Category: Education

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study of metformin and birth defects

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

October 16, 2024

A study published in the BMJ looks at metformin use and the risks of birth defects in offspring.

Dr Channa Jayasena, Consultant & Head of Andrology, Imperial College London, said:

“Metformin is one of the most important drugs in the world, by providing an affordable and effective way to lower sugar levels in millions of patients with type 2 diabetes around the world. A previous study suggested that men taking metformin might be at increased risk of fathering children with birth defects, but I always urge caution with such studies because they can scare people away from medications that they need, because of a potential but unproven risk.

“The current study studied more than 3 million pregnancies, making it very large by current standards. Importantly, they found no increase in birth defects when men took metformin. This allows us to reassure men taking the drug that there is no consistent evidence suggesting that their children will be at increased risk of birth defects.”

Prof Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Manchester, said:

“This is a useful study that provides further clarity on the relationship between metformin use to control type 2 diabetes in fathers and birth defects in their sons. This has been of interest since the publication of a paper in 2022 by researchers using data from Denmark in which suggested there might be a link.

“By using data from two different populations in Norway and Taiwan, the new paper has taken the analysis one step further and have concluded that no real link exists between a father’s metformin use and any birth defects in his sons. The makes sense because there was never any plausible biological mechanism which might have led us to this conclusion.

“I think the reasons that this new paper finds no link, compared to the 2022 paper which did, is simply down to data quality. Both analyses were very well conducted, but in this paper using data from Norway and Taiwan, the authors were able to take into account many more confounding factors. This highlights the need for ongoing caution in the interpretation of observational studies like this and why they should always be repeated in many different populations before a firm conclusion is drawn.

“At the time that the original Danish study was published in 2022, many of us expressed caution about how the findings might be interpreted and encouraged men who take Metformin to control their diabetes to continue doing so, or at least discuss it with their doctor. I hope that this new study provides further reassurance that Metformin is a safe drug that can be used for the control of type 2 diabetes in men who wish to become fathers.”

‘Paternal metformin use and risk of congenital malformations in offspring in Norway and Taiwan: population based, cross national cohort study’ by Lin-Chieh Meng et al. was published in The BMJ at 23:30 hours UK time on Wednesday 16 October 2024.

DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080127

Declared interests

Allan Pacey: “Chairman of the advisory committee of the UK National External Quality Assurance Schemes in Reproductive Science, Emeritus Editor in Chief of Human Fertility, Trustee of the Progress Educational Trust (Charity Number: 1139856) and Patron of the Fertility Alliance (Charity Number:1206323) (all unpaid).”

Channa Jayasena: “No conflicts”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Learn How to Salvage Disaster-Damaged Family Treasures
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: Learn How to Salvage Disaster-Damaged Family Treasures

Learn How to Salvage Disaster-Damaged Family Treasures
RALEIGH, N.C. – As North Carolina households recover from Tropical Storm Helene, FEMA’s preservation teams will be in Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the state to demonstrate how to safely handle and salvage your damaged items. These specialists will show you how to salvage storm-damaged family photos, artwork, textiles, media and other family treasures.

Save Your Treasures Program Schedule
- Oct. 17 – 20: McDowell County Disaster Recovery Center: McDowell County Senior Center, 100 Spaulding Rd., Marion, N.C. 28752 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Oct. 19 – 21: Buncombe County Disaster Recovery Center: A.C. Reynolds High School, 1 Rocket Dr., Asheville, N.C. 28803 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
If you are unable to attend an in-person demonstration, you can learn more about salvaging family treasures by visiting http://www.fema.gov/disaster/recover/save-family-treasures or culturalrescue.si.edu/who-we-are/hentf.

Survivors can also visit a recovery center to apply for FEMA assistance, receive referrals to other assistance that may be available and much more. To find the nearest center, visit http://www.fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a zip code to 43362.

It is not necessary to go to a center to apply for FEMA assistance. The fastest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via the FEMA app. You may also call 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as video relay, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
barbara.murien…
Wed, 10/16/2024 – 23:02

MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Jokowi was once seen as Indonesia’s ‘new hope’. Instead, he leaves a legacy of democratic backsliding

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Aspinall, Professor in Southeast Asian Politics, Australian National University

As Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) prepares to leave office, Indonesia is still routinely lauded as one of Asia’s most important democracies. Jokowi was first elected, in 2014, on the promise of breaking with the old Jakarta elite and making government more responsive to ordinary people.

He was backed by many ardent supporters of Indonesia’s Reformasi movement. This movement had brought down the authoritarian leader, Suharto, in 1998 and pushed a transition to democracy in the years that followed.

But Jokowi has overseen a serious period of democratic backsliding.

Democratic decline

Under his watch, the Indonesian government has hobbled democratic control institutions. This includes Indonesia’s once-lauded Corruption Eradication Commission, abbreviated as KPK.

Security agencies such the army and the police have begun to resume a political role.

The government has banned major Islamic organisations.

Civil society groups speak of a dramatically narrowed civic space. They complain, for example, about the government’s increasing reliance on the Electronic Information and Transactions Law to prosecute critics of the government for defamation and its growing willingness to use violent means to respond to protests.

Jokowi’s opponents in the political elite are routinely investigated for corruption and other alleged wrongdoing.

In last February’s presidential election, there were widespread reports the police and other agencies were pressuring community leaders to mobilise the vote for Jokowi’s preferred candidate, Prabowo Subianto.

How and why does Jokowi leave this legacy?

How did a man who was once seen as a “new hope” for Indonesian democracy end up here?

The answer is part of a global story that has become broadly familiar in recent years.

These days, it is generally not unelected coup leaders who destroy democracy. Experiences like those of Thailand and Myanmar in recent years are, happily, no longer typical.

Instead, elected populist leaders hollow democracy out from within. They do so by hobbling institutions, such as anti-corruption commissions, which are meant to check executive power.

Jokowi has, in my view, followed this pattern.

Unlike many populists, Jokowi never peppered his early speeches with angry denunciations of his opponents as traitors. He never tried to whip up vitriol against vulnerable minorities.

Instead, he positioned himself as a leader who was uniquely able to understand and to embody the aspirations of ordinary people.

His trademark campaign method was known as blusukan. He would drop by unexpectedly at a marketplace, for example, to chat with ordinary people about prices and other everyday matters.

Jokowi has positioned himself as a man of the people.
BahbahAconk/Shutterstock

A former mayor, he was interested in the nitty gritty of governance, such as how to improve transport services or upgrade parks. He was less interested in “abstract” notions like human rights.

The implications of this philosophy only became apparent after Jokowi was elected president.

He retained his belief in his own unique ability to understand the aspirations of ordinary citizens, which had been long neglected by elite politicians.

He maintained a single-minded focus on what ordinary Indonesians wanted – improved living standards and better social welfare. And he used polls to regularly monitor public opinion.

For Jokowi, maintaining popular support and satisfying public demands was the essence of democracy. He was not interested in institutions that place limits on governmental power, which are arguably just as important to a functioning democratic system.

For example, his government enacted legal amendments that significantly weakened the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Late last year, the Constitutional Court – headed by his brother-in-law – changed the the rules on candidate age limits to allow Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to stand for the vice presidency. Many Indonesians viewed this as a transparent – and successful – attempt to manipulate a key control institution for the purpose of maintaining Jokowi’s dynastic grip on power.

Even so, as Jokowi leaves office, he does so a very popular politician.

Prabowo as president

Jokowi hands power to a man with an even more chequered democratic history.

Prabowo Subianto is a former general with a record of alleged human rights abuses dating back to the late Suharto period. (Although, like other senior military officers accused of responsibility for the Suharto regime’s well-documented record of human rights abuses, he was never convicted of any crimes). Prabowo was close to the heart of that regime: indeed, he used to be Suharto’s son-in-law.

Prabowo has promised he would provide the strong hand the country needed.
Algi Febri Sugita/Shutterstock

Prabowo has since reinvented himself as a fun-loving grandfather figure and Jokowi’s greatest fan, capitalising on the president’s own popularity.

In fact, Prabowo used to be among Jokowi’s greatest rivals before becoming his defence minister in 2019.

In previous elections, Prabowo presented himself as a firebrand populist who angrily denounced his opponents for allegedly selling Indonesia out to foreigners. He promised he would provide the strong hand the country needed to become truly great.

We don’t know yet what kind of president Prabowo will be. His early political socialisation, as a leading elite figure close to the heart of the Suharto regime, suggests his instincts are likely to be deeply authoritarian.

He inherits from Jokowi a country in which democratic institutions have already been seriously undermined, and a series of lessons in how to weaken them further.

Edward Aspinall has received funding from the ARC and DFAT.

– ref. Jokowi was once seen as Indonesia’s ‘new hope’. Instead, he leaves a legacy of democratic backsliding – https://theconversation.com/jokowi-was-once-seen-as-indonesias-new-hope-instead-he-leaves-a-legacy-of-democratic-backsliding-237319

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Financial support for women’s health: UNFPA and Charité present new “WomenX Collective” programme in Berlin

Source: United Nations Population Fund

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, launched its new “WomenX Collective” programme at the World Health Summit in Berlin on October 15, in conjunction with the opening of its first hub office in a global network of centres specializing in the promotion of women’s health, especially sexual and reproductive health, in the German capital.

The Berlin office will be run in cooperation with Charité – Universitätsmedizin and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH). With their new partnership, UNFPA and Charité aim to promote women’s health, particularly in middle and low income countries and to address the lack of solutions and financial resources in this field.

“Every minute, at least two women die globally from breast or cervical cancer or from pregnancy-related complications due to inequitable access to healthcare,” says Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA. “Through the WomenX Collective, UNFPA and Charité aim to help bring innovative health solutions to underserved communities, closing the health gap for women worldwide.”

Initial financing commitments in place

With initial funding commitments from international donors, including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Organon & Co., as well as a donation from Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, the WomenX Collective programme aims to raise at least $100 million in catalytic investment by 2030 to support women’s health projects, scale innovative solutions locally and promote these solutions across sectors. This has the potential to avert more than 10.4 million unintended pregnancies, 3.2 million unsafe abortions, and 21,000 maternal deaths. With the network of hub offices, the programme aims to bring together experience and technical expertise from different countries and regions, as well as modern technologies and sustainable financing. The office in Berlin will be followed by a hub in Nairobi in 2025.

To mark the opening of the hub office and the ceremonial signing of the partnership between UNFPA and Charité, partners of the WomenX Collective programme will be joined by Dr. Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as representatives of the German healthcare sector and stakeholders from the Global South.

Additional quotes from participating organisations:

“The investment in women’s health is convincing with numbers: Through new, women-centred evidence-driven investment opportunities, we want to show that for every euro invested, a dividend of over 7 euros is possible by 2030″, says Dr. Nigina Muntean, Chief of Innovation at UNFPA. “By investing in women’s health and fostering innovation, we can unlock significant economic returns and ensure advancements reach those most in need.”

“Women’s health is still under-researched and under-funded,” says Prof. Dr. Heyo K. Kroemer, Chairman of the Board of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and partner of the WomenX Collective initiative. “We are convinced of the collaborative and integrative approach of WomenX, so I am pleased that Charité can make a contribution here. In order to address women’s health in a sustainable way, we need strong partnerships with institutions from the global North and South.”

“We are delighted to welcome the WomenX Collective programme under our roof and to contribute to the success of this important project,” says Prof. Dr. Christopher Baum, Chairman of the BIH Board of Directors at Charité and Chairman of the Translational Research Department at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. “WomenX Collective aims to leverage proximity to innovations and experts and Berlin features an outstanding ecosystem of health and innovation.”

“The opening of UNFPA programme in Berlin in partnership with the Charité/BIH offers an opportunity to intensify the diverse initiatives in the field of women’s health and to make this even more effective,” says Prof. Dr. Jalid Sehouli, Medical Director Department of Gynecology including center of oncological surgery (Campus Virchow Klinikum) and Department of Gynaecology (Campus Benjamin Franklin).

About UNFPA:

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.

About Charité:

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, a cutting-edge medical institution, is a leader in diagnosis and treatment, with a special focus on severe, complex, and rare diseases and health conditions. A medical school and university medical center in one, Charité has earned an outstanding reputation worldwide, combining first-class patient care with excellence in research and innovation, state-of-the-art teaching, and high-quality training and education. At Charité, people and their health come first. Charité is dedicated to transformative translational research, applying the very latest scientific findings to prevention, diagnostics, and treatment and harnessing clinical observations to develop new lines of research and scientific questions. Charité’s foremost goal is to actively help shape the medicine of the future, all with one aim in mind: improving patients’ lives and quality of life.

With more than 100 departments and institutes spanning four campuses and 3,293 beds, Charité is one of Europe’s largest university medical centers. At Charité, the areas of research, teaching, and medical care are closely interconnected. Averaging about 23,500 across the entire group of companies, Berlin’s university medicine organization remained one of the capital city’s largest employers in 2023. Last year, Charité provided care for some 138,000 inpatients and day case patients and about 788,000 outpatients. There are 9,879 students enrolled in medicine, dentistry, health care sciences, and nursing programs here, at one of Germany’s largest medical schools. https://www.charite.de/en/ 

About the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité:

The mission of the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) is medical translation: transferring biomedical research findings into novel approaches to personalized prediction, prevention, diagnostics and therapies and, conversely, using clinical observations to develop new research ideas. The aim is to deliver relevant medical benefits to patients and the population at large. As the translational research unit within Charité, the BIH is also committed to establishing a comprehensive translational ecosystem – one that places emphasis on a system-wide understanding of health and disease and that promotes change in the biomedical translational research culture. The BIH was founded in 2013 and is funded 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and 10 percent by the State of Berlin. The founding institutions, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrück Center, were independent member entities within the BIH until 2020. Since 2021 the BIH has been integrated into Charité as its so-called third pillar. The Max Delbrück Center is now the Privileged Partner of the BIH.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major crackdown on NHS waste
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

A new strategy is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service.
Move to scrap single-use MedTech as Health and Social Care Secretary launches waste blitz

Tens of millions of disposable items are binned after just one use

MedTech companies incentivised to produce sustainable products – pumping millions back to NHS frontline and cash into economy

The government is launching a major crackdown on waste in the NHS to save millions of pounds a year, helping to divert more resources to frontline care.

A new strategy – the Design for Life Roadmap – is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service and reduce our reliance on foreign imports.

Disposable medical devices substantially contribute to the 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste that the NHS produces every year in England alone. The roadmap paves the way to slashing this waste and maximising reuse, remanufacture and recycling in the NHS.

Doing so will create thousands more UK jobs and help transform the country into a life sciences superpower. As it stands, millions of devices like walking aids and surgical instruments are thrown away after just one use.

Harmonic shears – surgical devices which seal patients’ wounds using ultrasound waves – each cost more than £500 and around 90% of them are binned after a single use. Innovative companies are already purchasing these used devices and safely remanufacturing them at a lower price.

The government will encourage more of this kind of innovation to safely remanufacture a wider range of products and drive costs down, including by changing procurement rules to incentivise reusable products and rolling out examples where hospitals are already leading the way on cutting wasteful spending and practices.

Approximately £10 billion each year is spent on medical technology like this in the NHS, but too much of it is imported via vulnerable routes that risk disrupting patient care.

A Circular Economy Taskforce has already been created to foster more highly skilled green jobs and smarter use of our resources. An economy wide shift to a circular economy could add £75 billion to the economy and create 500,000 jobs by 2030.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

The NHS is broken. It is the mission of this government to get it back on its feet, and we can’t afford a single penny going to waste.

Because the NHS deals in the billions, too often it doesn’t think about the millions. That has to change. This government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in the public finances, so we will have a laser-like focus on getting better value for taxpayers’ money.

Every year, millions of expensive medical devices are chucked in the bin after being used just once. We are going to work closely with our medical technology industry, to eliminate waste and support homegrown medtech and equipment.

The below case studies illustrate the potential savings:

Mid Yorkshire Trust uses 330,000 single use tourniquets in a year, but a single reusable tourniquet can be used 10,000 times. In a one-year trial, reusable alternatives saved £20,000 in procurement costs and 0.75 metric tonnes of plastic waste.

In Northampton Hospitals NHS Trust, a single Ophthalmology department saved 1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and £12,000 in a year by switching to reusable pairs. Single-use scissors are often used in surgical settings. NHS procurement data shows that several million pairs of single-use scissors were purchased by the NHS in a single year (2022-23). That is the equivalent of hundreds of pairs of scissors thrown away every hour.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust saved £76,610 in costs purchasing 604 remanufactured Electrophysiology (EP) Catheters, and generated a further £22,923 for selling used devices for collection. If the same approach were to be scaled up across the UK, the NHS could save millions of pounds per year on EP catheters alone, just a few product lines among hundreds of thousands.

Harmonic shears are complex devices for performing surgical procedures and cost more than £500 each, yet around 90% are binned after a single use. Leeds University Teaching Hospitals Trust has demonstrated that companies can safely remanufacture them, giving up to 50% cost savings.

The Design for Life programme will reduce this kind of waste and achieve an NHS-wide move to sustainable alternatives– also supporting the government’s net zero goals.

A new roadmap sets out 30 actions to achieve this shift – including how the government will work with companies to encourage the production of more sustainable products, along with training for NHS staff on how to use them.

Taking this approach will mean more money can be spent in the UK, driving growth, creating more engineering, life sciences and research jobs – all while securing savings for the NHS budget.

Many of these products include precious metals such as platinum and titanium which are in high demand but go to landfill when they could be recovered and sold. A reduction in the amount of disposed single-use devices will also reduce the country’s carbon footprint and plastic pollution.

The government will encourage industry figures to innovate by making sure benefits of reusable MedTech are part of how the NHS chooses the products it buys.

Baroness Merron visited University College London Hospital on Tuesday, 15 October. The hospital is a member of the Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance, which advocates for sustainable practices within the NHS.

Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said:

Design for Life doesn’t just deliver on the Health Mission, to build an NHS fit for the future, it also delivers on our Growth Mission to make the UK a life science superpower and our commitment to get the NHS to net zero by 2045.

She toured a mock operating theatre and was shown various sustainable products its NHS staff use – from simple products like gowns and scissors to sophisticated, expensive products like harmonic shears.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said:

While the NHS is treating record numbers of patients, we know there is much more to do to ensure taxpayers get value for money.

The NHS made a record £7.25bn worth of efficiency savings last year and is targeting a further £9bn of savings for 2024/25. But we are rightly still looking for ways to get our money’s worth for every penny we spend.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Design for Life programme was developed with more than 80 stakeholders from the UK MedTech industry, the health and care system, and research organisations.

It forms part of the government’s ambition to transform the UK into a life sciences superpower and ensure sustainability.

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Published 16 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI: EBC Financial Group Expands Asset Management Capabilities with Second Australian Financial Services Licence

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SYDNEY, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a significant move toward expanding its global asset management footprint, EBC Financial Group (EBC) has successfully obtained an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) for Asset Management from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). This acquisition strengthens EBC’s ability to provide sophisticated investment solutions to institutional investors, professional investors, and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) worldwide. By securing the AFSL, EBC is not only deepening its presence in Australia but also enhancing its capacity to serve clients across global markets, aligning with its broader strategy to offer diversified and regulated asset management services on a global scale.

The new licence, issued to EBC Asset Management Pty Ltd, strengthens the group’s existing offerings. It complements EBC’s existing AFSL for General Financial Advice, enhancing the group’s ability to deliver a comprehensive range of investment strategies across asset classes such as real estate, fixed income, equities, and alternative investments, including private equity and venture capital funds. This marks a key milestone in EBC’s continued effort to expand its global financial ecosystem.

Global Strategy: Addressing an Evolving Investment Landscape
As global economic uncertainties and market volatility increase, more HNWIs and institutional investors are seeking stable asset management solutions. EBC’s acquisition of the AFSL for Asset Management is a strategic response to these changing dynamics, enabling the company to offer flexible investment options and enhanced market access. By securing this licence, EBC is well-positioned to address the growing demand for reliable, diversified investment strategies, not just in Australia but across global markets, ensuring clients worldwide can benefit from EBC’s expertise in regulated and transparent environments like Australia’s.

Previously, under the AFSL for General Financial Advice, EBC provided a wide range of financial products and services to both retail and wholesale clients. The new licence empowers EBC to offer specialised services exclusively for wholesale clients globally. These services include general financial product advice on managed investment plans (excluding investor-directed portfolio services) and securities. Additionally, EBC is now authorised to facilitate financial product transactions, including issuing, applying for, acquiring, varying, or disposing of interests in managed investment schemes and securities. This also extends to offering custodial services that provide enhanced protection and transparency for client assets.

Kris Wang, Country Head of EBC Financial Group in Australia, stated, “The acquisition of this licence reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest regulatory standards while broadening our asset management capabilities. We are dedicated to delivering a diversified and robust investment portfolio designed to meet the varied requirements of high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors.”

Strategic Expansion into Australia’s High-Net-Worth Market
Australia is home to a substantial number of HNWIs, with approximately 400,000 individuals whose assets exceed USD 1 million. By obtaining the AFSL for Asset Management, EBC is positioned to capitalise on this market, offering investment strategies that cater specifically to the wealth management needs of Australia’s growing high-net-worth population, including family office solutions and international investment products. EBC’s global experience will also help clients navigate regulatory complexities and optimise cross-border investments.

“We see immense potential in Australia’s growing high-net-worth segment,” added Wang. “Our goal is to leverage our global expertise to help investors optimise their portfolios through diversified and innovative investment strategies. We also plan to expand our services to include family office management and other global investment products in the near future.”

Custody and Family Office Services: Core to Future Growth
Custody services, which are a core component of EBC’s long-term strategy, are a vital addition to EBC’s Australian service offerings. Through custodial services, EBC ensures the segregation of client funds, enhancing asset transparency and compliance. EBC’s planned family office services will offer bespoke wealth management support to HNWIs and institutional clients, addressing complex cross-asset and cross-border wealth management needs, including tax optimisation and wealth inheritance, further strengthening EBC’s ability to serve clients worldwide.

With the new asset management licence, EBC Financial Group continues to solidify its global presence, offering premium financial services to wholesale clients in both developed and emerging markets. This strategic move aligns with EBC’s broader mission of delivering sophisticated investment solutions that meet the evolving demands of investors worldwide.

About EBC Financial Group
Founded in the esteemed financial district of London, EBC Financial Group (EBC) is renowned for its comprehensive suite of services that includes financial brokerage, asset management, and comprehensive investment solutions. EBC has quickly established its position as a global brokerage firm, with an extensive presence in key financial hubs such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, the Cayman Islands, and across emerging markets in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and India. EBC caters to a diverse clientele of retail, professional, and institutional investors worldwide.

Recognised by multiple awards, EBC prides itself on adhering to the leading levels of ethical standards and international regulation. EBC Financial Group’s subsidiaries are regulated and licensed in their local jurisdictions. EBC Financial Group (UK) Limited is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), EBC Financial Group (Cayman) Limited is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), EBC Financial Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, and EBC Asset Management Pty Ltd are regulated by Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

At the core of EBC Group are seasoned professionals with over 30 years of profound experience in major financial institutions, having adeptly navigated through significant economic cycles from the Plaza Accord to the 2015 Swiss franc crisis. EBC champions a culture where integrity, respect, and client asset security are paramount, ensuring that every investor engagement is treated with the utmost seriousness it deserves.

EBC is the Official Foreign Exchange Partner of FC Barcelona, offering specialised services in regions such as Asia, LATAM, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. EBC is also a partner of United to Beat Malaria, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, aiming to improve global health outcomes. Starting February 2024, EBC supports the ‘What Economists Really Do’ public engagement series by Oxford University’s Department of Economics, demystifying economics, and its application to major societal challenges to enhance public understanding and dialogue.

https://www.ebc.com/

Media Contact:
Susindhraseghar Chandrasekar
Global Public Relations (APAC, LATAM)
susindhra.c@ebc.com

Chyna Elvina
Global Public Relations Manager (APAC, LATAM)
chyna.elvina@ebc.com

Douglas Chew
Global Public Relations Lead
douglas.chew@ebc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ef43b93-2ecf-4d4c-a6ca-8c91ff2aa721

The MIL Network –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Socially distanced layout of the world’s oldest cities helped early civilization evade diseases

Source: The Conversation – USA – By R. Alexander Bentley, Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee

Excavations at Çatalhöyük show how closely people lived before the settlement collapsed. Mark Nesbitt/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

In my research focused on early farmers of Europe, I have often wondered about a curious pattern through time: Farmers lived in large dense villages, then dispersed for centuries, then later formed cities again, only to abandon those as well. Why?

Archaeologists often explain what we call urban collapse in terms of climate change, overpopulation, social pressures or some combination of these. Each likely has been true at different points in time.

But scientists have added a new hypothesis to the mix: disease. Living closely with animals led to zoonotic diseases that came to also infect humans. Outbreaks could have led dense settlements to be abandoned, at least until later generations found a way to organize their settlement layout to be more resilient to disease. In a new study, my colleagues and I analyzed the intriguing layouts of later settlements to see how they might have interacted with disease transmission.

Modern excavations at what was once Çatalhöyük, where inhabitants lived in mud-brick houses that weren’t separated by paths or streets.
Murat Özsoy 1958/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Earliest cities: Dense with people and animals

Çatalhöyük, in present-day Turkey, is the world’s oldest farming village, from over 9,000 years ago. Many thousands of people lived in mud-brick houses jammed so tightly together that residents entered via a ladder through a trapdoor on the roof. They even buried selected ancestors underneath the house floor. Despite plenty of space out there on the Anatolian Plateau, people packed in closely.

Homes at Çatalhöyük were so tightly packed that people entered through the roof and even buried some ancestors beneath the floor.
Illustration by Kathryn Killackey and The Çatalhöyük Research Project

For centuries, people at Çatalhöyük herded sheep and cattle, cultivated barley and made cheese. Evocative paintings of bulls, dancing figures and a volcanic eruption suggest their folk traditions. They kept their well-organized houses tidy, sweeping floors and maintaining storage bins near the kitchen, located under the trapdoor to allow oven smoke to escape. Keeping clean meant they even replastered their interior house walls several times a year.

These rich traditions ended by 6000 BCE, when Çatalhöyük was mysteriously abandoned. The population dispersed into smaller settlements out in the surrounding flood plain and beyond. Other large farming populations of the region had also dispersed, and nomadic livestock herding became more widespread. For those populations that persisted, the mud-brick houses were now separate, in contrast with the agglomerated houses of Çatalhöyük.

Was disease a factor in the abandonment of dense settlements by 6000 BCE?

At Çatalhöyük, archaeologists have found human bones intermingled with cattle bones in burials and refuse heaps. Crowding of people and animals likely bred zoonotic diseases at Çatalhöyük. Ancient DNA identifies tuberculosis from cattle in the region as far back as 8500 BCE and TB in human infant bones not long after. DNA in ancient human remains dates salmonella to as early as 4500 BCE. Assuming the contagiousness and virulence of Neolithic diseases increased through time, dense settlements such as Çatalhöyük may have reached a tipping point where the effects of disease outweighed the benefits of living closely together.

A new layout 2,000 years later

By about 4000 BCE, large urban populations had reappeared, at the mega-settlements of the ancient Trypillia culture, west of the Black Sea. Thousands of people lived at Trypillia mega-settlements such as Nebelivka and Maidanetske in what’s now Ukraine.

If disease was a factor in dispersal millennia before, how were these mega-settlements possible?

Geophysical plot of Nebelivka settlement shows its circular layout, divided into neighborhoods.
Duncan Hale and Nebelivka Project, CC BY-NC

This time, the layout was different than at jam-packed Çatalhöyük: The hundreds of wooden, two-story houses were regularly spaced in concentric ovals. They were also clustered in pie-shaped neighborhoods, each with its own large assembly house. The pottery excavated in the neighborhood assembly houses has many different compositions, suggesting these pots were brought there by different families coming together to share food.

This layout suggests a theory. Whether the people of Nebelivka knew it or not, this lower-density, clustered layout could have helped prevent any disease outbreaks from consuming the entire settlement.

Archaeologist Simon Carrignon and I set out to test this possibility by adapting computer models from a previous epidemiology project that modeled how social-distancing behaviors affect the spread of pandemics. To study how a Trypillian settlement layout would disrupt disease spread, we teamed up with cultural evolution scholar Mike O’Brien and with the archaeologists of Nebelivka: John Chapman, Bisserka Gaydarska and Brian Buchanan.

Simulating socially distanced neighborhoods

To simulate disease spread at Nebelivka, we had to make a few assumptions. First, we assumed that early diseases were spread through foods, such as milk or meat. Second, we assumed people visited other houses within their neighborhood more often than those outside of it.

Would this neighborhood clustering be enough to suppress disease outbreaks? To test the effects of different possible rates of interaction, we ran millions of simulations, first on a network to represent clustered neighborhoods. We then ran the simulations again, this time on a virtual layout modeled after actual site plans, where houses in each neighborhood were given a higher chance of making contact with each other.

Based on our simulations, we found that if people visited other neighborhoods infrequently – like a fifth to a tenth as often as visiting other houses within their own neighborhood – then the clustering layout of houses at Nebelivka would have significantly reduced outbreaks of early foodborne diseases. This is reasonable given that each neighborhood had its own assembly house. Overall, the results show how the Trypillian layout could help early farmers live together in low-density urban populations, at a time when zoonotic diseases were increasing.

The residents of Nebilevka didn’t need to have consciously planned for their neighborhood layout to help their population survive. But they may well have, as human instinct is to avoid signs of contagious disease. Like at Çatalhöyük, residents kept their houses clean. And about two-thirds of the houses at Nebelivka were deliberately burned at different times. These intentional periodic burns may have been a pest extermination tactic.

Re-creation of a Trypillian house-burning, with additional straw and wood necessary to burn hot enough to match archaeological evidence.
Arheoinvest/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

New cities and innovations

Some of the early diseases eventually evolved to spread by means other than bad foods. Tuberculosis, for instance, became airborne at some point. When the bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, became adapted to fleas, it could be spread by rats, which would not care about neighborhood boundaries.

Were new disease vectors too much for these ancient cities? The mega-settlements of Trypillia were abandoned by 3000 BCE. As at Çatalhöyük thousands of years before, people dispersed into smaller settlements. Some geneticists speculate that Trypillia settlements were abandoned due to the origins of plague in the region, about 5,000 years ago.

The first cities in Mesopotamia developed around 3500 BCE, with others soon developing in Egypt, the Indus Valley and China. These cities of tens of thousands were filled with specialized craftspeople in distinct neighborhoods.

This time around, people in the city centers weren’t living cheek by jowl with cattle or sheep. Cities were the centers of regional trade. Food was imported into the city and stored in large grain silos like the one at the Hittite capital of Hattusa, which could hold enough cereal grain to feed 20,000 people for a year. Sanitation was helped by public water works, such as canals in Uruk or water wells and a large public bath at the Indus city of Mohenjo Daro.

These early cities, along with those in China, Africa and the Americas, were the foundations of civilization. Arguably, their form and function were shaped by millennia of diseases and human responses to them, all the way back to the world’s earliest farming villages.

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

– ref. Socially distanced layout of the world’s oldest cities helped early civilization evade diseases – https://theconversation.com/socially-distanced-layout-of-the-worlds-oldest-cities-helped-early-civilization-evade-diseases-239586

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Nine new projects to support innovation in SA communities

Source: University of South Australia

16 October 2024

LGA SA CEO Clinton Jury and UniSA Dr Alyson Crozier.

Projects focusing on improving health and fitness, addressing regional staff shortages and tackling pest birds in South Australia are just some of the initiatives funded through the latest round of the Local Government Research and Development Scheme.

Nine new projects supporting local councils will share in nearly $500,000 to fast-track solutions and help build stronger communities.

LGA South Australia CEO Clinton Jury said significant interest in the funding program highlighted its importance and the demand for resources to drive local innovation.

“The Local Government Research and Development Scheme is unique to South Australia and the latest funding round was highly competitive, with 37 applications seeking almost $2.5 million,” Mr Jury said.

“The successful projects address issues such as health and wellbeing, workforce attraction, social inclusion and sustainable practices, all of which are important to local government and communities.

“I congratulate this year’s recipients and look forward to seeing these initiatives in action and making a positive difference across the state.”

One of the funded projects, being led by University of South Australia, will involve monitoring usage of outdoor fitness equipment.
It will involve tracking usage data of fitness equipment in several metropolitan and regional council areas, including user patterns and preferences, which can be used to inform future planning decisions and lead to improved outcomes for all councils across South Australia.

University of South Australia project lead Dr Alyson Crozier said using an evidence-based approach when purchasing outdoor fitness equipment would ensure councils are making the best choices informed by user feedback.

“More than 200 free-to-use outdoor fitness equipment stations have been installed by councils across South Australia to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles,” Dr Crozier said.

“However, there is limited information about which machines are being used most by community members, and how they’re being used.

“We know purchasing these machines has a cost, so councils need to be confident they’re investing in equipment they know is popular, functional and will be used regularly by their residents and visitors, rather than sit dormant.

“Through this project, we hope to track and share data that councils can use to make informed decisions about the type of outdoor fitness equipment they install in future, leading to even better planned spaces being created for communities to use and enjoy.

“We’re excited to get started and appreciate the funding support we’ve received through the Local Government Research and Development Scheme to bring this initiative to life.”

To be eligible for funding, projects had to demonstrate clear long-term benefits and address future local government needs in the areas of climate and environment, community wellbeing and inclusion, planning and infrastructure, financial sustainability or building sector capability.

Each year the Local Government Research and Development Scheme delivers up to $2 million for innovative projects which benefit South Australian councils and help tackle sector-wide challenges.

To learn more about all nine projects funded through the latest Local Government Research and Development Scheme round, visit: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/research

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Media contacts:
LGA Media M: +61 476 853 689 E: media@lga.sa.gov.au
UniSA Media – Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

Other articles you may be interested in

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Allens advises TPG Telecom on $5.25bn sale of fibre network and Enterprise, Government and Wholesale fixed line business to Vocus

Source: Allens Insights

Allens has advised TPG Telecom on an agreement to sell its fibre network infrastructure and its enterprise, government and wholesale (EGW) fixed line business to Vocus Group Limited for an enterprise value of $5.25 billion.

The sale will include all of TPG Telecom’s fibre and fixed line network infrastructure, its EGW fixed line business, its PPC-1 international submarine cable system and its wholesale broadband business, Vision Network.

The sale price is inclusive of a potential $250 million contingent value payment related to subscriber targets for the Vision Network business.

TPG will retain its mobile and radiocommunications network infrastructure, consumer and EGW mobile business and its consumer and small office/home office fixed retail business, including fixed wireless.

The deal also includes a long-term strategic partnership between TPG and Vocus, with Vocus to provide TPG with ongoing access to its fibre infrastructure.

Allens acted for TPG Telecom on the strategic review of its Vision Network business in 2022. The firm then advised TPG Telecom on negotiations with Vocus and its owners, Macquarie Asset Management and Aware Super, when the parties decided to explore a larger transaction.

‘This transaction demonstrates that telecommunications infrastructure continues to be a highly attractive asset class for financial investors,’ said co-lead Partner and Head of Allens’ Technology, Media & Telecommunications group, Gavin Smith.

‘The pace of digitisation, and the continued growth in requirements for data transmission and storage, means that the physical infrastructure underpinning that trend is highly valued.

‘Allens has had a long-standing relationship with TPG Telecom. We are delighted to advise it on this transformational transaction which allows it to unlock the value of its fixed line networks.’

Co-lead Partner Julian Donnan said: ‘This deal will allow TPG Telecom to focus on its mobile and its consumer and small office/home office fixed retail business, including fixed wireless. We congratulate the teams at TPG Telecom and its financial adviser, Bank of America, with which we worked closely. We also congratulate the Vocus, Macquarie Asset Management and Aware Super teams’.

The deal cements Allens’ position as the leading advisor on telecommunications M&A activity in Australia.

The firm advised on all major Australian and New Zealand telecommunications tower transactions between 2021 and 2024, including: the Morrison and Future Fund investment into Amplitel (Telstra towers); the sale by TPG Telecom of its towers portfolio to OMERS/Waveconn; AustralianSuper on its acquisition of a majority stake in ATN (Optus towers) and the acquisition by ATN of Axicom; Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s acquisition of a majority stake in Connexa, the Spark New Zealand tower company; Connexa’s acquisition of the 2degrees NZ tower portfolio; and NorthLeaf Capital Partners and InfraRed Capital Partnerson their acquisition of Fortysouth, the Vodafone New Zealand towers business. Allens also advised Morrison and Brookfield on its acquisition of Uniti Group.

Allens legal team

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Tom Story (Partner), Kimberley Lowrie (Managing Associate), Stephanie Rowan (Senior Associate), Harry Martin (Associate), Will Brown (Senior Associate), Sophie Stitch (Lawyer)

Technology, Media & Telecommunications

Jessica Mottau (Partner), Isabelle Guyot (Managing Associate), David Liao (Senior Overseas Practitioner), Alexandra Martin (Senior Associate), Isaac Nankavill (Associate), Isabelle Orazio (Lawyer), Tasnim Ahsan (Lawyer), Matilda Winnell (Lawyer)

Competition, Consumer and Regulatory

Rosannah Healy (Partner), Robert Walker (Partner), John Yiannakou (Managing Associate), Edison Wang (Senior Associate), Tom Hodgson (Lawyer)

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Victoria Holthouse (Partner), Tom Wilson (Senior Associate), Jayne Williams (Senior Associate), Alex Jeffares (Associate)

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MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Honey Bee Education Officer Kelly Lees awarded prestigious Churchill Fellowship

Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries

16 Oct 2024

NSW Government Honey Bee Education Officer Kelly Lees has been recognised with a top industry honour, awarded the prestigious Churchill Fellowship for her dedication and groundbreaking work in education and training of Australian beekeepers managing Varroa mite.

Each year, after a competitive selection process over several months, Churchill Fellowships are awarded to talented Australians who are eager to push the boundaries of science and make a real difference in NSW communities.

Kelly will head overseas in 2025 to look at innovative new ways of managing parasitic mites of honeybees including Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites.

NSW DPIRD Acting Executive Director Agriculture Darren Bayley said this fellowship not only recognizes her talent but also underscores the importance of addressing the challenges posed by parasitic mites to our vital bee populations and industries.

“We are proud of Kelly for receiving the Churchill Fellowship, with this recognition highlighting her dedication and the impact her work will have on bee health and agricultural sustainability well into the future,” Mr Bayley said.

“With Kelly’s participation in the Churchill Fellowship, we anticipate significant advancements in the management of parasitic mites that threaten Australian honeybee populations and look forward to knowledge she will impart on our staff and beekeepers across NSW.”

Kelly will be working with leading researchers in the field including Dr Samuel Ramsey and Dr Cooper Schouten.

Kelly’s fellowship has been sponsored by Colin and Maggie Beer through the Saskia Beer Fellowship in memory of their late daughter.

Ms Lees said by sharing insights and techniques with other researchers, we can develop more effective management strategies that will not only benefit our honeybees but also ecosystems worldwide.

“I am incredibly honoured to receive the Churchill Fellowship, it not only represents a great personal achievement in my career but will also allow me to have a direct impact on our local beekeepers and agricultural practices,” Ms Lees said.

“This opportunity will allow me to collaborate with some of the world’s leading experts in honeybee health and explore innovative solutions for managing parasitic mites that threaten our bees.”

The aim of the Churchill Fellowship is a part of the Winston Churchill Trust. The trust provides an opportunity to Australians to travel overseas to conduct research in their chosen field. It also aims to reward individuals who possess passion and a commitment to make a difference in Australian society. Since 1965 they have awarded over 4500 Fellowships.

For more information on NSW DPIRD honeybee research, please visit our website

For more information on the Chruchill Fellowship, please visit the Winston Churchill Trust website

Images are available here

Media contact:
For more information, please contact: pi.media@dpird.nsw.gov.au

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Care for others and pre-plan this fire season
Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

This National Carers Week (Oct 13-19) CFA is urging Victorians who care for others living in high bushfire risk areas to make a fire plan using CFA’s online module ahead of summer.

The learning module Bushfire Planning: You and the person you care for, developed with Carers Victoria, is for anyone who provides informal unpaid care or support to family members or friends with a disability, mental illness, chronic health issue or age-related condition.

The one-hour online lesson dives into who needs to be prepared, important roles played, how to start a conversation and build a plan, when to choose to stay or go, how to make it all work and what resources are available.

Dromana Fire Brigade member Tim Marchinton, who informally cares for his mum who lives rurally and remotely in a high-risk area said the module has been a valuable tool in setting her up for any type of emergency.

“Sometimes mum is on her own, and she lives in an area surrounded by a lot of natural bush, so we needed to have something that she could enact if I wasn’t here,” Tim said.

“Every summer she is concerned about the what if, having previously lived in another part of Gippsland that was affected by the Black Saturday bushfires.

“It’s been challenging to chat through this, because up until Black Saturday, mum was of the mindset that you can stay and do what you need to do on your own.

“I’ve now got her to think differently by doing this plan and reassured her that we’ve got insurance and it’s not worth trying to stay and fight.”

Tim and his mum watched the module together, then went through what they learnt, condensing it into a checklist and a survival plan that she has nearby at all times.

“She now has a packed bag, with everything essential by the door as recommended, and we re-check that every summer. We make sure the batteries are fresh, that radios are in there with bottled water and a bowl is there for the dog,” Tim said.

“A really important factor for mum throughout this process was incorporating contingencies so she could take her dog with her, otherwise she wasn’t prepared to continue creating the plan.

“She knows on a Total Fire Ban (TFB) day to listen to the radio continuously, and to make sure her phone is always charged.

“It’s been a great conversation starter, her exit road has two choices, so we’ve talked about where she would go if she was to leave early as her house is wooden and more vulnerable.”

Due to the gravity of the information, Tim took a person-centred approach when working through the online learning with his mum and completed it over a number of sessions.

Ahead of and during summer Tim and his mum spend time cleaning up the property, emptying gutters and clearing leaves anything surrounding the area.

“We’ve put a ring sprinkler around the house so that there is some barrier against ember attack when she needs to leave, it has a 50,000L tank that is preserved for this purpose to create some sort of ember wash,” Tim said.

“If she needs to leave quickly there is a safe spot for her on the neighbours’ property surrounded by low cut grass. However, mum and her neighbours have already agreed that leaving early to go and stay with friends on a TFB day is the best course of action.

Since launching, 580 people have completed the module, with a further 184 currently in progress and another 107 enrolled to begin. Visit CFA’s website at http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/carers for a step-by-step guide on how to complete it. To learn more about Carers Victoria, visit http://www.carersvictoria.org.au
- Dromana Fire Brigade member Tim Marchinton often attends expos in a Community Education Officer role
Submitted by CFA media

MIL OSI News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Large-scale debt swap eyed to boost economy

Source: China State Council Information Office

A worker counts Chinese currency renminbi at a bank in Linyi, East China’s Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is likely to approve a debt swap program worth trillions of yuan as the beginning of a broader plan to decisively forestall any downward economic spiral, economists and policy advisers said.

The debt resolution program — set to be the biggest of its kind in recent years — reflects policymakers’ priority not only to stimulate short-term growth, but also to proactively tackle major structural challenges, opening the door to further substantive policy support, they said.

The policy focus for the coming quarters should include further addressing local governments’ delayed payments to businesses, acquiring idle housing and helping struggling real estate developers overcome difficulties, they said.

The economists and advisers added that by alleviating debt pressures facing local governments, the debt swap plan will improve corporate performance, reinvigorate business expectations and serve as an important stepping stone to economic stabilization.

Noting that this approach is as essential as direct demand stimulus, Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, said, “Resolving the debt issue is a critical step in stopping a key deflationary downward spiral.”

Xing added that the debt swap program would go beyond merely reducing interest payments. “It can improve the liquidity and balance sheets of local businesses (as local governments honor payables), but more fundamentally, restore stability in the regulatory environment and thus business expectations.”

He estimated that the debt swap program will be no less than 6 trillion yuan ($843 billion) over multiple years, with the central government taking over some local debt burdens, and added that this year may see a 2 trillion yuan supplementary fiscal package for local debt resolution and bank recapitalization.

Finance Minister Lan Fo’an said on Saturday that the Finance Ministry plans to increase the debt limit by a large scale at once and replace the hidden debt of local governments, without disclosing the specific size of the plan.

The market is waiting for the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, to convene in late October or early November to approve the specifics of the plan.

Sheng Zhongming, a research fellow at the CF40 Institute, which is affiliated with the China Finance 40 Forum think tank, said that a debt swap would convert high-cost and structurally complex implicit debt into more sustainable low-cost and standardized government bonds, reflecting a policy orientation of securing this year’s growth target while tackling persistent structural problems.

China must confront the key structural issues of local debt risks, outstanding government payments to businesses, real estate concerns and the recapitalization needs of banks, Sheng said, which will require at least 10 trillion yuan in additional public funds over several years in order to be effectively addressed.

Wang Yiming, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, suggested leveraging central government funding to address local governments’ overdue payments to businesses that accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To further address the real estate downturn, a feasible solution could be establishing a special fund, financed by fiscal funds, to acquire housing stock and convert it into government-subsidized rental housing for new urban residents, said Wang, who also serves as a monetary policy committee member of the nation’s central bank.

Li Daokui, director of Tsinghua University’s Academic Center for Chinese Economic Practice and Thinking, said it is imperative to address the situation in which local governments face extremely tight cash flows while banks are flush with liquidity.

Li suggested that local debt at least equivalent to 20 percent of the country’s GDP, or around 30 trillion yuan, should be replaced with longer-term treasury bonds.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Maps Need for Climate Action and Highlights Federal Investments in Massachusetts Climate Resilience, Following Extreme Weather Events Across the Country

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Calls for more investment in resilient schools and hospitals and for a federal climate emergency declaration

WATCH: Senator Markey, advocates discuss climate resilience

Senator Markey joined by City Councilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata; Brian Swett, Boston’s Chief Climate Officer; Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE); and John Walkey, Noemy Rodriguez, and Roseann Bongiovanni from GreenRoots.

Boston (October 15, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today was joined in Boston by local officials and advocates to call for increased federal investment to bolster the climate resilience of regions at risk of sea level rise – exacerbated by devastation from climate change-fueled storms, as well as highlight ongoing resiliency projects in Massachusetts, following two devastating hurricanes in the southeastern United States that are expected to cost $300 billion and have resulted in more than 250 deaths. Senator Markey announced that over the past two years, Boston, Chelsea, and Revere have already secured more than $75 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act for resiliency projects that include building resilient transportation corridors in Roxbury, greening the Chelsea Creek waterfront, and making the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Blue Line more flood resistant. In total, Massachusetts has secured approximately $200 million for climate resiliency projects from those two laws so far. Senator Markey was joined by Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston; Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Roseann Bongiovanni, Noemy Rodriguez, and John Walkey from GreenRoots; and Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).

“If we don’t drive down our emissions as a country, we could see more than six feet of sea level rise by the end of the century. That’s sunny-day flooding in neighborhoods from East Boston to Back Bay. TD Garden wouldn’t be flooded with a sea of fans—it would be flooded by the sea itself. Back Bay will go back to the bay,” said Senator Markey. “Our task is twofold. One, cut climate pollution by ushering in a clean energy revolution unlike any we’ve seen before, dismantling our dependence on fossil fuels. And two, prepare for the future by investing in resilient buildings and strong communities. Thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are well on our way to meet that second goal. In Massachusetts, we don’t wait, we create.”

“Chelsea and East Boston, the two communities that we serve at GreenRoots, are frontline environmental justice communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental assault. On a daily basis, environmental justice communities throughout the United States and in the Global South face increased frequency of severe storms, storm surge, sea level rise, drought, heat island impacts, wildfires and much more. We need federal leadership like that of Senator Markey’s to prioritize policies and investments in climate resilience and climate justice, an end to fossil fuel use, and implementing greater renewable, resilient energy,” said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots.

“Many of the people here have immigrated as a result of natural disasters in their home countries, and with climate change, we know that natural disasters are only going to be increasing in number. When this happens, we need to ask the questions, ‘Where are we going to go? What is going to happen to us?’ These are the questions and worries that many of us have, not just for East Boston, but all over the country. We are the first generation feeling the effects of climate change and we may be the last generation that can do something about it,” said Noemy Rodriguez, Waterfront Initiative Organizer at GreenRoots.

“We know that when climate change happens, the least among us are the first affected and the worst affected. We frequently say that people are a paycheck away from disaster. According to FEMA, just an inch of floodwater in a home causes roughly about $25,000 in damages. There are over 400,000 Massachusetts residents living in the hundred-year flood zone which means more than a one in four chance of having a flood during a 30-year mortgage period. If home ownership is the route to generational wealth that we would leave to the next generation, we need to be planning and prepared for this,” said John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives.

“Boston is deeply grateful for Senator Markey’s unwavering leadership in securing critical federal funds that are bolstering our city’s climate resilience. Thanks to our partners in the federal government, Boston has secured over $60 million in grants for coastal resilience projects helping us protect our neighborhoods from rising sea levels and extreme storms. However, with the increasing frequency of extreme weather, much more work remains, and additional funding is essential to fully safeguard our city and its most vulnerable communities,” said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston.

“We have a moral obligation to move quickly to identify all strategies and tools that are at our disposal to ensure that Boston’s forty-seven-mile coastline is resilient and to protect these residents. I want to thank Senator Markey for his leadership in the Senate, and President Biden’s leadership in securing these necessary federal funds that Boston is now being awarded, which will help protect our communities. This is our next big challenge. We need the resources, capital, and collaboration to adequately protect Boston. We need the vital investments coming down the pike from the federal government in both green and gray infrastructure to protect our future. I am hopeful, with the level of partnership and leadership on display here across all levels of government, advocacy groups and philanthropy, and I know that we will continue to lean in and get it done,” said Boston City Councilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata.

“This is a reminder, a call to arms, a warning and a reality check. We may have more resources than imagination to deal with this issue. We have all the policy, the information, and the possible solutions. The struggle now is to push beyond our imagination to do what we need to get this done. This is not going to be a part of the political cycle, or fundraising cycles, but part of the continual struggle and persistence that many of us are here today are taking part in,” said Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).

The destruction of extreme weather events is disproportionately felt by Black, Brown, low-income, and immigrant communities, who are burdened by historical disinvestment and the compounded effects of legacy pollution and dangerous infrastructure sited in their neighborhoods. Under the Biden-Harris administration, including through the historic Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, federal funding has come to Massachusetts to help prevent the worsening impacts of climate change and support the Commonwealth’s climate resilience efforts, but continued federal investment in resiliency and clean energy will be needed to help avoid worsening disasters and billion-dollar storm recoveries in the future.

Senator Markey has been working to ensure that Massachusetts is climate resilient and prepared for extreme weather events, which are only increasing in frequency due to climate change. On October 4, Senator Markey joined Mayor Jennifer Macksey for a briefing on the Hoosic River Flood Mitigation Study, a project that aims to evaluate potential flood risk reduction measures and support development of a new flood mitigation system built with 21st-century engineering standards. Senator Markey led the effort to get the study included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), advocated for $750,000 in funding for the Army Corps of Engineers this year, and has secured $950,000 in the pending appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).

In September, Senator Markey announced a grant of $472 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to the MBTA to fully replace the North Station Draw One Bridge and renovate Platform F at North Station. The grant is the largest federal award the MBTA has won to date. The nearly half a billion-dollar grant will provide critical support for one of MBTA’s top priority projects and a vital transportation asset to MBTA’s north-side operations. It will also support more than 14,500 jobs, make the bridge more climate resilient by bringing it above projected sea-level rise, and lower emissions.

In August, on the second anniversary of the historic Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Markey launched his Climate Hub, a centralized site with resources to help stakeholders navigate opportunities from both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Together, these two laws have created the largest and most significant climate and clean energy investments in history, putting the United States on a path to address the climate crisis, repair historic harms to disadvantaged communities, create good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy, and work towards a Green New Deal future.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Why China now wants to put some limits on its ‘no limits’ friendship with Russia

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guangyi Pan, Teaching fellow, international politics, UNSW Sydney

Just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China announced to much fanfare a “no-limits friendship” with Russia, suggesting a future of close collaboration in trade, energy and, perhaps most importantly, security.

Now, more than two years into the war, the meaning and interpretation of this “no-limits” commitment has evolved.

There has been much debate in Chinese society in recent months about Beijing’s alignment with Moscow. While some have advocated for a more formal alliance with Russia, others have taken a more cautious stance.

In sharp contrast to 2022, China’s growing wariness is increasingly being discussed in the open, even among those who were previously censored. In early 2022, for instance, a joint letter by six Chinese emeritus historians opposing Russia’s invasion was censored by the government. The scholars were also warned.

Now, however, it appears the government is seeking to balance its relationships with both Russia and the West. Beijing may not want to be seen as a “decisive enabler” of the war.

For example, the once-prominent “no-limits” friendship language quietly vanished from a Sino-Russian joint statement in May.

And Beijing’s response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit that month was notably subdued. Putin ingratiated himself with Xi, saying they were “as close as brothers”. Xi’s response was more perfunctory – he called Putin a “good friend and a good neighbour”.

Scholars are also articulating their concerns about China’s political and economic investments in Russia, both publicly and privately.

Shen Dingli, a leading scholar of Chinese security strategy at Fudan University in Shanghai, said China doesn’t want to be seen as collaborating with Russia against Ukraine or any other country.

He also quoted Fu Cong, China’s former ambassador to the European Union, who said last year the “no-limits” [friendship] is “nothing but rhetoric”.

And in August, after Putin referred to China as an “ally” during a visit to far-eastern Russia, Chinese scholars promptly sought to clarify this statement to prevent any misunderstanding China wants a formal alliance with Russia.

These statements carry weight. In many respects, leading Chinese scholars at the government-affiliated universities act as propagandists to convey and justify the government’s stance on issues. As a result, subtle shifts in their commentary provide insights into the strategic mindset in Beijing.

Why China is rethinking its ‘no-limits’ friendship?

There are three elements driving this re-evaluation of the Russia-China alignment.

First, there is growing scepticism of Russia’s state capacities. The mutiny by the Wagner Group last year and Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region have prompted critical reassessments in Beijing of Russia’s political stability and military preparedness, as well as the growing anti-war sentiment in Russia.

As Feng Yujun, director of Fudan University’s Russia and Central Asia Study Centre, argued, the Wagner rebellion was a reflection of Russia’s internal conflicts and domestic security challenges. He noted every time Russia has faced both internal and external crises in history, its regimes have become less stable.

More recently, Feng has been even bolder, predicting Russian defeat in Ukraine. He argued China should keep its distance from Moscow and resume a policy of “non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-partisanship”.

Second, China’s sluggish economy and its underwhelming trade with Russia have further exposed how dependent both countries are on the West.

While Russia-China trade reached a record US$240 billion (A$360 billion) in 2023, it has slowed so far this year, as Chinese financial institutions have sought to limit connections with Russia.

The relationship still heavily favours Beijing. Russia accounts for only 4% of China’s trade, while China accounts for nearly 22% of Russia’s trade.

Many Chinese experts are now warning against an over-dependence on Russia, instead calling for more cooperation with neighbouring countries. This echoes a recent concern Russia has been using its natural resources as a bargaining chip to extract greater benefits from China.

Russia’s value as a military ally

Finally, there are rising Chinese concerns its international outlook does not align with Russia’s.

Zhao Long, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of International Relations, says there is an important difference in how they view the world:

Russia wants to destroy the current international system to build a new one. China wants to transform the current system by taking a more prominent place in it.

Shi Yinhong, a strategist at Renmin University in Beijing, has highlighted an unbridgeable gap preventing a stronger China-Russia alliance. He says there’s a deep mutual mistrust on regional security. Russia has never promised support for China in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, just as China has avoided involvement in the war in Ukraine.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches a stalemate, its value as a military ally is increasingly being questioned in China.

Recently, Feng Yujun warned China risks being led by the nose by Russia, despite being the stronger economic partner. He says every time China has attempted an alliance with Russia in history, it has had negative consequences for China.

Consequently, it is crucial for China to maintain its long-term partnership with Russia without undermining its constructive relationship with the West.

Russia has arguably benefited from the current competition between the US and China, as it has sought to exploit the rivalry for its own benefit. But this has also led to uncertainty in the China-Russia relationship.

As another analyst, Ji Zhiye, argues, relying too heavily on Russia will leave China isolated and vulnerable. And this is not a position China wants to be in.

Guangyi Pan 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. Why China now wants to put some limits on its ‘no limits’ friendship with Russia – https://theconversation.com/why-china-now-wants-to-put-some-limits-on-its-no-limits-friendship-with-russia-238436

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: NAMRU INDO PACIFIC Grows Partnership in Malaysia

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia –

Capt. Andrew Letizia, science director of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) INDO PACIFIC, has described the command’s collaborations with partner nations as the lifeblood of Navy Medicine’s OCONUS research and development.

“The best part of my job is sitting down with excellent researchers from a host nation, putting our goals and concepts on paper, designing a project, and then watching the project help meet the needs of the partners as it comes to life,” Letizia explained. “Since I first started playing with Legos many years ago, I have enjoyed building things. Watching NAMRU INDO PACIFIC build new partnerships and strengthen the previous ones brings back that same joy I felt as a kid, making all of the pieces fit together correctly to make a great creation.”

NAMRU INDO PACIFIC partners with 10 different countries within the area of responsibility (AOR). This network of collaborators continues to grow as the scope of Navy Medicine research expands to meet the ever-evolving needs of U.S. service members. Malaysia, home to many of the U.S. Navy’s partners, is the latest of these countries to see an expansion in collaboration.

KUALA LUMPUR
Like many Sailors, Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Weir wakes up early to make her way to the office. Unlike other Sailors, Weir’s walk to work takes her through the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. From her office at the U.S. Embassy, she oversees research projects in Malaysia for NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, one of Navy Medicine’s three OCONUS research commands.

Weir, a microbiologist, is the first person to fill this brand-new billet. NAMRU INDO PACIFIC has been building partnerships within Malaysia for almost 15 years, and Weir is the first active-duty U.S. Sailor stationed in-country.

“The best part of my job is working with our Malaysian partners,” Weir said, “to foster and strengthen existing collaborative research endeavors, as well as to expand and create new efforts to achieve both their and our research needs and objectives. I also enjoy sharing space and working with my Office of Defense Cooperation and other U.S. Embassy colleagues to support various medical lines of effort and other global health security initiatives.”

In 2007 NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, then known as NAMRU-2, initiated a partnership with the University of Malaysia. In the years since, the partnership has grown into a much bigger relationship, spanning multiple projects and interoperability.

“We have been working with [NAMRU INDO PACIFIC] for the past 16 years,” explained Dr. Sazaly Abu Bakar, professor and executive director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC) at the University of Malaysia, “and this relationship has really grown over the years. We are now at a transition point that is going to take this relationship to the next level.”

Part of that next level involves Weir as an active-duty researcher and in-country liaison.

“We used to have just a few projects,” added Abu Bakar. “Now we have more activities, focused on biomedical research. This shows how the relationship between the two has grown over the years.”

NAMRU INDO PACIFIC also partners with the National Defense University of Malaysia. Brig. Gen. Mohd Arshil Moideen, dean of the university’s medical facility and defense health division, spoke highly of the partnership.

“The collaboration includes capacity building in our research, specifically in diagnostic laboratory capabilities,” Moideen explained. “We are currently running a few major research collaborations with tropical disease, as well as entomology studies. Lt. Cmdr. Weir is here specifically for this research cooperation, and this has never happened before. This means that Malaysia is now a significant partner in term of research collaboration.”

“A permanent NAMRU presence within Malaysia will not only enhance our ability to achieve our mission, but also demonstrates to our Malaysian partners our commitment to continue to work together to enhance health security in the region for years to come,” said Weir. “In my experience thus far, the biggest challenges have been overcoming various administrative challenges often outside of our control that impede the progress of our collaborative research goals and objectives.”

BORNEO
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC is also partnering on research in collaboration with The University of Malaysia Sabah, located in the Malaysian state Sabah, which lies on the island of Borneo.

Borneo is an island east of Kuala Lumpur, and the third largest in the world. It is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, with native flora and fauna that includes the world’s biggest flower and world’s smallest elephant. Borneo is also one of the few places where orangutans live in the wild.

Borneo is also home to East Malaysia, comprised of 2 states and 1 federal territory, the country of Brunei and 5 provinces of Indonesia. The university has over 100 lecturers and more than 500 students, as well as a medical and nursing school.

“We have a lot of diseases in Sabah,” explained Dr. Yosof Ibrahim, dean of UMS. “The number of research that has been done is limited, because of manpower and expertise. There are a lot more diseases that need to be discovered, identified and to be explored. Sabah has many different ethnicities. We have 32 different ethnicities. This is a challenge. Topography is a challenge. Dialect is a challenge. The way we [in Sabah] live and look at things are very different.

“This collaboration is beneficial,” Ibrahim added, “not only to NAMRU, but to us. In a way, it opens an avenue for us to expand our research and design what our protective measures should be for rural people. 70 percent of our people are in a rural area. There is a difficulty in access to medical facilities.”

“Malaysia is rich in culture,” said Weir, “with Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous communities. This diversity fosters a vibrant social scene and a diverse and unique culinary experience! Malaysia is also home to diverse and beautiful landscapes perfect for outdoor activities like hiking, diving, and exploring national parks. I personally love the year-round warm tropical environment. Anyone who is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit or work in Malaysia should not pass it up.”

NAMRU INDO PACIFIC plays an important role in the heath of those in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) AOR. One of the most culturally, socially, economically and geopolitically diverse regions, the Asia-Pacific region is home to 38 nations and 60% of the world’s population. More than one-third of these nations are smaller, island nations, where many tropical diseases are prevalent.

NAMRU INDO PACIFIC collaborates with partners in Singapore, Mongolia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the U.S. to conduct research efforts throughout the USINDOPACOM area.

The command’s “hub and spoke” model of operations from its headquarters in Singapore, its wide array partners in the INDOPACOM AOR and the over 375,000 U.S service members stationed in the Pacific allow the NAMRU INDO PACIFIC scientific portfolio to shift, as needed, to align with host nation and sponsor priorities while maintaining focus and efforts on U.S. health security objectives.

MIL Security OSI –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Parliament Hansard Report – Petitions, Papers, Select Committee Reports, and Introduction of Bills – 001419
Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard

PETITIONS, PAPERS, SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SPEAKER: No petitions have been delivered to the Clerk, but Ministers have delivered 18 papers.

CLERK:
- 2023-24 annual reports of ACC, Crown Irrigation Investments, Crown Law, Inland Revenue, Kāinga Ora, LINZ, MBIE, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, NZQA, the Remuneration Authority, Stats NZ
- Reports on the 2023-24 non-departmental appropriations for Vote Education, Vote Housing and Urban Development, and the Emergency Management and Recovery portfolio
- Government response to the Climate Change Commission’s Monitoring report: Emissions reduction (July 2024); the ACC 2023-24 climate report and 2024-25 service agreement.
SPEAKER: Those papers are published under the authority of the House. No select committee papers have been presented. No bills have been introduced.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Urgent joint statement: Northern Gaza is being erased – global leaders must act now to end Israel’s atrocities
Source: Oxfam –

Oxfam and 37 other humanitarian organisations are raising the alarm about the catastrophic situation in Northern Gaza

The Israeli forces’ assault on Gaza has escalated to a horrifying level of atrocity. Northern Gaza is being wiped off the map. Under the guise of “evacuation,” Israeli forces have ordered the forced displacement of an estimated 400,000 Palestinians trapped in northern Gaza, including Gaza City. This is not an evacuation—this is forced displacement under gunfire. Since 1 October, no food has been allowed into the area, and civilians are being starved and bombed in their homes and their tents.

Hospitals, already overwhelmed, are being ordered to evacuate. They are running out of fuel and essential supplies, while doctors and nurses battle to save lives with what little they have left. The wounded flood in – children, older people, victims of Israeli airstrikes – but with no resources to treat them.

Dr. Mohammed Salha, acting director of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, described the dire situation: “The Israeli military has contacted us more than once to evacuate the hospital… [All] the departments are full of wounded people and we are discharging even the wounded who have minor or moderate injuries, because we do not have [enough] beds for them. I [told the Israeli military] clearly that we would not evacuate the hospital unless there are ambulances that can preserve the lives of the wounded people we have and reach another hospital that provides better service to the wounded.”

The world cannot continue to stand by as the Israeli government commits these atrocities. Global leaders have both a legal and moral duty to act now. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention including “killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group”. There is no evidence that Israel has adhered to these orders, and the killing of Palestinians has only intensified.

Any attempt to alter the territorial integrity of Gaza constitutes a blatant violation of international law. This is especially egregious in light of the recent ICJ advisory opinion, which significantly heightens the obligation of third states to take decisive action. Failure to do so risks their complicity in perpetuating the illegal occupation.

All parties must allow unimpeded access for humanitarian organisations to deliver aid based on need, without restricting types, volumes, or locations. Aid delivery must remain impartial and independent of military objectives to prevent its instrumentalisation or politicisation. Civilians must not be forced to flee to receive aid; those choosing to stay in their homes must be protected under international law.

We demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s illegal occupation. Global leaders must act in line with the UN General Assembly Resolution on the ICJ Advisory Opinion and fulfil their obligation not to facilitate or support Israel’s illegal occupation. Third states must halt now the transfer of all weapons, parts and ammunition that could be used to commit further violations of international humanitarian law.

This is not a time for silence – this is a time for action. The people of Gaza cannot wait. The world must intervene now before more innocent lives are lost.
The forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and does not amount to a permissible evacuation. Relocation areas have not provided safety, adequate shelter or essential services, and there has also been no guarantee that displaced populations will be able to return once hostilities end.

Signatories:

ActionAid

Action For Humanity

Afri (Action from Ireland)

Amos Trust

Bloody Sunday Trust

Centre for Global Education

CESVI

Children Not Numbers

Christian Aid

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)

Comhlamh Justice for Palestine

Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)

Embrace the Middle East

Feminist Humanitarian Network (FHN)

Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)

Global Justice Now

HelpAge International

Interpal

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Islamic Relief

KinderUSA

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

Médecins du Monde Spain

Middle East Children’s Alliance

Muslim Aid

Novact Institute for Nonviolence

Oxfam

Plan International Jordan

Sabeel-Kairos UK

Sadaka-The Ireland Palestine Alliance

TDH Italy

Trócaire

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union/ Aontas Mac Léinn Choláiste na Tríonóide (TCDSU/AMLCT)

Vento di Terra

War Child

War on Want

WeWorld

Welfare Association
MIL OSI NGO –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Welcomes USS Manchester Crew, Joins for Visit with Manchester West High School NJROTC Students

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

Published: 10.15.2024

(Manchester, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and the Ship Sponsor for the USS Manchester, welcomed crew members, including Commander Ralph Lufkin, back to Manchester and joined them for a visit with Manchester West High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) students. The USS Manchester crew members delivered a presentation to the NJROTC students and other faculty and students on the ship’s recent deployment, Navy career opportunities and the importance of civic duty. Photos from today’s event can be found here.
“I was excited to welcome members of the crew of the USS Manchester back to their ship’s namesake city, and to join them in speaking to Manchester West High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps students,” said Senator Shaheen. “As future defenders of freedom and the epitome of civic duty, I was pleased these aspiring Naval cadets were able to meet and speak with Commander Lufkin and some of his crew.”
As the Ship Sponsor of the USS Manchester, Shaheen led the Ship’s Commissioning in Portsmouth in May 2018 and is considered a permanent member of the ship’s crew. The USS Manchester is part of the Independence Class of Littoral Combat Ships. These ships are designed to face asymmetrical threats in shallow areas of coastlines and primarily perform surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare and mine countermeasures.

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MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Paintings explore odyssey of vision

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Gazing at the paintings of Chang Shuhong (1904-94), founding director of the Dunhuang Academy, people can still feel the fundamental draw of the Mogao Caves that brought him back from France in the 1930s, leaving behind a prospect of an emerging classical oil painter.

The following five decades saw him immerse in the charm of the treasure trove of Buddhist murals and painted sculptures as a wholehearted protector of the grottoes in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China.

His later works, therefore, were largely influenced by murals in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, Gansu province — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and a more down-to-earth, local artistic expression of China popular at that time, says Zhang Yiqing, research librarian at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou, Chang’s hometown.

In commemoration of the 120th anniversary of Chang’s birth, some of his oil paintings, watercolors and sketches are on show at the museum through to Sunday.

The exhibits also include Chang’s copies of the murals in the Mogao Caves, as well as zhongcai (heavy-color) paintings, an important genre of Chinese painting with fine, precise delimitation and the layering of pigmented hues.

Through Chang’s own depiction, the exhibition gives a display of early conservation efforts of the Dunhuang Academy, while tracing Chang’s artistic exploration and achievements before and after he went back from France.

Chang was born in Hangzhou, a warm, wet and picturesque city along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In his early 20s, he went to France to study oil painting and fabric pattern design.

His graduation work at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Portrait of Madame G, ranked top among his peer graduates. He later entered the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris with a scholarship funded by the city of Lyon.

In France, Chang was active in salons, official art exhibitions sponsored by the French government. Having received several awards, some of his works were included among the collections of French cultural and artistic institutions, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

An encounter on the bank of the Seine changed his life.

From a bookseller Chang got to read French explorer and Sinologist Paul Pelliot’s photo catalog, the six-volume Les Grottes de Touen-Houang (The Grottoes of Dunhuang). He then visited the Guimet Museum, or the National Museum of Asian Arts, to see the relics of Dunhuang taken by Pelliot.

Chang marveled at the beauty and profoundness of the caves, first built more than 1,600 years ago, while mourning the loss of or damage to the cultural relics.

He then made up his mind to go back to his home country and devote his life to the preservation of the grottoes and the promotion of Dunhuang studies.

Chang came back in 1936. Amid the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), he managed to arrive in Dunhuang after a month’s arduous journey in 1943 and prepared for the establishment of what is known today as the Dunhuang Academy.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the academy, which currently oversees the Mogao Caves and several other relics sites in Gansu.

In the late 1990s, Chang’s second wife Li Chengxian (1924-2003) and their children donated more than 200 paintings of Chang to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, a small part of which are displayed at the museum’s permanent Chang Shuhong Gallery.

Zhang, who is also curator of the ongoing temporary exhibition, says its more than 80 paintings serve as a larger presentation of Chang’s works housed at the museum, alongside the collection of Shanghai-based Long Museum and the private collection of Chang Jiahuang, Chang Shuhong’s second son.

Sincere creativity

With his subtle brush, Chang Shuhong recorded the Mogao Caves and the Dunhuang city in different seasons: the trees and blossoms in spring; the frozen Daquan River in front of the caves during winter, children playing on ice, a white stupa in the distance; and birds in snow against the backdrop of the landmark timber-structured nine-floor building that houses the tallest statue of Maitreya Buddha, or the Buddha of the Future, at the Mogao Caves.

Upon his arrival, Chang Shuhong and colleagues pioneered a systematic conservation of the relics, planting trees and building protective walls, reinforcing the cliffs, constructing pathways, cleaning up the caves buried in sand, investigating and numbering them. Many of his paintings feature these efforts carried out at the windy and sandy Gobi Desert.

He also depicted several times the bustling temple fair in front of the caves, falling annually around the eighth day of the fourth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, in celebration of the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha).

During the nine years in France, Chang Shuhong focused mainly on classical realistic oil painting, constantly exploring what could possibly become a “Chinese style of oil painting” and integrating it with his generation of artists’ reflection of life and concern about society.

Hence, the art of Dunhuang particularly resonated with Chang Shuhong, as it was, in his own words, “created by ordinary people and for the ordinary people”. He saw in it exuberant, sincere creativity that he realized would have a significant impact on the creation of art in the coming decades, Zhang says.

Two paintings of fresh produce Chang Shuhong created in different periods exemplify his transformation in artistic style. One was painted in 1933 in Paris, displayed at the Chang Shuhong Gallery, and the other in 1976, on show at the temporary exhibition.

The earlier painting, conforming to the classical style, is overall of a gray tone with low saturation, whereas in the latter one, the painter used bold and clear lines, large red and green blocks to create striking contrast, though like before, the fish glisten in subtle light.

Zhang adds that such transformation reflects the influence of the art of Dunhuang.

Highlights of the exhibition also include one of Chang Shuhong’s facsimiles of a mural from Cave 254, dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), depicting a well-known piece of the Jataka tales, narratives of former incarnations of the Buddha. In his lifetime, Chang Shuhong copied this mural many times.

He once wrote, the creators of this mural, featuring Prince Sattva sacrificing himself to feed a hungry tigress, so cleverly and skillfully combined different scenes of different times in the space of a single picture — his trip to the jungles, his offering of his own blood and flesh to the tigress, as well as his two brothers’ discovery of his remains, their grief, and how they bury their sibling and build a stupa for him.

A solemn and heavy atmosphere is strengthened with the lines and colors, the contours and content, as well as the deep brown hue, he added.

Chang Shuhong wrote in 1948 that conservation of the caves required detailed, accurate and systematic facsimile of the murals with a faithful attitude, which is a matter of patience and sacrifice of one’s own style and personality. His devotion to protecting the Mogao Caves largely cut down the time and effort paid to his own painting.

In 1951, staff members of the academy co-authored an article introducing their facsimile project, which said that over the past four decades, many of the murals presented in Pelliot’s photo catalog had been destroyed or faded. With limited scientific knowledge and facilities, facsimile had become their priority and urgency.

According to Chang Jiahuang, since the 1950s, his father had been frequently inviting art majors from across the country to copy the murals and sculptures of the Mogao Caves, while learning the traditional arts of Dunhuang.

In 1979, he also replicated the mural featuring Prince Sattva of Cave 254, when he and a dozen classmates at the Lanzhou-based Academy of Fine Art and Design of Northwest Normal University joined this program under the strict supervision of his father, who, nevertheless, would sometimes visit them without notice late at night in the caves where they were working, bringing pears he himself grew.

Chang Jiahuang says: “It was only after a long time that I learned from my father’s memoir why he had such an attachment to this mural and why he wanted me to copy it.

“During his most difficult times, this painting inspired him, generating courage for him to persevere. In those three months, I deeply felt the dedication of ancient painters of Dunhuang and my own parents.”

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of his mother’s birth, who joined in the research and conservation of the Mogao Caves in 1947. In April, the son donated their family’s 1,500 boxes of belongings to Zhejiang University, his father’s alma mater, for research and digitalization.

Embracing technology

As early as in the 1980s, Chang Shuhong had foreseen the potential of digitalization in cultural relics conservation.

Pan Yunhe, academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former principal of Zhejiang University, who joined the initial digitalization exploration of the Mogao Caves, recalls his first meeting with Chang Shuhong in 1982.

At that time, Chang Shuhong was among the jury of Pan’s first academic program, which pioneered in generating patterns with artificial intelligence. Chang Shuhong expressed interest in preserving the murals of Dunhuang with a digital approach, visiting Pan’s laboratory and discussing the feasibility.

“He was open-minded and very sensitive to new things. Ahead of his time, he could always absorb new things into his own creation,” Pan says, adding that Chang Shuhong was very kind and gentle to young people like him, who was at that time in his 30s.

In 1998, the Dunhuang Academy and Zhejiang University launched an academic program led by Pan and sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China to explore preservation, research and utilization of the Mogao Caves on a digital basis.

Pan says, the launch of the program resulted from years of endeavor with the Chang family — the parents, firstborn daughter Chang Shana, who was director of what is now Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University, and Chang Jiahuang — as well as Fan Jinshi, who took charge as director of the Dunhuang Academy that year.

“Chang Shuhong was well-established in oil painting. It’s a pity he painted so little in the latter part of his life,” Pan said while visiting the exhibition at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum on Sept 29.

That day, Chang Jiahuang said at the exhibition’s opening ceremony that as his parents’ student, secretary and assistant, he witnessed their twists and turns, their creation and research, and experienced their art and spirits, following which he grew to become introspective, modest and rigorous.

According to him, the ongoing exhibition is the largest display of Chang Shuhong’s paintings since 1990 and a good presentation of the master’s spirits conveyed through his works.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Early cancer testing urged despite growing awareness

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

Despite an increased awareness of cancer among older adults in China, it is important to step up early screenings for certain types, such as prostate cancer, to curb rising incidences, according to a recent report and experts.
A rapidly aging population and changes in lifestyles have elevated cancer rates and related deaths in China. It is estimated that 2022 saw more than 4.8 million cancer cases, and nearly 2.6 million related mortalities, and incidence rates began rising significantly among those in their late 30s.
According to a report, 85.8 percent of surveyed urban residents age 45 and older said that they are concerned about the risk of being diagnosed with cancer. Cancer of the lungs, stomach and liver are their biggest fears. These three types are also among the top five most common cancers in the nation, according to the report released on the sidelines of an event held by Chinese Aging Well Association on Friday.
Moreover, more than 96 percent of surveyed men and women said they believe in the importance of cancer screenings, and more than 80 percent said they have undergone such tests.
Women and high-income groups exhibit a stronger willingness to take screening examinations.
While screenings for lung, liver and stomach cancer are the most prevalent, the report has called attention to the relatively low screening rates for prostate cancer and cervical cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in two-thirds of the countries across the globe. In China, the incidence rate is lower than that in developed Western countries, but the rate has been on the rise in recent years.
Xing Nianzeng, vice-president of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said that the incidence rate of prostate cancer has increased by about 7 percent annually in recent years. However, the five-year survival rate of the disease in China is around 70 percent, lower than the nearly 100 percent in developed countries.
“There is a very simple and sensitive test called the PSA test, or prostate-specific antigen test, which only requires collecting a small amount of blood,” he said.
“Abnormal test results signify that the man should go through further examinations.
“It is important to raise awareness of early screening among high-risk groups,” he added.
Experts suggested men age 50 and above take the test every two years, and those with a family history of prostate cancer are advised to have the test done annually starting at 45 years old.
Gao Jie, chief physician at hepatobiliary surgery department at Peking University People’s Hospital, said during an interview with The-Paper.cn that about 70 percent of liver cancer patients are at an advanced or late stage when seeking treatment, and only 30 percent see a doctor at an early stage.
Early screenings and diagnoses will play a significant role in tackling cancer, he added.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: The government has a target for Indigenous digital inclusion. It’s got little hope of meeting it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, Macquarie University

Digital inclusion for Indigenous communities is important. It’s so important, in fact, that the government has made it one of the targets under the Closing The Gap plan. The goal is:

by 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion.

Digital exclusion is the continuing unequal access and capacity to use digital technology that is essential to participate fully in society.

It severely stifles Indigenous creativity. It restricts access to essential tools, skills and platforms that are crucial for digital expression and innovation.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this exclusion leads to missed opportunities, particularly in areas linked to economic prosperity, such as employment and education. As the government’s policy focus is on economic empowerment, this is a major barrier.

Measuring progress towards the 2026 deadline is challenging because there are simply no recent data.

But given how big the gap was to start with, the lack of importance based on gathering relevant data and the insufficient government action since, we know the target is highly unlikely to be met.

Read more:
‘Digital inclusion’ and closing the gap: how First Nations leadership is key to getting remote communities online

What’s being done?

To support the goal, the First Nations Digital Inclusion Plan offers a comprehensive strategy focused on three key pillars:
- access (to telecommunication services, devices, and data)
- affordability (the cost of services, devices, and data)
- ability (skills, attitudes, and confidence with technology).
Focused mostly on remote communities, initiatives such as the Australian Digital Inclusion Index highlight persistent challenges across all three areas.

Although digital inclusion is an urgent issue in remote areas, research also shows Indigenous populations face widespread digital exclusion across the nation, regardless of remoteness.

Some 84.6% (832,800) of Indigenous people live in non-remote areas. Many of these people are also excluded.

Last year, the government established an advisory group to drive progress.

It has developed a “road map”. This involves travelling to Indigenous communities across Australia to ensure their diverse needs, aspirations and environments are fully considered.

Despite these ongoing government initiatives and policies, efforts to close the digital divide for Indigenous peoples remain insufficient. As technology continues to advance, Indigenous communities are left in an increasingly precarious situation.

The rise of artificial intelligence

The government’s current plans do not explicitly address the role of artificial intelligence (AI). This oversight is particularly concerning given the rapid advancement of AI technologies.

A recent report on adult media literacy in Australia reveals 48% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants do not understand what AI is or the risks and opportunities it presents. This knowledge gap could further exacerbate the digital divide and deepen existing inequalities.

AI presents both opportunities and challenges. When led by Indigenous people, it holds transformative potential across multiple sectors.

It could enhance learning tailored to Indigenous knowledge systems, help in the revitalisation and preservation of languages, and improve healthcare delivery. It could also empower Indigenous businesses by optimising operations and market reach.

Read more:
AI affects everyone – including Indigenous people. It’s time we have a say in how it’s built

Indigenous people are already collaborating on research that combines Indigenous knowledge with AI to support land-management practices.

There are very few Indigenous-led AI projects underway nationally, but there’s great potential. With Indigenous people helping develop AI, these technologies could contribute to meaningful, self-determined growth across Indigenous communities.

But only if we’re included.

Avoiding exploitation

Indigenous digital exclusion, especially in policy development and regulation, can result in AI being used by non-Indigenous people to tell our stories without our permission.

They can profit from appropriation of our culture, including art and languages.

The government needs to adopt a more comprehensive and forward-thinking approach. This should involve expanding the scope of digital inclusion initiatives beyond the current limited focus to encompass Indigenous communities across the entire country.

The development of Indigenous-led digital literacy programs that respect learning styles and culture is also essential.

The government should incorporate AI and other emerging technologies into planning to ensure Indigenous communities are not left behind.

Establishing long-term partnerships with technology companies, educational institutions and Indigenous organisations to create sustainable digital inclusion programs is vital.

The focus should be on creating Indigenous-led opportunities that leverage digital technologies for economic empowerment without exploiting or harming.

Underrepresented in tech

One barrier to this is there are very few Indigenous peoples involved in the tech industry, especially in decision-making roles and policy development.

As of 2022, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accounted for less than 1.4% of tech workers. There urgently needs to be more support to boost this figure.

That’s because technology like AI presents potential careers for Indigenous people.

Currently however, Indigenous peoples are not employed in the industries involved in AI. Of the global study of people working in this specific industry, Indigenous participation was not noted.

The fact the government recognises digital inclusion as a national priority is a positive step. The current approach, however, is piecemeal and limited. We need a more holistic strategy.

By developing more inclusive, technologically advanced policies led by Indigenous people, the government can ensure they are not left behind in the digital age. We need to be at the decision-making table.

Closing the digital divide requires a multifaceted, long-term commitment from government. This means a national strategy recognising the diverse needs and aspirations of Indigenous communities across the country.

By harnessing the full potential of digital technologies, including AI, and addressing the unique challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the government can create lasting positive change and truly empower Indigenous communities in the digital era.

Bronwyn Carlson is a member of the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Council.

– ref. The government has a target for Indigenous digital inclusion. It’s got little hope of meeting it – https://theconversation.com/the-government-has-a-target-for-indigenous-digital-inclusion-its-got-little-hope-of-meeting-it-239733
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Should King Charles apologise for the genocide of First Nations people when he visits Australia?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebe Taylor, Associate Professor of History, University of Tasmania

King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Australia from Friday on a five-day tour of Canberra and Sydney.

The king will be the second ruling British monarch to visit Australia, after Queen Elizabeth II’s 16 visits over 57 years.

These visits showcase Australians’ evolving relationship with the monarchy and our colonial past.

Changing attitudes

An estimated 75% of Australians greeted Elizabeth on her first tour in 1954, at events that celebrated Australia’s growth as a prosperous nation.

Historical milestones remained central to the queen’s subsequent visits.

In 1970, she attended the re-enactment of Captain Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay. This included depictions of shooting at First Nations actors.

The queen’s 1986 visit included signing the Australia Act that severed Britain’s formal powers over Australia.

Her 1988 visit coincided with the Australian bicentenary of the arrival of the First Fleet carrying convicts and officials from Britain. But by this time, many Australians had lost their royal fervour.

Her final tour, in 2011, came 12 years after Australia had attempted to become a republic by referendum.

The queen’s death in 2022 not only reignited questions over the future of the monarchy in Australia, it instigated a public discussion over the monarchy’s role in imperial colonialism.

Genocide in Australia?

On the eve of Charles’ coronation in 2023, Indigenous leaders from 12 settler states including Australia and New Zealand cosigned a letter calling on the new monarch to apologise for the genocides that British colonisation brought to their territories.

Australia was settled in the name of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Did that settlement result in genocide?

Recent research led by Ben Kiernan for The Cambridge World History of Genocide has investigated this question using the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as a framework.

The convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

The term “genocide” itself is modern; coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944. The colonisation of Tasmania by the British provided Lemkin with one of the clearest examples.

The prosecution of crimes before 1951 is not permissible under the convention, which provides a definitional framework to evaluate past events as constituent acts of genocide.

The Cambridge World History of Genocide Volume II and Volume III demonstrate how settlers and government agents committed acts of genocide against First Nations Australians from the beginning of settlement to the late 20th centuries.

All parts of Australia are considered. Acts conforming to the convention’s clauses include killing, forcibly removing children and inflicting destructive conditions.

Australian historian Lyndall Ryan’s chapter, Frontier Massacres in Australia, draws on her research for a Massacre Map showing how British troops and settlers committed more than 290 massacres across Australia between 1794 and 1928.

These massacres killed more than 7,500 Aboriginal people.

Ryan found the massacres were not sporadic and isolated – they were planned and sanctioned killings, integral to the aims of the Australian colonial project.

Rebe Taylor’s chapter on genocide in Tasmania details a pattern of government-sanctioned mass killings in a colony where an estimated 6,000 Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) people were reduced to about 120 by 1835.

Raymond Evans shows how as colonisation moved northward in Australia, massacres increased in size.

Evans documents killings that persisted into the 1940s, postdating the 1928 Coniston massacre widely regarded as the last frontier slaughter.

These findings are underscored by Tony Barta’s insight that colonists’ destructive actions constitute a record of genocidal intent “more powerful than any documented plot to destroy a people”.

Research by Anna Haebich documents the taking of Indigenous children during the 19th century.

Joanna Cruikshank and Crystal Mckinnon explain how these state-sanctioned removals in the 20th century were intended to eliminate First Nations people from Australia’s national life.

The 1997 Bringing Them Home report, commissioned by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, concluded the “Australian practice of Indigenous child removal involved […] genocide as defined by international law”.

A significant moment of resistance

The colonial governor of Tasmania began to exile Palawa people from their land in 1829.

More than 200 survivors of the “Black War” were removed to Flinders Island and subjected to life-threateningly harsh conditions. High death rates were caused by ill-treatment, disease and insufficient care.

In 1846, the Palawa petitioned Queen Victoria to honour the agreement made when they were removed: that in exchange for temporarily leaving their country, they would regain their freedom.

In this bold petition, Tasmanian Aboriginal people initiated a historic appeal to the British monarchy.

Aware of Queen Victoria’s sovereign authority across the vast British Empire, this action marked a significant moment in their continued resistance to genocide.

An acknowledgement of wrongs

British sovereignty over Australia was imposed without the required consent of its First Nations. The result has been continued dispossession and suffering.

Despite the Crown’s deferral of power to its parliament, the call for an apology from the king has immense symbolic importance.

It is rooted in the desire for acknowledgement of wrongs. These include genocide and the continuing destructive effects of colonisation across Australia.

Rebe Taylor receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Greg Lehman receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. He is a member of the Board of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.

– ref. Should King Charles apologise for the genocide of First Nations people when he visits Australia? – https://theconversation.com/should-king-charles-apologise-for-the-genocide-of-first-nations-people-when-he-visits-australia-239092

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Mounjaro is more effective for weight loss than Ozempic. So how does it work? And why does it cost so much?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Joyce, Senior Research Fellow, University of South Australia

Halfpoint/Shutterstock

A weight-loss drug more effective than Ozempic and Wegovy has recently been approved in Australia.

The drug, tirzepatide, is sold under the brand name Mounjaro and affects feelings of hunger and fullness, as well as changing how the body processess food. (In other countries, tirzepatide is also sound under the brand name Zepbound.)

So how does tirzepatide work and differ from Ozempic? And with a price tage of $315–$645 per month for the starting dose, why is it so expensive?

How does it work?

Think of tirzepatide as a master key that unlocks two important doors in your body’s weight control system. It mimics two hormones: GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).

When you eat, your body naturally releases GIP and GLP-1 hormones. These hormones play crucial roles in regulating appetite, food intake and blood sugar levels. Tirzepatide mimics and amplifies the effects of these hormones.

By mimicking the GLP-1 and GIP hormones, tirzepatide makes people feel fuller with smaller meals. This can reduce the overall food intake and lead to weight loss over time.

It also helps your body process sugar more effectively and slows down how quickly food leaves your stomach. This results in eating less, feel satisfied for longer and having healthier blood sugar levels.

How does it compare with Wegovy/Ozempic?

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) are similar in many ways. Both are injectable medications used for weight loss and work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar.

The key difference is that tirzepatide acts on two hormone receptors (GIP and GLP-1), while semaglutide only acts on one (GLP-1). This dual action is thought to be why tirzepatide shows slightly better results for weight loss in clinical trials.

Clinical trials have shown participants lost an average of 25% of their body fat in the first year of treatment with tirzepatide. This is when combined with lifestyle counselling from a health-care professional who encouraged a healthy and reduced-calorie diet (500 calories less per day compared to patient’s diet at the beginning of the study) and at least 150 minutes of physical activity per day.

This compares with an average of 15% weight loss in the first year for semaglutide, also alongside a reduced-calorie diet (a 500 calorie-deficit per day) and increased physical exercise (150 minutes per week).

For a person weighing 120kg, this might mean the difference between losing 30kg with tirzepatide versus 18kg with semaglutide. But of course, with both drugs, some people will lose less weight than the average, some will lose more, and some may not respond to the drug at all.

What are the side effects of tirzepatide?

Like any medication, tirzepatide has side effects. The most common are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. These could feel like a mild tummy bug and are similar to those seen with semaglutide.

For most people, these side effects are manageable and often improve over time.

There are also some rarer, more serious risks to consider. These include inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder problems. There is also a potential increased risk for thyroid cancer, although this has only been seen in lab rats so far, not humans.

As with Ozempic and Wegovy, when you stop taking tirzepatide, its effects stop. Most people regain some, if not all, of the weight they lost.

People often regain some or all of the weight they lost after stopping the medication.
/John Hanson PyeShutterstock

Who can access tirzepatide?

In Australia, tirzepatide is approved for use in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or a or BMI of 27 or above if you have a weight-related health condition such as diabetes. It can only be prescribed by a doctor, after you have tried other weight-loss methods.

But it’s not suitable for everyone. It shouldn’t be used in pregnancy and may not be suitable for people with certain medical conditions and those with a history of eating disorders.

If you’re considering tirzepatide, it’s important to discuss the benefits and risks for your personal health situation with your doctor.

Why is it so expensive?

Tirzepatide typically costs around A$345 per month for the starting dose. This can escalate to $645 per month for the ongoing “maintenance” dose if a higher dose is necessary for diabetes and/or weight management. This puts the drug out of reach for most people.

Tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro in Australia, is only available on private prescription and is not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This means you pay the full cost of the medication without any government support.

However, the United Kingdom recently announced it would add tirzepatide to the National Health Service in a phased approach over the next three years, so it’s possible we might see it subsidised in Australia in the future.

Developing new drugs is a costly business. Companies spend billions on research, clinical trials, and getting regulatory approvals. They then set high prices to recoup these costs and make a profit.

The patent for tirzepatide lasts until 2036. So we won’t have any cheaper generic versions for more than a decade.

Paul Joyce receives funding from The Hospital Research Foundation, Cancer Council SA, and the Australian Research Council. He is Director of the Australian Controlled Release Society.

Srinivas Kamath 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. Mounjaro is more effective for weight loss than Ozempic. So how does it work? And why does it cost so much? – https://theconversation.com/mounjaro-is-more-effective-for-weight-loss-than-ozempic-so-how-does-it-work-and-why-does-it-cost-so-much-239185

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Overtly handmade and so very moving: Adam Elliot’s Memoir of A Snail is a stop motion triumph

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack McGrath, Lecturer in Animation at the University of Newcastle, University of Newcastle

Many iconic Melbourne sights, including Luna Park, feature in Adam Elliot’s new film. Madmad Entertainment

Stop motion films are by their nature a remarkable feat. When you know a movie has been carefully crafted, over several years and through thousands of photographs of handmade sets and characters, this alone makes it a delight to watch.

But when the story is also deep, thought-provoking and at times laugh-out-loud funny, this takes the medium to a whole new level. Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail is such a film.

Told through stop motion animation using clay (otherwise known as claymation), the film is a tactile experience in which everything you see has been made by human hands. This provides a warmth that is exacerbated by Elliot’s very human story of identity.

The film explores how it can be difficult to find your way in life, particularly when you’re different – and that it is, in fact, OK to be different.

Grace Pudel, the protagonist, is a snail enthusiast and we follow her as she navigates the many challenges that emerge in her life. Grace’s narration is raw and honest, and we can’t help but feel a deep connection with her.

The story is so human and so very moving – and to be told through human-made characters perfectly rounds off the experience.

Grace is a hoarder of ornamental snails, romance novels and guinea pigs.
Madman Entertainment

A win at Annecy

In June, I was fortunate enough to help facilitate an animation study tour in France with students from the University of Newcastle. It was there we saw the world premiere of Memoir of a Snail at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the pre-eminent festival for animated film.

The story clearly resonated with the audience, who sat captivated throughout its 90-minute runtime. They laughed and cried in unison as one engaged mass of humanity – culminating in a long and enthusiastic standing ovation.

We were even lucky enough to bump into Elliot and his crew, and our students spoke with him about his journey in making Memoir of a Snail. The film went on to win the festival’s prestigious Cristal award for best feature.

More than 7,000 individual items were handcrafted by various artisans, with most objects made from clay, wire, paper, paint and silicon.
Madman Entertainment

While claymation is generally viewed as a medium aimed at young audiences, Memoir of a Snail tells a wholly unique adult story.

Much of its sophistication lies in its ability to effortlessly touch on many complex topics through a mixture of humour and emotion. Indeed, this approach to storytelling has become Elliot’s calling card.

The film’s themes include identity, loneliness, alcoholism, cultism, hoarding, suicide, homosexuality, bullying, ageing, family, fat fetishism, grief and death. The story cleverly pulls you into deep thought, before surprising you with a hilarious gag.

Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook) strikes up friendship with an eccentric elderly woman named Pinky (Jacki Weaver).
Madman Entertainment

Elliot’s dark and captivating aesthetic

When introducing the film at Annecy, Elliot explained how his team’s limited budget led to a heavy reliance on narration, with limited walking and dialogue shots. Yet these constraints seemed to enhance the team’s creativity rather than stifle it.

Elliot has a history of working around such limitations to bring his unique aesthetic to life. His first film Uncle (1996) was shot on 16mm black-and-white film, while his other short Cousin (1999) was shot on colour – but with a muted palette of grey tones.

This palette has carried through Elliot’s work and is present in Memoir of a Snail. His version of the Australian landscape isn’t orange and sun-bleached. Rather, it is grey, overcast and drab – a dark world resembling the work of Eastern European animators such as Jan Švankmajer.

Elliot’s other films include Brother (2000), the Oscar-winning short film Harvie Krumpet (2003) and his first feature film Mary and Max (2009).

His works present tortured individuals – outsiders, misfits and oddballs – living in dark, suburban worlds. Behind the funny-looking faces and humorous vignettes lie deeper afflictions that become clear as the characters struggle through their lives.

More than 1,000 plasticine mouths had to be made so the characters could talk.
Madman Entertainment

A gentle vulnerability shines through

Elliot brings a naivety to the narration, where a simple statement of facts couches a deeper meaning. As the audience, we uncover mixed feelings of humour, dread and empathy for the tortured blobs of clay before us.

The characters stand, blinking, looking back at us while the narrator describes their situation. They feel vulnerable, as though asking for our help as they stand silently, trapped in Elliot’s bleak world.

Grace falls into dark spiral after she is seperated from her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) at a young age).
Madman Entertainment

Memoir of a Snail maintains a strong sense of materiality, as evidenced by fingerprints left on clay and brush strokes on painted backgrounds. Elliot’s self-described “chunky wonky” aesthetic abides by the rule that nothing in the world is straight.

Almost everything in Elliot’s animated world is overtly handmade, presenting a kind of nostalgic and childlike innocence you’d expect from a school project. This helps add weight and authenticity to the film.

The 3D work intersects with thoughtfully crafted 2D items such as handwritten title cards and signs.
Madman Entertainment

Elliot’s world is created “in-camera”, which means no digital effects were used. Water, for example, was created using cellophane, while droplets were painstakingly animated with blobs of glycerine, one frame at a time.

Welcome relief in a hyper-digital world

Lately, Australian animation has found an international audience and this has emboldened Australian animators to tell Australian stories. Bluey, for instance, has struck a chord with viewers globally because of – and not despite – its uniquely Australian voice.

It took eight years to create Memoir of a Snail, which seems like a lifetime in today’s world. Witnessing such dedication may inspire audiences to think more deeply about animation as an art form and about film-making itself.

Elliot’s handmade style is a nice counter to the digital and visual effects that seem ever-present in media today.
Madman Entertainment

Memoir of a Snail is a testament to stop motion’s power to move people. Elliot himself pointed out how stop motion seems to be experiencing a renaissance, with Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), Phil Tippett’s Mad God (2021), Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild (2022) and Chris Butler’s Missing Link (2019) all serving as recent examples of stop motion features.

I hope Memoir of a Snail helps sustain this interest. In an age of automation and artificial intelligence, the film is a welcome return to the human experience. Thought-provoking, funny and wholly unique in its story and visual style, it’s well worth the watch.

Other voice actors on the production include Eric Bana, Nick Cave and Tony Armstrong.
Madman Entertainment

The author would like to thank Daisy De Windt for her contributions to this article.

Jack McGrath 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. Overtly handmade and so very moving: Adam Elliot’s Memoir of A Snail is a stop motion triumph – https://theconversation.com/overtly-handmade-and-so-very-moving-adam-elliots-memoir-of-a-snail-is-a-stop-motion-triumph-233105

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Glucose monitors for diabetes have finally been funded – but a chronic workforce shortage will limit the benefits

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato

Pharmac’s decision to fund continuous glucose monitors and automated insulin delivery systems for the approximately 18,000 people who currently live with type 1 diabetes in Aotearoa New Zealand is good news.

The decision comes after years of advocacy from patient groups and clinicians.

But there are problems within the broader system – particularly around workforce shortages – that mean full patient access to training on how to use the insulin pumps will likely take years.

Failing to address these issues will also perpetuate health inequities for Māori and Pacific people, who are less likely to have used the monitor and pump in the past, and may have to wait longer for training. These delays could mute the positive effect of Pharmac’s funding decision.

A complex balance

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that causes a person’s pancreas to stop producing insulin. This all-important hormone is needed to move glucose into every cell in the body.

Without insulin, the cells (and the person) “starve”. While the current approach to the management of type 1 diabetes – finger pricking to test blood glucose levels and injecting insulin – works, it’s complex.

Inject too much insulin and you’ll get low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). This leaves a person with type 1 feeling shaky and weak, or possibly even in a coma. Don’t inject enough and you have ongoing high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia). This leads to long-term health complications.

Figuring out the right amount of insulin is elusive. Needs constantly vary according to time of day, diet, exercise, illness, caffeine, alcohol, stress and other factors. This can take a toll psychologically and physiologically.

Modern solutions

Continuous monitors track blood glucose levels 24 hours a day through a sensor just under your skin, replacing finger-prick testing. They are widely funded and used overseas.

The monitors alert users to low blood glucose and have significantly reduced hospitalisations for people with type 1 diabetes.

Combining the monitors with a pump and appropriate algorithm automates the delivery of insulin when glucose levels rise higher than a patient’s target range – significantly reducing the day-to-day burden of treatment.

But the continuous monitors and insulin pumps are expensive.

Prior to Pharmac’s decision, the monitors were completely unfunded. Prices ranged between NZ$2,600 and $4,800 per year. Insulin pumps were funded, but only for a small group of people.

This created an ever-widening equity gap. Māori and Pacific people with type 1 diabetes were less likely to access monitors and pumps. They were also more likely to have recurrent hospitalisations for diabetes-related events.

A workforce shortage

When compared with other countries, New Zealand has been slow to fund the monitors.

Unfortunately, the diabetes workforce is also significantly understaffed when compared to international guidelines.

There is a shortage of all qualified health care professionals for type 1 diabetes including endocrinologists, nurse practitioners, diabetes nurse specialists, dietitians, psychologists, social workers and podiatrists.

To meet international recommendations, New Zealand would have to more than double the clinical workforce.

Most people with type 1 diabetes will be able to rapidly access the monitors because these can be prescribed through GPs as well as by diabetes specialists. However, insulin pumps and automated insulin delivery will only be accessible through specialists.

While insulin pumps offer advantages for managing glucose levels, learning to use the device takes time and requires support from clinicians. This will likely be a problem, particularly for those who already have challenges accessing healthcare services in this country.

An equity issue

Māori and Pacific people with type 1 diabetes are less likely to be current insulin pump users. This means there is a clear risk of workforce shortages causing those who would benefit most from automated insulin delivery to be among the last to have access.

Increasingly, evidence on continuous glucose monitors and automated insulin delivery shows they improve managing type 1 diabetes for everyone.

Monitor use has been shown to reduce the differences in the management of glucose levels between Māori and non-Māori children with type 1 diabetes.

Automated insulin delivery can also be an effective tool for children and adolescents with very high-risk glucose levels.

So, thank you Pharmac. Funded devices are a game changer. New Zealand has moved from an outdated, inequitable system of technology funding in type 1 diabetes to a progressive and fair system. But so much more needs to be done to support everyone with this disease.

Lynne Chepulis receives funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand. She is an executive member of the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes.

Hamish Crocket receives funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand. He is an executive member of the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes and is the chairperson of Nightscout New Zealand, a diabetes advocacy group. Hamish has been living with type one diabetes since 2013.

Martin de Bock receives funding from Novo Nordisk, Medtronic, Ypsomed, Dexcom, and Insulet. Honoraria, travel expenses or speaking fees from Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Pfizer, Medtronic, Boerhinger Ingelheim, Ypsomed, Dexcom, and Insulet. Advisory Boards for Tandem and Dexcom, Tautoko Tech, Nascence biomedical.

– ref. Glucose monitors for diabetes have finally been funded – but a chronic workforce shortage will limit the benefits – https://theconversation.com/glucose-monitors-for-diabetes-have-finally-been-funded-but-a-chronic-workforce-shortage-will-limit-the-benefits-241113

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Conference addresses the systemic causes of poverty – Vic

Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Media are invited to attend ‘Pakukore: Poverty, by Design—Addressing the systemic causes of poverty and options for change,’ an upcoming conference which will analyse the interconnected web of economic, governmental, legal, and institutional systems that have locked poverty in.

Hosted by the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, the conference runs from 21‒23 November. It features speakers from research backgrounds and the front lines, who will provide evidence, present joined-up thinking, and examine where hope lies for eradicating poverty and assisting those who suffer its harms.

“Should a developed nation continue to tolerate poverty and inequality? The conference invites speakers who work at the front lines in the fight against poverty to tell us of the lasting and severe harms it inflicts on people’s lives,” says Rebecca Macfie, JD Stout Research Fellow and co-organiser.

The programme will be ordered around the systems that have played, and continue to play, key roles in underpinning and maintaining the crisis of poverty: economic management, the housing, health, welfare, and education systems, the courts and corrections, and short-term political thinking.

The conference will also look at where hope lies, and how we can choose to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand to eradicate poverty and heal those who suffer its harms.

Confirmed speakers include:

Murray Edridge, Maria English, Philippa Howden-Chapman, Judge Ida Malosi, Professor Lisa Marriot, Max Rashbrooke, Professor Tracey McIntosh, Professor Māmari Stephens, Associate Professor Anna Matheson, Dr Jin Russell, Craig Renney, Jennie Smeaton, Pat Hanley, Brooke Pao Stanley, Agnes Magele, Rebecca Macfie, Dr Huhana Hickey, Sue Bradford, Bill Rosenberg, Dr Kay Saville-Smith, James Te Puni, Miriana Stephens, Professor Nikki Turner, Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine, Dr Avataeao Junior Ulu, Dr Hana O’Regan, Amanda Coulston, Jess Berentson-Shaw, MPs Carmel Sepuloni, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, and Kassie Hartendorp. Journalist and commentator Bernard Hickey will be the conference rapporteur.

The conference opens on Thursday 21 November 2024 at 5 pm with the JD Stout Memorial Lecture from Rebecca Macfie, and then runs from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November. A full programme can be viewed here. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/stout-centre/about/events/poverty-by-design-addressing-the-systemic-causes-of-poverty-and-options-for-change

Venue:
Lecture Theatre 1
Rutherford House
Pipitea Campus
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Social media footage reveals little-known ‘surfing’ whales in Australian waters

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanessa Pirotta, Postdoctoral Researcher and Wildlife Scientist, Macquarie University

Sapphire Coastal Adventures

As humpback and southern right whales return to Antarctica at the tail end of their annual migration, east coast whale watchers may think the show will soon be over. But some whale species are still here, possibly year-round. And we need to find out more about them.

My team’s new research concerns one of these little-known species – the Bryde’s whale. You may have seen it feeding, breaching or surfing, without realising what it was.

My colleagues and I wanted to learn more about where Bryde’s whales can be found in Australian waters. So we tapped into observations shared on social media, including drone footage and photographs from whale-watching tours. We also gathered observations from scientists.

We discovered a wealth of information. It includes evidence of feeding and “surfing” behaviours possibly never documented before. Findings from this research will directly help inform conservation efforts to protect this species, which we still know so little about in Australian waters.

A Bryde’s whale rides the surf after feeding in shallow waters.
Taylor Arnell and Austin Ihle @takethemap

Observing whales through citizen science

Scientists can’t always be out in the field, or on the water. That’s why the data gathered by everyday people, known as “citizen scientists”, can be so useful. It captures valuable information about wildlife that can be used later by professional researchers.

Citizen science projects involving marine life have grown over recent years. They include people documenting humpback whale recovery by counting northward migrating humpback whales off Sydney, and people watching sharks off Bondi Beach via the @DroneSharkApp.

Hungry hungry whales

Like humpback whales, these giants are “baleen” whales, meaning they are toothless. But Bryde’s whales have a much pointier mouth and lack that famous hump.

A preference for warmer waters means Bryde’s whales are also known as tropical whales. They can be found in tropical or subtropical waters.

Around the world, Bryde’s whales have demonstrated interesting feeding behaviours, from high-speed seafloor chases to “pirouette feeding”.

Bryde’s whale in shallow waters near baitfish.
Taylor Arnell and Austin Ihle @takethemap.

Hanging out in shallow and deep waters

Our study documented Bryde’s whales feeding in both deep and shallow waters off the east coast of Australia, alone or sometimes with other whales.

We tapped into more than an hour of drone vision and more than 200 photos of Bryde’s whales shared by citizen scientists on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

In offshore environments, Bryde’s whales were typically seen “side lunging” – where they propel themselves forward and turn onto their side then open their mouth to engulf their food. They also swam from below and scooped up their prey, much like humpback whales.

Lunging Bryde’s whale feeding on small baitfish in New South Wales waters.
Brett Dixon

In shallow waters, Bryde’s whales were observed feeding directly within or behind the surf break.

We believe this is a new feeding behaviour for this species. We call it “shallow water surf feeding”.

Whales may be using the surf to assist with their feeding efforts, or, perhaps they are there because that’s where the bait fish are hanging out.

Regardless, it’s impressive to see such a large whale in the surf and in shallow waters.

Spotted: mums with their calves

We also documented mothers with calves. This indicates some parts of the Australian east coast could possibly serve as an important area for nursing mothers with their young. They could also be using these waters for calving.

We don’t yet fully understand the species’ movements around Australia, and whether they swim in New Zealand waters. For example, the world-famous white humpback whale Migaloo has been known to swim across the Tasman Sea.

Bryde’s whale mother with calf in NSW waters escorted by dolphins.
Brett Dixon

Could these Bryde’s whales we see here in Australian waters be the same ones seen in New Zealand waters? Are they calving in New Zealand or Australia and moving between the two? If so, what does this mean for their protection?

Whales don’t recognise international boundaries. They go where they want, when they want. This is why collaborative research like this is important for our growing knowledge of this species.

The more we know, the better we can protect

This is the first dedicated paper on both the occurrence and feeding behaviour of Bryde’s whale in Australian waters.

As humans continue to expand our footprint in the ocean through activities such as offshore wind energy, shipping, fishing and tourism, knowledge of this species and others can help inform future decisions in our blue backyard.

Findings of this study will directly contribute to Australia’s efforts to protect whales. One immediate action will be contributing information to the federal review of Biological Important Areas for protected marine species. The more we know, the better we can target conservation efforts to provide for a species we know relatively little about in Australian waters.

And even though the humpbacks and southern rights are headed back south to Antarctica for the summer, it’s still worth keeping your eyes on the water. You might be the next person to spot a Bryde’s whale in Australian waters. Let us know if you do!

An example of shallow water surf feeding by a Bryde’s whale.
Taylor Arnell and Austin Ihle @takethemap

Vanessa Pirotta 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. Social media footage reveals little-known ‘surfing’ whales in Australian waters – https://theconversation.com/social-media-footage-reveals-little-known-surfing-whales-in-australian-waters-241347

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE’s speech in delivering “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” to LegCo (2)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

II. Steadfastly and Successfully Implement “One Country, Two Systems” and Strengthening Our Governance Systems (A) Fully and Faithfully Implement the Principle of “One Country, Two Systems”Optimise the Institutional Strengths of “One Country, Two Systems”12. The institutional advantages of “One Country, Two Systems” are numerous. Whether Hong Kong was fighting against the pandemic, tackling economic challenges, or seeking development opportunities, the Central Government always stands by Hong Kong and supports Hong Kong through a multitude of facilitation measures, ensuring our long-term prosperity and stability.13. Under the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, Hong Kong is rooted in “One Country” and enjoys the benefits of “Two Systems”, enabling Hong Kong to serve the country’s needs with its own strengths. Hong Kong boasts both national and international advantages, enjoying the benefits of policies, guarantees and opportunities of our country. Hong Kong is an international city fully open to the world, underpinned by a capitalist system, with free flow of capital, people and information. It adopts a common law system, maintains its own legislative and judicial systems, laws, tax regime, currency and financial system, and is a separate customs territory. Hong Kong is a global metropolis.14. We will continue to fully, faithfully and resolutely implement the principles of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy. We will continue to fully leverage the institutional strengths of “One Country, Two Systems” for sustaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, contributing to China’s building into a great country and realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.Safeguard National Security15. Security and development work together like the two wings of a bird. Development requires a safe social environment. In March 2024, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) fulfilled the constitutional responsibility and historic mission of enacting local legislation for Article 23 of the Basic Law. The newly enacted Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) achieves convergence, compatibility and complementarity with the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL). Together they form a comprehensive legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security. But threats to national security may spring up any time. We must stay vigilant and put up our guard.16. Public officers are duty bound to safeguard national security. Section 8(3)(a) of the SNSO stipulates that if the law of the HKSAR confers any function on any person, the function is to be read as including a duty to safeguard national security. Section 114 stipulates that public servants must provide assistance for the work on safeguarding national security. All bureaux and departments must review their codes, guidelines and procedures to ensure compliance with these provisions.17. It is of utmost importance that our people safeguard national security of their own accord. Since opening in August, the National Security Exhibition Gallery has been well-received by the public. We will train up tutors at district level for promotion of national security education in the community. Thematic exhibitions will be rolled out by the gallery to dovetail with the 10th National Security Education Day next year. The Education Bureau (EDB) will also update the Curriculum Framework of National Security Education.Foster Patriotic Education18. The Working Group on Patriotic Education has formulated promotion strategies and measures for supporting the organisation of more activities such that the spirit of patriotism can take root in society. Next year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance. The Government will host commemorative activities to strengthen the sense of patriotism. The EDB will organise a range of joint school and cross-sectoral activities under the “Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country 3.0” series, continue to enhance Chinese History and national geography education in primary and secondary schools, and enrich patriotism and history elements in Mainland exchange programmes.Promote Chinese Culture19. Established in April, the Chinese Culture Promotion Office earnestly promotes Chinese culture, including planning for the construction of a museum to showcase the development and achievements of our country, and a new Chinese Culture Experience Centre. It also continues to organise the Chinese Culture Festival and exhibitions of the General History of China series.(B) Strengthen Our Governance Systems20. Since taking office, the current-term Government has taken forward various reforms on cross-disciplinary co-ordination and governance culture so as to strengthen our governance systems. Apart from introducing three Deputy Secretaries of Department to strengthen leadership and cross-bureau co-ordination, I have set indicators for specified tasks and monitored their progress and outcomes, creating a government culture focusing on actions and delivery of results. Moreover, we have updated the Civil Service Code to spell out the core values and standards of conduct that civil servants should uphold, and introduced a mechanism to mobilise the Government at all levels to enhance emergency response. The Government will deepen the reforms and continue to strengthen our governance systems.Enhance the Cross-bureau Co-ordination Mechanism21. We will enhance the leadership and cross-bureau co-ordination mechanisms, and fully leverage the leading and co-ordinating functions of Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries of Department. We will establish the following committee and working groups:(i) The Committee on Education, Technology and Talents, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration with the Secretary for Education, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, and Secretary for Labour and Welfare, as members, will co-ordinate and promote the integrated development of education, technology and talents. It will also expand connections, attract and cultivate talents, foster the development of technologies, and promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talents; (ii) The Working Group on Developing Low-altitude Economy, led by the Deputy Financial Secretary, will kick-start projects with application prospects, formulate development strategies and action plans on the low-altitude economy, as well as take forward regulatory reform and plans for related infrastructural facilities;(iii) The Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots, led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, will strengthen cross-departmental co-ordination and leverage community efforts, identifying and developing tourist hotspots of high popularity and with strong appeal in various districts; and(iv) The Working Group on Promoting Silver Economy, led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, will formulate measures to expedite the development of the silver industry in line with the daily needs of the elderly.Strengthen Governance Capabilities of the Civil ServiceStrengthen Civil Service Management22. Efforts in strengthening the reward and punishment system in the past two years include launching the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance, streamlining the mechanism of directing officers with persistent sub-standard performance to retire, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of handling disciplinary cases. We will review the Public Service (Administration) Order and Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulation to enhance the civil service disciplinary mechanism, and will consult with the Public Service Commission on the preliminary proposals next year.National Studies and International Training23. The civil service must have a full grasp of the policy objectives and strategies of our nation. The Government will organise seminars and learning activities on the important policies, reports and so on delivered by the Central People’s Government (CPG). We will also arrange for the middle, senior and directorate level officers to receive training at renowned institutions in the Mainland and overseas to help foster their sense of national identity and develop global perspectives.24. With the support of the CPG, the HKSAR Government will continue to send officers to work in various offices of the United Nations through a dedicated programme.Civil Service Exchange Programme between Hong Kong and the Mainland25. The Government will collaborate with the Mainland cities in the GBA, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhan and Hangzhou to launch mutual civil service exchange programmes.Launch the Governance Talents Development Programme26. The Civil Service College will launch a Governance Talents Development Programme to further develop governance capabilities of officers at leadership ranks. The college will also enhance its internal research and training capability building.Digital Transformation of Public Services27. The Digital Policy Office (DPO) will endeavour to fortify information systems of the Government and public organisations. The DPO will also spearhead the pilot use of a locally developed generative artificial intelligence (AI) document processing copilot application in government departments. About 20 digital government and smart city initiatives will also be launched this year, including using blockchain technology for issuing electronic certificates for designated civil service examinations and electronic licensing by the Fire Services Department, as well as the use of AI for handling public enquiries.Bolster Security of Computer Systems of Critical Infrastructure28. The Government will require critical infrastructure operators to undertake obligations to protect their computer systems, so as to reinforce their resilience against cybersecurity challenges. A bill will be introduced later this year.(To be continued.)

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE’s speech in delivering “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” to LegCo (6)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

V. Build Hong Kong into an International Hub for High‑calibre Talents(A) Co‑ordinate and Promote Integrated Development of Education, Technology and Talents103. Education nurtures our future, technology denotes our strength, and talents lead our development. The Government will set up the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents. Led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the committee will co‑ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talents, expand connections, formulate policies to attract and cultivate talents, foster the development of technologies, and also promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talents.(B) Attract Talents104. Hong Kong boasts five of the world’s top 100 universities and is an international hub for exchange and collaboration among high‑calibre talents.Trawl for Talents105. The Government implemented a new talent admission regime in late 2022. More than 380 000 applications have been received to date, and around 160 000 talents have arrived in Hong Kong with their families.106. In the next five years, there will be a projected shortage of around 180 000 workers across different sectors. To build a quality talent pool for development, we will reform various aspects of the talent admission regime, including:(i) updating the Talent List to include talents required for development of the “eight centres”;(ii) expanding the list of universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme to 198 universities by adding 13 top Mainland and overseas universities, and extending the validity period of the first visa of high‑income talents under the scheme from two years to three years;(iii) enhancing the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, providing new channels to attract experienced specialists in specific skilled trades facing acute manpower shortage to come to Hong Kong. There will be a quota under the new arrangement;(iv) introducing a new mechanism under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, proactively inviting top‑notch talents to come to our city for development, promoting Hong Kong as the focal point of international high‑calibre talents; and(v) extending for two years the pilot arrangement of including graduates from the GBA campuses of Hong Kong universities under the Immigration Arrangements for Non‑local Graduates.Assist Talents in Pursuing Development in Hong Kong107. The HKTE will step up promotion of its online platforms to offer comprehensive information on salaries, taxation, education, visas and so on, in addition to providing personalised assistance. The HKTE will expand its network of collaborative partners and organise online and in‑person job fairs with industries and employer organisations, so that employers can directly match jobs with talents. It will also organise another international talent forum and conduct overseas promotion.Promote Development of an International Hub for Post-secondary EducationNurture Future Talents and Establish the “Study in Hong Kong” Brand108. The Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into an international hub for post‑secondary education. Relevant measures include:(i) incentivising more local students to pursue advanced studies – We will set up the Hong Kong Future Talents Scholarship Scheme for Advanced Studies, beginning in the 2025/26 academic year, offering scholarships each year to up to 1 200 local students enrolling in designated postgraduate programmes;(ii) creating the “Study in Hong Kong” brand – We will strive to host international education conferences and exhibitions. We will also encourage local post‑secondary institutions to enhance collaboration and exchange with their counterparts around the world in promoting the “Study in Hong Kong” brand on a global scale, and to attract more overseas students, especially those from ASEAN and other B&R countries, to study in our city through the provision of scholarships and other incentives; and(iii) improving hostel facilities – We will launch a pilot scheme to streamline the processing of application in relation to planning, lands and building plans, so as to encourage the market to convert hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self‑financing and privately‑funded basis, increasing the supply of student hostels. The Government will also make available suitable sites for the private sector to build new hostels, having regard to market demand. The Development Projects Facilitation Office under the Development Bureau (DEVB) will provide one‑stop advisory and facilitation services for these projects.Promote Quality Development of Self-financing Institutions109. We will introduce a bill next year to amend the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance, to improve the regulatory and quality assurance mechanisms of self‑financing post‑secondary institutions.Develop the Northern Metropolis University Town110. The Government has earmarked over 80 hectares of land in the Northern Metropolis for the Northern Metropolis University Town, and will encourage local post‑secondary institutions to introduce more branded programmes, research collaboration and exchange projects with renowned Mainland and overseas institutions in a flexible and innovative manner. We will retain flexibility in the planning process to facilitate development of student hostels. We plan to publish the Northern Metropolis University Town Development Conceptual Framework in the first half of 2026.(C) Nurture TalentsPromote Multiple PathwaysAdvance the Development of Universities of Applied Sciences111. The Hong Kong Metropolitan University has been recognised as the first university of applied sciences (UAS) in Hong Kong. The UAS alliance will be established this year to, among other things, embark on joint promotion and strengthen collaboration with UASs around the world. The Government has allocated a start‑up fund of $100 million for the alliance.Expand Our Vocational Talent Pool112. The Government will build a campus for the newly established Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology, under the Vocational Training Council, and develop its Lift and Escalator Technology Centre.Promote STEAM Education in Primary and Secondary Schools113. The EDB will establish the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education to promote digital education, renew the Junior Secondary Science Curriculum and provide support for teachers in using AI in teaching.Enhance Support for Schools, Teachers and Students114. The Government will allocate $2 billion to set up the Teacher Professional Development Fund to support the long‑term development of the teaching profession, and to enhance the training and exchange programmes for teachers. A provision of about $470 million will be allocated to enhance the learning and teaching of English, Putonghua and other languages. We will also strengthen support for students with special educational needs and continue to provide subsidies such as textbook assistance for students with financial needs.Expedite Youth Hostel Projects115. In response to our young people’s aspirations to have their own living space, the Government launched the Youth Hostel Scheme and expanded it two years ago by subsidising non‑governmental organisations (NGOs) to rent suitable hotels and guesthouses for use as youth hostels. We have also set up a task force to offer targeted support and technical advice, including providing relevant NGOs with assistance in negotiating with hotel owners to expedite agreements. The number of hostel places has now increased to about 3 000.Support Young People to Purchase Subsidised Sale Flats116. The HKHA will allocate an extra ballot number to young family applicants and one‑person applicants aged below 40 with White Form status for the purchase of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats from the next HOS sale exercise onwards. Starting from the next White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) exercise, the WSM quota will increase by 1 500, all of which will be allocated to young family applicants and one‑person applicants aged below 40.Strengthen Support for Youth Development117. We will create, among others, the “Youth Post” hostel and spaces for cultural and arts exchanges for youths in the Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility. We will also set up a physical platform for interaction in the Nam Cheong District Community Centre for “Youth Link” members. Communication with young people will be augmented through various means, including leveraging the new mobile application “HKYouth+” and other online media.118. To strengthen support for unleashing the potential of young people, the Government will establish a new interactive space and set up a video studio at the Youth Square. We will also launch a new round of the Funding Scheme for Youth Life Planning Activities to sponsor NGOs in providing enhanced services and strengthening national affairs content. The Hong Kong Jockey Club will contribute $300 million to support these initiatives.119. We will continue to promote the Mainland and overseas exchange and internship programmes and enhance the GBA Youth Employment Scheme by relaxing eligibility requirements to allow young people aged 29 or below with sub‑degree or higher qualifications to join the scheme, increasing the limit of monthly allowance granted to enterprises to $12,000, and exploring reciprocal arrangements.120. The Youth Employment and Training Programme will be refined and its Chinese title renamed, with the upper age limit for participants raised to 29. Additional workplace attachment opportunities will be provided in the GBA under the programme.(To be continued.)

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE’s speech in delivering “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” to LegCo (5)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

IV. Develop New Quality Productive Forces Tailored to Local Conditions

75. The core element of new quality productive forces is to achieve highâ€‘quality economic development through technological empowerment. Hong Kong is striving to become an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre by promoting the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries while actively nurturing emerging ones. We will spare no effort in developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.

(A) International I&T Centre

Optimise the Strategy and Institutional Set-up for the Development of New Industrialisation

76. We will draw up a medium to longâ€‘term development plan for new industrialisation in Hong Kong. We will also press ahead with the establishment of the Hong Kong New Industrialisation Development Alliance to promote closer collaboration among the Government and the industry, academia, research and investment sectors, building a coâ€‘operative platform for new industrialisation in Hong Kong. This includes providing more financing opportunities and fostering I&T coâ€‘operation between newlyâ€‘listed companies in Hong Kong and local universities.

Establish the Third InnoHK Research Cluster

77. The InnoHK research clusters have become home to about 2â€¯500 research and development (R&D) personnel from Hong Kong and around the world. The Government has already started preparatory work to establish the third InnoHK research cluster, which will focus on advanced manufacturing, materials, energy and sustainable development. The target is to attract worldâ€‘class R&D teams to collaborate with local institutions, promoting R&D and bringing in talents.

Increase Research Funding

78. The Government will launch a new round of Research Matching Grant Scheme totalling $1.5 billion to attract more organisations to support research endeavours of institutions.

Increase Investment for I&T Industries

79. We will increase investment and guide more market capital to invest in I&T industries, reflecting a revamped approach of Government in this. Relevant measures include:

(i) setting up a $10 billion I&T Industryâ€‘Oriented Fundâ€¯–â€¯We will set up a fundâ€‘ofâ€‘funds to channel more market capital to invest in specified emerging and future industries of strategic importance, including life and health technology, AI and robotics, semiâ€‘conductors and smart devices, advanced materials and new energy. The goal is to systematically build an I&T ecosystem;

(ii) optimising the Innovation and Technology Venture Fundâ€¯–â€¯We will redeploy $1.5 billion to set up funds jointly with the market, on a matching basis, investing in startâ€‘ups of strategic industries, to further enhance Hong Kong’s startâ€‘up ecosystem; and

(iii) maximising the impact of the HKIC as “patient capital”â€¯–â€¯The HKIC will continue to attract I&T enterprises to establish their presence and settle in Hong Kong by channelling and leveraging market capital.

Attract International Start-up Accelerators to Establish a Presence in Hong Kong

80. The Government will launch the I&T Accelerator Pilot Scheme with a funding allocation of $180 million at a oneâ€‘toâ€‘two matching ratio between the Government and the institution, up to a subsidy ceiling of $30 million. The Scheme aims to attract professional startâ€‘up service providers with proven track records in and beyond Hong Kong to set up accelerator bases in Hong Kong, fostering the robust growth of startâ€‘ups.

Develop the Low-altitude Economy

81. Lowâ€‘altitude economy, which refers to economic activities in airspace below 1â€¯000 metres, presents a wide array of application scenarios including rescues, surveys and delivery of goods and passengers. Formulating a management system for lowâ€‘altitude economy will help drive development in areas such as telecommunication technologies, AI and the digital industry, unlocking the lowâ€‘altitude airspace as a new production factor for our economy.

82. The Government will establish the Working Group on Developing Lowâ€‘altitude Economy. Led by the Deputy Financial Secretary, it will formulate development strategies and interâ€‘departmental action plans, starting with projects on lowâ€‘altitude applications. It will designate specific venues for such purposes, draw up regulations and design the institutional set-up, and study and map out plans to develop the required infrastructure and networks. Relevant measures include:

(i) exploring lowâ€‘altitude flying application scenariosâ€¯–â€¯We will press ahead with pilot projects and designate venues to explore deploying drones for delivery, surveys, building maintenance, aerial photography, performances, search and rescue, and other possibilities;

(ii) amending relevant regulationsâ€¯–â€¯This includes relaxing restrictions on beyondâ€‘lineâ€‘ofâ€‘sight flying activities, as well as those on weight and loading of drones, encouraging market research and investment, facilitating technology tests and developing aerial tours;

(iii) promoting interface with the Mainlandâ€¯–â€¯We will explore with the Mainland authorities the joint establishment of lowâ€‘altitude crossâ€‘boundary air routes, immigration and customs clearance arrangements and supporting infrastructure; and

(iv) studying and planning for lowâ€‘altitude infrastructureâ€¯–â€¯In the long run, we need a highly effective, intelligent and digitalised lowâ€‘altitude infrastructure system for the realâ€‘time management on networks of lowâ€‘altitude activities. It will strategise solutions for complex management and safety issues arising from such activities. The working group will embark on technical studies and planning of support facilities for lowâ€‘altitude activities (such as vertiports and charging stations), communications network, air route network, management of lowâ€‘altitude flying activities and so on to lay the foundation for the low altitude economy.

Promote Development of Communications Technology

83. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are less costly than traditional ones. The Government will conduct a study on streamlining the vetting procedures of licence applications for operating LEO satellites. The Government will also make available more suitable radio spectrum to the market in a timely manner.

Advance R&D of Aerospace Science and Technology

84. Hong Kong’s research teams have been actively engaged in R&D of aerospace science and technology. This year, a Hong Kong resident was selected as a preparatory astronaut. We are very grateful for our country’s support for Hong Kong in developing aerospaceâ€‘related technologies. The Government will set up a research centre under the InnoHK research cluster to participate in the Chang’Eâ€‘8 mission, contributing to national aerospace development.

Promote Development of New Energy

85. The Government will earmark around $750 million under the New Energy Transport Fund to subsidise the taxi trade and franchised bus companies to purchase electric vehicles, and launch the Subsidy Scheme for Trials of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Heavy Vehicles.

86. We will further promote the development of new energy by:

(i) setting a target for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) consumptionâ€¯–â€¯We will speed up the reduction of carbon emissions by the aviation industry and cater to the increasing demand of international airlines for SAF;

(ii) developing SAF and green maritime fuel supply chainsâ€¯–â€¯We will formulate the longâ€‘term plan for industry development in respect of fuel supply and demand, storage and bunkering; and

(iii) promoting green and low carbon hydrogen energyâ€¯–â€¯We will actively support the industry to establish a solarâ€‘toâ€‘hydrogen facility for demonstration, introduce a bill next year to ensure the safe use of hydrogen fuel, and formulate the approach of hydrogen standard certification suitable to Hong Kong.

(B) Regional Intellectual Property Trading Centre

87. Hong Kong’s intellectual property (IP)â€‘intensive industries accounted for about 30% of our Gross Domestic Product and of total employment respectively. We will strengthen our position as a regional IP trading centre by expanding the IP trading ecosystem of the I&T sector and creative industries.

Enhance the Legislative Framework for IP

88. The Government will strengthen protection for the products of innovation and creativity yielded by R&D efforts. Measures include putting forward a proposal next year to enhance the Copyright Ordinance regarding the protection for AI technology development, launching a consultation in 2025 on the registered designs regime currently under review, and proposing legislative amendments to streamline IP litigation processes for the High Court to manage and hear these cases more effectively.

89. Next year, the Trade Marks Registry under the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) will launch a new AIâ€‘assisted image search service to facilitate the public’s search of the trademark database.

90. With the Central Government’s support, Hong Kong will participate in the World Intellectual Property Organization Lexâ€‘Judgments Database next year, sharing important IP case precedents of local courts, to showcase to the international community the quality of our IPâ€‘related judicial judgments.

Strengthen Training of IP Talents

91. The Government will continue to discuss with the patent agent sector and stakeholders to plan for the introduction of regulatory arrangements for local patent agent services, covering qualification, registration, and other areas, aiming to nurture professional talents and enhance service quality.

92. The IPD will collaborate with the Qualifications Framework Secretariat to develop practical teaching materials for deployment by training providers, benefitting personnel across 23 different industries.

(C) International Health and Medical Innovation Hub

93. To expedite patients’ access to advanced diagnostic and treatment services, and to foster new quality productive forces in biomedical technology, the Government will complement technological innovation with institutional innovation, developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub.

Reform the Approval Mechanism for Drugs and Medical Devices

94. The Government will expedite the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices, including:

(i) extending the “1+” mechanism to all new drugs, including vaccines and advanced therapy products, and improving the approval mechanism to speed up registration, facilitating good drugs for use in Hong Kong;

(ii) devising the timetable for the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation and the roadmap towards adoption of “primary evaluation”, as well as formulating strategies and measures to facilitate R&D of drugs and medical devices; and

(iii) taking forward preparatory work for legislating for the statutory regulation of medical devices.

Strengthen Biomedical Technology R&D and Translation

95. The Government will enhance Hong Kong’s clinical trial capability on all fronts and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications by:

(i) joining hands with Shenzhen to establish the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform, extending the R&D network and expediting clinical trials;

(ii) establishing the Realâ€‘World Study and Application Centre to open up local health and medical databases and promote coâ€‘operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen to integrate data generated from the “special measure of using Hong Kongâ€‘registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in GBA”. This will accelerate approval for registration of new drugs in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas; and

(iii) supporting R&D, clinical trials and application of advanced biomedical technology in Hong Kong, attracting global topâ€‘notch innovative enterprises and research organisations to set up operations in Hong Kong.

(D) Promote Integrated Development of Digital Economy and Real Economy

96. A robust system to promote integration of real economy and digital economy is one of the key drivers of new quality productive forces. The Government will expedite the development of digital economy, which includes accelerating the digital transformation of industries, strengthening digital infrastructure, exploring development of a dataâ€‘trading ecosystem, and exploring on a pilot basis facilitation arrangements for crossâ€‘boundary data flow within the GBA.

Accelerate Development of Digital Trade

97. The Government will push forward reforms in the digitalisation of enterprises and trade. Measures include fostering participation in discussions among the international community about the development of digital economy and exploring the inclusion of relevant provisions in bilateral trade agreements during the negotiation process, with a view to promoting digital trade and crossâ€‘boundary eâ€‘commerce.

98. The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is developing the Trade Single Window to provide a oneâ€‘stop electronic platform. It will help the industry lodge import and export trade documents for trade declaration and customs clearance. Separately, the HKMA has established a working group to conduct an inâ€‘depth study into the changes in future supply chains and make recommendations. The scope of study covers promoting the digitalisation of trade through areas such as talents and financial infrastructure, as well as the technology and legal framework, with the goal to lower trade cost and upgrade the trade ecosystem.

Establish a New Fintech Innovation Ecosystem

99. The Government will continue to promote the development of innovative financial services including Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), mobile payment, virtual banks, virtual insurance and virtual asset (VA) transactions. The FSTB will shortly issue a policy statement, setting out its policy stance regarding the application of AI in the financial market. Other measures include:

(i) promoting the use of CBDCs for crossâ€‘boundary paymentâ€¯–â€¯The HKMA is actively testing and exploring more addâ€‘on technology solutions and use cases related to crossâ€‘boundary trade settlement on the mBridge platform, and will further widen the participation of both the public and private sectors;

(ii) enhancing the regulation of VA tradingâ€¯–â€¯The FSTB will complete the second round public consultation on the regulatory proposals for overâ€‘theâ€‘counter trading of VA and put forward a proposed licensing regime for VA custodian service providers;

(iii) promoting realâ€‘world asset tokenisation and developing a digital money ecosystemâ€¯–â€¯The HKMA is taking forward Project Ensemble, a financial market infrastructure project, to explore the application of realâ€‘world asset tokenisation and the use of digital money for interbank settlement, facilitating the development of the relevant asset trading. Separately, the HKMA also allows potential stablecoin issuers to test business plans and useâ€‘cases through the stablecoin issuer sandbox, and will work with the FSTB to introduce a bill on the regulation of fiatâ€‘referenced stablecoin issuers later this year; and

(iv) promoting the development of the digital securities marketâ€¯–â€¯The HKMA will soon launch the Digital Bond Grant Scheme to encourage more financial institutions and issuers to adopt tokenisation technology in capital market transactions.

Facilitate Cross-boundary E-commerce Logistics Services

100. To develop Hong Kong into a crossâ€‘boundary eâ€‘commerce logistics and distribution centre, the Government will review existing procedures to enhance the efficiency of crossâ€‘boundary goods’ distribution, strengthening the competitiveness of our city.

Promote Smart Construction and Management of Public Rental Housing Estates

101. The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) has selected 10 Public Rental Housing (PRH) estates as pilot sites for smart estate management. Next year, it will establish a central platform for property management and introduce digital technologies in daily estate management work, enhancing management effectiveness and service quality. The HKHA will also progressively apply the Project Information Management and Analytics Platform in new public housing projects starting next year, enhancing works efficiency by project management digitalisation and adopting threeâ€‘dimensional digital maps and virtual digital models, etc.

Promote LawTech

102. The DoJ will set up the Advisory Group on Promoting the Development of LawTech to formulate policies and measures on LawTech and promote its application in relevant sectors.

(To be continued.)

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 23, 2025