NewzIntel.com

Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Doing What Matters: Future-proofing the Cunningham Highway

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    Work is progressing to future-proof the Cunningham Highway, with critical planning funding being directed to long-term improvements in two priority areas.

    The Albanese and Miles Labor Governments jointly committed $20 million for detailed planning on the Cunningham Highway, which will be used to undertake businesses cases on the Ipswich-Rosewood Road (Amberley) intersection and Ripley Road and Swanbank Road interchanges.

    The Australian Government is providing $16 million towards the project, with the Queensland Government providing the remaining $4 million.

    The Ipswich-Rosewood Road (Amberley) intersection planning will investigate options for a long-term solution at the intersection, including grade separation, a bypass or duplication of the highway.

    It will also take into consideration feedback received from the community during the consultation process and focus on improving safety for all users of this important transport connection.

    The Ipswich-Rosewood Road (Amberley) intersection is a key connection for freight and the local community. It also acts as the main access point to Australia’s largest operational military air base – Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley.  

    This project is part of the Australian Government’s broader $170 million investment in the Cunningham Highway.  

    As planning progresses, the Queensland Government will continue to keep the community and stakeholders updated.

    Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

    “Our aim is to identify and implement a way to improve safety and efficiency for both local residents and freight vehicles.

    “The business case will consider how best to improve connections to the Royal Australian Air Force Amberley base.

    “So much work goes into detailed planning for an upgrade of this calibre, and we want to ensure the design options reflect the needs of the community.”

    Quotes attributable to Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Bart Mellish:

    “Only a Miles Labor Government will work with the Albanese Government to prioritise Cunningham Highway funding to enable upgrades to priority locations.

    “The Cunningham Highway and Ipswich Rosewood Road (Amberley) intersection is our highest priority on the Cunningham Highway.

    “Following community feedback, we recognise the need to focus on the long-term solution given growing demands in the area.

    “The Ipswich-Rosewood Road (Amberley) intersection is a key connection for freight and the local community as well as servicing the main access point to Australia’s largest operational military air base—the Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley.

    “Additionally we know the Ripley Road and Swanbank Road exits are important interchanges for the community and an upgrade of these is a priority for the Miles and Albanese governments.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann:

    “I have advocated strongly for a long-term solution to the Cunningham Highway and Amberley intersection to support our fast-growing Ipswich region.

    “This commitment is the first step in fixing the Amberley intersection and addressing growing traffic congestion challenges at the Ripley and Swanbank interchanges.

    “A long-term solution to the Cunningham Highway would improve safety at the Amberley intersection, boost freight connectivity through the region, and reduce congestion for residents in Ipswich’s growth corridor and defence personnel at RAAF Base Amberley.

     “The Australian and Queensland Governments will continue to work together to ensure Queensland receives the quality infrastructure it deserves.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: New appointment to the ABC Board

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The Albanese Government has appointed Ms Katrina Sedgwick OAM as a non-executive Director to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Board for a five-year term.

    Ms Sedgwick has extensive experience in the arts sector including performance, screen, festivals, museums, commissioning, and administration. In 2020 she received an Order of Australia Medal for Services to Film, Theatre, and Visual Arts Administration.

    Ms Sedgwick is currently the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, and has previously held these positions at the Adelaide Film Festival and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

     In addition, Ms Sedgwick has held board positions at Back to Back Theatre, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Chunky Move, Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and was the Head of Arts at the ABC between 2012 and 2015.

    Ms Sedgwick’s skills and experience will support the ABC to continue to deliver on its Charter to provide programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community, as well as to encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia.

    This non-executive Director was nominated for appointment by the Nomination Panel as part of the merit-based appointment process for the ABC and SBS Boards.

    Ms Sedgwick will commence in the role on 2 October 2024 and will replace the outgoing member, Mr Peter Lewis, whose term expires on 1 October 2024.

    The Government acknowledges and thanks Mr Lewis for his significant contribution to the ABC Board over two terms.

    For more information on the ABC Board visit www.abc.net.au/about/abc-board

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:

     “I thank Peter Lewis for his service on the ABC Board, during which time he made a valuable contribution to supporting the ABC’s continuing success in keeping Australians informed and entertained, and I congratulate Katrina Sedgwick on her appointment. 

    “Ms Sedgwick brings a strong creative boost to the Board alongside relevant executive and board-level experience, and increases the geographic diversity of the board with resident Victorian representation. 

    “I look forward to working with the Board and Ms Sedgwick into the future.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Far too extreme for this arrested rider

    Source: South Australia Police

    A motorcycle rider has been caught travelling more than 100km/h over the speed limit in Murray Mallee this afternoon.

    Just before 12.30pm on Friday 27 September, a speed detection camera on Kulde Road at Tailem Bend captured a motorcycle travelling at 151km/h in a 50km/h zone.

    The same motorbike returned a few minutes later travelling in the opposite direction and was captured going 146km/h.

    The rider was photographed on camera with wearing what appeared to be a pirate hat and goggles.

    Local patrols attended a Tailem Bend address where they located the motorbike and the rider.

    The rider, a 54-year-old man from Coonalpyn, submitted to a drug test where he returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

    The man was arrested and charged with two counts of driving at an extreme speed, driving whilst being disqualified, driving with incorrect number plates, failing to wear a helmet and contravening mandatory alcohol interlock scheme conditions.

    He was refused police bail and will appear in Murray Bridge Magistrates Court on Monday 30 September.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Community invited to have their say on updated coastal plan

    Source: Government of Queensland

    Issued: 27 Sep 2024

    Queenslanders are invited to have their say on proposed changes to the state’s Coastal Management Plan.

    The Queensland Government’s Coastal Management Plan sets out how the coastal areas of the state should be managed and is primarily used by local governments, State land managers and port authorities to guide management decisions on the coast.

    The Coastal Plan was first developed in 2012 before a significant amendment in 2014. The updated draft plan includes content that aligns with existing coastal management principles and removes content that is now addressed through other statutory mechanisms.

    Key changes include:

    • updating the term ‘climate variability’ to ‘climate change’, specifically in relation to the risk of permanent inundation of land from sea level rise
    • the introduction of the concept of blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves and saltmarsh, to highlight the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as the protection of habitat and biodiversity
    • updated references to current legislation and policies to remove duplication, specifically in relation to water quality and Indigenous cultural heritage policy which are managed through other policies and legislation
    • highlighting the need to relocate or discontinue development on State land that is within identified coastal hazard areas.

    Queensland’s coastline is a significant natural resource and provides valuable services that support the state’s economic and social well-being, but the demand for use of coastal land by communities can result in our coastal environments becoming degraded.

    Climate change impacts, including sea level rise and increasing intensity of storms and cyclones, also pose threats to low-lying coastal areas of our state.

    It is vital we implement strong coastal planning and management mechanisms to protect and conserve our important, ecological and natural values.

    Members of the public can complete a survey online at In the Loop.

    Consultation closes at 5pm, Wednesday 27 November 2024.

    Read more about Coastal management in Queensland.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Find out about working in childcare at jobs fair

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Wolves Workbox is hosting the Childcare Jobs and Opportunities Fair at Wolves at Work, Unit 5, i10, Victoria Square, Wolverhampton on Saturday 19 October from 10am to 1pm.

    It will offer information on working in the childcare sector, with local providers discussing vacancies and apprentice opportunities. People will be able to apply for vacancies on the day and provide their contact details so they can get employability support from Wolves at Work staff.

    There will also be information about the Do Something Big recruitment campaign’s ‘golden hello’ payment of up to £1,000 for people entering or returning to the sector.

    There is no need to book – simply turn up on the day. For further information, please call the Wolves at Work team on 01902 554400 or email wolvesatwork@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Childcare is a job with impact. Working with small children, you get to be part of their early education and to make a difference that lasts a lifetime.

    “You can be part of a team or lead a team in nurseries, pre-schools, playgroups or schools, or you can be your own boss and become a childminder, and with the recent expansion of free childcare to working parents, there are plenty of jobs out there.

    “So, if you are thinking of entering or returning to the sector, please come along to the Childcare Jobs and Opportunities Fair to find out more.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press conference, Beijing

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    JIM CHALMERS:

    Yesterday afternoon and into last evening I co‑chaired with Chairman Zheng Shanjie, the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the first Strategic Economic Dialogue in 7 years.

    These were frank and fruitful discussions between myself and the Chairman of the NDRC. The discussions ran for more than 3 hours. They ran over time. We are very grateful for the time that the Chairman was able to give us at a time when there’s a lot going on here in China, and I wanted to talk about that a bit as well.

    These were the first meetings by an Australian Treasurer here in 7 years. It’s another really important part of our efforts as a government to stabilise this really key economic relationship in the interests of our people.

    This economic relationship is full of complexity and full of opportunity, and we believe we give ourselves the best chance to manage and maximise those complexities and those opportunities when we engage in a meaningful way, as we have been doing over the course of the last couple of days.

    Obviously Australia and China – we have our differences. But we have agreed to work together where we can when it comes to really important areas like trade and investment, decarbonisation of our industries and business engagement as well.

    I’m really pleased that we agreed yesterday that we would conduct these Strategic Economic Dialogues annually, and the next one will be in Australia next year.

    We were able to have advanced discussions, frank and fruitful, productive and practical discussions, about the key issues confronting both of our economies and the global economy more broadly as well.

    There couldn’t have been a more important time to be engaging with Chinese counterparts than right now. We saw the announcements made earlier in the week and more signalled yesterday by senior policymakers here in China.

    I want to make it really clear – we welcome efforts to boost growth in the Chinese economy. We are very pleased to see these additional steps being signalled by the Chinese government in order to boost economic activity and boost growth here in China.

    China is Australia’s biggest partner. We have a lot at stake and a lot to gain when it comes to this key economic relationship. If you look at the Treasury forecasts for growth in the Chinese economy, if they eventuate, those 3 years of forecasts, that would be the weakest period of growth here in China since the opening up in the late 1970s. What happens here and what is decided here has big consequences for our own economy, our own workers, businesses, investors and for our country more broadly.

    We do have a lot at stake, and we do have a lot to gain when it comes to the engagement and the stabilisation of the relationship with China as well. We know that a more stable relationship is good for Australia, and that’s why I’m here. It’s as simple as that. That’s also why I consulted with the Chairs and CEOs and senior executives of around 15 different very major China‑facing Australian businesses, because we do know just how important it is that we get this right.

    Growth in the Chinese economy has been a key contributor to weakness in the global economy. When the Chinese economy is soft, we’re not immune from that. We understand that. That’s an important reason for the timing of this visit being so crucial.

    Shortly I’ll be meeting with the Chairman of the Chinese Securities Commission as well, Wu Qing, and I will get from him some further insights about the performance of the Chinese economy, particularly the financial conditions here. That will also be another opportunity to talk about the measures announced and signalled through the course of this week.

    I was very grateful to Chairman Zheng last night for the opportunity formally in the dialogue and then informally at the dinner to canvass some of the contexts for the decisions that have been taken, announced or signalled in the course of this week. The NDRC is really going to be one of the most important institutions when it comes to rolling out this support for the Chinese economy at a really important time.

    It was crucial that we restart these discussions, the Strategic Economic Dialogue. It’s a very good outcome for Australia that we will be hosting counterparts next year to continue to advance these discussions on areas like trade and investment, decarbonisation of our industries and business engagement. I’m looking forward to hosting colleagues and counterparts next year in Australia.

    So very valuable and well‑timed discussions. Very practical, very productive. I’m grateful for the generosity of our Chinese host as we canvass some of these really important issues.

    I’m happy to take some of your questions.

    JOURNALIST:

    Treasurer, as you say, you couldn’t have got luckier with the timing. How convinced are you by the extent of the stimulus measures announced by the Chinese this week?

    CHALMERS:

    Clearly some of the detail of these measures is still to come and subject to those details we think this is a really welcome development, a very welcome development here in China but also for the global economy, and especially for our own economy.

    We are very pleased to see the Chinese authorities announce or signal the sorts of steps that we have been hearing about this week publicly and also in our private discussions with our counterparts.

    This can only be a good thing for Australia, subject to those details, because we know that weakness in the Chinese economy does flow through to our own economic conditions. Some of the key reasons why our own economy is slowing considerably are global economic uncertainty, of which China is a part, combined with inflationary pressures at home and the impact of higher interest rates – those 3 things are combining to slow our own economy considerably.

    When steps are taken here to boost economic activity and to boost growth for the Chinese economy, subject to the details that will be released in good time, we see that as a very, very good development for Australia.

    JOURNALIST:

    But do you think they’ll work?

    CHALMERS:

    It remains to be seen. But we’ve seen on earlier occasions when the authorities here, the administration here, steps in to support activity in the economy that is typically a good thing for Australia – good for our businesses and workers, our industries, our investors, and good for the global economy as well.

    Like a lot of people around the world, we have been concerned about the softer conditions here in the Chinese economy. Subject to the details that will be made public in good time, any efforts to boost growth and support activity here is a welcome one around the world and especially at home in Australia.

    JOURNALIST:

    Can you talk us through some of the specific impacts that happens in Australia, the flow‑on effects, when you have an annual growth figure here in China that is below that 5 per cent target?

    CHALMERS:

    We see that across a range of different indicators, but the easiest to understand is the demand for and the price that we’re getting for some of our bulk commodities. One of the reasons why I consulted with BHP and Rio and Fortescue and Woodside and others before I came here to China is to understand the implications for our exports of a softer Chinese economy.

    We’ve seen the iron ore price, for example, is really quite low by recent historical standards. I think it’s down about 40 per cent since the start of the year. Similarly, when it comes to thermal coal. That has implications for us. It has implications for the Budget but, more importantly, it has implications for the economy. Even if in the course of this week we’ve seen a minor correction, a minor improvement, in the prices we get for some of our bulk commodities. That’s obviously a good thing when it comes to our major exporters.

    But more broadly, softness here has implications for growth in the global economy. We’ve even seen in the last 24 hours or so our own Reserve Bank putting out its financial stability analysis and has talked about the consequences of weaker Chinese growth for the global economy. We’re not immune from that, really, right across the board. But the easiest way to understand it is when it comes to the impact on our exporters.

    JOURNALIST:

    Treasurer, there’s been a lot happening in Beijing on the economic front. There’s also been lot going on on the military front. There was the first intercontinental ballistic missile shot in more than 4 decades a few days ago, and on Wednesday before you arrived Australia, Japan and New Zealand sailed their navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait. We’ve also had all 3 of China’s aircraft carriers for the first time operating on [inaudible].

    Can I get a direct comment on the ballistic missile [inaudible] and a comment on Australia’s freedom of navigation operation? And then maybe just talk to us about how you reconcile, obviously, the economic relationship is so important, but there’s other things going on as well, just talk to us about you reconcile that, thanks very much for that.

    CHALMERS:

    Thanks very much for that, Will.

    Australia, like other countries in our region and around the world, has a lot at stake when it comes to a stable, secure, peaceful and prosperous region. It’s not unusual for navies to conduct the kind of exercises that you’re describing in the Taiwan Strait. These are routine activities, and they’re conducted in accordance with international law. That wasn’t part of our discussions yesterday.

    In terms of the other parts of your question, I was able to reiterate in the meetings yesterday afternoon our expectations of safe and professional conduct of all militaries operating in our region. Obviously I’m aware of the reports about the testing and other reports that you refer to in your question, and I was able to raise that in the conversation yesterday afternoon. But as you would expect, the overwhelming focus of our discussions here has been the economy.

    JOURNALIST:

    So in your discussions yesterday about the stimulus measures, was there any discussion about whether these plans are aimed at very short term now or whether this was medium term? [Inaudible] And also, how do you see [inaudible]? Is this actually going to supercharge Chinese national output and Chinese exports? [Inaudible]

    CHALMERS:

    In reverse order, I was able to talk about the importance of safeguarding the global rules‑based system of open trade in the context of some of the issues you raise in your question and the free and fair and open markets that have served the global economy and our economy so well for so long.

    When it comes to the urgency or otherwise of steps that have been flagged to boost growth here, I don’t want to go too deep into the informal conversations that we had about some elements of that, but it was a feature of our discussions.

    This balance that we’re all trying to strike between doing what is necessary in the near term – whether it’s here supporting growth, in Australia, a primary focus on inflation on the cost of living without ignoring the risks to growth – balancing those near‑term considerations with what we need to do to set ourselves up for another generation of growth and prosperity.

    The discussions were about those steps flagged and announced throughout the course of the week. Some elements of that will have some urgency associated with it. But the government here wants to make sure that anything that they’re doing in the near term also serves a useful longer term purpose. In that, we have a lot in common. In Australia fighting inflation without ignoring the risks to growth, budget repair but also investing in skills and housing and energy and in a Future Made in Australia – all that is about trying to recognise our near‑term pressures and our longer‑term opportunities, and that’s how my Chinese counterparts see it as well.

    JOURNALIST:

    [Inaudible] the US is [inaudible] some kind of [inaudible]. What will Australia be doing about that? And did your Chinese counterpart raise that in his [inaudible]?

    CHALMERS:

    My colleague the Energy Minister has made it clear that we don’t intend to ban imports of EVs from any particular country.

    We will continue to discuss with American counterparts the steps that they’ve announced and the steps that they’re taking when it comes to EVs. But we will take our own advice when it comes to the best way to manage and maximise that really important market for EVs.

    These sorts of issues came up in the broad in the discussions yesterday afternoon. We know that this is an issue of concern to our Chinese counterparts. But from our point of view, when it came to technology and innovation and the net zero transformation, our highest priority and our focus in the discussions was on other areas, including the decarbonisation of steel, for example, trying to maximise the chances that we have working together when it comes to our iron ore and their steel production. We both have an interest in greener steel production, and so that was a bigger part of the conversation than some of these other issues around EVs and other technology.

    JOURNALIST:

    Treasurer, I’m sure Australian lobster farmers would be very interested to know whether you raised their concerns yesterday. Are you any closer to knowing when the ban will be lifted? Will it be this year?

    CHALMERS:

    I did raise it last night and yesterday afternoon. We’re seeking a speedy resolution of the restrictions on lobster.

    We’ve made really quite encouraging progress, engaging with Chinese counterparts, to see something like 20 of the $21 billion in trade restrictions lifted. That’s good for our workers and our businesses, our exporters and our investors. I wanted to pay tribute there to the efforts of our people here in China led so capably by our Ambassador, but also Ministers Wong and Farrell and the Prime Minister.

    This is a very tangible way that we have seen progress made as a consequence of our effort to stabilise the relationship. There is more trade of more goods than when we came to office because of those efforts.

    Obviously we’re aware we have a little ways to go yet, particularly when it comes to lobster. I did raise that. We are seeking the speedy resolution of those issues. We know that teams on both sides are discussing the issue of lobster in particular, trying to get to a resolution on that. We’d like to see that before long.

    JOURNALIST:

    What’s the hiccup?

    CHALMERS:

    As I understand it, there are still a couple of technical issues being worked on between our agriculture and trade departments and administrations. We knew that coming here.

    I intended to raise it here and I have. We do want to see a speedy resolution, but we know that there’s a little bit more work to do. But ideally, hopefully, we will see our wonderful Australian lobster gracing the tables of Chinese homes and restaurants as soon as possible.

    JOURNALIST:

    The Chinese delegation was seeking reassurances around Chinese investment in Australia. Did they raise anything specific [inaudible]?

    CHALMERS:

    I really welcomed the opportunity to convey to Chairman Zheng and to his colleagues the same thing which I have said publicly, and I mean it.

    Our foreign investment regime does not target any one country. Ours is a non‑discriminatory regime, which is about managing risks in foreign investment. It’s about strengthening the foreign investment regime and streamlining it where we can to manage the economic and security risks which are sometimes part of foreign investment proposals. That doesn’t single any one country out. It is just a sensible, considered, commonsense way to manage foreign investment in Australia.

    Foreign investment in Australia is welcome. We support overwhelmingly most of the applications that are made to us. Where a proposal is rejected it hasn’t all been from one country. It hasn’t all been from here.

    I really did genuinely welcome the opportunity to step the Chairman through that. We agreed to have more discussions about some of those issues. Wherever we can provide more clarity on these sorts of issues we welcome the chance to do that.

    JOURNALIST:

    What did they say about critical minerals? Because obviously some of those investors have been in that industry. It’s something the Chinese dominate in, and we have seen the announcement earlier this week of the co‑financing agreement between Australia and the US and other countries. So were they concerned about these efforts to diversify supply chains in critical minerals?

    CHALMERS:

    There’s a recognition that every country manages its economic and national security interests in a way that’s appropriate for them.

    Every country has some system or set of arrangements to screen investment, and countries make agreements with each other about key supply chains like this one.

    We think that critical minerals are the opportunity of the century for Australia. I am a huge supporter of the Australian critical minerals industry. But our efforts there aren’t about protecting. They’re about engaging with the world, providing wonderful critical – Australian critical minerals – to markets around the world. Obviously not just with our Chinese counterparts but right around the world there’s a lot of interest in Australian critical minerals, and that’s for good reason.

    JOURNALIST:

    Do you see the Chinese overcapacity in thins like rare earths as being a threat to Australia’s industries? Australia’s paying billions of dollar to companies like Arafura to develop the industry and yet Chinese exports are growing and prices are falling. Are those – firstly, are those investments by the Australian Government and those companies at risk, and, secondly, did you raise those issues with the Chinese?

    CHALMERS:

    We’ve been one of the world’s major beneficiaries of properly functioning global markets for resources and for other goods and services as well. The global economy has been a major beneficiary of that, and we’ve been a major beneficiary of that. We want to see it continue.

    Clearly, when it comes to some markets for some resources, we’ve seen some extraordinary volatility in some of those markets. I was able to reiterate with Chairman Zheng just how much we value the proper functioning of global rules‑based markets. I believe that it’s in everyone’s interests that see those markets function properly.

    JOURNALIST:

    Just following on on investment, [inaudible] Australia‑China Business Council Summit. There’s been a lot of confusion among Australian China facing businesses and Chinese businesses who want to operate in Australia, they heard the comments you repeated today about Australia not having – not targeting any one country. But then they say, well, look at the reality of it. They said they’re very confused about where they’re allowed or not. You have approved or allowed the investment of Rio and [inaudible] for that new iron ore project 2 years ago. Clearly Investment can be approved from China. Can you speak to the model? Is it that? Is it a 50–50 JV with an Australian partner? Is that what Chinese businesses should be coming to Australia with if they want success? Just speak to that a bit.

    CHALMERS:

    We approach each proposal on a case‑by‑case basis, and we’ve done our best to provide as much information and clarity and certainty about the sorts of things that we consider when we judge those applications on a case‑by‑case basis.

    We’ve made it very clear, for example, that we take a harder look where it applies to critical infrastructure, critical data, critical minerals. I think that’s understood. It’s certainly been clearly communicated by our government. But if there’s more information and more clarity that we can provide, I was able to convey to Chairman Zheng yesterday afternoon that we’re happy to try and provide that.

    We approve overwhelmingly the vast majority of proposals which come to us when it comes to foreign investment. Rejecting proposals is a very rare thing, and it isn’t just from one country. We run a genuinely non‑discriminatory Foreign Investment Review Board process. It is rightly robust. We want it to be robust, but we also want it to be clear and transparent, and if we can do more on that front, we will.

    JOURNALIST:

    Treasurer, you’re flying back into a really big storm over negative gearing. Did you ask Treasury to model reforms, and when will we get a definitive answer from the government about whether you will take a new policy to the election on negative gearing?

    CHALMERS:

    First of all, I hope I’m flying back into another Brisbane Lions premiership, but I’ll also be flying back into the opportunity to do a couple of things when I’m back.

    I’ll be releasing the Final Budget Outcome on Monday with Katy Gallagher, which will show a bigger second surplus than forecast in the Budget in May. There’ll be a number of opportunities to talk about this and these engagements here as well.

    When it comes to negative gearing changes, it is not unusual at all for governments or for treasurers to get advice on contentious issues which are in the public domain, including in the parliament. It is not unusual for treasurers to do that, but we have made it very clear through the course of this week that we have a broad and ambitious housing policy already and those changes aren’t part of it.

    JOURNALIST:

    So you’ll rule out any changes to negative gearing before the next election and during the next term?

    CHALMERS:

    We’ve made it really clear through the course of the week that our priority and our focus is on rolling out $32 billion worth of investment, because our highest priority and our biggest focus is supply. Whether it’s in Brisbane on Wednesday where I took a number of questions about this or throughout the course of the week when the Prime Minister was able to take a whole bunch of questions on this as well, we’ve made it clear. Our policy is to boost supply. Our policy is to invest $32 billion in that effort and these changes which we get advice on from time to time because they’re in the public domain or they’re in the Parliament, they’re not part of our policy.

    JOURNALIST:

    Is the Australian economy at risk of shrinking if Trump is elected in the US, given he’s flagged up to 60 per cent tariffs on all imports and overruling the Federal Reserve on interest rates [inaudible]?

    CHALMERS:

    As you’d appreciate, we don’t comment on the domestic political debate, especially from another country and especially in the most intense part of an American election campaign.

    We have shown a willingness and an ability across Australian Governments of both political persuasions to work with whoever the Americans choose as their President and the people that they elect to their representative bodies. We play the cards that we’re dealt when it comes to decisions taken appropriately by the American people.

    I share President Biden’s view that nobody has anything to gain from a trade war between the US and China. The policies being proposed by either side of politics in the US are a matter for them. Broadly and in principle I hold President Biden’s view – nobody has anything to gain from a trade war between this country and the US, least of all Australia.

    JOURNALIST:

    How much did the US election come up in your discussions yesterday?

    CHALMERS:

    I don’t think it came up at all. It may have come up informally, but I don’t believe so.

    Thanks very much.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 213-2024: Immediate changes to accepted Turkish testing providers for imported seed for sowing

    Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

    27 September 2024

    Who does this notice affect?

    This notice affects importers of seed for sowing, all permit holders of seed for sowing, custom brokers and departmental staff.

    What has changed?

    Effective immediately, the department has suspended the acceptance of seed testing results issued by any laboratory in the Republic of Türkiye for any seed for sowing imports into Australia.

    Following a review, there have been concerns raised regarding the accuracy of…

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Police investigating fatal Bowen Bridge crash

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Police investigating fatal Bowen Bridge crash

    Friday, 27 September 2024 – 6:00 pm.

    Sadly, two people have died following a multiple vehicle crash on the Bowen Bridge near Risdon this afternoon.Inspector Jason Klug said police and emergency services were called to the scene about 3.40pm, following reports of a crash involving a truck and three other vehicles.“Initial inquiries indicate the truck driver was travelling east on the bridge in a Hino heavy vehicle, when it collided with a silver Holden Barina travelling in front,” he said.“The Barina then collided with two other vehicles, a red Holden Commodore and a blue Honda HRV, also heading east.”“Two occupants of the Barina, a man and a woman both in their 80s, sadly died.”“The woman driving the Barina, who was the third occupant of the car, was taken to hospital, and her injuries are not believed to be life threatening.”“A woman and two children in the Commodore, and a woman who was the sole occupant of the HRV were also not seriously injured.”“The truck driver was not physically injured in the crash.”“As is usual process for a crash of this nature, all drivers are undergoing mandatory testing.”“The circumstances leading up to the crash are being investigated by police and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.”“Anyone with information or relevant dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 131 444.”“Our thoughts are with everyone involved.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of Multitude P.L.C.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MULTITUDE P.L.C. (C 109441)

    ST Business Centre, 120, The Strand

    Gzira, GZR 1027

    Malta

    NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF MULTITUDE P.L.C.

    Notice is given to the shareholders of Multitude P.L.C. (previously Multitude SE) (“Company” and/or “Multitude”) that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders of the Company is to be held on 23 October 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (EEST / Finnish time) (the “Meeting”).

    The Meeting will be held at the offices of Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd, Eteläesplanadi 14, Helsinki, Finland. Instructions for participation are provided in section 3 of this notice.

    The Meeting is being convened following the transfer of the Company’s registered office from Finland to Malta in accordance with Article 8 of the Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 of 8 October 2001 on the Statute for a European company (SE) on 30 June 2024, in order to adopt the Company’s final accounts as required pursuant to Section 11 of the Finnish European Companies Act (742/2004, as amended) (the “Finnish European Companies Act”) and to make certain related resolutions. Accordingly, for the purposes of Section 11 of the Finnish European Companies Act, the Meeting is deemed to be a meeting of shareholders (in Finnish: “osakkeenomistajien kokous”).

    The Meeting will be conducted in the English language and will be held in person.

    1        MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE MEETING

    At the Meeting, the following matters will be considered:

    General:

    (1)        Opening of the Meeting and appointment of chairman

    The appointment of the chairman shall be carried out in terms of article 59 of the Company’s articles of association (the “Articles”).

    (2)        Quorum

    In terms of article 56 of the Articles at least one (1) shareholder, present in person or by proxy, entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum.

    (3)        Calling the Meeting to Order

    (4)        Election of Persons to Scrutinise the Minutes and to Supervise the Counting of Votes

    (5)        Recording the Legality of the Meeting

    (6)        Recording the Attendance at the Meeting and Adoption of the List of Votes

    Special business (ordinary resolutions):

    (7)        Presentation and approval of the Final Accounts

    Pursuant to Section 11, Subsection 1 of the Finnish European Companies Act, the board of directors and the chief executive officer of a European company transferring its registered office from Finland must prepare final accounts as soon as possible after the transfer. The final accounts must include the financial statements and the board of directors’ report for the period for which financial statements have not yet been presented at the shareholders’ general meeting. The Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) has approved the Company’s final accounts including the financial statements and the board of directors’ report for the period running from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 (the “Final Accounts”). The Final Accounts are available on the Company’s website at www.multitude.com.

    The Board proposes that the Meeting resolves to adopt the Final Accounts.

    (8)        Resolution on Discharging the Members of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer from Liability

    Insofar as permitted under the Maltese Companies Act (chapter 386 of the laws of Malta), and in line with Finnish market practice, the Board proposes that the Meeting resolves to discharge the members of the Board and the chief executive officer of the Company (the “CEO”) from liability for the period covered by the Final Accounts (i.e., while the Company was still registered in Finland). The discharge of the members of the Board and the CEO from liability is a standard procedure under Finnish law following the approval of financial statements for a particular period.

    (9)        Closing of the Meeting

    2        MEETING MATERIALS

    This notice (which includes the proposals of the Board of Directors relating to the agenda of the Meeting) as well as the Final Accounts and the auditors’ report thereon are available on the Company’s website (www.multitude.com). Such documents will also be (a) sent to shareholders who so request and who inform the Company of their mailing address and (b) made available at the Meeting.

    The minutes of the Meeting will be made available on the Company’s website no later than one week after the date of the Meeting.

    3        PARTICIPATION INSTRUCTIONS

    IMPORTANT NOTE: THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE DIFFERENT TO THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN IN PREVIOUS GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE COMPANY WHICH WERE HELD WHILE THE COMPANY WAS STILL REGISTERED IN FINLAND. YOU ARE THEREFORE ADVISED TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY AND SEEK ADVICE WHERE NEEDED. YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT YOUR RESPECTIVE CUSTODIAN / NOMINEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO agm@multitude.com FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

    3.1        Record date

    To be entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting (and for the Company to be able to determine the number of votes that may be cast), shareholders must have been entered in the register of members maintained by Clearstream Banking AG (“Clearstream”) on 23 September 2024.

    3.2        Preliminary

    Shareholders are advised to ask their custodian bank / nominee without delay for the necessary information regarding registration for the Meeting, the issuing of proxy documents and voting instructions. In any case, shareholders should ensure that all relevant instructions are submitted by their custodian / nominee to Clearstream as soon as possible, within any applicable deadline. Clearstream will process all instructions received and will transmit them to the Malta Stock Exchange (as ‘issuer CSD’). In turn the Malta Stock Exchange will transmit the aggregated instructions to the Company.

    In terms of the Company’s articles of association, the Company must receive all relevant shareholder instructions from the Malta Stock Exchange (as ‘issuer CSD’) no later than 10:00 a.m. (EEST / Finnish time) on 21 October 2024, and any instructions submitted to the Company after this deadline shall not be treated as valid. Accordingly, shareholders are encouraged to reach out to the respective custodians / nominees as soon as possible in order to ensure that their respective instructions are submitted to Clearstream within any applicable deadline.

    The Meeting will be held in person at the address indicated above. Shareholders and proxy representatives who wish to attend the Meeting will therefore be required to follow the Meeting registration requirements and will be required to make their own arrangements to attend the Meeting.

    3.3        Participation in person

    Shareholders who wish to attend and vote at the Meeting in person must notify their intention to their respective custodians / nominees as soon as possible. Custodians / nominees will in turn be required to notify shareholders’ intention to participate at the Meeting by electronic instruction to Clearstream as soon as possible and in line with any deadlines that may be imposed by Clearstream, which instructions must be delivered in terms of Clearstream’s existing procedures.

    Custodians/nominees may request shareholders’ full names, passport numbers/company registration numbers (or similar), full addresses, date of birth and daytime telephone number, number of shares in the Company, as well as, if applicable, details of proxies. Information submitted in connection with the notification will be computerised and used exclusively for the Meeting.

    3.4        Proxy representatives

    A shareholder, who is entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting, is also entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and vote on such shareholder’s behalf. A proxy does not need to be a shareholder. The appointment of a proxy must be in writing and (a) where the shareholder is an individual, be signed by him/her or (b) where the shareholder is a corporation, be signed by a duly authorised officer of the corporation. The proxy form to be used by shareholders is available on the Company’s website: www.multitude.com.

    Proxy forms must clearly indicate whether the proxy is to vote as she/he wishes or in accordance with the voting instructions sheet attached to the proxy form. Shareholders are advised that by submitting voting instructions they will effectively be voting in advance.

    The signed proxy form and, where the shareholder is a corporation, a certified copy of a certificate of registration, constitutive documents or similar document evidencing the signatory right of the officer signing the proxy form, must be submitted to each shareholder’s respective custodian / nominee as soon as possible. Custodians / nominees will in turn be required to deliver shareholders’ proxy data to Clearstream as soon as possible, within any applicable deadline, which data must be delivered in terms of Clearstream’s existing procedures.

    Shareholders are, therefore, encouraged to send or deliver their proxy forms (and, if applicable certified copies of certificates of registration or similar) as soon as possible.

    Notice for the Malta Stock Exchange (as issuer CSD): Aggregated attendance notifications and proxy data processed by and received from Clearstream must be sent by the Malta Stock Exchange to the Company by email at agm@multitude.com not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the Meeting and in default shall not be treated as valid.

    3.5        Right to ask questions

    Each shareholder (or proxy holder) shall have the right to ask questions which are pertinent and related to items on the agenda of the Meeting to the Company by e-mail to agm@multitude.com by not later than 16 October 2024 by 23:59 (EEST / Finnish time).

    An answer to a question will not be given in those cases specified in article 70 of the Articles (a copy of which is available on the Company’s website).

    3.6        Other information

    As at the date of this notice the total number of shares in the Company is 21,723,960 and each of these shares carries one vote. As at the date of this notice, the Company holds 154,993 of its own shares as treasury shares. Pursuant to article 109 of the Maltese Companies Act, those shares which the Company holds in itself do not carry voting rights. Accordingly, the number of voting rights carried by the outstanding shares is 21,568,967.

    Please refer to the document titled ‘Privacy Notice – Extraordinary General Meeting 2024’ available at www.multitude.com for additional information on the processing of personal data. Kindly also refer to Clearstream’s Notice of European Union Data Protection Terms which sets out how sets out how personal data is used, stored, transferred or otherwise processed by Clearstream (https://www.clearstream.com/clearstream-en/about-clearstream/due-diligence/gdpr/dataprotection).

    –––––––––––––––––––––––––

    In Malta on 27 September 2024

    MULTITUDE P.L.C.
    The Board of Directors

    Contact: 

    Lasse Mäkelä  
    Chief Strategy and IR Officer 
    Phone: +41 79 371 34 17 
    E-Mail: Lasse.makela@multitude.com 
      

    About Multitude P.L.C.: 

    Multitude is a listed European FinTech company, offering digital lending and online banking services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and other FinTechs overlooked by traditional banks. The services are provided through three independent business units, which are served by our internal Banking-as-a-Service Growth Platform. Multitude’s business units are Consumer Banking (Ferratum), SME Banking (CapitalBox), and Wholesale Banking (Multitude Bank). Multitude Group employs over 700 people in 25 countries and offers services in 16 countries, achieving a combined turnover of 230 million euros in 2023. Multitude was founded in Finland in 2005 and is listed on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘E4l’. www.multitude.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coming up next week at the London Assembly W/C 30 September

    Source: Mayor of London

    PUBLIC MEETINGS

    Thursday 3 October

    2024 Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections

    Elections Review Working Group – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

    In the second meeting of its investigation into the planning, conduct and cost of the May 2024 GLA elections, the Elections Review Working Group will ask representatives from London Boroughs, and agents and political organisers about their experiences.

    Panel 1 – Boroughs (10am – 11.30am)

    • Ian Buckle, Head of Electoral and Democratic Services, London Borough of Waltham Forest
    • Zoe Wilkins, Chair of AEA London branch and Electoral Services Manager, Hammersmith & Fulham
    • John Bailey, Vice Chair of AEA London branch and Head of Electoral Services, Barnet

    Panel 2 – Agents and political organisers (11.35am – 12.35pm)

    • Brian Jarvis, Head of Field, London, Conservative Campaign Headquarters
    • Further guests to be confirmed

    MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252 310 / [email protected]

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: B10-0013/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    B10‑0013/2024

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the attempt by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior to impose a media ban

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Rule 149 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

    A. Whereas on 16 July 2024 the German Federal Ministry of the Interior issued a ban on the media associations COMPACT-Magazin GmbH and CONSPECT FILM GmbH;

    B. having regard to the fact that on 14 August 2024 the Federal Administrative Court suspended in part the immediate enforcement of the ban on ‘Compact’ on the grounds that a ban was disproportionate and that less severe means should have been used to guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the press;

    1. Notes with concern that, in banning ‘Compact’, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior attempted to restrict the freedom to express political dissent;

    2. Warns against governments controlling and restricting the flow of information through legal trickery, for example by imposing media bans by the backdoor in the guise of bans on associations;

    3. Calls for a fundamental debate to be carried out on the threats to freedom of expression and freedom of the press and the arbitrary decisions affecting them, as well as on the successful and unsuccessful media bans in Germany and other Member States of the European Union, in order to raise awareness of the dangers of increasing censorship.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: García, Democratic Members Introduce Migration Stability Resolution

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

    The resolution calls for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement

    WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), along with Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), co-founder of the Global Migration Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52)introduced a new resolution calling for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while affirming the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the United States.

     “Over the past decades, millions of people have been forced to migrate from their homes—and more people are displaced now than ever before. This is the result of converging crises, including climate change, political instability, and violence, some of which are impacted by U.S. policy,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.). “Yet, our immigration and asylum policies have become more restrictive and punitive, disregarding the role our government has played in creating this crisis. It’s time we acknowledge the ways in which U.S. policy has contributed to forced migration and displacement, and advance reforms that address the root causes of migration.”

    Democrats can build an orderly, humane, and stable immigration system. We should create more legal pathways for migration and citizenship, while also changing the failed U.S. policies that cause displacement abroad and force people to flee their home countries,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Let’s tackle the climate crisis. Let’s remove broad-based sanctions that increase poverty. Let’s prioritize policies to support stability abroad while creating a welcoming and predictable immigration process at home.”

    “Too many people around the world face violence, poverty, and persecution and see the United States as a beacon of hope,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). “We must make the immigration system more humane, more orderly, and more effective to welcome immigrants who come to this country rather than turn them away and to recognize not only the contributions they make to this country, but also the moral duty we have to protect people who come here fleeing horrible conditions. We can and must do better for immigrants.”

    “Republicans’ dangerous rhetoric about immigration endangers our immigrant communities and completely ignores the root causes of migration,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Migration is not just a border issue but a foreign policy issue. With migration on the rise worldwide and conflict, food insecurity, climate change, and political violence driving immigration to the U.S., it’s imperative that we reshape our immigration policy to address these global crises. This resolution calls upon Congress to do just that.”

    “Climate instability, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, sanctions, and human rights violations are just some of the conditions driving unprecedented levels of global displacement and migration,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Stricter border enforcement, harsh asylum laws, and the vilification of immigrants have consistently failed us and our neighbors. Instead, we need to address how our own policies contribute to the crises and adopt a coordinated regional and global strategy to tackle the root causes of displacement.”

    “It’s past time for comprehensive immigration reform. And a critical piece to this is addressing the factors that force families to flee their home countries in the first place,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “From combating climate change to humanitarian assistance, we need to implement productive policies that address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while also working to restore faith in our legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship.”

     Specifically, this resolution calls for comprehensive legislation that: 

    • Addresses U.S. policies contributing to forced migration and displacement;
    • Ensures a humane and sustainable immigration system that appropriately addresses the root causes driving migration; and
    • Affirms the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S.

    Over the last few weeks, MAGA Republicans have fabricated xenophobic and racist stories about Haitian immigrant families, adding to a long track record of perpetuating false narratives, conspiracy theories, and racist tropes. This MAGA rhetoric has incited physical violence against many migrant families. Now more than ever, it is important to emphasize the value migrants bring to our communities and to call for policies that will make our immigration system more stable and humane.  

    The following Members are co-sponsors of the resolution: Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07). 

    It is endorsed by ActionAid USA, Ayudemos por una vida mas digna, Border Vigil of Eagle Pass, CASA, Center for Economic Policy and Research, Center for International Policy, Climate Refugees, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Global Exchange, Justice is Global, Mira Feminisms and Democracies, Movimiento de los pueblos por la paz y la justicia y México negro ac, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, OXFAM America, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos, United We Dream, and Win Without War. 

    “This resolution is the step forward Congress desperately needs to reframe the issue of immigration towards more productive and effective solutions that will ensure migrants’ lives take precedence over politics,” saidJuliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy at United We Dream. “The vast majority of Americans want to see a humane, efficient and fair policies that honor everyone’s freedoms to live safely in their homes without being forcibly displaced, whether here or abroad, and provides the opportunity to become citizens in the U.S. Congress has a clear roadmap in front of them with this resolution that proves that safety, humanity, fairness and justice in our foreign policy and immigration system are not contradictory values but instead deeply interconnected.”

    “We need to dig in our heels and end the racism and xenophobia that’s rampant in our immigration and asylum debates in the U.S.,” said Eric Eikenberry, government relations director for Win Without War. “This new resolution lays the groundwork to do just that: welcome people who want to build their lives here, while ensuring that — from arms sales to climate policy and beyond — our government doesn’t create the conditions that force them from their homes and communities.” 

    “For too long, the U.S. approach to migration has focused on barricading our borders rather than addressing the realities compelling people to leave their homes — including crises exacerbated by U.S. policies. We applaud Congressman Casar and his colleagues for taking this critical step to review and move toward better U.S. policies to address the conditions giving rise to increased migration and displacement,” said Dylan Williams, Center for International Policy Vice President for Government Affairs.

    “There’s been a lot of talk over the years about ‘root causes’ of migration, but this is the first legislation of its kind to home in on the elephant in the room: U.S. policy and its role in fueling the involuntary migration and displacement of millions of people in the region and the world,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “This groundbreaking resolution helps us all better understand how vulnerable communities in the Global South have been devastated by U.S. broad-based sanctions, U.S.-backed trade agreements that put corporate greed over people, U.S. security assistance that props up repressive governments, and lax gun laws that provide criminals with easy access to U.S. weapons. Most importantly, this legislation proposes bold strategies to undo harmful policies and help truly mitigate ‘root causes’ including through far-reaching reforms to US sanctions policy and foreign assistance, the removal of harmful ISDS provisions from US-backed trade agreements, and the provision of robust support to developing countries fighting inequality and climate change, including through new issuances of debt-free IMF Special Drawing Rights. This resolution is long overdue, and we’re proud and delighted to be supporting it today.” 

    “Rather than ‘blaming the victims’—immigrants, it is important to acknowledge how failed U.S. foreign (or economic and military) policies have contributed to the spiraling poverty and violence from which people have been fleeing for their lives,” Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator for Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “Forced migration is often the result of U.S. foreign policies that prioritize the interests of foreign investors over those of impoverished populations. Thus, this resolution importantly names U.S. responsibility to address those root causes and the need for justice-based pathways to citizenship.”

    “To design a just and humane policy response to immigration, we have to ask the question – why are people moving? As an international development organization, ActionAid USA strongly supports this resolution for acknowledging the root causes of migration, including and especially those for which the United States is directly responsible,” said Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA. “A human rights-based approach to immigration policy should start with fixing harmful foreign policies, ongoing climate inaction, and unjust international economic systems that all contribute to force people to leave their homes.”

    Background: 

    The resolution text can be foundhere.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION SEMINAR

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 27 SEP 2024 9:56AM by PIB Delhi

    The second edition of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing was conducted at Naval War College, Goa on 25 Sep 24. The seminar reviewed the IUU fishing activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), its implications in the economic, environmental and security domain, and the legal voids in tackling these activities that could be pursued by the IORA member states.

    Delegates from 17 IORA countries including Australia, Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Somalia, South Africa, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Tanzania participated in the issue based discussions to counter the ever growing menace of IUU Fishing in IOR.

    *****

    VM/SPS                                                                                                    

    (Release ID: 2059304) Visitor Counter : 65

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Hon. Minister of Sports and Recreation at the Australian Government Welcoming Reception for the Australian Women’s and Australian First Nations Men’s Rugby 7s Team

    Source: Government of Western Samoa

    Share this:

    (AHC Compound Avele – Thursday, 19 September 2024 @ 6.00pm)

    Rev. Siaosi Salesulu

    Honourable Ministers of Cabinet

    And Members of Parliament

    Honoured Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps

    Australian First Nations Men’s and Australian Women’s 7s Teams and Management

    Distinguished guests

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    Talofa lava and warmest greetings. Rev. Salesulu, we extend our

    heartfelt gratitude for your uplifting message and prayers. Your words set a tone of unity and positivity for this special event. Thank you, and may you continue to be anointed and blessed in your ministry to the world.

    This evening, it is both an honour and a pleasure to welcome the

    Australian First Nations Men’s 7s Rugby team and the Australian

    Women’s 7s team to our shores.

    I have fond memories that I have shared with the Australian High

    Commissioner, His Excellency Will Robinson on occasion about my

    time on Policing missions to Timor-Leste, and the time I’ve spent in

    Darwin and Alice Springs. I have also recently had the privilege to join the Australian High Commission for the launch of their Art Exhibition featuring Torres Straight artists on display for the people of Samoa to enjoy.

    Language, culture and our own connection to land and sea is

    important to our Samoan people. Tonight, we celebrate not only the remarkable achievements of these outstanding athletes but also the deep and meaningful connections between our peoples. Sport is more than just a game; it is a powerful bridge that connects communities, fosters understanding, and nurtures friendships across borders.

    I acknowledge the efforts of the Australian Government to centre First Nations in your Foreign Policy and through your programs like

    PacificAus Sports and Team Up.

    Our two nations share a strong bond, united through our love for

    rugby and a mutual commitment to supporting athletes from

    grassroots to high performance. This includes the PacificAus Sports

    support for Manusina 15s development pathways through Penina

    Pasifika, and pre-olympic support for the Manu 7s.

    The presence of three Australian teams in Samoa this week to

    celebrate 100 years of Rugby is a testament to the strength of this

    partnership. I hope your participation and dedication inspires us all

    and reminds us of the true spirit of competition and collaboration.

    You will no doubt be aware of the newly established Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the commitment by the Government of Samoa to fostering an environment where sports can thrive, and our athletes can achieve their full potential. One of our primary goals is to ensure that sports are accessible to all Samoans, regardless of their background. We are dedicated to developing programs that not only enhance performance but also instils values of teamwork, discipline, and resilience in our youth.

    We are therefore deeply grateful for Australia’s unwavering support in the realm of sports, which helps elevate not just the game but also the lives of countless individuals resonating with the goals of the Ministry. It is through this spirit of camaraderie and shared passion that we continue to grow and succeed together. A spirit that was evident at the Manusina versus Australia A match on Monday, on and off the field.

    As we move towards two Rugby World Cups hosted in Australia,

    Samoa looks forward to exploring opportunities to further strengthen our partnership and Rugby in Samoa, at all levels.

    Thank you for being here, for your dedication, and for the powerful

    example you set for all of us. Let us celebrate the unity and friendship that sport brings into our lives.

    Fa’afetai tele lava, and all the best on the competition this week.

    May your time in our beautiful Samoa be a memorable and a joyous trip for everyone.

    Thank you

    Photo by Government of Samoa (Leota Marc Membrere)

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Update 11: DEP continues to evaluate Brunswick’s soil and water sample results

    Source: US State of Maine

    September 26, 2024

    CONTACT:

    The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sampled 34 water supplies for PFAS in the identified target area along Coombs Road, and the Department is in receipt of most of the analysis results. Property owners have been contacted by Department personnel to discuss their results, and they will be provided copies of the laboratory testing report. All samples analyzed to date are below the Maine Interim Drinking Water Guideline of 20 parts per trillion (same as nanograms per liter or ng/L) for the Sum of Six PFAS (PFOS + PFOA + PFHpA + PFNA + PFHxS, + PFDA). These same water supplies will be tested by the DEP every three months for one year. The next round of testing for these water supplies is planned for December 2024. Department staff have evaluated eight rounds of surface water results collected from the Merriconeag Stream watershed documenting conditions following the AFFF release that occurred on August 19, 2024. Most concentrations continue to decline throughout the watershed, and the highest concentrations are still being detected below the Picnic Pond outflow. Four rounds of data from Harpswell Cove have been received by the Department and indicate contamination has reached the marine environment but is quickly being diluted to low concentrations. PFAS levels in the watershed have not yet returned to pre-spill concentrations and testing of surface water will continue to track the trends.

    Soil results have been received from four areas that were identified as either the most likely to be impacted from the AFFF release or those with the greatest risk for potential exposure to recreational users. They include the soils adjacent to Hangar Four and immediately around the oil water separator, the field north of the outdoor athletic complex, soils surrounding the outdoor athletic complex, and the field southeast of Pond B where appreciable amounts of wind-blown foam accumulated on the day of the AFFF release. Preliminary review of the analytical results identified some PFAS detections in all area soils that were tested. Soil concentrations at the Hanger Four area and athletic complex were only slightly above background soil levels for urban developed soils and were well below the States Remedial Action Guidelines for a park user exposure scenarios (see the PFAS Soil Remedial Action Guidelines in the Maine PFAS Screening Levels Document). The field southeast of Pond B where appreciable amounts of wind-blown foam accumulated on the day of the AFFF release was found to have the soil concentrations of PFAS well above background levels but still lower than the States Remedial Action Guidelines for the park user exposure scenario. This field is owned by the Navy and is posted with no trespassing signs. A comprehensive evaluation of the soil testing results by the Department and its partner agencies is ongoing.

    DEP personnel also sampled four locations on the Androscoggin River in Topsham and Brunswick, following the release of AFFF at the Brunswick Executive Airport. There was concern that PFAS from the spill made its way to the Brunswick wastewater treatment plant (Brunswick Sewer District) and was discharged to the Androscoggin River. Sample results from the Brunswick Sewer District are pending. An upstream control site (ART) was established upstream of the Fort Andros dam and approximately 3.2 km upstream of the discharge. Three sites were established downstream of the discharge, including ARB 1 (~300m downstream of the discharge), ARB2 (~2 km downstream of the discharge), and ARB3 (~3.2 km downstream of the discharge). ARB3 is also downstream of a small stream the drains the north side of the airport and former navy base. The Department also sampled two smaller streams on the south side of the base that were impacted by the AFFF spill. Merriconeag Stream was sampled at one location (MEB), downstream of Picnic Pond and Purinton Road. Merriconeag Stream eventually joins the larger Mare Brook. An upstream control site on Mare Brook (MAB0) was established at Meadowbrook Road and a downstream site was established below the confluence of Mare Brook and Merriconeag Stream (MAB2).

    The primary kind of PFAS associated with the AFFF spill is perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Most rivers and streams in remote parts of the Maine have <1 ng/L (parts per trillion, ppt) of PFOS in the water. In contrast, rivers and streams in more densely populated areas of Maine near landfills, wastewater treatment plants, airports, and agricultural fields with historic spreading of PFAS contaminated biosolids typically have <5 ng/L of PFOS in the water. PFOS samples from all four sites on the Androscoggin River (ART, ARB1, ARB2, and ARB3) had <4 ng/L of PFOS. The upstream site on Mare Brook (MAB0) had 2.84 ng/L of PFOS on 8/28. In contrast, Merriconeag Stream (MEB) had 39,300 ng/L of PFOS on 9/4. The downstream site on Mare Brook (MAB2) had a lower concentration than MEB but still had 6,480 ng/L of PFOS on 9/4. U.S. EPA recently established a standard of 4 ng/L of PFOS for drinking water. All of the samples from the Androscoggin River and the upstream site on Mare Brook (MAB0) had concentrations of <4 ng/L of PFOS.

    Fish and shellfish tissue samples inherently take longer to process than water samples. Processing tissue samples requires additional challenging steps, including homogenizing, subsampling, and extracting PFAS from tissue and putting the PFAS in a liquid. In addition, there are fewer labs capable of analyzing fish and shellfish samples compared to the number of labs capable of analyzing water samples. The combination of a more complicated laboratory protocol for tissue samples and a shortage of labs capable of analyzing fish and shellfish samples has resulted in a turn-around time of several months for processing fish and shellfish samples.

    The rain that fell today is the first significant precipitation event that has occurred since the August AFFF spill. Increased site inspections were carried out as a result, and no foam was observed or collected at any of the preestablished points. Tomorrow, a second site inspection is planned as a precaution.

    The last of the PFAS-impacted water which has been stored in frac tanks near Hanger 4 has been completely removed. Approximately 30,000 gallons of impacted water was collected and transported out of state.

    The Town of Brunswick and Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) have collaborated to add an opt-in notification list through the Town’s Notify Me service. The “Brunswick Landing/MRRA” notification list will provide information, news, and alerts supplied by MRRA to subscribers via email and/or text message.

    To sign up for this notification service, please visit the Towns website (www.brunswickme.gov) and click on the Notify Me link.

    Brunswick Landing receives its public drinking water supply from the Brunswick-Topsham Water District (BTWD), and has been confirmed safe to drink. The public water supply has not been impacted by this incident. Homes and businesses served by the BTWD can safely use the water.

    The Maine CDC advises the public to exercise caution and abstain from any recreational activities (such as swimming, boating, and wading) that may come into contact with the foam or waters until the possible effects of the AFFF release on waterbodies in the vicinity have been thoroughly evaluated.

    The next update will be issued as soon as additional test results become available.

    For additional information, contact: David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner david.madore@maine.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from the Hill: Albanese and Chalmers play cat-and-mouse on negative gearing with the public – and possibly with each other

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Is the government seriously interested in changing arrangements on negative gearing? After days of questions to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who would know?

    They’ve engaged in obfuscation at every turn.

    Today, Chalmers was asked, at a news conference in Beijing, whether he had told treasury to model reforms of the tax break for property investors.

    He replied:

    It is not unusual at all for governments or for treasurers to get advice on contentious issues which are in the public domain, including in the parliament. It is not unusual for treasurers to do that. But we have made it very clear through the course of this week that we have a broad and ambitious housing policy already and those changes aren’t part of it.

    Not unreasonably, the Australian Financial Review took this as Chalmers owning the request to treasury. But his office contested the interpretation, insisting he’d said nothing he hadn’t said before – taking us back to the position that the request formally remains an orphan.

    The story started earlier in the week with a report in the Nine papers that the government had asked treasury for work on options “to scale back negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions”. The report did not specify who’d done the asking, although Albanese later said it wasn’t him, and told reporters to quiz Chalmers instead.

    That treasury is working on options has inevitably raised the suggestion that reforms to negative gearing is on the agenda, perhaps as an election commitment.

    Given the government’s reaction, the story may have been a genuine “leak” rather than a deliberate balloon (although it’s often hard to be sure who’s holding the sting of balloons).

    Anyway, it put Albanese in a very grumpy mood in his television interviews. Fancy journalists trying to insist on a straight answer when he kept dodging and coming up with, in today’s much-used term, “word salads”.

    He stressed the government had no plans to change negative gearing. Then he got cross when it was pointed out it had had “no plans” to change the stage 3 tax cuts, until it did suddenly have a plan.

    Does the history of the stage 3 change give us any clue to what’s going on here?

    In that instance, Chalmers was the one wanting change as far back as soon after the 2022 election. Albanese held out, worried about what a broken promise would do to his reputation for integrity.

    In the end, under the pressure of a looming byelection, change came this year. Although the shift was well received, we’re now seeing it did damage him on the integrity front – his word is not automatically believed, and his phrases are carefully parsed.

    Thus when he was asked, “are you considering taking negative gearing reform and capital gains tax reform to the next election?” and he replied “No, we’re not”, this was not regarded as a definite “no”.

    Could it be that Chalmers is again putting himself at the forefront of seeking to alter policy, while Albanese is equivocal or resisting?

    If that is so, it reprises an old story that crosses governments: differences between a treasurer with strong views (Paul Keating, Peter Costello) and a leader (Bob Hawke, John Howard) who is politically more cautious.

    If there is any substance to the theory of a difference between Chalmers and Albanese, the treasurer would be very frustrated with his boss for hosing down a change to negative gearing, to the extent he has. And Albanese would be very annoyed if he thought the treasurer was responsible, by seeking options, for landing him in this pickle.

    There are strong views among experts about whether negative gearing should be scrapped or capped.

    But given that making the change would not significantly add to the total supply of housing, it’s really about the politics.

    The Greens are taking skin off Labor on the housing issue, as well as holding up two government housing bills in the Senate. The government is worried the Greens could successfully milk the issue at the election, especially with younger voters, many of whom see house prices rising further out of reach and rents badly stretching their budgets.

    Labor is pouring billions into housing but the results are set to fall well short of the numbers needed.

    Tackling negative gearing might be a “look over here” policy to undermine the Greens and attract the young. But it would be ripe for a fear campaign from the Coalition and, as Albanese says, it wouldn’t solve the problem of the inadequate supply of homes.

    Michelle Grattan 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. View from the Hill: Albanese and Chalmers play cat-and-mouse on negative gearing with the public – and possibly with each other – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-albanese-and-chalmers-play-cat-and-mouse-on-negative-gearing-with-the-public-and-possibly-with-each-other-240020

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: National Day Fireworks Display to be held at 9pm on October 1 (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The National Day Fireworks Display will light up the sky over Victoria Harbour at 9pm on October 1 (Tuesday) to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
     
         A total of 31 888 firing shells will be discharged from three barges and six pontoons in an approximately 23-minute extravaganza. The event is co-ordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, and is sponsored by the Hong Kong Chinese Importers & Exporters’ Association.
     
         The theme for this year’s fireworks display is “Splendid fireworks shining over a prosperous China”. The fireworks display will be divided into eight scenes, each with its own characteristics. Highlights include the first scene, “75th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China”, which will lift the curtain on the display with images of red five-pointed stars and purple five-petal flowers. The sixth scene, “The Legend of Pandas”, mainly featuring the green colour, shows images of pandas’ favourite food such as bamboo leaves to express the citywide welcome for their arrival. The seventh scene “Auspicious Treasures” showcases different kinds of ring-shaped fireworks, symbolising the strong bonds and perfect harmony among the various ethnic groups in China. The fireworks display will reach its climax in the last scene, “The Magnificent Scenes of China”, with flourishes of “Chinese Red”, “Big Whistle” and “Gorgeous Golden Crown” images showering blessings to all, wishing continued prosperity for the nation and peaceful lives for the people.
     
         To offer audiences a new experience, for the first time a drone session will be staged before the National Day Fireworks Display as a prelude.
    (Note: The staging of the drone session will depend on factors such as weather conditions that night).
     
         The display can be seen from many vantage points on both sides of the harbour including Tsim Sha Tsui, the Mid-Levels, Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and the Hung Hom Bypass.
     
         To present the fireworks display in a more enjoyable way, viewers are invited to tune into Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 4 (FM 97.6 to 98.9) for synchronised music.
     
         To facilitate police implementation of special crowd management measures in the Tsim Sha Tsui area for the fireworks display, both the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Space Museum will be closed earlier at 6pm on October 1.
     
         Citizens are urged to help keep public areas clean and to show respect for public property. They are also urged to show consideration to others to make the event a safe one.         

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK supports humanitarian emergency response in Lebanon

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK is providing £5 million to UNICEF in Lebanon to support humanitarian response efforts and enable UNICEF to distribute supplies to those in need.

    The essential humanitarian support comes after further civilian casualties following this week’s air strikes. Thousands more have been displaced or forced to flee their homes. 

    The package includes essential medical supplies, hygiene kits and fuel for water stations, to help thousands of displaced civilians across Lebanon meet their basic needs. 

    It will also help emergency teams respond to urgent health and nutrition needs and provide a series of training sessions for key delivery partners and frontline workers to ensure an effective emergency response. 

    Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer said:  

    Today we are providing £5 million to UNICEF in Lebanon to support the urgent humanitarian response in Lebanon.  The number of civilian casualties is unacceptable, and the UK is deeply concerned by the surge in numbers of displaced people.  

    An immediate ceasefire is essential.

    Development Director and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Beirut Victoria Dunne said:  

    We are profoundly saddened by the civilian deaths in Lebanon. The number of casualties and the scale of displacement is deeply distressing. 

    Alongside our tireless diplomatic efforts, the UK is providing £5m to UNICEF Lebanon, to deliver vital supplies to support thousands of displaced civilians facing a humanitarian emergency in Lebanon. The UK has been and will remain a strong supporter of Lebanon.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: MHRA approves first medicine for rare immune disease APDS

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today approved leniolisib phosphate (Joenja) to treat a rare immune disease known as activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome or APDS in adults and adolescents aged 12-years-old and older who weigh 45kg or more. 

    APDS is an inherited disorder where the patient is unable to fight infections because the immune system (the body’s natural defences) does not work properly.

    The main symptoms usually occur in the first two years of life and include repeated lung infections and a failure to grow and develop normally.

    APDS is a long-term debilitating and life-threatening condition due to repeated lung infections that can lead to bronchiectasis (enlargement and inflammation of part of the airways). Patients with APDS are more prone to develop blood cell cancers, like lymphoma.

    The recommended dose is 1 tablet twice daily, approximately 12 hours apart in adults and adolescents from 12 years weighing 45 kg or more.

    This is also the first time the MHRA has approved a new medicine following an approval by the US Food and Drug Administration FDA. This is because the medicine was approved via a fast-track approval process for medicines, known as the International Recognition Procedure (IRP).

    This allows the MHRA to consider the expertise and decision-making of trusted regulatory partners for the benefit of UK patients. In this case, the regulatory partner was the FDA. As a sovereign regulator, the MHRA retains ultimate authority to accept or reject applications submitted under the IRP, ensuring that all medicines meet safety, quality and effectiveness standards to be licensed in the UK.

    The MHRA considered the assessment made by the US regulator as part of its own review, facilitating a rapid approval process.

    Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director of Healthcare Quality and Access, said:

    We are focused on providing UK patients access to safe and effective medicines in the shortest possible time.

    Approval of leniolisib through the IRP means we have facilitated access for people suffering from this serious disease to an effective medicine to fight infections and reduce symptoms of the disease. 

    This approval means the appropriate regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectivenessof this new medicine have been met.

    As with all medicines, we will keep its safety under close review. 

    The MHRA’s approval of the medicine is supported by evidence from a placebo-controlled study, carried out over 12-weeks. This study was blind and randomised. Thirty-one adult and paediatric patients participated.

    During the study, 21 patients received 70 mg of leniolisib and 10 received placebo twice daily. The co‑primary efficacy endpoints were improvement in the reduction in the size of lymph nodes and the normalisation of immunophenotype.

    By day 85 of the study, patients taking leniolisib saw a reduction in lymph node size and a correction of the underlying immune defect.

    As with any medicine, the MHRA will keep the safety and effectiveness of leniolisib under close review. 

    A full list of all side effects reported with this medicine are available in the patient information leaflet or from the product information published on the MHRA website. 

    If a patient experiences any side effects, they should talk to their doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the product information leaflets.

    Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine is encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors  

    • The marketing authorisation was granted for leniolisib (Joenja) on 26 September 2024 to Pharming Technologies B.V via the International Recognition Procedure.
    • The IRP is open to applicants that have already received an authorisation for the same product from one of MHRA’s specified trusted regulators. These are the regulatory authorities from Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.
    • Applications under the International Recognition Procedure (IRP) can be received via the MHRA website. Time horizons for authorisations are set at 60 to 110 days – considerably shorter than the current 150-day time horizon for applications. To further streamline the IRP application process, the MHRA launched an ‘Eligibility Checker’ tool on 20 November 2023.
    • More information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information leaflets which will be published on the MHRA Products website within 7 days of approval.
    • The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
    • For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Visit to Dodd Center, Former Members of Congress Discuss Bridging Divides – and Issue a Call to Action

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    By all appearances, the two former longtime members of the U.S. House of Representatives who visited UConn Storrs on Thursday morning could not have been more different.

    The first, a Latino woman from Orange County, California.

    The second, a white man from southeast Michigan.

    The first, a Democrat who won her seat in Congress by defeating a long-serving Republican by less than 1,000 votes in 1997.

    The second, a Republican from a swing district who worked as a congressional staffer and a member of Ronald Reagan’s administration before his own election in 1987.

    But on the stage of the Konover Auditorium at The Dodd Center for Human Rights – before a crowd of mostly UConn students – it wasn’t the differences between former Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA, 1997-2017) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI, 1987-2023) that were on display.

    It was, instead, the similarities that they share after two long careers in public service.

    In a comfortable conversation moderated by NBC Connecticut reporter and anchor Amber Diaz ’11 (CLAS) and punctuated by anecdotes from their own personal lives and experiences, Sanchez and Upton talked about the challenges in bridging divides at a time when politics feel increasingly polarized, and misinformation is rampant.

    “Sadly, today, it’s different from when I was in the Congress even a year ago,” said Upton.

    Both Sanchez and Upton stressed the importance of listening to other viewpoints, of being an educated voter, and electing leaders – regardless of political affiliation – who believe in and uphold democratic institutions.

    “People come and go, personalities come and go, but institutions are the mainstay of what makes us a good society,” said Sanchez.

    Former members of Congress Fred Upton and Loretta Sanchez participate in a discussion with NBC CT anchor and reporter Amber Diaz ’11 (CLAS) during Congress to Campus at the Dodd Center on Sept. 26, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    They also discussed what it means to “meet people where they are” – something that feels even more relevant at a time of political division.

    “When people come to the Congress, when people come to positions of power at the city or state level, they come with their own baggage,” Sanchez said. “They come with their own history, what their experiences are. Everybody has a story. Everybody can be an interesting person. You just have to take the time to listen to who they are, and if you take that time, then I believe you can find common ground.”

    “Finding out about other people’s districts, what they cared about – whether it’s energy policy or health policy, whether you could help them, whether they be a Republican or Democrat, being able to go to the other side of the aisle and being able to have a conversation with them, talk about amendments – that’s, to me, how you meet people where they’re at,” said Upton. “And that’s how things ought to get done.”

    Sanchez and Upton visited UConn through Congress to Campus – the flagship program of the nonprofit organization FMC, a bipartisan, voluntary alliance of former U.S. Senators and Representatives who advocate for representative democracy at home and abroad.

    Congress to Campus offers a unique civic educational experience by engaging honest dialogue with bipartisan teams of former members of Congress, congressional staff, and American diplomats. Sessions have been held on 183 campuses in 43 states and seven countries, reaching more than 57,000 students in the last 10 years alone.

    “Today’s conversation is important, because it is a reminder of what our discourse can be,” said Nick Lanza, ’25 (CLAS), the director of external affairs for UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government. “That we can have civil discussions. That we can debate different opinions, without getting personal. Today is about a better way forward.”

    The need for civic participation is crucial every year, UConn’s President Radenka Maric said in her welcoming remarks before the discussion. But this year, in the midst of a presidential election, participation feels especially urgent.

    “We live in a time when Americans seem divided in an almost unprecedented way,” she said. “Across social media and the traditional news media, there is no shortage of angry, aggrieved voices denouncing there fellow Americans on the other side of the ideological divide.

    “And yet, as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace recently found, in reality, there is more common ground among Americans on policy issues than many people believe,” Maric continued.

    James Waller – the inaugural Christopher J. Dodd Chair in Human Rights Practice at UConn and director of Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs, which hosted the Congress to Campus event – said it’s true that democracy is on the ballot in the U.S. this year.

    “But, in truth, democracy is always on the ballot,” Waller said. “Every federal election, every state election, every local election, every election at every level asks us the collective question of who we aspire to be.

    “True democracy is never absolutely sure of itself. In other words, true democracy is always interrogating itself. It’s always asking itself hard questions,” Waller said. “Indeed, the biggest threat to democracy is when it becomes so sure of itself that it stops asking those hard questions, when we take it so much for granted that we stop actively nurturing and sustaining our democratic institutions, when we take it so much for granted that we choose not to exercise our right to vote, that we choose not to civically engaged because we feel so powerless and things feel so distant from us.”

    But Upton and Sanchez also had an overarching message for the students in attendance: Your action is needed.

    “We’re really here to tell the young people in the room run for office, work on campaigns, get involved locally,” Sanchez said. “We need you. We need you to decide that public service is really worth it and bring your ideas. Bring your new energy. Help us to solve the issues that are affecting your lives every day.”

    UConn President Radenka Maric gives opening remarks during Congress to Campus at the Dodd Center on Sept. 26, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    “You’re our future, and you’ve got to be part of it,” said Upton. “Because if we’re going to turn this ship around, it starts with you.”

    That call to action is also what Diaz, who studied journalism and English as an undergrad at UConn, hopes that students will take away from the event.

    “I really hope that they took away the power of a vote and that they will get involved, because it’s very, very imperative that they get involved,” Diaz said. “And I hope they get involved in politics, because honestly, nowadays, people turn off the TV. Or they turn off the radio. They don’t want to hear it. Or it’s the other extreme, and they want to argue about it.

    “I really hope that people start researching, and getting more information, and really come out and vote, because it’s in their hands. The power is in their hands.”

    The Congress to Campus event was co-sponsored by UConn’s Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute, School of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, Undergraduate Student Government, Department of Residential Life, Community Outreach, Office of Outreach and Engagement, and the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work. It was supported by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.

    The outreach and engagement arm of human rights at UConn, Dodd Human Rights Impact works to develop and support programs and initiatives that seek to directly impact local and global communities by helping them meet their human rights challenges.

    For more information about Dodd Impact, visit humanrights.uconn.edu/dodd-impact-programs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to get Britain back to work

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Pete Robertson, Professor of Career Guidance, Edinburgh Napier University

    BasPhoto/Shutterstock

    Addressing his party conference as prime minister for the first time, Keir Starmer made it clear that moving people into work is a priority for his government. He said even the long-term sick should be looking for a job where possible.

    In the last fourteen years, progressively more demands have been made on UK benefit claimants to prove that they are looking for a job. This approach is not based on evidence but rather rooted in an ideology with international reach. (Similar approaches have been seen in places like Australia and Ireland).

    This involves a simplistic carrot-and-stick model of human motivation to work, and a “work-first” doctrine of getting people into the first available job irrespective of its appropriateness or sustainability.

    But as a new report makes clear, looking at people’s lives in a more holistic, long-term way, with a sensitivity to the barriers they face is more likely to get results. Rather than work-first, we need a career-first approach.

    Since the start of the COVID pandemic, levels of economic inactivity
    in the UK have grown significantly. Fewer workers are entering the labour market and more older people are leaving the workforce early. The number of people not working because of long-term illness has also risen substantially.

    This isn’t great news for the new Labour government that is counting on economic growth to get the country into better financial health. It is hard to grow the economy with improved efficiency because that requires investment. A much easier route is to increase the size of the workforce.

    Recognising the risks of economic inactivity, the Commission for the Future of Employment Support was launched in December 2022 by the thinktank the Institute for Employment Studies to review the public services that help people to find a job and employers to find staff.

    Its newly released report places employment support in the wider context of the challenges in the UK labour market and its effect on economic growth. With the UK government ruling out raising the three main taxes, it must prioritise economic growth. This is why economic inactivity in the workforce really matters.



    Read more:
    Three ways politicians always promise to raise money without increasing taxes – and why they rarely deliver

    The commission reserves its strongest criticism for the extent to which employment support has become entangled with welfare conditionality. That is, making behavioural demands on claimants, using surveillance to ensure they comply, and using sanctions – typically withholding benefit payments.

    Adults lead complicated lives, and they are unemployed for a reason (or more often, for multiple reasons). This may be to do with skills, confidence, health, local geography, the needs of dependants or many other factors. These issues will not go away if a service fails to address them. So effective career support must consider the whole person and pathways to sustainable work.

    A jobs and careers service

    The report’s recommendations are aligned with the Labour party promise to create a jobs and careers service, one of its manifesto pledges to kickstart economic growth. Labour has suggested bringing the Jobcentre Plus network together with the National Careers Service.

    The commission recommends three modes of delivery: local offices, an online service and outreach for those facing the most significant barriers. It also recommends entitlement-to-employment advice, and drawing a clearer distinction between employment support and welfare benefit administration.

    But will it work? It is hard to disagree with the recommendations – the rationale is sound and well argued. It is based on historical experience, international comparison, economic analysis and service evaluation. If a reimagined jobs and career service was provided along the lines described by the commission, then its success will probably depend on sticking closely to this vision.

    To make it happen, there are three inter-related problems to overcome. The first is financial pressures on the UK government, which limit its ability to invest.

    Second, if service users are seen as a reserve pool of labour that the government can activate in pursuit of economic growth, this may undermine reform.

    Third, career development is a professional service involving person-centred counselling and an educational approach. This requires staff trained to a professional level, with a code of ethics, who put the service user first. Previous experience of integrating career guidance in public employment services in Europe suggests that their professionalism can be undermined by the host agency.

    Now, the ball will be in the court of the Department for Work and Pensions, specifically work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall and minister Alison McGovern.

    The devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland may also have a role, as these matters are at least partially in their remit. The report argues for a more complete and consistent devolution of powers for employment support to the UK nations.

    Local labour market partnerships in England are also part of this vision. This means bringing the jobs and career service together with local government, skills agencies, employers, trade unions, voluntary and community organisations and health services. Given the enormous geographical variation in labour markets, it makes sense for local areas to develop their own structures for cooperation between services.

    The main issue is that employment support policy has tended to see unemployed people as units that could and should be contributing to the economy. This needs to be flipped so that services become about helping people to get the economy to work for them, and to build a decent life with some dignity in the process. Unless this is deep in the DNA of the new service, it won’t be that new after all.

    Pete Robertson is the President of the Career Development Institute (CDI). This is the UK professional body for career development practitioners.

    – ref. How to get Britain back to work – https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-britain-back-to-work-239678

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the changing representation of dwarfism in Disney’s live action Snow White remake is so important

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Erin Pritchard, Senior lecturer in Disability Studies, Liverpool Hope University

    The upcoming release of Disney’s live action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, currently scheduled for March 2025, has been surrounded by controversy – so much so that the film’s trailer has received over 1 million dislikes on YouTube. In particular, many fans have taken umbrage with the fact that computer-generated imagery (CGI) will be used for the characters of the seven dwarfs, now renamed the “miners”, rather than having them played by dwarf actors.

    To my mind, unless changes are made, it would be better not to release a live action remake of Snow White in the first place. My doctoral research has shown that it’s common for people with dwarfism to experience mockery influenced by the representation of dwarfism in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But if the film is to go ahead, CGI is a better choice than to cast real people with dwarfism.

    Fans lamenting on social media the fact that they will no longer be able to see a film featuring “real dwarfs” ignore the parallels with the Victorian freak show. Frequently their disappointment is masked as supposed concern for the welfare of “actors” with dwarfism who will lose the “opportunity” to play these characters.

    But people with dwarfism who play these characters are rarely seen as serious actors. Alice Lambert, an actress with dwarfism, was interviewed for a chapter in my new book, Dwarfism Arts and Advocacy (2024). In it, she recalls that during her time in pantomime, people “would come to the stage door after the show, but I realised that they just wanted to meet ‘a dwarf’ … you are not being represented as a performer, but rather your dwarfism is being paraded for the amusement of others”.

    The trailer for Disney’s live action remake of Snow White.

    My research has also found that many people still believe that people with dwarfism only work in the entertainment industry. It is not unusual for people to ask someone with dwarfism if they work in pantomime, particularly as one of the seven dwarfs. I have personally lost count of the amount of people who snigger and ask me if I am “Grumpy” or “Happy” (names of two of the dwarf characters) or if I know where Snow White is. If people cannot tell the difference between fiction and reality, then fictional representations need to change to minimise abuse.

    Of those people with dwarfism who are actors, many have long refused to play roles that are considered derogatory, including the seven dwarfs. That is because people with dwarfism are capable of so much more.

    Worldwide, there are more than 250,000 people with dwarfism. People with dwarfism include geneticist and psychiatrist Judith Badner, lawyer Paul Steven Miller and astrophysicist William A Wheaten.

    Many of the fans expressing disappointment that the dwarfs will now be CGI fail to realise how the role impacts people with dwarfism in public. For example, in 2012 German lawyer Silke Schönfleisch-Backofen, who has dwarfism, successfully sued a man after he started laughing and singing Hi Ho, the song the dwarfs sing in the original Disney film, at her in court.

    If people cannot tell the difference between fiction and reality, then fictional representations need to change to minimise abuse. Instead of reproducing outdated attitudes, films – and the tales that inspire them – can change with the times to produce stories that are inclusive of everyone.


    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.

    Erin Pritchard works for Liverpool Hope University and previously consulted for Disney.

    – ref. Why the changing representation of dwarfism in Disney’s live action Snow White remake is so important – https://theconversation.com/why-the-changing-representation-of-dwarfism-in-disneys-live-action-snow-white-remake-is-so-important-239275

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Our students will be happy to come to HSE campuses in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities”

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    © Mikhail Dmitriev / Higher School of Economics

    On September 26, a meeting of the HSE management with a delegation from Azerbaijan took place in the historic building of the National Research University Higher School of Economics on Pokrovsky Boulevard — the Durasov House. Representatives of higher education institutions discussed possible areas of cooperation. An agreement was also signed between the Higher School of Economics and Baku State University.

    Before the official part, the guests were given a tour of the Pokrovka building and the Durasov House. Nikita Anisimov, Rector of the HSE, gave a welcoming speech and spoke in detail about the HSE. In particular, he noted the multidisciplinary nature of the university, drawing attention to the fact that, in addition to economic departments, the HSE has departments of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, computer science and creative industries, as well as engineering training areas. He emphasized that the Higher School of Economics is the first choice university for talented applicants from both Russia and other countries. Nikita Anisimov expressed confidence that cooperation with Azerbaijani universities will allow for the creation of high-quality academic exchange and student mobility programs.

    The rector was supported by other representatives of the HSE management – the vice-rector, the head BRICS Expert Council – Russia Victoria Panova, Vice-Rector, Head of Department Laboratory of Labor Market Research Faculty of Economic Sciences Sergey Roshchin, Dean Faculty of Physics Mikhail Trunin, Deputy Director MIEM Veronica Prokhorova, Director Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CKEMI) Faculty of World Economy and World Politics Vasily Kashin.

    Adalat Jalal oglu Muradov, Rector of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics, greeted those present and thanked them for the warm welcome. He introduced his university: “We have more than 20 thousand students. We conduct training in the main educational programs in several languages. We also have 10 training programs within the framework of two diplomas.”

    He also noted that the Azerbaijan State University of Economics sees demand for education in Russian and the creation of new joint programs, including online, which could lead to increased attractiveness of education.

    “We can think about creating a joint faculty, if you are interested. I am ready to transfer all powers to the HSE within the framework of this faculty. Our students will be happy to come to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities,” Adalat Jalal ogly Muradov is confident.

    Elchin Safarali oglu Babayev, rector of Baku State University, noted that HSE is famous not only for the quality of education and research, but also for its infrastructure. “We are interested in cooperation, we need to move forward and expand the horizons of interaction. We are interested in your scientists and professors to teach here,” he said.

    At the same time, the rector of Baku State University emphasized that the name “Higher School of Economics” does not reflect the entire spectrum of areas of study and the diversity of levels of education that are represented at the university. “The university could be called the Higher School of All Sciences,” said Elchin Safarali oglu Babayev.

    Rector of the Azerbaijan Technological University Yashar Adil oglu Omarov, in turn, expressed a desire to create dual degree programs with Russian universities, including the Higher School of Economics. “We have a faculty of economics and management, where we could establish cooperation, and there are also programs in design and IT,” he noted.

    The Azerbaijani delegation expressed interest not only in opening dual degree programs, but also in joint publications.

    At the end of the official part, the Higher School of Economics and Baku State University signed a cooperation agreement.

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

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

    http://vvv.hse.ru/nevs/edu/967246868.html

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Police stop more Black drivers, while speed cameras issue unbiased tickets − new study from Chicago

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Wenfei Xu, Assistant Professor, Cornell University

    Traffic stops are meant to make the streets safer, but police interactions with Black drivers can escalate quickly. deepblue4you via Getty

    Traffic stops by Chicago police have more than doubled over the past nine years in what the American Civil Liberties Union, a civil rights group, is calling the “new stop-and-frisk.”

    Stop and frisk is when officers stop and search people based on “reasonable suspicion” that they are involved in criminal activity. The practice has been documented to disproportionately target Black and Latino people – not only in Chicago but also in New York and across the United States. In Chicago, it has declined sharply since a 2015 reform agreement between the ACLU and the Chicago Police Department.

    Meanwhile, traffic stops have surged in Chicago, rising from less than 200,000 in 2016 to over 570,000 in 2023. And much like stop and frisk, police disproportionately stop Black drivers in Chicago, according to our latest study examining racial bias in traffic enforcement.

    Drivers, automated enforcement and police stops

    Our research, published in June 2024, used data on the racial composition of drivers on every street in Chicago. We then compared who is driving on roads with who is being ticketed by the city’s speed cameras and who is being stopped by the Chicago police.

    Our findings show that when speed cameras are doing the ticketing, the proportion of tickets issued to Black and white drivers aligns closely with their respective share of roadway users. With human enforcement, in contrast, police officers stop Black drivers at a rate that far outstrips their presence on the road.

    For instance, on roads where half of drivers are Black, Black drivers receive approximately 54% of automated camera citations. However, they make up about 70% of police stops.

    On roadways where half of the drivers are white, white drivers account for around half of automated citations – and less than 20% of police stops.

    Driving while Black

    Our research adds to other evidence that shows racial bias is a problem in traffic enforcement – a problem sometimes summarized as “driving while Black.”

    The civil rights era of the 1960s was rife with law enforcement incidents that targeted Black drivers. As the scholar and historian Gretchen Sorin details in her 2020 book “Driving While Black,” the car simultaneously opened new possibilities of freedom as well as new hazards for Black people.

    By the 1990s, the whole world witnessed the punishment that could await those caught driving while Black. In 1991, a Black man named Rodney King was stopped after a high-speed chase and beaten by police in Los Angeles. The violent encounter, captured on videotape and shared on local media, became national news.

    The officers’ acquittal sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, in which widespread unrest and violence killed over 50 people, injured thousands and inflicted $1 billion in property damage.

    In recent years, the police killings of Daunte Wright, Tyre Nichols and other Black drivers have shown how traffic stops can escalate quickly and sometimes lethally.

    In September 2024, Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill was pulled over by local police on his way to a game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Police officers physically pulled Hill from his vehicle and handcuffed him. The incident raised questions about the officers’ aggressive use of force.

    A screenshot from body cam footage of officers pulling Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill from his car after stopping him for speeding on Sept. 9, 2024.
    Miami-Dade Police Department

    Fairer enforcement and safer streets

    All humans have biases. These biases can become dangerous when those humans are police – agents of the state who are armed and empowered to make our cities safer.

    And even when there’s no excessive use of force, disparate enforcement erodes trust between communities and police.

    In recent years, as national conversations around racial bias in policing have accelerated, many police departments have implemented programs such as implicit bias training to establish fairer enforcement. While these initiatives appear to have an effect on officers’ attitudes about implicit bias, they do not seem to change the racial breakdown of whom police stopped, searched or arrested.

    To reduce enforcement disparities and improve how traffic violations are handled, more fundamental reforms are likely necessary.

    What can more ambitious policy reforms look like?

    Several recent potential reforms of traffic enforcement center on decriminalization and de-escalation.

    Legislators in Illinois recently proposed a bill that would prohibit traffic stops solely based on noncriminal and minor offenses such as improper vehicle registration, seat belt violations or lane usage mistakes.

    Berkeley, California, is considering using trained civilians for traffic enforcement to reduce the opportunity for escalation. The idea is akin to how parking enforcement is done in many cities, including Chicago, which has unarmed parking units separate from the police.

    The rationale for many police traffic stops is safety, which should remain a priority. Between 2013 and 2022 in Chicago, crashes on average killed 44 pedestrians, seven bicyclists and 78 vehicle passengers each year.

    In contrast, the Norwegian capital of Oslo had four traffic deaths a year between 2015 and 2019. If Chicago’s streets were as safe as Oslo’s, crashes would kill 15 people each year – not 129.

    More reliance on automated traffic enforcement could improve traffic safety and transform policing.

    Red-light cameras like this one detect and punish reckless drivers without requiring person-to-person interactions.
    John M. Chase via Getty

    Cameras can detect dangerous moving violations, such as serious speeding and running red lights, without the need for immediate police involvement. Automated enforcement alone won’t guarantee safe streets, but cameras have reduced fatal and serious injury crashes substantially where deployed, including in Chicago.

    Over half of police stops in Chicago for 2023 were license plate, registration or equipment related. Automating enforcement of such nonmoving violations would eliminate a major reason for police-driver interaction, reducing the potential for bias and escalation.

    This, in turn, would free police resources to focus on nontraffic priorities.

    And as our data shows, cameras are equal opportunity ticketers: They don’t have racial bias and carry no risk of escalation.

    David Levinson has received research funding from ARC, UDIA-NSW, iMOVE, and Sydney Metro. He is affiliated with WalkSydney and Peaceful Bayside.

    Nebiyou Tilahun has received funding from the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

    Michael J Smart and Wenfei Xu do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Police stop more Black drivers, while speed cameras issue unbiased tickets − new study from Chicago – https://theconversation.com/police-stop-more-black-drivers-while-speed-cameras-issue-unbiased-tickets-new-study-from-chicago-238170

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. – Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders and Management Information Circular

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
    (“Falcon”)

    Notice of Special Meeting of Shareholders and Management Information Circular

    27 September 2024 – Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSXV: FO, AIM: FOG) will hold a special meeting of shareholders at the Conrad Hotel, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland on 29 October 2024 at 11:00 a.m. (Dublin time). A complete notice and related documents are now available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and Falcon’s website at www.falconoilandgas.com and are being sent to shareholders of record as at 19 September 2024.

    Falcon will conduct a Q&A via the Investor Meet Company platform later that day for those unable to attend the meeting in person, details will be announced in due course.

    Ends.

    For further information, please contact:

    CONTACT DETAILS:

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.          +353 1 676 8702
    Philip O’Quigley, CEO +353 87 814 7042
    Anne Flynn, CFO +353 1 676 9162
     
    Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (NOMAD & Joint Broker)
    Neil McDonald / Adam Rae +44 131 220 9771
       
    Tennyson Securities (Joint Broker)  
    Peter Krens +44 20 7186 9033

    About Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. is an international oil & gas company engaged in the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas assets, with the current portfolio focused in Australia, South Africa and Hungary. Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with a technical team based in Budapest, Hungary.

    For further information on Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. please visit www.falconoilandgas.com

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: BaFin warns consumers about websites westhill-pros.net and kaiser-investrade.com

    Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English

    The operator of the website westhill-pros.net refers to itself only as “Westhill Pros” without stating the company’s legal form and provides business addresses in Sydney, Australia, in Stockholm, Sweden, and in London, United Kingdom. Responsibility for the website kaiser-investrade.com is claimed by Kaiser Invest Trade, which likewise does not state the company’s legal form. The company claims to be domiciled in London, United Kingdom, without providing a specific business address.

    BaFin has recently become aware of a number of websites with almost identical content and has warned consumers about them. On all of the websites, the following sentence is displayed at the top of the homepage: “Step Into the Trading Arena with Confidence & [name of website]“.

    Anyone providing financial or investment services in Germany may do so only with authorisation from BaFin. However, some companies offer these services without the necessary authorisation. Information on whether a particular company has been granted authorisation by BaFin can be found in BaFin’s database of companies.

    The information provided by BaFin is based on section 37 (4) of the German Banking Act (Kreditwesengesetz – KWG).

    Please be aware:

    BaFin, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt – BKA) and the German state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter) recommend that consumers seeking to invest money online should exercise the utmost caution and do the necessary research beforehand in order to identify fraud attempts at an early stage.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Fighting Together!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    Check out the 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers at the Korea-International Combat Training Competition! Teams from the Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Australia, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines joined.

    About the U.S. Army:

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

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

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

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7e-ZsOFzls

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: More opportunities to stay and play in Ingonish

    Source: Government of Canada News

    September 27, 2024 · Ingonish, Nova Scotia · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

    Cape Breton’s welcoming culture, outdoor experiences and exceptional scenery draws visitors from around the globe. The Government of Canada, through ACOA, is investing a total of $1,262,165 to support winter activities and expand accommodation options in Ingonish, helping to extend the region’s tourism season.

    Cape Smokey Holding ltd. is receiving a repayable contribution of $578,575 through the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program to upgrade its power capacity. Power poles, three phase electrical lines and modern systems will be installed from the mid-point to the top of the ski hill, and a control room building will be constructed. This will help Cape Smokey meet the electricity demands for its current amenities and future tourism projects, and significantly increase snowmaking capabilities, ensuring consistent conditions for visitors. It will also allow the business to stop daily use of its diesel generator, leading to cleaner air and less noise.

    Cape Smokey is located in Ingonish along the Cabot Trail and within the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It was built in the 1970s and was operated for many years by local community volunteers. In 2019, new owners purchased the property and began work to turn it into a year-round destination for outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to the ski resort and gondola, plans for the site include a tree top walk, accommodation and residential development, and marina.

    The Cabot Snowmobile Club of Cape Breton Island (CSC) is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $299,840 through the Innovative Communities Fund (ICF) to accomplish phase two of improvements to trail #758, also known as the Mary Barker Trail, from Ingonish to Wreck Cove. With this phase, the Club will undertake stump removal, rough and fine grading, culvert installations, ditch and drainage work, silt and sediment control and resurfacing as required. This work will provide a more functional trail to be used all year round by locals and tourists, helping to establish Ingonish as a launch point for year-round tourism activities.

    The CSC was incorporated in 1973 as a not-for-profit society and currently includes 90 members. It is a member of the Snowmobilers Association of Nova Scotia (SANS). The CSC is responsible for maintaining and grooming more than 200 kms of SANS trails in the Cape Breton Highlands and is one of six snowmobile clubs in Cape Breton that work together to maintain and groom the trail system. It relies heavily on volunteer members to upgrade, maintain and service the trail system which attracts visitors and locals year-round.

    Ingonish Harbour-View Chalets is receiving a repayable contribution of $233,750 through the Tourism Growth Program (TGP) to build two A-frame chalets, each with the capacity to sleep eight people. The chalets will be two kilometers away from Cape Smokey, at the head of the harbour, and directly on the world-famous Cabot Trail. These cabins will fill the need for year-round accomodations that are suitable for larger groups.

    Cabot Chalets is a new business, owned by Juanita Butler and her brother, Patrick Barron. Having grown up in Ingonish, the pair know the availability of winter accommodations throughout Victoria County is scarce. The goal for the business is to become a preferred destination for tourists, by offering luxury accommodations with high end amenities, while also focusing on providing unparalleled customer service.

    MacKinnon House Ltd. is receiving a repayable contribution of $150,000 through the Tourism Growth Program (TGP) to contruct five new visitor accommodation cottages near the site of MacKinnon House in Ingonish. The cottages will operate under the name Smokey Cove Cottages. They will accommodate small and large groups, helping increase capacity of four-season tourist accommodations while providing a home base to explore Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the Cabot Trail.

    MacKinnon House Ltd. is owned and operated by Perry MacKinnon on a property that was once the site of a lighthouse operated by Perry’s grandfather until 1956. MacKinnon House is a four-bedroom, year-round tourism operation on the Cabot Trail, near Cape Smokey Mountain.

    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development and of the
    Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
    Connor.Burton@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

    Clifford AuCoin
    President
    Cabot Snowmobile Club of Cape Breton Island
    ftaucoin@hotmail.com
    902-563-6749 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: More opportunities to stay and play in Ingonish

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    News release

    Support for four Cape Breton businesses enhances year-round visitor experience

    September 27, 2024 · Ingonish, Nova Scotia · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

    Tourism plays a vital role in Atlantic Canada, driving local economies, creating jobs and strengthening communities. Tourism also helps preserve, promote and celebrate the region’s diverse cultural heritage – fostering awareness and understanding of the many peoples who call this place home. The Government of Canada is investing to help four tourism operators in Ingonish expand their winter offerings, extending the region’s tourism season. 

    Escape to winter in Cape Breton

    Today, Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations  and Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria announced a total investment of $1,262,165 to support growing tourism in Ingonish. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA.

    This investment will help Cape Smokey, the Cabot Snowmobile Club, Ingonish Harbour-View Chalets, and MacKinnon House ltd. improve recreation, and accommodation options in the region, making it an even more desireable destination for visitors and helping to boost the economy all year long. Please see the attached backgrounder for more information on the businesses and projects.

    Today’s announcement further demonstrates the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting a diverse tourism industry in rural communities.

    Quotes

    “From breathtaking vistas, to vibrant culture, and the friendliest people, Ingonish is ready for you to explore all year long. And this magical region sees folks returning again and again to explore more and more. It’s World Tourism Day, so make sure you plan to discover all that this incredible community has to offer.”

    –      The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA

    “Tourism is a powerful economic driver that supports job creation, local businesses and community growth. These projects will give visitors the fantastic outdoor experiences they seek, while filling demand for more high-quality, four-season accommodations in the area.”

    – Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations  and Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria

    “Victoria County Council has made trails development a strategic priority and we are excited to see this investment into a key piece of the Victoria County Trails development plan. This plan is working to connect communities and their businesses with the Highlands Trail system to improve access and user experience for all participants. Victoria County is proud to work with strong volunteer driven organizations like Cabot Snowmobile Club and recognize the unique skills and passion these clubs bring to trail development.”

    – Bruce J Morrison, Warden of Victoria County

    “This new infrastructure will significantly increase our snowmaking capabilities, allowing us to produce more snow, more quickly. This will provide visitors with the certainty they need to confidently book their winter holidays here, knowing they’ll be able to ski or snowboard. This will also help ensure that accommodations are fully booked and that restaurants in the area can operate smoothly. In other words, it’s the spark that ignites the fire for the entire winter season.”

    – Martin Kejval, CEO of Cape Smokey

    “The new trail officially connects Ingonish with the SANS Cape Breton Highlands Trail System. It establishes Ingonish as both a recreational launch point and destination for year-round tourism. The project will not only enhance the snowmobiler’s experience with more awesome groomed trails and a new destination but also promote other recreation such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, winter wilderness camping, ATV’ing, bird watching, hiking, mountain biking, and more. The assistance to this community project is greatly appreciated!”

    –      Gordon LeBlanc, Cabot Snowmobile Club Member

    “We are grateful to ACOA for supporting our small business with access to funding! Their support will allow us to realize a dream of being entrepreneurs and open luxury accommodations in our home town of Ingonish. We are excited to open, provide job opportunities, and help the community increase supply of four season accommodations.”

    –      Juanita Butler, Co-owner of Ingonish Harbour-View Chalets

    “I am very excited to see this development happening in this place of historical significance to myself and my family. Thanks to ACOA for helping to make this happen!”

    –      Perry MacKinnon, Owner of MacKinnon House Ltd.

    Quick facts

    Related products

    Contacts

    Connor Burton
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development and of the
    Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
    Connor.Burton@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

    Lauren Sinclair
    Director of Communications
    Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
    Lauren.Sinclair@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
    782-641-6365

    Martin Kejval
    CEO
    Cape Smokey
    martin.kejval@capesmokeyholding.com
    902-294-0051

    Clifford AuCoin
    President
    Cabot Snowmobile Club of Cape Breton Island
    ftaucoin@hotmail.com
    902-563-6749 

    Juanita Butler
    Co-Owner
    4535562 Nova Scotia Limited
    juanitabarron@hotmail.com
    902-717-5906

    R Perry MacKinnon
    Owner
    MacKinnon House Ltd.
    pmackinnon3@gmail.com
    902-285-4261

    Stay connected

    Follow ACOA on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Press Release: FDIC Makes Public August Enforcement Actions; No Administrative Hearing Scheduled for October 2024

    Source: US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC

    CategoriesBusiness, Commerce, MIL-OSI, United States Federal Government, United States Government, United States of America, US Commerce, US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC, US Federal Government, US Insurance Sector, USA

    MIL OSI USA News –