risen through the ranks politically. In Colombia, for example, the teachers union has 270,000 members, making it the largest union in that country. A number of leaders from that union have moved from the union presidency to the Senate of the republic.

    The 2024 book “Mobilizing Teachers” documents the emergence of teachers as a political force in Latin America beginning three decades ago.

    Former president of Peru Pedro Castillo may be best remembered for being ousted from office in 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress. But his origins are notable. He was a humble elementary school teacher and union leader who improbably rose to the presidency in 2021. Similarly in Mexico, national teachers union leader Alfonso Cepeda Salas became a senator for the ruling party in 2024.

    Teachers unions aren’t always a force for good governance. In Mexico, they are widely criticized for using corrupt practices to influence politics, such as showing favoritism in promoting teachers aligned with certain parties. In the 1980s, however, teachers mobilized in the streets of Brazil, Chile and Mexico against military dictatorships and authoritarian rule, and Brazilian teachers unions advocated for broader causes such as the right to education and increased spending on public schools.

    In the U.S., public K-12 teachers do not usually become high-profile political candidates. However, they emerged as major political actors in other ways in the late 20th century. This was spurred by economic changes such as automation and globalization, which disrupted the work of many unions – such as manufacturing unions – but not teachers. Today, 1 in 5 union members are teachers. And teachers as a whole make up 8% of the college-educated workforce in the United States.

    Through their labor unions, teachers in the U.S. are sometimes recruited as political candidates, especially in state and local elections. However, their numbers are few. In 2018, for example, teachers were on the ballot in record numbers but still represented just 3% of candidates.

    Teachers and the public interest

    Teachers in the U.S. have faced criticism for opposing reforms such as school choice and connecting teacher evaluations to student test scores. Some scholars believe these reforms could improve education quality.

    In the U.S., there’s also concern about teachers’ strong influence on school board elections and Democratic Party primaries. Some researchers argue that teachers unions have disproportionate power because “they are actively and purposely engaged in an electoral effort to control their own superiors” – school board members. In other words, unlike private sector workers, teachers unions use their political clout to select their own bosses.

    Yet, other scholars have shown that the policies teachers pursue often align with the interests of students. Teachers unions have long argued that better teacher working conditions mean better learning conditions for students, and that’s what they often advocate for.

    In some states and cities, there are severe teacher shortages, which some analysts cite to argue that low pay for teachers has made it an unattractive career. These shortages not only affect the quality of education but also reflect the economic concerns of middle-class Americans. Teacher salaries have stagnated, even though a large body of economics research has shown a cause-and-effect relationship between increasing educational spending and better student achievement, especially when funding increases go to teacher salaries.

    Over the past 16 years in the U.S., teacher strikes have raised teacher salaries and the salaries of other education workers, such as janitors, bus drivers and administrative staff. Teachers have also highlighted the kinds of school-quality concerns that many parents care about, such as free school meals and hiring more counselors, nurses and psychologists at schools.

    The role of teachers in preserving democracy

    Public school teachers are uniquely positioned to uphold democratic institutions – a primary concern for many scholars heading into this election. Teachers are deeply embedded in local communities and habitually organize to coordinate political efforts with other local nonprofits and grassroots groups. We believe they’re one of the few middle-class groups still able to push back against the growing power of large corporations, megadonors and media conglomerates.

    Melissa Arnold Lyon receives funding from a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Academy of Education (NAEd) and the Spencer Foundation.

    Christopher Chambers-Ju 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. Tim Walz’s candidacy for vice president underscores the political power of teachers – https://theconversation.com/tim-walzs-candidacy-for-vice-president-underscores-the-political-power-of-teachers-239812

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) returns to homeport after Indo-Pacific deployment

    Source: United States Navy

    Carrying over 700 Sailors and embarked Marines, Harpers Ferry participated in multiple, multi-national exercises and operations in the Pacific, displaying interoperability and the U.S.’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

    “The accomplishments of USS Harpers Ferry and its Navy and Marine Corps team are quite impressive,” said Cmdr. Gabriel Burgi, the commanding officer of Harpers Ferry. “Together, we steamed tens of thousands of miles from home, away from our friends and families, and completed important missions necessary to protect high seas freedoms. We took part in several bilateral and multinational exercises, and we were great ambassadors of the United States. I couldn’t be more proud of how well the crew and Marines worked together to accomplish many ‘firsts’ for the ARG-MEU team.”

    This deployment was an opportunity for the Marine Corps’ newest amphibious ship-to-shore connector, the amphibious combat vehicles (ACV), to gather operational data and lessons learned that will shape future deployments of the new platform in expeditionary environments.

    “This deployment was the first ever for the Marine Corps’ first new amphibious vehicle in over 50 years,” said Burgi. “All eyes were on us as we set the precedent for deployed operations of the ACV, and we helped write doctrine for future deployments. We launched and landed the first ACVs in foreign waters and on foreign shores, and the world was watching.”

    Harpers Ferry departed San Diego in March to begin a regularly scheduled, Western Pacific deployment. During the deployment, Harpers Ferry and embarked elements of the 15th MEU participated in Exercise Balikatan 24 (BK24), the largest, annual, bilateral exercise conducted between the U.S. and the Philippines. Elements of the embarked 15th MEU conducted a command-and-control exercise (C2X), Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) projects and engagements, and a series of field training events.

    ACVs made their operational debut during BK24 in May, splashing from Harpers Ferry in Oyster Bay to conduct a waterborne live-fire gunnery exercise.

    “Throughout this deployment the landing force accomplished many firsts for the Marine Corps,” said Maj. Joe Santos, the ACV liaison officer, 15th MEU, and the commander of troops aboard Harpers Ferry. “The 15th MEU deployed with the Amphibious Combat Vehicle for the first time, which marked many more firsts for the Navy and Marine Corps. The Harpers Ferry and landing force was the first to achieve amphibious warfare certifications with the ACV; first to conduct ACV intermediate maintenance underway; first to conduct waterborne gunnery with the ACV; and first to operate within the Indo-Pacific.”

    While in the Philippines, Marines and Sailors of the 15th MEU also participated in the Amphibious Coastal Defense Continuum (ACDC), partnering with Philippine Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Brigade to enhance the Philippine Marine Corps’ coastal defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

    After BK24 and ACDC, the ship made its way north to Busan, South Korea, for Exercise Ssang Yong 24, a bilateral field training exercise with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC), and U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in vicinity of Pohang.

    Ssang Yong was another landmark event for the ACV, marking the first time ACVs conducted a ship-to-shore amphibious assault overseas, partnered with ROKMC amphibious forces.

    “Harpers Ferry and their embarked Apache Company and ACV Platoon proved that we could safely and expeditiously launch and recover ACVs,” said Burgi. “The ACVs on deployment was a major milestone for the Navy-Marine Corps team. From onboard maintenance to overseas launch and recovery, almost everything we did with the ACVs was a first for our services. Deploying also gave the ACV platoon confidence in their weapon systems and in their ability to operate far from home without the benefit of onsite maintenance facilities.”

    After Ssang Yong, Harpers Ferry transited home to San Diego following a successful seven-month deployment.

    “I have seen this ship and her crew go from exiting the shipyards to the completion of a 7th Fleet deployment. This ship and her crew has been tasked over and over, and has exceeded the expectation of fleet commanders every time,” said Burgi. “There is no other crew or ship I would rather go to sea with. This crew has delivered miracles selflessly and tirelessly. I couldn’t be more proud of them; being the commanding officer to this crew has been the utmost privilege and highlight of my nearly 30-year career.”

    Santos echoed Burgi’s thoughts on the deployment.

    “I am excited for the Marines and Sailors to go home after this deployment knowing that they have accomplished so much,” said Maj. Santos. “They are a part of naval history and will remember this for the rest of their lives. It’s a beautiful day to be on the USS Harpers Ferry!”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: F-35B test jet begins sea trials with Japanese multi-functional destroyer in eastern Pacific Ocean

    Source: United States Navy

    A test pilot flew a specially instrumented F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the 5th generation air system and touched down about 3:15 p.m.

    Sea trials will leverage the ship’s recent modifications to conduct fixed-wing aircraft operations. Changes to the Kaga included painting its flight deck with heat-resistant material that tolerates the F-35B’s vectored-thrust engines, installing lights for nighttime operations, and reshaping the flight deck’s bow from a trapezoid to a rectangular shape.

    The trials will also pave the way for allies’ increased ability to operate in conjunction with each other.

    “This test is essential for strengthening Japan’s defense capabilities and is of utmost importance. We will do our best to achieve good test results together with the ITF,” said Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Shusaku Takeuchi, commanding officer, JS Kaga. “This test does not merely enhance the capabilities of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. It also improves the interoperability between Japan and the U.S., strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, thereby contributing to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”

    The F-35 is detached from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland. It joins a test team from the F-35 Pax River Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF), who embarked the ship in San Diego.

    In addition to F-35 test pilots, the Pax ITF team includes aircraft maintainers, flight test engineers, flight test control engineers, flight deck personnel, logisticians, and others, with support from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

    “We are proud to be part of this joint effort to test the compatibility of F-35B aboard JS Kaga,” said Seth Dion, Pax ITF team lead. “Our team has prepared meticulously for this mission, and we are committed to working closely with our allies to achieve our shared goals and strengthen our partnership.”

    The sea trials are scheduled to take approximately three weeks.

    JS Kaga set sail from its homeport at Kure Naval Base, Japan, in early September.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Kevin Yeung inspects sports park

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung today inspected the progress of construction works at the Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) and reviewed preparatory work for a test event due to be held there on Sunday.

     

    Around 1,000 invited spectators will attend the event, a football match between local teams at the Public Sports that will be the KTSP’s first test event.

     

    As the Public Sports Ground is near Sung Wong Toi MTR Station, it is expected that the majority of the spectators will make use of railway services to access the venue. The MTR Corporation has made preparations for increased passenger traffic at that station, and at Kai Tak Station.

     

    Mr Yeung urged the Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (KTSPL) to ensure smooth arrangements for the test event to give visitors a good experience of the new sports ground, adding that the event marks a milestone in the progress towards the park’s official commissioning.

     

    “The Government and KTSPL will organise multiple test events and drills,” he said. “With the concerted efforts of different bureaus and departments, we are confident the test events and drills will enable us to accumulate invaluable experience for better preparation of the full commissioning of the KTSP.”

     

    As outlined in the 2024 Policy Address last week, the KTSP’s major facilities will be completed by the end of this year. Being the largest sports infrastructure project ever commissioned in Hong Kong, the park will open in the first quarter of 2025, boosting sports development and injecting impetus into related industries and the Government’s drive to develop a mega-event economy.

     

    To ensure smooth operations once it is commissioned, the KTSP will organise a series of test events and drills between now and the first quarter of next year. The events will dovetail with the completion and state of readiness of facilities at the park’s respective venues.

     

    The number of participants at the test events and drills will increase incrementally, from 1,000 on Sunday to around 50,000 participants ultimately. Around 150,000 to 200,000 people will participate in the various events and drills prior to the park’s official commissioning.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Could fungi actually cause a zombie apocalypse?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Mycology and Plant Pathology, West Virginia University

    A zombie cicada fungus, _Massospora cicadina_, has consumed the rear end of this periodical cicada, replacing it with a ‘plug’ of chalky spores. Matt Kasson, CC BY-ND

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

    Is a zombie apocalypse caused by fungi, like the Cordyceps from “The Last of Us,” something that could realistically happen? – Jupiter, age 15, Ithaca, New York

    Zombies strike fear into our hearts – and if they’re persistent, eventually they get inside our heads. Animals taken over by zombies no longer control their own bodies or behaviors. Instead, they serve the interests of a master, whether it’s a virus, fungus or some other harmful agent.

    The term “zombi” comes from Vodou, a religion that evolved in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. But the idea of armies of undead, brain-eating human zombies comes from movies, such as “Night of the Living Dead,” television shows like “The Walking Dead” and video games like Resident Evil.

    Those all are fictional. Nature is where we can find real examples of zombification – one organism controlling another organism’s behavior.

    I study fungi, a huge biological kingdom that includes molds, mildews, yeasts, mushrooms and zombifying fungi. Don’t worry – these “brain-eating organisms” tend to target insects.

    The fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infects and kills ants. Over time, they can diminish the local ant population.

    Insect body snatchers

    One of the most famous examples is the zombie ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is part of a larger group known as Cordyceps fungi. This fungus inspired the video game and HBO series “The Last of Us,” in which a widespread fungal infection turns people into zombie-like creatures and causes society to collapse.

    In the real world, ants usually comes into contact with this fungus when spores – pollen-size reproductive particles that the fungus makes – fall onto the ant from a tree or plant overhead. The spores penetrate the ant’s body without killing it.

    Once inside, the fungus spreads in the form of a yeast. The ant stops communicating with nestmates and staggers around aimlessly. Eventually it becomes hyperactive.

    Finally, the fungus causes the ant to climb up a plant and lock onto a leaf or a stem with its jaws – a behavior called summiting. The fungus changes into a new phase and consumes the ant’s organs, including its brain. A stalk erupts from the dead insect’s head and produces spores, which fall onto healthy ants below, starting the cycle again.

    A citrus cicada nymph infected with Ophiocordyceps sobolifera. The nymph lives underground, but the fungus ensures that it ‘summits’ to just below the soil line, so that its stalks (pink) and spores find their way above ground.
    Matt Kasson, CC BY-ND

    Scientists have described countless species of Ophiocordyceps. Each one is tiny, with a very specialized lifestyle. Some live only in specific areas: for example, Ophiocordyceps salganeicola, a parasite of social cockroaches, is found only in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. I expect that there are many more species around the world awaiting discovery.

    The zombie cicada fungus, Massospora cicadina, has also received a lot of attention in recent years. It infects and controls periodical cicadas, which are cicadas that live underground and emerge briefly to mate on 13- or 17-year cycles.

    The fungus keeps the cicadas energized and flying around, even as it consumes and replaces their rear ends and abdomens. This prolonged “active host” behavior is rare in fungi that invade insects. Massospora has family members that target flies, moths, millipedes and soldier beetles, but they cause their hosts to summit and die, like ants affected by Ophiocordyceps.

    The real fungal threats

    These diverse morbid partnerships – relationships that lead to death – were formed and refined over millions of years of evolutionary time. A fungus that specializes in infecting and controlling ants or cicadas would have to evolve vastly new tools over millions more years to be able to infect even another insect, even one that’s closely related, let alone a human.

    In my research, I’ve collected and handled hundreds of living and dead zombie cicadas, as well as countless fungus-infected insects, spiders and millipedes. I’ve dissected hundreds of specimens and uncovered fascinating aspects of their biology. Despite this prolonged exposure, I still control my own behavior.

    Dozens of Massospora cicadina-infected 13-year cicadas being prepared for drying and analyzing in Matt Kasson’s mycology lab at West Virginia University.
    Matt Kasson, CC BY-ND

    Some fungi do threaten human health. Examples include Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, both of which can invade people’s lungs and cause serious pneumonia-like symptoms. Cryptococcus neoformans can spread outside the lungs into the central nervous system and cause symptoms such as neck stiffness, vomiting and sensitivity to light.

    Invasive fungal diseases are on the rise worldwide. So are common fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot – a rash between your toes – and ringworm, a rash that despite its name is caused by a fungus.

    Fungi thrive in perpetually warm and wet environments. You can protect yourself against many of them by showering after you get sweaty or dirty and not sharing sports gear or towels with other people.

    Not all fungi are scary, and even the alarming ones won’t turn you into the walking dead. The closest you’re likely to come to a zombifying fungus is through watching scary movies or playing video games.

    If you’re lucky, you might find a zombie ant or fly in your own neighborhood. And if you think they’re cool, you could become a scientist like me and spend your life seeking them out.

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    Matt Kasson has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, USDA ARS and USDA APHIS.

    – ref. Could fungi actually cause a zombie apocalypse? – https://theconversation.com/could-fungi-actually-cause-a-zombie-apocalypse-230761

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Presidential election could help decide fate of the 70,000 Afghans living temporarily in the US

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Idean Salehyan, Professor of political science, University of North Texas

    Afghan evacuees arrive at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on Aug. 27, 2021. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

    The Taliban, an ultraconservative Islamic political group, retook control of Kabul a little more than three years ago, dashing many Afghans’ hopes for a tolerant, democratic government.

    As U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan days after the Taliban’s resurgence in 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghans flocked to the Kabul airport, desperate to be evacuated. Among them were Afghans who worked for U.S. military and NATO forces as interpreters and in other roles – in addition to other people who were afraid of the Taliban.

    Chaotic and sometimes violent scenes of the poorly planned evacuation captured media attention for weeks, as the U.S. military airlifted nearly 124,000 people out of Afghanistan.

    Many of the Afghans who fled their country in 2021 went to Iran, Pakistan and other nearby countries. To offer a lifeline to the Afghans who came to the U.S., the Biden administration announced on Aug. 29, 2021, that evacuated Afghans could legally – but temporarily – stay in the U.S.

    As a scholar of civil conflict and refugee migration, I have been following the Afghan evacuation and policy responses in Washington since 2021. While President Joe Biden renewed humanitarian parole for approximately 70,000 Afghans in 2023, these people remain in legal limbo, unable to fully move forward in their lives.

    The upcoming election will likely be decisive in resolving Afghans’ legal status or not.

    An Afghan couple, including a man who worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military, walk in Charlestown, Mass. in February 2022.
    Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

    Understanding humanitarian parole

    The U.S. admitted Afghans into the country through what’s called humanitarian parole, a federal program that the president can authorize to give protection to people in other countries facing extreme emergency circumstances.

    Humanitarian parole must be renewed by a presidential administration every two years, unlike the U.S. refugee admission policy, which gives foreigners who face legitimate fears of returning home the right to get permanent residency in the U.S.

    The Afghan parole program enabled people like Mina Bakhshi – a female rock climber who had no future under the Taliban because of her gender – to enter the U.S. and attend college.

    It also helped people like Qasim Rahimi, a journalist in Afghanistan, to flee to safety with his family and settle in Kansas City, Missouri.

    About one-third of the Afghan evacuees who came to the U.S. settled in California, Virginia and Texas, while the rest settled in other states.

    Yet humanitarian parole is not a permanent solution.

    While these Afghan people can legally work and attend school in the U.S., they often face obstacles with getting stable work or even finding a home to rent because they are not permanent residents and do not have Social Security numbers.

    A long history of parole in the US

    Typically, the U.S. government has used humanitarian parole to rescue people from conflicts in which U.S. armed forces are involved, like Vietnam and Ukraine.

    People who face serious danger because of conflict or other reasons can also enter the U.S. by applying for and receiving refugee status, but it can take more than a year for it to be granted. Humanitarian parole lets the U.S. government act quickly when it wants to help foreigners come to the country during an emergency.

    At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, for example, the U.S. admitted thousands of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian migrants fleeing their countries.

    As then-President Gerald Ford stated in an address to Congress in 1975, providing humanitarian parole to Vietnamese people who supported the U.S. in its war effort in Vietnam was a “profound moral obligation.” In 1977, Congress passed a law that allowed these refugees to permanently settle in the U.S.

    The U.S. also issued humanitarian parole to Hungarian and Cuban refugees who fled communist dictatorships in the 1950s.

    More recently, the U.S. granted parole to a group of Haitian orphans following a major earthquake in 2010, and to children from Central America who illegally crossed the border without their parents during the Obama administration.

    In 2022, the U.S. government again used humanitarian parole to welcome more than 125,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country.

    What the Afghan Adjustment Act would do

    While Biden issued temporary humanitarian parole to Afghans in 2021 and renewed it in 2023, only Congress has the power to pass an act that would ensure they can legally stay in the country permanently. Yet, a deadlocked Congress has failed to pass legislation to adjust the status of Afghans.

    A proposed bipartisan bill in Congress called the Afghan Adjustment Act would allow Afghan parolees to apply for permanent legal status.

    A coalition of refugee advocates and veterans organizations has championed the Afghan Adjustment Act.

    Yet, a handful of Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, have opposed the act on national security grounds. They say that vetting procedures for newcomers are not sufficient, which could lead to security risks. Some want a more targeted program that focuses only on Afghans who worked with U.S. troops.

    Republican Sen. Tom Cotton has proposed another bill that would significantly reduce a president’s authority to use humanitarian parole for Afghans or anyone else in the future.

    An Afghan evacuee living in Charlestown, Mass., in February 2022 shows a photo of himself working in Afghanistan as a translator.
    Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

    The election factor

    The fate of Afghan parolees will likely be determined by the results of the upcoming election. Should Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris win office, I believe she is likely to renew parole for Afghans for at least two more years, as Biden did in 2023. Congress may be more likely to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act after the election, since it is rare to pass major legislation during an election period.

    What Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might do about Afghans living temporarily in the U.S. is an open question. During Trump’s previous presidential term, his administration focused in part on curbing immigration. This included slashing refugee admissions and making it harder to issue U.S. visas to Afghans and Iraqis who worked with the U.S. military.

    On the campaign trail, Trump has promised to renew his travel ban on Muslims and to continue to limit immigration to the U.S.

    In the meantime, Afghans who fled the Taliban continue to face uncertainty about their future in the U.S.

    Idean Salehyan is affiliated with the Niskanen Center in Washington, D.C.

    – ref. Presidential election could help decide fate of the 70,000 Afghans living temporarily in the US – https://theconversation.com/presidential-election-could-help-decide-fate-of-the-70-000-afghans-living-temporarily-in-the-us-233941

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tracking vampire worms with machine learning − using AI to diagnose schistosomiasis before the parasites causing it hatch in your blood

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Trirupa Chakraborty, Ph.D. Candidate in Integrative Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh

    Blood samples of patients infected with a parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis contain hidden information that marks different stages of the disease. In our recently published research, our team used machine learning to uncover that hidden information and improve early detection and diagnosis of infection.

    The parasite that causes schistosomiasis completes its life cycle in two hosts – first in snails and then in mammals such as people, dogs and mice. Freshwater worm eggs enter human hosts through the skin and circulate throughout the body, damaging multiple organs, including the liver, intestine, bladder and urethra. When these larvae reach blood vessels connecting the intestines to the liver, they mature into adult worms. They then release eggs that are excreted when the infected person defecates, continuing the transmission cycle.

    Since diagnosis currently relies on detecting eggs in feces, doctors usually miss the early stages of infection. By the time eggs are detected, patients have already reached an advanced stage of the disease. Because diagnosis rates are poor, public health officials typically mass-administer the drug praziquantel to populations in affected regions. However, praziquantel cannot clear juvenile worms in early stages of infection, nor can it prevent reinfection.

    Schistosomiasis isn’t usually diagnosed until the late stages of the disease.
    DPDx/CDC

    Our study provides a clear path forward to improving early detection and diagnosis by identifying the hidden information in blood that signals active, early stage infection.

    Your body responds to a schistosomiasis infection by mounting an immune response involving several types of immune cells, as well as antibodies specifically targeting molecules secreted by or present on the worm and eggs. Our study introduces two ways to screen for certain characteristics of antibodies that signal early infection.

    The first is an assay that captures a quantitative and qualitative profile of immune response, including various classes of antibodies and characteristics that dictate how they communicate with other immune cells. This allowed us to identify specific facets of the immune response that distinguish uninfected patients from patients with early and late-stage disease.

    Second, we developed a new machine learning approach that analyzes antibodies to identify latent characteristics of the immune response linked to disease stage and severity. We trained the model on immune profile data from infected and uninfected patients and tested the model on data that wasn’t used for training and data from a different geographical location. We identified not only biomarkers for the disease but also the potential mechanism that underlies infection.

    Why it matters

    Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects over 200 million people worldwide, causing 280,000 deaths annually. Early diagnosis can improve treatment effectiveness and prevent severe disease.

    In addition, unlike many machine learning methods that are black boxes, our approach is also interpretable. This means it can provide insights into why and how the disease develops beyond simply identifying markers of disease, guiding future strategies for early diagnosis and treatment.

    Clusters of Schistosoma haematobium eggs surrounded by immune cells in bladder tissue.
    CDC/Dr. Edwin P. Ewing Jr.

    What still isn’t known

    The schistosomiasis infection signatures we identified remain stable across two geographical regions across two continents. Future research could explore how well these biomarkers apply to additional populations.

    Further, our work identifies a potential mechanism behind disease progression. We found that a particular immune response against a specific protein on the surface of the worm signals an intermediate stage of infection. Understanding how the immune system responds to this understudied antigen could improve diagnosis and treatment.

    What’s next

    Besides improving our understanding of how the immune system responds to different stages of infection, our findings identify key antigens that could pave the way for designing cost-effective and efficient approaches to diagnosis and treatments. Our next steps will include actually deploying these strategies in the field for early detection and management of disease.

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

    Trirupa Chakraborty is affiliated with Light Up non-profit organisation, based in India. The organisation does not have any connection with or benefits from this article.

    Aniruddh Sarkar has received grant funding from the NIAID, BARDA, Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), Atlanta Center for Point-of-Care Technologies (ACME POCT), Center for Childhood Infections & Vaccines (CCIV) and the Bernie Marcus Early Career Professorship at Georgia Tech

    Jishnu Das has research grant funding from the NIH (NIAID, NHGRI, NIAMS, NEI, NCI, NHLBI, NIMH), DoD and the Rainin Foundation. He consults for Seromyx on a case-by-case basis and receives corresponding financial compensation including stock options. Seromyx has no direct connection to (including benefitting from financially or otherwise) this article.

    – ref. Tracking vampire worms with machine learning − using AI to diagnose schistosomiasis before the parasites causing it hatch in your blood – https://theconversation.com/tracking-vampire-worms-with-machine-learning-using-ai-to-diagnose-schistosomiasis-before-the-parasites-causing-it-hatch-in-your-blood-239466

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: UPDATE – Grab to Announce Third Quarter 2024 Results on November 11, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grab Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: GRAB, the “Company”  or “Grab”), plans to announce its unaudited third quarter 2024 results after the U.S. market closes on November 11, 2024.  

    The Company’s management will hold a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2024 results at:

    Date and time: 7:00 PM U.S Eastern Time on November 11, 2024
    8:00 AM Singapore Time on November 12, 2024

    A link to the call will be posted on the Company’s investor relations website at investors.grab.com prior to the call time.  Following the call, a replay of the call, along with the earnings press release and presentation slides, will be available at the same website.

    About Grab

    Grab is a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, operating across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors. Serving over 700 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Grab enables millions of people everyday to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone. Grab strives to serve a triple bottom line – we aim to simultaneously deliver financial performance for our shareholders and have a positive social impact, which includes economic empowerment for millions of people in the region, while mitigating our environmental footprint.

    For more information, visit http://www.grab.com.

    For enquiries, please contact:
    Investors: investor.relations@grab.com
    Media: press@grab.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Fleet Readiness Center Southeast’s Jacksonville detachment establishes fiber optics repair capability

    Source: United States Navy

    Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) Detachment Jacksonville has completed certification to become the first intermediate-level (I-level) fiber optics Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) maintenance facility in the Navy.

    Currently, the detachment supports the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. However, the certification underscores an opportunity for FRCSE to enhance operational readiness throughout the NAVAIR domain.

    The Miniature/Micro-miniature Electronics Repair and Module Test and Repair (2M/MTR) fiber optics work center is now equipped with a high-resolution optical time domain reflectometer (HROTDR) to test and analyze fiber optics cables. The HROTDR uses a laser to determine bends, breaks and other faults in a fiber cable. The team uses the HROTDR to find issues and fabricate new cables to meet engineering drawings and specifications.

    The certification process began approximately two years ago after FRCSE’s P-8 Fleet Support Team (FST) noticed a correlation between damaged fiber optic network cables, decreased mission-capable aircraft and expensive, timely turnaround times using contracted repair organizations.

    “Many P-8 aircraft were down because of simple and straightforward fiber optics repairs,” said Alex Garcia, an FRCSE P-8A FST electrical engineer. “With the right training and certification, the team knew that we could do much quicker and cost-effective work.”

    Recognizing the need to conduct this work internally, engineers mapped the process and established local engineering specifications, a required document that authorizes I-level work and provides instructions on fiber optic cable fabrication, support, and required consumables.

    “Given that NAVAIR didn’t have an established fiber optic program, certification agents were not an option,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Michael Parker. “During our discussions on possible certification avenues, we learned that NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) had an existing program. The team recognized that the most effective way forward was to seek support from NAVSEA for site certification.”

    Though NAVSEA couldn’t provide aviation-specific fiber optics repair capability, the groundwork could still be tailored to a NAVAIR program. After the 2M/MTR team contacted NAVSEA, representatives from the fiber optic test and repair (FOTR) program from Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) responded by traveling to Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville to conduct the certification process, which took only a few days.

    “We confirmed an adequate amount of appropriately trained fiber optic technicians, the required NAVAIR authorized test equipment and tooling essential to repair or manufacture 95 percent of the potential fiber optic issues across various aircraft frames,” said Richard Scott, the FOTR certification agent with NSWC, Dahlgren division. “This effort resulted in FRSCE becoming the first NAVAIR activity to obtain its FOTR certification.”

    After completing certification, KITCO Fiber Optics, a civilian company, provided two weeks of hands-on training, which took place aboard NAS Jacksonville.

    During the two-year timeline, from establishment to certification and training, the team has streamlined repairs, reducing fiber optics turnaround times from six months to just a few days.  

    The work center at Detachment Jacksonville is also helping to establish fiber optics work centers globally with footprints in Whidbey Island, Wash.; Misawa, Japan; Sigonella, Sicily; Bahrain and afloat on aircraft intermediate maintenance departments worldwide. The current workload is helping support readiness throughout the fleet and prepares FRCSE to meet advancing technological requirements.

    About Fleet Readiness Center Southeast 

     Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) is Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, employing approximately 5,000 civilian, military and contract workers. With annual revenue exceeding $1 billion, the organization serves as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers by maintaining the combat airpower for America’s military forces.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government appeals to all sectors of community to support seasonal influenza vaccination programmes

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Government today (October 21) appeals to all members of the public, especially priority groups, to timely receive seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV). The Government has made special arrangements to facilitate priority groups (including school children) to receive SIV through various SIV programmes.

    Latest statistics on schools joining SIV programmes

         The 2024/25 SIV Programmes started on September 26. At present, around 870 kindergartens and child care centres (80 per cent), 620 primary schools (93 per cent) and 400 secondary schools (79 per cent) have joined the SIV School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP). As of October 20, 2024, 380 schools have completed the first dose vaccination and more than 77 800 students have received SIV under School Outreach Programmes.

    Flexible arrangements on SIV school outreach vaccination services in season 2024/25

         The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has been promoting SIV in schoolchildren, particularly young children in child-care centres and kindergartens, and optimising the vaccination programmes in response to the feedback from schools and parents.

         To boost the SIV coverage rate among schoolchildren, special arrangements have been made under the SIVSOP this year to offer a more flexible choice of vaccine options for kindergartens and child-care centres. Kindergartens and child-care centres can choose to provide both injectable inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) and live attenuated influenza vaccines (i.e. nasal vaccines) (LAIV) at the same or different outreach vaccination activities. Among the kindergartens and child-care centres participating in SIVSOP, 246 schools will offer LAIV, ten schools will offer both IIV and LAIV, and the rest will offer IIV. As a pilot scheme, LAIV is also provided to selected primary and secondary schools which indicated their preference for LAIV earlier this year. So far, two primary schools and four secondary schools have joined the pilot scheme. The Department of Health (DH) will continue to monitor and review the arrangement as appropriate.

         Alternatively, schools can also invite doctors to arrange outreach service for injectable IIV and/or nasal LAIV at their campus under the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme School Outreach.

    Ongoing promotion of SIV uptake amongst school children

         The DH has invited all schools in Hong Kong through the Education Bureau (EDB) to participate in the SIVSOP. Upon commencement of the 2024/25 SIV Programmes, the DH has reached out to non-participating schools one by one to understand their difficulties, offer necessary assistance and facilitate them to participate in the programmes. The DH has also liaised with the EDB to issue appeal letters again to the School Heads Association of Kindergartens/Child-Care Centres to promote SIV uptake amongst young children. The CHP spokesman calls on those schools that have yet to join the outreach vaccination programmes to enrol as soon as possible to seize the optimum timing for vaccination and do their part to provide the best protection for schoolchildren.

         Early childhood educators are also important points of contact with young school children and their parents. The DH has met a number of early childhood education and parent-teacher associations, as well as relevant medical associations to promote SIV among young children. The DH urges early childhood educators to join hands in appealing the parents to arrange for their children to participate in SIV, and at the same time to play their part in educating parents on the importance of vaccination to encourage more young school children to get vaccinated. With increased vaccination coverage, the protection of children could be strengthened and their risk of severe illness and death after contracting influenza could also be reduced.

         “Surveillance data up to October 20 showed a total of 34 severe paediatric influenza-associated complication and death cases as recorded by the CHP this year, which is comparable with 41 cases in the pre-COVID-19 era in 2019. Among these 34 cases, 25 (74 per cent) did not receive influenza vaccine, illustrating the importance of SIV,” a CHP spokesperson said.

         A range of health education materials on influenza prevention (including webpage, press releases, pamphlets, and FAQs) has been produced by the DH and disseminated through various channels, especially those parenting media. The DH will continue to maintain close communication with stakeholders (including doctors, schools and other relevant Government Departments). For the latest information, please refer to the CHP’s influenza page and Vaccination Schemes page.     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Industrial action affecting Perth and Kinross schools

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    We are pleased to say several schools can open tomorrow or on other days this week. Where available we are providing information for the rest of this week to help parents and carers with their plans.

    However, please note the situation at each school may change on a daily basis. We intend to provide updates at 1pm each day for parents and carers on social media and through our website. Our School closures page will also be updated every day.

    Fairview School is closed. Intensive Support Provision (ISP) is also closed unless otherwise stated. Connections is closed but Navigate will be open.

    On Tuesday October 22 all secondaries will be open but St John’s Academy (Secondary) and Community School of Auchterarder are only open to pupils in S4 and S6.
     
    Crieff High School will be able to offer ISP for senior phase pupils only.

    Breadalbane is able to provide ISP to primary and secondary pupils but ELC is only open to three and four-year-olds.
     

    Primary Schools – OPEN

    Abernyte

    Blair Atholl

    Collace

    Dunning

    Forgandenny

    Glendelvine

    Glenlyon

    Kinloch Rannoch

    Portmoak

    Ruthvenfield

    St Dominic’s

    Primary Schools PARTIALLY OPEN

    Abernethy –  primary open, ELC closed

    Aberuthven – closed Monday and Fridays but open Tuesday to Thursday

    Alyth -primary open,  ELC closed

    Arngask – primary open, ELC closed

    Auchtergaven – primary open, ELC closed

    Blackford – open to P6 and P7 only. Open to P4 and P5 on Wednesdays.

    Braco – primary open, ELC closed        

    Comrie – primary open, ELC closed

    Craigie – primary open, ELC closed

    Fossoway – open Tuesday and Wednesday only

    Guildtown – primary open, ELC closed

    Invergowrie – closed Tuesday but open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. ELC will remain closed all week.

    Kenmore – open Wednesday only

    Kinnoull – closed Tuesday, open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

    Logiealmond – open Thursday and Friday only

    Luncarty – primary open,, ELC closed

    Methven – P1 and P2 only. ELC open.

    Moncreiffe – school closed ELC open

    Primary Schools CLOSED

    Balbeggie

    Burrelton

    Cleish

    Coupar Angus

    Crieff

    Dunbarney

    Goodlyburn

    Goodlyburn COPECC

    Grandtully

    Inchture

    Inch View

    Kettins

    Kinross

    Kirkmichael

    Letham

    Logierait

    Longforgan

    Milnathort

    Murthly

    Newhill

    Oakbank

    Our Lady’s

    Pitcairn

    Rattray

    Riverside

    RDM

    Royal School of Dunkeld

    St Madoe’s

    St Ninian’s Episcopal

    St Stephen’s

    Stanley

    Tulloch

    Viewlands

    Community School of Auchterarder (primary)

    St John’s Academy (primary)

    Pitlochry (primary)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE strengthens inter-regional co-operation between women professionals from Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe addressing violent extremism and terrorism

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: OSCE strengthens inter-regional co-operation between women professionals from Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe addressing violent extremism and terrorism

    OSCE strengthens inter-regional co-operation between women professionals from Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe addressing violent extremism and terrorism | OSCE
    Skip navigation

    Navigation

    Navigation

    Home Newsroom News and press releases OSCE strengthens inter-regional co-operation between women professionals from Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe addressing violent extremism and terrorism

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Civil Engineering and Development Department highly concerned about worker at Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank falling into sea

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Civil Engineering and Development Department highly concerned about worker at Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank falling into sea
    Civil Engineering and Development Department highly concerned about worker at Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank falling into sea
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Michael Fong, is highly concerned about the incident happened at the Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank today (October 21) in which a subcontractor’s worker fell into the sea and went missing. Mr Fong has tasked the project team to make every endeavour to facilitate the search and rescue operation of the Police and the Fire Services Department, seriously follow up on the cause of the incident and carry out a thorough review on safety measures of related work to prevent re-occurrence of similar incidents.      At around 12.30pm today, the worker concerned accidentally fell into the sea after mooring a construction vessel. After the incident, related work has been suspended immediately and the work area concerned has been fenced off. The contractor has reported the incident to the Labour Department and has contacted the family of the worker to provide assistance.

     
    Ends/Monday, October 21, 2024Issued at HKT 23:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The 2026 Commonwealth Games will create an economic model that allows smaller nations to step up and host

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gayle McPherson, Chair in Events and Cultural Policy, and Director of the Research Centre for Culture, Sport and Events, University of the West of Scotland

    The tension was palpable as we waited to see if Glasgow would rescue the Commonwealth Games for 2026. After the Australian state of Victoria pulled out, the eyes of the Commonwealth turned to Scotland.

    Glasgow delivered a hugely successful event in 2014, raising questions about whether a future games there could match that success. I was part of the bid team as the cultural advisor for Glasgow 2014 and went on to conduct research on the impact of the games on sustainable community participation for people with a disability. So I understand the positive impact the games had for Scotland.

    My work over the past couple of decades has examined the social impact of mega sports events and their role as agents for change, specifically disability rights, social inclusion, and peace and diplomacy. In other words, considering whether major sport events truly serve as a force for good as it’s often argued they do. If this is indeed the case, why shouldn’t smaller Commonwealth nations benefit from hosting the games?

    Experts often criticise the economic and social impact of major sporting events, but others argue for the social value these events can bring to communities long after they have left town.

    My research team conducted a survey on perceptions of the impact of the Glasgow 2014 games that revealed overwhelming support for their lasting impact on the city and Scotland.

    The results showed that 75% of respondents believed the games increased civic and national pride, boosted Glasgow and Scotland’s chances of securing future events, enhanced their international reputation, and, as often attested, strengthened the nation’s soft power. Scotland ranks second (behind Quebec) out of ten similar territories for overall soft power, and third for sport.

    Amid a rise in the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) using sport in soft power terms, other nations have sought to be part of this too. The Commonwealth Games is increasingly being used as a vehicle for positive change and regional soft power.



    Read more:
    Glasgow’s 2026 Commonwealth Games needs to showcase an affordable and socially beneficial way of hosting sporting events

    There has been a rise in emerging states running mega sports events, often wealthy illiberal nations such as China and Qatar. However, what about the smaller nations in the Commonwealth? Only two – Malaysia and Jamaica – have ever hosted the Commonwealth Games, and the only other nation outside of Australia, Canada, UK and New Zealand to do so is India.

    Glasgow is offering a new model that will create a legacy not only for Scotland, but for many other smaller nations in the Commonwealth. The games are known as the “Friendly Games” – it’s a community that is known for three core values: humanity, equality and destiny.

    The family of nations

    The African nations form a significant part of the Commonwealth sports movement, so shouldn’t we expect the model that Glasgow is developing to be transferable, ensuring that sport can serve a common good? An environmentally sustainable approach would use facilities and networks already in place to help developing nations, which already suffer disproportionately in terms of climate and environmental risks.

    Under this model, venues and infrastructure are already in place. The event is athlete-focused, with competitors staying in hotels as opposed to a purpose-built athlete village, and transport needs minimised through walking or the use of team buses. The 2026 Glasgow event could serve as a blueprint for a sustainable approach to games delivery, inspiring nations such as Ghana, which already has the necessary venues and infrastructure to take on future Commonwealth Games.

    With just ten sports across four venues, Glasgow 2026 has thought differently about delivery and digital broadcast. This is the only fully integrated games, hosting para competition at the same time as able-bodied events. This too will help smaller nations’ para-athletes, who often do not get a chance to compete internationally.

    The Commonwealth is made up of 56 independent countries and the Commonwealth Games Federation consists of 72 member nations and territories. Gabon and Togo joined the Commonwealth in 2022, neither of which had previous ties to the British empire or other Commonwealth states, demonstrating that some countries still want to be part of a wider family.

    Given 19 African countries have Commonwealth Games Associations, we could well see one of these take the baton in future. The Ghanaian sports minister made it clear that after hosting a successful African Games in 2024, he believed the next step would be the Commonwealth Games.

    The recent African Games in Ghana’s capital Accra held athletics in a stadium that seats 11,000 spectators, while the World Athletics Championships in 2022 used the University of Oregon’s temporary stadium that seated 13,000. Commonwealth Games Scotland realised that, for 2026, Glasgow could host athletics at an existing stadium in the city with an upgrade to facilities that would provide seating for 11,000.

    Ghana and Scotland are learning from each other to lay a path for smaller nations to host future games. The Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 contributed £1.2 billion to the UK economy and £79.5 million in social value. This is possible for small nations too.

    Glasgow 2026 can create a different legacy for the Commonwealth Games; one that is built on inclusion, diversity and sustainability and which incorporates the culture, values and pride of the Commonwealth. The time is right to offer a new approach to event delivery that offers other smaller nations the chance to benefit from sport as a force for good.

    Professor Gayle McPherson receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Sport Canada and has previously received funding from the Peter Harrison Foundation and Observatory for Sport in Scotland.

    – ref. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will create an economic model that allows smaller nations to step up and host – https://theconversation.com/the-2026-commonwealth-games-will-create-an-economic-model-that-allows-smaller-nations-to-step-up-and-host-241059

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New report reveals that targets to save 30% of the ocean by 2030 aren’t being met

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation, University of Exeter

    Qasimphotographer/Shutterstock

    The world is gathering in Colombia for the UN biodiversity conference known as Cop16, a biannual pulse-taking of the living planet where actions to protect the natural world are agreed. At its last meeting in 2022, an ambitious roadmap for nature protection was put in place. As part of that Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework, the UN set a bold goal to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 – known as “30×30” – which was agreed by 196 countries and bodies such as the European Commission.

    A key task in Colombia will be to measure progress, and the ocean is in the spotlight. A new report reveals that growth in marine protected areas – designated nature conservation zones that are protected from one or more harmful or damaging human activities – is far too slow to achieve this target. Analysis by conservation experts shows that protected areas are too scattered and unrepresentative.

    Efforts to protect marine life lag far behind conservation on land. When 30×30 was agreed, the world had protected roughly 17% of land and 7.8% of the sea. The sea element was already behind previous targets, set in 2010 by the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity to reach 17% and 10% protection of land and sea by 2020.

    The 30×30 target is based on what scientists say is required to protect marine diversity, unlike the arbitrary 10% target it replaces. This would give a decent chance of meeting basic conservation goals like representing the full spectrum of habitats and species, or sustaining ecosystem services, such as the provision of seafood to eat and clean water for people. The 30×30 target was designed to turbo-charge conservation, end biodiversity loss and begin nature’s recovery. It hasn’t quite worked out that way, at least not yet.

    The new report, commissioned by philanthropic initiative the Bloomberg Ocean Fund and developed in partnership with environmental organisations Campaign for Nature, the Marine Conservation Institute and SkyTruth, is sobering. Since 2022, the global ocean protected area network has grown by only 0.5 percentage points to 8.3%, still nearly 2% short of the 10% target that 30×30 replaced. On this trajectory, the world is set to crawl towards just 9.7% by 2030. The world is failing badly and there seems little urgency in the pace of progress.

    Some marine protected area designations set fishing restrictions.
    Tamil Selvam/Shutterstock

    Most marine protected areas (MPA) fail the quality test too. Assessed against a global framework of effectiveness, called the MPA guide, most marine protected areas are insufficiently protected or managed to deliver positive benefits to nature. The report calculates that only 2.8% of the world’s ocean is protected “effectively” according to MPA guide criteria. They include tiny protected areas like the South Arran MPA in Scotland, which was set up in 2014 and monitored by the local community, and the vast and still wild Ascension Island protected area that encloses 172,000 square miles (445,000km²) of the tropical Atlantic.

    Even this low figure could overestimate current effectiveness. Reporting against MPA guide criteria is not yet mandatory for countries, so inconsistent definitions of protected areas complicate measurement of progress. And while some countries have declared MPAs as either “highly” or “fully” protected, the report suggests some of these areas aren’t sufficiently funded by governmental or other means to deliver effective management.

    Country protected-area networks – that’s the the total composition of all protected areas – are badly imbalanced. In the global north, countries like the US, UK and France have declared large highly and fully protected areas in their overseas territories to boost the coverage of effective MPAs. Meanwhile, in home waters, most MPAs remain subject to destructive and extractive industrial activities such as bottom-trawl fishing or offshore energy. Their headline percentage protection numbers therefore “blue-wash” the reality of ongoing damage and biodiversity loss.

    This October, Australia expanded the sub-Antarctic Heard and MacDonald Islands MPA, leading its environment minister to declare that with 52% of Australia’s waters protected, it had far exceeded 30×30. This and other huge offshore protected areas hide the fact that only 15% of coastal seas around the main Australian landmass are protected. Much of it is still open to industrial fishing and oil and gas production.

    The 30×30 goal will also be an impossible dream until the world ratifies the UN’s high seas treaty. This was agreed in 2022 to manage and protect the colossal 61% of the ocean (43% of the Earth’s surface) that lies beyond the sovereign waters of any nation. Until that treaty comes into force, there is no agreed legal mechanism to create MPAs there. At present, just 1.4% of international waters are protected, much of them in Antarctica.

    The Bloomberg report recommends governments speed up the creation of more marine protected areas. Another new study suggests a further 190,000 MPAs will be needed to reach 30×30, equivalent to 85 new protected areas daily for the rest of this decade.

    While numbers and size matter, the world must also stop paying lip service to conservation and deliver real protection for nature, matched with sufficient and durable finance to ensure they work. And the high seas treaty needs urgently ratified, since there otherwise remains a near half-planet sized hole in ambitions for 30×30.


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

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

    Callum Roberts receives funding from Convex Insurance, EU H2020, and EU Synergy. He is a board member of Nekton and Maldives Coral Institute, and advisor to Minderoo Foundation, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy and CORDAP, and is a Pew Marine Fellow and WWF Fellow.

    – ref. New report reveals that targets to save 30% of the ocean by 2030 aren’t being met – https://theconversation.com/new-report-reveals-that-targets-to-save-30-of-the-ocean-by-2030-arent-being-met-241584

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Liechtenstein: Five Things You May Not Know About the IMF’s Newest Member

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    By Rodgers Chawani and Kazuko Shirono

    October 21, 2024

    Liechtenstein is a winter sports destination and the only doubly-landlocked country in Europe. Find out more about the IMF’s 191st member

    The IMF welcomed the Principality of Liechtenstein as its 191st member. Prime Minister Daniel Risch signed the IMF’s Articles of Agreement in a ceremony in Washington, D.C at the beginning of the 2024 Annual Meetings, which the country now attends as a full member.

    Five Facts about Liechtenstein

    1. Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries worldwide, along with Uzbekistan.

      Among six smallest European states—Andorra, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City—Liechtenstein has the third-largest total area at 160 sq. km, comparable to the size of the city of Washington D.C. Liechtenstein is located between Austria and Switzerland in the Alps and is a winter sports destination. About 40,000 people call it home, half of the population of Andorra. Although Liechtenstein’s capital, Vaduz, is the best-known city in the principality, it’s not the largest; next-door Schaan has a larger population.

    2. Liechtenstein is a parliamentary constitutional principality with a small civil service.

      The 1921 constitution combines monarchy and democratic principles, defining the principality as “a constitutional, hereditary monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis.” The government consists of a five-member cabinet nominated by parliament and appointed by the prince for a four-year term. Liechtenstein has 1,500 civil servants, less than 4 percent of the population, significantly lower than the EU average of about 17 percent. Twenty-five members of parliament serve a four-year term.

    3. Liechtenstein has the second highest per capita income in Europe, behind Monaco.

      Liechtenstein’s per capita income of US$197K/year is substantially higher than that of most other small states and other European countries. High investment in research and development (6.2 percent of GDP) supports a globally-competitive and export-oriented manufacturing sector, which includes machine and tool engineering, plant construction, and precision and dental instruments, contributing to high incomes. The share of industry is high at 42 percent of gross value added, well above the EU average (about 15 percent). The financial sector, mostly based on private banking, wealth management, insurance, and trust services, accounts for about 20 percent of GDP.

    4. The number of persons employed in Liechtenstein exceeds its population.

      A distinctive feature of Liechtenstein’s economy is the large number of inward, cross-border commuters—from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Compared to a population of approximately 40,000, the workforce was 42,500 in 2022. About half of the workforce commutes daily from Switzerland (59 percent of commuters) or Austria (37 percent). Labor force participation is high (76.1 percent, vis-à-vis 74.9 percent in the EU), and the unemployment rate is below 2 percent.

    5. Despite its small size, Liechtenstein is globally integrated.

      The US, Germany, and Switzerland are among its most important export destinations. As part of the European Economic Area, Liechtenstein has full access to the EU’s single market, including financial markets, under the rules for free movement of services and capital. Building on access to the EU’s financial market and oversight by the European Banking Authority, Liechtenstein’s financial institutions have extended private wealth management networks outside the EU to Asia and the Middle East. Strong economic ties with Switzerland—including use of the Swiss franc—have also fostered trade and labor market integration. 

    ****

    Rodgers Chawani is a senior economist and Kazuko Shirono is a deputy chief. Both are in the IMF’s European Department.

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2024/10/21/cf-five-things-you-may-not-know-about-liechtenstein

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –