Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital officially named “The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong” (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Government announced today (October 9) the official naming of Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital as “The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong” (CMHHK) and launched the hospital’s logo at the same time. The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said that the establishment of the CMHHK marks a milestone in the city’s commitment to driving Chinese medicine (CM) development. The Government is actively progressing with various preparations for the commissioning of the CMHHK, aiming to commence services in phases starting from the end of next year.
     
         Professor Lo said, “As the first CM service-predominant hospital in Hong Kong, the CMHHK will lead the way for local CM services to go beyond primary healthcare and play a part in secondary and tertiary healthcare, signifying a major breakthrough in CM development of Hong Kong. The CMHHK will also serve as the city’s flagship CM institution, taking on the roles of a pioneer and change-driver to leverage Hong Kong’s traditional advantages in CM through active interaction with various stakeholders in the CM sector and joining forces with the sector to promote CM development in Hong Kong, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the international community as a whole, thereby contributing to the construction of CM Highlands in the GBA and the national CM development.”
      
         The design of the CMHHK logo, characterised by the outline of the hospital building, incorporates the Chinese character “中” among architectural features that depict the building outlines and colours resembling a mountain range. It also includes a moon gate design common in classical Chinese gardens, symbolising a welcoming passageway for the public into the extensive and profound realm of CM. The overall design of the logo showcases both traditional Chinese architectural elements and the vibrancy of Chinese culture, highlighting the unique position of the CMHHK within Hong Kong’s healthcare system.
     
         The CMHHK will focus on providing pure CM, CM-predominant and integrated Chinese-Western medicine clinical services, covering government-subsidised inpatient and outpatient services. The hospital will also undertake key missions in training and education, research, collaboration and creating health values, including offering clinical internships to students of the three local universities with Schools of Chinese Medicine and serving as a clinical training platform for CM practitioners. Moreover, the CMHHK will collaborate with universities and education institutions in Hong Kong, on the Mainland and overseas on clinical research, proprietary Chinese medicines development and other CM-related research to push forward the research development of CM.
     
         Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, the CMHHK adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government. The Government commissioned Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) as the Contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. HKBU subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee (i.e. HKBU Chinese Medicine Hospital Company Limited) in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the Operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital.    

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CCI approves acquisition of 42.99% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited by JM Financial Limited

    Source: Government of India (2)

    CCI approves acquisition of 42.99% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited by JM Financial Limited

    Acquisition of 71.79% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company Limited by JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited also approved

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 11:59AM by PIB Delhi

    Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved (i) acquisition of 42.99% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited by JM Financial Limited, and (ii) acquisition of 71.79% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company Limited by JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited.

    The Proposed Combination envisages two simultaneous acquisitions, i.e., (i) acquisition of 42.99% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Credit Solutions Limited (JMFCSL) by JM Financial Limited (JMFL), and (ii) acquisition of 71.79% of the total paid up share capital of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (JMFARC) by JMFCSL.

    JMFL is the operating cum holding company of the JM Financial Group (JMFL Group), that provides integrated and diversified financial services on its own and through its subsidiaries. It is a publicly listed company on BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited. JMFL’s primary business includes investment banking business, private equity fund management, along with undertaking operations of private wealth and portfolio management services.

    JMFCSL, a subsidiary of JMFL, is a systemically important non-deposit taking Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) and is classified as an investment and credit company, categorized as middle layer NBFC, registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It is currently engaged in wholesale lending activities with primary focus on real estate financing and corporate financing.

    JMFARC, a subsidiary of JMFL, is an asset reconstruction company, registered with the RBI, under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002. It is engaged in the business of acquisition of stressed assets from banks / financial institutions and implementing resolution strategies for the acquired assets.

    Detailed order of the Commission will follow.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UNFPA Honors India’s Leadership in Maternal Health and Family Planning

    Source: Government of India

    UNFPA Honors India’s Leadership in Maternal Health and Family Planning

    Commends India’s monumental efforts in reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by an impressive 70% between 2000 and 2020

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 8:56AM by PIB Delhi

    The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has recognized India’s extraordinary progress in advancing Maternal Health and Family Planning. Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, felicitated Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary, by presenting a plaque and certificate and underlined UNFPA’s unwavering commitment to partnering with India toward women’s health and well-being.

    The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing a number of programmes to improve maternal health outcomes toward achieving zero preventable maternal deaths. These include assured quality and respectful maternity care under the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan Yojana (SUMAN), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and the Midwifery Services Initiative.

    In the presence of Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission; Smt. Meera Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Reproductive & Child Health (RCH); Mr. Pio Smith, Asia Pacific Regional Director for UNFPA; and Ms. Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative, Dr. Kanem commended India’s monumental efforts in reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by an impressive 70% between 2000 and 2020, positioning the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of an MMR below 70 before 2030. This remarkable progress has saved the lives of thousands of women across the country, particularly those from marginalized communities.

    India’s Family Planning program has reached new heights, with the Total Fertility Rate reduced below the replacement level (TFR-2). Over the years, UNFPA has played a key role in expanding the basket of contraceptive choices, including the recent inclusion of Subdermal Implants and injectable Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA).

    The Ministry’s leadership in global reproductive health forums was acknowledged with India holding key positions in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) and the Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) global partnership.

    During the meeting, Dr. Kanem reaffirmed UNFPA’s steadfast commitment to supporting India’s efforts in advancing the health and well-being of women, girls, and young people.

    As UNFPA commemorates 50 years of partnership with the Government of India, this event marks a significant moment in their shared mission to ensure the health and well-being of every woman and young person in India as the nation progresses toward the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’.

    Dr. Indu Grewal, Additional Commissioner (Family Planning/Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques/ABP), Dr. Pawan Kumar, Additional Commissioner (Maternal Health & Immunization), Dr. Zoya Ali Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner (Nutrition & Adolescent Health), delegates from UNFPA and other senior officials from the Ministry were also present at the event.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Family and Women Development Summit starts new chapter for family and women’s development (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Women’s Commission and the Family Council today (October 9) hosted the Family and Women Development Summit Hong Kong for exchanging experiences with different sectors of the community in respect of promoting family and women development, with a view to assisting in formulating more focused measures to further support family and women development.     Themed “Women’s Strengths in Action, Family Values Across Generations”, the inaugural Summit has gathered key officials responsible for policies on women or family from different regions, as well as successful women from various sectors, representatives of families from different backgrounds and related organisations and non-governmental organisations as guest speakers. It also attracted over 900 representatives from local and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area women’s groups, the business sector, and relevant service organisations to register and participate. The Summit aimed at enabling them to share their experiences on women development issues of concern as well as family building and fostering family education and values.     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, officiated at the Summit. In his remarks, he said, “Women have been playing a crucial role in driving Hong Kong’s social and economic development. Women are as competent as men. Hong Kong women have achieved outstanding accomplishments in various fields, providing pivotal support for social development.”     Mr Chan said that women not only contribute to social and economic development with their wisdom and strength, but also play a unique role in respect of family building as well as fostering family education and values. He said, “Family is the cornerstone of society. Chinese people have been attaching importance to families. The promulgation of the National 14th Five-Year Plan mentioned the need to strengthen family building, promoting the diversified development of family services. The country attaches great importance to family building. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government also focuses on the healthy development of local families.”     Keynote speeches of the Summit featured the theme “Family and Women’s Development as the Cornerstones of Social Harmony”. Key officials responsible for policies on women or family from different places, including member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women’s Federation Ms Ma Liejian; former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Ms Fu Ying; the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Kingdom of Cambodia, Ms Ing Kantha Phavi; the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; and the Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, Dr Eliza Chan, shared policies and initiatives taken by governments in empowering women and strengthening family building as well as their insights about family and women’s development.           Miss Mak said in the keynote speech, “This is the first Family and Women Development Summit organised by the Government. Through the Summit, we hope to provide a new platform for individuals who are concerned about the development of local families and women, pulling together the efforts of the Government, the business sector, and the community. This will allow people from different sectors, backgrounds, and cultures to exchange experiences and insights, and to stimulate new ideas for formulating relevant measures.”     Miss Mak said that the HYAB has been actively preparing multiple new measures related to family and women’s development as covered in the 2023 Policy Address. She announced at the Summit the official launch of a one-stop family and women’s information portal; the introduction of a three-year Maintenance Mediation Pilot Scheme through the Community Care Fund to provide mediation services related to maintenance for those in need; and the official launch of a new five-year Funding Scheme on the Promotion of Family Education on October 14 to support non-profit-making community projects in promoting family education.           Two thematic sessions were held at the Summit. The first session themed “Women’s Strengths in Action” was chaired by the Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (Home Affairs), Mr Nick Au Yeung. The panellists, including the Director of Division of Women’s Affairs, National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, Ms Li He; the Chief Executive Officer of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Company Limited Hong Kong Branch, Ms Li Zhang; the Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Ms Bonnie Chan; the Executive Vice-President of the Strategy Development and Government Affairs, GBA of Ant Group, Ms Jennifer Tan; and the Founder of Mary Yu Design, Ms Mary Yu, explored the roles and contributions of women in driving the economic and social development of Hong Kong.     The second session with the theme “Family Values Across Generations” was hosted by the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung. Mr Leung, with the Director General of the Department of Family and Children’s Affairs of the All-China Women’s Federation, Ms Xu Xu; the Chairperson of the Family Council, Ms Melissa Pang; the Chief Executive Officer of the WEMP Foundation, Mr Alex Mo; a working mother and Founder of Simply Mask Limited, Ms Corina Cheng; the Founding Chairman of LoveXpress Foundation Ltd, Ms Kitty Poon; and a representative of ethnic minorities family, Ms Syed Kalsoom (Pinky), evaluated the importance of family education on building a caring and harmonious family from various perspectives to boost the healthy development of local families.           Exhibition booths were also set up at the venue to showcase the achievements of women’s groups and family service organisations in promoting women’s development and family education.           For details and the recording of the Summit programme, please visit the thematic webpage, familyandwomensummit.hk/hyab2024. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CCI approves the acquisition of Home and Personal Care (HPC) division of Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) by Patanjali Foods Limited (PFL)

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 12:01PM by PIB Delhi

    Competition Commission of India has approved the acquisition of Home and Personal Care (HPC) division of Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) by Patanjali Foods Limited (PFL). The proposed Combination involves the acquisition of PAL’s HPC business division (non-food business) by PFL.

    PFL is engaged in processing of oilseeds, refining of crude oil for edible use, production of oil meal, food products from soya and value-added products from downstream and upstream processing. It is also engaged in the business of fast-moving consumer goods, fast moving health goods comprising mainly of food, biscuits and nutraceutical products and engaged in generation of power from wind energy and trading in various products.

    PAL is engaged in in the business of manufacturing, trading, packing and labelling of ayurvedic medicines (by way of herbo mineral preparations, combining herbs and minerals); HPC items; dairy items and bulk trading of rice, etc. Their offering includes a wide range of ayurvedic products, personal care items and health supplements.

    HPC division is engaged in business that encompasses the products under haircare, skincare, dental care and home care segment.

    Detailed order of the Commission will follow.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Release of Commemorative Stamps Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 2:30PM by PIB Delhi

    On the occasion of World Post Day, the Department of Posts, Government of India, unveiled a special set of commemorative postage stamps celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The stamps were released by Ms. Vandita Kaul, Secretary (Posts), during a ceremony held at Meghdoot Bhawan, New Delhi. Senior officers of the Department of Posts were in attendance to honor this milestone, paying tribute to the UPU’s lasting legacy and its pivotal role in shaping global postal services.

    Established on October 9, 1874, in Bern, Switzerland, the UPU is a cornerstone of modern postal cooperation, with India being one of its oldest and most active members. The UPU has played an integral role in standardizing international postal regulations, ensuring seamless mail exchange among its 192 member countries, and making postal services accessible to all.

    Union Minister of Communications and Development of Northeastern Region Sh. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia sent his message on the occasion, ‘It is a matter of great pride that on World Post Day, the Department of Posts, Government of India, unveiled a special set of commemorative postage stamps celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The UPU has been instrumental in shaping a world where communication knows no bounds. With these stamps, we honor India’s shared commitment to innovation and inclusivity, and reaffirm India Post’s role as a vital link in the global postal network. Together, let’s continue to bridge distances, unite communities, and foster communication across nations.’

    Speaking at the event, Ms. Kaul emphasized the significance of the UPU’s contributions, stating, “The UPU’s legacy of promoting global cooperation in postal services is invaluable. India’s active engagement in UPU’s initiatives, along with our efforts to modernize postal services through digital advancements and e-commerce, has enhanced India’s position in the global postal landscape.”

    This year’s observance of World Post Day is particularly meaningful as India Post marks 170 years of service to the nation. From urban centers to remote villages, India Post has been integral in delivering essential services and connecting people across the country.

    A set of three commemorative stamps released today reflects India’s strong connection with the UPU and symbolizes the shared values of cooperation, innovation, and inclusivity. They highlight the essential role postal services play in bridging distances, facilitating communication, and connecting people across the globe.

    India Post, with the world’s largest postal network, continues to align with the UPU’s mission, modernizing its services and supporting the development of postal infrastructure worldwide.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PRESIDENT OF INDIA GRACES 7TH FOUNDATION DAY OF ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA

    Source: Government of India (2)

    PRESIDENT OF INDIA GRACES 7TH FOUNDATION DAY OF ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA

    The idea of an integrative system of Medicine Is becoming popular all Over the world: President droupadi Murmu

    Emphasises on cooperation among people associated with different systems Of medicine

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 2:17PM by PIB Delhi

    The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced the 7th foundation day of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi today (October 8, 2024).

    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Ayurveda is one of the oldest medical systems in the world. It is India’s invaluable gift to the world. Ayurveda emphasizes holistic health management while maintaining a balance between mind, body and spirit.

    The President said that we have always been aware of the medicinal value of the trees and plants around us and have been using them. In tribal society, the tradition of knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants has been even richer. But as society embraced modernity and moved away from nature, we stopped using that traditional knowledge. It became easier to get medicine from a doctor than adopt home remedies. Now awareness among people is increasing. Today, the idea of an Integrative System of Medicine is becoming popular all over the world. Different medical systems are helping to provide health to people as complementary systems to each other.

    The President said that we have unwavering faith in Ayurveda from generation to generation. Some people take advantage of this faith and cheat innocent people. They spread misleading information and make false claims, which not only harm the money and health of the public but also defame Ayurveda. She stated that more and more qualified doctors are needed so that people do not have to go to uneducated doctors. She was happy to note that in the past few years, the number of Ayurveda colleges and students has increased significantly. She expressed confidence that in the coming times, the availability of qualified Ayurvedic doctors will increase further.

    The President said that the development of Ayurveda will not only be beneficial for humans but also for animals and the environment. Many trees and plants are becoming extinct because we do not know about their utility. When we know their importance, we will preserve them.

    The President said that people associated with different systems of medicine often claim that their system is the best. It is good to have healthy competition among themselves but there should be no attempt to criticize each other. There should be a sense of cooperation among people associated with different systems of medicine. The aim of all is to do good to humanity by curing the patients. We all pray ‘Sarve Santu Niramayah’ – everyone should be free from diseases.

    The President said that we have to focus on research and continuous improvement in the quality of medicines to ensure the relevance of Ayurveda. We also need to empower the Ayurveda educational institutions. She was happy to note that the All India Institute of Ayurveda, combining traditional education with modern technology, has made its important place in Ayurvedic medicine, education, research and overall healthcare in a short span of time.

    Click here to see the President’s address.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet approves continuation of supply of free Fortified Rice under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes from July, 2024 to December, 2028

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Cabinet approves continuation of supply of free Fortified Rice under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes from July, 2024 to December, 2028

    In line with the Prime Minister’s address on the 75th Independence Day, the continuation of Rice Fortification initiative will complement the interventions adopted under the Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy of the Government of India

    Big step towards nutritional security in line with the PM’s vision

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:09PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved continuation of the universal supply of Fortified Rice under all schemes of the Government including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Other Welfare Schemes etc. in its present form, from July 2024 and upto December 2028.

