NewzIntel.com

Category: coronavirus

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UKHSA urges Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to get meningitis vaccination

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    UKHSA urges Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to get meningitis vaccination

    UKHSA is reminding travellers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for Umrah and the upcoming Hajj pilgrimages to ensure they are vaccinated against meningitis.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging travellers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for Umrah and the upcoming Hajj pilgrimages to ensure they are vaccinated against meningococcal disease with the MenACWY vaccine, due to ongoing outbreaks of serogroup W (MenW) disease associated with travel to KSA.

    UKHSA has confirmed 5 cases of MenW disease between February and March 2025 in people who had recently returned from KSA or in their close contacts in England and Wales.

    Invasive meningococcal disease is rare but serious and is caused by meningococcal bacteria. Meningococcal meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord) and septicaemia (blood poisoning) are severe conditions that can kill or leave people with life-changing disabilities.

    Those undertaking Hajj or Umrah, along with seasonal workers, are required to present a valid certificate of MenACWY vaccination issued between 10 days and 3 to 5 years before arrival, depending on the type of MenACWY vaccine previously received. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) advise, however, that all travellers to KSA should consider receiving the quadrivalent meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine, especially during the current MenW outbreak.

    While abroad and in the 2 weeks after returning to the UK, pilgrims and travellers returning from KSA should monitor for symptoms such as:

    • fever
    • severe headache
    • vomiting
    • stiff neck
    • rash
    • extreme sleepiness
    • seizures

    Symptoms may resemble flu initially and can appear in any order, but can lead to serious illness within hours. Anyone who has symptoms and becomes concerned about their own or someone else’s health should seek immediate medical advice or dial 999 in a medical emergency.

    Dr Shamez Ladhani, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said:

    The MenACWY vaccination is essential for pilgrims travelling to KSA for Umrah and Hajj, particularly given recent cases among UK returnees and their families. Meningococcal disease can be fatal and may leave survivors with serious lifelong conditions including hearing loss, brain damage and limb amputations.

    Pilgrims should ensure vaccination at least ten days before travel and remain vigilant for symptoms like sudden fever, severe headache, stiff neck, or rash. If you or anyone at home becomes unwell with any symptoms of meningitis within two weeks of returning from Saudi Arabia, contact your GP or NHS 111, mentioning your recent travel history, or dial 999 in case of emergency.

    Dr Sahira Dar, President of the British Islamic Medical Association, said: 

    During Hajj and Umrah, millions of people gather in very close proximity during the pilgrim rights, in accommodation sites and on public transport.  This means that there is a much higher risk of contracting infectious diseases such as meningitis which is a serious illness.  We highly recommend that everyone going on Hajj and Umrah receive their MenACWY vaccine which could protect them and their loved ones back home.

    UKHSA is also advising pilgrims about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). While risk to UK travellers remains low, pilgrims should:

    • avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products
    • avoid contact with camels and animal waste
    • practise good hygiene, particularly washing hands after visiting farms, barns or markets

    Should fever, coughing or breathing difficulties develop within 2 weeks of leaving Saudi Arabia, contact a GP or NHS 111, mentioning recent travel history and any contact with respiratory cases, healthcare facilities or camels during travel.

    Further information on vaccinations and travel health precautions for KSA is available on the NaTHNaC website.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “The fundamental principle of scientific knowledge is honesty.”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Daria Mazur wanted to study science since she was 13, when she realized in seventh grade that she was good at physics. In an interview with the Young Scientists of the Higher School of Economics project, she talked about theoretical research on the double electric layer, speed reading, and the MGMT song “Little Dark Age.”

    Why I started doing science

    I was a very unpopular child at school, no one really made friends with me, I existed on my own. And so, when physics started in the seventh grade and I started doing well, I found an outlet in it. Since the seventh grade, that is, since I was 13, I wanted to do science, and only science. I have never doubted it and since then I have been following my own path.

    For a long time I didn’t understand what scientific direction to choose. I knew it would be technical sciences, but I didn’t understand which ones. That’s why I enrolled in applied mathematics. There’s a lot of freedom there: you can do development, or fundamental research.

    In my third year, I met my academic supervisor. Yuri Alekseevich Budkov, and since then I have been engaged in science continuously, already in a specific direction – physical chemistry. This is a science in which chemical phenomena are explained with the help of physics. That is, it is physics and chemistry in one bottle.

    What am I studying?

    Double electric layer. This is a structure that forms at the metal-electrolyte boundary. It consists of a dense layer and a diffuse layer of ions. In a first approximation, the double layer can be represented as a flat capacitor with a capacitance C, which can store energy by accumulating a charge. Double electric layer is the main technology used in supercapacitors. These are new modern energy storage devices. Existing classical double layer models do not take into account many physical factors that prevent the application of these models to real physical and chemical systems, so there is a need to create new theoretical models that would allow for the correct assessment of, for example, the capacity of the double layer, since it is quite difficult to measure it experimentally.

    My first scientific work…

    …happened in the third year. During industrial practice, and then in my bachelor’s thesis, we studied a porous carbon material of the CMK-3 type: we estimated its differential electrical capacity and elastic deformation, then we compared our developed model with the experiment, and obtained good agreement.

    In the next work, already a master’s thesis, we came up with another model of the double electric layer. If earlier we did not take into account the influence of the solvent, that is, our permittivity was constant, then the next time we used an explicit polar solvent – water. This means that an equation was solved for the permittivity, and it changed with the distance from the electrode.

    We approximated the experimental data on differential electric capacity using our model. In it, we took into account all modern aspects of the theory of the double electric layer. For example, the hydrate radius, specific interactions, dielectric decrement, the effect of excluded volume. And based on the obtained parameters, we predicted the differential electric capacity for other concentrations.

    We also found out the influence of specific interactions on the differential electric capacity. Specific interactions are either repulsion or attraction of the hydrated ion and water. We found out that when the specific interactions change from repulsion to attraction, the peak of differential electric capacity decreases. This result was obtained for the first time.

    What I am proud of

    My bachelor’s and master’s degrees, because they resulted in publications in scientific journals – Europhysics Letters and ChemPhysChem respectively. In the second publication, devoted to the modeling of the double electric layer within the framework of the self-consistent field theory at the metal-electrolyte interface, I am listed as the first author for the first time in my scientific career.

    I am very proud of myself – that despite all the trials and difficulties that I had to overcome, I still retained the desire to do science and achieved results that are significant for me. I am very persistent.

    I have been living on my own since I was 18, and I had to work a lot during my entire bachelor’s degree. The first two years were especially hard because I had to combine studying with a hard, low-paying job. It got easier in my third year because Covid started. Everything was closed, there was no work, but I was paid a small salary. In addition, in my third year, I received my first money for science. This raised my morale. And I didn’t have to study in person: until the end of my fourth year, I studied completely online.

    I am currently studying on a single track “Master’s degree – postgraduate study”, and I am paid a stipend. In addition, I work as a research intern at the Laboratory of Computational Physics of MIEM HSE and teach physics in the educational programs “Applied Mathematics” and “Informatics and Computer Engineering”.

    What I dream about

    I don’t really believe in dreams. For me, it’s something unrealistic and unrealistic – like riding a unicorn. I believe in setting goals and achieving them. Actually, that’s how it works out for me in life. But if you really need a dream, then have a funny one. I want no scientist to have to write reports according to GOST.

    What is my goal?

    Defend a PhD dissertation.

    I would like to defend my thesis in physical chemistry, not applied mathematics. I am still working on it, because studying chemistry is very difficult. There is a lot of new knowledge, especially in quantum chemistry and physical chemistry. But I try to constantly learn something new. For example, I recently went to Veliky Novgorod for a workshop on quantum chemistry, where I built my first molecules.

    Science is a system of values that can help you live a good life.

    I believe that the fundamental principle of scientific knowledge is honesty.

    Few people can live without love. It doesn’t matter what kind – romantic, friendly, family. For me, science is love. Every person lives for happiness. Jung, I think, also wrote that happiness is the highest value. And in order for me to be happy, I need to study science.

    If I hadn’t become a scientist

    It’s hard for me to imagine myself as anything other than a scientist. But if I had to choose, I’d probably become a doctor. I really like helping people, and I also like chemistry. Or I could become a chemical engineer, for example, in pharmaceuticals.

    Who would I like to meet?

    With Marie Skłodowska-Curie. She is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. And the first person in history to receive two Nobel Prizes – in physics and chemistry. I would like to know the secrets of her ability to work. She had a rather difficult life, especially at the beginning of her career. I would like to know how it affected her, what her strength is. She impresses me so much that I visited her grave in Paris, and I always have a book with her biography at home.

    How my typical day is structured

    I wake up not very early, walk the dog. And then I go to work. My working day usually lasts at least 10 hours. In particular, I devote a lot of time to preparing for seminar classes. We need to publish a scientific article soon, and the calculations for it take a lot of time. They have to be done 10-15 times, double-checking every letter in the code, because if you make a mistake somewhere, the results will be non-physical or illogical.

    Do I get burnout?

    Yes, and often, but I don’t fight it. I have too many obligations. It’s gotten a little easier lately because I turned to my supervisor for help: he gives me the opportunity to rest. Although I don’t really believe in rest. I believe that you need to work constantly and that work is the meaning of life.

    What conferences have I attended?

    Recently I went to the Chinese city of Qingdao. I wanted to limit myself to a poster, but I was invited to give an oral report. For the first time I did it in English. It was so scary that the paper in my hands was visibly shaking. But everything went well. After the presentation, Chinese colleagues came up to me and asked questions.

    I was also in Portugal, in Costa da Caparica, at a small conference of a small scientific community. It was very warm. I have amazing memories of it. On the last evening, the organizers brought a big cauldron, poured moonshine into it, set it on fire, stirred it and read a spell in Gallic. It was against witches, evil spirits and simply for happiness. You drink a glass and become a happy person for a year.

    What else am I passionate about?

    Now I spend a lot of time studying theoretical chemistry. I also take speed reading courses. I read with a metronome and have already become faster – two touches of the line with my gaze are enough for me.

    I’m also studying French. So far, quite unsuccessfully – I speak with an accent and forget that I can’t pronounce the endings. Again, this is connected with my dream of living and studying in Paris.

    What was the last thing I read?

    “It’s Me, Eddie” by Eduard Limonov. I really like Limonov – his ambiguity. I accidentally bought his book “Taming the Tiger in Paris”. I periodically buy a huge number of books and do not read them, because there is no time. But Limonov immediately captivated me. It is very difficult for me to read a lot, because my attention floats, and I swallowed “Taming the Tiger” in two days. I liked the style so much that now I am reading a book on theoretical chemistry, which is written in a style similar to Limonov’s. The author of this book is Denis Tikhonov, a fairly well-known scientist, the founder of the public “Theoretical Chemistry” on VKontakte. There is also a chat for chemists, mainly quantum chemists. I am a member of it, read articles that colleagues send there, reasoning. I do not understand anything, but I hope that one day I will.

    Advice to a young scientist

    You need to find yourself not just a scientific supervisor, but a teacher who will pass on to you not only his scientific knowledge, but also the values that he shares, knowledge about life and will be able to support you morally. Everything depends on the scientific supervisor: where you publish, what and how you do, what conferences you attend. Of course, you also have to be persistent. For example, all the foreign conferences that I attended, I found myself, applied for them and paid for them.

    Also, don’t be afraid to promote yourself wherever you can. Don’t be afraid to seek out scholarships, opportunities, conferences – anything that will help you in your scientific career.

    Favorite place in Moscow

    The “World of Vinyl” store in Kitay-gorod. I love vinyl, I have a very large collection of records. It is very diverse – from Vivaldi to “Ranetki”. I love going to this store and usually do not leave without buying anything. Everything I buy, I then regularly listen to, except for the special edition of Radiohead’s “OK Computer”, which I feel sorry to unpack.

    Lately I’ve been listening to Ariana Grande’s album “Eternal Sunshine” and the band MGMT. They have a song called “Little Dark Age”. It’s a little mainstream, but I still like it.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Birds hold remarkable clues to fighting human and animal infections

    Source:

    24 April 2025

    Australian and Dutch researchers have uncovered a remarkable evolutionary adaptation in birds that could hold vital clues for combating avian flu and respiratory infections in humans, including pneumonia and COVID-19.

    The research, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, investigates the molecular evolution of specific types of proteins (CL-10 and CL-11) in bird lungs, revealing the role they play in recognising and neutralising harmful microbes.

    These ancient proteins appear to compensate for the evolutionary loss of the surfactant protein D (SP-D), a key immune component in humans and other mammals that helps protect the lungs from airborne pathogens.

    According to University of South Australia pulmonary biology researcher, Professor Sandra Orgeig, the study sheds new light on how birds maintain lung protection despite their unique respiratory anatomy that does not allow their lungs to contract and expand.

    “Unlike mammals, birds have a rigid lung structure with unidirectional air flow, which has evolved to support flight,” Prof Orgeig says.

    “Our research shows that CL-10 and CL-11 have been highly conserved in birds, suggesting they play a crucial role in lung immunity, possibly compensating for the loss of SP-D.”

    Birds are known reservoirs for several zoonotic infections (diseases that are transmitted between animals and humans), including avian flu and other airborne pathogens. Understanding their lung immunity could provide important insights into how these diseases spread, and how to prevent them.

    The team conducted an extensive analysis using molecular and genetic techniques, confirming the presence of CL-10 and CL-11 in the zebra finch and turkey – two evolutionary distant birds.

    Co-author Dr Albert van Dijk from Utrecht University says that because birds lack the SP-D immune protein found in mammals, their lungs must rely on alternative defence strategies against respiratory pathogens.

    “If we can identify how these proteins function in birds, we may be able to develop new strategies to improve immune responses in humans, particularly for respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and COVID-19,” Dr van Dijk says.

    The researchers say the findings may provide a foundation for future medical and veterinary advances.

    A video explaining the research is available at: A word about birds

    Notes for editors

    Kunchala, S. R., van Dijk, A., Veldhuizen, E. J. A., Haagsman, H. P., & Orgeig, S. (2025). Adaptation and conservation of CL-10/11 in avian lungs: Implications for their role in pulmonary innate immune protection. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0425

    Dr Srinivasa Kunchala led the research while undertaking his PhD at the University of South Australia. He is now based in Hyderabad, India, where he has founded his own company Advanced Respiratory Drug Delivery Solutions.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Professor Sandra Orgeig M: 0410 422 712 E: sandra.orgeig@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Memphis Woman Sentenced in Healthcare Fraud Scheme and Schemes to Defraud COVID-19 Relief Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Nakita Cannady, 49, to 14 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release for healthcare fraud and making false statements in connection with loan applications for the Covid-19 Relief Program.  The final sentencing hearing was concluded on April 4, 2025, with the entry of an order by Senior United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. directing the defendant to pay more than $500,000.00 dollars in restitution to the victims.  Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

    According to the original federal indictment in the healthcare fraud case, Cannady owned and operated What About Us In-Home Healthcare, a home healthcare services business that purported to provide custodial healthcare services 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to mostly elderly patients. From May 29, 2017 through December 23, 2019, Cannady fraudulently billed Cigna Insurance for 24 hours a day of home healthcare when she knew the patients had only received 8 or 12 hours a day of home healthcare. Cannady was ordered to make restitution to Cigna Insurance in the amount of $193,508.10.

    According to the second federal indictment, from June 17, 2020 through April 15, 2021, Cannady submitted six fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications for four purported businesses she controlled, specifically: What About Us Childcare, What About Us Foundation, What About Us Adult Daycare, and What About Us In-Home Healthcare. Cannady’s loan applications contained false information concerning the dates of operation, gross revenues, costs of goods sold, number of employees, and amount of payroll related to the businesses. Cannady was ordered to make restitution to the Small Business Administration in the amount of $346,882.13.   

    “Those who exploit health care programs for personal gain will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville Field Office. “Health care fraud is a priority for the FBI, and we will continue to work with our partners to investigate those who prioritize greed over the well-being of others.”

    Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. and Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Cotten and former Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney Lewis and Murrell Foster also assisted in the prosecution of this case.  The FBI Nashville Field Office – Memphis Resident Agency and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.

    ###

    For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VII – Committee of the Regions – A10-0046/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    2. MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

    with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VII – Committee of the Regions

    (2024/2026(DEC))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VII – Committee of the Regions,

    – having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0046/2025),

    A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability, and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;

    B. whereas the Committee of the Regions (the ‘Committee’) is a political assembly of 329 members elected in the regions, cities, villages and municipalities of the 27 Member States of the Union, operating as a consultative body for the Union institutions, with the mission of contributing to the Union policy shaping and decision making process from the point of view of the local and regional authorities, and at the same time contributing to make the Union more effective and closer to the citizens;

    C. whereas the consultation of the Committee by the Commission or the Council is mandatory in certain cases, while the Committee may also adopt opinions on its own initiative and enjoys a wide area for referral, as set out in the Treaties, allowing it to be consulted by Parliament;

    D. whereas the Committee’s activities are defined on the basis of its overall political strategy as set out in its resolution of 2 July 2020 on its priorities for 2020-2025[7], and whereas the Committee adopted three political priorities for the 2020-2025 mandate, accompanied by three communication campaigns: Bringing Europe closer to people, Building resilient regional and local communities, and Promoting cohesion as a fundamental value of the EU;

    E. whereas the local and regional administrations account for one third of public spending, half of public investment and one fourth of tax revenues and, in many Member States, hold competencies in key areas such as education, economic development and cohesion, environment, social protection, health and services of general interest, hence the coordination of local, regional, national and European levels increases the legitimacy of the legislation, improves ownership and pursues more effectively the benefit of citizens;

    F. whereas the Committee pursues its political goal to strengthen its involvement in the entire Union political and legislative cycle while making more tangible the connection with Union citizens using the Committee’s members as powerful multipliers in their communities and in their national associations of local and regional authorities;

    G. whereas the Committee identified eleven key priority areas to make its action more strategic and impactful in 2023: (1) Follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, Active Subsidiarity and Better Regulation; (2) Ukraine and Enlargement; (3) Energy and climate crisis; (4) Environment; (5) Cohesion Policy – Ramping up Cohesion policy implementation and shaping its future for the post-2027 period; (6) Multi-annual Financial Framework; (7) Economic governance for a fair and sustainable Europe; (8) European Year of Skills 2023; (9) Partnership for Regional Innovation and the promotion of territorial missions; (10) Civil protection; (11) Food security;

    H. whereas Regulation (EU) 2021/1060[8], governing Union cohesion policy and funding between 2021 and 2027, that entered into force in July 2021, encompasses references to the partnership and multilevel governance principle, supported by the Committee and Parliament and entailing the involvement of regions and their local and regional authorities; strongly supports the strengthening of Union investments linked to regional and local resilience in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF);

    I. whereas the over 400 national and regional programmes in place for the delivery of Union cohesion policy in the 2021-2027 programming period will make available around EUR 380 billion, under different funds, to tackle the economic, social and environmental challenges that Union regions, cities, villages and municipalities are facing;

    J. whereas, on 19 February 2021, Regulation (EU) 2021/241[9], establishing the Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, entered into force, providing the legal basis for distributing funds and loans of up to EUR 672,5 billion (in 2018 prices) to the Member States between 2021 and 2026 and also aiming to support economic, social and territorial cohesion and to address disparities between the regions of the Union;

    K. whereas, as a Union institution within the meaning of the Financial Regulation, the Committee is required to adopt its own annual accounts, prepared in accordance with the accounting rules adopted by the Commission’s accounting officer (European Union Accounting Rules) and based on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards, which are ultimately consolidated into those of the Union;

    1. Notes that the budget of the Committee falls under MFF Heading 7 ‘European public administration’ (‘Heading 7’), which amounted to a total of EUR 12,3 billion, i.e., 6,4 % of Union budget spending, in 2023; notes that, in 2023, the budget of the Committee represented 0,95 % of MFF Heading 7 appropriations;

    2. Notes that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’), in its annual report (the ‘Court’s report’) for the financial year 2023, examined a sample of 70 transactions under Heading 7, of which 21 (30 %) contained errors; further notes that for five of those errors, which were quantified by the Court, the Court estimated a level of error below the materiality threshold;

    3. Notes from the Court’s report its observation that administrative expenditure comprises expenditure on human resources including pensions, which in 2023 accounted for about 70 % of the total administrative expenditure, and expenditure on buildings, equipment, energy, communications and information technology; welcomes the Court’s renewed opinion that, overall, administrative spending is low risk;

    4. Notes with regret from the Court’s report its opinion regarding a transaction made by the Committee in 2023, whereby the 10-year duration of a building maintenance contract was not sufficiently justified;

    Budgetary and financial management

    5. Notes from the Committee’s annual activity report for 2023  that the final adopted budget of the Committee was EUR 116 675 392 in 2023, including the Amending Budget 4/2023 (salary and energy related), representing an increase of EUR 6 698 534 (i.e., +6,10 %) compared to 2022; notes with satisfaction that the rate of the Committee’s budget implementation of current year commitment appropriations increased from 99,20 % in 2022 to 99,9 % in 2023, and the current year payment appropriations execution rate increased from 88 % in 2022 to 91,20 % in 2023; welcomes further an increase in the execution rate of C8 appropriations from 81,60 % in 2022 to 85 % in 2023; considers that these high execution rates are on the one hand a sign of good budgetary and financial management by the Committee, on the account of strengthened budget execution monitoring, timely budget forecasting and reallocation of resources to address unforeseen events, but on the other hand could also be a sign that the Committee needs additional resources; calls on the Commission and the budgetary authority to take this into account in the framework of the budgetary procedure;

    6. Notes that in the course of 2023, the Committee implemented 31 transfers for a total of EUR 2,84 million, of which 25 internal transfers for a total of EUR 0,98 million and six external transfers for a total of EUR 1,86 million, of which approximately EUR 0,8 million transferred to budget lines covering contracts impacted by high inflation/indexation; notes that impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continued to create budgetary pressure for the Committee in 2023; notes in this context that the Committee was most affected by the high inflation rate, directly or indirectly, in areas such as travel costs (missions), energy, rents and lease of buildings, maintenance contracts, construction projects and paper and offset plates;

    7. Notes an increase by approximately 20 % of payments made for the members of the Committee, from EUR 6 573 307 in 2022 to EUR 7 955 968 in 2023, with payments made for travel expenses (8 119 payments), travel allowances (4 449 payments), meeting allowances for in-person participation (7 845 payments) and remote participation (152 payments);

    8. Notes that the mission’s budget (current year appropriations) remained stable, with EUR 420 833 in 2023 (compared to EUR 419 657 in 2022) and execution rate of approximately 80 % in 2023 (similar to 2022); notes that, despite an increase in the average cost of accommodation and travel costs, the Committee’s missions budget remained stable due to a reduction of 13 % in the number of missions carried out in 2023 compared to 2022; welcomes that the allowance for the Committee’s Presidency (President and First Vice-President) for travel and meeting expenses, financed from the general budget for members’ expenses, decreased from EUR 71 810 to EUR 62 268, representing a 13 % reduction between 2022 and 2023; encourages the Committee to further rationalize and reduce expenditure in this area, ensuring optimal allocation of resources in line with the principles of sound financial management;

    9. Observes with concern an increase in the current year appropriations for interpreting services of approximately 19 %, from EUR 3,494 million in 2022 to EUR 4,167 million in 2022; asks the Committee to explain the reasons for that increase, given the fact that at the same time the Committee has reported savings in connection with the use of remote interpretation in 2023;

    10. Notes that until 23 July 2023, the flat-rate remote meeting allowance paid by the Committee to its members, their alternates, as well as to rapporteurs’ experts and speakers invited to attend remote or hybrid meetings was EUR 200; notes further that on that date, new rules on the matter entered into force setting the flat-rate remote meeting allowance at 50 % of the regular meeting allowance, with the latter being EUR 359 and the former EUR 179,50; notes in this context a significant decrease in the total amount paid for remote meeting allowances from EUR 1 742 000 in 2021 and EUR 489 600 in 2022 to EUR 32 632 in 2023, while the overall expenditure linked to budget line 1004 (‘Travel and subsistence allowances, attendance at meetings and associated expenditure’) has increased considerably from approximately EUR 6,6 million in 2022 to approximately EUR 8 million in 2023, mainly due to a strong return to in-person meetings in 2023 and the increase in the travel related prices in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic;

    11. Expresses concern over the significant increase in travel and meeting allowances paid to Committee members, rising from EUR 6,6 million in 2022 to EUR 8 million in 2023; calls on the Committee to adopt a clear cost-efficiency strategy for travel expenditures, including greater use of remote participation and hybrid meetings to reduce unnecessary costs and emissions while maintaining political engagement;

    12. Regrets that the average time for payment increased from 17,87 days in 2022 to 21,88 days in 2023; understands nevertheless that that increase is the result of the fact that in 2023 the Committee processed and paid a record number of invoices, i.e., 5 723 compared to 4 260 in 2022; notes in this context that the share of commercial invoices received electronically by the Committee has increased from 68 % in 2022 to 76 % in 2023 and continued to increase in 2024;

    Internal management, performance and internal control

    13. Acknowledges that the Committee plays a fundamental role in contributing to the Union’s policy development and decision-making processes by representing the interests of local and regional authorities within the Union; notes that for 2023, as part of its annual operational plan, the reporting of the performance of the Committee was based on 25 objectives, the achievement of which was assessed through 80 quantitative indicators, whereas the targets of the majority of those indicators (approximately 75 %) was achieved with a level of 90 % or more;

    14. Recalls that the Committee contributes to the Union policy and decision making process from the perspective of the regional and local authorities within the Union and provides a framework to enhance cooperation between the local, regional, national and European levels and to bring Europe closer to its citizens; regrets that budget limitations have impaired the Committee’s ability to fully deliver on its objective of bringing citizens closer to the Union, limiting the Committee’s added value;

    15. Considering the important role of the Committee in increasing the democratic legitimacy of Union legislation by providing an active coordination of regional and local authorities, supports the Committee in its effort to provide more territorial impact assessments (TIA), also in line with the Conference on the Future of Europe final report and recommendations;

    16. Commends the Committee for its political achievements in its key priority areas in 2023; notes that the Committee pursues its mission through opinions, which refer to legislative proposals made by the Commission (referrals), own-initiative opinions, which call on the Union institutions to take action, and through resolutions, which highlight the Committee’s positions on specific topics; notes that, in 2023, the Committee adopted 53 opinions and 6 resolutions, a decrease from 55 opinions and 8 resolutions adopted in 2022 despite the increase in appropriations and staff; encourages the Committee to continue to work on the performance improvement as well as effectiveness improvement; welcomes the Committee’s efforts to introduce reformative and innovative solutions, streamline the administration and avoid overlapping roles with other bodies;

    17. Appreciates that in 2023 the Committee continued implementing measures to modernise its administration and enhance cost-effectiveness in the context of the ‘Going for IMPact’ programme; notes in this context the progress made with regard to digitalisation and workflow optimisation, the modernisation of the Committee’s planning and reporting instruments, the creation of a central meeting service, and the enhancement of cooperation with other institutions or bodies (e.g., the European Economic and Social Committee (‘EESC’), Commission, Parliament, Office for Infrastructure and Logistics), among others; commends the Committee for having implemented almost 90 % of the simplification projects launched in 2021, in the areas of administrative processes, written procedures and (internal) legal documents;

    18. Notes with satisfaction from the Committee’s replies to the questionnaire submitted by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control for the 2023 budgetary discharge (the ‘Questionnaire’) that, thanks to the ‘Going for IMPact’ programme, the Committee has managed in 2023 to align its objectives to the available resources which were under pressure as a result of the inflationary effects of the war in Ukraine; commends in particular the progress made by the Committee in implementing ‘Project Convergence’ (a SharePoint-based tool for planning, reporting, risk assessment, and business continuity) and the new business continuity policy;

    19. Acknowledges the impact of the Committee’s work, in particular its opinions, some which were reflected in resolutions, positions, proposals, reports, reviews, conclusions or trilogues of the Commission, Parliament or the Council in 2023; invites the Committee to continue on the path of providing useful and relevant input, such as data from the ground and analysis, to Union institutions and other beneficiaries of Union policies; welcomes the Committee’s strengthened involvement along the whole political and legislative cycle of the Union through cooperation agreements and action plans with the Commission, Parliament and the European Investment Bank; considers that members of the Committee and of the EESC should be invited to relevant parliamentary meetings on matters within their remit; notes that, in 2023, Committee members also met the Council and Permanent Representations and participated in the events organised by the Council’s Presidency, in order to ensure that the Committee’s positions are reflected in the Union’s legislation; congratulates the Committee for strengthening its involvement in legislative trilogues, notably by being granted access, for the first time, to trilogue documents in 2023;

    20. Calls on the Committee to ensure stronger involvement of regional and local governments in Union decision-making by creating structured consultation mechanisms with regional and local authorities, including parliaments, municipalities, and local civil society organizations before issuing opinions; urges the Committee to advocate for a mandatory consultation process on legislative matters that significantly impact regional development and cohesion policy;

    21. Notes with regard to its new internal control framework, that the Committee implemented a new methodology on ex post controls as of 2023, aiming to simplify and align the approach to the practice of the other Union institutions, with the ex post controls now being centralised instead of the prior decentralised practice; notes that, in 2023, ex post controls focused on the basic salary and the time worked, with 55 files having been verified, and that the statistical estimate of the error affecting the reference population was 0 %; notes further that in 2023 the Committee renewed its compliance and effectiveness exercise to assess the extent of the Committee’s compliance with certain internal control standards and the effectiveness of their implementation; commends the Committee for reporting an improvement in this matter compared to the results of the 2022 exercise; encourages the Committee to continue its efforts to further step up the level of compliance and the degree of effectiveness of the internal control measures in place; notes with satisfaction, as regards the new sensitive posts policy, that in 2023 the Committee ran a screening exercise to identify the level of risk of each post and, thus, the sensitivity level thereof, as well as the necessary measures to mitigate those risks;

    22. Notes that the Committee launched in 2023 two new audits: one on the compliance of various functions (e.g., risk management, planning, control system) with the relevant data protection legislation and another one on the performance of the IT organisation in Joint Services (the Committee and the EESC’s new joint Directorate for Innovation and IT); notes that for each of those audits: 11 recommendations were issued and seven recommendations were considered very important; notes further that following the audit on management of the vacant posts launched in 2022, 10 recommendations were issued, three of which were very important; calls on the Committee to implement all pending recommendations as soon as possible and keep the discharge authority informed of progress in this matter;

    Human resources, equality and staff well-being

    23. Notes that, at the end of 2023, the Committee had a total of 559 members of staff (seconded national experts, interim, intra muros and trainees not included), compared to 533 in 2022; notes that 74 contract agents, compared to 56 contract agents in 2022 and 96 temporary agents, compared to 89 temporary agents in 2022, were employed by the Committee at the end of 2023, out of which 21 contract agents had an open-ended contract, 53 contract agents had a time-limited contract, 53 temporary agents were on permanent posts with time-limited contract, 50 temporary agents had an open-ended contract and 3 temporary agents held a temporary position (in two cases with an indefinite contract and, in the case of the Secretary-General, for a fixed duration of five years); notes, in addition, that the Committee employed 5 interim agents and 12 external members of staff working on-site, excluding external service providers in the fields of logistics and IT; hopes that the increase in staff has its reasonable justification; notes that in 2023 the occupation rate of the posts in the establishment plan was 98 % (an increase from 96 % in 2022) and the turnover rate was 6,6 % (a decrease from 10,80 % in 2022), respectively;

    24. Observes an increased reliance of the Committee on contract agents and temporary agents (representing up to 26 % of the Committee’s staff); notes from the Questionnaire that said reliance is due in particular to the absence of EPSO reserve lists for generalist administrator profiles since 2018; is worried that the Committee’s long-term stability and business continuity are threatened by the absence of attractiveness of the time-limited contracts offered; underlines the importance of permanent staff in maintaining skills, continuity and productive working environment; notes that the Committee organised an internal competition for generalists across five grades (AST/SC1, AST1, AST3, AD5, and AD7) in 2024; supports the Committee in its endeavours to respond to those challenges; asks the Committee to report to the discharge authority on such competitions organised in 2024;

    25. Notes that, at the end of 2023, the Committee employed 56,9 % women and 43,1 % men; regrets that the Committee has not yet achieved gender parity in leadership positions, but acknowledges the significant progress made under the Committee’s five-year diversity and inclusion strategy and action plan for 2022-2026, including a marked increase in the proportion of women in senior management positions from 37,5 % in 2022 to 44,4 % in 2023; recommends measures to enhance inclusivity in vacancy notices and to encourage greater female participation in senior and middle management roles, including through gender balance targets, balanced representation on selection boards, targeted training opportunities for female staff aspiring to managerial positions, and the promotion of more flexible working arrangements; encourages the Committee to continue its efforts for achieving gender balance and requires, in this context, Member States to nominate both a male and a female candidate for appointments for Committee membership to improve representation at all levels;

    26. Notes that, as a result of a pilot project on a hybrid working regime and a staff satisfaction survey launched in 2022, the Committee adopted on 1 January 2024 a decision which provides for a hybrid working regime and a personalised weekly working schedule for each staff, as well as the possibility to work from home for up to 60 % of staff’s working time (except for staff categories incompatible with telework) and work from outside the city of employment for up to 15 days per year; recognises that these measures aim to enhance work-life balance while maintaining operational efficiency and staff satisfaction;

    27. Notes with satisfaction that the Committee’s hybrid working regime has had a positive impact with regard to short-term sick leave, whereas: – the number of staff without sick leave increased from 71 (or 12 % of all staff) in 2018 to 211 (or 36 % of all staff) in 2023; – the number of staff on sick leave for less than seven days decreased from 257 (or 46 % of all staff) in 2018 to 201 (or 35 % of all staff) in 2023 and; – the number of staff on sick leave for a duration between 7,5 and 21 days decreased from 140 (or 25 % of all staff) in 2018 to 92 (or 16 % of all staff) in 2023; invites the Committee to monitor the impact of the new working regime and keep this topic in upcoming staff satisfaction surveys; notes with satisfaction that 90,25 % (82 % in the case of managers) of those that responded to the staff survey of December 2022 indicated their satisfaction with the flexible arrangements;

    28. Notes with concern that 18 cases of burnout were reported in the Committee in 2023, representing an increase from 16 cases in 2022; underlines the significant social and professional impact of burnout on staff well-being and performance; notes further that the Committee managed to reintegrate 16 members of staff in 2023 after long-term absence as a result of burnout, thanks to a personalised follow-up of long-term sickness leave; welcomes the preventive actions taken by the Committee to reduce psychosocial risks and burnout; appreciates in this regard the proactive approach of the medical service and the awareness-raising conferences, trainings and courses organised by the Committee; stresses, however, the need for further strengthening of efforts to address the root causes of burnout and to foster a healthier work environment;

    29. Notes that in 2023 the Committee continued to raise awareness of the measures put in place to prevent and combat harassment in the workplace, in accordance with its Decision of 26 April 2021 on protecting dignity at work, managing conflict and combatting harassment, notably through dedicated guidance, internal communication and the organisation of several information sessions for staff and managers; welcomes in particular the organisation of five training sessions on ‘Preventing psychological and sexual harassment’ and ‘Respect and Dignity for a high-performing team’ in 2023 and recommends continuity of this initiative; further notes with satisfaction that no new, ongoing, or closed cases concerning sexual harassment were reported during the year;

    30. Commends the Committee for its actions taken in 2023 in connection with the integration of persons with disabilities, such as making accessible the Committee’s buildings to persons with reduced mobility and ensuring that all job vacancies are accessible to candidates with disabilities;

    31. Notes that, in 2023, the Committee was employing staff representing all Union nationalities (and one staff member of Ukrainian nationality), with some of them being overrepresented (e.g., Belgium); welcomes the additional efforts of the Committee aiming at balancing the geographical distribution among staff by targeting a wider audience through the publication on its website and social media of calls for expression of interest for contract and temporary staff; regrets the persistent lack of geographical balance within the Committee’s staff, with certain nationalities remaining overrepresented in comparison to others; encourages the Committee to intensify its efforts to achieve a more balanced geographical distribution, particularly at the management level; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of the outcome of this type of action;

    32. Welcomes the participation of the Committee’s Traineeships Office, for the second consecutive time, in the session titled ‘Opportunities for young Roma’ in April 2023; commends the initiative to present the Committee’s traineeships scheme to young and motivated Roma and non-Roma participants, reflecting a strong commitment to promoting inclusivity, diversity, and equal opportunities; encourages the continuation and expansion of such initiatives to further engage underrepresented communities and foster a more inclusive European workforce;

    33. Welcomes the progress made with regard to gender balance in management, with an increase of the percentage of women both in middle management positions (from 29,7 % in 2022 to 32,5 % in 2023) and in senior management positions (from 37,5 % in 2022 to 44,4 % in 2023);

    Ethical framework and transparency

    34. Welcomes the work done by the Committees in 2023 to consolidate ethical rules and practices into a single ethical legal framework (Decision n⁰ 157/2023) covering disciplinary procedure, dignity at work, conflict management, combatting harassment, outside activities and whistleblowing among others; notes that that work culminated with a decision (n⁰ 157/2023) which was the outcome of comprehensive consultations with different stakeholders, as well as a follow-up to an internal survey on staff ethics awareness and the implementation of an internal audit recommendation on that topic; commends the Committee for continuing to offer training courses on ethics, integrity and respect and dignity at work to different groups of staff ranging from newcomers, managers and staff overall in 2023;

    35. Notes that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) processed two cases in 2023: one case on alleged outside gainful activities of a Committee member and another case on allegations of recidivism on unauthorised external activities by a staff member; notes that in the former case no OLAF investigation was opened on the grounds of lack of proportionality between the resources needed to conduct an investigation and the expected results, while the Committee considered that there were no conflicts of interest on the grounds that Committee members do not receive any remuneration from the Union, nor are they required to declare their professional activities, for which they may be paid for local or regional mandates that those members may have; notes with regard to the latter case that OLAF opened an investigation which was concluded with two recommendations, which the Committee implemented by opening a disciplinary procedure against the staff member concerned and by recovering gains in connection with that person’s unauthorised outside activities; recalls that the case closed in 2022 on allegations of financial wrongdoings, harassment and mismanagement in a Committee-EESC joint service, gave rise to a conflict-management exercise involving the persons concerned and to a five-point action plan; notes with satisfaction from the Committee’s follow-up report to Parliament’s discharge decision covering the Committee’s budget implementation year 2022 that that action plan was fully implemented by the end of 2023;

    36. Recalls that the Committee adopted Regulation n⁰ 6/2023 of 4 July 2023 laying down transparency measures that focus on office-holding members and rapporteurs; commends in this context the Committee for having formally joined the EU Transparency Register on 1 January 2024;

    37. Urges the Committee to enhance the detection and prevention of conflicts of interest by introducing a mandatory cooling-off period for outgoing members before they can engage in lobbying or advisory roles involving Union institutions; calls for the proactive publication of all recusal decisions taken by Committee members due to conflicts of interest;

    38. Welcomes the Committee’s renewed efforts in the area of detection and prevention of conflicts of interest in 2023; notes that thanks to its Decision n⁰157/2023, the Committee defined the concept of conflicts of interest and has put in place a mechanism to detect and prevent it whereby staff are required to declare whether they might have a conflict of interest (potential or possible), by filling in a form at various key moments of their career or professional activities; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that the annual information regarding the occupation activities of former senior officials is published in a transparent way on the Committee’s website; notes that the Committee did not detect any situations of conflicts of interest which would have required follow-up by the administration in 2023;

    39. Notes that no cases of whistleblowing were reported to the Committee in 2023, except for information received from OLAF about a whistleblowing case against a staff member of the Committee, which was eventually dismissed by OLAF; notes that the Committee did not adopt any new measures concerning whistleblowing in 2023 and continued to rely on the measures in place since 2015 and to promote them through ethics training and awareness raising; supports regular mandatory ethic trainings both for staff as well as for management level;

    40. Notes that the Committee has had in place a range of anti-fraud measures and actions applicable to its members and its staff which are implemented by different services; observes that no anti-fraud strategy was in place in 2023 despite Parliament’s requests in previous discharge resolutions; notes with satisfaction, following Parliament’s recommendation, and as indicated in the Questionnaire, the Committee’s commitment to further strengthen the existing anti-fraud measures by adopting an anti-fraud strategy in 2025; encourages the Committee to facilitate regular and compulsory anti-fraud trainings as part of the strategy; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on this matter;

    Digitalisation, cybersecurity and data protection

    41. Notes that the combined IT budget of the Committee and the EESC was EUR 12,7 million in 2023, compared to EUR 11,712 million in 2022, i.e., an increase of 8,40 %, whereas EUR 350 000 of that budget was paid for cybersecurity in 2023;

    42. Welcomes the Committee’s new ‘Digital Strategy 2024-2026’ adopted at the end of 2023; commends in this context the Committee for its digitalisation progress made in 2023 in different areas such as the administrative processes (including staff selection), procurement and interpretation, among others; calls on the Committee to accelerate digital transformation efforts by ensuring the full implementation of electronic workflows, e-signatures, and digital case management tools by 2026, reducing paper-based processes in line with sustainability commitments, shifting towards a more paperless administration;

     

    43. Notes with satisfaction that 90 % of the projects for simplification through digitalisation under the ‘Going for impact’ initiative were fully implemented by the end of 2023; notes in addition that further efficiencies were tapped due to an IT project to define the best tool for the electronic management of form-based workflows with, as a result, many of the Committee’s processes having begun to be simplified and digitalised through Microsoft 365 tools; notes with satisfaction that the Committee uses procurement modules such as e-Tendering, e-Notices, e-Submission, MyWorkplace, as well as the qualified electronic signature, for the signature of contracts, introduced in 2023; welcomes the adoption by the Committee of internal guidelines on use of artificial intelligence laying the ground for possible future solutions and encourages introduction of regular mandatory trainings on safe use of artificial intelligence;

    44. Notes further that the European Data Protection Supervisor (‘EDPS’) did not conduct any investigation or enquiry into the processing of personal data by the Committee in 2023; notes that in 2023 the EDPS launched a general questionnaire on the designation and position of the data protection officer (DPO), which was answered by the Committee’s DPO;

    45. Notes that the Committee did not encounter any cyber-attacks in 2023, other than certain denial of service attacks against the Committee’s externally hosted website; notes from the Questionnaire of the Committee’s tools and strategies for real-time threat monitoring and identifying vulnerabilities in the Committee’s systems; commends the Committee for adhering to standards in matters related to cybersecurity-related risk assessments, as well as for having put in place a system based on incident response plans, recovery measures and lessons learned; notes with satisfaction that the Committee and the EESC adopted the NIST Cybersecurity Framework with focus, in 2023, on the principles: ‘protect’ and ‘detect’; encourages the Committee to raise the cybersecurity awareness of their members and staff, to carry out regular risk assessments of its IT infrastructure and to ensure regular audits and tests of its cyber defences;

    Buildings

    46. Notes that the Committee’s budget (current year appropriations) in 2023 was EUR 18,594 million (compared to EUR 18,930 million in 2022) with a payment execution rate of 93,70 % (compared to 82,60 % in 2022); notes with satisfaction that, as result of exchanging the B68 and TRE74 buildings for the VMA building in 2022, savings were achieved due to lower costs of renting the entire VMA in 2023;

    47. Notes that renovation works of the VMA (third to ninth floor) continued in 2023; notes further a low payment execution rate with regard to the C8 appropriations (carried over from 2022 to 2023), i.e., 18,90 %, used for the fitting-out of the VMA premises; understands the Committee’s explanation for that low rate whereas the contractor was not able to finish parts of the renovation works in the VMA buildings; reiterates its call to the Committee to provide the discharge authority with an update on the return on investment in relation to the smart technologies installed in the VMA;

    48. Welcomes the commitment of the Committee and the EESC to apply systematically the ‘design for all’ principle to their infrastructure, ensuring accessibility of their building by design; notes that the Committees took a range of different measures to ensure accessibility of their buildings to people with various kinds of disabilities (wheelchair users, blind and visually impaired people, deaf persons, elderly people with muscular or vascular problems);

    Environment and sustainability

    49. Notes that the Committee continued to implement a variety of green practices in 2023, such as the use of innovative energy-efficient building installations, the purchase of 100 % green electricity, the replacement of paperless workflows with digital signatures, the application of environmental criteria in all tender procedures (with customised green criteria for calls for tender above EUR 60 000), a focus on waste reduction and increase in the recycling rate, the implementation of measures for a more sustainable travel by staff, including financial contributions by the Committee to its staff’s public transport costs, the use of full remote interpretation for statutory meetings, and other energy saving measures; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire a reduction of carbon emissions linked to the Committee’s administration’s activities by 18 % compared to 2019;

    50. Notes with satisfaction from the questionnaire that, thanks to its energy saving measures, the Committee’s energy consumption was reduced by an estimated 3,4 % in 2023 compared to 2022, corresponding to a financial gain of EUR 64 240; congratulates the Committees for having exceeded the EMAS objectives for 2021-2025 in all areas (electricity, gas, water, waste, waste sorting, paper for office use, CO2 emissions);

    Interinstitutional cooperation

    51. Welcomes the budgetary and administrative savings achieved through interinstitutional cooperation, and in particular the close cooperation established at administrative level with the EESC, with which the Committee shares premises and joint services in the areas of translation, infrastructure, logistics and IT, with 470 members of staff and approximately EUR 60 million (excluding salary related expenditures) pooled together by both institutions in 2023; notes with satisfaction that the Committee further extended its cooperation with the EESC by exploiting additional synergies through joint medical services and joint central data protection register and processing operations based on the Joint Controllership Arrangement signed by the Committee and the EESC in 2023; reiterates its call on the Committee to pursue and expand that cooperation in other areas with a view to avoiding duplication and further rationalising the operating costs of services available in the premises shared by the Committee and the EESC; invites the Committee and the EESC to explore the possibility of setting up a single administration for their joint services, keeping separate directorates or units for the services dealing with matters related to their specific and independent mandates; encourages the Committee and the EESC to continue their efforts to develop further cooperation and synergies;

    52. Welcomes the Committee’s search for synergies by purchasing services from other institutions through service-level agreements and by participating in interinstitutional coordination bodies and interinstitutional procurement procedures; welcomes the efficiency gains, with regard to the communication for the 2024 European elections, reported by the Committee in the Questionnaire; notes that those gains were possible because the Committee signed with Parliament a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2024 and a new Cooperation Agreement (CP) in May 2024; notes further that the CP also covered cooperation at political and administrative level between the two institutions;

    53. Calls on the Committee to deepen its cooperation with Parliament and the Commission by establishing a structured annual dialogue between Committee representatives and Union legislators on key legislative files affecting regional development, climate policy, and social cohesion; urges the Committee to explore joint initiatives with Parliament’s Committees on Regional Development (REGI) and on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) to promote sustainable regional investments;

    54. Notes that the Committee cooperates with the Commission (for an annual fee) for the handling of HR matters and the use of various IT platforms for financial management and HR; notes further that the Committee holds its plenary sessions in the premises of Parliament and the Commission to compensate for the lack of capacity in its own conference rooms and buys interpreting services from those two institutions; 

    55. Welcomes the reviewing in 2023 of the Cooperation Agreement of the Committee with Parliament in view of its final signature in 2024; supports the cooperation of the Committee with several parliamentary committees, intergroups and directorates-general of Parliament and convene to considers vital that members of the Committee and EESC be regularly and systematically invited to relevant parliamentary exchanges, including committee meetings, on issues they are dealing with;

    Communication

    56. Notes that the Committee’s communication activities focus on relationship with press, organisation of events and digital content and social media with a total budget (current year appropriations) of approximately EUR 2,8 million in 2023; regrets a very low payment execution rate in those areas (ranging from 24,70 % to 48,20 %); notes nevertheless a high execution rate with regard to C8 appropriations (carried over from 2022 to 2023) of between 98 % and 100 %; calls on the Committee to take measures for improving its budgetary planning with regard to communication related budgetary items;

    57. Notes with satisfaction the Committee’s achievements in promoting Union policies and programs at local and regional level, improving the outreach of its consultative works and enhancing its visibility and impact; notes that the Committee’s communication strategy seeks to strengthen its institutional and political profile as the voice of the Union’s regions, cities, villages, and municipalities, while showcasing the essential contributions of its members in connecting Union policies with citizens and fostering engagement at the local and regional level; notes in this context the Committee’s communication actions in 2023 in areas such as: – cohesion (e.g., the ‘Promoting cohesion as a fundamental value of the Union’s campaign in the framework of the EURegionsWeek with more than 8 000 participants); – climate change (e.g., the ‘Building resilient and innovative local communities’ campaign); – democracy (e.g., the ‘A new chapter for EU democracy’ campaign with 1 400 registrations for participation at the 14th EuropCom conference); – rural development (the ‘2023 LEADER European Congress’ conference) in 2023; commends the Committee for the increase in the number of persons registered in the Network of Regional and Local EU Councillors (from 2 307 in 2022 to 3 000 in 2023) and the number of participants in the Young Elected Politicians programme (from 775 in 2022 to 836 in 2023);

    58. Welcomes the Committee’s efforts to increase outreach to regional governments and local communities, including the expansion of the Network of Regional and Local EU Councillors and the Young Elected Politicians program; calls on the Committee to allocate additional resources to support regional capacity-building programs that empower local governments to better implement Union policies;

    59. Notes the Committee’s success with regard to media outreach as shown by the overall metrics for 2023, such as: 13 210 media mentions, 129 % increase on web visitors and 11 % increase on followers; notes that in terms of digital engagement, the Committee fell short of achieving its target for 2023; notes that, at the end of 2023, the Committee had 200 000 followers on its social media channels, i.e., 15 % more than in 2022 of which 57 603 followers (+5 %) on X (ex-Twitter), 61 170 (+5 %) on Facebook, 68 613 (+31 %) on LinkedIn and 15 392 (+47 %) on Instagram;

    60. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s initiatives to raise awareness about the specific measures of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Acts, as well as cybersecurity and online safety; acknowledges the Committee’s role in advancing the Union’s path to a digital future; commends in this context the Committee for organising in 2023 the Digital Masterclass series, for both staff and external audiences.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CHP investigates severe paediatric case of COVID-19 co-infected with human metapneumovirus

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 23) received a report of a case of severe paediatric COVID-19 and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infection and reminded the public to observe personal, hand and environmental hygiene at all times. High-risk individuals should receive a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible and receive booster doses at appropriate times to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.
          
    The case involves an eight-month-old girl with good past health, who developed a fever and runny nose since April 19 and sought medical attention from a private doctor the next day. She developed cough and shortness of breath on April 21 and sought medical attention from another private doctor. She attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan on April 22 and was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment on the same day. Her respiratory specimen tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus and hMPV upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was COVID-19 co-infectedwith hMPV complicated with croup. She is still hospitalised and is in critical condition.
          
    A preliminary investigation revealed that the patient had not received COVID-19 vaccine and had no travel history during the incubation period. Two of her household contacts had presented with respiratory symptoms and had recovered.
          
    “There has been a recent increase in the activity of COVID-19 in the local community. In the past few weeks, the load of SARS-CoV-2 virus from sewage surveillance, the laboratory test positivity rate and the consultation rate of COVID-19 cases in general out-patient clinics have continued to rise. As of April 12, the viral load per capita of SARS-CoV-2 virus was around 390 000 copy/litre, which was significantly higher than the week ending March 15 previously, when it was 85 000 copy/litre,” said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.
          
    “Genetic analysis has shown that the predominant circulating strains in Hong Kong are still JN.1 and its related variants, and the vaccines currently used in Hong Kong can effectively prevent the related variants. Scientific data shows that timely booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk persons help lower the risk of severe illness and death. Members of the public who have not received the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (including infants and children) should get vaccinated as soon as possible. Those at high risk (particularly the elderly and persons with underlying comorbidities) should receive a booster dose as soon as possible for effective prevention against COVID-19,” Dr Tsui added.
          
    Persons with hMPV infection can present with symptoms such as fever, cough, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath etc. hMPV infection may progress to bronchiolitis or pneumonia. hMPV infection can occur all year round and is more common in late spring and summer locally in general.

    Apart from vaccination, in order to prevent COVID-19, influenza, hMPV infection, and other respiratory illnesses as well as transmission in the community, the public should maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times and note the following:
          

    • Patients can wear surgical masks to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses. Therefore, it is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
    • High-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised) should wear surgical masks when visiting public places. The general public should also wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
    • Avoid touching one’s eyes, mouth and nose;
    • Practise hand hygiene frequently, wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
    • When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
    • Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
    • Maintain good indoor ventilation;
    • Avoid sharing personal items;
    • When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, consider to refrain from going to work or school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
    • Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     
    For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme and the latest recommendations on vaccine use, please refer to the CHP’s website.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First Gaelic translation of The Hobbit published The first (Scottish) Gaelic translation of JRR Tolkien’s timeless classic, The Hobbit, has been completed by a University of Aberdeen professor.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Book coverThe first (Scottish) Gaelic translation of JRR Tolkien’s timeless classic, The Hobbit, has been completed by a University of Aberdeen professor.
    Moray Watson, Professor of Gaelic and Translation and a lifelong Tolkien fan, began working on a Gaelic version titled A’ Hobat prior tothe Covid lockdowns.
    Delays from this and fitting the project around his teaching commitments meant that arriving at a final version took much longer than expected.
    Now, after many phases of editing, the book is available to order, complete with an afterword explaining why Professor Watson alighted on the word hobat to translate ‘hobbit’ and why it has a’ and not the more ‘expected’ an.
    The Gaelic translation, supported by the Gaelic Books Council, joins a growing list of languages allowing new engagement with the classic story the world over, including Hawaiian, Esperanto, Breton and Yiddish.
    Professor Watson is Director of Ionad Eòghainn MhicLachlainn: the National Centre for Gaelic Translation, which exists specifically to support the translation of literature into Gaelic (as well as Manx and Irish).
    In addition to The Hobbit translation, the Centre is supporting a book co-edited by Professor Watson which features a set of essays from translators and scholars on various aspects of the translation process.
    “Enjoyment of reading is of tremendous importance on many levels when it comes to the esteem and status of a language,” he said.
    “Being able to select from a wide range of engaging texts is also extremely important when learning a language or when making the decision to dig in and make that long, sustained extra effort necessary to go from competence in a language to mastery.
    “I’ve read the book in at least nine languages so far. Whenever I learn a new language now, I always check to see if there is a translation of The Hobbit. If there is, I buy it. That way, I can read a novel early on in the learning process, because I already know the story very well at this point.
    “Every single time I read it, in every single language, I get to experience the deep, rich joy of discovering Tolkien’s world.”
    The book includes all the drawings by the author and Professor Watson says it was a pleasure and privilege to delve deeply into the maps, runes and illustrations when triple-checking translations before publication.
    “It’s no wonder people fell in love with this book, and continue to do so nearly 90 years after it was first published,” he added.
    “I’m very lucky to have had the chance to work with it and I hope that people enjoy it.”
    Professor Watson is also completing a Gaelic translation of H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, which includes an academic essay on how elements of translation theory can help the translator work through some of the trickier parts of a text.
    The first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet is next on the list to be translated to Gaelic and Professor Watson is hunting for interesting novels in French, German or Spanish that have never been translated to English to further expand Gaelic reading lists.
    Professor Watson teaches on the MSc in Translation, which is available online and on campus and makes the University of Aberdeen the only institution in the world that offers a Gaelic translation degree at this level.

    A’ chiad tionndagh Gàidhlig de The Hobbit air fhoillseachadh

    Tha a’ chiad eadar-theangachadh Gàidhlig (Albannach) de shàr nobhail J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, air a chrìochnachadh le àrd-ollamh aig Oilthigh Obar Dheathain. Tha Moray Watson, Àrd-ollamh na Gàidhlig agus Eadar-theangachaidh air a bhith fìor mheasail air sgrìobhaidhean Tolkien fad a bheatha.
    ‘S e an t-eadar-theangachadh Gàidhlig, le taic bho Chomhairle nan Leabhraichean, an tionndadh as ùire am measg liosta de chànanan a tha a’ dol am meud, a bheir seachad cothrom a dhol an sàs anns an sgeulachd chlasaigich air feadh an t-saoghail, a’ toirt a-steach an cànan Hawaii, Esperanto, Breatnais, agus Iùdhais.
    Tha an t-Àrd-ollamh Watson na Stiùiriche air Ionad Eòghainn MhicLachlainn: an t-Ionad Nàiseanta airson Eadar-theangachadh Gàidhlig, a tha ann a dh’aona ghnothach gus taic a thoirt do eadar-theangachadh litreachais gu Gàidhlig, Gàidhlig Mhanainn agus Gàidhlig na h-Èireann.
    “Tha tlachd ann an leughadh air leth cudromach aig iomadh ìre nuair a thig e gu spèis agus inbhe cànain,” thuirt e.
    “Tha a bhith comasach air taghadh bho raon farsaing de theacsaichean tarraingeach cuideachd air leth cudromach nuair a tha thu ag ionnsachadh cànan no nuair a cho-dhùineas tu an oidhirp fhada, sheasmhach sin a dhèanamh a tha riatanach gus a dhol bho chomas ann an cànan gu maighstireachd.
    “Tha mi air an leabhar a leughadh ann an co-dhiù naoi cànanan gu ruige seo. Nuair a dh’ionnsaicheas mi cànan ùr a-nis, bidh mi an-còmhnaidh a’ rùrachd feuch a bheil eadar-theangachadh de The Hobbit ann. Ma tha, ceannaichidh mi e. Mar sin, is urrainn dhomh nobhail a leughadh tràth sa phròiseas ionnsachaidh, oir tha eòlas math agam air an sgeulachd aig an ìre seo mu thràth.
    “Gach uair a leughas mi e, anns a h-uile cànan, gheibh mi air tlachd domhainn, inneachail fhaighinn às an rannsachadh de shaoghal Tolkien.”
    Tha an leabhar a’ toirt a-steach a h-uile dealbh leis an ùghdar agus tha an t-Àrd-ollamh Watson ag ràdh gun robh e na thoileachas agus na urram a bhith a’ mion-sgrùdadh nam mapaichean, nan rùn-litrichean agus nan ìomhaighean nuair a bhathar a’ dearbh-leughadh nan eadar-theangachaidhean airson iomadh turas mus deach fhoillseachadh.   
    “Chan iongnadh gun do ghabh daoine gaol don leabhar seo agus gum bi iad a’ dèanamh sin faisg air 90 bliadhna às dèidh dha nochdadh an clò an toiseach,” thuirt e.
    Tha an leabhar ri fhaighinn airson òrdachadh, le eàrr-ràdh a’ mìneachadh carson a cho-dhùin an t-Àrd-ollamh Watson am facal hobat a chleachdadh airson Gàidhlig a chur air ‘hobbit’ agus carson a tha a’ aige agus chan eil ‘an’ mar a bhite an dùil.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: IMF World Economic Outlook: economic uncertainty is now higher than it ever was during COVID

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sergi Basco, Profesor Agregado de Economia, Universitat de Barcelona

    Skorzewiak/Shutterstock

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just published its World Economic Outlook, and it does not take an expert to deduce that, even among some of the world’s top economic minds, confident predictions are currently hard to come by.

    Every spring the IMF and World Bank hold their Spring Meetings in Washington DC: a week of seminars, briefings and press conferences focusing on the global economy, international development and world financial markets. At both the Spring Meetings and the Annual Meeting, held each autumn, the IMF publishes its global economic growth forecasts.

    For its 2025 Spring Meeting the IMF has published a baseline forecast, as well as an addendum analysing the tariff events that took place between 9 and 14 April. According to the Fund’s report, world GDP will grow by 2.8% in 2025 and 3.0% in 2026. For the euro area, growth will be 0.8% and 1.2% for 2025 and 2026 respectively.

    These forecasts represent a substantial downward revision from IMF figures published just three months ago. Globally, growth in 2025 is down by 0.5% compared to the Fund’s January update, with a reduction of 0.2% for the euro area.

    One major shift is key to understanding the most recent IMF report and its pessimistic predictions: we live in a much more uncertain world than we did three months ago.

    Trump, tariffs and uncertainty

    If one had to sum up the new US tariff policy in a word, “unpredictable” would suffice, as the so-called “Liberation Day” of 2 April 2025 represented the largest tariff increase in modern history.

    Just one week later, the US president then made two further announcements. First, a 90-day freeze on tariff hikes, apparently in search of bilateral agreements with the countries to which he had applied tariffs above 10%. Second, that China would be excluded from this exception, with tariffs on its products being raised to 145%.

    This freeze means that until July EU goods being sold to the US will have a 10% tariff instead of the 20% that was announced on 2 April. However, the 10% applied by the new US administration is still much higher than the average tariff of 1.34% that was in force before 5 April.

    But what will the tariff be after these 90 days? What about in December? What about in 2 years’ time? What goods will be exempted? How far will the trade war between China and the US go? The answer to all of these questions is: nobody knows. This uncertainty is evident in of the IMF’s spring forecast.

    Uncertainty is off the charts

    The IMF’s world trade uncertainty index is currently 7 times higher than it was in October 2024, much higher than in the pandemic.

    As far as the economy is concerned, this uncertainty is far worse than a high but definitive tariff. With a tariff, companies can at least reorganise their production chain, and consumers can look for alternative products. There is a cost, but at least businesses and consumers can plan for it.

    However, nobody can calculate these costs today because nobody knows how tariffs will evolve. An American company may decide today to buy a particular product from the EU thinking that the tariff will be 10%, but upon the product’s arrival in the US it turns out the tariff has risen to 100% because a presidential advisor said it would be good for the US economy to raise tariffs on that product.

    Unbelievable though it may sound, this appears to be how the tariffs are being decided and enacted. According to one account, the US Treasury and Commerce Secretaries were only able to persuade Trump to freeze recent tariff hikes because Peter Navarro – the president’s economic advisor and tariff ideologue – was in another room at the time.

    The end result of this unpredictability is that the best course of action, for consumers and businesses alike, is inaction.



    Leer más:
    Trump tariff chaos: radical uncertainty will likely make companies delay investments

    Fear and volatility

    It is no surprise that these constant changes of plans are causing great instability in financial markets. Although Trump may have triumphantly celebrated rising stock prices immediately after the tariff freeze was announced, financial markets are now subject to levels of uncertainty and fear similar to those seen during COVID-19.

    Five years ago, volatility was associated with increased demand for US government debt due to the “flight to safety” effect: investors selling higher risk investments and buying safer assets, such as gold and government bonds, in times of uncertainty.

    Now we are seeing the exact opposite. The price of US bonds has fallen since “Liberation Day”, and this means that investors are selling them. In other words, markets no longer believe that US government debt is a safe asset. Given the role of the dollar and US debt in international markets, this paradigm shift may generate even more financial instability down the line.

    Supply chains are breaking (again)

    COVID-19, the last major global economic crisis, has one thing in common with the current situation: disruption of global supply chains. During the pandemic it was confinement that forced production to stop. Today, it is the imposition of tariffs.

    However, there is another major difference. During COVID people knew it was a matter of time before vaccines became available and normality returned. Today, instability in financial markets comes not from any virus, but from President Trump’s own advisors selling him all manner of plans to protect US economic interests.

    Sergi Basco no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.

    – ref. IMF World Economic Outlook: economic uncertainty is now higher than it ever was during COVID – https://theconversation.com/imf-world-economic-outlook-economic-uncertainty-is-now-higher-than-it-ever-was-during-covid-255055

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: National Health Commission Firmly Opposes White House Website Rehashing of the “Lab Leak” Allegation

    Source: People’s Republic of China Ministry of Health

    In responding to a recent article on the White House website titled “Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19,” the spokesperson of the National Health Commission stated that like previous U.S. allegations of  “Wuhan lab leak,” the so-called rationale of the article completely lacks scientific basis, and the “evidence” is entirely fabricated. The U.S.’s repeated attempts to blame and smear China on the issue of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 only expose its malicious intent to politicize scientific issues, a practice long dismissed by the international scientific community. Its agenda to use the pandemic as a tool to contain China is doomed to fail. As growing information and evidence show that SARS-CoV-2 emerged in the U.S. at an even earlier date, the next phase of origin-tracing should be conducted in the U.S. We urge the U.S. to immediately cease its baseless accusations and smear campaign against China, be accountable for its own problem, and provide a credible, responsible explanation to the international community and people worldwide.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech to Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Tēnā koutou katoa. Nga mihi ki nga manawhenua o tenie rohe  me nga waka katoa ki tae mai nei.

    Good afternoon everyone.

    Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

    I want to acknowledge the work the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce does. 

    And I want to acknowledge the Nelson Tasman business community. You are at the heart of your communities, creating jobs, generating income for locals and producing a diverse range of goods and services.

    I always enjoy visiting Nelson and have enjoyed many visits here since becoming an MP.  Your local Mayor and Former MP Nick Smith has made sure of that!  

    But my first iconic Nelson-Tasman experience was not in fact a  Nick Smith related one. 

    I have especially fond memories of kayaking and hiking through the Abel Tasman National Park around 20 years ago with my then boyfriend – now husband – and being dazzled by its majesty, complete with frolicking baby seals, enthusiastic trampers playing 500 in the huts. A Thai green curry and cold beer providing a grand finale at what I think must have been the Park Café Mārahau. 

    My personally memorable experience is not unique. 

    The Nelson Tasman region is a really special part of New Zealand. That’s demonstrated by the number of people who choose to visit here – from around the country and the world, and the number of migrants who choose to move here and make this place home. 

    Like many other areas of the country, the communities of this region are facing both exciting economic opportunities and a range of economic challenges.  

    On the one hand there is so much to feel optimistic about, from your thriving and diverse food and beverage sector, the growing and potential-filled blue economy, your leadership in forestry and wood product manufacturing, and your growing visitor economy, all of which sustain jobs and incomes today and have the ability to deliver even more in future.  

    These growing industries are good news for the future of people here, and, beyond that, will help New Zealand earn the additional revenue we need to fund great health care, education services and physical infrastructure. Like the Hope Bypass, upgrades to Nelson Hospital and repairs to local schools.  

    I’ve had the pleasure today of visiting some of the people leading in these sectors: I spent time at the Cawthron Aquaculture Park and felt excited by their vision for driving forward the Government’s goal of quadrupling the size of the aquaculture sector over the next decade.

    I visited Trinder Engineering and was wowed by their commitment to research, innovation and a positive workplace culture.

    And I visited Pic’s Peanut Butter:  whose story began with a product made in a concrete mixer winning over die-hard fans at the Nelson Farmer’s Market and has now expanded to produce 25,000 jars a day for peanut butter lovers the world over.

    There are good news stories like this across New Zealand, and I think we should all do more to celebrate our great Kiwi success stories.  

    These successes came about because of clever, brave people who decided to take a risk, to take a loan to invest in big ideas, to work hard to make things happen, to hire good people and offer them meaningful careers, to pursue a vision and keep going in the face of adversity.  

    In doing so, these enterprises, and the hundreds like them across Nelson and New Zealand, have supported thousands of people into good jobs, providing income for their families and investments for their communities.  

    They’ve also paid a lot of tax along the way – which has allowed the Government to increase its annual investments in schools, health services, superannuation support, and other essential public services.  

    That contribution by business and hard working taxpayers too often goes unacknowledged:  We all have hopes for new investments and better services, but before we dream up new ways of spending, we first need to collectively earn the dollars required to sustainably fund that spending. 

    Growing regional economies, and successful local businesses are vital to that equation.  Put simply: To deliver the kind of country we all want – with better living standards, better opportunities for our kids and more financially secure families, Nelson and New Zealand needs more success stories like Cawthorn, Trinder and Pic’s.  

    That’s why our Government is so focused on delivering policies that support economic productivity and that give entrepreneurs, employers and firms the confidence they need to invest, hire, expand and grow.  

    That includes getting the basics right, such as low and stable inflation, manageable interest rates and credible fiscal management.  

    It means ensuring the Government doesn’t make it harder to do business by tying people up in red tape, endless consent processes, or sticking rigidly to rules that simply don’t make sense. 

    These sensible policy approaches are the base from which we will deliver better choices and investments in the years ahead.  

    I have enormous optimism in New Zealand’s economic growth potential.  

    We are a safe, secure country with established trading relationships and a global reputation as a good place to do business.  

    We are blessed with abundant natural resources – everything from ocean to freshwater, fertile land to minerals and temperate weather.  

    In a world worried about food security, we feed more than 40 million people with levels of efficiency and sustainability that are the envy of the world.  

    We have a long history of stable democracy, strong institutions and rule of law.  

    We’ve produced world-leading scientific breakthroughs, send rockets to space and continue to produce some of the world’s best digital effects.

    There are many reasons for New Zealand to be optimistic that better times are ahead.  

    Even so, I’m not a total Pollyanna.  

    I’m conscious of the challenging economic circumstances many people in Nelson, and around the country for that matter, have experienced in the past few years and in some cases continue to experience.  

    Local employers and households have come through a post-Covid period of very high inflation and rapidly rising interest rates. 

    High inflation and high interest rates aren’t just numbers for economists – they’ve had big human impacts:  elevating the cost of living, and putting a handbrake on business activity, with significant impacts for people’s jobs and incomes.  

    Our country has also been left with a sea of debt and red-ink in the Government books that will take time to repair.  

    The post-Covid ‘structural deficit’ has left a big gap between what the country needs to fund to deliver on the spending commitments we’ve made and what we need to earn to pay for that spending. 

    In effect, the Government is borrowing billions to bridge the gap, with a $13 billion deficit this year and forecasters anticipating deficits in future years too.  

    That obviously can’t go on forever, or else our kids and grandkids will be left with unsustainable debt and considerable economic uncertainty.  

    That’s why our Government is working carefully to bring the country’s finances back into balance: so we can start to pay down our debt and create better buffers for the future.  

    We want to ensure New Zealand is financially strong and resilient enough to effectively respond to whatever the future may throw at us: be it earthquakes, extreme climatic events or other events outside our control. 

    Restoring that fiscal balance, while continuing to increase investment in essential front line public services, requires careful prioritisation and some tough – but unavoidable –  choices.

    Believe me – I too would love the freedom to throw today’s Budget constraints out the door – but I’m always conscious that the dollars we spend today eventually need to be repaid.  Freedom today could mean serfdom tomorrow.

    The good news is that New Zealand has in recent months been turning the corner in our post-Covid recovery.  

    Inflation has been brought back under control, interest rates have dropped 200 basis points, exports have been growing, commodity prices have improved, tourists have been returning and business and consumer confidence has been on the up.  

    That growth is positive for Kiwis’ jobs and incomes and for the Government’s books.  It provided a welcome backdrop as the Government started putting together this year’s Budget.  

    But, there’s a but. As you know, the world economy is now facing further headwinds, with United States trade policy changes, counter-tariffs, retaliatory measures, tariff pauses and still unfolding estimates of what this could all mean for global and regional growth.  

    Uncertainty abounds.

    The impacts for New Zealand are twofold.  

    On the one hand, there is the first-order impact for our exporters who now face the prospect of higher tariffs being charged for them to export their goods to the US.  

    I know many exporters are finding it very difficult to see through the noise and plan for what might lie around the corner for them.  

    I think for example of the wine exporters of the Nelson-Marlborough region, who are nervous about the many implications different tariff regimes could have for their existing customers and for the way wine is traded around the world.  Will they be competing with more European wine in the UK?  Will they be better placed in a relative sense in the US?  

    It’s simply too soon for wine exporters to know and this makes it very difficult for them to plan.  

    Direct tariff impacts may well be uneven from firm to firm, sector to sector and market to market.  

    There will inevitably be both swings and roundabouts. For example, I spoke to a beverage manufacturer in Wellington last week who’d just taken a large order from China, as importers there were looking to find alternatives to US products which they expect will carry much higher tariffs into the future.  

    The Government has moved swiftly to gather the best possible information and insights about these unfolding implications for our exporters, relying on our incredible network of diplomats and representatives around the world.  

    Officials are addressing queries from exporters, have hotlines established, are delivering information webinars and are working with individual firms to help them understand the practical implications of tariffs, including for firms who have manufacturing in third countries or product already en-route to the US.  

    New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is currently providing tailored support to a group of 1000 larger exporters, including access to their in-market staff, their network of private sector exporters and financial advice.    

    For now, most business appear to be looking to navigate through the initial uncertainty rather than making dramatic changes in response.

    The Government will keep providing exporters with information and advisory support and assess impacts as more certain information becomes available.

    Beyond direct tariff effects, the second-order impact for the New Zealand economy is what forecasters are now predicting will be more financial uncertainty, potentially increased inflation pressure and a lower growth trajectory for the global economy and many of the countries with which New Zealand trades.  

    These are just forecasts at this stage, and, once again the actual impacts are still unclear.  Put simply though: all these developments will make New Zealand’s economic recovery harder.  

    We can’t wish that away.  

    What we can do is focus on the things we can control.  

    This means it is more important than ever that New Zealand offers a predictable, steady approach to our economic and fiscal management.  

    In an unstable world we need to stay the course with responsible policies that provide stability, support investment and make us an attractive place for the world to trade and do business with.  

    New Zealand has the opportunity to position ourselves as a safe haven, and to continue our long history of honouring existing trade agreements and forging new ones.  

    Earlier this year, well before “Liberation Day”, I released the Government’s Going for Growth framework which sets out 88 policy actions to do just that.  These actions are grouped under the Government’s five key thematic growth pillars.  

    Promoting global trade and investment was a key pillar then and it’s a key pillar now.  

    Our goal is to double the value of New Zealand exports within a decade so we are working to grow and strengthen our trade relationships around the world. 

    The Prime Minister kicked off the year in Dubai signing a new trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and trade talks with India, soon to be the world’s third largest economy, are underway.

    At the same time, we are making it much easier for New Zealand to benefit from international capital and investment. 

    A new agency, Invest NZ, is being established to welcome international investment into New Zealand, and the Overseas Investment Act is being reformed to make it easier for businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages.  

    There are four additional pillars in the Government’s Going for Growth agenda:

    • Developing talent
    • Competitive business settings
    • Innovation, technology and science; and
    • Infrastructure for growth

    I encourage you to check out the full plan online but let me make just a few remarks about each.  

    Developing talent:  This is about making the most of our most important asset, human capital, getting back to basics and arresting the woeful decline in the literacy and numeracy skills of our school leavers. 

     We simply can’t be the wealthy country we want to be if too many of our school leavers emerge from the school system without the basic skills they need to succeed in the modern world. 

    We’ve already acted to stop the slide and re-introduced structured literacy and maths to our schools, ensuring kids are receiving instruction in ways that work.  We’re bringing practical knowledge and skills back to the curriculum and reporting on performance. 

    At the same time, we’re tuning-up our vocational education system to make it more responsive to industry and regional needs, and to ensure people wanting to acquire skills for a new trade or industry have good choices for upskilling. This means ensuring institutions like the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology can be locally nimble and responsive.  

    Competitive business settings:  This is about both cutting red tape and ensuring we have rules that foster competition between big firms to deliver a better deal for New Zealand consumers. 

    In my view, in recent years New Zealand has in too many areas of life become stultifyingly risk-averse, and we now have a spaghetti of costly and complex rules and regulations that are holding back sensible development and clever ideas.  

    The Government has already zeroed in on a key target in this regard: the Resource Management Act.  

    We’ve passed a new fast-track law to bypass the burdensome court process and accelerate the yes for dozens of major projects that, if approved through a streamlined panel process, will drive jobs and growth across the country.  

    In this region, three projects have been identified as potential fast-track initiatives.  

    They include the Hope Bypass, already confirmed as a Road of National Significance in our land transport plan, with a proposal to alter the existing designation and acquire additional land outside that designation. 

    They also include the Maitahi Village housing development, including plans for a commercial centre and retirement village.  I’m advised that this project is already being progressed through the fast-track panel process, with final decisions still pending.  

    The Mapua Housing Development, is also listed as a fast-track project with potential to enter the process. I’m advised that project would include up to 320 residential allotments, a recreational reserve, a community amenities building and parking, a wetland and restoration of the Season Valley stream.   

    Beyond the fast-track process we are also working at pace 

    to replace the Resource Management Act as a whole.  

    We’re advised our plans will deliver a 45 per cent reduction in administrative and compliance costs. 

    We’ve also worked quickly to lessen the regulatory burden on the agricultural sector. We back farmers, and we don’t want unwieldy rules stopping them making sensible decisions for their farming businesses.

    Reform of the Health and Safety at Work Act is underway to reduce box ticking exercises and compliance costs. 

    The other aspect of this work is in the competition space. 

    Everyday Kiwis, visiting OECD economists and Ministers around our Cabinet table share concerns about the concentration of large businesses in some of our major industries, with mounting evidence that competition has suffered as a result, and that New Zealand consumers are missing out on a fair deal.

    You’ll probably have noticed that we’re acting to improve competition in the banking and grocery sectors and we’ll have more to say about those as well as other sectors in the coming months. 

    Innovation, technology and science:  This is about not only the Government’s investment in science but also the steps we’re taking to make it easier for businesses and industries to pursue their own innovation agendas. 

    Government science institutions are being streamlined into four much more commercially focused entities that will ensure our taxpayer investment in science is connected with the needs of a growing economy.  

    We’re also thinking hard about what we can do to incentivise New Zealand businesses to invest in the new machinery, technology and equipment that will lift productivity in the years ahead.  

    We know that faster-growing countries tend to have more ‘capital intensity’ in their businesses, which helps drive productivity.  I’m keen to unlock more of that in New Zealand and am considering the best ways to support it.

    Finally, infrastructure for growth. Roads, ports, hospitals, schools and more. 

    New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit that is reducing productivity and living standards. 

    We need to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to how we plan, fund and build modern infrastructure.  

    We are putting together a 30 year National Infrastructure Plan and a new national infrastructure agency.  Just last week we released New Zealand’s first health infrastructure plan, which sets out a national, long-term approach to renewing and expanding the country’s public health facilities.  

    Instead of building single, large-scale structures, the plan proposes a staged approach – delivering smaller, more manageable facilities in phases. This will mean patients benefit from modern healthcare environments sooner, while providing greater certainty around delivery timeframes and costs.  

    And yes, rest assured, redeveloping Nelson Hospital is a key priority for the Government. Work is already underway to expand the Emergency Department at Nelson Hospital, and earthquake strengthening of the George Mason Building is also underway. The $10.6 million ED expansion project is designed to meet the growing demand for emergency care in the area as part of the wider redevelopment programme for the hospital.

    The Health Infrastructure Plan highlights the need for increased bed capacity at Nelson Hospital, earthquake strengthening, a new energy centre and a refurbishment of the George Mason Building. These improvements are key to ensuring the hospital is able to deliver timely and quality healthcare for the people of Nelson. These stages of development of course remain subject to future Budget funding allocations.  

    Conclusion

    Taken together, all of this work represents a significant economic change agenda.  

    I doubt all of this will be welcomed by everyone. 

    It’s easy to say no to a new mine, to say no to concerts at Eden Park, to say no to more tourists, to say no to more housing, to say no to change. But cumulatively all those little “no’s” add up;  they add up to a smaller, poorer country.  

    New Zealanders can’t afford that.  We have to make it easier to get things done in this great country.  We have to deliver on our untapped potential. We owe that to our kids.

    Let me finish on a positive note: New Zealand faces some significant challenges and those challenges have only grown in recent weeks. 

    But if I could choose to be any country at this particular moment in time, I would choose New Zealand. 

    Our Government has a plan, and our plan will mean a stronger, growing economy and that growth will mean New Zealanders can live better lives. And that is what it is all about. Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Stay home, save lives’: New research shows Covid restrictions had no effect on behaviour People did not alter their behaviour to follow enhanced local restrictions during the pandemic and they may have been more effective if based around factors other than just Covid-19 cases according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    People did not alter their behaviour to follow enhanced local restrictions during the pandemic and they may have been more effective if based around factors other than just Covid-19 cases according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.
    People did not alter their behaviour to follow enhanced local restrictions during the pandemic and they may have been more effective if based around factors other than just Covid-19 cases according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.
    The study published in Translational Behavioral Medicine looked at people’s behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland.  
    The team examined adherence to restrictions introduced during the pandemic including social distancing, mask-wearing, staying at home and hand washing.  
    They compared people’s behaviours before and after local restrictions were implemented. They also compared behaviours of those living in areas with increased restrictions to those living in areas without.  
    Results showed that people did not change their behaviour when restrictions were tightened and that applied to all behaviours including social distancing and mask wearing. 
    They also found people in high or low restriction areas behaved no differently to each other.   
    Led by Dr Chantal den Daas, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology, in collaboration with the Covid Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS) project, the team interviewed individuals across Scotland at random from March to November 2020, to get a representative sample of the Scottish population.  
    The respondents answered questions about their behaviours from the past week, including if they had left their home, if they had adhered to the two-metre social distancing rule, if they had worn a mask in a shop or on public transport and if they washed their hands as soon as they got home.  
    Dr den Daas said: “When local restrictions were introduced in 2020 due to an increase in Covid-19 case numbers, we thought we would see a change in behaviour after they were implemented. But this was not what we found. 
    “It is really important to build an understanding of what could have been done differently and how we can effectively influence public behaviour in the future should we be faced with another public health crisis.  
    “This research provided insight on the type of information we should aim to collect in future pandemics, to see if we can find better measures to predict cases, examine the need for restrictions and the effect of any restrictions put in place.  
    “Future research in acute outbreaks should assess behaviour and beliefs about the virus, risk on an ongoing basis and identify the need for intervention even before cases rates start to go up.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: GLSC Invasive Sea Lamprey, COVID-Pause Study Highlighted in Great Lakes Fishery Commission Press Release and Detroit Free Press Article

    Source: US Geological Survey

    A recent study led by GLSC’s Ben Marcy-Quay (Millersburg, MI), published on March 25, 2025, in Fisheries (https://doi.org/10.1093/fshmag/vuaf020), quantifies the effect of reduced sea lamprey control effort in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multi-agency team, which included Sean Lewandoski (GLSC, Millersburg, MI), Brian O’Malley (GLSC, Oswego, NY), and Nick Johnson, (GLSC, Millersburg, MI), as well as scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, analyzed a multi-decade suite of lamprey wounding and adult lamprey abundance index data. Results indicate that when sea lamprey control is relaxed, sea lamprey abundance and wounding rates increase substantially (more than 10-fold in some circumstances). The Great Lakes Fishery Commission highlighted the work in an April 10, 2025 press release: Noxious Sea Lampreys Took Advantage of Covid-19 Pandemic, New Study Finds and Ben was interviewed regarding the work by Keith Matheny from the Detroit Free Press for an article published the following day: Sea lamprey control efforts slowed during COVID-19: It let the Great Lakes invaders flourish.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Colorado Lt. Governor Primavera Urges Congress to Protect AmeriCorps and Critical Services Across the State

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER — Today, Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera expressed deep concern over the Trump administration demobilizing AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) teams and placing 85% of the AmeriCorps federal agency staff on administrative leave — moves that would immediately impact thousands of Coloradans and undercut vital community services across the state.

    “Since its founding in 1993, AmeriCorps has empowered Coloradans across the state to serve their neighbors, solve real problems, and strengthen communities,” said Lt. Governor Primavera. “To dismantle these programs now, when so many Coloradans rely on them, would be devastating. These actions will impact service members and result in a loss of tax support for working families, wildfire response teams, those who build affordable housing, and behavioral health support in our schools. These are the people behind the numbers — and the work they do matters deeply.”

    In 2024 alone, more than 6,600 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors served at over 700 local sites across Colorado. Serve Colorado, housed in the Office of the Lt. Governor, supported nearly 1,400 AmeriCorps State and National members who contributed over one million hours of service across all 64 counties last year alone. This year, $19.6 million in federal funds and $10.3 million in community funds, which includes state grants, federal  match grants, philanthropy, and private donors, jointly support these AmeriCorps programs to provide critical social services across every Congressional District. A recent study estimated a return of up to $34.26 for every federal dollar invested in AmeriCorps — a testament to its value not just in service, but in economic impact.

    With over 2,000 NCCC members deployed nationally each year, including more than 300 from the Aurora campus alone, this decision threatens to unravel years of progress and partnerships built on trust, teamwork, and service.

    NCCC teams, based out of the Aurora campus, supported wildfire recovery, accessible trail repair, Habitat for Humanity affordable housing projects, and even tax preparation support for low-income families. Through a partnership with local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, NCCC members have helped return over $30 million in tax refunds to Coloradans since 2022. During COVID-19, 300 NCCC members staffed contact tracing and vaccine outreach across the state.

    Eliminating AmeriCorps would gut services for schools, senior centers, food banks, housing agencies, and public health providers across Colorado, especially in rural and underserved areas, and other vital programs. It would also cut off access to education awards that help thousands of AmeriCorps alumni pursue college degrees or pay off student loans.

    “The numbers tell a powerful story, but behind each one is a Coloradan who’s been lifted up — a student, a veteran, a wildfire survivor. Now is not the time to recklessly cut programs with a proven record of significant impact,” said Lt. Governor Primavera. “I urge Congress to stand with the thousands of Coloradans who serve with AmeriCorps and the communities that count on them every day.”

    Since 1994, AmeriCorps members in Colorado have gone on to careers in education, conservation, public health, and emergency response as well as other critical industries. Many NCCC alumni join FEMA or continue in public service, building a resilient national workforce rooted in experience.

    ###
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Saving Lives Together: Donor Day Held at GUU

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    The traditional Donor Day was held at the State University of Management.

    Dozens of children came to donate blood to give a chance for recovery to those who especially need it.

    The traditional voluntary action of the State University of Management to collect donor blood has been held at our university since 2013.

    Before the break due to safety measures during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the event was held twice a year and consistently attracted between 50 and 200 people at different times.

    Since the pandemic, the campaign has been held once a year, excluding extraordinary collections related to emergency situations.

    GUU thanks everyone who responded on this day. Together we helped people who vitally needed it!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Los Angeles Wildfires Destroyed 16,000 Homes, Reps. Chu, Sherman Introduce Legislation to Provide Needed Mortgage Relief

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Brad Sherman (CA-32) introduced the Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act, which would provide homeowners in presidentially declared disaster areas who have a federally backed mortgage with 180 days of mortgage forbearance, with the option of extending for an additional 180 days and without any interest, penalties, or fees accruing. 

    While present law allows for a significant amount of variance across federal mortgage providers to provide relief, this legislation would standardize a baseline of mortgage relief for survivors of any federally declared disaster all across the country. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bipartisan CARES Act, which was signed into law by President Trump in 2020 and which received near unanimous support in both the House and Senate, provided 180 days of mortgage forbearance, with the option of extending for an additional 180 days, for all homeowners with federally backed mortgages. The Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act is modeled after the mortgage forbearance provisions of that bipartisan law. 

    “Disaster survivors – like thousands of my constituents still reeling from the devastating Eaton Fire – should not have to worrying about missing a mortgage payment in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters,” said Rep. Chu. “Our legislation was drafted after countless conversations with constituents who reached out in the days after the fire worried about making their next mortgage payment. Congress has already worked with President Trump during the coronavirus crisis to provide bipartisan and near unanimous support for such relief for pandemic victims, and the Los Angeles wildfires have made clear to us that all natural disaster victims should receive that relief as well.” 

    “I’m proud to join Congresswoman Chu in working to ensure wildfire victims have the financial relief and stability they need to rebuild,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “The devastating January wildfires in Los Angeles caused widespread economic harm, and just as we acted with urgency and compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic, we must now adapt the forbearance rules to meet the scale of this disaster.”

    Reps. Chu and Sherman are joined as cosponsors by: Reps. Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Lou Correa (CA-46), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29).

    Click here for the bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: International students infuse tens of millions of dollars into local economies across the US. What happens if they stay home?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Barnet Sherman, Professor, Multinational Finance and Trade, Boston University

    The Trump administration has recently revoked the visas of more than 1,300 foreign college students – detaining some – and launched immigration enforcement actions on college campuses across the country. This has raised concerns among the more than 1.1 million international students studying at U.S. universities.

    Headlines are filled with perspectives from immigration and civil rights experts, but one aspect of the story often goes overlooked: the tremendous economic impact international students have on local communities.

    Although the actual impact on enrollment won’t be known until the next academic year, interest from foreign students in pursuing graduate-level education in the U.S. fell sharply in the early days of the Trump administration, one analysis showed.

    If these global scholars stay home, that’s bad economic news for cities and towns across the United States.

    A $44 billion economic impact

    Higher education is America’s 10th-largest export, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Yes, even though students are coming into the U.S. for their education, economists consider it an export.)

    Last year, U.S. colleges and universities attracted international students from 217 nations and territories, including one student from the island nation of Niue in the South Pacific. Their economic contributions added up to more than the value of U.S. telecommunications, computer and information services exports combined.

    While the national impact is impressive, the effects at the local level are even more important. After all, nearly every city across the U.S. has at least one institution of higher learning.

    The average international student brings a wallet stuffed with about $29,000 to spend on everything from tuition to pizza. As these students rent apartments, buy books and order DoorDash delivery to fuel all-nighters, they’re pumping money into the local community.

    This money translates into American jobs. On average, a new job is created for every four international students enrolled in a U.S. college or university. In the 2023-24 academic year, about 378,175 jobs were created. And that’s just counting jobs that are directly supported by international students, such as local business hiring to staff retail shops and restaurants. If you count those jobs indirectly supported by international students, such as employees at a distribution center, the number is even higher.

    A boon to local economies

    In any of the 50 largest American cities, you’ll find at least one college or university with international students on campus. For these communities, global learners bring a most welcome financial aid package.

    Consider Boston. Greater Boston hosts more than 50 colleges and universities, including Boston University, where I teach multinational finance and trade. The city’s economic gains from the more than 63,000 international students attending these schools are huge: about $3 billion.

    Prestigious private schools are a draw, but hands down the biggest pull for international students are state universities and colleges. Of the nation’s top schools enrolling these students last year, 29 were state colleges and universities, attracting over 251,300 students.

    In the top three of those public institutions alone − Arizona State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Berkeley − international students contributed nearly $1.7 billion, supporting over 16,800 jobs. Expand that to the top 10 − the University of California system takes four of those spots − and the numbers pop up to $4.68 billion and 47,136 jobs.

    Bringing the world to Mankato

    Yet international students aren’t just boosting the economies of major university towns. Consider Mankato, a small city of 45,000 about 80 miles from Minneapolis that hosts a Minnesota State University campus. In the 2023-24 academic year, about 1,716 international students called Mankato their home away from home.

    Those students brought an infusion of $45.9 million into that community, supporting around 190 jobs. There are dozens of similar campuses in cities and towns like Mankato across the country. It adds up quickly.

    In addition to private and public universities, community colleges attract thousands of global scholars. Although their international enrollment declined during Covid-19, community colleges are resurgent, attracting some 59,315 international students in 2024, with China, Vietnam and Nepal leading the countries-of-origin list.

    Generating about $2 billion and supporting 8,472 jobs, they have a major economic impact − particularly in Texas, California and Florida, where the majority of these students come to learn.

    Texas leads the nation with the three community colleges with the largest international enrollment: Houston Community College, Lone Star College and Dallas College. Of the $256.7 million and 1,096 jobs international students brought into those institutions, Lone Star led the pack with $102.3 million and 438 jobs, nearly one job created for every two international students − double the national average.

    Due to changing demographics, American colleges enroll 2.3 million fewer domestic students than they did a decade ago − a decline of 10.7%. Colleges and universities are increasingly looking to international students to fill the gap. What’s more, universities tend to see international students as subsidizing domestic students, particularly since international students are generally ineligible for need-blind admissions.

    Moreover, the vast majority of international students are funded by family or foreign sponsors. Few require student aid packages. In fact, less than 20% of all international students receive grant funding from a federal source, and most of that goes to postgraduates doing advanced research. If you look at undergraduate exchange students alone, just 0.1% receive any sort of public funding.

    One thing’s for sure: Whether they’re attending small-town community colleges or the Ivies in big cities, international students bring a “high degree” of economic impact with them.

    This is an updated version of a story originally published Aug. 13, 2024.

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

    – ref. International students infuse tens of millions of dollars into local economies across the US. What happens if they stay home? – https://theconversation.com/international-students-infuse-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-into-local-economies-across-the-us-what-happens-if-they-stay-home-254539

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Former Councillor and Mayor David Borrow Installed as 42nd Honorary Alderman of the City of Preston

    Source: City of Preston

    In recognition of his long-standing service and commitment to the city as a past Councillor and Mayor, the title of Honorary Alderman of the City has been bestowed upon David Borrow at an extraordinary Council meeting earlier today.

    At a special ceremony in the city’s historic Council Chamber chaired by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Preston, Councillor Phil Crowe, David was invited to sign the Honorary Alderman Roll and was presented with a commemorative scroll. David is the 42nd Honorary Alderman of the City.

    The Office of Alderman can be found within the ancient Charters of the Borough, as early as the Guild of 1397 where records show that the Guild was held before the Mayor, three stewards, 10 Aldermen and the Clerk.

    Traditionally Aldermen were appointed to the position as they had many years of experience serving as Councillors and they held the respect of the rest of the Council. The official role of Alderman was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. Today, in recognition of the position Aldermen used to play in Council and civic life, the Local Government Act of 1972 enables councils to confer the title of Honorary Alderman on any person who, in the opinion of the Council, has rendered eminent services to the Council as a past member of the Council.

    David announced his retirement from politics in May 2024. David Borrow joined the Labour Party in 1970, aged 18, and was elected as a councillor to the Preston Borough Council in 1987. David was the Council Leader for Preston between 1992 and 1994, and again from 1995 until his election to Westminster. He stood down from the Council in 1998 and he served as a Member of Parliament for South Ribble during the Blair/Brown years from 1997 to 2010.

    David has served as a member of Preston City Council for a total of 24 years and was appointed the 692nd Mayor of Preston in 2019. Due to the Covid pandemic, David was one of only three Mayors in the past 100 years to serve more than a single year in the role.

    Adrian Phillips, Chief Executive at Preston City Council said:

    “It is most fitting that David Borrow is honoured in this way. We recognise and thank David for his long-standing contribution and dedication to public service to the people of Preston and the wider city region with the title of Honorary Alderman of the City.”

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Owner of North London tyre fitters banned for 10 years after inflating turnover to secure maximum-value Covid loan

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Owner of North London tyre fitters banned for 10 years after inflating turnover to secure maximum-value Covid loan

    Decade-long ban for director who abused Bounce Back Loan Scheme

    • Shkelzen Gashi overstated his Smart Tyres Services Ltd company’s turnover by almost double to secure a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, the most businesses were allowed under the scheme 

    • Smart Tyres was entitled to a loan of £33,600 but ended up with £50,000 because of Gashi’s false declaration 

    • Gashi has now been disqualified as a company director for a decade following Insolvency Service investigations 

    The owner of a North London tyre shop has been banned as a director for 10 years after overstating his company’s turnover to secure a maximum-value Covid loan. 

    Shkelzen Gashi ran Smart Tyres Services Ltd from his address on Harringay Road from 2015 to 2022. 

    The 53-year-old claimed his company’s turnover was £250,000 when he applied to the bank for a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in 2020. 

    In reality, Smart Tyres had a turnover of little more than half that figure. 

    Gashi was banned as a company director until April 2035 and ordered to pay costs of £5,333 at a hearing of the High Court in Birmingham on Wednesday 2 April. 

    His ban started on Thursday 17 April. 

    Gashi has also repaid £8,000 of the Bounce Back Loan. 

    Kevin Read, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Shkelzen Gashi blatantly overstated the turnover of his company, ensuring it received significantly more in Covid support than it was entitled to. 

    Gashi was given numerous opportunities by our investigators to explain his actions but failed to do so. 

    This was taxpayers’ money and Gashi will now no longer be able to be involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for the next decade as a result of his dishonest conduct.

    Smart Tyres was incorporated in May 2015 with Gashi as the sole director and shareholder. 

    Gashi described the company as providing a full range of both mechanical and electrical repairs. 

    Insolvency Service analysis of the Smart Tyres’ accounts revealed it had a turnover of £134,401 for the 2019 calendar year. 

    However, Gashi falsely declared on the application form that its income was a quarter of a million pounds. 

    Gashi received the £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in October 2020. 

    Smart Tyres ceased trading in August 2022 with liabilities of more than £100,000. 

    A tyre shop operates from the same address Smart Tyres traded from. Gashi is not a director of this company. 

    The Bounce Back Loan Scheme helped small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, at a low interest rate, guaranteed by the government. 

    The loans had to be repaid over six to 10 years, with payments starting one year after companies received the funds. 

    Further information 

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Global health – Conclusion of negotiations on an agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (16 Apr. 2025)

    Source: Republic of France in English
    The Republic of France has issued the following statement:

    France applauds the conclusion of negotiations on an agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

    These negotiations, which began three years ago under the leadership of France and the EU, were brought to a conclusion on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. France did its utmost to ensure their success and, since the summer of 2024, has co-chaired the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body of the World Health Organization (WHO) alongside South Africa.

    This new “pandemic accord” will better prepare countries for future health crises and will strengthen our collective security in the face of pandemics, in keeping with the EU’s commitments and the French Global Health Strategy for 2023-2027.

    Five years after the Covid-19 crisis, this accord reaffirms these countries’ determination to provide a coordinated, solidarity-based, equitable international response to crises that is based on cooperation, transparency, and science. This accord likewise reaffirms the international community’s trust in and support for the WHO, whose role at the center of the international health architecture is irreplaceable.

    This accord is the first legally binding international text to establish clear obligations for strengthening prevention in every country by taking into account the One Health approach. It reaffirms the dual principle of equity and solidarity in the fight against future pandemics and, to this end, provides for mechanisms to facilitate fast access to vaccines, medications and diagnostic tools. Lastly, it proposes major advances for the health industry, especially with regard to developing R&D, strengthening scientific cooperation on emerging pathogens, and supporting the local production of medical countermeasures.

    This accord will be proposed for adoption at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May 2025.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa’s domestic workers still battle with echoes of a racist past

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amy Jo Murray, Social psychologist, University of Johannesburg

    There are 861,000 domestic workers employed in South Africa. They make up about 25% of the informal (non-agricultural) labour sector. By and large, it is still uneducated, black working-class females who clean and care for the country’s middle- to upper-class homes. It’s an eerily familiar scene.

    Paid domestic work provides a microcosm of South Africa’s continuing struggle with its apartheid past. While the slavery of the colonial era and the servitude of black people under apartheid’s white minority rule are now gone, paid domestic work has adapted to post-apartheid realities. A great deal has changed in the country’s legal landscape, but domestic labour preserves racial identities and inequalities.

    Read more: What is apartheid? New book for young readers explains South Africa’s racist system

    We have researched domestic labour in South Africa extensively for more than a decade, including the first author’s PhD. We have done in-depth interviews with over 70 employers and workers through a range of studies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

    Our research shows that these racial identities and inequalities persist, particularly when domestic employers and workers avoid discussing the racial aspects of their relationships, feeling these are “too close for comfort” and liable to evoke explosive apartheid-era stereotypes.

    It’s clear that the injustices of paid domestic labour cannot be solved through legislation alone. The history, norms, and pain from the country’s past run too deep. They touch people personally, and affect the way they engage each other (or don’t).

    Social change requires innovative solutions to disrupt the status quo, while also facing the country’s haunting past.

    Changes on paper

    The end of apartheid in 1994 brought about a wave of changes, including equal rights for all citizens. Labour laws were extensively reformed. Rights and standards for domestic workers were introduced to address wages, working conditions, and other aspects of employment, theoretically ensuring fair treatment.

    These legal advancements led to some improvements in the minimum wage and the use of employment contracts of domestic workers. But they didn’t stop entrenched practices like payments-in-kind (for example giving groceries or housing instead of cash) and unpaid overtime.

    Read more: Why Nigerian women in Oyo state use child domestic workers

    The informal and private nature of domestic work makes it difficult to regulate. Progressive laws cannot reach here to eliminate cultural attitudes and behaviours that echo apartheid.

    In other words…

    In her 1980 book Maids and Madams, South African sociologist Jacklyn Cock was one of the first researchers to treat paid domestic labour as a reflection of broad structures of oppression in the country. She set out how apartheid racial hierarchies were overt, widely acknowledged, and crudely enacted. Domestic workers faced conditions close to slavery, with employers wielding unchecked power over their lives. Domestic work reinforced a rigid racial hierarchy, clearly demarcating the roles and status of the “madam” and the “maid”.

    Through a close analysis of extensive interviews, our research shows how language underpins this relationship today, both through what is said and what isn’t. Domestic workers and employers go to great lengths not to talk about themselves as the “maid” or the “madam”. They focus instead on intimacy, reciprocation, and mutual support, avoiding the need to negotiate their employment relationship or any other topic that might arouse issues relating to race or inequality.

    Read more: Household gardeners in South Africa: a survivalist life with little protection

    Middle- to upper-class employers are particularly sensitive to racial stereotypes and avoid language that hints at hierarchy or power. They sometimes say that domestic workers “feel like one of the family”, which obscures the underlying power dynamics.

    This matters because it allows potentially unfair or exploitative labour practices to be carried out under the guise of “familial” relations. For example, we might expect an aunt to go the extra mile for the family, staying late to help out and showing she cares about the household. Outside of these familial boundaries, an “employee” should not have these obligations.

    An employer supervises a domestic worker in the kitchen. David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

    Polite language can create a veneer of equality that hides ongoing exploitation. To avoid sounding like “the baas” (boss) or “the madam”, with racial overtones, many employers are reluctant to give direct feedback or set clear boundaries for their employees.

    Instead, we found that many give ambiguous instructions, or no instructions at all, avoiding the uncomfortable post-apartheid situation of being a middle-class white woman telling a working-class black woman what to do. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and potentially unfair treatment. As a result, employers may feel that their expectations go unfulfilled and workers don’t know what is required of them.

    Read more: Male domestic workers in South Africa – study sheds light on the experiences of Malawian and Zimbabwean migrants

    Calculations based on Quarterly Labour Force Statistics consistently demonstrate that only 20% of domestic workers are registered for the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund. Instead, work relationships are regulated by informal understandings between parties, a fact that became apparent when domestic workers could not access unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

    A contract requires negotiations that would make the employment-centred nature of the relationship, with its hierarchy and expectations, undeniable for all involved.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, these sensitivities and avoidances are apparent in conversations with domestic workers too. Workers prefer to focus on the value of their labour and justify, subvert, and evaluate their place in their employer’s household. Sometimes they talk about themselves as being “the boss” or “the owner” of the house, based on the responsibilities they have, the types of work they do – like caring for children or the elderly in the household – and the amount of time that they spend tending the home.

    However, these assertions have a hollow ring when workers are excluded from big decisions in the household, like their right to have visitors, or small decisions like where to place household furniture. Feeling like part of the family is ruptured by exclusion from intimate moments like family celebrations, creating an all too familiar reminder of race and hierarchy.

    Moving forward

    The very real progress that has been made over the past 30 years of democracy should be celebrated. Legal reforms have achieved basic rights for domestic workers. Nevertheless, the spectre of apartheid still haunts South Africa and it’s clear that much work remains to be done.

    It’s our view that disrupting the patterns that seem so ingrained in this relationship will take fresh thinking. Mutually negotiated employment contracts should be a norm. Professionalising paid domestic labour provides the opportunity to break the informality that has come to define domestic labour relations in South Africa.

    And, with increasing access to the internet in South Africa, the digitisation of domestic labour holds promise for instituting social change through technology.

    This has been successful in the developing world, including the African continent.

    Read more: 12% of working women in South Africa are domestic workers – yet they don’t receive proper maternity leave or pay

    Workers have greater agency to market themselves, choose where and who to work for, and to rate and regulate employers. Online platforms could also provide the opportunity for vetting each other and for negotiating compliance with regulations.

    – South Africa’s domestic workers still battle with echoes of a racist past
    – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-domestic-workers-still-battle-with-echoes-of-a-racist-past-250302

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: a hidden key to safer indoor spaces

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Allen Haddrell, Senior Research Associate, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol

    Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

    We’ve long known that environmental factors – from humidity and temperature to trace chemical vapours – can influence how pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, behave once released into the air. These tiny droplets of respiratory fluid, or aerosols, carry viruses and bacteria and can float for minutes or even hours. But while we’ve been busy focusing on physical distancing and surface cleaning, a quieter factor may have been playing a much bigger role in airborne disease transmission all along: carbon dioxide (CO₂).

    During the pandemic, we studied what happens to a virus when it travels through the air in tiny droplets from our breath – known as aerosols. In earlier research, we found that the droplet’s pH (how alkaline it is) can affect how quickly the virus loses its ability to infect people. Our more recent research, though, suggests that CO₂ levels in indoor air may significantly affect how long viruses survive once airborne – and the implications are profound.

    Airborne virus survival

    When someone coughs, sneezes, talks or sings, they release microscopic droplets into the air. These droplets start out in a warm, moist and CO₂-rich environment inside the lungs, where CO₂ levels reach a staggering 38,000 parts per million (ppm). Once expelled, they encounter the cooler, drier and typically much lower-CO₂ environment of indoor or outdoor air. This rapid change triggers a chain reaction inside the droplet.

    One key component inside these droplets is bicarbonate, which acts as a buffer and is formed when CO₂ dissolves in liquid. As CO₂ diffuses out of the droplet into the air, bicarbonate leaves with it. This causes the droplet’s pH to rise – becoming increasingly alkaline, sometimes reaching pH 10.

    Why does this matter? Viruses like COVID-19 don’t like alkaline environments. As the pH rises, their ability to infect decreases. In other words, the higher the pH, the quicker the virus becomes inactive. However, when the ambient CO₂ concentration is high, this pH shift is delayed or minimised, meaning the virus remains in a more hospitable environment – and stays infectious longer.

    Droplets suspended in Celebs technology, used to study airborne microbe behavior. Photo credit: Allen Haddrell

    What role does CO₂ play?

    While CO₂ doesn’t transmit viruses itself, it acts as a proxy for indoor crowding and poor ventilation. The more people in a space, the more CO₂ builds up from exhaled breath. When there isn’t enough ventilation, these levels stay high as do the chances that airborne viruses can linger longer and infect others.

    Outdoor CO₂ levels are around 421ppm, but in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, indoor levels can easily exceed 800ppm. That’s the tipping point identified in the study, where the air starts allowing droplets to maintain a lower pH, increasing the survival time of viruses. In the 1940s, global CO₂ levels were much lower – around 310ppm – meaning indoor air offered less of a survival advantage to airborne pathogens.

    Looking ahead, climate projections estimate CO₂ levels could reach 685ppm by 2050, making this issue not only one of pandemic response but also of climate and public health policy. If we don’t address this now, we may be heading into a future where viruses survive longer in the air due to everyday indoor conditions.

    How exhaled aerosol pH increases to alkaline levels after exhalation. Bicarbonate evaporates as CO₂, leaving behind an inhospitable environment for viruses—unless there’s more CO₂ in the air. Illustration: Allen Haddrell

    Can we fix it?

    The good news? These findings suggest solutions we can implement right now.

    First, improve indoor ventilation. Increasing airflow and introducing outdoor air into enclosed spaces dilutes both CO₂ levels and any virus-containing aerosols. This simple change can significantly reduce the risk of airborne transmission – not just for COVID-19, but for future respiratory viruses as well.

    And, in the not-too-distant future, we might have indoor carbon capture technology. These devices, which are still being developed, could help remove excess CO₂ from the air, especially in hospitals, classrooms and public transport where the risk of spreading illness is higher.

    Also, monitoring indoor CO₂ levels using affordable sensors can empower individuals, schools and businesses to assess the indoor air quality and adjust the ventilation accordingly. If CO₂ levels rise above safe thresholds (often considered about 800ppm), it’s time to open windows, use air purifiers or ask some people to leave the room.

    This research reshapes the way we think about air quality. It’s no longer just about stuffiness or comfort – it’s about infection risk. As we face rising global CO₂ levels and continue to recover from the COVID pandemic, it’s clear that managing indoor air environments is essential to public health.

    By taking CO₂ seriously – not just as a climate metric but as a health indicator – we have a unique opportunity to reduce disease transmission in our everyday environments. Because when it comes to viruses in the air, the air itself might be our greatest ally – or our biggest threat.

    Allen Haddrell receives funding from the BBSRC and EPSRC.

    Henry Oswin previously received funding from the BBSRC and EPSRC, and currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: a hidden key to safer indoor spaces – https://theconversation.com/the-role-of-carbon-dioxide-in-airborne-disease-transmission-a-hidden-key-to-safer-indoor-spaces-229142

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: South Africa’s domestic workers still battle with echoes of a racist past

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amy Jo Murray, Social psychologist, University of Johannesburg

    There are 861,000 domestic workers employed in South Africa. They make up about 25% of the informal (non-agricultural) labour sector. By and large, it is still uneducated, black working-class females who clean and care for the country’s middle- to upper-class homes. It’s an eerily familiar scene.

    Paid domestic work provides a microcosm of South Africa’s continuing struggle with its apartheid past. While the slavery of the colonial era and the servitude of black people under apartheid’s white minority rule are now gone, paid domestic work has adapted to post-apartheid realities. A great deal has changed in the country’s legal landscape, but domestic labour preserves racial identities and inequalities.



    Read more:
    What is apartheid? New book for young readers explains South Africa’s racist system

    We have researched domestic labour in South Africa extensively for more than a decade, including the first author’s PhD. We have done in-depth interviews with over 70 employers and workers through a range of studies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

    Our research shows that these racial identities and inequalities persist, particularly when domestic employers and workers avoid discussing the racial aspects of their relationships, feeling these are “too close for comfort” and liable to evoke explosive apartheid-era stereotypes.

    It’s clear that the injustices of paid domestic labour cannot be solved through legislation alone. The history, norms, and pain from the country’s past run too deep. They touch people personally, and affect the way they engage each other (or don’t).

    Social change requires innovative solutions to disrupt the status quo, while also facing the country’s haunting past.

    Changes on paper

    The end of apartheid in 1994 brought about a wave of changes, including equal rights for all citizens. Labour laws were extensively reformed. Rights and standards for domestic workers were introduced to address wages, working conditions, and other aspects of employment, theoretically ensuring fair treatment.

    These legal advancements led to some improvements in the minimum wage and the use of employment contracts of domestic workers. But they didn’t stop entrenched practices like payments-in-kind (for example giving groceries or housing instead of cash) and unpaid overtime.



    Read more:
    Why Nigerian women in Oyo state use child domestic workers

    The informal and private nature of domestic work makes it difficult to regulate. Progressive laws cannot reach here to eliminate cultural attitudes and behaviours that echo apartheid.

    In other words…

    In her 1980 book Maids and Madams, South African sociologist Jacklyn Cock was one of the first researchers to treat paid domestic labour as a reflection of broad structures of oppression in the country. She set out how apartheid racial hierarchies were overt, widely acknowledged, and crudely enacted. Domestic workers faced conditions close to slavery, with employers wielding unchecked power over their lives. Domestic work reinforced a rigid racial hierarchy, clearly demarcating the roles and status of the “madam” and the “maid”.

    Through a close analysis of extensive interviews, our research shows how language underpins this relationship today, both through what is said and what isn’t. Domestic workers and employers go to great lengths not to talk about themselves as the “maid” or the “madam”. They focus instead on intimacy, reciprocation, and mutual support, avoiding the need to negotiate their employment relationship or any other topic that might arouse issues relating to race or inequality.



    Read more:
    Household gardeners in South Africa: a survivalist life with little protection

    Middle- to upper-class employers are particularly sensitive to racial stereotypes and avoid language that hints at hierarchy or power. They sometimes say that domestic workers “feel like one of the family”, which obscures the underlying power dynamics.

    This matters because it allows potentially unfair or exploitative labour practices to be carried out under the guise of “familial” relations. For example, we might expect an aunt to go the extra mile for the family, staying late to help out and showing she cares about the household. Outside of these familial boundaries, an “employee” should not have these obligations.

    Polite language can create a veneer of equality that hides ongoing exploitation. To avoid sounding like “the baas” (boss) or “the madam”, with racial overtones, many employers are reluctant to give direct feedback or set clear boundaries for their employees.

    Instead, we found that many give ambiguous instructions, or no instructions at all, avoiding the uncomfortable post-apartheid situation of being a middle-class white woman telling a working-class black woman what to do. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and potentially unfair treatment. As a result, employers may feel that their expectations go unfulfilled and workers don’t know what is required of them.



    Read more:
    Male domestic workers in South Africa – study sheds light on the experiences of Malawian and Zimbabwean migrants

    Calculations based on Quarterly Labour Force Statistics consistently demonstrate that only 20% of domestic workers are registered for the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund. Instead, work relationships are regulated by informal understandings between parties, a fact that became apparent when domestic workers could not access unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

    A contract requires negotiations that would make the employment-centred nature of the relationship, with its hierarchy and expectations, undeniable for all involved.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, these sensitivities and avoidances are apparent in conversations with domestic workers too. Workers prefer to focus on the value of their labour and justify, subvert, and evaluate their place in their employer’s household. Sometimes they talk about themselves as being “the boss” or “the owner” of the house, based on the responsibilities they have, the types of work they do – like caring for children or the elderly in the household – and the amount of time that they spend tending the home.

    However, these assertions have a hollow ring when workers are excluded from big decisions in the household, like their right to have visitors, or small decisions like where to place household furniture. Feeling like part of the family is ruptured by exclusion from intimate moments like family celebrations, creating an all too familiar reminder of race and hierarchy.

    Moving forward

    The very real progress that has been made over the past 30 years of democracy should be celebrated. Legal reforms have achieved basic rights for domestic workers. Nevertheless, the spectre of apartheid still haunts South Africa and it’s clear that much work remains to be done.

    It’s our view that disrupting the patterns that seem so ingrained in this relationship will take fresh thinking. Mutually negotiated employment contracts should be a norm. Professionalising paid domestic labour provides the opportunity to break the informality that has come to define domestic labour relations in South Africa.

    And, with increasing access to the internet in South Africa, the digitisation of domestic labour holds promise for instituting social change through technology.

    This has been successful in the developing world, including the African continent.



    Read more:
    12% of working women in South Africa are domestic workers – yet they don’t receive proper maternity leave or pay

    Workers have greater agency to market themselves, choose where and who to work for, and to rate and regulate employers. Online platforms could also provide the opportunity for vetting each other and for negotiating compliance with regulations.

    Kevin Durrheim receives funding from the National Research Foundation.

    Amy Jo Murray 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. South Africa’s domestic workers still battle with echoes of a racist past – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-domestic-workers-still-battle-with-echoes-of-a-racist-past-250302

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, McClain Halt Tax Dollars to China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – As Americans fork over their hard-earned money to the government on Tax Day, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) are introducing the Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act (AFAR) Act to end the insane practice of funding sketchy animal experiments in China with American tax dollars.
    The bill would ban the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from funding experiments similar to the gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that many experts believe led to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    “We should have learned our lesson after COVID-19,” said Ernst. “Whether creating zombie cats in Russia, supporting risky research in Wuhan, or funding sketchy experiments on animals in foreign labs, I am cutting off the money for this madness and ensuring that taxpayers no longer foot the bill for crazy pseudoscience overseas.”
    “American taxpayer dollars should never fund dangerous, cruel experiments in animal research labs – much less in China or other adversarial countries,” said McClain. “This common-sense legislation ensures taxpayer dollars are not wasted on reckless research.”
    “White Coat Waste applauds Sen. Joni Ernst for reintroducing the AFAR Act just in time for Tax Day because Americans’ hard-earned money shouldn’t be wasted on funding foreign adversaries’ animal labs,” said Justin Goodman, Senior Vice President at government watchdog White Coat Waste. “As White Coat Waste first exposed in Wuhan five years ago, shipping taxpayer dollars to unaccountable animal testing labs in China and other adversarial nations is a recipe for disaster. Despite our progress since 2020 and in the first few months of the new Trump Administration, we’ve uncovered how twenty Chinese animal labs are still eligible to receive taxpayers’ money, including one that’s currently abusing 300 beagles a week in wasteful and cruel NIH-funded drug tests. Cutting cash for foreign enemies’ animal labs is common sense, consistent with Trump priorities, and backed by over 70 percent of taxpayers. Stop the money. Stop the madness!”
    Background:
    Ernst has long fought to stop tax dollars from being sent overseas for risky research.
    An Ernst-requested investigation exposed how EcoHealth sent over $1 million U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for risky experiments on bat coronaviruses. She also secured an audit by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General of risky research in China paid for by the Pentagon and hidden from the public. 
    She led the charge to permanently debar the Wuhan Institute of Virology and defund EcoHealth Alliance from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars.
    Ernst efforts also led to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defunding EcoHealth and promising to cut off any taxpayer dollars used for research of pandemic potential.
    In her $2 trillion blueprint to slash waste in Washington, Ernst pointed to the millions being sent to China for secretive risky research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Stefanik Expose Tax Dollars to China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – As hardworking Americans report and pay taxes on every dollar earned under the threat of an audit, this Tax Day, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) are forcing Washington to live by the same rules when sending tax dollars to China.
    After exposing that the Biden administration sent more than $18 million to China for everything from a bakery roadshow to DEI trainings, the lawmakers are introducing a new bill to require every penny sent to foreign adversaries be publicly disclosed.
    “Americans should never send a cent to China,” said Ernst. “But you cannot stop what you cannot see. I am exposing every single tax dollar sent overseas to scrutinize and halt all wasteful spending.”
    “My legislation will ensure hardworking taxpayer dollars are not funding our adversaries including Communist China as they work against American interests,” said Stefanik. “The days of poor stewardship over American dollars under the Biden Administration are long gone as House Republicans join President Trump in his efforts of rooting out government waste, fraud, and abuse.”
    While most of the $18 million sent to China was publicly disclosed, more than $4 million sent by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was not, and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit confirmed that not all money being sent to China is being publicly disclosed.
    To ensure that the American people know how their money is spent, Ernst and Stefanik are introducing the Tracking Receipts to Adversarial Countries for Knowledge of Spending (TRACKS) Act to require every penny sent to foreign adversaries or entities of particular concern, such as terrorist groups including the Taliban, to be accounted for and disclosed to the public for scrutiny.
    Background:
    Ernst has long fought to stop tax dollars from being sent overseas for risky research.
    An Ernst-requested investigation exposed how EcoHealth sent over $1 million U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for risky experiments on bat coronaviruses. She also secured an audit by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General of risky research in China paid for by the Pentagon and hidden from the public.  
    She led the charge to permanently debar the Wuhan Institute of Virology and defund EcoHealth Alliance from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars.
    Ernst efforts also led to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defunding EcoHealth and promising to cut off any taxpayer dollars used for research of pandemic potential.
    In her $2 trillion blueprint to slash waste in Washington, Ernst pointed to the millions being sent to China for secretive risky research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CONSUMER PRICE INDEX NUMBERS ON BASE 2012=100 FOR RURAL,

    Source: Government of India

    Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation

    CONSUMER PRICE INDEX NUMBERS ON BASE 2012=100 FOR RURAL,

    URBAN AND COMBINED FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2025

    Posted On: 15 APR 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi

    I. Key highlights:

    1. Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of March, 2025 over March, 2024 is 3.34% (Provisional). There is a decline of 27 basis points in headline inflation of March, 2025 in comparison to February, 2025. It is the lowest year-on-year inflation after August, 2019.
    1. Food Inflation: Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for the month of March, 2025 over March, 2024 is 2.69% (Provisional). Corresponding inflation rate for rural and urban are 2.82% and 2.48%, respectively. All India inflation rates for CPI (General) and CFPI over the last 13 months are shown below. A sharp decline of 106 basis point is observed in food inflation in March, 2025 in comparison to February, 2025. The food inflation in March, 2025 is the lowest after November, 2021.
    1. The significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of March, 2025 is mainly attributed to decline in inflation of Vegetables, Eggs, Pulses & products, Meat & fish, Cereals & Products and Milk & products.
    2. Rural Inflation: Sharp decline in headline and food inflation in rural sector observed in March, 2025. The headline inflation is 3.25% (provisional) in March, 2025 while the same was 3.79% in February, 2025. The CFPI based food inflation in rural sector is observed as 2.82% in March, 2025 in comparison to 4.06% in February, 2025.
    3. Urban Inflation: Marginal increase from 3.32% in February, 2025 to 3.43% (Provisional) in March, 2025 is observed in headline inflation of urban sector. However, significant decline is observed in food inflation from 3.15% in February, 2025 to 2.48% in March, 2025.
    4. Housing Inflation: Year-on-year Housing inflation rate for the month of March, 2025 is 3.03%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of February, 2025 was 2.91%. The housing index is compiled for urban sector only.
    5. Fuel & light: Year-on-year Fuel & light inflation rate for the month of March, 2025 is 1.48%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of February, 2025 was -1.33%. It is the combined inflation rate for both rural and urban sector.
    6. Education Inflation: Year-on-year Education inflation rate for the month of March, 2025 is 3.98%.  The inflation rate observed in the month of February, 2025 was 3.83%. It is the combined education inflation for both rural and urban sector.
    7. Health Inflation: Year-on-year Health inflation rate for the month of March, 2025 is 4.26%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of February, 2025 was 4.12%.  It is the combined health inflation for both rural and urban sector.
    8. Transport & Communication: Year-on-year Transport & communication inflation rate for the month of March, 2025 is 3.30%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of February, 2025 was 2.93%. It is combined inflation rate for both rural and urban sector.
    9. Top five items with highest inflation: The top five items showing highest year on year Inflation at All India level in March, 2025 are coconut oil (56.81%), coconut (42.05%), gold (34.09%), silver (31.57%) and grapes (25.55%)
    10. Top five items with lowest inflation: The key items having lowest year on year inflation in March, 2025 are ginger (-38.11%), tomato (-34.96%), cauliflower (-25.99%), jeera (-25.86%) and garlic (-25.22%). For other data related to All India Item Index and Inflation, please visit the website www.cpi.mospi.gov.in.
    11. Top five major states with high Year on Year inflation for the month of March, 2025 are shown in the graph below.

     

    1. All India Inflation rates (on point to point basis i.e. current month March, 2025 viz-a-viz last Month, i.e. February, 2025 and over same month of last year i.e. March, 2024), based on General Indices and CFPIs are given as follows:

     

    All India year-on-year inflation rates (%) based on CPI (General) and CFPI: March, 2025 over

    March, 2024

     

    March, 2025 (Prov.)

    February, 2025 (Final)

    March, 2024

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Inflation

    CPI (General)

    3.25

    3.43

    3.34

    3.79

    3.32

    3.61

    5.51

    4.14

    4.85

    CFPI

    2.82

    2.48

    2.69

    4.06

    3.15

    3.75

    8.55

    8.41

    8.52

    Index

    CPI (General)

    193.9

    189.9

    192.0

    194.5

    190.1

    192.5

    187.8

    183.6

    185.8

    CFPI

    193.1

    198.2

    194.9

    194.8

    199.8

    196.6

    187.8

    193.4

    189.8

                          Notes: Prov.  – Provisional, Combd. – Combined

     

    1.  Monthly changes in the General Indices and CFPIs are given below:

         Monthly changes (%) in All India CPI (General) and CFPI: March, 2025 over February, 2025

    Indices

    March 2025 (Prov.)

    February, 2025 (Final)

    Monthly change (%)

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    CPI (General)

    193.9

    189.9

    192.0

    194.5

    190.1

    192.5

    -0.31

    -0.11

    -0.26

    CFPI

    193.1

    198.2

    194.9

    194.8

    199.8

    196.6

    -0.87

    -0.80

    -0.86

                                  Notes: Prov.  – Provisional, Combd. – Combined

     

    1. Response rate: The price data are collected from selected 1114 urban Markets and 1181 villages covering all States/UTs through personal visits by field staff of Field Operations Division of NSO, MoSPI on a weekly roster. During the month of March, 2025, NSO collected prices from 100% villages and 98.6% urban markets while the market-wise prices reported therein were 89.8% for rural and 92.6% for urban.
    2. Next date of release for April, 2025 CPI is 12th May, 2025 (Monday). For more details, please visit the website www.cpi.mospi.gov.in or esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in

     

    List of Annex

    Annex

    Title

    I

    All-India General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for February, 2025 (Final) and March, 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Annexure I)

    II

    All-India inflation rates (%) for General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for March, 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Annexure II)

    III

    General CPI for States for Rural, Urban and Combined for February, 2025 (Final) and March, 2025 (Provisional) (Annexure III)

    IV

    Year-on-year inflation rates (%) of major States for Rural, Urban and Combined for March, 2025 (Provisional) (Annexure IV)

    V

     Time Series Data for All India General CPI (Base 2012 =100) Since January, 2013 (Annexure V)

    VI

                                                                                                     

    Annexure- I

    All-India General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for February, 2025 (Final) and March, 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Base: 2012=100)

    Group Code

    Sub-group Code

    Description

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

     

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

     

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    (12)

     

     

    1.1.01

    Cereals and products

    12.35

    200.6

    200.8

    6.59

    198.6

    198.9

    9.67

    200.0

    200.2

     

     

    1.1.02

    Meat and fish

    4.38

    219.1

    218.1

    2.73

    229.0

    228.3

    3.61

    222.6

    221.7

     

     

    1.1.03

    Egg

    0.49

    194.9

    185.3

    0.36

    200.0

    190.3

    0.43

    196.9

    187.2

     

     

    1.1.04

    Milk and products

    7.72

    187.6

    187.9

    5.33

    188.4

    188.3

    6.61

    187.9

    188.0

     

     

    1.1.05

    Oils and fats

    4.21

    188.9

    189.7

    2.81

    176.0

    177.4

    3.56

    184.2

    185.2

     

     

    1.1.06

    Fruits

    2.88

    195.1

    201.6

    2.90

    198.7

    204.7

    2.89

    196.8

    203.0

     

     

    1.1.07

    Vegetables

    7.46

    181.2

    171.0

    4.41

    216.8

    204.3

    6.04

    193.3

    182.3

     

     

    1.1.08

    Pulses and products

    2.95

    200.2

    194.3

    1.73

    205.1

    199.3

    2.38

    201.9

    196.0

     

     

    1.1.09

    Sugar and Confectionery

    1.70

    131.4

    133.1

    0.97

    133.8

    135.0

    1.36

    132.2

    133.7

     

     

    1.1.10

    Spices

    3.11

    224.8

    222.9

    1.79

    222.1

    220.5

    2.50

    223.9

    222.1

     

     

    1.2.11

    Non-alcoholic beverages

    1.37

    188.3

    188.9

    1.13

    177.3

    178.0

    1.26

    183.7

    184.3

     

     

    1.1.12

    Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

    5.56

    202.4

    202.9

    5.54

    214.0

    214.9

    5.55

    207.8

    208.5

     

    1

     

    Food and beverages

    54.18

    195.4

    194.0

    36.29

    201.3

    200.1

    45.86

    197.6

    196.2

     

    2

     

    Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

    3.26

    209.0

    209.7

    1.36

    213.4

    213.8

    2.38

    210.2

    210.8

     

     

    3.1.01

    Clothing

    6.32

    200.7

    201.0

    4.72

    190.8

    191.2

    5.58

    196.8

    197.1

     

     

    3.1.02

    Footwear

    1.04

    194.1

    194.3

    0.85

    176.2

    176.7

    0.95

    186.7

    187.0

     

    3

     

    Clothing and footwear

    7.36

    199.8

    200.0

    5.57

    188.6

    189.0

    6.53

    195.4

    195.6

     

    4

     

    Housing

    –

    –

    –

    21.67

    183.7

    183.6

    10.07

    183.7

    183.6

     

    5

     

    Fuel and light

    7.94

    182.8

    182.7

    5.58

    171.0

    171.3

    6.84

    178.3

    178.4

     

     

    6.1.01

    Household goods and services

    3.75

    187.7

    187.3

    3.87

    179.1

    179.6

    3.80

    183.6

    183.7

     

     

    6.1.02

    Health

    6.83

    201.6

    202.4

    4.81

    196.3

    197.4

    5.89

    199.6

    200.5

     

     

    6.1.03

    Transport and communication

    7.60

    177.7

    178.1

    9.73

    166.6

    166.9

    8.59

    171.9

    172.2

     

     

    6.1.04

    Recreation and amusement

    1.37

    181.9

    181.1

    2.04

    177.3

    177.7

    1.68

    179.3

    179.2

     

     

    6.1.05

    Education

    3.46

    192.6

    193.1

    5.62

    188.2

    188.6

    4.46

    190.0

    190.5

     

     

    6.1.06

    Personal care and effects

    4.25

    214.2

    216.8

    3.47

    216.3

    219.2

    3.89

    215.1

    217.8

     

    6

     

    Miscellaneous

    27.26

    192.9

    193.5

    29.53

    183.8

    184.6

    28.32

    188.5

    189.2

     

    General Index (All Groups)

    100.00

    194.5

    193.9

    100.00

    190.1

    189.9

    100.00

    192.5

    192.0

     

     

    Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI)

    47.25

    194.8

    193.1

    29.62

    199.8

    198.2

    39.06

    196.6

    194.9

     

     

     

    Notes:

    1. Prov.       : Provisional.
    2. CFPI        : Out of 12 sub-groups contained in ‘Food and Beverages’ group, CFPI is based on ten sub-groups, excluding ‘Non-alcoholic beverages’ and ‘Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.’.
    1. –   : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

    Annexure- II

     

    All-India year-on-year inflation rates (%) for General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for March, 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Group Code

    Sub-group Code

    Description

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

     

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

     

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    (12)

     
     

    1.1.01

    Cereals and products

    189.3

    200.8

    6.08

    188.5

    198.9

    5.52

    189.0

    200.2

    5.93

     
     

    1.1.02

    Meat and fish

    217.9

    218.1

    0.09

    226.7

    228.3

    0.71

    221.0

    221.7

    0.32

     
     

    1.1.03

    Egg

    192.7

    185.3

    -3.84

    194.3

    190.3

    -2.06

    193.3

    187.2

    -3.16

     
     

    1.1.04

    Milk and products

    183.2

    187.9

    2.57

    183.6

    188.3

    2.56

    183.3

    188.0

    2.56

     
     

    1.1.05

    Oils and fats

    160.2

    189.7

    18.41

    154.7

    177.4

    14.67

    158.2

    185.2

    17.07

     
     

    1.1.06

    Fruits

    172.8

    201.6

    16.67

    176.7

    204.7

    15.85

    174.6

    203.0

    16.27

     
     

    1.1.07

    Vegetables

    182.5

    171.0

    -6.30

    222.6

    204.3

    -8.22

    196.1

    182.3

    -7.04

     
     

    1.1.08

    Pulses and products

    199.7

    194.3

    -2.70

    205.0

    199.3

    -2.78

    201.5

    196.0

    -2.73

     
     

    1.1.09

    Sugar and Confectionery

    128.0

    133.1

    3.98

    130.1

    135.0

    3.77

    128.7

    133.7

    3.89

     
     

    1.1.10

    Spices

    236.3

    222.9

    -5.67

    228.2

    220.5

    -3.37

    233.6

    222.1

    -4.92

     
     

    1.2.11

    Non-alcoholic beverages

    182.1

    188.9

    3.73

    170.3

    178.0

    4.52

    177.2

    184.3

    4.01

     
     

    1.1.12

    Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

    195.9

    202.9

    3.57

    204.6

    214.9

    5.03

    199.9

    208.5

    4.30

     

    1

    		  

    Food and beverages

    188.5

    194.0

    2.92

    194.4

    200.1

    2.93

    190.7

    196.2

    2.88

     

    2

    		  

    Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

    204.0

    209.7

    2.79

    210.2

    213.8

    1.71

    205.7

    210.8

    2.48

     
     

    3.1.01

    Clothing

    195.8

    201.0

    2.66

    185.8

    191.2

    2.91

    191.9

    197.1

    2.71

     
     

    3.1.02

    Footwear

    191.1

    194.3

    1.67

    172.3

    176.7

    2.55

    183.3

    187.0

    2.02

     

    3

    		  

    Clothing and footwear

    195.1

    200.0

    2.51

    183.8

    189.0

    2.83

    190.6

    195.6

    2.62

     

    4

    		  

    Housing

    –

    –

    –

    178.2

    183.6

    3.03

    178.2

    183.6

    3.03

     

    5

    		  

    Fuel and light

    181.0

    182.7

    0.94

    167.4

    171.3

    2.33

    175.8

    178.4

    1.48

     
     

    6.1.01

    Household goods and services

    183.3

    187.3

    2.18

    174.0

    179.6

    3.22

    178.9

    183.7

    2.68

     
     

    6.1.02

    Health

    194.3

    202.4

    4.17

    189.1

    197.4

    4.39

    192.3

    200.5

    4.26

     
     

    6.1.03

    Transport and communication

    172.0

    178.1

    3.55

    161.9

    166.9

    3.09

    166.7

    172.2

    3.30

     
     

    6.1.04

    Recreation and amusement

    177.8

    181.1

    1.86

    172.8

    177.7

    2.84

    175.0

    179.2

    2.40

     
     

    6.1.05

    Education

    186.1

    193.1

    3.76

    181.2

    188.6

    4.08

    183.2

    190.5

    3.98

     
     

    6.1.06

    Personal care and effects

    191.3

    216.8

    13.33

    192.8

    219.2

    13.69

    191.9

    217.8

    13.50

     

    6

    		  

    Miscellaneous

    184.2

    193.5

    5.05

    176.0

    184.6

    4.89

    180.2

    189.2

    4.99

     

    General Index (All Groups)

    187.8

    193.9

    3.25

    183.6

    189.9

    3.43

    185.8

    192.0

    3.34

     

     

     

    Consumer Food Price Index

    187.8

    193.1

    2.82

    193.4

    198.2

    2.48

    189.8

    194.9

    2.69

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Notes:

    1. Prov.       : Provisional.
    2. –               : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

     

    Annexure- III

     

    General CPI for States for Rural, Urban and Combined for February, 2025 (Final) and March, 2025 (Provisional) (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Sl. No.

    Name of the State/UT

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

     

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Feb. 25 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

     

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

     

    1

    Andhra Pradesh

    5.40

    196.3

    195.7

    3.64

    198.5

    197.9

    4.58

    197.1

    196.5

     

    2

    Arunachal Pradesh

    0.14

    196.9

    196.2

    0.06

    —

    —

    0.10

    196.9

    196.2

     

    3

    Assam

    2.63

    196.8

    195.8

    0.79

    194.4

    194.0

    1.77

    196.3

    195.4

     

    4

    Bihar

    8.21

    187.8

    187.4

    1.62

    197.8

    197.2

    5.14

    189.3

    188.8

     

    5

    Chhattisgarh

    1.68

    186.6

    185.7

    1.22

    181.4

    180.8

    1.46

    184.6

    183.8

     

    6

    Delhi

    0.28

    174.5

    174.2

    5.64

    171.6

    171.8

    2.77

    171.8

    171.9

     

    7

    Goa

    0.14

    184.0

    185.6

    0.25

    182.1

    182.8

    0.19

    182.8

    183.9

     

    8

    Gujarat

    4.54

    189.4

    188.7

    6.82

    178.6

    179.0

    5.60

    183.3

    183.2

     

    9

    Haryana

    3.30

    196.2

    196.1

    3.35

    184.0

    184.6

    3.32

    190.5

    190.7

     

    10

    Himachal Pradesh

    1.03

    180.0

    179.4

    0.26

    184.9

    184.7

    0.67

    180.9

    180.4

     

    11

    Jharkhand

    1.96

    186.2

    185.1

    1.39

    189.6

    189.8

    1.69

    187.5

    186.9

     

    12

    Karnataka

    5.09

    199.1

    198.3

    6.81

    201.0

    201.0

    5.89

    200.1

    199.8

     

    13

    Kerala

    5.50

    207.6

    207.5

    3.46

    201.6

    201.4

    4.55

    205.5

    205.3

     

    14

    Madhya Pradesh

    4.93

    191.5

    191.1

    3.97

    192.4

    192.4

    4.48

    191.9

    191.6

     

    15

    Maharashtra

    8.25

    192.4

    192.0

    18.86

    186.7

    186.6

    13.18

    188.6

    188.4

     

    16

    Manipur

    0.23

    229.5

    227.2

    0.12

    189.2

    188.7

    0.18

    216.7

    215.0

     

    17

    Meghalaya

    0.28

    178.6

    178.2

    0.15

    186.5

    186.0

    0.22

    181.1

    180.6

     

    18

    Mizoram

    0.07

    207.3

    207.1

    0.13

    181.5

    181.9

    0.10

    191.6

    191.7

     

    19

    Nagaland

    0.14

    202.4

    201.5

    0.12

    184.4

    184.3

    0.13

    194.7

    194.2

     

    20

    Odisha

    2.93

    196.4

    195.3

    1.31

    186.7

    186.1

    2.18

    193.7

    192.7

     

    21

    Punjab

    3.31

    188.6

    188.8

    3.09

    178.3

    179.3

    3.21

    184.0

    184.5

     

    22

    Rajasthan

    6.63

    190.5

    189.9

    4.23

    188.2

    188.1

    5.51

    189.7

    189.3

     

    23

    Sikkim

    0.06

    203.1

    201.4

    0.03

    188.1

    187.8

    0.05

    198.2

    197.0

     

    24

    Tamil Nadu

    5.55

    202.3

    200.3

    9.20

    199.2

    198.3

    7.25

    200.5

    199.1

     

    25

    Telangana

    3.16

    203.4

    202.2

    4.41

    199.9

    198.5

    3.74

    201.5

    200.2

     

    26

    Tripura

    0.35

    208.5

    209.8

    0.14

    200.0

    199.4

    0.25

    206.3

    207.1

     

    27

    Uttar Pradesh

    14.83

    193.1

    192.8

    9.54

    190.2

    190.2

    12.37

    192.1

    191.9

     

    28

    Uttarakhand

    1.06

    187.2

    187.4

    0.73

    192.3

    192.7

    0.91

    189.1

    189.4

     

    29

    West Bengal

    6.99

    196.8

    196.5

    7.20

    193.8

    193.4

    7.09

    195.4

    195.0

     

    30

    Andaman & Nicobar Islands

    0.05

    200.1

    200.1

    0.07

    188.2

    187.6

    0.06

    194.0

    193.7

     

    31

    Chandigarh

    0.02

    189.9

    190.0

    0.34

    177.5

    177.6

    0.17

    178.2

    178.3

     

    32

    Dadra & Nagar Haveli

    0.02

    178.5

    176.7

    0.04

    186.3

    185.2

    0.03

    183.7

    182.4

     

    33

    Daman & Diu

    0.02

    197.6

    196.9

    0.02

    186.8

    186.4

    0.02

    193.1

    192.5

     

    34

    Jammu & Kashmir*

    1.14

    204.7

    205.4

    0.72

    197.7

    197.7

    0.94

    202.2

    202.7

     

    35

    Lakshadweep

    0.01

    198.3

    197.9

    0.01

    188.1

    189.6

    0.01

    193.1

    193.7

     

    36

    Puducherry

    0.08

    206.6

    203.9

    0.27

    197.6

    196.5

    0.17

    199.9

    198.4

     

    All India

    100.00

    194.5

    193.9

    100.00

    190.1

    189.9

    100.00

    192.5

    192.0

     

    Notes:

    1. Prov.:  Provisional
    2. –:  indicates the receipt of price schedules is less than 80% of allocated schedules and therefore indices are not compiled.
    3. *: Figures of this row pertain to the prices and weights of the combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir

    and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir).

     

    Annexure- IV

     

    Year-on-year inflation rates (%) of major@ States for Rural, Urban and Combined for March, 2025 (Provisional) (Base: 2012=100)

    Sl. No.

    Name of the State/UT

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

     

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Mar. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Mar. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

     

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

     

    1

    Andhra Pradesh

    191.6

    195.7

    2.14

    191.9

    197.9

    3.13

    191.7

    196.5

    2.50

     

    2

    Assam

    189.4

    195.8

    3.38

    184.8

    194.0

    4.98

    188.5

    195.4

    3.66

     

    3

    Bihar

    182.2

    187.4

    2.85

    188.7

    197.2

    4.50

    183.1

    188.8

    3.11

     

    4

    Chhattisgarh

    177.4

    185.7

    4.68

    174.5

    180.8

    3.61

    176.3

    183.8

    4.25

     

    5

    Delhi

    169.6

    174.2

    2.71

    169.4

    171.8

    1.42

    169.4

    171.9

    1.48

     

    6

    Gujarat

    183.9

    188.7

    2.61

    174.3

    179.0

    2.70

    178.5

    183.2

    2.63

     

    7

    Haryana

    188.9

    196.1

    3.81

    177.8

    184.6

    3.82

    183.7

    190.7

    3.81

     

    8

    Himachal Pradesh

    173.9

    179.4

    3.16

    178.7

    184.7

    3.36

    174.8

    180.4

    3.20

     

    9

    Jharkhand

    182.5

    185.1

    1.42

    184.0

    189.8

    3.15

    183.1

    186.9

    2.08

     

    10

    Karnataka

    190.5

    198.3

    4.09

    191.9

    201.0

    4.74

    191.3

    199.8

    4.44

     

    11

    Kerala

    193.4

    207.5

    7.29

    191.1

    201.4

    5.39

    192.6

    205.3

    6.59

     

    12

    Madhya Pradesh

    184.7

    191.1

    3.47

    187.4

    192.4

    2.67

    185.8

    191.6

    3.12

     

    13

    Maharashtra

    186.3

    192.0

    3.06

    179.0

    186.6

    4.25

    181.4

    188.4

    3.86

     

    14

    Odisha

    188.8

    195.3

    3.44

    181.3

    186.1

    2.65

    186.7

    192.7

    3.21

     

    15

    Punjab

    181.4

    188.8

    4.08

    173.8

    179.3

    3.16

    178.0

    184.5

    3.65

     

    16

    Rajasthan

    184.9

    189.9

    2.70

    183.6

    188.1

    2.45

    184.4

    189.3

    2.66

     

    17

    Tamil Nadu

    193.3

    200.3

    3.62

    190.9

    198.3

    3.88

    191.9

    199.1

    3.75

     

    18

    Telangana

    201.8

    202.2

    0.20

    195.0

    198.5

    1.79

    198.1

    200.2

    1.06

     

    19

    Uttar Pradesh

    187.2

    192.8

    2.99

    184.8

    190.2

    2.92

    186.3

    191.9

    3.01

     

    20

    Uttarakhand

    181.9

    187.4

    3.02

    183.6

    192.7

    4.96

    182.5

    189.4

    3.78

     

    21

    West Bengal

    190.5

    196.5

    3.15

    187.3

    193.4

    3.26

    189.0

    195.0

    3.17

     

    22

    Jammu & Kashmir*

    196.8

    205.4

    4.37

    191.4

    197.7

    3.29

    194.9

    202.7

    4.00

     

    All India

    187.8

    193.9

    3.25

    183.6

    189.9

    3.43

    185.8

    192.0

    3.34

     

    Notes:

    1. Prov.     :  Provisional.
    2. *               : Figures of this row pertain to the prices and weights of the combined Union Territories of Jammu &                            Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir).
    3. @               : States having population more than 50 lakhs as per Population Census 2011.

     

    Annexure-V

    Time Series Data for All India General CPI (Base 2012 =100) Since January, 2013

     

    Year

    Jan

    Feb

    Mar

    Apr

    May

    Jun

    Jul

    Aug

    Sep

    Oct

    Nov

    Dec

    2013

    104.6

    105.3

    105.5

    106.1

    106.9

    109.3

    111.0

    112.4

    113.7

    114.8

    116.3

    114.5

    2014

    113.6

    113.6

    114.2

    115.1

    115.8

    116.7

    119.2

    120.3

    120.1

    120.1

    120.1

    119.4

    2015

    119.5

    119.7

    120.2

    120.7

    121.6

    123.0

    123.6

    124.8

    125.4

    126.1

    126.6

    126.1

    2016

    126.3

    126.0

    126.0

    127.3

    128.6

    130.1

    131.1

    131.1

    130.9

    131.4

    131.2

    130.4

    2017

    130.3

    130.6

    130.9

    131.1

    131.4

    132.0

    134.2

    135.4

    135.2

    136.1

    137.6

    137.2

    2018

    136.9

    136.4

    136.5

    137.1

    137.8

    138.5

    139.8

    140.4

    140.2

    140.7

    140.8

    140.1

    2019

    139.6

    139.9

    140.4

    141.2

    142.0

    142.9

    144.2

    145.0

    145.8

    147.2

    148.6

    150.4

    2020

    150.2

    149.1

    148.6

    151.4

    150.9

    151.8

    153.9

    154.7

    156.4

    158.4

    158.9

    157.3

    2021

    156.3

    156.6

    156.8

    157.8

    160.4

    161.3

    162.5

    162.9

    163.2

    165.5

    166.7

    166.2

    2022

    165.7

    166.1

    167.7

    170.1

    171.7

    172.6

    173.4

    174.3

    175.3

    176.7

    176.5

    175.7

    2023

    176.5

    176.8

    177.2

    178.1

    179.1

    181.0

    186.3

    186.2

    184.1

    185.3

    186.3

    185.7

    2024

    185.5

    185.8

    185.8

    186.7

    187.7

    190.2

    193.0

    193.0

    194.2

    196.8

    196.5

    195.4

    2025

    193.4

    192.5

    192.0*

    		                  

     

    Notes:

    1. * : Index Value for March 2025  is  Provisional.

     

    Annexure-VI

    Year

    Jan

    Feb

    Mar

    Apr

    May

    Jun

    Jul

    Aug

    Sep

    Oct

    Nov

    Dec

    2014

    8.60

    7.88

    8.25

    8.48

    8.33

    6.77

    7.39

    7.03

    5.63

    4.62

    3.27

    4.28

    2015

    5.19

    5.37

    5.25

    4.87

    5.01

    5.40

    3.69

    3.74

    4.41

    5.00

    5.41

    5.61

    2016

    5.69

    5.26

    4.83

    5.47

    5.76

    5.77

    6.07

    5.05

    4.39

    4.20

    3.63

    3.41

    2017

    3.17

    3.65

    3.89

    2.99

    2.18

    1.46

    2.36

    3.28

    3.28

    3.58

    4.88

    5.21

    2018

    5.07

    4.44

    4.28

    4.58

    4.87

    4.92

    4.17

    3.69

    3.70

    3.38

    2.33

    2.11

    2019

    1.97

    2.57

    2.86

    2.99

    3.05

    3.18

    3.15

    3.28

    3.99

    4.62

    5.54

    7.35

    2020

    7.59

    6.58

    5.84

    –

    –

    6.23

    6.73

    6.69

    7.27

    7.61

    6.93

    4.59

    2021

    4.06

    5.03

    5.52

    4.23

    6.30

    6.26

    5.59

    5.30

    4.35

    4.48

    4.91

    5.66

    2022

    6.01

    6.07

    6.95

    7.79

    7.04

    7.01

    6.71

    7.00

    7.41

    6.77

    5.88

    5.72

    2023

    6.52

    6.44

    5.66

    4.70

    4.31

    4.87

    7.44

    6.83

    5.02

    4.87

    5.55

    5.69

    2024

    5.10

    5.09

    4.85

    4.83

    4.80

    5.08

    3.60

    3.65

    5.49

    6.21

    5.48

    5.22

    2025

    4.26

    3.61

    3.34*

    		                  

     

    Notes:

    1. * : Inflation Value for March  2025  is Provisional.
    2. – : Inflation was not compiled and released due to Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. 

    Click here to see PDF.

    ****

    Samrat

    (Release ID: 2121843)

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Malaga Financial Corporation Reports Strong First Quarter Earnings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Malaga Financial Corporation “Company” (OTCPink:MLGF), the parent company of Malaga Bank FSB, today reported that net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 was $5,404,000 ($0.57 basic and fully diluted earnings per share), a decrease of $608,000 or 10% from net income of $6,012,000 ($0.64 basic and fully diluted earnings per share, as adjusted for the stock dividend declared on November 15, 2024) for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. For the first quarter of 2025, the Company’s annualized return on average equity was 10.16% and the annualized return on average assets was 1.55%, as compared to 12.06% and 1.64%, respectively, for the same period in 2024.

    The Company did not have any delinquent loans or foreclosed real estate owned at March 31, 2025. The Company’s allowance for credit losses was $3,730,000, or 0.30% of total loans, at March 31, 2025.

    Net interest income totaled $11,129,000 in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of $44,000 or 0.39% from the first quarter of 2024. This decrease is due to an overall decrease in average-interest earning assets of $76.4 million offset by an increase of 0.12% in the interest spread to 2.98%. The increase in interest spread is primarily attributable to a 0.12% increase in yield on average interest-earning assets as the average cost of funds was unchanged.

    In the first quarter of 2025, the Company recorded $13,000 in expenses (net of tax) related to the Employment Retention Credit (ERC) versus $494,000 in income (net of tax) in the first quarter of 2024. The ERC is a credit against certain employment taxes for eligible employers based on certain wages paid after March 12, 2020, through September 30, 2021. The Company qualified for the ERC based on the partial suspension of our business due to government orders related to Covid-19 pandemic.

    In the first quarter of 2025, operating expenses increased 3% to $3,692,000 from $3,581,000 in the first quarter of 2024. The increase is primarily attributed to increases in compensation of $55,000, and general and administrative expenses of $53,000.

    Randy C. Bowers, Chairman, President and CEO, commented, “First quarter 2025 presented continued volatility with increasing uncertainty in both economic markets and the political environment. We are generally pleased with our results for the period and note the year-over-year impact of the 2024 ERC credit. Credit quality remains excellent, net interest spread has improved and expenses are well controlled. We anticipate the rest of the year to be challenging and are preparing to address changes as they become apparent. We appreciate the efforts of our colleagues and loyalty of our shareholders as we continue to adapt in this difficult environment.”

    Malaga’s total assets decreased to $1.381 billion at March 31, 2025, compared to $1.456 billion at March 31, 2024. The loan portfolio at March 31, 2025, was $1.226 billion, a decrease of $37 million or 3% from March 31, 2024. Malaga originates loans principally for its own portfolio and not for sale.

    Malaga funds its assets with a mix of retail deposits, wholesale deposits and FHLB borrowings. Retail deposits totaled $714 million as of March 31, 2025, a $36 million decrease from $750 million at March 31, 2024. Much of this outflow was a result of depositors seeking higher returns in alternative investments. Wholesale deposits, comprised mainly of State of California certificates of deposit and longer-term brokered deposits, totaled $226 million as of March 31, 2025, a $57 million increase from $169 million at March 31, 2024. FHLB borrowings decreased $110 million or 35% from $310 million at March 31, 2024, to $200 million at March 31, 2025. Malaga Bank utilizes FHLB borrowings and longer-term wholesale deposits as a tool to manage interest rate risk associated with growth of the loan portfolio.

    As of March 31, 2025, Malaga Bank was in compliance with all applicable regulatory capital requirements and was deemed “well-capitalized” under applicable regulations. Core capital and risk-based capital ratios were 16.21% and 28.63%, respectively, at March 31, 2025, significantly exceeding the minimum “well-capitalized” requirements of 5% and 10%, respectively.

    Malaga Bank, a subsidiary of Malaga Financial Corporation, is a full-service community bank headquartered on the Palos Verdes Peninsula with six offices located in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. For over fifteen years Malaga Bank has been consistently recommended by one of the nation’s leading independent bank rating and research firms, Bauer Financial Inc. Malaga Bank was awarded Bauer’s premier Top 5-Star rating for the 69th consecutive quarter as of December 2024. Since 1985, Malaga Bank has been delivering competitive banking services to residents and businesses of the South Bay, including real estate loan products custom-tailored to consumers and investors. As the largest community bank in the South Bay, Malaga is proud of its continuing tradition of relationship-based banking and legendary customer service. The Bank’s web site is located at www.malagabank.com.

    Contact: Randy Bowers
      Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer               
      Malaga Financial Corporation
      310-375-9000
      rbowers@malagabank.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Des Moines food pantries face spiking demand as the Iowa region’s SNAP enrollment declines

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lendie R. Follett, Associate Professor of Business Analytics, Drake University

    A volunteer loads food into a bag at the Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantry in 2020. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    As part of its drive to cut federal spending, the Trump administration has paused over US$500 million of funds that had previously flowed annually to food banks across the U.S. It’s not the only policy change that could make it harder than it already is for many Americans to get enough to eat.

    I’m a professor of statistics who finds hidden patterns in data related to food insecurity in Iowa. I also serve on the board of directors of Iowa’s largest network of food pantries.

    Food pantries in Iowa have seen demand for their assistance soar in recent years. At the same time, fewer Iowans have been enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, through which low-income Americans get money from the government to buy groceries.

    Hunger in the breadbasket of the world

    It may seem illogical that anyone in Iowa would need help obtaining food.

    Known as the “breadbasket of the world,” my state plays a crucial role in food production as a top supplier of grain, meats and eggs to both domestic and international markets.

    For example, in 2023, Iowa led the nation in corn production, harvesting over 2.5 billion bushels. It’s also the top producer of eggs, supplying more than 13 billion eggs per year.

    Despite this agricultural abundance, food insecurity – not being able to maintain an adequate diet – is a pressing issue. In 2022, an estimated 1 in 9 Iowans were hungry. This rate was even higher among children: 1 in 6.

    Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry worker Patrick Minor looks over a cooler full of ground pork packages during a pantry stop in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2020.
    AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    Food pantries struggle to keep up

    Many food-insecure families turn to food pantries to fill their refrigerators and cupboards.

    The Des Moines Area Religious Council operates 14 food pantries in the Polk County area. This network of food pantries has been seeing record-breaking demand. It provided food to more than 70,000 people in 2024, up from 59,000 a year earlier.

    About 35% of the people it supports are children. This rate has been increasing since government phased out COVID-19 pandemic-era programs, such as the Child Tax Credit expansion and summer EBT, a federal nutrition program that helped low-income families feed their kids when schools were closed.

    Some 19% of food pantry clients in the Des Moines region are unemployed adults, only 8% are people who are 65 and up, and 38% are adults who are either working or have disabilities.

    Scaling back benefits in 2022

    Early in the pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded SNAP by providing everyone enrolled in the program with the maximum amount of benefits for which they were eligible based on the number of people in their family, regardless of their income. Normally, only 37% of the people who get SNAP benefits get the maximum amount. For 2025, for example, a family of three can get up to $768 a month through the program.

    In March 2022, Iowa became one of the first states to end this policy, creating a natural experiment of sorts at a time when food prices were rising quickly.

    As you might expect, the number of clients visiting food pantries surged once that policy changed. This trend continued throughout 2024, with many months of record-breaking demand at the state’s food pantries.

    Hunger is up, SNAP enrollment is down

    While most food pantry visitors in Polk County qualify for at least some SNAP benefits, only around 1 in 3 are enrolled in the program today, down from 44% in 2020.

    This decline in SNAP enrollment is placing more pressure on the food pantries trying to make up the difference.

    Low SNAP enrollment rates can be partly explained by low benefit amounts, which is all that some eligible individuals and families qualify for.

    Recent laws have made it more difficult for families to be eligible to receive benefits. In 2023, Iowa introduced a state-specific asset test, which limits the total assets of all members of a family to $15,000 in order to maintain eligibility. This test includes the value of boats, vacation homes and savings accounts. It also includes a second vehicle used for household transportation purposes, but not a family’s primary residence.

    Another consideration is time management, especially in light of the additional administrative hurdles.

    “The time it is taking these working households to get and maintain their SNAP benefits is significantly more time and effort than simply visiting a local food pantry,” said Matt Unger, Des Moines Area Religious Council’s CEO. “Here in Iowa, we are facing nearly a 17-year low in SNAP enrollment while food banks and food pantries across the state are breaking records every month. Something just doesn’t add up.”

    Congress is currently deciding whether to cut SNAP spending. If lawmakers do that, benefits will decline, increasing the strain on food pantries in Iowa and everywhere else across the country.

    Lendie R. Follett is affiliated with the Des Moines Area Religious Council. She currently serves on the board of directors.

    – ref. Des Moines food pantries face spiking demand as the Iowa region’s SNAP enrollment declines – https://theconversation.com/des-moines-food-pantries-face-spiking-demand-as-the-iowa-regions-snap-enrollment-declines-252351

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Building contractor sentenced for £50,000 Covid loan fraud

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Building contractor sentenced for £50,000 Covid loan fraud

    Florin-Petrica Bodale, who was a sole trader operating as a building contractor, exaggerated his turnover to obtain the maximum Bounce Back Loan.

    • Florin-Petrica Bodale was a building contractor and sole trader, operating in Harrow.  

    • He claimed his business had a turnover of more than £200,000 to claim the maximum Covid Bounce Back loan.  

    • He was sentenced to 13-months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, following a hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court.  

    A building contractor who fraudulently claimed a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back loan has received a 13-month suspended sentence.  

    Florin-Petrica Bodale operated as a building contractor offering plumbing, heating and air-conditioning installation and was based in Harrow, London.  

    In November 2020, the 34-year-old successfully applied to a bank for a Covid Bounce Back loan of £50,000.  

    But an Insolvency Service investigation found that he had falsely claimed the company’s turnover was £240,000 to receive the maximum loan available.  

    In reality, the turnover of the company was around £22,000 – meaning he was only entitled to £5,500. 

    On 10 April 2025, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Bodale was sentenced to 13-months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, for one count of fraud by false representation.   

    He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.  

    Insolvency Service Chief Investigator David Snasdell said: 

    Florin-Petrica Bodale falsely claimed a much higher turnover for his business and the reality of this is a notable sentence on top of his earlier disqualification as a director.  

    These loans were intended to help keep small businesses afloat, not to take money from the public purse that businesses were not entitled to. 

    We will continue in our efforts to bring those who abuse this scheme to justice.

    In 2022, before the criminal investigation, Bodale signed a ten-year bankruptcy restriction undertaking which also included a ten-year director disqualification following a civil investigation by the Insolvency Service. 

    The court noted that he had repaid some money as part of the bankruptcy process. 

    Measures were introduced during 2020 to support businesses affected by COVID-19 such as loans, grants and tax allowances. The Bounce Back loan scheme helped small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, at a low interest rate, guaranteed by the Government. 

    The Bounce Back loans were made on the condition that they were not to be used for personal purposes, but could be used, for example, to purchase a company asset such as a vehicle, if it would provide an economic benefit to the business. 

    Further information:  

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Preventive care may no longer be free in 2026 because of HIV stigma − unless the Trump administration successfully defends the ACA

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kristefer Stojanovski, Assistant Professor of Social, Behavioral and Population Sciences, Tulane University

    Americans may lose free coverage for cancer and blood pressure screenings, HIV prevention medication and other essential services. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

    Many Americans were relieved when the Supreme Court left the Affordable Care Act in place following the law’s third major legal challenge in June 2021. This decision permitted widely supported policies to continue, such as ensuring health coverage regardless of preexisting conditions, allowing coverage for dependents up to age 26 on their parents’ plan, and removing annual and lifetime benefit limits.

    But millions are still at risk of losing access to lifesaving medicine and preventive services, following the Supreme Court’s decision to hear another case – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. v. Braidwood – that has been working its way through lower courts for several years.

    Interestingly, the Trump administration has chosen to build upon the same argument the Biden administration used to defend the law.

    HIV stigma and preventive care

    The case the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear in April 2025 was filed by Braidwood Management, a Christian for-profit corporation owned by Steven Hotze, a Texas physician and Republican activist who has previously filed multiple lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act.

    Braidwood and its co-plaintiffs, a group of conservative Christian employers, objected to providing their 70 employees free access to preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that prevents HIV infection. Hotze claimed that PrEP “facilitates and encourages homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman,” without citing scientific evidence to support this. He and his plaintiffs argue that religious beliefs prevent them from providing PrEP under their insurance plans.

    The AIDS epidemic has been claiming lives for decades.

    Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s, the disease has been politicized and stigmatized. Because it had predominantly affected men who had sex with men, AIDS was initially called gay-related immune deficiency, making people reluctant to be associated with the disease. It was only after a teenage boy from Indiana named Ryan White contracted HIV from a blood transfusion to treat his hemophilia, along with public statements from high-profile celebrities such as Arthur Ashe and Magic Johnson about their HIV status, that social attitudes began to shift with more education about AIDS.

    Yet, the same stigma is still at play in the Braidwood case and other recent policy decisions. In 2023, for example, Tennessee officials declined US$9 million in federal funding for HIV prevention. Those federal funds focused on groups most affected by HIV, including men who have sex with men, heterosexual Black women and people who inject drugs.

    Tennessee has since transitioned to using state dollars for HIV prevention, with a focus on first responders, pregnant women and sex trafficking survivors, groups that aren’t major at-risk populations. Researchers have found that this pivot will be a less efficient use of funds, costing $1 million per life-year saved versus $68,600 when focusing on the most at-risk populations.

    Preventive care and the Affordable Care Act

    The ongoing stigma and politicization of HIV/AIDS may not only hamper the national goal of ending the HIV epidemic but also lead to less or no preventive care for many people.

    Section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to offer full coverage of preventive services endorsed by one of three federal groups: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the Health Resources and Services Administration. For example, the CARES Act, which allocated emergency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, used this provision to ensure COVID-19 vaccines would be free for many Americans.

    For a preventive service to be covered by this provision, it requires an A or B rating from the Preventive Services Task Force, an independent body of experts trained in research methods, statistics and medicine that evaluates the rigor and quality of available scientific evidence, with support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Vaccinations require a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while women’s health services require approval from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

    PrEP received an A rating in June 2019, given its near 100% effectiveness. This paved the way for it to be covered at no cost for millions of people.

    PrEP is a key tool to helping the U.S. reach its goal of substantially reducing new HIV infections by 2030.
    AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

    Over 150 million Americans with private health insurance are able to benefit from free preventive care through the Affordable Care Act, with around 60% using at least one free preventive service each year.

    The consequences of losing these benefits would likely be an increase in the number of people getting and dying from preventable diseases. Raising the cost barrier for PrEP, for example, would disproportionately harm younger patients, people of color and those with lower incomes. It will also increase the cost of HIV prevention.

    As public health researchers who study sexual health and health insurance, we believe that prevention and health equity in the U.S. stand to take a big step backward, depending on the outcome of the Braidwood case.

    Future of preventive care lies with Supreme Court

    The most recent ruling in Braidwood – made by a lower court in 2023 – focuses on the appointments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which specifies that certain governmental positions require presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, while other positions have a lower bar.

    District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that because the Preventive Services Task Force is an independent volunteer panel and not made up of officers of the U.S. government, it does not have appropriate authority to make decisions about what preventive care should be free, unlike the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or Health Resources and Services Administration. O’Connor also ruled that being forced to cover PrEP violated the religious freedom of the plaintiffs.

    O’Connor invalidated all of the task force’s recommendations since the Affordable Care Act was passed in March 2010, returning the power to insurers and employers to decide which, if any, preventive care would remain free to their patients. A few of the recommendations affected by his ruling besides PrEP include blood pressure, diabetes, lung and skin cancer screenings, along with medications to lower cholesterol and reduce breast cancer risk.

    The Trump administration filed a brief continuing the argument from the Biden administration that because the Preventive Services Task Force is overseen by the secretary of Health and Human Services, there is appropriate oversight of the task force and its decision-making by a Senate-confirmed officer. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for April 21, 2025.

    The Affordable Care Act has faced many legal challenges over the years.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    Insurance contracts are typically defined by calendar year, so if the Supreme Court rules against the government, people would likely see changes starting in 2026. Importantly, these services will likely still need to be covered by health insurance plans as essential health benefits through a separate provision of the ACA − they just won’t be free anymore.

    There were concerns that the Supreme Court could take the ruling even further, endangering the free coverage of contraception and other preventive care that wasn’t covered by the lower court ruling. The Trump administration’s support for the case may make this less likely by leaning into the authority of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary to support or override recommendations made by the Preventive Services Task Force and the other bodies.

    However, this could also mean the secretary of HHS can more directly control the task force’s recommendations, potentially determining whether PrEP, contraception and other services are available at no cost to patients. Building more political authority into the process − as well as partisan differences in support for LGBTQ+ health − belies the original intent of having nonpartisan medical experts make decisions about preventive care coverage. Legal experts we have spoken to caution that this approach may be more about preserving powers for the executive branch rather than actually protecting preventive care.

    All of this is happening in the context of massive layoffs at HHS. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which supports the Preventive Services Task Force, was not spared from the recent cuts. It is unclear how all of this will affect the task force’s ability to continue its work, separate from the outcome of Braidwood.

    One way or another, the end to this yearslong case is nearing, with important implications for America’s ability to reach its goals in fighting cancer, diabetes and the HIV epidemic.

    Portions of this article originally appeared in previous articles published on Sept. 7, 2021, Dec. 1, 2021, Sept. 13, 2022, and April 7, 2023.

    Paul Shafer receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

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

    – ref. Preventive care may no longer be free in 2026 because of HIV stigma − unless the Trump administration successfully defends the ACA – https://theconversation.com/preventive-care-may-no-longer-be-free-in-2026-because-of-hiv-stigma-unless-the-trump-administration-successfully-defends-the-aca-250011

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sussex cafe owner took £150,000 in Covid funds for dormant companies

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Sussex cafe owner took £150,000 in Covid funds for dormant companies

    He also attempted to strike-off one of the companies to avoid repaying the loan

    • Mehmet Akyuz fraudulently applied for three Bounce Back Loans for his organic food shop and cafe and leather import business 

    • Akyuz secured £150,000 in funds when both companies were dormant and not trading 

    • He was sentenced for fraud by false representation following Insolvency Service investigations

    A Sussex cafe owner who took £150,000 in Covid support funds for two companies which were not trading at the start of the pandemic has been sentenced. 

    Mehmet Akyuz, 36, fraudulently obtained three maximum-value Bounce Back Loans worth £50,000 each in 2020 for his Green and Hove Limited and Leathers Wear Limited companies. 

    Both Green and Hove, trading as Organic Earth Cafe, and Leathers Wear, were dormant at the time of Akyuz’s applications. 

    Akyuz, of Conway Street, Brighton and Hove, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, when he appeared at Hove Crown Court on Monday 14 April. 

    He was also disqualified as a company director for five years and ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.

    David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

    Mehmet Akyuz’s actions in fraudulently applying for three Bounce Back Loans he was not entitled to were completely unacceptable. 

    This was taxpayers’ money designed to support small businesses through the pandemic and should not have been exploited in such a cynical manner. 

    The Insolvency Service remains committed to investigating these cases and bringing fraudsters such as Akyuz to justice.

    Green and Hove and Leathers Wear were incorporated in February and March 2019 with Akyuz as the sole director. The former was a retail food and grocery store with a cafe attached while the latter was described by Akyuz as an importer of leather goods such as bags and belts. 

    However, neither was trading at the time Akyuz made the fraudulent applications to the banks in the summer and autumn of 2020. 

    Akyuz fraudulently applied for the £50,000 loan on behalf of Green and Hove in August 2020, claiming the company’s turnover was £270,000. 

    This declaration was untrue, as Insolvency Service investigations found that the company filed dormant accounts in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

    Between September 2020 and January 2021, more than £36,000 of the loan was transferred directly to Akyuz. The remainder of the money was paid out in miscellaneous, one-off payments. 

    Akyuz committed further fraudulent offences in October 2020, when he applied to two separate banks for £50,000 Bounce Back Loans on behalf of Leathers Wear. 

    In the applications, Akyuz falsely declared that the company had a turnover of £215,000 and £225,000. 

    However, Leathers Wear also filed dormant accounts in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and was not trading when the application was made. 

    The funds were again transferred into Akyuz’s personal account and not used for business purposes. 

    Akyuz unsuccessfully applied to have Leathers Wear struck-off the Companies House register in June 2022 in an attempt to avoid repaying the loan. 

    The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

    Further information

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –