Category: DJF

MIL-OSI USA: What You Need to Know About the End of LIBOR – Investor Bulletin

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

You may have recently read in the financial press about the phase-out of LIBOR. You may be affected by the transition away from LIBOR if you hold securities, financial instruments or financial products that have exposure to LIBOR. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) wants to help you understand how the transition away from LIBOR could impact your investments and financial situation, and where you can go for additional information.

What’s LIBOR?

U.S.-dollar LIBOR is a benchmark interest rate set by input from a panel of banks. It has been used to set the interest rate in floating rate, adjustable rate or variable rate instruments or loans, in which the interest rate periodically resets (such as every three months or every year) over the life of the instrument or loan. LIBOR was used once in over $200 trillion of financial instruments, ranging from sophisticated financial and investment derivatives to bonds, bank loans and consumer products, like adjustable rate mortgages and student loans.

Replacing LIBOR

In recent years, however, U.S.-dollar LIBOR is being phased out in response to concerns that the benchmark was being manipulated. The publication for one-week and two-month U.S.-dollar LIBOR ceased at the end of 2021. The remaining tenors of U.S.-dollar LIBOR are scheduled to cease publication after June 30, 2023.

The end of LIBOR has precipitated the need for an alternative benchmark rate. In March 2022, Congress enacted the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act. This Act provides a process and protections for transitioning to an alternative rate in contracts with terms that do not provide for a clear transition. The Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule in December 2022 implementing the LIBOR Act and specified benchmarks based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) as the replacement rates.

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities. It is based on observable transactions in the repurchase market. The Alternative Reference Rate Committee (ARRC), an industry-led group in which the SEC and other departments and agencies of the U.S. government participate, recommended SOFR as the LIBOR replacement rate.

What do I need to know?

Some investments you own, such as mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds, business development companies (BDCs), municipal and corporate bonds, and individual stocks, may either be LIBOR-based financial instruments or have exposure to such instruments.

For instruments that are subject to the LIBOR Act, the replacement rate will be a SOFR-based rate. Other LIBOR-based financial instruments that already provide for a clear transition from LIBOR may have other non-SOFR-designated replacement rates, such as the U.S. prime rate.

Synthetic U.S.-dollar LIBOR. The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, LIBOR’s regulator, recently required the continued publishing of “synthetic” U.S.-dollar LIBOR for a period of 15 months after June 30, 2023 for use in certain cases to aid in the transition.

How may I be affected?

You may be affected by the transition away from LIBOR if you hold securities, financial instruments or financial products that have exposure to LIBOR.

Municipal, corporate and FHLB bonds. If you are directly invested in a variable or floating rate municipal, corporate or FHLB bond that relies on LIBOR as a component for the periodic variable rate adjustment, then the cessation of LIBOR will have direct implications for you. Review any disclosures provided by the issuer of the bond. You can utilize our EDGAR database to review disclosures by issuers of corporate bonds. For municipal bonds, you may access information at the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) website. You can find offering disclosure regarding FHLB bonds on their website. In addition, it may be worthwhile to have a discussion with your broker or investment adviser about your specific exposure and how the LIBOR transition may affect your specific bond holdings.

Individual stocks. Many companies use sophisticated financial and investment instruments and derivatives as a means to manage the company’s financial situation and risk profile. Many of these instruments and derivatives may incorporate a variable interest rate based on LIBOR.

To further understand how a company may be affected by the LIBOR transition, you may review the company’s periodic disclosure in our EDGAR database. Companies that have material risk exposure to the LIBOR transition should discuss such risks in their annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. A search for the term “LIBOR” in the document can be a quick way to find the relevant discussions. The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has encouraged public companies and asset-backed securities issuers to keep investors informed about the progress toward risk identification and mitigation, and the anticipated impact on the company, if material, and expects disclosures to evolve as companies provide updates to reflect transition efforts and the broader market and regulatory landscape.

Asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities are securities whose income payments come from a pool of specific debt obligations, such as mortgages, credit card obligations or car loans. Mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae are types of asset-backed securities. New LIBOR-based securities are no longer being issued by these entities, except for certain re-securitizations, which will cease on June 30, 2023. If you invest in asset-backed securities, then you may want to have a conversation with your broker or investment adviser about how the LIBOR transition may affect your specific holdings of asset-backed securities. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also prepared frequently asked questions relating to the LIBOR transition that you may want to review.

Mutual funds and ETFs. Mutual funds and ETFs that you own may have invested in individual stocks, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, bank loans and/or securitizations that have risks related to the LIBOR transition. You along with your broker or investment adviser may want to assess the nature and character of the mutual funds and ETFs you are invested in to determine how much exposure to LIBOR transition risk you have. Certain types of a mutual funds or ETFs may merit closer review, particularly those investing in companies in the real estate, banking, or insurance industries or specific municipal and corporate bonds, including floating rate debt, and bank loans.

You can review a fund’s principal strategies and risk disclosure in its prospectus. The SEC’s Division of Investment Management has encouraged funds affected by the LIBOR transition to provide investors with tailored risk disclosures that specifically describe the impact of the transition on their holdings.

Adjustable rate mortgages. Many adjustable rate mortgages—a mortgage where the interest rate adjusts to the then prevailing market rate after a period of time—are tied to LIBOR as the reference rate. In 2016, there was an estimated $1.2 trillion in residential mortgages with an interest rate based on LIBOR.

If you have an adjustable rate mortgage based on LIBOR, consider consulting with your lender or loan servicer or read the documentation to understand how you may be affected by the LIBOR transition. Read this blog from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for more information.

Student loans. Similar to adjustable rate mortgages, student loans can have variable rates based on LIBOR. If you have a variable rate student loan, consult with your lender or loan servicer or read the documentation to understand how you may be affected by the LIBOR transition. If you are planning on obtaining a new student loan or refinancing an existing one, consider the LIBOR transition in your decision making.

Other consumer products. Other consumer credit products such as credit cards, auto loans and personal loans and lines of credit can also have variable rates based on LIBOR. You should review the financial products that you hold, particularly those that operate with a variable interest rate, in light of the LIBOR transition.

Additional Resources

To learn how the SEC is addressing the LIBOR transition, see the Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition, the Office of Municipal Securities Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition In The Municipal Securities Market, and the Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition—Key Considerations for Market Participants.

To learn more about adjustable rate mortgages, see the CFPB’s Consumer Handbook on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (CHARM) booklet.

For additional investor educational information, see the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov.

Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at Help@SEC.gov.

Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA email or RSS feed. Follow OIEA on Twitter. Like OIEA on Facebook.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Khanna, Lawmakers Urge Biden Administration to Develop Strong Guardrails for Carbon Sequestration Tax Credit

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
September 23, 2024
“The absence of robust requirements has severely hindered the effectiveness of 45Q.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Angus King (I-Maine), along with Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), wrote to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging the agencies to develop strong guardrails for the 45Q tax credit, which is designed to encourage carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects.
The 45Q credit was initially designed to incentivize investment in CCS and emission reductions. However, the credit has been primarily used to “increase oil production from aging wells, canceling out most of the emissions reduction benefit.” In 2022, Congress expanded the tax credit through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), allowing more companies to claim the credit and receive more money per ton of carbon captured. The IRS is expected to release updated guidelines about the tax credit later this year, and the Department of Treasury has estimated that the 45Q tax credit could cost taxpayers up to $30.3 billion over the next ten years.
In 2020, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that between 2010 and 2019, 87% of tax credit claims, worth almost $900 million dollars, were awarded to taxpayers who did not meet the EPA’s verification requirements. Currently, IRS examiners are not required to coordinate with EPA personnel to confirm the amount of carbon sequestered by companies claiming the credit, even allowing self-certification in some instances.
The lawmakers make three recommendations for the tax credit to be effective. First, the IRS should require independent, third-party verification of carbon sequestration. Second, the IRS and the EPA must coordinate effectively through a memorandum of understanding to more effectively share basic data about the credit’s implementation. Third, the IRS should require stricter record-keeping requirements and establish a 12-year recapture period, during which every company receiving the tax credit needs to maintain detailed records of their carbon sequestration amounts.
The following organizations endorsed the letter: Taxpayers for Common Sense, Evergreen Action, the Vessel Project, Port Arthur Community Action Network, Better Bayou, Healthy Gulf, Eco-Justice Collaborative, Science Roundtable on Carbon Capture and Storage, Food and Water Watch, Ohio River Valley Institute, Better Path Coalition, No False Solutions PA, Save Our Illinois Land, Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, Center for Coalfield Justice, Watchdogs of Beaver County, Clean Air Council and Environmental Health Project.
“We need an end to weak oversight and poor safeguards that could allow some of the richest companies in the world to take public money without delivering the real, measurable climate benefits the policy intended. The IRS must act decisively to ensure this tax credit is used only as a genuine tool for carbon reduction by implementing robust, enforceable guardrails. This is the administration’s chance to stop subsidizing climate pollution and ensure the credit has real oversight,” said Craig Segall, Senior Vice President, Evergreen Action.
“Senator Warren, Representative Khanna, and their Congressional colleagues are asking for what every taxpayer deserves – guardrails and transparency measures that ensure the 45Q tax credit is being used appropriately and effectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Autumn Hanna, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense. “To date the vast majority of the carbon capture tax credit has gone to companies pumping carbon into wells to get more oil. But the country can’t afford to give more unchecked subsidies to the oil and gas industry. With an estimated cost of more than $30 billion by 2033, we must take strong steps to avoid any chance of fraud or abuse.”
The lawmakers requested a briefing from the three agencies by October 4, 2024.
Senator Warren has long worked to protect taxpayer money and ensure strong implementation of climate policy:
In June 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill.) led a letter to the Federal Reserve Board (Fed), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), urging regulators to stop their obstruction of global financial regulators’ work to tackle climate-related financial risks. The lawmakers also called out the weaknesses revealed by the Fed’s 2023 “pilot scenario analysis” exploring six major banks’ resilience to climate-related financial risks.
In May 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) reintroduced the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would authorize the U.S. Department of Transportation to distribute $500 billion over ten years to electrify and modernize public vehicles and rail and build new electric transportation infrastructure across the country. The bill would also create 1 million new jobs, save $100 billion annually in health damages, and prevent 4,200 deaths per year from air pollution.
In April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), urged the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council, composed of the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to finalize the Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule as quickly as possible.
In March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), released a statement describing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) finalized climate risk disclosure rule as “the bare minimum.”
In September 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called on the Treasury Department to take key actions pertaining to climate and climate-related financial risk to avert the impending environmental and economic crises.
In September 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren urged Chair Gensler to quickly finalize a strong climate risk disclosure rule, reminding him that he has a mandate to protect investors and strong public support.
In March 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Representatives Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-M.D.) and 47 of their colleagues sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler, urging him to protect investors and finalize a strong climate disclosure rule without further delay.
In September 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren called on SEC Chair Gary Gensler to protect investors and stand up to fossil fuel lobbying by issuing a strong climate risk disclosure rule quickly.
In June 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a comment letter with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on the SEC’s mandatory climate disclosure rule, highlighting several areas for improvement and key elements that the SEC should preserve in its final rule, including strong Scope 3 emissions disclosure requirements.
In March 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a letter with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) urging the SEC to require disclosure of anti-climate lobbying activities in the Commission’s rule.
In May 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and then-Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.) introduced the Buy Green Act to use the enormous breadth of U.S. federal procurement to help fight the climate crisis, spur innovation, and boost demand for American-made clean energy products at home and in the rapidly-growing markets for green products abroad.
In May 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and then-Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.) introduced the National Institutes of Clean Energy Act of 2021, legislation that would invest $400 billion over the next ten years to establish and operate a new system of institutes at the Department of Energy dedicated to research and development (R&D) of advanced clean energy technologies.
In April 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021 which would reduce the chances of environmental and financial catastrophe by requiring public companies to disclose more information about their exposure to climate-related risks.
In March 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren unveiled the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act which would invest $500 billion over ten years in state, local, and tribal projects to jumpstart the transition to all electric public vehicles and rail and help modernize the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Van Hollen, Sherman Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Eliminate Corporate Insiders’ Unfair Advantage in Stock Sales

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen
September 23, 2024
Legislation closes 8-K trading gap, preventing executives from profiting before significant problems are disclosed to the SEC, public
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, have reintroduced the 8-K Trading Gap Act. This bicameral legislation prevents executives and other corporate insiders, including foreign issuers, from profiting off the gap between the occurrence of a significant event – such as bankruptcy or an acquisition – and its legally-mandated disclosure to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the general public. Under current law, companies have four days to file the 8-K disclosure form with the SEC, but they are not barred from trading in advance of the filing – giving them an unfair advantage. The 8-K Trading Gap Act would close this gap by requiring the SEC to write a rule to prohibit insiders from making trades during this four-day period.
“The 8-K trading gap gives corporate executives a major loophole to cash in on their stocks when major changes are about to hit – before shareholders and the public are made aware. With the 8-K trading gap, insiders get a several-day head start to make lucrative financial moves prior to a major stock price-altering announcement. Our legislation will close this harmful loophole to prevent insiders from benefitting from this unfair advantage while ensuring a fairer market for the public,” said Senator Van Hollen.
“The integrity of our capital markets rely on transparency and equal access to information and trading opportunities for all market participants,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, investor protection is at the forefront of my priorities. Our capital markets remain the envy of the world because Congress passed laws to make them transparent and fair. This bill is a vital step toward safeguarding our markets and ensuring that everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
This legislation has been endorsed by the Healthy Markets Association.
The text of the bill is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for bids: Promoting sustainable mining in Peru
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

The British Embassy in Lima is seeking bids for a practical action research project that will build insights to push forward mining and human rights in Peru.
The British Embassy in Lima is seeking bids for a practical action research project that will build insights on how to push forward mining and human rights in Peru. Results from the project should inform partner interventions and policymaking and strengthen the UK’s reputation as an ally to sustainable growth in Peru.

1.       Background

The UK is a global promoter of responsible business practices: it aims to ensure that companies abide by human rights standards in all their activities, as it benefits business and communities, and contributes to the goal of building democratic societies and sustainable development. The UK was the first country to produce a National Action Plan based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and is a member of a cross-government Working Group on Business and Human Rights. As such, the FCDO supports countries in adhering to the UNGPs and other voluntary commitments.

Globally, the past years have seen an explosion of mandatory and voluntary regulation regarding responsible business practices, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the ILO’s Tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy. Similarly, the OECD has adopted Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and a Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.

These regulations play a role in Peru’s business ecosystem. During a 2017 visit by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the government committed to creating a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. The final 2021-2025 Plan was published in June 2021 -the second in the region- after multistakeholder consultations. While it is currently in its implementation phase, the Mesa Multiactor has had limited activity. In 2020, the OECD recommended that Peru effectively implement existing laws and policies regarding responsible business practices. Further, CSOs have proposed a bill that would regulate human rights due diligence.

In this context, a critical area of impact for business and human rights is Peru’s mining sector. Mining activity concentrates significant, long-term foreign investment, and is increasingly affected by human rights standards. Despite continued efforts from mining companies, in an environment that is still adapting to responsible mining practices it remains difficult to mitigate the negative externalities of business operations and reduce barriers. These difficulties are compounded by the growth of illegal and informal mining, which represents a significant portion of resource extraction.

Across the region, valuable efforts have been made to map existing National Action Plans, policies, legislation, and best practices (see, for example, Danish Institute of Human Rights, 2019; KAS, 2023; UNHCHR, 2022; Global NAPS; SNMPE, 2023). However, there is space to move research into action to ensure the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, UN Guiding Principles and similar voluntary documents become a reality. As such, the British Embassy would like to support an action research project that would push forward mining and human rights in Peru. This falls in line with Priority Theme 3 (Business and Human Rights) of our country Human Rights and Gender Equality Strategy 2023-2025.

2.       Objective and scope of work

The objective of the work is to support the UK’s commitment to sustainable growth and human rights in Peru. Projects should adopt a practical action research approach, with clear research and programmatic components. Successful bidders will demonstrate a creative, impactful approach to ensure that voluntary standards in business and human rights are clear for Peruvian stakeholders and move the field forward towards effective implementation.

Bids should look to demonstrate their ability to deliver a project that includes:

a) Research and analysis.

A comprehensive assessment of the current state of formal and informal mining and human rights in Peru, referencing existing national and international voluntary. commitments, with emphasis on OECD guidelines.

Map the existing mining and human rights ecosystem in Peru, with emphasis on barriers and facilitators action. Proposals that include informal mining in their mapping will be especially welcome.

b) Technical assistance

Provide technical assistance to relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to government agencies, mining companies and civil society organizations, to support the implementation of voluntary commitments on business and human rights.

Monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of technical assistance.

3.       Project Budget

Project proposals of up to £60,000 = S/274,800 / $72,000. We are looking for projects that can begin in October 2024 and be completed by March 2025. Implementers should spend 100% of their allocation by March 2025.

4.       Assessment

Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

strategic fit – alignment with stated objectives and scope of work expected.

project viability – including a realistic description of methodology and activities to deliver the outcome and deliverables (outputs) within the project duration and sustainability after the project ends.

stakeholder management – including the capacity of the implementing organisation to engage with key stakeholders, including diverse business, government and civil society stakeholders present in Peru, and involve local/international expertise to deliver expected outcomes.

project design – including clear achievable objectives and outputs

value for money

risk management

experience and understanding of the current mining and human rights context in Peru.

5.       How to Bid

Please complete the attached “Project Proposal Form” and “Activity Based Budget” using the guidance provided.

Completed forms should be sent in standard document and spreadsheet formats in English or Spanish to BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk by 11:59pm September 26, with “Call for bids Mining and Human Rights” in the subject line of your email.

Bids submitted after this date will not be considered. Bids can be submitted at any time up to the indicated deadline.

Bidders will be notified via email of the outcome of assessments in early October. Due to the volume of bids expected, we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.

Organisations can submit up to a maximum of 2 proposals; bids for projects that include engagement with stakeholders outside of Lima are particularly welcome.

Please also familiarise yourself at an early stage with the standard ‘Grant Agreement Template’ attached.

What to Include in the Bid Form?

Overview of project or activity.

How it fits with the UK’s approach to the relevant priority; and why the UK should fund the project or activity.

How the project or activity will create an impact and lead to change.

Rationale– including why the project or activity should take place now.

Where relevant, evidence of support from Peruvian government actors for the project or activity and that it complements their own strategy.

Information about how the impact will be sustained after the project or activity has been completed.

Proposals must be submitted on the authorised forms and include an activity-based budget (ABB) in soles/US dollars. Value for money is an important selection criterion and if you do not submit a detailed ABB then your proposal will not be considered.

6.       Key documents

Proposal Form for Activities / Projects between £10,000 and £80,000 Template_Project_Proposal (ODT, 77.5 KB)

Activity Based Budget (ABB) Template_Activity Based Budget Template (ODS, 10.2 KB)

Value for money and budgeting guidance Value for money and budgeting guidance (ODT, 13.8 KB)

Model Grant Agreement Template_Accountable Grant Low Value Arrangement (ODT, 94.5 KB)

7.       Contacts

Please contact BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk. with any questions or queries.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 23 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Sector St. Petersburg sets Port Condition X-Ray

Source: United States Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 09/23/2024 03:30 PM EDT

09/23/2024 03:02 PM EDT

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Sector St. Petersburg set Port Condition X-Ray for the ports of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Manatee, and Fort Myers, Monday, due to forecasted sustained gale force winds between 39 and 73 mph generated by Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine that may arrive within 48 hours.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: DHS Announces $279.9 million in Grant Funding for the Fiscal Year 2024 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

First-of-Its-Kind Cybersecurity Grant Program Enters Third Year

WASHINGTON- Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced the availability of $279.9 million in grant funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). Now in its third year, this program provides funding to state, local, and territorial (SLT) governments to help reduce cyber risk and build resilience against evolving cybersecurity threats. Established by the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, and part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the SLCGP provides approximately $1 billion in funding over four years to support SLT governments as they develop capabilities to detect, protect against, and respond to cyber threats.

“In the modern threat landscape, every community can – and too often does – face sophisticated cyberattacks on vital systems like hospitals, schools, and electrical grids,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The Department of Homeland Security’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program empowers key intergovernmental partners with the tools and support necessary to increase resilience and better secure critical infrastructure. Our message to communities everywhere is simple: do not underestimate the reach or ruthlessness of nefarious cyber actors. Through initiatives like the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program we can confront these threats together.”

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) jointly administer this program. CISA provides expertise and guidance on cybersecurity issues while FEMA manages the grant award and allocation process. Award recipients may use funding for a wide range of cybersecurity improvements and capabilities, including cybersecurity planning and exercising, hiring cyber personnel, and improving the services that citizens rely on daily.

“These cyber grants are an investment in the security of our nation’s infrastructure, helping to ensure that communities across the country have the tools they need to defend against cyberattacks,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “CISA is proud to offer the SLCGP, helping governments lay a solid foundation for building a sustainable and resilient cybersecurity program for the future.”

“FEMA is committed to helping our partners address and withstand cybersecurity threats to both infrastructure and systems,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Thanks to funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, state, local, tribal and territorial governments will be able to build their capacity to better protect themselves from evolving cyber threats.”

Eligible entities have from September 23 until Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 5 pm ET to apply for funds, via FEMA GO. For more information and helpful resources on the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, visit CISA’s webpage: cisa.gov/cybergrants.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Ricketts, Bera, Wittman Launch Bipartisan, Bicameral Quad Caucus Ahead of Quad Leaders Summit

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
September 20, 2024
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE)—members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee— joined U.S. Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06) and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) in launching the bipartisan Senate and House Quad Caucuses. This announcement comes ahead of this weekend’s Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, where President Biden will welcome heads of state from Australia, India and Japan. The Quad is committed to supporting the region’s development, stability and prosperity to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. The leaders’ ambitious efforts include major initiatives on infrastructure, maritime security, public-private partnership, climate, health, critical and emerging technologies and space.
“Over the years, the Quad has represented the United States’ steadfast commitment to the current and future prosperity, strength and stability of the Indo-Pacific region—and proof of our ability to come together with allies and partners to uphold our shared principles,” said Senator Duckworth. “In a strong display of bipartisan support for the region, I’m proud to help launch the Senate’s first-ever Quad Caucus alongside co-chair Senator Ricketts ahead of President Biden’s leaders’ summit this weekend. Together, we’re sending a strong message to our allies and partners—and our competitors—that the United States is here for the long haul.”
“Partnerships like the Quad are our greatest strength in protecting a prosperous, free and open Indo-Pacific against coercion and malign aggression The launch of the bipartisan Senate Quad Caucus should send a clear signal about the growing importance of the United States, Australia, Japan, and India working closely together in the region. We are committed to finding tangible ways to bolster collaboration with our Quad partners,” said Senator Ricketts.
“As the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly important to global security and economic prosperity, it is essential that the United States continues to strengthen relationships with our Quad partners,” said Congressman Bera. “The launch of the Quad Caucus underscores our shared commitment to fostering peace, stability, and development in the region. By promoting collaboration on key issues like maritime security, infrastructure, and climate, we can ensure a safer and more prosperous future for all.”
“Cooperation between the United States, Japan, India, and Australia is crucial for the future stability of the Indo-Pacific,” said Congressman Wittman. “The Quad’s support for the governance of emerging technologies, countering illegal fishing, and enhanced maritime domain awareness proves that we will build a better future for the region by working together. I am proud to join my colleagues to launch this bicameral, bipartisan Quad Caucus to foster stable collaboration for years to come.”
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Duckworth has been a leader in strengthening relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific. In July, Duckworth led an official Senate visit to Laos and Vietnam to reinforce America’s commitment to our partners in ASEAN and strengthen U.S.-ASEAN economic ties. In May, Duckworth led a bipartisan delegation to Singapore to participate in this year’s International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue, where she and other Senators reaffirmed our nation’s strong bipartisan commitment to our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific. Last year, Duckworth met with ASEAN leaders on an official Senate visit to Indonesia to reinforce U.S. partnership throughout the region and find opportunities to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as countering climate change, increasing energy security and ensuring regional stability and freedom of navigation.
-30-

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-Evening Report: The power of nostalgia: why it’s healthy for you to keep returning to your favourite TV series

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anjum Naweed, Professor of Human Factors, CQUniversity Australia

Janet Julie Vanatko/Shutterstock

How often do you find yourself hitting “play” on an old favourite, reliving the same TV episodes you’ve seen before – or even know by heart?

I’m a chronic re-watcher. Episodes of sitcoms like Blackadder (1983–89), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–21), Doc Martin (2004–22) and The Office US (2005–13) – a literal lifetime of TV favourites – are usually dependable in times of stress.

But recently, ahead of an exceptionally challenging deadline, I found myself switching up my viewing. Instead of the escapist comedy I normally return to, I switched to Breaking Bad (2008–13), a nail-biting thriller with a complex reverse hero narrative – and immediately felt at ease.

What do our re-viewing choices tell us about ourselves? And is it OK that we keep returning to old favourites?

Fictional stories, real relationships

Although one-sided, the relationships we form with characters in our favourite TV shows can feel very real. They can increase a sense of belonging, reduce loneliness – and keep pulling us back in.

When we rewatch, we feel sadness, wistful joy and longing, all at the same time. We call the sum of these contradictions nostalgia.

Originally coined in the 17th century to describe Swiss soldiers impaired by homesickness, psychologists now understand nostalgic reflection as a shield against anxiety and threat, promoting a sense of wellbeing.

We all rely on fiction to transport us from our own lives and realities. Nostalgia viewing extends the experience, taking us somewhere we already know and love.

Bingeing nostalgia

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a wave of nostalgia viewing.

In the United States, audience analyst Nielsen found the most streamed show of 2020 was the American version of The Office, seven years after it ended its television run. A Radio Times survey found 64% of respondents said they had rewatched a TV series during lockdown, with 43% watching nostalgic shows.

We were suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar situation and in a perpetual state of unease. We had more time on our hands, but also wanted to feel safe. Tuning into familiar content on television offered an escape – a sanctuary from the realities of futures unknown.

Revisiting connections with TV characters gave us a sense of control. We knew what lay in their futures, and the calm and predictability of their arcs balanced the uncertainty in ours.

Nostalgia as a plot point

Nostalgia has been in the DNA of television since some of the earliest programming decisions.

Every December, broadcasters scramble to screen one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ much-retold and family-friendly ghost story, which also features nostalgia as a plot device.

First screened on live TV in New York City in 1944, on the still-new technology, the broadcast continued a 100-year-old tradition of the classic appearing on stage and cinema screens.

Settling in around the telly for A Christmas Carol connects us to the holiday period and a heartwarming metamorphosis. Ebeneezer Scrooge revisits long-lost versions of himself and turns from villain to hero and our old friend in a single night.

For viewers, revisiting this character at the same time every year can also reconnect us with our past selves and create a predictable pattern, even in the frenzy of the silly season.

Real-world (re)connection

The neuroscience of nostalgic experiences is clear. Nostalgia arises when current sensory data – like what you watch on TV – matches past emotions and experiences.

It triggers a release of dopamine, a reward-system neurotransmitter involved in emotion and motivation. Encountering nostalgia is like autoloading and hitting play on past positive experiences, elevating desire and regulating mood.

So, nostalgia draws on experiences encoded in memory. The TV shows we choose to rewatch reflect our values, our tastes, and the phases of life we have gone through.

Perhaps this is a reason why reboots of our favourite shows sometimes fall flat, and ultimately set fans up for disappointment.

I still remember the crushing disillusion I felt while watching the reboot of Knight Rider (2008–09). I immediately turned to social media to find a community around my nostalgic setback

Stronger through stress

Going back to my challenging deadline, what was it about the nostalgic experience of watching Breaking Bad that made it different?

Breaking Bad evokes a particular phase in my life. I binged the first three seasons when writing up my PhD thesis. Walter White’s rise and fall journey towards redemption is enmeshed in the nostalgia of a difficult time I made it through.

The predictability of Walter White’s arc on second viewing was an unlikely haven. It’s escalating high-stakes drama mirrored my rising stress, while connecting me to who I was when I first enjoyed the show.

The result? “Dread mode” switched off – even as my anti-heroes marched again to their dire cinematic comeuppance. Reality, past and present, could be worse.

Anjum Naweed 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. The power of nostalgia: why it’s healthy for you to keep returning to your favourite TV series – https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-nostalgia-why-its-healthy-for-you-to-keep-returning-to-your-favourite-tv-series-237753

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Shenandoah Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Shenandoah man was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography.

According to public court documents, Evaristo Hernandez Flores Carnes, 34, uploaded images and videos containing child sex abuse material to a social media application. Law enforcement executed search warrant at Carnes’s residence and seized a cell phone that was later found to contain images and videos of child sex abuse material.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Carnes will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), DCI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Shenandoah Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigations.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken hosts a G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support

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

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

Transcript: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-italian-foreign-minister-antonio-tajani-and-ukrainian-foreign-minister-andrii-sybiha-at-a-g7-ministerial-meeting-on-ukraine-energy-sector-support/

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

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

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

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

State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/

#StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUQL0C0F1yg

MIL OSI Video –

September 29, 2024
MIL-Evening Report: In the rare event of a vaccine injury, Australians should be compensated
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wood, Professor, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney

PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

Vaccination is one of the most effective methods to protect individuals and the broader public from disease. Vaccines are typically given to healthy people to prevent disease, so the bar for safety is set high.

People benefit from vaccination at an individual level because they’re protected from disease. But for some vaccines, strong community uptake leads to “herd immunity”. This means people who are unable to be vaccinated can be protected by the “herd”.

As with any prescribed medicine, vaccines can cause side effects. In the rare case that COVID vaccines did cause a specified serious injury (the scheme listed certain conditions that a person could claim for), Australians have been able to claim compensation. But this ends at the end of this month.

From then, Australians won’t be able to access no-fault compensation for any vaccine injury – from COVID or any others.

Why compensate people for vaccine injuries?

Fortunately, serious vaccine injuries are rare. Most are not a result of error in vaccine design, manufacturing or delivery, but are a product of a small but inherent risk.

As a result, people who suffer serious vaccine injuries cannot get compensation through legal mechanisms. This is because they can’t demonstrate the injury was caused through negligence.

Vaccine injury compensation schemes compensate people who have a serious vaccine injury following administration of properly manufactured vaccines.

The COVID vaccine claims scheme

In 2021, in recognition of the rare risk of a serious vaccine injury, and in support of the roll out of the COVID vaccine program, the Australian government introduced a COVID vaccine claims scheme.

The aim was to provide a simple, streamlined process to compensate people who suffered a moderate to severe vaccine injury, without the need for complex legal proceedings. It was limited to TGA-approved COVID vaccines, and to specific reactions.

The Australian government has said the scheme will close this month and claims need to be lodged before September 30 2024.

Following its closure, Australia will not have a vaccine injury compensation scheme.

Australia is lagging internationally

Australia lags behind 25 other countries including the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand which have comprehensive no-fault vaccine injury compensation schemes. These cover both COVID and non-COVID vaccines.

The schemes are based on the ethical principle of “reciprocal justice”. This acknowledges that people acting to benefit not just themselves but also the community (for the benefit of the “herd”) should be compensated by the same community if it has resulted in harm.

The US, UK and New Zealand all have vaccine injury compensation schemes.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

So what happens in Australia now?

In Australia, people with non-COVID vaccine injuries or COVID vaccine injuries not covered by the current claims scheme must bear the costs associated with their injury by themselves or access publicly funded health care. They will not receive any compensation for their injury and suffering.

Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding support to access therapies for people with a permanent and significant disability. However, it does not cover temporary vaccine-related injuries.

Participants with vaccine injuries as a result of taking part in a clinical vaccine trial are compensated. This typically includes income-replacement, personal assistance expenses and reimbursement of expenses resulting from the incident, including medical expenses.

In Australia, we also have strong compulsion for people to receive routine vaccines through legislative requirements such as No Jab No Pay (which requires children to be immunised to receive some government payments) and, in some states, No Jab No Play (which requires children be fully immunised to attend childcare).

Countries such as ours that mandate vaccination without providing no-fault injury compensation schemes for rare vaccine injury could be abrogating the social contract by not protecting the individual and community.

It’s time to set up an Australian scheme

The Australian immunisation system is among the most comprehensive in the world. Our government-funded national immunisation program provides free vaccines for infants, children and adults for at least 15 diseases.

We also have a whole-of-life immunisation register and comprehensive vaccine safety surveillance system.

Australia’s immunisation program provides vaccines for at least 15 different diseases.
sergey kolesnikov/Shutterstock

A recent Senate committee recommended:

the Australian government consider the design and compensation arrangements of a no-fault compensation scheme for Commonwealth-funded vaccines in response to a future pandemic event.

Vaccines are designed to be very safe and effective. But the “insurance policy” of an injury compensation scheme, if designed and communicated appropriately, should build trust and give confidence to health workers and the general public to support our national vaccine program. This is particularly important given the reductions in uptake of routine vaccines.

How should it work?

A no-fault vaccine injury compensation scheme could be funded via a vaccine levy system, as is done in the US, where an excise tax is imposed on each dose of vaccine.

An effective vaccine injury compensation scheme needs to be:
- accessible, with low legal and financial barriers
- transparent, with clear decision-making processes, compensation frameworks and funding responsibilities
- timely, with short, clear timeframes for decision-making
- fair, with people compensated adequately for the harm they’ve suffered.
Legislation to introduce and allocate funds to support an Australian injury compensation scheme for all vaccines is overdue. The draft National Immunisation Strategy 2025–2030 hinted at the opportunity to explore the feasibility of a no fault compensation scheme for all vaccines the Australian government funds, without committing to such a program.

An Australian vaccine injury scheme, covering all national immunisation program vaccines, not just pandemic use vaccines, should be seen as a crucial component of our public health system and a social responsibility commitment to all Australians.

Nicholas Wood previously received funding from the NHMRC for a Career Development Fellowship and is a Churchill Fellow.

Sophie Wen receives funding from Queensland Government for an Advancing Clinical Research Fellowship and is a Mary McConnel career boost program recipient from Children’s Hospital Foundation. Sophie Wen is an investigator for several industry-sponsored clinical vaccine trials but does not receive any direct funding.

Tim Ford 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. In the rare event of a vaccine injury, Australians should be compensated – https://theconversation.com/in-the-rare-event-of-a-vaccine-injury-australians-should-be-compensated-232396
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event

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

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event on AI for Humanity: Charting the Global Course for Human Rights-Based Governance in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.

Transcript: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-the-freedom-online-coalition-ministerial-event-on-ai-for-humanity-charting-the-global-course-for-human-rights-based-governance/

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

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

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

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

State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/

#StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

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

MIL OSI Video –

September 29, 2024
MIL-Evening Report: Politicians know defamation laws can silence women, but they won’t do anything about it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Ailwood, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, University of Wollongong

Shutterstock

This piece is the second in a series on Australia’s defamation laws. You can read the first article here.

Over recent years, forces like the #MeToo movement have shone a light on how Australia’s defamation laws play out for women. These laws influence whether and how women speak about their experiences of violence and harassment.

Multiple high-profile cases have highlighted the gender dynamics at play. Both Geoffrey Rush’s successful defamation claim against the Daily Telegraph in 2018 and Bruce Lehrmann’s ongoing litigation against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson attracted much media attention. This included commentary about how defamation can silence women.

But these laws don’t only affect women speaking out publicly and through the media. They also affect women seeking to report sexual violence to the police and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Defamation law is weaponised against women in a variety of settings across the country. Our politicians have acknowledged this, but there’s been little appetite for fixing it.

The difficulty of truth

To bring a defamation claim under Australian law, a plaintiff must prove a number of things. But one thing the plaintiff does not have to prove is that the publication is false.

Many defendants rely on the “truth defence”, which requires them to prove the substantial truth of the publication. If it’s successful, that wins them the case.

But with allegations of sexual violence, establishing the truth is notoriously difficult. That’s even with a lower standard of proof (the balance of probabilities) than in criminal courts (beyond reasonable doubt).

Look no further than in Lehrmann’s case against Ten. The quality and quantity of the evidence brought by the defence, including extensive audio-visual recordings and the testimony of multiple third parties, shows what’s needed to meet this very high standard.

This means it is relatively easy for an alleged perpetrator to bring a defamation claim against a person who reports sexual violence or harassment, and relatively difficult for a victim-survivor to defend the claim.

Discouraging coming forward

The weaponisation of defamation law by perpetrators against women reporting sexual violence and harassment is well documented.

In the Respect@Work Report, the Australian Human Rights Commission heard evidence that women reporting workplace sexual harassment were being threatened with and sued for defamation. The report found Australia’s defamation laws “discourage sexual harassment victims from making a complaint”.

Recent research has revealed that threatening or commencing defamation proceedings is a widely used tactic by alleged perpetrators to silence victim-survivors and pressure them to withdraw complaints.

Read more:
Non-disclosure agreements are commonplace in sexual harassment cases, but they’re being misused to silence people

The destructive effects of defamation litigation for victim-survivors are evident in a 2022 Queensland case called Sherman vs Lamb.

A victim-survivor of coercive control in a relationship that had recently ended reported the violence to a police officer. She was then successfully sued for defamation by the perpetrator at trial.

The judge also found the victim-survivor’s report was malicious. He found “police have no interest in or a duty to receive gossip or adverse commentary”.

Both of these findings were overturned on appeal, but by then, the costs of the defamation litigation had forced the victim-survivor to declare bankruptcy.

Reluctance to change

The impact of perpetrators weaponising defamation law is both individual and structural.

On an individual level, it targets victim-survivors reporting and complaining of sexual harassment and violence.

Structurally, it contributes to a culture of fear of speaking out, contributing to the ongoing silencing of violence against women.

Yet the Standing Council of Attorneys-General (the federal attorney-general and those from every state and territory) has chosen not to act to protect women reporting sexual violence and harassment from defamation claims in the workplace.

The council did agree that absolute privilege should be extended to reporting to police. Absolute privilege means a person can’t be help liable for defamation, like in parliament.

So far, attorneys-general in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT have brought in legal protections for women reporting violence to police. That’s a good thing, though other state and territories are yet to follow.

But it obscures the group’s refusal to extend those protections to the workplace, where much of this abuse occurs.

In its review of defamation laws, the council considered how these laws affect workplace sexual harassment. In particular, it considered whether absolute privilege should apply to sexual harassment and violence in particular contexts, like work.

The council found victim-survivors and witnesses of sexual violence, sexual harassment and other forms of unlawful personal conduct are being threatened with and sued for defamation. It found this causes victim-survivors to withdraw reports and complaints, and that it deters them from making reports and complaints in the first place.

A key advantage of extending absolute privilege is that many defamation claim would likely be summarily dismissed without the need for a costly and lengthy trial, which is usually required. This would likely reduce the weaponisation of defamation law by perpetrators.

The council decided not to do this in workplaces. It blamed a division of stakeholder opinion within the consultation process. It also said there weren’t enough protections for alleged perpetrators, like penalties for false reporting.

Reinforcing myths

The rationale appears to be that employers implementing Respect@Work and eliminating sexual harassment from their workplaces will also eliminate the need to report it, in turn removing the threat presented by defamation law.

But the council’s decision also reinforces how important the idea of reputation is within Australian defamation law.

Protecting the reputation of alleged perpetrators of violence is of greater value to Australia’s attorneys-general than protecting the speech of victim-survivors of sexual violence and harassment.

It also reinforces myths about workplace sexual harassment: that men are at significant risk from women making false reports, and that sexual harassment is an individual, interpersonal problem rather than a structural issue that should be addressed by law reform.

Australian women remain at risk of being threatened with or sued for defamation for reporting sexual harassment and violence in the workplace.

This is yet another instance of a law reform process failing to listen and act in response to violence against women. Our chief legal officers have acknowledged the weaponisation of defamation law to silence women in the workplace and refused to do anything to prevent it.

Sarah Ailwood 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. Politicians know defamation laws can silence women, but they won’t do anything about it – https://theconversation.com/politicians-know-defamation-laws-can-silence-women-but-they-wont-do-anything-about-it-238079

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Representative Doggett and Senator Warren Lead Members Urging Biden Administration to Lower Price of Popular Weight-Loss Drugs

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Contact: Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led an effort to urge the Biden Administration to improve American health and well-being by lowering the cost of vital weight-loss drugs. Specifically, the members are calling for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to use existing legal authority to issue generic licenses for semaglutide, a prescription drug commonly used to treat obesity and diabetes and is sold under the brand names of Ozempic and Wegovy. Similarly, a coalition of more than 20 organizations has also called on Secretary Becerra to take such action.

“With a sticker price of up to $1,400 per month, patients can rarely afford Wegovy or Ozempic out-of-pocket and few insurance plans offer complete coverage due to the prohibitive cost,” the members wrote. “One study has found that covering these drugs for just 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity would cost taxpayers $27 billion a year. Coverage for all Americans would cost nearly $1 trillion. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the cost to cover these drugs would outweigh any savings from reduced utilization of associated health services and treatments.”

“Manufacturers will frequently cite the cost of innovation and the need to recoup research and development costs as the reason for charging sky-high prices. Yet, time and again, this is debunked,” the members continued. “In the case of Ozempic and Wegovy, the manufacturer has earned over $38 billion in revenue from these two drugs and Goldman Sachs Research predicts revenue will reach $100 billion within this decade. Meanwhile, last year, the manufacturer spent nearly twice as much on enriching its shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends ($8.95 billion) than on research and development ($4.71 billion).

Under Section 1498, a more than a century-old statutory authority, the Biden Administration may lower prices by permitting generic competitors to license patented inventions in exchange for reasonable compensation to the brand-name manufacturer. By exercising this existing authority, HHS could help stabilize the health care market while meeting high consumer demands at more affordable prices.

Additional signers include Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Cori Bush (MO-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Mark Takano (CA-39), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Greg Casar (TX-35) and Barbara Lee (CA-12).

The letter in full can be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Becerra:

We write to strongly urge you to use your existing legal authority under 28 U.S.C. § 1498 to protect the public’s health and safety to ensure reasonable prices on semaglutide, a prescription drug sold under the brand names of Ozempic and Wegovy and commonly used to treat diabetes and obesity. By utilizing your competitive licensing authority to permit generic competitors to Wegovy and Ozempic, you can stabilize supplies at a time of enormous demand and lower outrageous prices that have severely limited access to these life-changing drugs.

Approximately 38 million, or one in ten, Americans has diabetes, and an additional 100 million American adults have prediabetes. Nearly one-third of adults are overweight and 42% are obese. Diabetes and obesity are associated with heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and more. Yet, the federal government has failed to restrain Big Pharma price gouging to ensure patients can afford the newest treatments.

With a sticker price of up to $1,400 per month, patients can rarely afford Wegovy or Ozempic out-of-pocket and few insurance plans offer complete coverage due to the prohibitive cost. One study has found that covering these drugs for just 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity would cost taxpayers $27 billion a year. Coverage for all Americans would cost nearly $1 trillion. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the cost to cover these drugs would outweigh any savings from reduced utilization of associated health services and treatments.

Due to budget-busting prices, only 16 states offer state employee or Medicaid coverage for these drugs. About 34% of employer plans offer coverage and only about 1% of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans do the same. Put another way, 99% of consumers with Marketplace plans have no access to these drugs, while 66% of workers with private employer plans and 68% of state employees and Medicaid recipients are denied access. The few insurers that offer coverage for Ozempic and Wegovy often include several restrictions to limit the financial impact. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs requires patients with diabetes to try and fail with two or more medications before the VA will cover Ozempic.

We do not condemn the states and insurers that have limited access to these drugs under such difficult circumstances. It would be irresponsible to offer unlimited coverage when prices are also unlimited. The North Carolina State Health Plan ended coverage after spending $100 million in a single year on these drugs—spending that would have required insurance premiums to double to offset the cost. If half of all Americans with obesity could access these drugs, it would cost an estimated $411 billion a year, more than all existing prescription drug spending in the U.S.

We do not need to waste taxpayer dollars, bankrupt health systems, or deny patients access to effective treatments. We can save consumers’ health and be fiscally responsible by stopping Big Pharma monopoly abuse. These drugs cost Americans up to 15 times more than patients in peer countries like Canada, Japan, Germany, the UK, and Denmark. There is no reason for Americans to pay the world’s highest prices, substantially more than other wealthy Nations, for the exact same medicines.

Manufacturers will frequently cite the cost of innovation and the need to recoup research and development costs as the reason for charging sky-high prices. Yet, time and again, this is debunked. In the case of Ozempic and Wegovy, the manufacturer has earned over $38 billion in revenue from these two drugs and Goldman Sachs Research predicts revenue will reach $100 billion within this decade. Meanwhile, last year, the manufacturer spent nearly twice as much on enriching its shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends ($8.95 billion) than on research and development ($4.71 billion).

The exorbitant prices paid by Americans are financing corporate greed, not innovation. While we recognize the important role of the private sector in research and development and support the ability to make a reasonable profit, industry interests should not outweigh meeting health and safety needs for all consumers and providing accountability to taxpayers. When manufacturers use their monopoly power to extract unfair and unjustified prices at the expense of consumers, the federal government must restrain such abuse.

Under Section 1498, the Administration has the clear authority to license generic competition on any patented invention “used or manufactured by or for the United States.” Rightly, patentholders are entitled to reasonable compensation set by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. This law ensures Americans may access important goods while protecting the rights of inventors and providing fair compensation. For over a century, this authority has been used across technologies, ranging from fraud detection banking software and electronic passports to methods of removing hazardous waste. Section 1498 has also been used to authorize generic, lower cost drugs, and just the threat of this authority, has incentivized brand-name manufacturers to voluntarily cut prices.

You have the opportunity and responsibility to dramatically improve health care access and achieve substantial taxpayer savings by using Section 1498 to authorize generic competitors to Ozempic and Wegovy. We strongly urge you to use your clear statutory authority and stand ready to assist in your efforts to deliver long overdue relief to American taxpayers and consumers.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson: Congress Has an Obligation to the American People to Secure American Elections

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — This morning, ahead of the House vote on a six month spending measure to avoid a government shutdown and protect American elections from noncitizen voting, Speaker Johnson joined Fox News’ Fox and Friends and CNBC’s Squawk Box to implore Congressional Democrats to protect American elections, highlight the 2025 GOP economic agenda, and detail plans to expand the investigative scope of the Task Force to Investigate the Assassination of President Trump.

Click here to watch the full “Fox and Friends” interview

Click here to watch the full “Squawk Box” interview

On Congress’s responsibility to protect elections and fund the government:

Listen, Congress has an immediate obligation to do two very important things. We have to keep the government funded, and we need to make sure that our elections are secure. And we have a vehicle today to do both things, because we owe that to the American people and because they demand it. We’re moving legislation today to have a continuing resolution to keep the government going for six months and to make sure that illegals cannot vote, noncitizens cannot vote in the upcoming election. It’s a number one issue around the country.

On the GOP plan for economic growth:

We implement the principles and the policies that we’ve always espoused, and that is less regulation and lower taxes. It’s a pretty simple formula, and it has a great result. So, we want to expand upon the Trump era tax cuts, and we want to do massive regulatory reform. One of the problems we have right now across the free market is that the federal government has been, these agencies have been weaponized against the industries they’re supposed to be assisting and regulating in a meaningful way. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, they have almost smothered the free market. I mean, it’s like the boot of government is on the neck of job creators and entrepreneurs and risk takers who are just trying to do their jobs, and they’ve made it almost impossible. So, we’re going to reverse that.

If you get Republican leadership in the White House, the Senate and the House, unified government, we will put this thing on turbo. You will see massive regulatory reform. We have a great opportunity. The Supreme Court has overturned a Chevron doctrine. We have all the talk about political tailwinds in a moment of opportunity. That’s what we’ll see in the first quarter of next year, and you’re going to see a lot of change that I think will really incentivize more opportunity, more investment, more American manufacturing, detangle from China, get the border under control and stop the illegal immigration and stop the maddening government spending that’s been out of control for the last four years.

On expanding the Task Force Investigating the Assassination of Donald Trump:

I had that conversation with the White House yesterday. I called and demanded that President Trump receive the same level of protection that the sitting president does, because he is under such great threat. I mean, clearly, he’s the most threatened figure in American public life, and the Secret Service has an obligation to protect him, so they need to make every available asset assigned to him right now.

President Trump and I have talked about this, and now I’ve talked about it with the White House. Now, they say they’re going to be cooperative, but they also say there’s a manpower issue. So, Congress is looking at every aspect of this. If we need to add additional funding, we will, but it’s difficult to go hire 2,500 new secret service agents in the next 48 days, right? So, they’re going to have to rely upon, in some cases, to fill the gaps local and state law enforcement. And so, we’re looking at every aspect. This job must be done. President Trump must be protected.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Arrington Holds “Cost of the Biden-Harris Energy Crisis” Hearing

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) delivered opening remarks at the hearing “The Cost of the Biden-Harris Energy Crisis.”

Click HERE to watch Chairman Arrington’s Opening Remarks

Opening Statement as Delivered:

“Our hearing today focuses on the fiscal cost and economic consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration’s failed economic and energy policies. Those costs have been significant and measurable, and the consequences have been manifold and dire.

The whole government regulatory attack on conventional fuels, the increased taxes on oil and gas, and massive market-distorting green energy subsidies have choked the lifeblood of the greatest economy in the world. It’s also crushed our working families with a cost-of-living crisis, and it has compromised our national security by making the United States more reliant on foreign adversaries.

The Biden-Harris Administration has issued 250 executive actions against one industry, an industry that employs 10 million people with high wage jobs and represents almost 10 percent of our total economy, and has had, no doubt, a positive impact on every facet of our daily lives by producing the most reliable, affordable, and abundant source of energy as a result of our God-given blessed resources and the most innovative and efficient energy industry operators.

We have the strongest and most dynamic economy in the world. It’s why we have the greatest fighting force in the world, and it’s why we are the world’s superpower. But today, the failed energy policy is driven by what I believe is an extreme climate agenda that has undermined all of the above. It’s resulted in higher gas prices at the pump, as high as over $5 dollars, the highest we’ve ever seen and experienced in this country, on average, it’s been $1 dollar more per gallon in cost than the previous Administration.

The cost of electricity has gone up now 25- 30 percent for families. The total consumption cost for average-income families is almost twice what it was in the previous administration. Policies have consequences, and that consequence for families is a whopping $1,700 per family per year. These costs on the economy and our consumers, the American people, are a direct result of the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.

On his first day in office, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have saved us in transportation cost and safety, $50 billion but it didn’t stop there. It was all critical infrastructure in the links of the supply chain, from export terminals to permitting refineries and other pipelines. Biden-Harris’s moratorium on drilling on public lands will cost $33 billion in lost GDP and roughly 60,000 jobs. There have been overreaching and overburdening emission regulations coming out of the EPA. Think about the methane gas rule. We’ve seen a 66 percent reduction by the industry over the last several years in methane gas emissions.

The EV mandate alone, the tailpipe emissions, cost $870 billion over roughly 20 years. They’ve depleted our strategic petroleum reserves to smooth off the edge of the spike in prices, and we’re now down with the strategic petroleum reserve at a 40-year low. On the subsidy side, there are $800 billion in tax subsidies for green energy corporations, and some studies say that 70 percent of that value will be accrued to China because of their rare earth mineral mining and parts to the renewable energy industry. The EV tax credit is, in many ways, going to upper-middle and upper-income individuals, and I want to dig into that with you. The impact on middle-class families and our minority communities here in the United States is hard.

The fiscal health of our country is in decline. I think we all agree with that. You can’t look at the balance sheet, you can’t look at CBO’s projections, you can’t look at the debt to GDP, which is higher than it’s been since World War II and more. We have to rein-in spending and we have to grow this economy. We must have policies that encourage and foster growth, and central to that are good energy policies. If we can grow 1 percent, we can save $3 trillion to put against the deficit. If we grow 1 percent, we can add $10,000 over 10 years and hardworking Americans’ pocketbooks. We can bring the debt to GDP down by at least 20 percentage points.

Growth is key, and the lifeblood of that growth is energy policies. We’ve seen the opposite of it, disastrous energy policies and disastrous results. We must make a change if we’re going to get our country on a good fiscal path and hand it to our children in the manner that gives them the opportunities and prosperity that we’ve all enjoyed.”

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Huffman Highlights Threats of Trump’s Project 2025

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

September 19, 2024

Today, Founder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force Jared Huffman joined House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse and leaders from across the Democratic Caucus for a press conference focused on House Democrats’ resolution opposing Project 2025. The lawmakers were joined by DPCC Co-Chair Lauren Underwood, and Reps. Kathy Castor, Lizzie Fletcher, and Chris Deluzio.

Find a full video of the press conference HERE, as well as highlights below.

Task Force Chair Jared Huffman: “House Republicans, though, are not waiting for a second Trump presidency to get started on this agenda. Everywhere you turn in this Congress, extreme MAGA Republicans are working straight out of the pages of Project 2025. We’re seeing it in Committees, at roundtables, every single day we see it on the House Floor. Climate action, protections for the middle class, social safety nets, and abortion rights have all been on the chopping block in this Republican majority, and it’s like they have lifted their entire legislative agenda right out of the pages of Project 2025. So – sunlight, we know, is the best disinfectant. That’s why our task force, along with the DPCC and many of our House Democratic colleagues, have been focused on doing something very simple but critically important, showing people what’s actually in Project 2025, helping them just understand it, bringing it out of the shadows.”

Assistant Leader Joe Neguse: “While Americans across the country look to leaders here in Washington, D.C. to solve problems – issues of critical importance facing our country, facing families across our land. Our colleagues, regrettably, across the aisle, are charging forward in lockstep with the agenda outlined in Project 2025 by former President Trump. For anyone who’s looking for proof of that. Look no further than the actions of House Republicans over just the past few months and their attempts to provide huge new tax breaks to billionaires, their attacks on education and health care, environmental programs – as you’ll hear from my colleagues – and of course, their efforts to strip Americans of fundamental freedoms. These actions, in my view, are grossly out of step with the needs and the wants of the American public. And so really, the question is, one for House Republicans. It’s time for them to make a choice Project 2025 or the American people.”

Co-Chair Lauren Underwood: “To put it simply, Donald Trump’s Project 2025 will make more Americans sick and without the coverage they need to take care of themselves. When people tell you who they are, when people tell you who they are, we must believe them. This document is not an abstract, rough draft collection of ideas. This document is a radical, detailed plan to seize power, to take over our government, and to completely change our way of life. It is 920 pages that outline exactly who Donald Trump is and where Republican priorities lie. It is dangerous for America. It is dangerous for our families, and it is dangerous for our communities.”

Rep. Kathy Castor: “I’m here to talk about what is in this radical Project 2025 plan when it comes to our public health, climate, and clean energy. But let me start by saying I’m so proud to stand here with my colleagues who have been working day in and day out here in the Democratic caucus to to lower costs, to grow the middle class and build a safer, healthier America…My message: hold on to your wallet, Americans, because if Project 2025 is enacted, you’re going to be paying more. And let’s talk about that. What that means when it comes to our environment. Project 2025 contains these very, very outlandish, and expensive proposals, things that are going to raise costs and they’re going to increase pollution. They want to make it easier to pollute in America. Now, I think Americans value clean air, clean water cleaner, cheaper energy.”

Rep. Lizzie Fletcher: “[Project 2025] would criminalize abortion nationwide. Doesn’t matter where you would live, where you live. It would criminalize abortion nationwide. It would block access to abortion pills and to medical equipment. It would restrict access to birth control. That’s right. We’re not talking about abortion. We’re talking about birth control, contraception, whatever you call it. It would restrict access to birth control, and it would even ban fertility services that help families that are struggling, that are trying to get pregnant, like in vitro fertilization or IVF. It would even allow the government to monitor pregnancies and their outcomes. That really bears repeating. I know of no one who wants the government monitoring their pregnancies and their outcomes with the possibility, of course, of prosecuting women who have miscarriages, which is a very, very common and often devastating outcome of a pregnancy.”

Rep. Chris Deluzio: “Project 2025 really puts at risk our country’s ability to care for veterans. It proposes to slash care and benefits for disabled veterans. It looks to cut costs on the backs of future disability rating awards and adjust those standards for existing claims. It continues this trend of outsourcing and privatizing care, where we know our government pays more for worse outcomes relative to what my fellow veterans often receive at VA. It could lead to disenrolling millions of veterans who don’t have a service connection designation for care they want to seek within the VA. That could really hurt a lot of veterans. That is one of the main components of what Project 2025 seeks to do around veterans’ care.”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Crow Introduces the Overseas CRISIS Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

Bipartisan legislation would improve the State Department’s crisis response in US-involved conflicts abroad

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Afghanistan veteran and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, introduced the Overseas Crisis Response Implementation System and Immediate Strategy Act(Overseas CRISIS Act) to consistently evaluate and improve the US response to emergency situations abroad. The legislation follows the US Department of State’s After Action Review on Afghanistan, which highlighted the critical need to strengthen the Department’s overall crisis preparedness and response capabilities, utilize Department personnel more effectively in a crisis, and bolster our existing infrastructure for crisis communications.

The Overseas CRISIS Act addresses these recommendations to ensure that the United States is ready and empowered to respond effectively to crises, wherever they may occur. Specifically, this bill would establish a Crisis Management and Strategy Unit within the State Department to coordinate the Department’s overall response to international crises and establish a Department of State Reserve Corps to leverage expert personnel when circumstances demand them. By requiring regular crisis simulations and exercises, creating a red team capability, and strengthening training through a clearinghouse of best practices and Foreign Service Institute curriculum, these measures will support US capabilities to address emergent threats and protect key diplomatic personnel and assets worldwide.

“As an Afghanistan veteran, I know the importance of readiness and decisive action when we respond to emergency situations abroad,” said Congressman Crow. “I’m proud to lead this effort to strengthen the State Department’s preparation for, and response to, international crises. Proactively assessing best practices, challenging existing assumptions, and investing in our workforce will help protect American citizens and our allies while advancing our national security interests around the world.”

As a former Army Ranger in Afghanistan, Congressman Crow continues his work to honor our promises to our Afghan partners and advance US interests abroad. Crow’s efforts include introducing the Afghan Allies Protection Act to expand and extend the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, and co-leading the Afghan Adjustment Act to provide a legal adjustment process for Afghan allies already in the US. This year, Crow’s fierce advocacy, alongside House and Senate colleagues, resulted in the authorization of 12,000 additional Afghan SIVs in the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2024 foreign operations funding bill.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chairs High Level Task Force meeting on air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Source: Government of India (2)

Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chairs High Level Task Force meeting on air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Reviews various measures being undertaken to prevent and abate air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Emphasized on the need to shift to e-vehicles and also develop EV charging infrastructure in NCR areas

Calls for strict implementation of the actions listed in GRAP

Ensure commitment in eliminating paddy stubble burning across Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh: Principal Secretary

Various steps to improve preparedness for dealing with the issue of adverse air quality in Delhi-NCR decided in the review meeting

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 8:29PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a High-Level Task Force meeting today at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to assess the readiness of stakeholders in addressing the issue of deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, particularly as the winter season approaches.

The meeting focused on evaluating ongoing efforts to tackle pollution from various sources, including paddy stubble burning, vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, solid waste management, and diesel generator (DG) sets. Dr. Mishra emphasized the critical importance of strict and timely implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) by all relevant agencies to mitigate worsening air quality during the winter months.

Chairman, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Shri. Rajesh Verma presented details on the upcoming paddy straw generation, estimating 19.52 million tonnes in Punjab and 8.10 million tonnes in Haryana. Both states have committed to eliminating stubble burning this year. Punjab plans to manage 11.5 million tonnes of its paddy straw through in-situ crop residue management and the rest via ex-situ methods. Haryana will similarly manage 3.3 million tonnes in-situ and use ex-situ methods for the remainder. Over 1.50 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines will be available in Punjab, supported by 24,736 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), while Haryana has 90,945 CRM machines supported by 6,794 CHCs.

In addition, 2 million tonnes of paddy straw will be co-fired in 11 thermal power plants across the NCR region. The meeting stressed the need for regular monitoring of thermal plants to ensure co-firing targets are met, with penalties for non-compliance.

Regarding industrial pollution, CAQM informed that 220 out of 240 industrial areas in the NCR region are now equipped with gas infrastructure, with the remaining areas set to be connected soon. Dust pollution from construction and demolition (C&D) activities is being remotely monitored through a web portal, with mandatory registration for projects over 500 square meters.

Dr. Mishra instructed Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to rigorously monitor and implement action plans aimed at eliminating stubble burning as committed in their action plans. He stressed the need for full utilization of CRM machines, strengthening the supply chain for ex-situ management, and supporting small industries in briquetting and pelletizing operations to enhance the economic use of paddy straw. Strict enforcement actions against violators, with appropriate penalties and record entries, were also highlighted.

Principal Secretary also requested Chief Secretary’s of NCR region states to augment their e-Bus services in the region. PM eBus Sewa Scheme aims to increase the e-Buses in our country by 10,000 e-Buses. States/UTs should judiciously aim to use the scheme to increase their fleet of eBuses.

He also emphasized on the importance of Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam program and its sentimental value for every individual should be used in greening the City.

In terms of firecracker pollution, state governments and law enforcement agencies were asked to strictly enforce bans and restrictions, while the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was urged to expedite the collection of biomasses and accelerate the construction of compressed biogas (CBG) plants.

The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary Dr.T.V Somanathan, Delhi Police Commissioner and key officials from the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Power, Petroleum, Road Transport, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Animal Husbandry, along with representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), and the Chief Secretaries and their representatives from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and UT of Delhi.

*****

GS

(Release ID: 2058034) Visitor Counter : 318

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SHS 2024 Campaign Hits 25% Cleanliness Milestone in 5.6 Lakh CTUs by Day 7!

Source: Government of India

SHS 2024 Campaign Hits 25% Cleanliness Milestone in 5.6 Lakh CTUs by Day 7!

Over 3 Crore citizens have joined in voluntary action to transform urban and rural India

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 8:37PM by PIB Delhi

It’s Day 7 of SHS 2024 campaign, themed “Swabhav Swachhata Sanskaar Swachhata,” and a noteworthy milestone has already been achieved! In just seven days since the campaign began, 25% of the identified Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) have already been transformed into clean spaces and beautified. More than 5 lakh CTUs – dark, difficult, and neglected spots – have been targeted for cleanliness drives across the nation. This initiative is one the significant pillars of the two-week campaign running from 17^thSept., to 2^ndOct., 2024, as Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) completes an iconic decade of swachhata.

For SHS 2024, more than 15 lakh events are taking place nationwide under the three pillars of Swachhata Lakshit Ekayi (CTUs), Swachhata Mein Jan Bhaagidaari and SafaiMitra Suraksha Shivir, engaging over 3 Crore citizens. So far, cleanliness initiatives in CTUs are actively underway in over 4 lakh locations nationwide, showcasing impressive participation across various States. Over 1 lakh such units have already been transformed. Uttar Pradesh is at the forefront, having cleaned and transformed over 45,000 CTUs. Tamil Nadu follows closely with more than 28,000 units addressed, while Bihar has successfully tackled over 19,000 target areas, over 18,000 CTUs have already been transformed in Rajasthan, whereas Andhra Pradesh has completed transformation for nearly 17,000 target locations.

As part of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, over 1 million trees have been planted so far. In the past week, more than 7,000 food streets were cleaned, and nearly 50,000 cultural festivals showcasing regional traditions were held.

Various Central Ministries are actively participating in Swachhata Hi Seva with large-scale cleanliness drives at designated CTUs, as well as plantation drives, cyclothons, plogathons, and cultural festivals. Leading from the front many State CMs initiated cleanliness drives at CTUs, launched SafaiMitra Shivirs, offered shramdaan, as the campaign rolled out nationally. Union Ministers also joined the ground action by actively participating in pledges, plantation drives, and other initiatives across the nation.

Reaffirming their dedication to cleanliness in every aspect of daily life, states, urban local bodies, gram panchayats, faith organizations, NGOs, CPSUs, central ministries, and other state governments have united in action for Swachhata Hi Seva 2024. With growing momentum and active participation nationwide, the visible impact on the ground is significant. This collective effort not only strengthens the campaign but also advances the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban, aiming for garbage-free cities.

*****

Sushil Kumar

(Release ID: 2058045) Visitor Counter : 42

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Protect Your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Account From Fraud — Investor Alert
Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) and Division of Enforcement Retail Strategy Task Force are providing tips for investors in the Thrift Savings Plan to help protect against fraud.

Most federal government employees, including military service members, are eligible to participate in The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a federal government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan. The TSP offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under 401(k) plans. The TSP website (TSP.gov) explains the benefits available to TSP participants.

If you have a TSP account, you should be aware of fraudulent schemes aimed at TSP investors.

Here are a few ways you can protect your account.

Be cautious if someone you do not know contacts you and tries to convince you to transfer money out of your TSP account.

Fraudsters may use scare tactics to convince TSP investors to transfer money out of their TSP accounts and into other accounts controlled by the fraudsters. In some cases, they may direct investors to transfer money from their TSP accounts into self-directed individual retirement accounts. To learn more about risks of investing through self-directed IRAs — including fraudulent schemes — read this Investor Alert.

SEC enforcement action. In SEC v. Red Rock Secured, LLC et al., the SEC charged defendants for engaging in a fraudulent scheme through which they allegedly persuaded hundreds of TSP and other retirement plan investors to sell their existing securities, to transfer the proceeds into a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) account that the defendants helped to establish, and to invest the proceeds in gold or silver coins sold by the defendants. According to the SEC’s complaint, investors who held securities in retirement accounts such as TSPs, 401(k)s and IRAs were targeted through numerous email campaigns, digital newsletters and advertisements. The SEC alleges that investors were provided with false and misleading information, including regarding the markups charged on the coins sold, the value of the coins sold, and stock market performance. As alleged in the SEC’s complaint, most of the proceeds that investors transferred to SDIRAs to purchase “premium” coins went to pay markups, which significantly depleted the investors’ retirement assets.

Be suspicious if someone offering you an investment claims to be affiliated with the government, the TSP, or government retirement plans.

The TSP will not contact federal employees about investment opportunities and does not authorize third parties to provide counseling or investment-related services to anyone. You can confirm whether a seller is affiliated with a government agency by contacting the agency directly or calling the SEC’s toll-free investor assistance line at (800) 732-0330. To learn more about fraudsters targeting TSP investors while pretending to be affiliated with the federal government, read this Investor Alert.

Protect your TSP account (and personal information) from being compromised.

The TSP website describes the following three steps as well as other ways you can protect money you’ve invested in your TSP account from fraud:
1. Make sure the contact information and mailing address on your account are correct.
2. Protect your username, password, and ThriftLine PIN.
3. Consider using the account lock feature for extra protection.
If you believe someone else has your My Account login information, you’ve experienced identity theft, or you receive any message about suspicious activity on your TSP account, contact the ThriftLine Service Center immediately.

If you suspect securities fraud in connection with your TSP investments, you can report it to the SEC using the SEC’s online TCR system.

Additional Resources

Investor Alert: Fraudsters May Target Federal Government Employee Retirement Plan Participants

Investor Alert: Self-Directed IRAs and the Risk of Fraud

Military webpage on Investor.gov

Report possible securities fraud to the SEC online at www.sec.gov/tcr.

Protect your hard earned money – learn more tips on investing wisely and avoiding fraud at Investor.gov.

Call the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email OIEA at Help@SEC.gov. Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins by email or RSS feed.

Follow OIEA on Twitter @SEC_Investor_Ed. Like OIEA on Facebook at facebook.com/secinvestoreducation.

MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 2: Filing a SIPC Claim)
Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) are issuing two Investor Bulletins to help educate investors about SIPC protection for brokerage accounts. The first Investor Bulletin (“SIPC Basics”) will provide investors with an overview of how SIPC protection works and what it protects, and the second Investor Bulletin (“Filing a SIPC claim”) will provide investors with an overview for how to file a SIPC claim.

If you have an investment account at a SIPC member brokerage firm that closes due to bankruptcy or other financial difficulties, here are some steps to take and issues to consider if you need to file a claim for SIPC protection.

IMPORTANT: THE CLOSURE OF A SIPC-MEMBER BROKERAGE FIRM MAY NOT REQUIRE A PROTECTION PROCEEDING OR THE FILING OF A CLAIM FOR SIPC PROTECTION. A CLOSED SIPC MEMBER MAY BE ABLE TO TRANSFER ITS CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS TO ANOTHER SIPC-MEMBER BROKERAGE FIRM WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SIPC’S INTERVENTION. THE APPROPRIATE REGULATORS WILL MONITOR THESE CLOSURES, AND IF SIPC INITIATES A PROTECTION PROCEEDING TO LIQUIDATE A BROKERAGE FIRM, ITS CUSTOMERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE CLAIMS PROCESS.

Once I have a securities account with a SIPC member, how does SIPC protection work?

SIPC initiates a customer protection proceeding

SIPC protection applies only when a brokerage firm is unable to meet its obligations to customers and has been placed in liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (SIPA). SIPC relies upon regulators such as the SEC or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to notify SIPC when customers need its protection.

When SIPC determines that a brokerage firm (1) has failed or is danger of failing to meet its obligations to customers and (2) meets a specified condition such as insolvency or an inability to meet certain financial responsibility guidelines, SIPC will ask a court to place the brokerage firm into liquidation under SIPA for the protection of its customers and appoint a trustee to oversee the liquidation of its brokerage business. This date usually is considered the “filing date,” which will be used to value the securities in customer accounts.

Importantly, SIPC also pays the administrative costs of the liquidation, including attorneys’ fees, if the brokerage firm is insolvent. This means that even if the brokerage firm lacks funds to pay the costs of the liquidation, the trustee can still process claims, distribute customer property, and recover stolen or fraudulently transferred customer property.

You must file a claim in the liquidation

The trustee’s primary goal in the liquidation is the prompt return of customer property to customers. You will be notified of the liquidation and mailed a claim form, and you must file a timely claim with the trustee. On the claim form, you should describe, as of the filing date, the cash and securities that are owed to you by the brokerage firm and the cash and securities that you owe to the brokerage firm.

Customer claims are given two deadlines, each calculated from the date of notice of the commencement of the liquidation is published: If you file a claim within the first deadline (set by the court, usually either 30 or 60 days) and request that the trustee return securities custodied with the broker, the trustee must return the securities unless they are unavailable and cannot be purchased in a fair and orderly market. If you file after the first deadline but within a six-month deadline set under SIPA, the trustee has the option of delivering securities or paying the cash value of the securities as of the filing date, depending upon which is more economical. Claims filed after the six-month deadline will be denied as untimely, and the customer property is forfeited. Except for very narrow exceptions inapplicable to most customers, this deadline cannot be extended.

As the customer, you must establish the validity of your claim and your entitlement to assets. If possible, you should provide any documents that support your claim, including copies of account statements, trade confirmations, and any relevant correspondence with the brokerage firm. If needed, the trustee may ask you for more information. The trustee will also have access to the brokerage firm’s books and records and in most cases will be able to use those records to determine what you are owed.

You may also make a claim for unauthorized trading to recover the property which was the subject of the unauthorized trade. You must support your claim with evidence that the trade was unauthorized, typically in the form of a timely written complaint to your brokerage firm. Otherwise, you could be deemed to have accepted the trade.

The trustee satisfies claims

Brokerage firms, under regulation by the SEC and FINRA, are required to segregate customer property from the brokerage firm’s business. This means that if a brokerage firm fails, all customer property should be intact, separate from the failed business. If possible, the trustee in a SIPA liquidation will attempt to bulk transfer customer accounts to a new brokerage firm, and you could have access to your account as quickly as within a week. While this can be accomplished without you filing a claim, you should still do so in case the transfer does not make your account whole.

The trustee pools the available customer property custodied with the brokerage, excluding customer name securities, and distributes it to customers with valid claims on a prorated basis. Securities are valued as of the filing date. The trustee may also bring legal actions to recover stolen or fraudulently transferred customer property, for further distribution to customers. Customer name securities are treated separately and are delivered to the customer in whose name they are registered – i.e., not on a prorated basis – provided that the customer is not indebted to the member.
- To illustrate, suppose you have a valid claim for shares of Company ABC registered in your name worth $300,000, plus $1,000,000 in securities registered in “street” name. The trustee recovers 75% of the customer property the brokerage firm owes its customers. The trustee will deliver to you the shares of Company ABC, assuming the shares are in the broker’s custody, plus $750,000 of customer property, either as securities or cash in lieu of securities, depending on the availability of securities and when you filed your claim. The shortfall of $250,000 will be satisfied by a SIPC advance.
SIPC may advance up to $500,000 per customer (including a $250,000 limit on cash in the account) for customer protection. The benefit of this advance is two-fold. First, the trustee can use it to accelerate the satisfaction of claims while the trustee gathers and recovers customer property. Second, if the trustee’s prorated distribution of customer property does not fully satisfy your claim, the advance can be used to restore missing property and cover any shortfall. To illustrate these limits:
- Customer A has a valid claim for $400,000 in securities and $200,000 in cash. SIPC will advance $500,000 for this customer’s protection. The remaining $100,000 may be distributed as part of Customer A’s prorated share of customer property.
- Customer B has a valid claim for $200,000 in securities and $400,000 in cash. SIPC can only advance $450,000 for this customer’s protection: $200,000 for securities and the limit of $250,000 for cash. The remaining $150,000 may be distributed as part of Customer B’s prorated share of customer property.
If your customer claim is not fully satisfied by the trustee’s prorated distribution of customer property plus the SIPC advance of up to $500,000, then you will become a general creditor. The unsatisfied portion of your customer claim becomes an unsecured creditor claim against the general estate (i.e., the unsecured business assets, excluding customer property) of the brokerage firm in liquidation.

What About Excess SIPC Coverage?

SIPC’s protection is provided under federal law, and it does not offer any way to purchase additional protection. Brokerage firms, however, may have insurance policies called “excess SIPC coverage” which apply once SIPC protection is exhausted and may partially cover remaining losses. Excess SIPC coverage is offered by private insurance carriers to brokerage firms and may operate differently than the protections available under SIPA. SIPC does not maintain information about excess SIPC coverage or monitor or regulate such offerings. Questions about excess SIPC coverage should be directed to your brokerage firm.

Additional Resources

Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 1: SIPC Basics) (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-bulletins-101)

SIPC Brochure: How SIPC Protects You (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/HowSIPCProtectsYou-English-Web.pdf)

SIPC Brochure: The Investor’s Guide to Brokerage Firm Liquidations (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/Liquidations-Web.pdf)

Investor.gov Glossary: Securities Investor Protection Corporation (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/securities-investor-protection-corporation-sipc)

FINRA Investor Alert: If a Brokerage Firm Closes Its Doors (https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/if-brokerage-firm-closes-its-doors)

FINRA: Your Rights Under SIPC Protection (https://www.finra.org/investors/need-help/your-rights-under-sipc-protection)

FDIC: Understanding Deposit Insurance (https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/understanding-deposit-insurance/index.html)

For more information regarding SIPC, please visit SIPC’s website (www.sipc.org). If you have any questions regarding SIPC and the protection that it provides, you can email SIPC at asksipc@sipc.org.

Visit the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov.

Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at Help@SEC.gov.

Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA by email or RSS feed. Follow OIEA on Twitter. Like OIEA on Facebook.

MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Organises Cleanliness and Plantation Drive Under Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign-2024

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 8:28PM by PIB Delhi

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs organised the Mass Cleanliness Drive Program today with Shramdaan for Swachhata under Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) Jan Andolan to achieve the objective of clean India. Nationwide “Swachhta Hi Seva Abhiyan 2024”is being observed from September 14^th, 2024, to October 1^st, 2024 on the theme of Swabhav Swachhata – Sanskar Swachhata. The Swachhta Hi Seva Abhiyan 2024 aims to create greater awareness about the importance of cleanliness and environmental stewardship, with tree plantation being a key activity. This initiative is a part of the government’s efforts to promote a clean and green India under the Swachh Bharat Mission, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of its launch in 2014 by Prime Minister on 2^nd October (Gandhi Jayanti).

Shri Umang Narula, Secretary and Dr. Satya Prakash, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs led the Mass Cleanliness Drive at and around Kerala Education Society Sr. Sec. School, R. K. Puram, New Delhi. Officers and members of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs along with School children took part in the Shramdaan for the cause of Swachhata.

A Cleanliness drive was undertaken for about three hours in the school besides its park and on the road in front. It was magnificent group of enthusiastic citizens including small school going children who were full of resolve to ensure cleanliness and make Garbage Free Bharat a reality. Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs thanked all the participants who contributed to a much-cherished dream of implementing Swachhata across the country.

In line with the campaign, a tree plantation drive was conducted under Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam Abhiyan, led by Shri Umang Narula, Secretary and Dr. Satya Prakash, Addl. Secretary, MoPA in Kerala Education Society Sr. Sec. School. The tree plantation symbolizes the Ministry’s commitment to environmental conservation besides its protection and the promotion of a cleaner and greener India.

This event underscores the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to uphold the values of cleanliness and environmental responsibility as part of its larger mission to serve the public good. “Trees play an important role in keeping our environment clean. By providing clean air, they make us healthy.

To imbibe the spirit of Swachhata amongst students, an Essay writing competition was also held in the same school on the theme of SHS 2024 “Swabhaav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata”wherein around 120 students from different classes participated.

To encourage students, Secretary, MoPA awarded best three students of Essay competition with Cash prize and certificates for their performance in Essay writing competition.

On the eve of Mass Cleanliness Drive, the Secretary, MoPA, underscored the significance of this campaign encouraging students of Kerala Education Society Sr. Sec. School and officials from MoPA to actively engage in promoting cleanliness and hygiene. Highlighting Mahatma Gandhi’s vision and Prime Minister’s mission, Secretary emphasised the need for collective efforts to make cleanliness a regular practice, aiming to create a cleaner and healthier environment for students and communities.

The Chairman of Kerala Education Society, Shri K. P. Menon informed that they have a very active Eco Club in their School consisting of hardworking and dedicated students with a most progressive mindset to keep their surroundings green and clean. He also thanked Secretary and Addl. Secretary of MoPA for choosing their School for Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign – 2024 .

***

SS/KC

(Release ID: 2058035) Visitor Counter : 46

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Posts in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

Source: Government of India (2)

Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Posts in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

15,466 Dak Chaupals conducted nationwide

3400+ exporters onboarded on Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra

DIGIPIN pilot completed in 1 town & 10 villages

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 8:14PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar today addressed the media on achievements of the Ministry of Communications (DoT& DoP) and Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER)in 100 days of the Government in New Delhi. Secretary (Telecom), Secretary (Department of Post), Secretary DONER and senior officials of the ministries were present.

Speaking at the Conference, Minister Scindia shared that “With the resolve of ‘Dak Sewa, Jan Sewa’ the India Post Department in the last 100 Days has focused on amplifying financial inclusion, incorporating new technology and applying a new approach to policy reforms.”

Press Conference at National Media Centre

The Department of Posts has accomplished significant milestones as part of its 100-day action plan, aimed at enhanced service delivery and operational efficiency for the benefit of the nation. Through a series of strategic initiatives, the Department has not only streamlined its services but also brought essential government schemes and programs closer to citizens, particularly in rural areas. From empowering rural exporters to creating a digital infrastructure for standardized addressing, the Department’s efforts have touched various facets of citizens’ lives. Key objectives such as holding more than 5000 Dak Chaupals, onboarding more than 3000 exporters on Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra, launching DIGIPIN as pilot in 1 town & 10 villages have successfully been completed.

Details on the above achievements:

Dak Chaupal: Bringing services to rural doorsteps –

The Dak Chaupal initiative has proven to be a resounding success, with the Department organizing 15,163 Dak Chaupals nationwide, far surpassing the initial expectations. These Chaupals have facilitated vital government services directly at the rural level, engaging over 8.52 lakh citizens, with 44% of participants being women. The Dak Chaupal initiative enabled on-spot account opening, Aadhaar updates, and enrolment in various government schemes like Jan Suraksha, thereby significantly enhancing the accessibility of essential services in rural regions in a manner that actively contributes to the broader goals of “Vittiya Sashakhtikaran and Samaveshan”.


*Utersoo, Srinagar, J&K*	Mandapeta, Rajahmundry Andhra Pradesh Circle

Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (DNK): Boosting rural exports

Under the Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (DNK) initiative, the Department on-boarded more than 3,400 new exporters to support rural and small-scale exporters. This program, closely aligned with the ‘One District—One Product’ initiative, has provided exporters with services such as market information, documentation support, and paperless customs clearance. By doing so, the DNK has empowered micro-entrepreneurs, artisans, and small businesses to access global markets through postal channels easily. In the past 100 days, over 1.07 lakh shipments were processed under the DNK scheme, resulting in Rs. 8.50 crore in postage revenue and an export value of Rs. 23.01 crore. Additionally, Seven Exporters awareness workshops involving DGFT, MSMEs, Export Promotion Councils, State authorities and exporters were also organized.

Glimpses from the workshop on Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra at Indore

Standardized Geo-Coded Addressing System: Revolutionizing service delivery

The Standardized Geo-Coded Addressing System has also made significant strides with successfully completing a pilot program in 10 villages and 1 town. This initiative aims to establish a digital public infrastructure for a standardized, geo-coded addressing system in India, which can simplify addressing solutions for citizen-centric delivery of public and private services to enable “Address as a Service” (AaaS) in India. This will simplify addressing across India by using automated DIGIPIN allocation using SVAMITVA data and other open-source GIS data. The beta version of DIGIPIN was launched on 19th July 2024, marking a key achievement in developing this system. The Department has forged key partnerships, including an MoU with the National Remote Sensing Centre (ISRO) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, to further enhance this initiative.

These partnerships aim to leverage advanced technologies and expertise to provide precise mapping and addressing solutions, ultimately revolutionizing service delivery across the country. This grid-based system will be a robust pillar of Geospatial Governance, leading to enhancements in public service delivery, faster emergency response, and a significant boost to logistics efficiency.

The Post Office Act, 2023

The Post Office Act, 2023 came into effect on 18th June 2024, replacing the Indian Post Office Act of 1898. This forward-thinking legislation has modernized the postal system, addressing both contemporary challenges and future needs. By focusing on improving customer experiences and service delivery mechanisms, the new Act positions the Department of Posts to be more responsive to the evolving requirements of citizens, embodying the principle of “Dak Sewa Jan Sewa.” The subordinate legislation, including the Post Office Rules, 2024 and Regulations 2024, are currently in the process of issuance.

Indo-Africa Postal Leaders Meet


*Visit to India Post Mail Processing facility in Mumbai*	*Delegates at the closing ceremony of the* *India Africa Postal Leaders Meet*
	The Indo-Africa Postal Leaders Meet, the first such event, was hosted by India from June 21st to 25th, 2024. It brought together over 50 senior delegates from 22 African countries, alongside representatives from the Universal Postal Union. The event highlighted India’s successful postal service model and underscored the critical role of postal services in financial inclusion and capacity building. It also opened new avenues for collaboration in postal technology and service delivery under the South-South and Triangular Cooperation framework.
*Delegates visit to Dak Chaupal in* *Navi Mumbai Region*

Tracked Packet Service expansion

On the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Postal Union Executive Council meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on 17th Aug 2024, India Post & Thailand Post signed the commercial document for a competitive bilateral exchange of Tracked Packet service between the two countries. This is an important step towards promoting cross border e-commerce exports.

DBT disbursal to beneficiaries of Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana

The scheme Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin, launched by the Maharashtra Government in June 2024, aims to provide financial assistance and empowerment to women in the state and provides for disbursal of Rs.1,500 every month to eligible women, among other benefits. The IPPB has successfully disbursed approximately 465.5 crores in accounts of 15.51 lakh beneficiaries.

MoU between Department of Posts & Khadi and Village Industries Commission

Unit Verification

A New Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Posts & Khadi and Village Industries Commission on 20.8.2024 for Physical Verification of the units set up by first-generation entrepreneurs. This verification will facilitate the adjustment of government subsidy to the loan account of beneficiaries under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Around 1.35 lakh PMEGP units will be verified by the end of FY 2024-25. Proof of concept has been completed successfully, and Roll out for the actual Physical Verification process PAN India will start after the completion of training to Officials of the Department of Posts .

Increasing E-Commerce footprint in the NER

In a major boost to its e-commerce operations, the Department entered into a strategic partnership with Amazon on 27th June 2024 to enhance its delivery services across the Northeast Region (NER). Under this collaboration, consignments booked in Guwahati are seamlessly transmitted and delivered by the Department to all states in the region. The range of items being handled includes apparel, household goods, mobile accessories, beauty products, books, toys, appliances, and sporting goods among others. In just the last two months, approximately 35,000 consignments have been successfully booked, generating a revenue of Rs. 31 lakh. This partnership is a significant step towards strengthening the Department’s e-commerce capabilities in the NER, improving access to essential products, and boosting regional connectivity through its extensive postal network.

Leveraging PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan

The Department of Posts has gone live on the National Master Plan (NMP) portal, marking a key step in enhancing infrastructure and operational planning through geospatial technology. The Department now has its own dedicated layer on the NMP, alongside a separate portal embedded within it. Over 1.29 lakh assets of the Department have been mapped on this platform, organized into 14 data layers (4 administrative and 10 thematic) with detailed attributes for optimized decision-making.

The use of layers and attributes of other Ministries/Departments on NMP and the Department of Posts’ layers by functional divisions/field formations of the Department will be a vital tool for functional divisions of the Department and administrative units for planning postal infrastructure and operations. Possible use cases are (a) visualization of all postal facilities on a single map for more efficient planning, (b) PIN code mapping, (c) route optimization (trucking routes, postmen’s beat), (d) planning outreach programmes for special schemes, (e) estates planning – ownership of land, category of land – forest etc.

In consultation with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), Gandhinagar, an application has also been developed free of cost for the Department of Posts. With this application, additional assets can be mapped on NMP and already mapped assets can be updated so that postal infrastructure data is the latest available data. Circle/Region/Division /Functional Divisions of the Postal Directorate will be able to use the data.

Under the able guidance of the Hon’ble Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Department of Posts seeks to enhance citizens’ quality of life and promote inclusive growth and development nationwide through these new initiatives.

*****

MG/PD/DP

(Release ID: 2058028) Visitor Counter : 10

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal attends series of meetings and interaction with stakeholders on first day of Australia visit

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 7:50PM by PIB Delhi

On the first day of his visit to Australia, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry had several productive engagements with various stakeholders in Sydney today, September 23, 2024.

The Minister attended a business roundtable hosted by the Business Council of Australia in which prominent Australian and Indian CEOs participated. The Minister invited Australian business leaders to explore the opportunities presented by the high and sustained economic growth in India.

The Minister also met senior representatives from the Australian pension funds. Discussions focused on the robust policies and reform agenda of the Government of India which have boosted investor confidence. The Minister encouraged greater investments into the emerging sectors in the Indian market viz renewable energy, manufacturing, education, fintech, agritech etc.

The Minister had a productive meeting with Ms Tania Constable, CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia regarding ways to strengthen collaboration in the critical minerals sector between India and Australia. The Minister also met Mr. Joel Katz, Managing Director of the Cruise Lines International Association to explore opportunities for enhancing coastal tourism in India. The Minister interacted with Mr. Robin Khuda, Founder & CEO of AirTrunk and discussed India’s digitalisation growth and the significant potential for collaboration in the data infrastructure sector between India and Australia.

The Centre for Australia-India Relations hosted a lunch in honour of the Minister with members of their Director network.

The Minister interacted with the representatives of the Indian community at a reception hosted by the Consulate General of India at Sydney Cricket Ground. He offered prayers at the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Parramatta and recalled his previous visit to the temple in 2022. The event was attended inter-alia by Hon Dr Andrew Charlton MP, Chair of Parliamentary Friends of India and Hon Warren Kirby, Member of NSW legislature and Co-chair of NSW Parliamentary Friends of India.

Before proceeding to Adelaide on 24th September 2024, the Minister’s official bilateral engagements include the reception hosted in his honour by Australia-India Business Council (AIBC) and NSW Parliamentary Friends of India in the Parliament of New South Wales. A number of political dignitaries and prominent business representatives are expected to attend the event.

***

AD/VN

(Release ID: 2058010) Visitor Counter : 47

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI USA: Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 1: SIPC Basics)

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) are issuing two Investor Bulletins to help educate investors about SIPC protection for brokerage accounts. The first Investor Bulletin (“SIPC Basics”) will provide investors with an overview of how SIPC protection works and what it protects, and the second Investor Bulletin (“Filing a SIPC claim”) will provide investors with an overview for how to file a SIPC claim.

What is SIPC protection?

When you open a brokerage account with a SIPC member brokerage firm, SIPC protection helps address your risk of losing your securities and cash held by the firm if it fails or goes out of business. If a SIPC member brokerage firm fails, SIPC protects its customers against the loss of securities and cash deposited with the SIPC member firm for the purchase of securities. SIPC protection advances funds of up to $500,000 per customer (including a $250,000 limit for cash claims) to cover a shortfall in customer property. We will discuss how this protection works in more detail below.

Who are SIPC member brokerage firms?

SIPC member brokerage firms are, with narrow exceptions, all securities broker-dealers registered with the SEC. SIPC members pay annual membership assessments which are used to fund SIPC and its mission.

Most registered brokerage firms which conduct business with the investing public are SIPC members. SIPC member brokerage firms must state that they are SIPC members in their offices and on their webpage and advertisements. The narrow exceptions to SIPC membership include brokerage firms whose exclusive business involves selling specific products, like registered open-end mutual funds or variable annuities. Brokerage firms that are not SIPC members must disclose this fact to customers before or at the time of conducting any securities transactions in a customer’s account.

A SIPC member’s affiliate, including a parent company or subsidiary, is a separate legal entity and not a member of SIPC unless independently registered. Accordingly, customers of a foreign subsidiary of a SIPC member firm are not protected by SIPC if the foreign subsidiary fails.

SIPC members include both introducing brokers and clearing brokers. The different broker roles create an important difference in how SIPC protection might apply. An introducing broker generally is a client-facing brokerage firm which interacts with the customer and takes customer orders. The clearing broker works on the back end, executing customer trades, holding custody of customer property, and issuing statements and confirmations. Because SIPC protects against losses caused by the failure of a brokerage firm to maintain custody of customer accounts, the failure of an introducing broker may not require SIPC protection. Customer property should be safely held by the clearing broker, which will usually locate a new introducing broker to service the accounts.

Who are customers?

In general, you are a customer if you have an investment account with a SIPC-member brokerage firm or have deposited cash with a SIPC-member brokerage firm, for the purpose of purchasing securities. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to qualify as a customer. SIPC protection of customers with multiple accounts is determined by “separate customer” capacity.

Some of examples of separate capacities include:

An individual account;
a joint account;
a traditional individual retirement account;
a Roth individual retirement account;
an account for a trust created under state law;
an account for a corporation; and
an account held by a guardian for a minor.

Additional information on separate accounts may be found in SIPC’s Series 100 Rules.

Each separate capacity is treated as a unique customer and protected up to $500,000 for securities and cash (including a $250,000 limit for cash only). Accounts held in the same capacity are combined for purposes of the SIPC protection limits. Here are some examples to illustrate how SIPC protection limits apply to investors with multiple accounts:

Example 1:	Sally has a brokerage account in her name at her brokerage firm. SIPC Protection Limit Sally has SIPC protection up to $500,000 for her brokerage account.
Example 2:	Tim has two brokerage accounts, each in his name, at the same brokerage firm. SIPC Protection Limit For purposes of SIPC protection, Tim’s accounts are combined. Tim does not have SIPC protection of $500,000 for each account, but has a total of $500,000 SIPC protection for both accounts.
Example 3:	Tim and Sally are married and they have a joint brokerage account, in addition to the individual brokerage accounts they each have at the brokerage firm. SIPC Protection Limit This joint brokerage account of Tim and Sally would have SIPC protection of $500,000, in addition to the SIPC protections of $500,000 that Sally and Tim have for their individual brokerage accounts discussed in Examples 1 and 2.
Example 4:	Tim also has a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA at the same brokerage firm. SIPC Protection Limit In addition to the other SIPC protections in the above examples, each of these IRA accounts would receive up to $500,000 in SIPC protection.

What is protected?

SIPC works to return “customer property,” generally meaning customer securities and related cash held by a SIPC-member brokerage firm. Protected securities include notes; stocks; Treasuries; bonds; CDs; options on securities; investment company shares such as mutual funds, ETFs, and money market funds; and investment contracts that are registered with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933.

A brokerage firm may hold your securities as either “customer name securities” – directly registered in your name in a non-negotiable form – or street name securities – owned by you on the brokerage firm’s books and records but registered in the brokerage firm’s name. Both customer name and “street” name securities are protected by SIPC, although, as discussed below, the registration method affects how the securities are returned to you.

Protected securities do not include commodities (such as gold or silver) or futures contracts, unregistered investment contracts, unregistered limited partnerships, fixed annuity contracts, or most types of crypto assets. For additional information on the types of securities SIPC protects, see SIPC’s “What SIPC Protects” webpage (https://www.sipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects).

In recent years, certain securities have been issued and/or transferred using blockchain or distributed ledger technology, i.e., a crypto asset security. At this time, many of the crypto asset securities that have been issued may be investment contracts and very few of them are registered in compliance with the federal securities laws. As noted above, under SIPA an investment contract must be registered with the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be a protected security, regardless of whether it is a crypto asset security.

Cash held in the account for the purpose of purchasing securities is also protected. Cash placed in the account solely for the purpose of earning interest, however, is not protected. Investments in currency, such as foreign exchange trading positions, also are not protected.

What SIPC Does Not Protect

SIPC protection works to restore to customers the cash and securities that were in their brokerage account when the SIPC-member brokerage firm failed. SIPC protection:

does not protect you against the decline in value of your securities
does not protect you against non-custody related fraud or misrepresentations such as being sold worthless stock or other securities. (SIPC protection may apply to the fraudulent transfer of your securities)
does not protect against losses due to a broker’s bad investment advice or recommendations for inappropriate investments, or for claims that a broker you authorized to buy or sell securities in your account did so in a way that was inconsistent with your overall investment objectives.
does not provide protection for claims of churning – that your broker engaged in excessive trading to generate commissions.
does not protect assets held outside of a SIPC-member brokerage firm, even if such assets are reported on an account statement

Brokerage firms may offer you different options for managing cash in your account. SIPC provides protection for two common cash management options: either simply leaving the cash in your brokerage account to invest it or placing it in a money market fund (which qualifies as a security for SIPC protection purposes). Another option offered by some brokerage firms is a bank sweep program. In a bank sweep program, your brokerage firm automatically transfers (or “sweeps”) unused cash from your brokerage account into a bank account. There, the cash is protected under banking laws and may be insured within limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Since cash in a bank sweep program is held outside of the brokerage firm, SIPC would not protect these funds if your brokerage firm fails.

How do I obtain SIPC protection?

You become eligible to receive SIPC protection simply by becoming a securities customer of a SIPC member brokerage firm. You do not need to pay additional fees for SIPC protection.

What should I do to protect myself?

Outside of the liquidation of a SIPC member, SIPC cannot intervene to satisfy claims or offer protection when a brokerage firm is still viable. SIPC is not a regulator, and it has no authority to investigate active brokerage firms and does not have access to account records. Accordingly, you should be vigilant and take steps when investing through a brokerage firm to protect yourself and maximize your protection should your brokerage firm be liquidated.

First, you should verify that you have invested with a SIPC member brokerage firm. You can find a list of SIPC members on SIPC’s website (https://www.sipc.org/list-of-members/), and you can research registered brokerage firms using BrokerCheck, a service provided by FINRA (https://brokercheck.finra.org/). You should further ensure that all deposits or transfers are directed to the SIPC member (or a SIPC-member clearing broker) and not to an individual representative or affiliate.

You should carefully review your account statements and trade confirmations. Any discrepancies should be brought promptly to the brokerage firm’s attention in writing. Of particular importance, you should submit a written complaint to your introducing brokerage firm if you notice any unauthorized trading. The failure to file a complaint about an unauthorized trade may result in the trade being “ratified” – meaning that you are deemed to have accepted and authorized the trade. If you have any complaint about your account, you should first contact the brokerage firm and see if it can resolve the complaint. If not, you should contact the SEC, FINRA, or your state securities regulator, documenting any complaints.

Additional Resources

Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 2: Filing a SIPC Claim) (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-bulletins-102)

SIPC Brochure: How SIPC Protects You (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/HowSIPCProtectsYou-English-Web.pdf)

SIPC Brochure: The Investor’s Guide to Brokerage Firm Liquidations (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/Liquidations-Web.pdf)

Investor.gov Glossary: Securities Investor Protection Corporation (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/securities-investor-protection-corporation-sipc)

FINRA Investor Alert: If a Brokerage Firm Closes Its Doors (https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/if-brokerage-firm-closes-its-doors)

FINRA: Your Rights Under SIPC Protection (https://www.finra.org/investors/need-help/your-rights-under-sipc-protection)

FDIC: Understanding Deposit Insurance (https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/understanding-deposit-insurance/index.html)

For more information regarding SIPC, please visit SIPC’s website (www.sipc.org). If you have any questions regarding SIPC and the protection that it provides, you can email SIPC at asksipc@sipc.org.

Visit the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov.

Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at Help@SEC.gov.

Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA by email or RSS feed. Follow OIEA on Twitter. Like OIEA on Facebook.

This Investor Alert represents the views of the staff of the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. It is not a rule, regulation, or statement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”). The Commission has neither approved nor disapproved its content. This Alert, like all staff statements, has no legal force or effect: it does not alter or amend applicable law, and it creates no new or additional obligations for any person.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Telecommunications in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Source: Government of India

Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Telecommunications in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri JyotiradityaScindia says “Initiatives aims to ensure that digital and infrastructural links are ubiquitous, facilitating access to essential services and opportunities to all.”

These initiatives reaffirm to expanding and enhancing India’s Telecom ecosystem, for a more digitally empowered future

DoT’s initiative,’Ek Ped MaaKe Naam’ App also gets launched, combining environmental responsibility with a personal touch

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 5:53PM by PIB Delhi

The Minister of Communications (Department of Telecom & Department of Post) and Development of Northeastern Region (DONER), Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia today said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s governmenthas prioritized connectivity for every citizen across the nation. He said, the initiatives of Department of Telecommunications aim to ensure that digital and infrastructural links are ubiquitous, facilitating access to essential services and opportunities. He emphasized that maintaining this connectivity is crucial for fostering inclusive growth and development throughout India.

Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekharwas addressing the media on achievements of the Ministry of Communications (DoT& DoP) and Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER)in 100 days of the Government in New Delhi. Secretary (T), Secretary (DoP), Secretary DONER and senior officials of the ministries were present.

Shri JyotiradityaScindia also launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam(EPKMN) App, a uniqueinitiative of DoT, where citizens can plant a tree in honour of their mother and record the location, latitude, longitude, and timestamp of the dedicated tree.The app allows them to update the tree’s growth by uploading a new image every 30 days, allowing for continuous tracking.(The android application can be downloaded from https://usof.gov.in/en/ek-ped-maa-ke-naam).

Highlighting the accomplishments of the Department of Communications during the first 100 days of the government, Minister Scindia gave a detailed outline of the work done. He pointed out that DoT has successfully completed several key initiatives as part of the Government of India’s 100-day programme. He said, during this period, DoT has made significant strides in strengthening the four goals of a developed telecom ecosystem – Samaveshit (ubiquitous connectivity fuelling inclusive growth), Viksit (developed India through triad of perform, reform and transform), Tvarit (accelerated development and swift resolution), and Surakshit (safely and securely). The major achievements of 100-day programme are:

Samaveshit

Under various initiatives funded by the Digital Bharat Nidhi (Erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)), 4G mobile coverage is being expanded to uncovered villages across India. These efforts are focused on regions such as aspirational districts, the North-Eastern region, border areas, islands, and areas affected by left-wing extremism. A total of 7,101 4G mobile towers have been commissioned by Telecom Service Providers (Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel & BSNL) under various Digital Bharat Nidhi funded 4G schemes including 4G Saturation scheme. Out of these 4G towers 2,618Towers have been made on-air since June 2024.

5G technology has reached almost all districts of India. As of today, 98% districts in India have presence of 5G technology thereby empowering citizens with highspeed data network. 5G networks have been rolled out in all States/ UTs across the country and more than 4.5 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed across the country.

Viksit

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Bharat 6G Vision in March 2023 with the objective to be a front-line contributor in design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030. In line with the Bharat 6G Vision and to support India’s prominence in 6G technology and develop the 6G RAN for the world, the DoT invited proposals from academia, industry, and other bodies engaged in R&D. So far 111 project proposalshave been processed for funding to expedite the research under “Accelerated research on 6G Ecosystem”.
- 100 5G Labs
Labs with indigenously developed 5G technology are being set up at 100 institutions, equally distributed across four zones in the country. The labs are being set up with the aim of capacity building in new telecom technologies and creating use cases in various socio-economic sectors for 5G technologies in collaboration with academia and start-ups. From June 2024 onwards, 41 out of the total 100 labs have been installed making the cumulatively installed labs to 81.

A Centre of Excellence (CoE) on “Classical and Quantum Communications for 6G” has been established at IIT Madras.Another MoU has been signed between the Telecom Centre of Excellence (TCOE) India and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) – Visvesvaraya Research & Innovation Foundation (VRIF) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Quantum Technology, focusing on associated 5G/6G technologies. TheseCoE will serve as a hub for innovation bringing together industry and academic experts to collaborate on cutting edge project in advance telecommunication technologies to foster and spearhead the development and deployment of 6G technology

A MoU has been signed between TCoE India and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) Gandhinagar for setting up of Centre of Excellence on Telecom Security. The MoU envisages strengthening the National cyberspace by securing the Telecom network and to develop an Indian telecom network security stack to enhance security of the nation’s communication infrastructure.

Sangam Digital Twin with AI Driven Insights:Digital Twin with AI-Driven Insights is an initiative to revolutionize infrastructure planning. This two-stage initiative began with a creative exploration phase designed to build confidence among participants through networking events.Over 150 organizations and experts participated in Stage-I in the form of networking events held in July 2024, demonstrating a willingness and foundational capability to develop the envisioned ecosystem for advanced infrastructure planning.In the Stage-II of Sangam development and demonstration of specific use cases are being planned.

PoC of Metro route planning: DoT, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have successfully conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) to demonstrate the feasibility of using aggregated telecom data for metro route planning addressing privacy challenges. PoC explored solution’s flexibility to evolve and tackle ridership issues in ongoing metro projects by accurately identifying catchment areas, analysing arrival times, assessing interchange durations, utilization optimize operations, generating an Origin-Destination (OD) matrix for metro network planning and improving ongoing operational strategies. The promising results achieved endorse the Sangam Digital Twin initiative and represent a significant first step.

To boost domestic manufacturing, investments and export in the telecom and networking products PLI scheme with a financial outlay of ₹ 12,195 Crores over a period of 5 years has been initiated. So far, 42 PLI beneficiary companies, collectively invested Rs. 3,718 crores achieved sales of Rs. 57,498 crore including export of Rs. 11,506 crores and direct employment of 22,315.

Tvarit

MSME Certification assistance scheme:DoTlaunched reimbursement scheme aimed at easing financial burdens for startups and Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the telecom sector. With the objective of fostering domestic manufacturing, attracting investments and enhancing exports, the scheme will reimburse up to INR 50 lakhs per startup or MSE for testing and certification costs essential for product quality and market access.

With an objective of improving the telecom network performance, benchmarks will be gradually tightened for key network parameters like network availability, call drop rates, packet drop rates, etc. In this regard, TRAI has released its revised regulations, “The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 of 2024)’.

To update the existing laws and to address the challenges of the Telecom sector, Central Government enacted Telecommunications Act, 2023 on 24th Dec 2023. The Act replaces colonial era’s Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933. Enforcement of its provisions and rules will enable effective and modern regulation of Telecom sector. It will provide clearly defined framework for Spectrum assignment and its optimal utilization, Effective and efficient RoW framework, Strong provisions for National Security and Public emergency, etc

In accordance with section 1(3), the Central Government has on 21.06.2024 issued Gazette Notification enforcing sections 1,2, 10 to 30, 42 to 44, 46, 47, 50 to 58, 61 and 62 of the Telecommunications Act w.e.f. 26.06.2024. The Department has also, on 04.07.2024, notified sections 6 to 8, 48 and 59(b) of the Act w.e.f. 05.07.2024.

Draft Rules for Security related provisions have been published for public consultation. Public consultation on draft rules for Adjudication, Amateur Station Operator and Commercial Radio Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency to operate Global Maritime Distress and Safety System has been completed. Two set of rules i.e. Telecommunications (Administration of Digital Bharat Nidhi) Rules, 2024 and Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024 have come into force through gazette notification dated 31.08.2024 and 18.09.2024 respectively.
- Spectrum Auction
Spectrum Auction in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands was held in June 2024. A total of 141.4 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2500 MHz bands were sold at a market determined price of Rs. 11340.78 crores.

Surakshit

DoThas developed an online secure Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) under Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) Project for sharing information related to misuse of telecom resources among the stakeholders on near real time basis for prevention of cyber-crime and financial frauds. Different stakeholders are being onboarded on it including Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), law enforcement agencies, RBI, banks, financial institutions (FIs), GSTN, UIDAI and social media platforms. 32 States/UTs police, Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) have on boarded this platform during Jul-Aug 2024.

Till date 750 users of various stakeholders have on boarded on DIP. These stakeholders include field units of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), telecom service providers (TSPs), MHA, Indian Cybercrime coordination centre (I4C), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), 32 States/UTs police, 460 banks, FIs, fintechs, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), SEBI, GSTN, IRCTC and social media platforms

The Department of Telecommunications, through these 100 days achievements, reaffirm to expanding and enhancing India’s telecom infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity, promoting digital inclusion, fostering innovation and preparing the country for a more digitally empowered future.

****

MG/PD/DP

(Release ID: 2057958) Visitor Counter : 325

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman McCaul on Potential Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Iraq

Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Media Contact 202-226-8467

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement on reports that the Biden-Harris administration may withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq despite continued threats posed by ISIS and affiliates to U.S. national security.

“No one wants American soldiers in harm’s way a second longer than needed. With this in mind, I remain deeply concerned about the possibility of committing to a time-bound withdrawal from Iraq as we see an uptick in ISIS attacks across the Middle East, and ISIS infiltration across the U.S. southern border. In 2011, we withdrew from Iraq before our counterterrorism mission was complete. Just a few years later, ISIS had overrun the country and established a so-called ‘caliphate.’ Any U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq needs to be conditions based. Our Iraqi partners must demonstrate their ability to effectively take over the D-ISIS mission independent of coalition support, and must show sustained progress toward achieving ISIS’ lasting defeat. It should not be driven by arbitrary, politically motivated deadlines.”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated COMPUTER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM – POWER (CSIRT–POWER) facility
Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 7:17PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated COMPUTER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM – POWER (CSIRT–POWER) facility at Northern Regional Power Committee, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi,today.

On the occasion Union Minister said the CSIRT Power facility is a significant step forward in the mission to protect one of the most vital components of our national infrastructure—our power infrastructure.

Shri Manohar Lal also said that the threats we face today are unlike those of the past. Cyberattacks have emerged as a serious and growing concern, capable of causing significant disruptions with far-reaching consequences. The power sector, being at the heart of our national infrastructure, is a prime target for such attacks.

He said that the CSIRT-Power, which is being inaugurated today, is a proactive response to these challenges. It is more than just a facility—it is a fortress, built to defend our power system from the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.

The power sector’s digital infrastructure faces heightened threats from nation/state-sponsored adversaries with advanced capabilities. The existing sub-sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) lack the necessary legal mandate, resources, and skilled professionals to address cybersecurity incidents effectively. The sector’s ongoing digital transformation has expanded the attack surface, increasing vulnerabilities. Additionally, compliance with the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013, requires the establishment of sectoral CERTs, emphasizing the need for centralized coordination to strengthen cybersecurity efforts and support constituent utilities in decision-making and specialized responses.

In response to potential cyber threats, the Ministry of Power, as part of the 100-day initiatives, following the National Cyber Security Policy and in collaboration with CERT-In, initiated the creation of a specialized Computer Security Incident Response Team for the power sector (CSIRT-Power). Equipped with advanced infrastructure, cutting-edge cybersecurity tools, and key resources, CSIRT-Power is now well-prepared to tackle emerging threats. With a dedicated team of experts, it is set to become a cornerstone of the sector’s cyber defence, coordinating incident response, establishing a strong cybersecurity framework, and implementing crucial measures to enhance overall preparedness and resilience.

The primary objective of CSIRT-Power is to build and enhance the cybersecurity resilience in the Indian Power Sector, through a structured and coordinated approach. The associated key objectives are:
1. To serve as the responsible agency for responding to and preventing cybersecurity incidents within the power sector.
2. To ensure a prompt and coordinated response to cyber threats in power sector.
3. To collect, analyze, and share information regarding power sector-specific cyber threats.
4. To ensure implementation of proactive measures to increase cybersecurity awareness and improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the power sector.
5. To promote sector specific best practices, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and security policies.
6. To provide cybersecurity expertise and assistance to constituent utilities.
7. To enhance cybersecurity in the power sector through capacity building measures like training, development of standards, and incident response drills, collaboration with educational institutions and industry.
8. To facilitate cooperation among stakeholders in the power sector to build awareness and strengthen collective cybersecurity efforts.
****

SUSHIL KUMAR

(Release ID: 2058001) Visitor Counter : 32

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman at the United Nations Development Program Event “Mobilizing Africa’s Sixth Region: Helping Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century”

Source: USAID

DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: Good afternoon. Thank you to our colleagues at UNDP for bringing us together today, and to our partners joining the discussion.

It’s a pleasure to be with you as we explore the promise of African-led innovation in education, technology, and entrepreneurship to drive global progress.

All of us here today know that the African continent is a powerhouse of promise. This year, the continent is poised to be the world’s second fastest-growing region – Africa is home to 12 of the 20 fastest growing economies on the planet.

The African continent also boasts an exceptionally young and growing population, with 60 percent of its inhabitants under the age of 25, and by 2040, Africa will have the largest workforce in the world – larger than China and India combined.

If we are going to achieve the SDGs and build the peaceful and prosperous world we all seek to advance, we must invest in harnessing that enormous potential.

This past March, I visited Atlanta to take part in the Phambili Trade and Innovation Event. While in Atlanta, I started discussing with Helene Gayle, the President of Spellman college, the potential for connecting American Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, with universities and colleges in Africa – harnessing cultural ties, and connecting young people pursuing careers in STEM on both sides of the world, empowering the next generation of students that could develop relationships and trade between the continent and the United States.

Since then, USAID has been in conversation with Spellman and other HBCUs about making this idea a reality, starting with one class that could count toward the HBCU students’ college degrees.

The idea blossomed, and in May of this year, USAID officially announced the launch of this program during the official visit of Kenyan President Ruto to the United States.

EdTech Africa will pilot in Kenya featuring a select cohort of students from two to three HBCUs in the United States – Howard University and the Atlanta University Consortium – and three Kenyan Universities – University of Nairobi, University of Embu, and the Open University of Kenya – focusing on data science.

In addition to academic coursework, the partnership will provide workforce development training in association which will require a collaborative project as a capstone to the class.

They will also participate in an entrepreneurship bootcamp in Atlanta sponsored by Mastercard and project based work sponsored by Microsoft at their Microsoft Africa Research Institute in Nairobi.

This hands-on approach will equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market.

This is just the first partnership under EdTech Africa that will develop enduring connections with industry and between African and U.S. institutions focused on technology research and development and private-sector job growth.

The EdTech Africa initiative is poised to make a significant impact at a time when Africa is experiencing rapid digital transformation characterized by technological advancements, increased connectivity, and emerging job opportunities.

To thrive in this new digital landscape, a safe and secure ecosystem is essential, and the EdTech Africa initiative will contribute to building such an environment.

The United States is eager to partner with Africa to uplift the next generation of innovative, African-led solutions – helping generate broadly shared opportunity and prosperity that benefits families and communities across the continent, and sustainable growth that benefits economies across the world.

These are just a few of the ways USAID is investing in Africa’s future.

But we know our work is not done.

The African continent is teeming with potential to drive the next generation of global progress, and now, it’s up to all of us – governments, partner countries, UN organizations, and the private sector – to invest in that potential.

Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024

Category: DJF

What’s LIBOR?

Replacing LIBOR

What do I need to know?

How may I be affected?

Additional Resources

1. Background

2. Objective and scope of work

a) Research and analysis.

b) Technical assistance

3. Project Budget

4. Assessment

5. How to Bid

6. Key documents

7. Contacts

Share this page

Updates to this page

Fictional stories, real relationships

Bingeing nostalgia

Nostalgia as a plot point

Real-world (re)connection

Stronger through stress

Why compensate people for vaccine injuries?

The COVID vaccine claims scheme

Australia is lagging internationally

So what happens in Australia now?

It’s time to set up an Australian scheme

How should it work?

The difficulty of truth

Discouraging coming forward

Reluctance to change

Reinforcing myths

Bipartisan legislation would improve the State Department’s crisis response in US-involved conflicts abroad

Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chairs High Level Task Force meeting on air pollution in Delhi-NCRReviews various measures being undertaken to prevent and abate air pollution in Delhi-NCR

SHS 2024 Campaign Hits 25% Cleanliness Milestone in 5.6 Lakh CTUs by Day 7!Over 3 Crore citizens have joined in voluntary action to transform urban and rural India

Once I have a securities account with a SIPC member, how does SIPC protection work?

What About Excess SIPC Coverage?

Additional Resources

Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Posts in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi15,466 Dak Chaupals conducted nationwide

What is SIPC protection?

Who are SIPC member brokerage firms?

Who are customers?

What is protected?

What SIPC Does Not Protect

How do I obtain SIPC protection?

What should I do to protect myself?

Additional Resources

Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chairs High Level Task Force meeting on air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Reviews various measures being undertaken to prevent and abate air pollution in Delhi-NCR

SHS 2024 Campaign Hits 25% Cleanliness Milestone in 5.6 Lakh CTUs by Day 7!

Over 3 Crore citizens have joined in voluntary action to transform urban and rural India

Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Posts in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

15,466 Dak Chaupals conducted nationwide