    The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100% funding by the Government of India as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation.

    Accordingly, in line with the Prime Minister’s address on 75th Independence Day on the necessity of Nutritional Security in the country, the initiative “Supply of fortified rice throughout the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Other Welfare Schemes, Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS), PM POSHAN (Erstwhile MDM) in all States and Union Territories (UTs)” to address anaemia and micronutrients deficiency in the country was taken up. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in April 2022, decided to implement the Rice fortification initiative throughout the country in a phased manner by March 2024.  All three phases have been successfully completed and the target of universal coverage to supply fortified rice in all schemes of the Government was achieved by March 2024.

    According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021, anaemia remains a widespread issue in India, affecting children, women, and men across various age groups and income levels. Besides iron deficiency, other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid, also persist, impacting the overall health and productivity of the population.

    Food fortification has been used globally as a safe and effective measure to address anaemia and micronutrient malnutrition in the vulnerable population. Rice is an ideal vehicle for supplying micronutrients in the Indian Context as 65% of India’s population consumes rice as a staple food. Rice fortification involves the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enriched with micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B 12) as per standards prescribed by FSSAI to regular Rice (Custom Milled Rice). 

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for various development projects in Maharashtra worth over Rs 7600 crore via video conferencing

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for various development projects in Maharashtra worth over Rs 7600 crore via video conferencing

    Inaugurates 10 Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra

    Lays foundation stone for upgradation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur

    Lays foundation stone for New Integrated Terminal Building at Shirdi Airport

    Inaugurates Indian Institute of Skills Mumbai and Vidya Samiksha Kendra, Maharashtra

    Launch of projects in Maharashtra will enhance infrastructure, boost connectivity and empower the youth: PM

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:06PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for various development projects in Maharashtra worth over Rs 7600 crore via video conference today. The projects of today include the foundation stone laying of the upgradation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur and the New Integrated Terminal Building at Shirdi Airport. Shri Modi also launched the operationalization of 10 Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra and inaugurated the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS), Mumbai and Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) of Maharashtra.

    Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that Maharashtra is being presented with 10 new Medical colleges and important infrastructure projects including the modernization and expansion of Nagpur Airport and construction of a new terminal building for Shirdi Airport. He congratulated the people of Maharashtra for the development projects of today.

    Recalling his visit to Mumbai and Thane to inaugurate projects worth Rs 30,000 crore, the Prime Minister mentioned that development projects worth thousands of crores such as the expansion of Metro network, upgradation of airports, highway projects, infrastructure, solar energy and textile parks have been initiated in various districts earlier. Shri Modi underlined that new initiatives have been undertaken for farmers, fishermen and animal keepers while the foundation stone for Wadhawan Port – India’s largest container port has also been laid in Maharashtra. The Prime Minister remarked, “Never in the history of Maharashtra has development taken place at such a fast pace, on such a large scale, in different sectors.”

    Recalling the recent recognition of Marathi as a classical language, the Prime Minister remarked that when a language gets its due respect, it’s not just the words but the entire generation gets a voice. He added that the dream of crores of Marathi brethren was fulfilled with this. Shri Modi noted that the people of Maharashtra celebrated the recognition of Marathi as a classical language. He added that he was receiving messages of happiness and gratitude from people across the villages of Maharashtra. Shri Modi remarked that the recognition of Marathi as a classical language was not his work but a result of the blessings of people of Maharashtra. The Prime Minister underlined that the works of progress in Maharashtra were underway due to the blessings of luminaries like Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Jyothiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

    The Prime Minister noted that the results of the assembly elections  published yesterday for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and the voters of Haryana had clearly revealed the mood of the people of the country. He added that the victory in Haryana for the third consecutive time after successful completion of two terms was historic.

    Prime Minister Modi cautioned against those who play divisive politics and mislead the voters for personal gains. He also pointed out attempts to induce fear among Muslims in India and convert them into votebank and also expressed disdain towards those indulging in casteism in Hinduism for their benefit. Shri Modi warned against those trying to break Hindu society in India for political gains. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the people of Maharashtra would reject efforts to break the society.

    In the last 10 years, the Prime Minister said that the government has begun a ‘Maha Yajna’ of creating modern infrastructure for the development of the nation. “Today, we are not only constructing buildings but laying the foundation of a healthy and prosperous Maharashtra”, the Prime Minister said, referring to the inauguration of 10 new  Medical colleges in the state to improve the lives of lakhs of people. He said that Thane, Ambernath, Mumbai, Nashik, Jalna, Buldhana, Hingoli, Washim, Amravati, Bhankdara and Gadchiroli districts would become centers of service for lakhs of people. The Prime Minister underscored that the 10 new Medical colleges would further add 900 medical seats in Maharashtra taking the total number of medical seats in the state to about 6000. Recalling his resolve to add 75,000 new medical seats from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said that today’s event is a big step in this direction.

    Adding that the Government had eased the Medical Education, the Prime Minister remarked that the doors to new avenues were opened for the youth of Maharashtra. He added that the priority of the government was to ensure that as many children from poor and middle class families become doctors and their dreams are fulfilled. Shri Modi said that at one point of time, there was a huge challenge of non-availability of books  in mother tongue for such specialized studies. The Prime Minister said that the Government  ended this discrimination and the youth of Maharashtra would be able to study medicine in Marathi language. He added that the youth will fulfill their dream of becoming doctors, by studying in their mother-tongue.

    The Prime Minister remarked that the Government’s effort to make life comfortable was a big medium to fight against poverty. Lambasting the previous Governments for making poverty the fuel of their politics, he added that his government has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty within a decade. Elaborating on the transformation of health services in the country, Shri Modi said “Today, every poor person has an Ayushman card for free medical treatment”. He added that recently the elderly aged above 70 years were also getting free medical treatment. Shri Modi noted that the Essential medicines were available at very low prices at Jan Aushadhi Kendras and the stents for heart patients were made cheaper by 80-85 percent. He added that the Government had also reduced the prices of medicines necessary for cancer treatment. Adding that medical treatment had become cheaper due to the increase in the number of government medical colleges and hospitals, Shri Modi said “Today the Modi government has given a strong shield of social security to the poorest of the poor.”

    The Prime Minister emphasized that the world only trusts a country when its youth is filled with confidence. He noted that the confidence of today’s young India is writing the story of a new future for the nation and highlighted that the global community sees India as a significant hub for human resources, with vast opportunities in education, healthcare, and software development across the globe. To prepare India’s youth for these opportunities, the Prime Minister informed that the government is aligning their skills with global standards. The Prime Minister mentioned the launch of various projects in Maharashtra, including the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, aimed at advancing the educational framework and the inauguration of the Indian Institute of Skills in Mumbai, where future-oriented training will be provided to align the talent of young individuals with market demands. Further, Shri Modi highlighted the government’s initiative of offering paid internships to youth, a first in India’s history, where students will receive a stipend of Rs 5,000 during their internship. He expressed happiness that thousands of companies are registering to be a part of this initiative thereby helping young individuals gain valuable experience and opening new opportunities for them.

    The Prime Minister said India’s efforts for its youth are yielding significant results. He said that India’s educational institutions are standing on par with the top institutes globally and highlighted the growing quality of higher education and research in India as released by World University Rankings only yesterday.

    Shri Modi said that the world’s eyes are now on India as the country has become the fifth-largest economy. “Future of the global economy is in India”, the Prime Minister remarked, noting the new opportunities brought by economic progress, especially in sectors that were once neglected for decades. He gave the example of tourism and pointed out the lost opportunities in the past to fully utilize Maharashtra’s invaluable heritage, beautiful natural sites and spiritual centers to develop the state into a billion-dollar economy.

    The Prime Minister stressed that the present government includes both development and heritage. Touching upon building a bright future inspired by India’s rich past, the Prime Minister mentioned the new terminal at Shirdi Airport, the modernization of Nagpur Airport and other development projects underway in Maharashtra. He said that the new terminal at Shirdi Airport will greatly benefit devotees of Sai Baba allowing more visitors from across the country and abroad. He also spoke about inaugurating the upgraded Solapur Airport which will now enable devotees to visit nearby spiritual destinations such as Shani Shingnapur, Tulja Bhavani and Kailas Temple thereby, boosting Maharashtra’s tourism economy and creating employment opportunities.

    “Every decision and every policy of our government is dedicated to only one goal – Viksit Bharat!”, exclaimed Shri Modi. He added that the Government’s vision for the same was welfare of the poor, farmers, youth and women. Therefore, he added that every development project was dedicated to the poor villagers, laborers and farmers. Shri Modi highlighted that the separate cargo complex being built at Shirdi Airport would help the farmers a lot as various types of agricultural products could be exported across the country and abroad. He added that farmers of Shirdi, Lasalgaon, Ahilyanagar and Nashik would benefit from the cargo complex by easily being able to transport products like onion, grapes, guava and pomegranate to the big market.

    The Prime Minister remarked that the government was constantly taking necessary steps in the interest of farmers such as abolishing the minimum export price on Basmati rice, removal of ban on export of non-Basmati rice, reducing the export duty on parboiled rice by half. He added that the government has also reduced the export tax on onions by half to increase the income of farmers of Maharashtra. Shri Modi also added that the Government had decided to impose a 20 percent tax on the import of edible oils and significantly increase the custom duty on refined soybean, sunflower and palm oil to help the farmers of India to benefit with higher prices for crops like mustard, soybean and sunflower. Shri Modi also added that the way the government was supporting the textile industry the cotton farmers of Maharashtra would be greatly benefitted.

    Concluding the address, the Prime Minister said that the resolve of the present government is to strengthen Maharashtra. He expressed happiness with the state’s pace of progress and congratulated the people of Maharashtra for all the development projects of today.

    Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C P Radhakrishnan, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis were virtually present on the occasion.

    Background

    The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the upgradation of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur with a total estimated project cost of around Rs 7000 crore. It will serve as a catalyst for growth across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, aviation, tourism, logistics, and healthcare, benefiting Nagpur city and the wider Vidarbha region.

    The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the New Integrated Terminal Building at Shirdi Airport worth over Rs 645 crore. It will provide world-class facilities and amenities for the religious tourists coming to Shirdi. The construction theme of the proposed terminal is based on the spiritual neem tree of Sai Baba.

    In line with his commitment to ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare for all, the Prime Minister launched the operationalization of 10 Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra located at Mumbai, Nashik, Jalna, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Buldhana, Washim, Bhandara, Hingoli and Ambernath (Thane). While enhancing the undergraduate and postgraduate seats, the colleges will also offer specialized tertiary healthcare to the people.

    In line with his vision to position India as the ‘Skill Capital of the World’,  the Prime Minister also inaugurated the Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) Mumbai, with an aim to create an industry-ready workforce with cutting-edge technology and hands-on training. Established under a Public-Private Partnership model, it is a collaboration between the Tata Education and Development Trust and Government of India. The institute plans to provide training in highly specialized areas like mechatronics, artificial intelligence, data analytics, industrial automation and robotics among others.

    Further, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) of Maharashtra. VSK will provide students, teachers, and administrators with access to crucial academic and administrative data through live chatbots such as Smart Upasthiti, Swadhyay among others. It will offer high-quality insights to schools to manage resources effectively, strengthen ties between parents and the state, and deliver responsive support. It will also supply curated instructional resources to enhance teaching practices and student learning.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India’s emergence as a hub for affordable, high-quality medicines is truly commendable: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh

    Source: Government of India

    India’s emergence as a hub for affordable, high-quality medicines is truly commendable: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh

    India’s leadership in global health is exemplified by the development of the world’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19

    We must focus on vaccine equity and technology transfer to enhance global vaccination efforts: The Minister

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:33PM by PIB Delhi

    The “Make in India” initiative is playing a pivotal role in reducing our dependency on imported Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). By strengthening our domestic manufacturing, we are not only bolstering self-reliance but also ensuring critical healthcare supplies are readily available.This was stated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, DrJitendra Singh.

    He was speaking at the 6th CII Pharma & Life Sciences Summit: 2024 here today. The Minister said, “This forum is a vital platform for the exchange of ideas among industry leaders, government officials, and academia, and exemplifies India’s determination to lead in the global pharmaceutical and biotech arenas.”

    Appreciating the pharma industry, he said, “India’s emergence as a hub for affordable, high-quality medicines is truly commendable. We now rank 3rd in pharmaceutical production by volume and 14th by value.” One of the most remarkable shifts within the industry has been the transition from a generic-focused model to the development of biopharmaceuticals and biosimilars, he added.

    Speaking about next industrial revolution, the Minister said, it will come in biotech sector.Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi wants us to lead it.” Thanks to initiatives like the PLI scheme, India is well on its way to becoming a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, bio-manufacturing, and life sciences by 2030. However, there is still much to be achieved. I congratulate CII and the life sciences industry on your success, but we must not lose sight of the immense opportunities ahead, he added.

    Every third tablet consumed globally is made in India. A recent Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) survey across 48,000 drug samples from all Indian states revealed a spurious drug incidence of just 0.0245%. However, as goods travel across diverse climatic regions, improving the infrastructure and efficiency of transporting pharmaceutical products is vital to ensuring their efficacy.

    India’s leadership in global health is exemplified by the development of the world’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19 and the efforts to develop the first Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for adolescent girls, which will prevent cervical cancer. Furthermore, producing 65% of the world’s vaccines, India has significantly transformed health outcomes, especially for low- and middle-income countries.

    India’s bioeconomy has expanded 13-fold in just ten years, thanks to the thriving ecosystem of nearly 6,000 bio-startups. To sustain this momentum, industry must continue to invest in R&D, support young entrepreneurs, and foster a robust startup ecosystem.The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), with a budget of Rs 50,000 crore over five years, marks a transformative step in building a knowledge-driven society. By addressing the infrastructure gap in universities, the ANRF will stimulate industry-academia collaborations, particularly in sectors like advanced materials, EV mobility, and health technology.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet approves development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC), Lothal, Gujarat.

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:16PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the development of National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat.  The project will be completed in two phases.

    The Cabinet also accorded in-principle approval for  Phase 1B and Phase 2, as per master plan by raising funds through voluntary resources/ contributions and their execution after raising of the funds.

    Construction of Light House Museum under Phase 1B will be funded by Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL).

    A separate society will be set up, for development of future phases, to be governed by a Governing Council headed by Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, under Societies Registration Act, 1860 for implementation, development, management, and operation of NMHC at Lothal, Gujarat.

    The phase 1A of the project is under implementation with more than 60% physical progress and is planned to be completed by 2025.  Phases 1A and 1B of the project are to be developed in EPC mode and Phase 2 of project will be developed through land subleasing/ PPP to establish NMHC as a world class heritage museum. 

    Major impact, including employment generation potential:

    Around 22,000 jobs are expected be created in development of NMHC project, with 15,000 direct employment and 7,000 indirect employment. 

    No. of beneficiaries:

    The implementation of NMHC will boost growth and  immensely help the local communities, tourists and visitors, researchers and scholars, government bodies, educational institutions, cultural organisations, environment and conservation groups, businesses. 

    Background:

    As per the vision of the Prime Minister to showcase 4,500 years old maritime heritage of India, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterway (MoPSW) is setting up a world class National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal.

    The masterplan of the NMHC has been prepared by renowned architecture firm M/s Architect Hafeez Contractor and the construction of phase 1A has been entrusted to Tata Projects Ltd.

    NMHC is planned to be developed in various phases, wherein:

    • Phase 1A will have NMHC museum with 6 galleries, which also includes an Indian Navy & Coast Guard gallery envisaged to be one of the largest in the country with external naval artefacts (INS Nishank, Sea Harrier war aircraft, UH3 helicopter etc.), replica model of Lothal township surrounded by open aquatic gallery, and jetty walkway.
    • Phase 1B will have NMHC museum with 8 more galleries, Light house museum which is planned to be world’s tallest, Bagicha complex (with car parking facility for about 1500 cars, food hall, medical centre, etc.).
    • Phase 2 will have Coastal States Pavilions (to be developed by respective coastal states and union territories), Hospitality zone (with maritime theme eco resort and museuotels), Recreation of real time Lothal City, Maritime institute and hostel and 4 theme based parks (Maritime & Naval Theme Park, Climate Change Theme Park, Monuments Park and Adventure & Amusement Park). 

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ARMY COMMANDERS CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2024 : ARMY COMMANDERS TO BRAINSTORM CONCEPTUAL ISSUES, REVIEW AND ASSESS THE OVERALL SECURITY SITUATION

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:54PM by PIB Delhi

    The Second Army Commanders’ Conference for the year 2024 will be organised in a hybrid mode, with the first Phase planned on 10-11 October 2024 in a forward location at Gangtok. In the second phase, the senior hierarchy of Indian Army will congregate at Delhi on 28-29 October 2024. Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Raksha Mantri will deliver a keynote address to the senior leadership at Gangtok and will be briefed on the emerging security challenges and the response of the Army in the security domain.

    As the Nation faces numerous regional security challenges, the upcoming Army Commanders’ Conference scheduled to commence in Sikkim tomorrow, assumes significance. Conducting the conference of Senior Commanders at a forward location underlines Indian Army’s focus on ground realities. The conference will serve as a forum for Senior Commanders to review current operational preparedness, deliberate on critical strategies and outline future directives.

    During the first phase of the conference, discussions will focus on critical national security issues and strategic aspects aimed at sharpening Indian Army’s warfighting capabilities. Major issues to be deliberated during the two-day session will include the growing importance of a multi-pronged national security strategy that incorporates integration of Civil Military Fusion & the Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic (DIME) pillars to counter contemporary threats besides the need for developing low-cost technologies and alternate strategies to counter the rapidly evolving character of warfare.

    Aligned to Indian Army’s goal of Technological Absorption, the senior hierarchy will deliberate on various issues including infusion of technology in Professional Military Education and explore the possibilities of recruiting domain specialists in niche domains. Other issues under deliberation will focus on enhancing the overall organisational health and easing the processes of the Field Army to make them more resilient and responsive.

    The second phase of the conference will feature a discussion on evolving geopolitical landscape followed by brainstorming on operational matters and meetings of various Board of Governors to deliberate upon welfare measures and schemes for financial security of serving soldiers, veterans and their families. The senior hierarchy of the Army will also be addressed by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.

    This gathering of Indian Army’s senior leadership reinforces the Army’s enduring resolve to stay prepared, adapt swiftly, and defend with precision to ensure the Indian Army remains progressive, forward-looking, adaptive and future-ready.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet approves continuation of supply of free Fortified Rice under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes from July, 2024 to December, 2028

    Source: Government of India

    Cabinet approves continuation of supply of free Fortified Rice under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes from July, 2024 to December, 2028

    In line with the Prime Minister’s address on the 75th Independence Day, the continuation of Rice Fortification initiative will complement the interventions adopted under the Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy of the Government of India

    Big step towards nutritional security in line with the PM’s vision

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 3:09PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved continuation of the universal supply of Fortified Rice under all schemes of the Government including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Other Welfare Schemes etc. in its present form, from July 2024 and upto December 2028.

    The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100% funding by the Government of India as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation.

    Accordingly, in line with the Prime Minister’s address on 75th Independence Day on the necessity of Nutritional Security in the country, the initiative “Supply of fortified rice throughout the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Other Welfare Schemes, Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS), PM POSHAN (Erstwhile MDM) in all States and Union Territories (UTs)” to address anaemia and micronutrients deficiency in the country was taken up. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in April 2022, decided to implement the Rice fortification initiative throughout the country in a phased manner by March 2024.  All three phases have been successfully completed and the target of universal coverage to supply fortified rice in all schemes of the Government was achieved by March 2024.

    According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021, anaemia remains a widespread issue in India, affecting children, women, and men across various age groups and income levels. Besides iron deficiency, other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid, also persist, impacting the overall health and productivity of the population.

    Food fortification has been used globally as a safe and effective measure to address anaemia and micronutrient malnutrition in the vulnerable population. Rice is an ideal vehicle for supplying micronutrients in the Indian Context as 65% of India’s population consumes rice as a staple food. Rice fortification involves the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enriched with micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B 12) as per standards prescribed by FSSAI to regular Rice (Custom Milled Rice).

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minutes – Tuesday, 8 October 2024 – Strasbourg – Final edition

    Source: European Parliament

    PV-10-2024-10-08

    EN

    EN

    iPlPv_Sit

    Minutes
    Tuesday, 8 October 2024 – Strasbourg

     Abbreviations and symbols

    + adopted
    rejected
    lapsed
    W withdrawn
    RCV roll-call votes
    EV electronic vote
    SEC secret ballot
    split split vote
    sep separate vote
    am amendment
    CA compromise amendment
    CP corresponding part
    D deleting amendment
    = identical amendments
    § paragraph

    IN THE CHAIR: Roberta METSOLA
    President

    1. Opening of the sitting

    The sitting opened at 9:01.


    2. Penalties

    Pursuant to Rules 10 and 183, and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, the President had decided to impose a penalty on Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă for having disrupted the sitting of 18 July 2024 by behaving improperly during the debate on the statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (minutes of 18.7.2024, item 3).

    The penalty consisted of the forfeiture of the Member’s entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of seven days and of a temporary suspension from participation in Parliament’s plenary activities for a period of seven days on which Parliament meets, starting that day, 8 October 2024, without prejudice to the Member’s right to vote in plenary, and subject to strict compliance with the Members’ standards of conduct.

    The Member concerned had been notified of this decision and had lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau under Rule 184. At its meeting the previous day, the Bureau had upheld the penalty imposed, without prejudice to the external rights of appeal open to the Member concerned. The penalty was therefore final.


    IN THE CHAIR: Javi LÓPEZ
    Vice-President

    3. Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (debate)

    Council and Commission statements: Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (2024/2782(RSP))

    János Bóka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statements.

    The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anna Bryłka on behalf of the PfE Group, Carlo Fidanza, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of the The Left Group, Anja Arndt, on behalf of the ESN Group, Dolors Montserrat, Alex Agius Saliba, Enikő Győri, Charlie Weimers, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Damian Boeselager, João Oliveira, Michael von der Schulenburg, Paulo Cunha, Nicola Zingaretti, Gilles Pennelle, Beata Szydło, Karlo Ressler, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Csaba Dömötör, Nicolas Bay, Luděk Niedermayer, Matjaž Nemec, Emmanouil Fragkos, Seán Kelly, Dan Nica, Kris Van Dijck, Wouter Beke and Jaak Madison.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Maria Grapini, Tobiasz Bocheński, Lukas Sieper, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Grzegorz Braun.

    The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič and János Bóka.

    The debate closed.


    4. Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (2021/2850(RSP))

    Josep Borrell Fontelles (Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

    The following spoke: Željana Zovko, on behalf of the PPE Group.

    IN THE CHAIR: Sabine VERHEYEN
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sebastiaan Stöteler, on behalf of the PfE Group, Alberico Gambino, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Lynn Boylan, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Nacho Sánchez Amor, António Tânger Corrêa, who also answered a blue-card question by Bruno Gonçalves, Assita Kanko, Christophe Grudler, Hannah Neumann, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Alexander Sell, Giorgos Georgiou, Hans Neuhoff, Kostas Papadakis, François-Xavier Bellamy, who also answered a blue-card question by Anthony Smith, Hana Jalloul Muro, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Bernard Guetta, Leoluca Orlando, Rima Hassan, who also answered a blue-card question by François-Xavier Bellamy, Tomasz Froelich, Kateřina Konečná, Loucas Fourlas, Evin Incir, Thierry Mariani, Rihards Kols, Barry Andrews, Ana Miranda Paz, Mimmo Lucano, Petar Volgin, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, who also answered a blue-card question by Evin Incir (the President reminded the House of the provisions of Rule 10), Matjaž Nemec, Raffaele Stancanelli, Abir Al-Sahlani, Mika Aaltola, Ana Catarina Mendes, Michael McNamara, Milan Zver, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Elena Yoncheva, Seán Kelly, Thijs Reuten, Lukas Mandl, Chloé Ridel, Dimitris Tsiodras, Lucia Annunziata, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Maria Walsh and Sander Smit.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Cecilia Strada, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Marc Botenga, Grzegorz Braun, Luke Ming Flanagan and Alvise Pérez.

    The following spoke: Josep Borrell Fontelles.

    The debate closed.

    (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.)


    IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
    Vice-President

    5. Resumption of the sitting

    The sitting resumed at 12:31.

    Jordan Bardella spoke.


    6. Voting time

    For detailed results, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.


    6.1. Mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund: assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France further to natural disasters that occurred in 2023 (vote)

    Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France relating to six natural disasters that occurred in 2023 [COM(2024)0325 – C10-0088/2024 – 2024/0212(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Georgios Aftias (A10-0002/2024)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

    Approved by single vote (P10_TA(2024)0015)

    Detailed voting results

    1

    (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.)


    7. Resumption of the sitting

    The sitting resumed at 12:36.


    8. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

    The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.


    9. The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (debate)

    Commission statement: The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (2024/2820(RSP))

    Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement.

    The following spoke: Jens Gieseke, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Paolo Borchia, on behalf of the PfE Group, Daniel Obajtek, on behalf of the ECR Group, Christophe Grudler, on behalf of the Renew Group, Sara Matthieu, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Rudi Kennes, on behalf of The Left Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, and Peter Liese.

    IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Gabriele Bischoff, Philippe Olivier, Elena Donazzan, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Anna Cavazzini, Li Andersson, who also answered a blue-card question by Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, Markus Buchheit, Diego Solier, who also answered a blue-card question by Jacek Ozdoba, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, who also answered a blue-card question by Waldemar Buda, Dan Nica, András Gyürk, Alexandr Vondra, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Kai Tegethoff, Jonas Sjöstedt, Siegbert Frank Droese, Lukas Sieper, Dennis Radtke, Estelle Ceulemans, Barbara Bonte, Johan Van Overtveldt, Svenja Hahn, Majdouline Sbai, Marina Mesure, Arno Bausemer, Thomas Geisel, Massimiliano Salini, Bernd Lange, Filip Turek, Carlo Fidanza, Pascal Canfin, who also answered a blue-card question by Anne-Sophie Frigout, Benedetta Scuderi, Carola Rackete, Anja Arndt, Susana Solís Pérez, Johan Danielsson, Roman Haider, Nicolas Bay, Ľubica Karvašová, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Tom Berendsen, Antonio Decaro, Vilis Krištopans, Gheorghe Piperea, Sophie Wilmès, Saskia Bricmont, Jan Farský, Giorgio Gori, Klara Dostalova, Marlena Maląg, Eugen Tomac, Michael Bloss, François-Xavier Bellamy, François Kalfon, Anna Bryłka, Mariateresa Vivaldini, Engin Eroglu, Niels Flemming Hansen, Marit Maij, Mélanie Disdier, Beata Szydło, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Dariusz Joński, Matthias Ecke, Jorge Buxadé Villalba and Giovanni Crosetto.

    IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Paulius Saudargas, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Sebastian Kruis, Ondřej Krutílek, Yvan Verougstraete, Angelika Niebler, Christel Schaldemose, Marie Dauchy, Pietro Fiocchi, Michał Kobosko, Wouter Beke, Bruno Tobback, Julie Rechagneux, Stefano Cavedagna, Miriam Lexmann, Daniel Attard, Angéline Furet, Anna Zalewska, Eszter Lakos, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Anne-Sophie Frigout, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, who also answered a blue-card question by Nicolae Ştefănuță, Sophia Kircher, Annalisa Corrado, Jaak Madison, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Andreas Schieder, Matej Tonin and Idoia Mendia Cueva.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sunčana Glavak, Maria Grapini, Silvia Sardone, Tobiasz Bocheński, Benoit Cassart, Marc Botenga, Marcin Sypniewski, Kateřina Konečná, Radan Kanev, Elena Sancho Murillo, Dario Tamburrano, Katarína Roth Neveďalová and Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska.

    The following spoke: Valdis Dombrovskis.

    Motions for resolutions to be tabled under Rule 136(2) would be announced at a later stage.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: at a later part-session.


    10. Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (2021/2821(RSP))

    Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

    The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Thijs Reuten, on behalf of the S&D Group, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, on behalf of the PfE Group, Tobiasz Bocheński, on behalf of the ECR Group, Dan Barna, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Maria Grapini, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Helmut Brandstätter, Virginijus Sinkevičius, David McAllister, Kristian Vigenin, Cristian Terheş, Petras Auštrevičius, Rasa Juknevičienė, Vasile Dîncu, Adam Bielan, Eugen Tomac, Sandra Kalniete, Pina Picierno, Adrian-George Axinia, Michał Szczerba, Tonino Picula, Małgorzata Gosiewska and Andrea Wechsler.

    IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Victor Negrescu, Davor Ivo Stier, Francisco Assis, Krzysztof Brejza, Mika Aaltola, Sven Simon, Michał Wawrykiewicz and Jüri Ratas.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Grzegorz Braun.

    The following spoke: Věra Jourová.

    Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 9 October 2024.


    11. Composition of committees and delegations

    The Renew Group had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of delegations:

    Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee: Jana Toom

    Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia: Michael McNamara to replace Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu

    The decisions took effect as of that day.




    13. The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (2021/2822(RSP))

    Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

    The following spoke: Rasa Juknevičienė, on behalf of the PPE Group, Sven Mikser, on behalf of the S&D Group, Thierry Mariani, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Urmas Paet, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Danilo Della Valle, on behalf of The Left Group, Hans Neuhoff, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Rihards Kols, who also answered a blue-card question by Alessandro Zan, Petras Auštrevičius, Markéta Gregorová, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Petar Volgin, who also answered a blue-card question by Tobiasz Bocheński, Ľuboš Blaha, Michał Szczerba, Pierfrancesco Maran, Adam Bielan, Helmut Brandstätter, Leoluca Orlando, Ondřej Dostál, Ondřej Kolář, Francisco Assis, Brigitte van den Berg, Riho Terras, Raphaël Glucksmann, Dainius Žalimas, Davor Ivo Stier, Tobias Cremer, Ivars Ijabs, Mika Aaltola, Robert Biedroń, Paulius Saudargas, Thijs Reuten and Jacek Protas.

    IN THE CHAIR: Ewa KOPACZ
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Michał Wawrykiewicz.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure:Alessandro Zan, Tobiasz Bocheński, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Grzegorz Braun, Milan Mazurek and Lukas Sieper.

    The following spoke: Věra Jourová.

    Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 9 October 2024.


    14. Outcome of the Summit of the Future: transforming global governance for building peace, promoting human rights and achieving the sustainable development goals (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Outcome of the Summit of the Future: transforming global governance for building peace, promoting human rights and achieving the sustainable development goals (2021/2823(RSP))

    Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

    The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Udo Bullmann, on behalf of the S&D Group, António Tânger Corrêa, on behalf of the PfE Group, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ignazio Roberto Marino, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Marc Jongen, on behalf of the ESN Group, Hildegard Bentele, Ana Catarina Mendes, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Isabella Lövin, Merja Kyllönen, Rada Laykova, Milan Mazurek, Francisco José Millán Mon, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Jorge Martín Frías, Dick Erixon, Vladimir Prebilič, Pernando Barrena Arza, Ivan David, Ruth Firmenich, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Leire Pajín, André Rougé, Gordan Bosanac, Carolina Morace, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, Brando Benifei, Tiago Moreira de Sá, Evin Incir, Carla Tavares and Hannes Heide.

    IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE
    Vice-President

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper and Grzegorz Braun.

    The following spoke: Věra Jourová.

    The debate closed.


    15. Composition of committees and delegations

    The PPE Group and the non-attached Members had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of the committees and delegations:

    Committee on International Trade: Lukas Sieper

    Committee on Budgets: Lukas Sieper was no longer a member

    Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries: Christophe Gomart to replace François-Xavier Bellamy

    Delegation for relations with Mercosur: Alma Ezcurra Almansa to replace Esther Herranz García

    Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly: Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez to replace Dolors Montserrat

    The decisions took effect as of that day.


    16. Situation in Sudan (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Situation in Sudan (2021/2851(RSP))

    Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

    The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Francisco Assis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Per Clausen, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Marit Maij, Hanna Gedin, Maria Walsh, Hannes Heide, Evin Incir and Cecilia Strada.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Seán Kelly.

    The following spoke: Věra Jourová.

    The debate closed.


    17. Explanations of vote

    Written explanations of vote

    Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.

    Oral explanations of vote


    17.1. Mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund: assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France further to natural disasters that occurred in 2023 (A10-0002/2024 – Georgios Aftias)

    The following spoke: Dick Erixon and Seán Kelly.


    18. Agenda of the next sitting

    The next sitting would be held the following day, 9 October 2024, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.


    19. Approval of the minutes of the sitting

    In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.


    20. Closure of the sitting

    The sitting closed at 20:28.


    ATTENDANCE REGISTER

    Present:

    Aaltola Mika, Abadía Jover Maravillas, Adamowicz Magdalena, Aftias Georgios, Agirregoitia Martínez Oihane, Agius Peter, Agius Saliba Alex, Allione Grégory, Al-Sahlani Abir, Anadiotis Nikolaos, Anderson Christine, Andersson Li, Andresen Rasmus, Andrews Barry, Andriukaitis Vytenis Povilas, Androuët Mathilde, Angel Marc, Annunziata Lucia, Antoci Giuseppe, Arias Echeverría Pablo, Arimont Pascal, Arłukowicz Bartosz, Arnaoutoglou Sakis, Arndt Anja, Arvanitis Konstantinos, Asens Llodrà Jaume, Assis Francisco, Attard Daniel, Aubry Manon, Auštrevičius Petras, Axinia Adrian-George, Azmani Malik, Bajada Thomas, Baljeu Jeannette, Bardella Jordan, Barna Dan, Barrena Arza Pernando, Bartulica Stephen Nikola, Bartůšek Nikola, Bausemer Arno, Bay Nicolas, Bay Christophe, Beke Wouter, Bellamy François-Xavier, Benifei Brando, Benjumea Benjumea Isabel, Beňová Monika, Bentele Hildegard, Berendsen Tom, Berger Stefan, Berg Sibylle, Berlato Sergio, Bernhuber Alexander, Biedroń Robert, Bielan Adam, Bischoff Gabriele, Blaha Ľuboš, Blom Rachel, Bloss Michael, Bocheński Tobiasz, Boeselager Damian, Bogdan Ioan-Rareş, Bonaccini Stefano, Bonte Barbara, Borchia Paolo, Borrás Pabón Mireia, Borvendég Zsuzsanna, Borzan Biljana, Bosanac Gordan, Boßdorf Irmhild, Bosse Stine, Botenga Marc, Boyer Gilles, Boylan Lynn, Brandstätter Helmut, Brasier-Clain Marie-Luce, Braun Grzegorz, Brejza Krzysztof, Bricmont Saskia, Brnjac Nikolina, Bryłka Anna, Buchheit Markus, Buczek Tomasz, Buda Daniel, Buda Waldemar, Budka Borys, Bugalho Sebastião, Buła Andrzej, Bullmann Udo, Burkhardt Delara, Buxadé Villalba Jorge, Bystron Petr, Bžoch Jaroslav, Camara Mélissa, Canfin Pascal, Carberry Nina, Cârciu Gheorghe, Carême Damien, Casa David, Caspary Daniel, Cassart Benoit, Castillo Laurent, del Castillo Vera Pilar, Cavazzini Anna, Cavedagna Stefano, Ceccardi Susanna, Cepeda José, Ceulemans Estelle, Chaibi Leila, Chastel Olivier, Chinnici Caterina, Christensen Asger, Cifrová Ostrihoňová Veronika, Ciriani Alessandro, Cisint Anna Maria, Clausen Per, Clergeau Christophe, Cormand David, Corrado Annalisa, Costanzo Vivien, Cotrim De Figueiredo João, Cowen Barry, Cremer Tobias, Crespo Díaz Carmen, Crosetto Giovanni, Cunha Paulo, Dahl Henrik, Danielsson Johan, Dauchy Marie, Dávid Dóra, David Ivan, Decaro Antonio, de la Hoz Quintano Raúl, Della Valle Danilo, Deloge Valérie, De Masi Fabio, De Meo Salvatore, Deutsch Tamás, Devaux Valérie, Dibrani Adnan, Diepeveen Ton, Dieringer Elisabeth, Dîncu Vasile, Di Rupo Elio, Disdier Mélanie, Dobrev Klára, Doherty Regina, Doleschal Christian, Dömötör Csaba, Do Nascimento Cabral Paulo, Donazzan Elena, Dorfmann Herbert, Dostalova Klara, Dostál Ondřej, Droese Siegbert Frank, Düpont Lena, Dworczyk Michał, Ecke Matthias, Ehler Christian, Ehlers Marieke, Eriksson Sofie, Erixon Dick, Eroglu Engin, Estaràs Ferragut Rosa, Ezcurra Almansa Alma, Falcă Gheorghe, Falcone Marco, Farantouris Nikolas, Farreng Laurence, Farský Jan, Ferber Markus, Ferenc Viktória, Fernández Jonás, Fidanza Carlo, Fiocchi Pietro, Firea Gabriela, Firmenich Ruth, Fita Claire, Flanagan Luke Ming, Fourlas Loucas, Fourreau Emma, Fragkos Emmanouil, Freund Daniel, Frigout Anne-Sophie, Friis Sigrid, Fritzon Heléne, Froelich Tomasz, Fuglsang Niels, Funchion Kathleen, Furet Angéline, Furore Mario, Gahler Michael, Gál Kinga, Galán Estrella, Gálvez Lina, Gambino Alberico, García Hermida-Van Der Walle Raquel, Garraud Jean-Paul, Gasiuk-Pihowicz Kamila, Geadi Geadis, Gedin Hanna, Geese Alexandra, Geier Jens, Geisel Thomas, Gemma Chiara, Georgiou Giorgos, Gerbrandy Gerben-Jan, Germain Jean-Marc, Gerzsenyi Gabriella, Geuking Niels, Gieseke Jens, Giménez Larraz Borja, Girauta Vidal Juan Carlos, Glavak Sunčana, Glucksmann Raphaël, Gomes Isilda, Gonçalves Bruno, Gonçalves Sérgio, González Casares Nicolás, González Pons Esteban, Gori Giorgio, Gosiewska Małgorzata, Gotink Dirk, Gozi Sandro, Grapini Maria, Gregorová Markéta, Grims Branko, Griset Catherine, Groothuis Bart, Grossmann Elisabeth, Grudler Christophe, Gualmini Elisabetta, Guetta Bernard, Guzenina Maria, Győri Enikő, Gyürk András, Hadjipantela Michalis, Hahn Svenja, Haider Roman, Halicki Andrzej, Hansen Christophe, Hansen Niels Flemming, Hassan Rima, Hauser Gerald, Häusling Martin, Hava Mircea-Gheorghe, Hazekamp Anja, Heide Hannes, Heinäluoma Eero, Henriksson Anna-Maja, Herbst Niclas, Herranz García Esther, Hetman Krzysztof, Hojsík Martin, Holmgren Pär, Humberto Sérgio, Ijabs Ivars, Imart Céline, Incir Evin, Iovanovici Şoşoacă Diana, Jaki Patryk, Jalloul Muro Hana, Jamet France, Jarubas Adam, Jerković Romana, Jongen Marc, Joński Dariusz, Joron Virginie, Jouvet Pierre, Joveva Irena, Juknevičienė Rasa, Junco García Nora, Jungbluth Alexander, Kabilov Taner, Kalfon François, Kaliňák Erik, Kaljurand Marina, Kalniete Sandra, Kamiński Mariusz, Kanev Radan, Kanko Assita, Karlsbro Karin, Kartheiser Fernand, Karvašová Ľubica, Katainen Elsi, Kefalogiannis Emmanouil, Kelleher Billy, Keller Fabienne, Kelly Seán, Kennes Rudi, Khan Mary, Kircher Sophia, Knotek Ondřej, Kobosko Michał, Köhler Stefan, Kohut Łukasz, Kokalari Arba, Kolář Ondřej, Kollár Kinga, Kols Rihards, Konečná Kateřina, Kopacz Ewa, Körner Moritz, Kountoura Elena, Kovařík Ondřej, Kovatchev Andrey, Krah Maximilian, Krištopans Vilis, Kruis Sebastian, Krutílek Ondřej, Kubilius Andrius, Kubín Tomáš, Kuhnke Alice, Kulja András Tivadar, Kulmuni Katri, Kyllönen Merja, Kyuchyuk Ilhan, Lagodinsky Sergey, Lakos Eszter, Lange Bernd, Langensiepen Katrin, Laššáková Judita, László András, Latinopoulou Afroditi, Laurent Murielle, Laureti Camilla, Laykova Rada, Lazarov Ilia, Lazarus Luis-Vicențiu, Le Callennec Isabelle, Leggeri Fabrice, Lenaers Jeroen, Leonardelli Julien, Lewandowski Janusz, Lexmann Miriam, Liese Peter, Lins Norbert, Loiseau Nathalie, Løkkegaard Morten, López Aguilar Juan Fernando, Lövin Isabella, Lucano Mimmo, Luena César, Łukacijewska Elżbieta Katarzyna, Lupo Giuseppe, McAllister David, Madison Jaak, Maestre Cristina, Magyar Péter, Maij Marit, Maląg Marlena, Manda Claudiu, Mandl Lukas, Maniatis Yannis, Mantovani Mario, Maran Pierfrancesco, Marczułajtis-Walczak Jagna, Mariani Thierry, Marino Ignazio Roberto, Marquardt Erik, Martín Frías Jorge, Martins Catarina, Marzà Ibáñez Vicent, Mato Gabriel, Matthieu Sara, Mavrides Costas, Maydell Eva, Mayer Georg, Mazurek Milan, McNamara Michael, Mebarek Nora, Mehnert Alexandra, Meimarakis Vangelis, Meleti Eleonora, Mendes Ana Catarina, Mendia Idoia, Mertens Verena, Mesure Marina, Metsola Roberta, Metz Tilly, Mikser Sven, Milazzo Giuseppe, Millán Mon Francisco José, Minchev Nikola, Mînzatu Roxana, Miranda Paz Ana, Molnár Csaba, Montero Irene, Montserrat Dolors, Morace Carolina, Morano Nadine, Moreira de Sá Tiago, Moreno Sánchez Javier, Moretti Alessandra, Mularczyk Arkadiusz, Mullooly Ciaran, Mureşan Siegfried, Muşoiu Ştefan, Nagyová Jana, Nardella Dario, Navarrete Rojas Fernando, Negrescu Victor, Nemec Matjaž, Nerudová Danuše, Nesci Denis, Neuhoff Hans, Neumann Hannah, Nevado del Campo Elena, Nica Dan, Niebler Angelika, Niedermayer Luděk, Niinistö Ville, Nikolic Aleksandar, Ní Mhurchú Cynthia, Noichl Maria, Nordqvist Rasmus, Novakov Andrey, Nykiel Mirosława, Obajtek Daniel, Ódor Ľudovít, Oetjen Jan-Christoph, Ohisalo Maria, Oliveira João, Olivier Philippe, Omarjee Younous, Ó Ríordáin Aodhán, Orlando Leoluca, Ozdoba Jacek, Paet Urmas, Pajín Leire, Palmisano Valentina, Panayiotou Fidias, Papadakis Kostas, Papandreou Nikos, Pascual De La Parte Nicolás, Patriciello Aldo, Paulus Jutta, Pedro Ana Miguel, Pedulla’ Gaetano, Pellerin-Carlin Thomas, Peltier Guillaume, Penkova Tsvetelina, Pennelle Gilles, Pérez Alvise, Peter-Hansen Kira Marie, Petrov Hristo, Picaro Michele, Picierno Pina, Picula Tonino, Piera Pascale, Pimpie Pierre, Piperea Gheorghe, de la Pisa Carrión Margarita, Pokorná Jermanová Jaroslava, Polato Daniele, Polfjärd Jessica, Popescu Virgil-Daniel, Pozņaks Reinis, Prebilič Vladimir, Princi Giusi, Protas Jacek, Pürner Friedrich, Rackete Carola, Radtke Dennis, Rafowicz Emma, Ratas Jüri, Razza Ruggero, Rechagneux Julie, Regner Evelyn, Repasi René, Repp Sabrina, Ressler Karlo, Reuten Thijs, Ricci Matteo, Ridel Chloé, Riehl Nela, Ripa Manuela, Rodrigues André, Ros Sempere Marcos, Roth Neveďalová Katarína, Rougé André, Ruissen Bert-Jan, Ruotolo Sandro, Rzońca Bogdan, Saeidi Arash, Salini Massimiliano, Salis Ilaria, Salla Aura, Sánchez Amor Nacho, Sanchez Julien, Sancho Murillo Elena, Saramo Jussi, Sardone Silvia, Šarec Marjan, Sargiacomo Eric, Satouri Mounir, Saudargas Paulius, Sbai Majdouline, Sberna Antonella, Schaldemose Christel, Schaller-Baross Ernő, Schenk Oliver, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna, Schieder Andreas, Schilling Lena, Schwab Andreas, Scuderi Benedetta, Seekatz Ralf, Sell Alexander, Serrano Sierra Rosa, Sidl Günther, Sienkiewicz Bartłomiej, Sieper Lukas, Simon Sven, Singer Christine, Sinkevičius Virginijus, Sjöstedt Jonas, Śmiszek Krzysztof, Smit Sander, Sokol Tomislav, Solier Diego, Solís Pérez Susana, Sommen Liesbet, Sonneborn Martin, Sorel Malika, Søvndal Villy, Squarta Marco, Staķis Mārtiņš, Stancanelli Raffaele, Ştefănuță Nicolae, Steger Petra, Stier Davor Ivo, Storm Kristoffer, Stöteler Sebastiaan, Stoyanov Stanislav, Strack-Zimmermann Marie-Agnes, Strada Cecilia, Streit Joachim, Strik Tineke, Strolenberg Anna, Sturdza Şerban-Dimitrie, Stürgkh Anna, Sypniewski Marcin, Szczerba Michał, Szekeres Pál, Szydło Beata, Tamburrano Dario, Tânger Corrêa António, Tarczyński Dominik, Tarquinio Marco, Tarr Zoltán, Târziu Claudiu-Richard, Tavares Carla, Tegethoff Kai, Teodorescu Georgiana, Teodorescu Måwe Alice, Terheş Cristian, Ter Laak Ingeborg, Terras Riho, Tertsch Hermann, Thionnet Pierre-Romain, Timgren Beatrice, Tinagli Irene, Tobback Bruno, Tobé Tomas, Tolassy Rody, Tomac Eugen, Tomašič Zala, Tomc Romana, Tonin Matej, Toom Jana, Topo Raffaele, Torselli Francesco, Tosi Flavio, Toussaint Marie, Toveri Pekka, Tridico Pasquale, Trochu Laurence, Tsiodras Dimitris, Tudose Mihai, Turek Filip, Uhrík Milan, Ušakovs Nils, Vaidere Inese, Valchev Ivaylo, Valet Matthieu, Van Brempt Kathleen, Van Brug Anouk, van den Berg Brigitte, Vandendriessche Tom, Van Dijck Kris, Van Lanschot Reinier, Van Leeuwen Jessika, Vannacci Roberto, Van Overtveldt Johan, Van Sparrentak Kim, Varaut Alexandre, Vasconcelos Ana, Vasile-Voiculescu Vlad, Vautmans Hilde, Vedrenne Marie-Pierre, Ventola Francesco, Verheyen Sabine, Verougstraete Yvan, Veryga Aurelijus, Vešligaj Marko, Vicsek Annamária, Vieira Catarina, Vigenin Kristian, Vilimsky Harald, Vincze Loránt, Virkkunen Henna, Vistisen Anders, Vivaldini Mariateresa, Volgin Petar, von der Schulenburg Michael, Vondra Alexandr, Voss Axel, Vozemberg-Vrionidi Elissavet, Vrecionová Veronika, Vázquez Lázara Adrián, Waitz Thomas, Walsh Maria, Walsmann Marion, Warborn Jörgen, Warnke Jan-Peter, Wąsik Maciej, Wawrykiewicz Michał, Wcisło Marta, Wechsler Andrea, Weimers Charlie, Wiesner Emma, Wiezik Michal, Wilmès Sophie, Winkler Iuliu, Winzig Angelika, Wiseler-Lima Isabel, Wiśniewska Jadwiga, Wolters Lara, Yar Lucia, Yon-Courtin Stéphanie, Yoncheva Elena, Zacharia Maria, Zajączkowska-Hernik Ewa, Zalewska Anna, Žalimas Dainius, Zan Alessandro, Zarzalejos Javier, Zdechovský Tomáš, Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej, Zijlstra Auke, Zīle Roberts, Zingaretti Nicola, Złotowski Kosma, Zoido Álvarez Juan Ignacio, Zovko Željana, Zver Milan

    Excused:

    Homs Ginel Alicia

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs detects two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs detects two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases (with photos)
    Hong Kong Customs detects two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases (with photos)
    ******************************************************************************************

         Hong Kong Customs yesterday and today (October 8 and 9) detected two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases in Kwai Chung and Wong Tai Sin. A total of about 1.27 million suspected illicit cigarettes, with a total estimated market value of about $5.74 million and a duty potential of about $4.2 million, were seized.           In the first case, Customs conducted anti-illicit cigarette operations in the vicinity of Kwai Chung yesterday evening. Customs officers intercepted two lorries on the roadside of Kwai Hei Street. Customs officers found about 1.27 million suspected illicit cigarettes in one of the lorries and arrested two men aged 30 and 46 who were moving the goods. They claimed to be a driver and a logistics worker. After a preliminary investigation, Customs officers further arrested a 31-year-old woman on the spot, who claimed to be unemployed, for further investigation. Customs will continue to trace the source and whereabouts of the illicit cigarettes. The three arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation.           In the second case, Customs conducted an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Wong Tai Sin this morning. About 4 500 suspected illicit cigarettes were seized in a store near Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate, and a 44-year-old male person-in-charge of the store was arrested. The arrested man has been charged with “dealing with goods to which the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance applies” and will appear at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on October 23.           Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.           Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.           Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

     
    Ends/Wednesday, October 9, 2024Issued at HKT 18:27

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by SFST at HKGFA Annual Forum 2024 “Financing Asia’s Net Zero Transition” (English only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is the speech by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, at the HKGFA Annual Forum 2024 “Financing Asia’s Net Zero Transition” today (October 9):
     
    Dr Ma (Chairman and President of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association, Dr Ma Jun), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
     
         Good afternoon. It’s my pleasure to join you at the seventh annual flagship forum of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association. This year’s theme, “Financing Asia’s Net Zero Transition”, couldn’t be more timely or relevant. Today’s gathering presents an invaluable opportunity to exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions in our collective journey towards achieving net zero emissions.
     
         Hong Kong’s position as a world-class international financial centre is well-established. Our unique advantage as a “super-connector” bridging Mainland China and global markets continues to solidify our status as the world’s premier fund-raising hub.  What’s particularly exciting is Hong Kong’s rapid emergence as an international green finance powerhouse.
     
         I have tried to summarise what I see as the “super-connector” role in Hong Kong from the finance perspective, in particular the green finance, in terms of four “Ps”. The first “P” is products. In 2023, the total amount of green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong, encompassing both bonds and loans, surpassed an impressive US$50 billion. Of this, green and sustainable bonds arranged in Hong Kong accounted for approximately US$30 billion – a staggering 37 per cent of all such bonds issued across the entire Asian region. In addition to bonds, I would like to highlight funds. As of June this year, over 230 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds were authorised in Hong Kong, with assets under management exceeding HK$1.3 trillion. This represents a year-on-year increase of 19 per cent in the number of funds and 8 per cent in assets under management – clear indicators of the growing appetite for sustainable investments in our market.
     
         Apart from products, another “P” I would like to highlight in order to grow Hong Kong’s role as a green finance centre is to have the right target and right policies. Hong Kong has set its own ambitious targets. We aim to reduce carbon emissions by half before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Earlier this year, Hong Kong joined cities worldwide in observing Earth Hour, an important annual event that raises awareness about the urgent climate crisis facing our planet. To successfully achieve these decarbonisation goals, green and sustainable finance will play a pivotal role in navigating the challenges posed by our carbon deadlines.
     
         Another policy is on green disclosure. As you may have heard from our Financial Secretary this morning, we are ramping up efforts to consolidate our status as a global financial hub with a strong green focus. In March of this year, we published a vision statement outlining the Government and financial regulators’ approach to developing a comprehensive ecosystem for sustainability disclosure in Hong Kong. Our ambitious goal is to be among the first jurisdictions to align local sustainability disclosure requirements with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards. Later this year, we will actually have a roadmap, indicating how we are going to put that vision into reality.
     
         The third “P” I want to mention is platform. In 2022, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) launched Core Climate, an innovative carbon marketplace. This platform connects capital with climate-related products and opportunities across Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia, and beyond. Notably, Core Climate is the only carbon marketplace offering Hong Kong dollar and Renminbi settlement for trading international voluntary carbon credits.
     
         Just two months ago, the HKEX announced an expansion of Core Climate’s offerings. The platform now includes Gold Standard’s Verified Emission Reductions, complementing the existing Verified Carbon Standard by Verra. This latest development allows a more diverse range of internationally certified climate projects to be available on Hong Kong’s carbon trading platform, reaffirming our commitment to providing investors and corporates with broader opportunities to support impactful climate initiatives.
     
         Our vision extends beyond Hong Kong. We aim to build a dynamic regional carbon marketplace and are actively working to co-operate with our neighbouring cities to develop a flourishing and sustainable carbon market in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). In recent years, the HKEX has initiated several strategic collaborations with our GBA partners. These include signing Memoranda of Understanding with the China Emissions Exchange (Guangzhou) and the China Emissions Exchange Shenzhen to explore carbon opportunities in the GBA and internationally. These partnerships are crucial in facilitating regional interaction and accelerating the development of a robust carbon market ecosystem across Hong Kong and the GBA.
     
         The final “P” comes to people. Two years ago, the Government launched a pilot scheme, basically focusing on the green and sustainable finance capacity building support programme. The scheme is still up and running, and eligible individuals and programme providers are welcome to join. I hope to see you all later, not just at a forum like today’s, but also on other occasions where you give us more advice in terms of how we can make Hong Kong a greener financial hub. Thank you.
     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HKSAR Government and Ministry of Commerce sign Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services (with photos/video)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, witnessed the signing of the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services (Amendment Agreement II) by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and Deputy China International Trade Representative of the Ministry of Commerce Ms Li Yongjie today (October 9).     “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Central Government for its care and support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). I also thank the Ministry of Commerce and relevant authorities for actively working towards the HKSAR Government’s proposal of further opening up the Mainland market to Hong Kong in trade in services. The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across different service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, making it easier for Hong Kong service suppliers to establish enterprises and develop business on the Mainland, enabling more Hong Kong professionals to obtain qualifications to practise on the Mainland, allowing more of Hong Kong’s quality services to be provided to the Mainland market, and contributing to and serving the country’s development. The HKSAR Government will continue to encourage different sectors of the community to leverage the unique advantages of ‘one country, two systems’ and join hands with their counterparts on the Mainland to promote the competitiveness of the professional services sector, in order to inject new impetus to economic development and achieve high-quality development,” said Mr Lee.     The HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Commerce signed the Agreement on Trade in Services (Services Agreement) under the framework of CEPA in November 2015 to basically achieve liberalisation of trade in services between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The two sides signed an agreement in November 2019 to amend the Services Agreement and add new liberalisation measures that have been implemented since June 2020. To further enhance liberalisation and facilitate trade in services in response to the aspirations of the Hong Kong business community for greater participation in the development of the Mainland market, the two sides agreed to make further amendments to the Services Agreement and signed the new agreement today.     The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across several service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, such as financial services, construction and related engineering services, testing and certification, telecommunications, motion pictures, television and tourism services. The liberalisation measures take various forms, including removing or relaxing restrictions on equity shareholding and business scope in the establishment of enterprises; relaxing qualification requirements for Hong Kong professionals providing services; and easing restrictions on Hong Kong’s exports of services to the Mainland market. Most of the liberalisation measures apply to the whole Mainland, while some of them are designated for pilot implementation in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Examples are as follows:(1) Construction and related engineering services: To allow Hong Kong general practice surveying enterprises to provide professional services in Guangdong Province through filing of records; and to allow Hong Kong engineering construction consultant enterprises that have completed filing of records to bid for consultancy services projects in joint venture in compliance with the laws in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA;(2) Motion pictures: To remove the restriction on investment in enterprises engaging in film production by Hong Kong service suppliers; and to allow enterprises established by Hong Kong service suppliers and approved by the relevant Mainland authorities to operate distribution of imported buy-out Hong Kong motion pictures;(3) Television: To remove the quantitative restriction on Hong Kong people participating as principal creative personnel in online television dramas; and to allow imported dramas produced in Hong Kong to be broadcast during prime time in television stations on the Mainland after obtaining approval from the National Radio and Television Administration;(4) Tourism services: To optimise the implementation of the 144-hour visa-exemption policy for foreign group tours entering Guangdong from Hong Kong through increasing the number of inbound control points and expanding the stay areas to the whole of Guangdong Province, and to provide facilitation for Mainland travel agents when receiving group tours at West Kowloon Station of the High Speed Rail; and to support cruise companies to arrange international cruise itineraries involving port-of-call in the Mainland cruise ports in accordance with the laws. In respect of Mainland visitors participating in such cruise itineraries, they can travel to Hong Kong in transit to join all sorts of cruise itineraries, by presenting their passports and confirmation documents of the relevant cruise itineraries; and(5) Financial services: To remove the asset requirement of not less than US$2 billion as at the end of the most recent year for Hong Kong financial institutions investing in shares of insurance companies; to remove the restriction prohibiting foreign bank branches established by Hong Kong service suppliers from conducting bank cards services; to consider extending the scope of eligible products under the mutual market access programme by including REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts); to continuously promote and enhance the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect Pilot Scheme and the Mainland-Hong Kong Mutual Recognition of Funds scheme; and to continuously promote the cross listing arrangement of the Mainland and Hong Kong ETF (open-ended index-tracking exchange-traded funds) as well as enhance Southbound Trading and Northbound Trading under Bond Connect.     In addition, the Amendment Agreement II brings institutional innovation and collaboration enhancement, including:(1) Addition of “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law” and “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong” as facilitation measures for Hong Kong investors, supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the pilot municipalities of the GBA to adopt Hong Kong law or Macao law as the applicable law in their contracts; as well as supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA to choose Hong Kong or Macao as the seat of arbitration. The measures provide flexibility and convenience for Hong Kong enterprises, facilitating their investment and business development on the Mainland;(2) Addition of commitments regarding domestic regulation to ensure transparency, predictability and efficiency of regulations on trade in services, so as to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, cutting red tape and lowering trade costs when enterprises supply their services in a market to facilitate trade in services; and(3) Removal of the period requirement on Hong Kong service suppliers to engage in substantive business operations in Hong Kong for three years in most service sectors, allowing Hong Kong start-ups to enjoy the preferential treatment under CEPA in a shorter time and attracting enterprises and talent from around the world to establish a presence in Hong Kong and explore the Mainland market, thus increasing local employment, promoting Hong Kong’s economic development and giving full play to Hong Kong’s roles as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”.     The Amendment Agreement II will be implemented on March 1, 2025. Details and the latest information on CEPA are available on the Trade and Industry Department website at http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/cepa/index.html.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Remarks by FS at media session after Signing Ceremony of Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services (with photo/video)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following are the remarks by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at a media session after the Signing Ceremony of the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services today (October 9):
     
    Reporter: How would you quantify the impact of this amendment on Hong Kong’s economy, and how should Hong Kongers grasp this opportunity? And secondly, why is film included in this round of amendments? Can you cite examples of how the film industry can benefit from the liberalised measures? Thank you very much.
     
    Financial Secretary: The further liberalisation measures under the CEPA Amendment Agreement will enable Hong Kong firms and professional sectors to go into the Mainland market a lot easier. With the reduced threshold, reduced qualification requirements, and expanded scope of liberalisation, depending on specific sectors, the progress will be different, but I am sure for the professional sectors, people are very keen to expand their foothold into the Mainland by using the Greater Bay Area as the starting point. This will create a very positive impact on Hong Kong. As to the specific examples, in the Amendment Agreement, certain industries will be directly benefitting from it, including the testing and certification sector, telecommunications, films, television, financial services and tourism. We will be communicating with the different sectors and working with the different stakeholders to move as fast as possible to work out the various implementation details, so that businesses and professionals in Hong Kong would find it more convenient to expand into the Mainland market. Thank you.
     
    (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)   

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Chinese medicine hospital named

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Government announced the official naming of Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital as The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and launched its logo today.

    Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said that the hospital’s establishment marks a milestone in the city’s commitment to driving Chinese medicine (CM) development.

    He noted that the Government is actively progressing with various preparations for the hospital’s commissioning, aiming to commence services in phases starting from the end of next year.

    Prof Lo said as the first CM service-predominant hospital in Hong Kong, it will lead the way for local CM services to go beyond primary healthcare and play a part in secondary and tertiary healthcare, signifying a major breakthrough in Hong Kong’s CM development.

    He added that the hospital will also serve as the city’s flagship CM institution, taking on the roles of a pioneer and change-driver to leverage Hong Kong’s traditional advantages in CM through active interaction with various stakeholders in the CM sector and joining forces with the sector to promote CM development in Hong Kong, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the international community as a whole, thereby contributing to the construction of CM Highlands in the GBA and the national CM development.

    The hospital logo’s design, characterised by the outline of the hospital building, incorporates the Chinese character “中” among architectural features that depict the building outlines and colours resembling a mountain range.

    It also includes a moon gate design common in classical Chinese gardens, symbolising a welcoming passageway for the public into the extensive and profound realm of CM.

    The logo’s overall design showcases both traditional Chinese architectural elements and the vibrancy of Chinese culture, highlighting the hospital’s unique position within Hong Kong’s healthcare system.

    The hospital will focus on providing pure CM, CM-predominant and integrated Chinese-Western medicine clinical services, covering government-subsidised inpatient and outpatient services.

    It will also undertake key missions in training and education, research, collaboration and creating health values, including offering clinical internships to students of the three local universities with Schools of Chinese Medicine and serving as a clinical training platform for CM practitioners.

    Moreover, the hospital will collaborate with universities and education institutions in Hong Kong, on the Mainland and overseas on clinical research, proprietary Chinese medicines development and other CM-related research to push forward the research development of CM.

    Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, the hospital adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government.

    The Government commissioned Baptist University as the contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. The university subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Adani Airport Holdings Limited and Thales Forge Strategic Partnership to Improve Airport Operations and Passenger Experience in India

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Adani Airport Holdings Limited and Thales Forge Strategic Partnership to Improve Airport Operations and Passenger Experience in India

    • This strategic collaboration includes a fully integrated airport solution provided by Thales based on three pillars: smart airport security, biometric passenger journey, and operations efficiency; addressing all the airports operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) in India.
    • The overall solution encompasses Thales’ Fly to Gate, deployed in early 2024 to provide passengers with touchless biometric solutions for DigiYatra1, and its Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC), which will be set up soon to enhance management and security at AAHL’s airports.
    • All in all, Thales’ technologies enable AAHL to revolutionise air travel in India by efficiently and securely managing complex airport operations while improving travel experience for passengers in full compliance with privacy regulations.

    Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), the largest private airport operator in India, and Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, today announced a strategic partnership to revolutionise AAHL’s international airport operations and passenger experience across the country. Under this partnership, Thales has already deployed the Fly to Gate solution at seven of AAHL-managed airports2in India, streamlining and enhancing the journey for millions of travellers since early 2024. Extending this collaboration, AAHL has now awarded Thales an additional contract to deploy at all its airports, the innovative Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC) to optimise overall airport management and enhance passenger experience securely.

    The seven airports operated by AAHL are currently equipped with DigiYatra powered by Thales’ Fly to Gate solution built on the responsible use of advanced facial recognition technology as a secure passenger ID proof. The pre-enrolled passengers can then benefit from a smooth and trusted way to speed up their journey, eliminating the need to show an ID document and the boarding pass at each check point (from check-in to boarding). Reducing passengers processing time up to 30% at these airports, this seamless integration of responsible biometric solutions (cf Thales TrUE Biometrics) aligns with the Indian government’s vision of a digital India.

    In addition, Thales has been awarded to work on the design, integration, and implementation of an end-to-end APOC solution for all AAHL-managed airports. This cloud-based ‘Smart Digital Platform’ will centrally host all the necessary applications to improve overall airport management, security, and passenger experience. The innovative APOC platform collects operational data from integrated airports sub-systems and sensors, while complying with standards of privacy. This data is then intelligently processed using automation, big data analytics, and robust artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The solution which will be deployed soon, will anticipate, and reduce unplanned resource shortages, hence increasing predictability and global efficiency.

    “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Adani Airport Holdings Limited to bring innovative technology solutions to revolutionise airport operations and the passenger experience in India. Our Fly to Gate biometric solution for DigiYatra and the smart Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC) will enable AAHL to streamline operations and also ensure a secure and simplified journey for millions of passengers. Together, we are committed to support India in its vision of becoming the largest aviation market in the world by 2047,” said Mr. Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.

    1DigiYatra is a Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India led initiative to make air traveller’s/ passenger’s journey seamless, hassle-free and Health-Risk-Free. The DigiYatra process uses the single token of face biometrics to digitally validate the Identity, Travel, Health or any other data that is needed for the purpose of enabling air travel.

    2Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Cabinet approves road construction in border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 4:20PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 2,280 km roads in border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab at an investment of Rs 4,406 crore emphasizing development of infrastructure in border areas.

    The project is a result of a change in mindset that has accorded a special focus on development of border areas with facilities similar to other parts of the country.

    This decision will have a major impact on the road and telecom connectivity, and facilities of water supply, health and education. It will also enhance rural livelihood, ease travel, and ensure connectivity of these areas with rest of the highway network. 

    ***

    MJPS/SS/SKS

    (Release ID: 2063493) Visitor Counter : 127

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI: Marex Agrees Terms to Acquire UK FX Specialist Hamilton Court Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marex Group plc (‘Marex’ or the ‘Group’; NASDAQ: MRX), the diversified global financial services platform, today announces that it has agreed terms to acquire Hamilton Court Group which will expand the foreign exchange (FX) services it offers clients, consistent with its strategy to bring new clients and new capabilities onto its platform and diversify its earnings.

    Headquartered in London, Hamilton Court Group offers a full suite of FX products, ranging from bespoke complex FX options and derivative structures to more ‘vanilla’ products such as forwards, spots and swaps. Its clients are primarily mid-sized UK and European corporates and it has about 170 employees located in London, Milan, Madrid, and Toronto.

    The acquisition of Hamilton Court Group, which is subject to contract and regulatory approval, would be complementary to Marex’s existing FX operations.

    Ian Lowitt, CEO of Marex, commented:

    “This agreement supports our strategy to bring new clients onto our platform and is in line with our goal to add both clients and capabilities, as we continue to diversify our business to ensure we can grow through various market conditions.”

    Tony Keterman, CEO of Hamilton Court Group, said:

    “Joining Marex will give us access to a larger balance sheet and a growing global footprint, both of which will support our own continued expansion. Our clients will benefit from this support as well as being able to access the broader range of products and services Marex can offer. We are excited to be joining a like-minded, ambitious firm where we can flourish.”

    About Marex:
    Marex Group plc (NASDAQ: MRX) is a diversified global financial services platform providing essential liquidity, market access and infrastructure services to clients across energy, commodities and financial markets. Enabling access to 58 exchanges, the Group provides coverage across four core services: Clearing, Agency and Execution, Market Making and Hedging, and Investment Solutions. It has a leading franchise in many major metals, energy and agricultural products, serving over 4,000 active clients and executing around 129 million trades and clearing 856 million contracts in 2023. The Group provides access to the world’s major commodity markets, covering a broad range of clients that include some of the largest commodity producers, consumers and traders, banks, hedge funds, and asset managers. Headquartered in London with more than 35 offices worldwide, the Group has over 2,000 employees across Europe, Asia and the Americas. For more information visit http://www.marex.com.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Byrna Technologies Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2024 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Q3 Revenue Hits New Record of $20.9 Million, a 194% Increase from Q3 2023

    Gross Margin Improves to 62.4% as Manufacturing Scales

    ANDOVER, Mass., Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Byrna Technologies Inc. (“Byrna” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BYRN), a personal defense technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions, today reported select financial results for its fiscal third quarter (“Q3 2024”) ended August 31, 2024.

    Fiscal Third Quarter 2024 and Recent Operational Highlights

    • Continued to generate a highly accretive return on ad spend (ROAS) of 5.0X through the celebrity endorsement program, even as Byrna’s advertising spend grew from $800,000 per month in Q2 to $1.0 million per month in Q3, fueling record quarterly results and strong year-over-year growth.
    • Added Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, to its roster of high-profile celebrity endorsers, and has signed agreements with two additional prominent celebrities, which will kick-off in December.
    • Secured earned media placements to date on over two dozen news programs, including ABC, Fox, Newsmax, NewsNation, and numerous other local radio and television news shows. Total media coverage continues to grow, with the celebrity endorsement program playing a key role in driving this earned media for Byrna, helping build significant brand awareness and contributing to the continued normalization of the less-lethal industry.
    • Reached national account status with Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, expanding Byrna’s presence from 42 stores to 137 stores nationwide and demonstrating the growing awareness around Byrna launchers.
    • Expanded Byrna’s sales reach into Mexico following a successful partnership with the Secretaría de Trabajo y Previsión Social (STPS) of Mexico to create a federally certified training program allowing civilians to legally carry the Byrna.
    • Secured an initial order with the Ministry of the Interior of Uruguay for 400 Byrna launchers and over 100,000 rounds of less-lethal ammunition for the Uruguayan National Police.
    • Deployed 1,000 launchers across airports in Argentina with the Policía de Seguridad Aeroportuaria.
    • Transferred its 51% stake in Byrna LATAM S.A. to its joint venture partner, enabling Byrna to earn royalty income and recognize revenue directly from sales to Byrna LATAM. Additionally, by selling its stake, the Company no longer needs to report Byrna LATAM’s losses in its financial statements.
    • Repurchased $3.0 million of stock at an average price of $10.25 as part of a new $10 million stock repurchase program commenced in August.

    Fiscal Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
    Results compare Q3 2024 to the 2023 fiscal third quarter ended August 31, 2023 unless otherwise indicated.

    Net revenue for Q3 2024 was $20.9 million, compared to $7.1 million in the fiscal third quarter of 2023 (“Q3 2023”). The 194% year-over-year increase is primarily due to the transformational shift in Byrna’s advertising strategy implemented in September of last year and the resulting normalization of Byrna and the less-lethal space generally. For the first nine months of 2024, revenue was $57.8 million, compared to $27.0 million in the prior year period, an increase of 114% year-over-year.

    Gross profit for Q3 2024 was $13.0 million (62.4% of net revenue), up from $3.2 million (44.6% of net revenue) in Q3 2023. The increase in gross profit was driven by the increase in the proportion of sales made through the high-margin direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels (Byrna.com and Amazon.com), a reduction in component costs driven through an intensive cost reduction effort focused on “design for manufacturability” spearheaded by Byrna’s engineering team, and the economies of scale resulting from increased production volumes. For the first nine months of 2024, gross margin was 60.9%, compared to 54.1% for the same period in 2023.

    Operating expenses for Q3 2024 were $12.2 million, compared to $7.3 million for Q3 2023, an increase of 67%. The increase in operating expenses was driven by an increase in variable selling costs (such as freight and third-party processing fees), increased marketing spend tied to the Company’s celebrity endorsement strategy, and higher payroll expenses in marketing and engineering as the Company has added personnel to handle the higher sales and production volumes. For the first nine months of 2024, operating expenses were $32.6 million compared to $21.5 million in 2023, a 52% increase year-over-year.

    Net income for Q3 2024 was $1.0 million compared to a loss of $(4.1) million for Q3 2023, a $5.1 million improvement. For the first nine months of 2024, net income was $3.1, compared to a loss of $(7.4) million in 2023, a $10.5 million year-over-year improvement.

    Adjusted EBITDA1, a non-GAAP metric reconciled below, for Q3 2024 totaled $1.9 million, compared to $(2.4) million in Q3 2023. For the first nine months of 2024, adjusted EBITDA totaled $6.3 million, an $8.5 million improvement over the loss of $(2.2) million in the prior year period, ahead of the traditionally strong fourth quarter.

    Cash and cash equivalents at August 31, 2024 totaled $20.1 million compared to $20.5 million at November 30, 2023. Inventory at August 31, 2024 totaled $19.8 million compared to $13.9 million at November 30, 2023. The Company has no current or long-term debt.

    Management Commentary
    Byrna CEO Bryan Ganz stated: “In the third quarter, we generated $20.9 million in revenue while also improving our gross margin and operating leverage. This performance underscores the continued impact of our celebrity influencer strategy, which has driven increasing brand recognition and contributed to the growing normalization of our product category.

    “Since launching the celebrity advertising program in Q4 of last year, we’ve consistently maintained a highly accretive 5.0X ROAS, driving profitable growth throughout the year. Today, over ten celebrities are actively evangelizing Byrna’s less-lethal mission, helping to normalize less-lethal as a legitimate alternative to lethal force, build brand awareness, and drive both consumer and institutional demand. The continued success of this program is evident in our September sales, which came in at $8.3 million—averaging just over $275,000 in sales per day during what is traditionally our weakest month of the seasonally strong fourth quarter.

    “As we continue to post record sales, we remain focused on scaling up production to meet this increasing demand. In Q3, production totaled over 55,000 units as we build inventory to support current sales growth, the anticipated holiday season surge, and the upcoming launch of the Compact Launcher.

    “To further increase capacity, we are introducing a partial second shift in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024, with plans to operate a full second shift by the end of the first quarter next year. Additionally, we are adding a third production line dedicated to the Byrna Compact Launcher. We are also preparing to scale domestic ammunition production, enabling us to meet growing demand and position Byrna to support future product lines. This will also allow us to offer a full range of ammunition that is Made in America. These measures will ensure we can keep up with current launcher demand while building inventory for the Compact Launcher, slated for release in Summer 2025.

    “With this continued growth, Byrna is now a self-sustaining, profitable, and cash-flowing enterprise. As we scale, we are strategically investing in initiatives that will drive growth while we continue to focus on returning value to shareholders. In the third quarter, we authorized a $10 million buyback, and, to date, have repurchased $3 million of shares at an average price of $10.25, demonstrating our confidence in Byrna’s long-term strategy and growth potential.

    “In addition to expanding production, we are also investing in our retail footprint. We have recently signed leases for Byrna-owned stores in key markets, including Nashville, Tennessee; Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Salem, New Hampshire. We are also finalizing a lease for a proposed Pasadena, California location. These new stores, which build on the successful proof-of-concept from our Las Vegas location—launched two years ago and running at a $1 million annual revenue rate with a 60%+ gross profit margin—will provide valuable market data for future expansion. Each store will feature a shooting range for customers to experience our products firsthand, supporting both revenue growth and brand awareness, complementing our continued success in DTC sales.

    “Internationally, we are seeing strong momentum in Latin America, with a string of recent law enforcement deployments reinforcing our optimism for the region’s growth potential. Our strategic divestment of our stake in Byrna LATAM allows us to fully recognize revenue from future sales to Byrna LATAM and earn a royalty on every launcher produced in Argentina. Additionally, we no longer have to report Byrna LATAM’s losses in its financial statements, improving our reported income and enabling us to focus on our core markets.

    “We are confident that our growth will continue into 2025 and beyond, driven by increased advertising, which will result in both direct and indirect sales as less-lethal weapons become normalized, alongside new retail stores, mobile trailers, and the launch of our anticipated Compact Launcher. The Compact Launcher, set for release in mid-2025, will strengthen our product lineup by enhancing accessibility and ease of use, allowing for broader market penetration and increased consumer adoption. As we scale and expand production, we expect further improvements in manufacturing efficiency, which will enhance both gross and net margins. With these initiatives, Byrna is positioned for sustained growth and success well into 2025 and 2026.”

    Conference Call
    The Company’s management will host a conference call today, October 9, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (6:00 a.m. Pacific time) to discuss these results, followed by a question-and-answer period.

    Toll-Free Dial-In: 877-709-8150
    International Dial-In: +1 201-689-8354
    Confirmation: 13748618

    Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Group at 949-574-3860.

    The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here and via the Investor Relations section of Byrna’s website.

    About Byrna Technologies Inc.
    Byrna is a technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions. For more information on the Company, please visit the corporate website here or the Company’s investor relations site here. The Company is the manufacturer of the Byrna® SD personal security device, a state-of-the-art handheld CO2 powered launcher designed to provide a less-lethal alternative to a firearm for the consumer, private security, and law enforcement markets. To purchase Byrna products, visit the Company’s e-commerce store.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, are forward-looking. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” and “believes” and statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “might,” “occur,” or “be achieved,” or “will be taken.” Forward-looking statements include descriptions of currently occurring matters which may continue in the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include but are not limited to our statements related to our expected sales during the fourth quarter, our ability to scale production, add shifts and production lines, the expected timing for the launch of the Compact Launcher, Byrna’s ability to remain self-sustaining, profitable and cash flow positive, Byrna’s ability to open new retail locations and realize revenue growth from them, continued momentum in the Latin American market, expected increases in gross and net margins, and Byrna’s positioning for sustained growth in 2025 and 2026. Forward-looking statements are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates, and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the Company at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied.

    Any number of risk factors could affect our actual results and cause them to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this news release, including, but not limited to, disappointing market responses to current or future products or services; prolonged, new, or exacerbated disruption of our supply chain; the further or prolonged disruption of new product development; production or distribution disruption or delays in entry or penetration of sales channels due to inventory constraints, competitive factors, increased transportation costs or interruptions, including due to weather, flooding or fires; prototype, parts and material shortages, particularly of parts sourced from limited or sole source providers; determinations by third party controlled distribution channels, including Amazon, not to carry or reduce inventory of the Company’s products; determinations by advertisers or social media platforms, or legislation that prevents or limits marketing of some or all Byrna products; the loss of marketing partners; increases in marketing expenditure may not yield expected revenue increases; potential cancellations of existing or future orders including as a result of any fulfillment delays, introduction of competing products, negative publicity, or other factors; product design or manufacturing defects or recalls; litigation, enforcement proceedings or other regulatory or legal developments; changes in consumer or political sentiment affecting product demand; regulatory factors including the impact of commerce and trade laws and regulations; and future restrictions on the Company’s cash resources, increased costs and other events that could potentially reduce demand for the Company’s products or result in order cancellations. The order in which these factors appear should not be construed to indicate their relative importance or priority. We caution that these factors may not be exhaustive; accordingly, any forward-looking statements contained herein should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Investors should carefully consider these and other relevant factors, including those risk factors in Part I, Item 1A, (“Risk Factors”) in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K and Part II, Item 1A (“Risk Factors”) in the Company’s most recent Form 10-Q, should understand it is impossible to predict or identify all such factors or risks, should not consider the foregoing list, or the risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings, to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties, and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

    Investor Contact:
    Tom Colton and Alec Wilson
    Gateway Group, Inc.
    949-574-3860
    BYRN@gateway-grp.com

    -Financial Tables to Follow-

    BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
    (Amounts in thousands except share and per share data)
    (Unaudited)
                                     
        For the Three Months Ended
        For the Nine Months Ended
     
        August 31,
        August 31,
     
          2024       2023       2024       2023  
    Net revenue   $ 20,854     $ 7,085     $ 57,777     $ 27,004  
    Cost of goods sold     7,842       3,927       22,566       12,402  
    Gross profit     13,012       3,158       35,211       14,602  
    Operating expenses     12,184       7,267       32,633       21,522  
    INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS     828       (4,109 )     2,578       (6,920 )
    OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)                
    Foreign currency transaction loss     (103 )     (54 )     (381 )     (238 )
    Interest income     281       239       883       525  
    Loss from joint venture     (62 )     (287 )     (42 )     (625 )
    Other income (expense)     3       (7 )     7       (270 )
    INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES     947       (4,218 )     3,045       (7,528 )
    Income tax benefit     78       124       75       165  
    NET INCOME (LOSS)   $ 1,025     $ (4,094 )   $ 3,120     $ (7,363 )
                     
    Foreign currency translation adjustment for the period     381       585       410       (641 )
    COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)   $ 1,406     $ (3,509 )   $ 3,530     $ (8,004 )
                     
    Basic net income (loss) per share   $ 0.05     $ (0.19 )   $ 0.14     $ (0.34 )
    Diluted net income (loss) per share   $ 0.04     $ (0.19 )   $ 0.14     $ (0.34 )
                     
    Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding – basic     22,758,155       21,960,163       22,509,018       21,895,815  
    Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding – diluted     23,410,159       21,960,163       23,072,498       21,895,815  
                     
                     
    BYRNA TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
                     
        August 31,
        November 30,
     
         2024      2023  
        Unaudited
         
    ASSETS        
    CURRENT ASSETS        
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 20,077     $ 20,498  
    Accounts receivable, net     2,128       2,945  
    Inventory, net     19,797       13,890  
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets     1,983       868  
    Total current assets     43,985       38,201  
    LONG TERM ASSETS        
    Intangible assets, net     3,401       3,583  
    Deposits for equipment     1,927       1,163  
    Right-of-use asset, net     2,404       1,805  
    Property and equipment, net     3,481       3,803  
    Goodwill     2,258       2,258  
    Loan to joint venture           1,473  
    Other assets     1,548       28  
    TOTAL ASSETS   $ 59,004     $ 52,314  
             
    LIABILITIES        
    CURRENT LIABILITIES        
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities   $ 11,124     $ 6,158  
    Operating lease liabilities, current     596       644  
    Deferred revenue, current     818       1,844  
    Total current liabilities     12,538       8,646  
    LONG TERM LIABILITIES        
    Deferred revenue, non-current     28       91  
    Operating lease liabilities, non-current     1,899       1,258  
    Total liabilities     14,465       9,995  
             
             
    STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY        
    Preferred stock            
    Common stock     24       24  
    Additional paid-in capital     132,364       130,426  
    Treasury stock     (20,747 )     (17,500 )
    Accumulated deficit     (66,456 )     (69,575 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (646 )     (1,056 )
             
    Total Stockholders’ Equity     44,539       42,319  
             
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   $ 59,004     $ 52,314  
             

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    In addition to providing financial measurements based on generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), we provide an additional financial metric that is not prepared in accordance with GAAP (non-GAAP) with presenting non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure, in addition to GAAP financial measures, to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for financial and operational decision making, for planning and forecasting purposes and to evaluate our financial performance. We believe that this non-GAAP financial measure helps us to identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of certain expenses that we exclude in the calculations of the non-GAAP financial measure.

    Accordingly, we believe that this non-GAAP financial measure reflects our ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful comparisons and analysis of trends in the business and provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results, enhancing the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects.

    This non-GAAP financial measure does not replace the presentation of our GAAP financial results and should only be used as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, our financial results presented in accordance with GAAP. There are limitations in the use of non-GAAP measures, because they do not include all the expenses that must be included under GAAP and because they involve the exercise of judgment concerning exclusions of items from the comparable non-GAAP financial measure. In addition, other companies may use other non-GAAP measures to evaluate their performance, or may calculate non-GAAP measures differently, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measure as a tool for comparison.

    Adjusted EBITDA

    Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net (loss) income as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income excluding the impact of (i) depreciation and amortization; (ii) income tax provision (benefit); (iii) interest income (expense); (iv) stock-based compensation expense, (v) impairment loss, and (vi) one time, non-recurring other expenses or income. Our Adjusted EBITDA measure eliminates potential differences in performance caused by variations in capital structures (affecting finance costs), tax positions, the cost and age of tangible assets (affecting relative depreciation expense) and the extent to which intangible assets are identifiable (affecting relative amortization expense). We also exclude certain one-time and non-cash costs. Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net (loss) income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is as follows (in thousands):

        For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine Months Ended
        August 31,   August 31,
         2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Net Income (Loss)   $ 1,025     $ (4,094 )   $ 3,120     $ (7,363 )
                     
    Adjustments:                
    Interest income     (281 )     (239 )     (883 )     (525 )
    Income tax benefit     (78 )     (124 )     (75 )     (165 )
    Depreciation and amortization     263       333       1,113       897  
    Non-GAAP EBITDA   $ 929     $ (4,124 )   $ 3,275     $ (7,156 )
                     
    Stock-based compensation expense     819       1,738       2,615       4,691  
    Impairment loss                       176  
    Severance/Separation/Officer recruiting     196       30       431       82  
    Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA   $ 1,944     $ (2,356 )   $ 6,321     $ (2,207 )
                     

    1 See non-GAAP financial measures at the end of this press release for a reconciliation and a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Rocket Software Study Finds Less than One-Third of Businesses are Using all Available Data to Inform AI Models

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rocket Software, a global technology leader in modernization software, today announced the findings from its survey, Rethinking the Role of Mainframe Data in Enterprise AI and Analytics. Conducted by Foundry Media for Rocket Software, the survey polled over 200 business leaders and decision-makers in data analytics, management, engineering, and architecture across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France, to understand how organizations are leveraging mainframe data as part of their AI and analytics initiatives. The survey found that only 28% of survey respondents are using mainframe data extensively in data-driven initiatives. Not factoring mainframe data – which includes both real-time and historical information on customer interactions, account data, financial transactions, and inventory – into AI models is a missed opportunity. By integrating this rich data, models become more accurate, insightful, and reflective of the full scope of an organization’s operations, unlocking powerful insights and driving more informed decision-making.

    AI and advanced analytics are playing an increasing role in how businesses differentiate themselves, unlocking opportunities for new efficiencies, growth drivers, and customer experiences. The success and usefulness of an AI model lies in the data that it is trained on. In the race to adopt AI, a majority of organizations have failed to fully leverage mainframe data to enhance their models. AI that accurately represents all of a business’s data empowers leaders with greater visibility into operations and provides deeper insights, facilitating informed decision-making in real-time. In fact, 46% of respondents said mainframe data was a potential means for improving data quality, accuracy, and completeness of existing datasets.

    Challenges, both real and perceived, have led many to struggle when it comes to integrating mainframe data into their AI and analytics capabilities:

    • 76% of leaders said they found accessing mainframe data and contextual metadata to be either very or somewhat challenging
    • 64% said they considered integrating mainframe data with cloud data sources to be somewhat to very challenging
    • The biggest obstacles to leveraging mainframe data were found to be:
      • Complexity of data retrieval and extraction processes (59%)
      • Concerns regarding security, compliance, and data privacy (56%)
      • Proprietary data formats (41%)

    “If organizations fail to incorporate their mainframe data into AI and analytics, they risk developing models that are less intelligent, powerful, or accurate,” said Michael Curry, President, Data Modernization Business Unit, at Rocket Software. “Rocket Software has the technology and expertise to help enterprises easily bridge their mainframe data into their AI and analytics initiatives, automating away the complexity, and reducing the need for specialized skills and knowledge to protect, retrieve, and extract mainframe data.”

    Mainframe modernization is a worthwhile pursuit. Forty two percent of respondents said they prefer to adopt a prebuilt solution to integrate their mainframe data with cloud data, and 51% cited building new analytical capabilities or business initiatives that were not previously possible was the most attractive use case for mainframe data. That’s where experienced partners, who offer resources across the modernization continuum, can support businesses by mitigating challenges to unlock data’s full potential. Survey respondents noted scalability for large datasets (82%), interoperability with existing data management tools and platforms (82%), and robust security and encryption (81%) as the top benefits for integrating mainframe and cloud data.

    To download the full study, click here. For further insights, register for Rocket Software’s webinar on November 12, here.

    Methodology
    Foundry surveyed 213 business leaders and decision-makers, including those employed in data analytics, data management, data engineering, or data architecture roles between May 10, 2024, and May 27, 2024, to understand how organizations are leveraging or planning to leverage mainframe data as part of their AI and analytics initiatives to drive strategy, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance competitive advantage.

    About Rocket Software
    Rocket Software is a global technology leader in modernization and a partner of choice that empowers the world’s leading businesses on their modernization journeys, spanning core systems to the cloud. Trusted by over 12,500 customers and 750 partners, and with more than 3,000 global employees, Rocket Software enables customers to maximize their data, applications, and infrastructure to deliver critical services that power our modern world. Rocket Software is a privately held U.S. corporation headquartered in the Boston area with centers of excellence strategically located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Rocket Software is a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity. Follow Rocket Software on LinkedIn and Twitter or visit http://www.RocketSoftware.com.

    Media Contact
    Lacey Darrow
    ldarrow@rocketsoftware.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Golden Week attracts 1.38m visitors

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Mainland’s seven-day National Day Golden Week ended yesterday, and the Government today announced that the Immigration Department recorded a total of around 1.38 million visitors coming to Hong Kong through various sea, land and air control points during the week.

    The overall number of inbound visitors aligned with earlier estimates, while the number recorded on October 1 reached a daily record high since the post-pandemic full opening of the borders, the Government added.

    Among all visitors coming to Hong Kong, those from the Mainland accounted for about 1.22 million, representing 88% of the total arrivals.

    The daily average of Mainland visitors was around 170,000, exceeding that of the 2023 National Day Golden Week and the 2024 Labour Day Golden Week at around 27% and 13% respectively.

    Mainland inbound visitor arrivals peaked on October 1 with around 220,000 visitors arriving in Hong Kong, marking a daily record high since the post-pandemic opening of the borders and setting a corresponding record for the overall number of visitors to Hong Kong in a single day.

    During the National Day Golden Week, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and the Express Rail Link West Kowloon were the two ports with the highest daily average number of Mainland visitors, and operations at various control points and transport services ran smoothly.

    Regarding large-scale events, the National Day Fireworks Display over Victoria Harbour on October 1 attracted over 330,000 spectators and concluded with effective crowd control arrangements.

    According to the information provided by the hotel industry, the overall hotel occupancy rate during October 1 to 4 reached 90%. 

    Based on the Travel Industry Authority’s information, around 1,050 Mainland inbound tour groups visited Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, with around 80% engaged in overnight itineraries.

    These tour groups involved around 36,000 visitors, accounting for around 3% of all Mainland visitors.

    The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, is pleased to note that the rich array of National Day special offers from the Government and various sectors of society were well-received by the public.

    Among them, the “1st October Movie Fiesta: Half-Price Spectacular 2024” subsidised by the Government recorded cumulative admissions reaching 189,000, breaking last year’s record of 155,000. 

    Mr Chan said the concerted efforts of relevant government departments, organisations and industries in making preparations and responses enabled smooth arrangements for receiving visitors, and allowed both locals and visitors to celebrate National Day together.

    “The Government will draw on this experience and further enhance various arrangements in future to provide an even better experience for visitors to Hong Kong during festive periods.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ambulance transfer drill carried out

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, in collaboration with the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, completed a drill today for the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area.

    The Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR explained that the drill was aimed at testing the routing of the cross-boundary ambulance between Macau’s Conde S. Januario Hospital (CHCSJ) and Hong Kong’s Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), as well as the immigration arrangements.

    After departure from CHCSJ, the ambulance headed to PMH and returned to CHCSJ by making use of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for both journeys.

    Further to the successful completion of the drill conducted by the Hong Kong SAR Government with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government on August 23, today’s drill was also carried out smoothly in general, the bureau said.

    It added that relevant departments of the two SAR Governments will review the cross-boundary ambulance arrangement, with a view to launching the pilot scheme within 2024.

    Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau noted that the pilot scheme will start with a direct ambulance transfer of patients from designated hospitals in Shenzhen and Macau to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong.

    He said: “I am glad that the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Macao SAR Government have also made today’s drill a success through concerted efforts, further streamlining the flow of a direct cross-boundary ambulance transfer to get better prepared for the launch of the pilot scheme.”

    In addition to the entry arrangement of vehicles into Hong Kong, the Health Bureau is in discussion with Macau authorities on the implementation details regarding the entry of medical items and personnel on the direct cross-boundary ambulance into Hong Kong.

    In particular, as CHCSJ will deploy healthcare personnel to escort patients with clinical needs on the ambulance, the Hong Kong SAR Government will ensure compliance by the doctors concerned with Hong Kong laws, such that they can continue to carry out the necessary medical procedures on board the ambulance upon entry into Hong Kong.

    In this connection, the Hong Kong Medical Council has issued a promulgation regarding limited registration in accordance with the Medical Registration Ordinance.

    Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority is making limited registration applications for the Macau doctors who will provide support aboard the direct cross-boundary ambulances.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Global: Six ways to holiday like an old-school travel journalist – without using the internet

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Masood Khodadadi, Reader (Associate Professor) in Tourism, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland

    The Travelling Companions by Augustus Leopold Egg (1862). Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

    We all want to get the most out of our holidays, which is why we so often turn to online “top things to see” lists, or TikTok recommendations of a destination’s best sights and eateries.

    But as useful as these strategies can be, using the internet to plan every detail of your travel omits the essence of discovery – the very thing that made pre-internet travel journalism so thrilling to read.

    These six tips explain how you can explore a new place like an old-school travel journalist or an explorer from a bygone era. They’ll enable you to look up from your phone, and discover your destination with intuition and curiosity.


    No one’s 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you’re not alone.

    Read more from Quarter Life:


    1. Discard the itinerary and trust your gut

    Freya Madeline Stark by Herbert Arnould Olivier (1923).
    National Portrait Gallery

    Before smartphones, travel journalists such as Freya Stark and Bruce Chatwin depended on serendipity. They didn’t have TripAdvisor or Google Maps to guide them. Rather, they listened to their instincts and locals’ advice about how to shape their journey.

    A famous example is Chatwin walking through Patagonia after conversations with locals advised him of his next stop.

    Try this on your next adventure: walk without a plan. Follow your instincts towards any of the local cafes, quiet parks, or bustling markets. And if all else fails and you are not quite sure where to start, just stop and ask someone near you what it is that they love about the area. Many times, people’s stories will take you to places you would never have found online.

    2. Use analogue maps and guides

    Before GPS, maps weren’t just functional – they were part of the adventure. Travel writers like Jan Morris and Paul Theroux (father of documentary presenter, Louis) wrote about how their unfolding maps forced them to interact with the landscape in a tactile way.

    Pick up a local map in a bookshop or visitor centre and unfold it in a cafe. Mark where you have been and circle the areas you are curious about.

    In their early editions, guidebooks like The Rough Guide and Lonely Planet didn’t give a thorough list, but instead pushed cultural immersion travel, which is concerned with authentic activities. Think local traditions, history, language and customs of the place you’re visiting. Cultural immersion travel involves mingling with the residents to get an in-depth feel of how they live.

    Although carrying a printed guidebook seems vintage, this act plunges you back to the time when the discovery of hidden corners of a city was about turning pages, not scrolling.

    Chatting with locals is a great way to discover gems in a new place. English Tourists in Campagna by Carl Spitzweg (1845).
    Alte Nationalgalerie

    3. Speak to local people

    Pre-smartphone travellers had one irreplaceable resource at their disposal – people. On his long walks across Europe, for example, travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor relied on the people he met for insight into local customs, history and hidden gems.

    Do exactly the same thing. Go to a typical bar, a bazaar, a local event, or attend a course on the language or the cooking of the place. Engage a bartender, shop owner, or street vendor in a chat. These tips will steer you off the beaten path of algorithms.

    4. Immerse yourself in slow travel

    Travel journalists of the past were in no hurry. Rather than zipping from one attraction to the next, they stayed put for long enough to pull back the layers of a place. Writer Rebecca West’s trek through the Balkans (which she described in her 1941 book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon) took months. Her long stays in villages allowed her to really get to know the place and its complexities.

    You should slow down on your next trip, too. Stay on in a small town or neighbourhood a little longer than you planned to. Stroll its streets and soak in the rhythms of daily life.

    5. Read travel literature

    The writers of travel history books, be it Robert Byron’s travels among the architecture and culture of Persia, or Isabella Bird entering unknown 19th-century Japan, articulate how their predecessors perceived the lands they visited.

    Read books written by local authors to get deeper into the cultural context of the place you’re visiting. You’ll find their reflections on their hometown or region often give you a more insightful, nuanced perspective than any modern day “top ten” list could.

    6. Research the history of every place you visit

    Writers like Colin Thubron included historical and cultural details to make their travel stories richer and more meaningful.

    Whether you find yourself at a local museum, reading up on the past of a place, or simply walking its streets with an eye for historical markers, learning the background of where you are can infuse your visit with added meaning.



    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.


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

    ref. Six ways to holiday like an old-school travel journalist – without using the internet – https://theconversation.com/six-ways-to-holiday-like-an-old-school-travel-journalist-without-using-the-internet-240384

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can visiting genocide memorials make you more empathic?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Magnus Linden, Associate professor of psychology, Lund University

    National memorial to the victims of the Rwandan genocide in Kigali. Oscar Espinosa/Shutterstock

    Each year, people visit museums and memorial sites as part of educational interventions organised around the remembrance of a genocide or an atrocity. Many schools visit a concentration camp as part of Holocaust education, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau. Others travel to memorial sites associated with other genocides, such as the massacre of Muslim men fleeing Srebrenica in Bosnia or the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Cambodia.

    Two important goals for such education are to foster empathy towards the victims and to increase students’ personal identification with them as a group. In this context, empathy is the ability to feel with the victims and to be able to take their perspective .

    But what does science say about the effect of visiting genocidal memorial sites on empathy and identification with a victim group? Our study, published in Holocaust Studies in July, sheds some light on the question.

    The science of empathy

    While we may justly think of empathy as a personality feature, it is also a capacity that can be activated through social experiences. When we identify with a group of victims we perceive a “we” connecting us with the members of the group.

    We do know that both empathy and identification with another group have been shown to foster positive relations with others.

    They are also important qualities that can protect people threatened by genocide. Empathy was an important factor among those who helped persecuted people to survive during the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda, for example.

    Evidence suggests that Israeli high-school students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau may increase their empathy towards Palestinians. That’s if they initially are already somewhat positive towards Palestinians in principle and if they are prepared to see suffering in universal rather than national terms.

    Auschwitz-Birkenau.
    wikipedia, CC BY-SA

    It has also been shown that groups of Polish students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau increased their identification with Jews as a group before and after visiting the concentration camp.

    Clear evidence

    In our recent study, we investigated 143 high-school students from Malmö in Sweden, of which 46 took a short course on the Holocaust, including a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

    We collected data both before and after the trip. We measured two facets of empathy in the students, “empathic concern” (such as “I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me”) and “perspective taking” (such as “Before criticising somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their place”).

    We also measured to what extent they identified with Jews as a group by ratings of how close they felt.

    The results for this group were then compared with responses from a control group of students who did not participate in the course or trip to Auschwitz.

    We found that the Holocaust education and trip increased the students’ preparedness to identify with and take the perspective of Jews compared to those who didn’t go. However, both groups showed similar amount of empathic concern.

    Looking more closely at the change registered among students after the trip, we also found that a feeling of increased closeness to Jews as a group was related to increased perspective taking.

    Our work suggests a role of genocide education in fostering a broad empathic understanding of a victim group’s life and culture. This can provide important stimulation for students to put themselves in the shoes of an often “otherised” group, whose experience of hate and violence can be appreciated as if it is known from the inside.

    This is clearly important at a time when both Holocaust denial and Islamophobia are rising.

    Remaining mysteries

    There is a great need for more research on moral education interventions that involves a site or museum visit. Evaluating how this education works, and which aspects that have the intended effects, is of key importance. Cutting edge scientific methods, such as virtual reality, are now just beginning to make a difference to education in this area.

    We will next be working to pinpoint how trips to sites of atrocity affect students’ moral values, attitudes or behaviour.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Can visiting genocide memorials make you more empathic? – https://theconversation.com/can-visiting-genocide-memorials-make-you-more-empathic-239854

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI: MoneyHero Enhances Car Insurance Vertical via Strategic Partnership with bolttech

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MoneyHero to leverage bolttech’s cutting-edge insurance exchange technology to power the Company’s new car insurance platform

    New digital marketplace enhances MoneyHero’s insurance brokerage and conversion expertise, offering a streamlined end-to-end consumer journey across Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines

    SINGAPORE, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MoneyHero Limited (NASDAQ: MNY) (“MoneyHero” or the “Company”), a leading personal finance and digital insurance brokerage platform in Greater Southeast Asia, today announced the launch of its brand-new car insurance platform through a strategic partnership with bolttech, a global leader in insurtech. This collaboration will transform MoneyHero’s consumer experience for car insurance by integrating bolttech’s cutting-edge insurance exchange technology into the MoneyHero platform. The enhanced marketplace is now live in Hong Kong, with rollouts planned for Singapore by Q4 2024 and the Philippines by the end of Q1 2025.

    Through this strategic partnership, MoneyHero is strengthening its position as a digital insurance leader in the region, combining its expertise in financial product comparison and conversion optimization with bolttech’s innovative insurance capabilities. The new car insurance platform will empower consumers with better insights, broader options, and a more seamless purchase process, setting a new standard for the car insurance industry.

    Rohith Murthy, CEO of MoneyHero, said: “This launch marks a significant milestone for MoneyHero as we expand our car insurance offerings and enhance our capabilities as a leading digital insurance brokerage. By partnering with bolttech, we are not only elevating the user experience but also taking full ownership of the entire car insurance purchase journey—from comparison to conversion—within our ecosystem. This enhanced platform is aligned with our strategic pillars of brokerage excellence and conversion expertise, and it further underscores our commitment to making personal finance and insurance decisions easier for consumers across Greater Southeast Asia.

    “With bolttech’s expertise, we are offering an unmatched level of insight and simplicity that will reshape how consumers choose their car insurance. This partnership strengthens our position as a market leader, and together, we’re setting the stage for the future of digital insurance.”

    Enhanced Platform Benefits and Strategic Alignment

    Leveraging bolttech’s cutting-edge insurance exchange technology, MoneyHero’s car insurance platform offers users a best-in-class experience, including comprehensive comparison tools, accurate pricing references, and a streamlined end-to-end user journey. These features will allow consumers to make more informed and confident decisions about their car insurance, all within a seamless, fully integrated platform.

    Philip Weiner, CEO – Asia & Middle East, bolttech said, “We are thrilled to partner with MoneyHero to create an enhanced customer experience for car insurance across Southeast Asia. By digitally integrating with our insurance exchange platform, we are empowering MoneyHero to offer a seamless and transparent user experience, giving customers greater control and clarity in their car insurance decisions. Together, we look forward to delivering more value-added services to MoneyHero’s customers and driving further innovation in the insurtech space.”

    bolttech, with over 230 insurers and 6,000 products on its platform globally, brings unmatched expertise and market access to this partnership, ensuring that MoneyHero’s customers have access to a wide array of insurance options tailored to their needs.

    Revenue Growth and Strategic Expansion

    MoneyHero’s insurance vertical has been a key driver of growth, contributing 7% to total revenue in 2023 and has grown 89% year-over-over in Q2 2024, contributing to 11% of Group revenues in Q2 2024. The launch of the new car insurance platform is expected to significantly accelerate this growth, as it capitalizes on the increasing demand for digital insurance solutions in Greater Southeast Asia.

    Mr. Murthy added: “Our vertically integrated approach to brokerage, combined with this partnership, positions us to capture a larger share of the car insurance market. Insurance will continue to be a key contributor to our bottom line, driving new customer acquisition across our broader personal finance platform.”

    For more information about MoneyHero, including information for investors and learning about career opportunities, please visit http://www.MoneyHeroGroup.com.

    About MoneyHero Group
    MoneyHero Limited (NASDAQ: MNY) is a market leader in the online personal finance and digital insurance aggregation and comparison sector in Greater Southeast Asia. The Company operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines.  Its brand portfolio includes B2C platforms MoneyHero, SingSaver, Money101, Moneymax and Seedly, as well as the B2B platform Creatory.  The Company also retains an equity stake in Malaysian fintech company, Jirnexu Pte. Ltd., parent company of Jirnexu Sdn. Bhd., the operator of RinggitPlus, Malaysia’s largest operating B2C platform. MoneyHero currently manages 279 commercial partner relationships and services 8.1 million Monthly Unique Users across its platform for the six months ended June 30, 2024. The Company’s backers include Peter Thiel—co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and the Founders Fund—and Hong Kong businessman, Richard Li, the founder and chairman of Pacific Century Group. To learn more about MoneyHero and how the innovative fintech company is driving Greater Southeast Asia’s digital economy, please visit http://www.MoneyHeroGroup.com.

    About bolttech
    bolttech is a global insurtech with a mission to build the world’s leading, technology-enabled ecosystem for protection and insurance. bolttech serves customers in more than 35+ markets across four continents, North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. With a full suite of digital and data-driven capabilities, bolttech powers connections between insurers, distributors, and customers to make it easier and more efficient to buy and sell insurance and protection products.

    For more information, please visit http://www.bolttech.io.

    For MoneyHero inquiries, please contact:

    Investors:
    MoneyHero IR Team
    IR@MoneyHeroGroup.com

    Media:
    Gaffney Bennett PR
    MoneyHero@gbpr.com

    For bolttech inquiries, please contact:
    bolttech Group Communications
    enquiries@bolttech.io

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: SECNAV Del Toro As-Written Remarks at the USS Richard McCool Commissioning

    Source: United States Navy

    Thank You/Introduction

    Good morning, everyone! It is an absolute honor to be here with you today in Pensacola, Florida—“The Cradle of Naval Aviation”—to commission our fleet’s newest warship, the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29), the first ship named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Captain Richard M. McCool, Jr, United States Navy.

    Congressman Gaetz, thank you for your partnership and collaboration in supporting the thousands of Sailors, Marines, civilians, and their families who are stationed and train here in Pensacola to defend our nation across all domains in which we operate.

    Mayor Reeves, thank you for joining us today and for your support of our service men and women in this great city.

    Admiral Franchetti and General Mahoney, thank you both for your presence here today, and for your leadership of our Navy-Marine Corps team.

    This warship before us represents the combined power of our two naval services, and so it is fitting to have leaders from both services here today to welcome it into our Fleet and our Force.

    To the crew of USS McCool, the rest of our Navy team, and our partners in industry: thank you for your unwavering support—this commissioning was made possible only by your tireless efforts.

    Multi-Ship Procurement Announcement

    As 78th Secretary of the Navy, my mission is to provide combat ready forces and capabilities to the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, and our Combatant Commanders.

    And it is inherent within my duties as Secretary to identity and rectify delays within our shipbuilding efforts.

    Last fall, I announced my vision for a new National Maritime Statecraft to prevail in an era of intense strategic competition.

    Maritime Statecraft encompasses a national, whole-of-government effort to restore the maritime capabilities of the United States.

    I have forcefully advocated to revive our Nation’s shipbuilding capabilities and capacity.

    And so, today I am proud to publicly announce that the Department of the Navy is pursuing the award of the Amphibious Multi-Ship Procurement Contract for a total of three San Antonio Class amphibious ships—just like USS Richard M. McCool Jr.—along with an America Class amphibious assault ship.

    I meet often with industry leaders to discuss the challenges that prevent us from moving forward faster in shipbuilding.

    They respond that fluctuations in demand make it difficult to maintain a stable production schedule.

    This agreement sends still yet another steady demand signal to our shipbuilding industrial base.

    And this agreement also demonstrates the Navy’s commitment to maintaining 31 Amphibious warfare ships and our prudent measures taken with taxpayer funds.

    I am proud to make this announcement today, as we—just as CNO says—welcome another “player to the field,” manned by an all-volunteer force of Sailors and Marines, who have dedicated their careers and their lives in service to our nation, much like this ship’s namesake.

    Captain Richard M. McCool, Jr.

    Like myself and several in the audience today, Captain McCool began his naval service as a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, though he joined in 1941, right at the outset of World War II.

    While his dream was to be a naval aviator, shortly after his graduation from USNA in 1944, he found himself as the commanding officer of USS LCS 122, a landing craft support ship, leading 65 officers and sailors.

    And in the spring of 1945, McCool and his crew found themselves sailing throughout the Pacific Theater, supporting Marines ashore during the Battle of Okinawa.

    LCS 122 and her sister ships were charged with guarding the radar picket destroyers stationed off the coast of Okinawa against Japanese kamikaze attacks, armed with rocket launchers and 40mm guns to repel threats from the sky.

    But on June 10th, 1945, a kamikaze struck LCS 122 below the conning tower where then-Lieutenant McCool was manning his battle station, knocking him unconscious.

    When he came to, he took charge of the situation, coordinating damage control efforts and the evacuation of his crew.

    Despite his severe wounds from the blast, including a collapsed lung, he endeavored to rescue as many of his crew as he could who were trapped in blazing compartments.

    His actions saved LCS 122—which was returned to service after repairs—as well as a majority of his crew.

    For his actions, President Truman presented McCool with the Medal of Honor.

    After World War II, Captain McCool continued to serve in our Navy during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, retiring in 1974 after 30 years of honorable service as both a Surface Warfare Officer and Public Affairs Officer.

    Even after his retirement from the Navy, Captain McCool continued to serve the Seattle community through volunteer work, as well as serving two terms as a Kitsap County Party chairman.

    And while Captain McCool is no longer with us, we take solace in knowing that he is watching over our next generation of naval leaders from his final resting place at the Naval Academy cemetery, and that his strength, his courage—his spirit—lives on through his family present here today.

    Ship Sponsor

    Shana, on behalf of this crew and our Navy, thank you for serving as ship sponsor for the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr.

    In this role, you will forever be the connection between this warship, her crew, and your grandfather’s legacy of service.

    It is my hope that you will continue to share your stories and memories of your grandfather with the crew, giving them a deep appreciation for the man whose name adorns their uniforms.

    Closing

    Captain McCool’s leadership in the face of grave danger and his acts of heroism to save the crew and the ship our nation entrusted to him are indeed an example for all throughout our Navy and Marine Corps to follow.

    To the Sailors and Marines of the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. and your families, you are about to embark on a great adventure as you bring this ship to life.

    On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you all for the work and sacrifices you have already made, and for everything you will do in the coming days to as you work towards your maiden deployment.

    May God continue to watch over this ship, her crew, and grant them with fair winds and following seas wherever they may sail.

    Thank you.

    MIL Security OSI