NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement from White  House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President  Biden’s Travel to Germany and  Angola

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will travel to Germany and Angola, from October 10 to 15. In Germany, President Biden will meet with German leaders to further strengthen the close bond the United States and Germany share as Allies and friends and coordinate on shared priorities. The President will reinforce the U.S. and German commitment to democracy and countering antisemitism and hatred, strengthen the enduring people-to-people ties between our countries, and advance cooperation on economics, trade, and technology.  He will also express his appreciation to Germany for supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, hosting U.S. service members, and contributing to the security of the United States, Germany, and the entire NATO Alliance. On October 13-15, President Biden will travel to Luanda, Angola, where he will meet with President João Lourenço of Angola to discuss increased collaboration on shared priorities, including bolstering our economic partnerships that keep our companies competitive and protect workers; celebrating a signature project of the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), which advances our joint vision for Africa’s first trans-continental open-access rail network that starts in Lobito and ultimately will connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean; strengthening democracy and civic engagement; intensifying action on climate security and the clean energy transition; and enhancing peace and security. The President’s visit to Luanda celebrates the evolution of the U.S.-Angola relationship, underscores the United States’ continued commitment to African partners, and demonstrates how collaborating to solve shared challenges delivers for the people of the United States and across the African continent.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Rejects GOP Claim That Abortion Bans Aren’t Dangerous: Idaho’s ‘Deserts of Gynecological Care’ Hurt Women & Doctors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    09.24.24

    Cantwell Rejects GOP Claim That Abortion Bans Aren’t Dangerous: Idaho’s ‘Deserts of Gynecological Care’ Hurt Women & Doctors

    At Senate committee hearing, Cantwell & colleagues hear from a PNW OB/GYN who left Idaho due to draconian laws; The post-Dobbs reality on the ground is undeniable: preventable deaths, women denied care, and growing health care deserts in anti-choice states that strain surrounding regions

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, attended a committee hearing titled “Chaos and Control: How Trump Criminalized Women’s Health Care,” which examined how the overturn of Roe v. Wade — led by Supreme Court justices appointed by former President Donald Trump – is impacting providers and endangering women on the ground.

    At the hearing, some witnesses called by Republicans, including a Texas-based lawyer, claimed that abortion bans do not prevent doctors from administering care to pregnant patients during emergencies that threaten the mother’s life. Her assertions are contradicted by a report released this week showing that a 28-year-old Georgia woman died in 2022 after doctors delayed a life-saving abortion. A state board concluded that her death was preventable. Another Georgia woman died because she was afraid to see a provider due to the abortion ban; the state board said that her death was also preventable. Women in other states have reported suffering extreme pain and anguish after being forced to wait for care. 

    “I am dismayed at my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and even some of the witnesses, because you are saying this is either rhetoric, or hospitals do not understand the law,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I don’t care what the lawyers are saying. This is what is happening on the ground. And the consequences that it is affecting these individuals and threatening their lives.”

    She added that the lack of care in neighboring Idaho is driving a 50% increase in out-of-state abortion patients in Washington state, straining our own health care system.

    “If you have deserts of gynecological care overall, it’s going to cause problems, not just for the women in Idaho, but for our region as well,” Sen. Cantwell said. “We want people to be able to see their physician.”

    Among the panel of witnesses was Dr. Amelia Huntsberger, an OB/GYN and graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Huntsberger practiced in Sandpoint, Idaho, for nearly a decade before relocating her family to Oregon due to fear of prosecution under Idaho’s draconian abortion ban. Since the ban went into effect, 22% of Idaho’s OB/GYNs have left the state.

    “Dr. Huntsberger, what more can we tell people about why one in five OB/GYNs are leaving?” Sen. Cantwell asked. “The lawyers are telling you [that] you don’t have to worry about this, but you took a step to worry about it. Why did you take that step?”

    “It was essential to me to provide the care my patients needed without government interference,” Dr. Huntsberger responded. “The circumstances doctors and patients find themselves in Idaho impacts everyone. Idaho has some of the lowest per capita number of physicians, so already there was a physician shortage, and this is being greatly exacerbated.”

    Strict abortion bans enacted after the overturning of Roe v. Wade have created confusion around the treatment medical professionals can provide, even when a pregnant patient’s life or health is in danger. Providers fear they could be sued or prosecuted for providing abortion care, or even miscarriage treatment. 

    In July, Sen. Cantwell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and 14 women Democratic senators released a new report, Two Years Post-Dobbs: The Nationwide Impacts of Abortion Bans. The report, based on interviews and discussions with more than 80 health care providers and advocates on the front lines, detailed how the Dobbs decision is harming women’s health care in states across the U.S.  Among other troubling findings, the report detailed how abortion bans endanger women facing medical emergencies.  For example, the co-chair of the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative said, “We’ve been flying out about a patient a week to Utah or Oregon or Washington, because the fetus is nonviable, or the life of the mother is at risk.”  The report also noted the conclusions of a STAT News analysis of abortions in Texas, which found that the number of women needing abortions in Texas is at least 400 per year for life emergencies and 2,400 per year for physical health risks – but that just 34 legal abortions were recorded in Texas during a six-month period in 2023. New research published this week found that the rate of maternal mortality cases in Texas increased by 56% from 2019 to 2022 – compared to 11% nationwide during that time period. Texas’s abortion ban went into effect in September 2021.

    Sen. Cantwell continues to fight hard to defend reproductive freedom in Washington state and nationwide. A full timeline of her actions since a draft of the Dobbs decision was leaked in spring 2022, making clear the Supreme Court’s intent to overturn the longstanding reproductive care precedent established by Roe v. Wade, is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on Ukraine [bilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations – English

    r. President, Excellencies,

    Two days ago, in the newly agreed Pact for the Future, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to international law and to the Charter of the United Nations.

    Our Organization is based on the principle of sovereignty of all Member States – within their internationally recognized borders.

    The Charter unequivocally stipulates that all States must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any other State – and that international disputes must be settled by peaceful means.

    Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – following the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopol a decade ago – is a clear violation of these principles.

    And civilian populations continue to pay the price.

    The death toll keeps rising.

    Nearly 10 million people have fled their homes.

    Systematic attacks against hospitals, schools, supermarkets… are only adding pain and misery.

    Power cuts and infrastructure damage have left millions in the dark.

    I strongly condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian facilities – wherever they occur and whoever is responsible. They all must stop immediately.

    And I remain deeply concerned about the safety, humanitarian needs and basic human rights of people residing in occupied areas.

    Mr. President,

    Despite immense challenges, the United Nations remains fully engaged as the largest international presence in Ukraine.

    This year alone, and together with our partners, we have provided lifesaving aid to more than 6.2 million people.

    But we need the support of the international community.

    15 million people in Ukraine require humanitarian assistance – more than half of them women and girls.

    But – as winter is approaching – less than half of our 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan is funded.

    I urge donors to help us pursue our vital work on the ground.

    We are also assisting the government of Ukraine in its recovery and reconstruction efforts.

    This includes access to basic services and the restoration of Ukraine’s energy production capacities.

    In recent weeks, we have seen a resurgence of inflammatory rhetoric and incidents around nuclear sites – particularly at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and alarmingly, at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the Russian Federation.

    I commend the International Atomic Energy Agency, including its critical presence in Ukraine’s nuclear sites, to help ensure nuclear safety and security.

    I urge all parties to act responsibly and avoid any declaration or action that could further destabilize an already incendiary situation.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Deux ans et demi après l’invasion à grande échelle de l’Ukraine, plus de 11 000 civils ont été tués.

    Plus cette guerre tragique se prolonge, plus le risque d’escalade et de débordement est grand.

    Cela n’affecterait pas seulement la région, mais aggraverait les tensions et les divisions mondiales – à un moment où notre monde a désespérément besoin de plus de coopération et d’action collective.

    Nous devons mettre fin aux souffrances et briser le cycle de la violence, dans l’intérêt du peuple ukrainien, du peuple russe – et du monde entier.

    L’initiative de la mer Noire et les échanges de prisonniers de guerre nous le rappellent : lorsqu’il y a une volonté politique, la diplomatie peut réussir, même dans les heures les plus sombres.

    Bien que la paix puisse aujourd’hui paraître hors de portée, les nombreux appels au dialogue représentent une lueur d’espoir.  

    Intensifions donc nos efforts pour aboutir à la paix en Ukraine – une paix juste, totale et durable ;

    Une paix conforme à la Charte des Nations unies, au droit international et aux résolutions de l’Assemblée générale.

    L’Organisation des Nations Unies soutiendra tout effort en ce sens.

    Je vous remercie.

    ******

    [all-English]

    Mr. President, Excellencies,

    Two days ago, in the newly agreed Pact for the Future, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to international law and to the Charter of the United Nations.

    Our Organization is based on the principle of sovereignty of all Member States – within their internationally recognized borders.

    The Charter unequivocally stipulates that all States must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any other State – and that international disputes must be settled by peaceful means.

    Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – following the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City of Sevastopol a decade ago – is a clear violation of these principles.

    And civilian populations continue to pay the price.

    The death toll keeps rising.

    Nearly 10 million people have fled their homes.

    Systematic attacks against hospitals, schools, supermarkets… are only adding pain and misery.

    Power cuts and infrastructure damage have left millions in the dark.

    I strongly condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian facilities – wherever they occur and whoever is responsible. They all must stop immediately.

    And I remain deeply concerned about the safety, humanitarian needs and basic human rights of people residing in occupied areas.

    Mr. President,

    Despite immense challenges, the United Nations remains fully engaged as the largest international presence in Ukraine.

    This year alone, and together with our partners, we have provided lifesaving aid to more than 6.2 million people.

    But we need the support of the international community.

    15 million people in Ukraine require humanitarian assistance – more than half of them women and girls.

    But – as winter is approaching – less than half of our 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan is funded.

    I urge donors to help us pursue our vital work on the ground.

    We are also assisting the government of Ukraine in its recovery and reconstruction efforts.

    This includes access to basic services and the restoration of Ukraine’s energy production capacities.

    In recent weeks, we have seen a resurgence of inflammatory rhetoric and incidents around nuclear sites – particularly at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and alarmingly, at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in the Russian Federation.

    I commend the International Atomic Energy Agency, including its critical presence in Ukraine’s nuclear sites, to help ensure nuclear safety and security.

    I urge all parties to act responsibly and avoid any declaration or action that could further destabilize an already incendiary situation.

    Mr. President,

    Two and half years since the full-blown invasion of Ukraine, more than 11,000 civilians have been killed.

    The longer this tragic war continues, the greater the risk of escalation and spillover.

    This would not only impact the region, but further deepen global tensions and divisions – at a time when our world desperately needs more cooperation and collective action.

    We must stop the suffering and break the cycle of violence – for the sake of the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the world.

    The Black Sea Initiative and the continued exchanges of prisoners of war serve as reminders that, when there is political will, diplomacy can succeed – even in the darkest hour.

    Today, though the prospects for peace may seem distant, I am inspired by the growing calls for dialogue.

    So let us intensify our efforts to seek peace in Ukraine – a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly.

    United Nations stands ready to support all efforts towards achieving this goal.

    Thank you.

    ******

    [all-French]

    Monsieur le Président, Excellences,

    Il y a deux jours, à travers le nouveau Pacte pour l’avenir, les dirigeants du monde ont réaffirmé leur attachement au droit international et à la Charte des Nations unies.

    Notre Organisation est fondée sur le principe de la souveraineté de tous les États membres – à l’intérieur de leurs frontières internationalement reconnues.

    La Charte est sans équivoque : tous les États doivent s’abstenir de recourir à la menace ou à l’emploi de la force contre l’intégrité territoriale ou l’indépendance politique de tout autre État, et que les différends internationaux doivent être réglés par des moyens pacifiques.

    L’invasion massive de l’Ukraine par la Russie en février 2022 – après l’annexion illégale de la République autonome de Crimée et de la ville de Sébastopol il y a dix ans – constitue une violation manifeste de ces principes.

    Et les populations civiles continuent d’en payer le prix.

    Le nombre de morts ne cesse d’augmenter.

    Près de 10 millions de personnes ont fui leurs foyers.

    Les attaques systématiques contre les hôpitaux, les écoles, les supermarchés… ne font qu’amplifier la douleur et la détresse.

    Les coupures de courant et les dommages causés aux infrastructures ont plongé des millions de personnes dans l’obscurité.

    Je condamne fermement toutes les attaques contre les civils et les installations civiles, peu importe où elles se produisent et qui est responsable. Elles doivent toutes cesser immédiatement.

    Et je reste profondément préoccupé par la sécurité, les besoins humanitaires et les droits humains des personnes résidant dans les régions occupées.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Malgré d’immenses défis, l’Organisation des Nations Unies reste pleinement engagée, représentant la plus grande présence internationale en Ukraine.

    Rien que cette année, en coopération avec nos partenaires, nous avons apporté une aide vitale à plus de 6,2 millions de personnes.

    Mais nous avons besoin du soutien de la communauté internationale.

    15 millions de personnes en Ukraine ont besoin d’aide humanitaire – et plus de la moitié d’entre elles sont des femmes et des jeunes filles.

    Cependant, à l’approche de l’hiver, moins de la moitié de notre Plan d’intervention humanitaire pour 2024 est financée.

    J’exhorte les donateurs à nous aider à poursuivre notre travail vital sur le terrain.

    Nous assistons également le gouvernement ukrainien dans ses efforts de redressement économique et de reconstruction.

    Cela comprend l’accès aux services de base et la restauration des capacités de production d’énergie de l’Ukraine.

    Ces dernières semaines, nous avons vu une recrudescence de rhétorique incendiaire et d’incidents autour des sites nucléaires – en particulier à la centrale nucléaire de Zaporizhzhia et, de façon inquiétante, à la centrale nucléaire de Koursk, dans la Fédération de Russie.

    Je félicite l’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique, notamment pour sa présence essentielle sur les sites nucléaires ukrainiens, afin de contribuer à garantir la sûreté et la sécurité nucléaires.

    J’appelle toutes les parties à agir de manière responsable et à éviter toute déclaration ou action susceptible de déstabiliser davantage une situation déjà incendiaire.

    Monsieur le Président,

    Deux ans et demi après l’invasion à grande échelle de l’Ukraine, plus de 11 000 civils ont été tués.

    Plus cette guerre tragique se prolonge, plus le risque d’escalade et de débordement est grand.

    Cela n’affecterait pas seulement la région, mais aggraverait les tensions et les divisions mondiales – à un moment où notre monde a désespérément besoin de plus de coopération et d’action collective.

    Nous devons mettre fin aux souffrances et briser le cycle de la violence, dans l’intérêt du peuple ukrainien, du peuple russe – et du monde entier.

    L’initiative de la mer Noire et les échanges de prisonniers de guerre nous le rappellent : lorsqu’il y a une volonté politique, la diplomatie peut réussir, même dans les heures les plus sombres.

    Bien que la paix puisse aujourd’hui paraître hors de portée, les nombreux appels au dialogue représentent une lueur d’espoir.  

    Intensifions donc nos efforts pour aboutir à la paix en Ukraine – une paix juste, totale et durable ;

    Une paix conforme à la Charte des Nations unies, au droit international et aux résolutions de l’Assemblée générale.

    L’Organisation des Nations Unies soutiendra tout effort en ce sens.

    Je vous remercie.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: UNGA: President Meloni meets with the Prime Minister of Iraq

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    24 Settembre 2024

    The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, met with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Al Sudani, in New York today.

    The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, reaffirming the common will to build a strategic partnership between the two nations in all areas, from political to economic collaboration, from security to cultural cooperation.

    The meeting also provided an opportunity to reiterate Italy’s commitment as part of international support for Iraq’s security, providing training for security forces and countering terrorism.

    President Meloni and Prime Minister Al Sudani also discussed the situation in the Middle East, agreeing on the need to keep working on a de-escalation in the region.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: UNGA, President Meloni meets the President of the Argentine Republic

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: Government of Italy

    September 24, 2024

    The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, met today in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with the President of the Argentine Republic, Javier Milei.

    The meeting focused on the common desire to strengthen bilateral relations and in this perspective the two Leaders agreed to work to verify the possibility of a visit to Argentina on the sidelines of the G20 in Brazil next November.

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

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Global: How professional sports leagues that embrace social justice causes could influence politics

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven, PhD Candidate, Political Science, Western University

    Given that 77 per cent of people in Canada and 57 per cent of people in the United Kingdom watch a sports team regularly — compared to the 60 per cent of people who turn out to vote in Canada and the U.K. — it’s clear sports has an important and persistent influence on people’s lives.

    Sports can serve as a beacon to provide societal leadership or reflect changes in wider society in significant ways. A historic example would be how the integration of sports leagues in North America paralleled the Civil Rights Movement.

    But how can sports influence politics today?

    Similar to supporting a political party, sports fandom aids in the formation of social identity. This happens when people look to form attachments with other individuals who they believe are similar to them in some way to cultivate positive self-esteem.

    Men’s professional sports teams have historically engaged with certain political causes, namely the military and law enforcement, while neglecting others, such as the plight of marginalized members of local communities. Sports engagement with the military has been shown to boost military enrolment and support for government spending on the military in peace times.

    Women’s professional sport, meanwhile, has drawn positive attention through its engagement with marginalized community members. The Women’s National Basketball League, for example, has engaged with the LGBTQ+ community to create safe fan spaces for the league.

    Men’s sports protests

    My preliminary research into these issues has shown that in men’s professional sports, there has often been hostility towards the introduction of newer, more inclusive causes into sporting events. In the National Hockey League, for example, some players refused to participate in Pride Night events on religious grounds.

    Former professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s non-violent protest of police brutality in the United States resulted in his exile from the National Football League for the apparent “distraction” it created. A crucial element of the backlash against Kaepernick was allegations by conservatives that he disrespected the military and the American flag.

    Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and outside linebacker Eli Harold (58) kneel during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta.
    (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

    The power of this backlash was surprising given that in the U.S., Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to be avid sports fans, with no meaningful differences in the strength of their fandom. However, Republican sports fans tend to be more vocal about what causes should receive representation in sports.

    Essentially, that means those who say athletes should “stick to sports” or “shut up and dribble” aren’t suggesting they don’t want any politics in sports. What they’re really saying is that they don’t want to see political views they oppose being represented in professional sports.

    The patriotic causes that have routinely been championed by sports leagues and used for nation-building, such as the military, are viewed as apolitical and therefore appropriate in sports settings. Conversely, messages that are critical of a country or focus on historic inequalities have been deemed “inappropriate” and are excluded by sports because of potential fan backlash.

    Can sports influence politics?

    More recently, however, sports leagues and teams have begun to engage with social justice causes, such as LGBTQ+ rights in the U.K., Canada and the U.S..

    These causes also include Indigenous rights and anti-racism messaging.

    As sports organizations adapt to changing social norms and embrace newer social causes, they hold tremendous potential to impact political attitudes. They can showcase the acceptance of marginalized groups in previously hostile spaces, and provide valuable representation.

    Furthermore, sports fandom identity has been shown to hold a strong psychological connection that can create feelings of inclusion which, in turn, can boost self-esteem.

    This is why athletes make easy role models for children, and why watching sports events is a valued leisure activity for many people of all ages. Finally, sports fandom can also teach people how to cope with negative emotions or feelings of disappointment over time through emotional regulation.

    How sports could influence attitudes

    The representative and psychological value of sports fandom suggests sport is an understudied area of political science, one I hope to build on in my future research.

    For example, we do not yet fully understand the impact that sports teams holding Pride Nights has on attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community.

    Nor do we know how soccer clubs in England, as local symbols of a migrant workforce, may impact immigrant attitudes.

    Finally, we do not know why certain women’s national soccer teams, like Canada, have been successful in protesting for equal pay while others, like the Spanish team, have failed.

    Sport could have a valuable role to play in unpacking these political questions about protest and identity — and represents an exciting emerging research area in political behaviour.

    Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven 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. How professional sports leagues that embrace social justice causes could influence politics – https://theconversation.com/how-professional-sports-leagues-that-embrace-social-justice-causes-could-influence-politics-239266

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mireille Rebeiz, Chair of Middle East Studies & Associate Professor of Francophone & Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Dickinson College

    Israeli soldiers in armored vehicles drive through a Lebanese village in 1982. Bryn Colton/Getty Images

    Lebanese families have been fleeing the country’s south in the thousands amid escalating tensions and an Israeli bombardment that has so far killed hundreds.

    Their fear, echoed by many onlookers, is that Israel will accompany the airstrikes with something that has the potential to have far worse consequences: a ground invasion of south Lebanon.

    The rational behind such a move, from the Israeli government’s perspective, is that a ground offensive may be its best chance to push Hezbollah fighters beyond the Litani River in the middle of the country. This would achieve an Israeli war goal of securing its northern borders and allowing an estimated 60,000 residents who have been forced to flee northern Israel to go back to their homes.

    Irrespective of motive, a ground invasion and potential occupation is more than wild speculation. Israel has placed thousands of soldiers on standby close to the Lebanon border for such an eventuality.

    Nor is such a move without precedent.

    As a scholar of Lebanese history, I know Israel and Lebanon have been here before. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in the middle of the latter’s civil war, imposing a siege on the capital Beirut. The results were catastrophic for the whole region. Not only did the ground invasion result in the death of thousands of civilians, the occupation of Lebanon plunged an already fragile nation into lasting political and economic chaos and led to the birth of Hezbollah, the very group that threatens northern Israel today.

    Refuge and armed resistance

    The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982 had its roots in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, much as the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel does today.

    The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was accompanied by the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” for the Palestinians. In the violent birth pangs of a Jewish state on land inhabited by, among others, Arab populations with deep ancestral ties to villages, more than 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled.

    Many refugees entered Lebanon, where in 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization was born. By the mid-1970s, the armed resistance group had recruited and trained over 20,000 fighters who actively participated in launching attacks on Israel from Lebanese soil.

    By 1982, Lebanon was already seven years into its civil war, with violence flaring between Lebanese Christians and Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims. On June 6, 1982, Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, a future leader of the country, launched Operation Peace for Galilee and invaded Lebanon with the purpose of eliminating the PLO.

    More than 40,000 Israeli troops with hundreds of tanks entered Lebanon from three points: by land across the border into south Lebanon; by sea from the coast of Sidon; and by air as the Israeli forces bombed the Beqaa Valley, Beirut and its Palestinian refugee camps.

    For two months, Beirut was under siege, with water and electricity cut off. As a result of the heavy bombardment and lack of access to basic needs, an estimated 19,000 Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian civilians and combatants died, of which 5,500 were civilians from West Beirut.

    The Lebanese authorities appealed to the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom for help. These countries formed the multinational peacekeeping force, which was designed to restore peace in Lebanon, assist the Lebanese armed forces and evacuate PLO fighters to Tunisia.

    By August 1982, the multinational force had successfully relocated PLO fighters and began pulling out of Lebanon. They were called back, however, as violence flared.

    After the assassination of Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel on Sept. 14, 1982, the Christian Phalangist militia entered the two Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and killed over 2,000 Palestinian civilians. The Israeli government later set up the Kahan Commission of Inquiry to look into the killings, which concluded that Israel was indirectly responsible for the massacres.

    The birth of Hezbollah

    All of this history remains relevant to the current situation in the region. Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon, its siege on Beirut and the massacres that followed all led to the birth of Hezbollah.

    While members of Lebanon’s marginalized Shiite community in the south had long sought to mobilize through pan-Arab political parties and militias, it was Israel’s invasion that galvanized members of the community to ultimately create Hezbollah in 1985. As former Israeli Defense Minister and Prime Minister Ehud Barak noted in a 2006 interview: “It was our presence there that created Hezbollah.”

    Israel’s invasion also soured Lebanon’s relations with the West. Many Lebanese and Palestinian Muslims considered the multinational force – especially the United States – to be a failure and even an accomplice to Israel.

    From 1982 onward, Americans and other Westerners became a target. In the following decade, more than 80 Americans and Europeans were taken hostage by Hezbollah fighters. Some were tortured for months; others died in custody.

    And on Oct. 23, 1983, a terrorist attack targeted the American barracks in Beirut, killing over 300 people, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. Minutes later, a second suicide attack killed 58 French paratroopers. The Islamic jihad claimed responsibility for the two attacks; some of its members are thought to be among those who officially founded Hezbollah in February 1985.

    Aiding Hezbollah recruitment

    Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon failed to accomplish its goals of stemming attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon. If anything, it had the opposite effect by turning many Lebanese against Israel and creating the conditions in which Hezbollah could recruit.

    Although Israel retreated from Beirut in August 1982, it continued to occupy south Lebanon until 2000. During that period it unlawfully detained many Lebanese suspected of resisting the Israeli occupation. Some were detained without charges in inhumane conditions, while others were illegally transferred into Israel.

    The debris at the site of an overnight Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Akbiyeh on Sept. 24, 2024.
    Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images

    With such a backdrop, Hezbollah’s legitimacy in the eyes of many Lebanese grew – as did its support. So much so that in 1989, at the end of the Lebanese civil war, the authorities signed an agreement that, although not referencing Hezbollah directly, asserted Lebanon’s right to resist the Israeli occupation in the south.

    This clause was interpreted by Hezbollah as legitimizing its armed fight against occupation.

    After occupation ended in 2000, Hezbollah had to reinvent its role, claiming that it would continue fighting against Israel until the liberation of the disputed Shebaa Farms, the Golan Heights and occupied Palestine.

    In 2006, Hezbollah entered Israeli territory for the first time, killing three soldiers and kidnapping two, demanding the release of Lebanese prisoners in exchange. In retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces attacked Lebanon by air, sea and land, with Israeli ground forces entering Lebanon and carrying out a number of operations on Lebanese territory. A subsequent war saw no such prisoner swap but resulted in the deaths of about 1,100 Lebanese civilians and 120 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

    History repeating?

    Until Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, there had been hopes that decades of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel could be on the cusp of turning. In October 2022, Lebanon and Israel signed a maritime border agreement brokered by the U.S – interpreted as the beginning of normalizing relations between two countries technically at war.

    But the magnitude of the human crisis in Gaza and the series of events that followed in Lebanon have ended such hopes for now. Hezbollah’s vow of solidarity with Hamas has resulted in a running series of tit-for-tat attacks with Israel that have escalated over the past year.

    The attack using booby-trapped pagers that targeted Hezbollah fighters and killed several civilians across Lebanon on Sept. 17, 2024, has set off a chain of events that have now seen nearly 500 Lebanese killed and Hezbollah extend the geographical scope of its missile attacks in Israel. Its long-range ballistic missiles can reach 250-300 kilometers (155-186 miles) and have reached Haifa and the city’s Ramat David Airbase.

    The next step in this deadly escalation could well be a ground invasion. But in 1982, such an operation resulted only in catastrophic results for all concerned – and set in place the conditions for decades of hostilities across the Lebanon-Israel border. A similar offensive today would almost certainly have similar results – especially for the people of Lebanon.

    Mireille Rebeiz is affiliated with American Red Cross.

    – ref. Lebanese civilians are fleeing the south, fearing an Israeli invasion − a look back at 1982 suggests they have every reason to worry – https://theconversation.com/lebanese-civilians-are-fleeing-the-south-fearing-an-israeli-invasion-a-look-back-at-1982-suggests-they-have-every-reason-to-worry-239653

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: UNGA: President Meloni meets with the President of the Argentine Republic

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    24 Settembre 2024

    The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, met with the President of the Argentine Republic, Javier Milei, in New York today, in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

    The meeting focused on the common will to strengthen bilateral relations and, in light of this, the two leaders agreed to look into the possibility of a visit to Argentina in the margins of the G20 Summit in Brazil in November.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT THE NATIONAL MEDICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024, 24 SEPTEMBER 2024, 7.30PM AT PAN PACIFIC HOTEL SINGAPORE

    Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

    Award recipients and their families,
    Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, 
    1. I am pleased to join you tonight for the 16th National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) ceremony. The awards are given annually by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to recognise outstanding healthcare professionals who have made significant contributions in the advancement of healthcare in Singapore. 
    2. The NMEA is significant because it recognises people. With resources, any system can construct infrastructure and any system can procure equipment and therapeutics, but it takes special capability to be able to nurture and develop good people who build a great healthcare system. 
    3. Recently the Pope visited Singapore as part of his Asia-Pacific tour. For those who have visited his home city – the Vatican City, we will know about Saint Peter’s Basilica. It is a majestic structure supported by large stone pillars. We have a very small version of this at MOH. When I go to work every day, I will also admire the brick columns fronting the College of Medicine Building. 
    4. The equivalent of these pillars for our healthcare system are our people. Let me briefly describe these pillars, in no particular order. 
    Pillars of Healthcare
    5. The first pillar are our doctors and dentists. They stand at the forefront of patient care, working in multi-disciplinary care teams to deliver holistic care.
    6. Each clinician – specialists and generalists – brings something important to the table. However, as our population ages and patients have multiple conditions, there is an increasing demand for broad-based competencies. That is why we are trying to train more Hospital Clinicians, and Senior and Principal Hospital Clinicians who can oversee and coordinate care for patients. They are increasingly assuming the role of team lead in acute hospitals. 
    7. Clinicians also serve as educators, scientists and mentors. Their work in research shapes the future of medicine, while their roles as mentors and educators nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals. 
    8. This evening, we recognise clinicians who epitomise the spirit and contribution in public healthcare. Tonight, we are recognising Professors Tan Ban Hock, Jerry Chan, Jodhbir Mehta, Tan Suat Hoon, Associate Professor Gerald Chua and Adjunct Professor Lau Tang Ching. 
    9. The second pillar are our nurses, the largest group of healthcare professionals in our healthcare system. We have over the years elevated the role of nurses. Nurses now coordinate care, ensure treatments are properly delivered, comfort patients and their loved ones, and push the boundaries of care through nursing research, education and innovation.
    10. As the healthcare landscape evolves, their contributions extend well beyond bedside care, to anchoring care in the community, even shaping health habits amongst the population. 
    11. Third, Allied Health Professionals and pharmacists, who cover a wide range of expertise. Again, as the centre of gravity of care shifts out of hospitals and towards the community, their roles in screening, diagnosing, rehabilitating, providing vital support to patients and caregivers, and optimising medication regimens, are becoming more embedded in our day to day living environment. 
    12. The importance of their roles is growing, and so are the opportunities for them to lead community care initiatives.
    13. The final pillar comprises the rich expertise of non-healthcare professionals, who work alongside, around or behind healthcare professionals to keep the healthcare system going. I am happy to say that as a non-healthcare professional, this is the pillar that I belong to!
    14. For example, healthcare administrators ensure the smooth operations of our medical facilities and operations. They handle the budgets, finances, manpower, and ensure compliance with MOH’s regulations. IT professionals are transforming healthcare using data and digitalisation. Healthcare social workers help address the determinants of health at home and in the community. 
    15. These four pillars uphold the two key structures of our healthcare system – acute hospital care, and community care. They are separate, but contiguous, even overlapping structures. As I have alluded to in my speech so far, driven by an ageing population with changing healthcare needs, and major national programmes such as Healthier SG and Age Well SG, care is increasingly anchored in communities, health is being built up outside of hospitals, and new care models involving partnership between hospitals and community organisations, are emerging. 
    Caring for our Community
    16. There is therefore a growing need for awards like the NMEA to recognise these decisive changes that are happening. 
    17. Hence, this year, we have introduced the new National Community Care Excellence Team Award. The inaugural recipient of this new award category is the Social Prescribing Programme led by SingHealth Community Hospitals, in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Care, SkillsFuture Singapore, and several Active Ageing Centres. 
    18. The team has successfully integrated clinical care with social prescriptions, by bringing hospital and community partners to work together. As a result, patients recover faster, they can better manage chronic diseases and improve their health and wellbeing. The team has made a name for themselves internationally and have participated as guest speakers for World Health Organization (WHO) webinars and co-developed online courses for WHO’s online course platform.
    19. In addition, and I think this does not happen very frequently, the Clinical Excellence Team Award this year goes to a community-based, rather than a hospital-based initiative. The recipient is the Neighbours for Active Living, or “Neighbours” Programme, by Changi General Hospital (CGH). 
    20. Through this programme, CGH has identified over 14,000 residents who require follow up in the community. With the consent of the residents, they are then engaged by healthcare professionals and trained volunteers, to develop care plans for their health and social needs. The Neighbours programme is a new care model, which gives us a glimpse of the next phase of development of the national Age Well SG programme.
    21. I should add that other than care models, there are many other efforts to help anchor care in the community. For example:
    • We are expanding the capacity of community hospitals and Transitional Care Facilities. 
    • From next month, we will enhance the subsidies of community hospitals, to align with those of acute hospitals. This was announced some time ago, and effective from 1 October. The funding will be aligned. We will also allow subsidises for advanced diagnostics at community hospitals. By doing this, we minimise the delays and remove the friction for transfer from the acute hospitals to community hospitals.
    • We are expanding the number of Active Ageing Centres. Out of a total of 209 centres, 199 are offering programmes across at least the four domains of physical, learning, volunteer and communal dining activities. About one-third of them is engaging 30% or more of the seniors assigned to them. When we started looking at the data, everyone was at the low, single-digit engagement. Now 30% is engaging 30% or more.
    • We continue to make improvements to our data infrastructure, to facilitate sharing of patient data by healthcare professionals across settings. It also removes the need for repeated tests, screenings and assessment each time a patient moves from one setting to another. 
    22. All these added together, plus all your efforts, I think we are transforming the healthcare landscape. All these transformations are happening at a fairly rapid pace. It may be uncomfortable for some, but we have to change as our demography, patient profile and needs are also changing just as fast. With a common purpose and determination, in a few years’ time, we will have a different healthcare system. What will not change is that it will still be a system upheld by those core pillars, which are our people. 
    23. In closing, let me congratulate once again all our NMEA recipients. It is an honour and truly inspiring to be able to work with all of you. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, and also that of your loved ones and families who have supported you and continue to support you in this journey. I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Save the Children – Young ocean champions called to join global conversation on ocean protection

    Source: Save the Children

    WWF-New Zealand and Save the Children New Zealand are calling for young Kiwi ocean advocates to share their views on how to better protect our ocean – with at least one young Kiwi given the chance to attend a major global ocean summit in France in 2025.
    The two organisations have joined forces to give young Kiwis an opportunity to be part of the global conversation for change, exploring solutions to better protect the world’s ocean and accelerate youth-led ocean action.
    Young New Zealanders are being invited to take part in four online workshops, where they will meet other young ocean champions, build their networks in Aotearoa, and contribute ideas and solutions at a global level on the protection of our ocean.
    The workshop series will explore a range of topics including humanity’s relationship with the ocean and the threats it faces, protecting and restoring marine ecosystems and biodiversity, unlocking ocean-based solutions to climate change and developing a sustainable and equitable ocean economy that supports future generations.
    One young attendee (aged 18+) will be selected to be among the 60 young people from around the globe attending the Ocean Citizen Summit, hosted at Nausicaá in Boulogne sur Mer, France in March 2025.
    Save the Children Chief Executive Heidi Coetzee says this is a unique opportunity for young Kiwis to join a global conversation for ocean action.
    “While our marine environment is an important part of our lives and national and cultural identities, it is facing many threats, with unsustainable fishing, plastic pollution and climate change pushing our marine species and habitats to the brink of extinction.
    “Too often Pacific voices are missed in these conversations. I would encourage young people from all backgrounds to take part and share their views.”
    WWF-New Zealand CEO Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb says this is an opportunity for rangatahi in Aotearoa to play a part in addressing the threats to our ocean and protecting the life within.
    “As Kiwis, most of us have a deep connection to the ocean – but we can often feel disconnected from the decisions that get made about how we look after it for the future.
    “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people who care about Aotearoa’s marine environment to have their voice heard on the world stage and play a part in creating a healthy ocean for future generations.”
    The workshops are open to anyone aged between 16 and 30- with a deep interest or involvement in ocean issues.
    Attendees at the workshops in Aotearoa could be selected to join 60 of the most motivated participants from around the world at the Ocean Citizen Summit in France in March 2025, with their travel and subsistence costs paid by Nausicaa.
    At this summit, the chosen representative(s) will share the insights and solutions from Aotearoa New Zealand and have a role in the creation of a global Ocean Citizen Charter, which sets out youth-led solutions to the challenges facing our ocean. They will also be involved in the development of a digital app to engage people in ocean conservation and receive training in ocean advocacy and communications.
    Registrations close 30 September 2024.
    -Anyone between 16-30 y.o. can participate in the workshops, but only participants 18+ are eligible for the travel opportunities.
    About Save the Children NZ:
    Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
    Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: AMERICA/PERU – To support learning among indigenous populations, there is a lack of bilingual teachers and adequate infrastructure

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Tuesday, September 24, 2024

    Iquitos (Agenzia Fides) – “We need authorities who are committed to defending the rights of girls, boys and adolescents of indigenous peoples, because they cannot continue to be set aside”. It is the voice of Mariluz Canaquiri, leader in Peru of the Amazonian indigenous Kukama Kukamiria, who speaks of the decline in education of indigenous peoples. “The authorities do not care about the education of indigenous children, there is no adequate infrastructure and there are no full-time bilingual teachers to teach them in our language,” emphasizes Canaquiri, who is also president of the Federation of Indigenous Women Kukama Kukamiria. Intercultural bilingual education (IBE) is a current educational policy in the South American country of 33 million inhabitants, with 55 recognized indigenous peoples, four Andean and 51 Amazonian. According to the results of the latest National Evaluation of Learning Outcomes (ENLA), published by the Ministry of Education, only 5.6% of fourth-grade primary school students (10 and 11 years old) of IBE institutions of the Amazonian population have achieved the expected results. “There is no bilingual intercultural education here,” said President Canaquiri. “How could they learn if our identity, our culture, our way of seeing the world are not valued in the school curriculum in any way, and in logistical conditions where the school building is an area covered with branches and trunks of trees with unbearable heat,” the leader stressed in a statement to an international non-governmental organization. Although the first policy in favor of the student population of indigenous peoples arose in 1972, more than half a century ago, it has always received little interest from the State, despite the IBE being part of their individual and collective human rights. “They hire teachers because they speak Quechua, Shipibo, Asháninka or the corresponding language, but when they go to school they do not apply the IBE. Sometimes they teach only in Spanish, other times they speak the children’s native language, but all the rest they read and write in Spanish,” an analyst reported. There are 24,000 schools throughout the country that follow the IBE, where most reinforce the students’ native language and teach them Spanish. The educational policy seeks to ensure that the indigenous school population is bilingual with oral and written skills, but according to studies carried out by local researchers, the country is going backwards. However, despite these precariousness, a small school in the peasant community of Accollya stands out positively, located in the municipality of Soccos, almost 3,400 meters above sea level, in the province of Huamanga, one of the 11 that make up Ayacucho. This is an Andean department that was hit hard by an internal armed conflict that Peru experienced between 1980 and 2000. Supported by an NGO, the school boasts a single teacher with 33 years of experience who has always been committed to bilingual intercultural education, following training and in-depth courses. “I work from Monday to Thursday in Spanish and on Fridays in Quechua, using the notebooks that the ministry sends us for each topic,” said the woman who is the only teacher of 10 pupils in first, second and third grade, aged between six and eleven. “The children’s response is very good, from first grade they acquire reading and writing skills, now it’s September and the youngest are already reading. It’s the advantage of teaching different classes because they motivate each other,” the teacher stressed. Furthermore, we must not forget the important contribution of the Catholic Church in the Amazon in the field of education and healthcare where it has often been a substitute for the State, arriving where it is not, even today. Hundreds of missionaries throughout history have been true promoters of respect for human dignity. Religious and lay people from dozens of countries have given their lives in the most remote places with the aim of making the Amazon a place of coexistence and respect for the dignity and rights of all, especially the most vulnerable, largely indigenous peoples. Among other initiatives in favor of learning and the formation of school libraries in these areas, it is worth highlighting the participation of the ‘yachac’, the wise men of the community, who hold intergenerational meetings encouraging the practice of reading among students and their families. The indigenous school population at the national level is estimated at 1.2 million, the vast majority are Quechua (700,000) and Aymara (300,000) from the Andean areas of the country, and the rest from Amazonian languages such as Asháninka, Shipibo Konibo, Awajún, among others. The Kukama Kukamiria people live mainly in the department of Loreto, the largest of the Peruvian Amazon. According to data from the Ministry of Culture, the population of the Kukama Kukamiria communities is estimated at 37,053 people. Among these, 1,185 declared that they speak the Kukama Kukamiria language, which corresponds to 0.02% of the total native languages at the national level. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024) Share:

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/BANGLADESH – “Student power” must remain within the rule of law, hopes Bishop Subroto Gomes

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Dhaka (Agenzia Fides) – “The situation we are experiencing now, after the political and social crisis of last August, is delicate. There is still tension in society, there are protests especially by young people. The massive student demonstration caused the prime minister to leave and flee abroad. Now the new interim government, led by Mohamed Yunus, has a difficult task: to heal the political, social and economic wounds, restore trust and also maintain the rule of law, because there are also some worrying signs”: explains to Agenzia Fides Mgr. Subroto Boniface Gomes, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dhaka. The Bishop notes some possible “dangers” existing in the expressions of “student power”. “For example – he says – in some Catholic schools in the diocese of Dhaka, students tried to force the dismissal of some teachers – regularly chosen and paid by the school administration – only because, in their opinion, they were not aligned and compliant with the new course, or because they had somehow dared to criticize the student protest. This has generated a crisis within our schools, which are attended by 95% Muslim or non-Christian students. Faced with the attempt to forcefully impose this or other measures, such as accepting girls wearing the burqa at school, the Archbishop, with a sensational choice, decided to close the schools. One was a girls’ school, another is run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross. At that point, the concerted intervention of the parents’ committee, religious leaders and school staff allowed for dialogue, a peaceful solution to the crisis and the reopening of the schools. We could not give in on our values and principles. But it is an example to say that the legitimate rights of students must not encroach on and undermine democracy, the rule of law, or the rights of others,” notes Msgr. Gomes. Another aspect to keep under control, then, “is the return or reorganization of radical Islamic groups and parties that could penalize communities of minority religions or promote an agenda of Islamization. We must be vigilant on this aspect, because the temptation of extremism is just around the corner. It is essential not to polarize society. We trust in the new Yunus government to keep the course straight in terms of respect for democratic principles, respect for the Constitution and fundamental freedoms for all citizens, regardless of religion,” says the Bishop. Last July, thousands of students took to the streets to protest against the Supreme Court’s decision to reintroduce a quota system for access to public employment that allocated 30% of jobs to the children and grandchildren of veterans of the 1971 war of independence. Shehik Hasina’s government responded to the demonstrations by deploying police and paramilitary forces who shot at the crowd. The protest thus turned into a movement against Hasina and her party, the Awami League, who led the country for 15 years, often delegitimizing or arresting political opponents and dissidents. The official toll of the repression is around a thousand dead and hundreds injured. On August 5, the prime minister fled abroad, taking refuge in India. The army intervened by dissolving Parliament and then appointed Muhammad Yunus, known as the “banker of the poor”, an 84-year-old economist, known for the “Grameen Bank”, specialized in the microcredit system, as head of an interim government, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The executive is leading a delicate transition phase while waiting for new elections. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024) Share:

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: 24/09/2024 Polonia commits to accepting CARF

    MIL ASI Translation. Region: Polish/Europe –

    Fuente: Gobierno de Polonia en poleco.

    Polonia commits to accept CARF24.09.2024

    The presentation of information on crypto-assets (CARF) is the latest update of information on the OECD.Declaration of the Agreement between Poland and CARF.Declaration of the Agreement between Poland and CARF, a joint statement that obliges the signatories to adopt CARF. Poland has thus joined the 58 countries that will introduce new rules for reporting transactions using crypto-assets. The countries declare that they will start the international exchange of tax information obtained in this regard from 2027.Declaration of the Agreement between CARF is a joint statement constituting a grassroots initiative of the countries of the World Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Tax Information (Foro Mundial sobre Transparencia e Intercambio de Información con Fines Fiscales).The text of the statement is attached.

    MaterialDeclaración conjunta sobre la implementación del marco de presentación de informes sobre criptoactivos (CARF)CARF-signatories-joint-statement.pdf 0.21 MB

    MILES AXIS

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

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: AFRICA/SOMALIA – Tensions over recent arms supplies to Somalia and Puntland

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Tuesday, September 24, 2024 weapons

    Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – Wars (for now?) of words and press releases in the Horn of Africa between Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia around recent military supplies that arrived in the region. On September 20, the government of Mogadishu condemned what it called “an illegal supply of weapons” by the government of Addis Ababa to Puntland, an autonomous Somali region that has its own institutions but which has not yet declared its intention to separate from the rest of Somalia. This choice was instead made by Somaliland, a northern region that has declared its independence from Mogadishu since 1991. On January 1, 2024, Somaliland signed a naval agreement with Ethiopia (see Fides 3/1/2024), which aroused the ire of Mogadishu because in exchange for the concession of a naval base and control of a stretch of its coast, Somaliland obtains from Ethiopia to be recognized as an independent state. Addis Ababa thus becomes the great military protector of Somaliland, increasing Mogadishu’s fears for the territorial integrity of Somalia. Concerns now accentuated by Ethiopia’s supply of weapons to Puntland. The authorities of the autonomous region, while recognizing those of Mogadishu, are at loggerheads with the latter, because they claim not to have received from Mogadishu the aid necessary to fight the jihadists present on its territory. These are both groups linked to the Shabaab and the Islamic State. The Ethiopian government therefore seems to be inserting itself into the tensions between Puntland and Somalia to widen its room for maneuver in the area. A few days after the tough stance taken by the government of Mogadishu, protests have arrived from Addis Ababa over the arrival in Somalia of Egyptian military supplies destined for the local armed forces. This is the second delivery of weapons by Cairo under the military agreement signed between Egypt and Somalia in August (see Fides 8/30/2024). According to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, the supply of weapons by “external forces” risks “exacerbating the fragile security context” and also running the risk that these weapons “end up in the hands of terrorists in Somalia”. “The uncontrolled proliferation of weapons in an already fragile environment increases the risk of an arms race, with various factions probably trying to increase their stockpiles to safeguard their own interests,” echoed his colleague from Somaliland. Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the management of the Nile waters have therefore moved to Somalia, with the Somali government, backed by Cairo (but Mogadishu also has important military agreements with Turkey which is currently trying to mediate, see Fides 2/7/2024)) attempted to fuel internal tensions in the neighboring country (see Fides 17/9/2024). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024) Share:

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/CHINA – The memory of the Jesuit Martino Martini still opens up paths of encounter and proximity

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    by Marta Zhao and Laura Gomez RuizHangzhou (Agenzia Fides) – China, the city of Hangzhou and the Chinese Catholic community have never forgotten Martino Martini. The great Jesuit missionary esteemed by the Emperors and welcomed to the Court of the Qing Dynasty, was born in Trento precisely 410 years ago, on 20 September 1614. Even today his story and his testimony arouse unexpected sympathy and ignite surprising closeness. In the program of celebrations promoted by the Italian Embassy in Beijing for the 700 years since the death of the traveler and merchant Marco Polo, the theme “In the footsteps of Marco Polo: Martino Martini” was the first addressed to introduce the series of important Italian personalities who, at different times and in different capacities, contributed to the spread of knowledge of China in the West. Even the President Xi Jinping has publicly expressed his esteem for Martino Martini. In an intervention published in Corriere della Sera on 20 March 2019, on the eve of his official visit to Italy, Xi Jinping cited the Jesuit as a pioneer of the group of Italian Sinologists who «have played a bridging role in relations between China and Europe, starting from the first grammar of the Chinese language written for the West by Martino Martini to “Italy and China” by Giuliano Bertuccioli and Federico Masini”. In Italy, the Study Center named after Martino Martini, based in Trento, promotes, among other things “On the Road to Cathay”, a biannual magazine on cultural relations between Europe and China. In the city of Hangzhou, a park bearing his name has been established around his Mausoleum. That site protected by the body that looks after the cultural heritage of Zhejiang Province has become like a sanctuary for Chinese Catholics. Currently undergoing restoration, the Mausoleum holds the mortal remains of 15 famous Jesuit missionaries who ended their earthly lives near the magnificent Xizi Lake. Among them also include Father Prospero Intorcetta (1626–1696), Father Nicolas Trigault (1577-1629), Father Lazaro Cattaneo (1560-1640) and Father Emmanuel Diaz (1574-1659). In 2018, an exhibition dedicated to the work map by Martino Martini was inaugurated in the headquarters of the China-Italy Center in Hangzhou to commemorate the 375th anniversary of the arrival of the great missionary in that city (Agenzia Fides 13/6/2018). The Catholic community of Hangzhou organized a Conference academic commemorating the 350 years of the construction of the Cathedral. Six well-known academics from Chinese universities and scholars linked to Catholic bodies such as the Faith Institute for Cultural Studies (FICS), the Guang Qi Press of the diocese of Shanghai collaborated in presenting studies on the life and mission of the Jesuit, in the presence of the Italian Consul in Shanghai. Martino Martini’s legacy was presented as “a strong impulse for today’s mission, so that it continues on its path by making its sense of missionary responsibility, his courage and his dedication its own”. (Agenzia Fides 22/01/2010). The affection and devotion that surround the figure of Martino Martini are proportional to the intensity with which he lived his time, donating his existence to the announcement of the Gospel in China. Martino Martini was born on 20 September 1614 in Trento. In 1631 he entered the Society of Jesus as a novice. After studying at the Roman College under the influence of his mentor, the German Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, he joined the Eastern Mission in 1640, traveling by ship from Lisbon in Portugal, via Goa in India (November 1640), up to Macao, China, where he arrived in August 1642. The following year he was sent to the Chinese continent. Thus he began his legendary journey of cultural exchange between China and Europe, a journey that he traveled twice. He wrote the first Chinese grammar in the West and related works, which contributed to cultural exchange and bridged the gap between China and Europe, profoundly influencing the birth and development of Sinology in Italy. The time of his stay in China, at era of the Ming and Qing dynasties, is a period of great social unrest. The Jesuits, after having established good relations with influential sectors of Chinese society and political hierarchy, are beginning to experience concerns about how the situation will evolve. The Chinese name you choose, Wei Kuangguo, includes all its good wishes: it indicates the drive to defend and support the country and the desire to have peace and prosperity in the world. In China, turbulence and conflicts also divide the Jesuits and Spanish and mendicant orders they even infiltrate within the Society of Jesus itself. The controversy over the Chinese translation of the name of God and the possibility that the new Christians continue to practice the cult of the dead according to the methods specific to Chinese culture does not abate, it reaches an intensity that Martini does not manages to contain, both inside and outside the Order. An event that will have a profound impact on the rest of his life. Travel and writing constitute the common thread of the second half of his life. During the first eight years of his stay in China (1643-1650), Martino Martini traveled between the two capitals as well as Hangzhou and Jinhua in Zhejiang. In the fourth year of Shunzhi’s reign (1647), with the help of Zhu Shi, a parishioner of Lanxi in Zhejiang, Martino Martini wrote the Qiu You Zhuan (Treatise on Friendship, Hangzhou, 1661), proceeding on the humanist register already adopted on the other, Jesuit Matteo Ricci in his work of the same name, the first written in Chinese by the Jesuit from Macerata. The southern part of Zhejiang, where Martino Martini is located, is a region in which Spanish monks also operate. He agrees with the indications of his brother Matteo Ricci and well recognizes the differences with the Spanish Cistercians on the question of the Chinese Rites. Furthermore, the Spanish Dominican Juan Bautista Morales (1597–1664) had already traveled to Rome to express his objections regarding the Jesuit position regarding the controversy. When the Jesuit mission in China decides to send their representative to Europe to explain the situation from their point of view, the choice falls on Martino Martini. In 1651 the Jesuit goes to Europe to defend the position of the Society of Jesus on the question of Chinese rites. Thanks also to his good offices, in 1656 the Holy See issued an edict in favor of the Jesuits. During his travels in Europe, Martino Martini published three works in Latin: De Bello Tartarico Historia, Novus Atlas Sinensis and Sinice Historia Decas Prima (of which had also announced the publication of the sequel). These works represented the most systematic, in-depth and effective reports on the Chinese reality circulating in Europe at that time. In 1657 Wei returned to China and continued his mission in Hangzhou, where he completed the construction of the Church of the Redeemer in 1661 and where he died on June 6 of the same year at the age of 47. After being well received by the Qing court and received by the Shunzhi Emperor himself in Beijing. (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024)[embedded content]Share:

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  • MIL-OSI: The Eclipse Foundation Launches the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group to Help Open Source Participants Navigate Global Regulations

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BRUSSELS, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Eclipse Foundation, one of the world’s largest open source foundations, has announced the formation of the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group (ORC WG). This pioneering initiative aims to support participants across the global open source community—including developers, enterprises, industries, and open source foundations—in navigating and adhering to evolving regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the working group will work closely with governments and regulatory bodies to enhance their understanding of the unique open source development model. Supported by prominent open source foundations and global technology leaders, this collaborative effort is dedicated to advancing the open source model in an increasingly regulated software supply chain.

    “Given the impact of software technology on the global economy, it is unsurprising that governments worldwide are enacting new regulations to safeguard privacy, security, and accessibility,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation.“The Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group was created to bridge the gap between regulatory authorities and the open source ecosystem, ensuring organisations and developers can leverage open source technologies while remaining compliant with evolving global regulations.”

    The newly established working group is committed to formalising industry best practices and offering essential resources to help organisations navigate regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, it aims to assist government entities in providing greater legal certainty to the open source ecosystem and software supply chain.

    Through collaboration and guidance, the group seeks to elevate software quality and security in open source projects. Backed by the Eclipse Foundation’s strong commitment to open source supply chain security, the working group leverages a team of expert security professionals and rigorous processes. As a CVE Numbering Authority, the Eclipse Foundation plays a key role in effective vulnerability management, ensuring that security remains a top priority for all contributors, projects, and users within the ecosystem.

    While the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group is chartered to address compliance with open source-impacting requirements in general, its immediate focus is the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). With the CRA rapidly approaching implementation, the working group’s immediate efforts are centred on ensuring compliance with this new legislation.

    Current Initiatives:

    1. Process Specifications: Development of cybersecurity process specifications and best practices aligned with the requirements of the CRA.
    2. Collaboration with European Authorities: The working group actively engages with the various European institutions to understand legislative timelines and produce timely compliance materials, with a primary focus on the CRA.
    3. Formalising Standards Participation: Having secured formal liaison status with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), the working group is actively pursuing working relationships with other European and National Standards Organizations to expand its contribution on regulatory standards.
    4. Community and Industry Education: A series of webinars with European Commission staff aims to keep the open source community informed about the EU’s legislative process. Recordings and materials, including sessions like “How to Read the CRA” led by Enzo Ribagnac, Associate Director for European Policy at Eclipse Foundation, are available here.
    5. Centralised Information Hub: The working group is developing a central resource to house all relevant CRA-related content, including webinars, glossaries, flowcharts, and FAQs to inform EU guidelines.

    Collaborative Engagement:

    The working group has garnered significant support from a broad range of open source organisations and private companies. As of the date of this announcement, participant organisations include: Apache Software Foundation (ASF), Blender Foundation, Robert Bosch GmbH, CodeDay, The Document Foundation, FreeBSD Foundation, iJUG, Lunatech, Matrix.org Foundation, Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH, Nokia, NLnet Labs, Obeo, Open Elements, OpenForum Europe, OpenInfra Foundation, Open Source Initiative (OSI), Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF), OWASP, Payara Services, The PHP Foundation, Python Software Foundation, Rust Foundation, SCANOSS, Siemens, and Software Heritage.

    For more information on joining the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group, visit the participation page.

    Member Quotes:

    Apache Software Foundation (ASF)
    “The CRA will impact open source users and producers alike. Legislators will benefit from the brain trust of open source organisations that Eclipse has brought together to ensure that the legislation is crafted in a way that protects all parties. The Apache Software Foundation is committed to safeguarding our digital future by addressing the multifaceted challenges of cybersecurity in the open source ecosystem, and cooperating with and implementing the CRA.” – David Nalley, President of the Apache Software Foundation

    Bosch
    “Bosch supports the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) as a harmonised cybersecurity framework, but also recognizes the crucial role of open-source software (OSS) in its supply chain. Thus, it is vital to regulate the use of OSS in a reasonable way. This requires new processes for OSS due diligence, developed through close collaboration between OSS stewards and manufacturers. We welcome the Eclipse Foundation’s initiative to provide software security specifications aligned with open-source practices. We are convinced that by bringing together industry leaders, SMEs, researchers, and OSS experts, we will be able to develop processes that meet regulations while also supporting open development. We also expect these processes to serve as blueprints for the upcoming EU Data and AI Act and future regulations.” – Dr. Andreas Nauerz – Executive Vice President at Robert Bosch GmbH

    The Document Foundation
    “The Document Foundation participates in the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group because it believes that the development of common best practices for the security of open source software is an important factor in the recognition of FOSS as a key element of the global information technology infrastructure and compliance with laws such as the Cyber Resilience Act in the EU.” – Italo Vignoli, Director at The Document Foundation

    FreeBSD Foundation
    The FreeBSD Foundation is proud to participate in the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. This initiative is key to helping developers and organisations continue innovating while navigating complex global regulations like the European Cyber Resilience Act. We believe collaboration within the open source community is essential to overcoming these challenges, and we’re excited to contribute to this important effort.” – Deb Goodkin, Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation

    Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH
    “We support the mission of the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group to help shape the future of secure software development in Europe, together with the European Commission, Open Source foundations and other industry players.” – Jochen Strenkert, Chief Engineer MB.OS

    Nokia
    “Open source communities and the software they produce are ever more important for the whole industry. This is exactly why for Nokia the wellbeing and sustainability of the open source communities is paramount. The European Union Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) brings potential new requirements to the open source communities. Nokia strongly believes that the targets of the EU CRA and the best outcome can only be achieved by the open source community having a strong voice in this process. We believe that the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group is the way to achieve this. Therefore, Nokia is honoured to join the ORC WG. We are looking forward to working as part of the community to ensure getting the best possible outcome of the EU CRA for everybody.” – Jonne Soininen, Head of Open Source Initiatives at Nokia

    Obeo
    “As an SME with open-source in its DNA and a strategic member of the Eclipse Foundation, Obeo is thrilled to join the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. Collaborating with major industry players in critical and strategic sectors, we believe that open innovation is essential for navigating the evolving regulatory landscape. We stress the importance of new regulations recognizing the unique nature of this model to ensure that communities continue to thrive while complying with governmental requirements.” – Cédric Brun, President of Obeo

    The Open Source Initiative (OSI)
    “Compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act and other upcoming legislation poses a new challenge for the Open Source community. The Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group gives us an opportunity to find solutions together, and to work with lawmakers and regulatory bodies to help them better understand Open Source. We very much look forward to contributing to the working group.” – Stefano Maffulli, Executive Director at OSI

    Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF)
    “The OSRF is pleased to be involved in the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. As well as finding and creating best practices and methodologies for open-source projects to follow when complying with the EU’s new Cyber Resilience Act, the outputs of this working group will enable open-source projects, including in robotics, to also comply with other existing and future regulations that create a safer and more secure world for all. We are honoured to be working with other open-source foundations on this critical task.” – Geoff Biggs, CTO at the Open Source Robotics Foundation

    Payara Services Ltd
    “At Payara, we are proud to be an active participant in the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group (ORC WG). By collaborating with other ORC WG members, we will contribute to the development of best practices, guidelines, and standards that will help the open-source community meet evolving regulatory requirements, starting with the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). We believe that the implementation of these regulations is essential for ensuring safer software and robust protection for users and enterprises worldwide. Our active participation in this working group underscores our dedication to keeping open-source solutions a trusted choice for companies globally.” – Steve Millidge, Founder at Payara Services Ltd

    The PHP Foundation

    “We’re delighted to be joining the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. With new regulations such as the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) on the horizon, it’s great to be working with other Open Source foundations. We’ll share what we know about building secure software and learn from one another. Our goal is simple: to help make these new regulations work for everyone, without stifling the creativity that makes Open Source so great.” – Roman Pronskiy, Executive Director at the PHP Foundation

    Python Software Foundation

    The safety and security of Python is important to all our users for different reasons, but the recent Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) has created a sharp incentive to work on a collective understanding of best practices for all stakeholders. We appreciate the opportunity to share and collaborate on these topics with our open source peers via the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. — Deb Nicholson, Executive Director at Python Software Foundation

    Rust Foundation
    “The Rust Foundation is delighted to join the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. We look forward to working collaboratively with key Open Source and Industry stakeholders to ensure that emerging and evolving regulation is high quality, accommodating of the unique and valuable features of Open Source, and fit for purpose.“ – Rebecca Rumbul, Executive Director & CEO, Rust Foundation

    SCANOSS
    “Every day, we see the growing need for regulatory tools and robust supply chain security. SCANOSS is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive Open Source detection and SBOM solution, helping organisations mitigate risk and comply with regulations like the CRA. We are honoured to join the Eclipse Foundation in leading this effort to ensure the security and resilience of the open source software supply chain.” – Alan Facey, CEO at SCANOSS

    Siemens
    “Open source technologies are embedded in and vital to many of our solutions. Through our involvement in the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group, we actively shape standards to ensure compliance with evolving regulations.” – Oliver Fendt, Senior Manager Open Source at Siemens

    Software Heritage
    “The mission of Software Heritage, launched by Inria and in partnership with UNESCO, is to collect, preserve and share all publicly available software source code. With over 50 billion software artefacts secured through the Software Hash Identifier (SWHID) specification, we guarantee long-term availability, ensure integrity, and enable traceability across the entire software ecosystem. As a foundational non profit open infrastructure for software integrity and compliance, we are excited to join the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group to support the evolving regulatory landscape and ensure the open source ecosystem thrives.” – Roberto Di Cosmo, co-founder and director, Software Heritage

    About the Eclipse Foundation
    The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organisations with a business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. We host the Eclipse IDE, Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, and over 415 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, open processor designs, and many others. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 360 members. Visit us at this year’s Open Community Experience (OCX) conference on 22-24 October 2024 in Mainz, Germany. To learn more, follow us on social media @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org.

    Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

    Media contacts:
    Schwartz Public Relations for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL (Germany)
    Gloria Huppert/Marita Bäumer
    Sendlinger Straße 42A
    80331 Munich
    EclipseFoundation@schwartzpr.de
    +49 (89) 211 871 -70/ -62

    Nichols Communications for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL
    Jay Nichols
    jay@nicholscomm.com
    +1 408-772-1551

    514 Media Ltd for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL (France, Italy, Spain)
    Benoit Simoneau
    benoit@514-media.com
    M: +44 (0) 7891 920 370

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: 2024 HP Work Relationship Index Reveals AI Users Have Healthier Relationships with Work

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    News Highlights

    • Only 28% of knowledge workers from various industries around the world have a healthy relationship with work, a one-point increase compared to 2023
    • AI usage among knowledge workers surged to 66% in 2024, up from 38% last year; and workers who use AI are 11-points happier with their relationship with work than their colleagues who don’t
    • At least two-thirds of knowledge workers desire personalized work experiences; and 87% would be willing to forgo a portion of their salary to get it
    • Only 44% of leaders have confidence in their human skills; female business leaders are significantly more confident than their male counterparts

    PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) released the second annual HP Work Relationship Index (WRI), a comprehensive study that explores the world’s relationship with work. The study, which surveyed 15,600 respondents across industries in 12 countries, reveals that work is still not really working. Only 28% of knowledge workers have a healthy relationship with work, a one-point increase compared to last year’s findings. However, new findings hone in on two potential solutions to improve relationships with work: AI and personalized work experiences.

    “We know employer and employee expectations have evolved and we believe smart technology is key to meeting the needs of today’s workforce,” said Enrique Lores, President and CEO of HP Inc. “The future of work will be unlocked by using the power of AI to create solutions and experiences that drive business growth and enable individuals to achieve personal and professional fulfillment.”

    Personalized Work Experiences Can Lead to Healthier Relationships with Work

    In its second year, the study continued to analyze aspects of people’s relationships with work, including the role of work in their lives, their skills, abilities, tools, workspaces and their expectations of leadership. This year, WRI reveals a major universal need from knowledge workers: personalized work experiences.

    At least two-thirds of workers expressed a desire for personalized work experiences, including tailored workspaces, access to preferred technologies and flexible working environments. These experiences are crucial for improving relationships with work, and have positive implications for both employees and businesses:

    • 64% of knowledge workers say if work was tailored or customized to personal needs and preferences, they would be more invested in their company’s growth.
    • 69% of knowledge workers believe it would enhance their overall well-being.
    • 68% of knowledge workers stated it would incentivize them to stay with their current employers longer.

    This desire for personalization is so strong that 87% of knowledge workers would be willing to forgo part of their salary for it. On average, workers would be willing to give up to 14% of their salary with Gen Z workers giving up as much as 19%.

    AI Opens New Opportunities for Knowledge Workers to Enjoy Work and Improve Productivity

    AI usage among knowledge workers has surged to 66% in 2024, up from 38% last year. Workers who use AI are seeing the benefits, including a healthier relationship with work:

    • 73% feel that AI makes their jobs easier, and nearly 7-in-10 (69%) are customizing their use of AI to be more productive, indicating AI could be an ingredient to unlocking a more personalized work experience.
    • 60% state that AI plays a key role in improving their work-life balance.
    • 68% say AI opens up new opportunities for them to enjoy work.
    • 73% agree that a better understanding of AI will make it easier to advance their careers.

    Further, knowledge workers who use AI are +11-points happier with their relationship with work than their colleagues who don’t. Therefore, there is an urgency to get AI into the hands of workers sooner rather than later as non-AI users have shown increased fear of job replacement by AI, with 37% expressing concern, a +5-point increase from last year.

    Business Leaders Lack Confidence; Female Leaders Emerge as a Bright Spot

    While at the global scale the index highlights little change, countries that saw an increase in their individual work relationship index saw slight improvement across the six key drivers of a healthy relationship with work – most notably the Leadership and Fulfillment drivers. This year’s index revealed that trust in senior leadership remains a critical factor in a healthy work relationship, but there is a disconnect between the recognition of the importance of human skills (e.g., mindfulness, self-awareness, communication, creative-thinking, resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence) and leaders’ confidence to deliver:

    • While more than 90% of leaders acknowledge the benefits of empathy, only 44% feel confident in their human skills.
    • Only 28% of workers consistently see empathy from their leaders, despite 78% valuing it highly.

    However, this year’s research uncovered a bright spot: female leaders. On average, female business leaders are +10-points more confident in their hard skills (technical, computer, presentation, etc.), and notably +13-points more confident in human skills than their male counterparts. Additionally, female business leaders’ confidence in both skills grew over the past year (+10-points in human skills, +4-points in hard skills), while confidence among male business leaders remained stagnant in human skills and decreased in hard skills (-3-points).

    For more information on the HP Work Relationship Index, please visit the WRI website and to access the full report, please visit the HP Newsroom.

    Methodology

    HP commissioned an online survey managed by Edelman Data & Intelligence (DXI) that fielded between May 10 – June 21, 2024 in 12 countries: the US, France, India, UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and Indonesia. HP surveyed 15,600 respondents in total – 12,000 knowledge workers (1,000 in each country); 2,400 IT decision makers (200 in each country); and 1,200 business leaders (100 in each country).

    HP Inc. Media Relations
    MediaRelations@hp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Passing of the Crown Coin revealed ahead of November release for circulation

    Source: Danmarks Nationalbank

    The final design of the Passing of the Crown coin, mark-ing King Frederik X succeeding Queen Margrethe II, was revealed as as Danmarks Nationalbank presented the coin to the new monarch.

    The Passing of the Crown Coin is a 20-kroner coin, which will be introduced into general circulation via stores and banks in early November 2024.

    The previous time a Passing of the Crown Coin was issued was in 1972, when Queen Margrethe II became monarch following the death of her father King Frederik IX.

    Denmark has a long tradition of issuing commemorative coins to celebrate special events in the royal family, such as anniversaries.

    The design of the new Passing of the Crown Coin follows the tradition of previous issuances, as one side features a portrait of King Frederik X in a right-facing profile, while the reverse features Queen Margrethe II, also in a right-facing profile. Both portraits were created by sculptor Eva Hjorth. The coin was designed by Danmarks Nationalbank’s Head of Design, Jeanette Skov Jensen.

    A total of one million Passing of the Crown Coins have been produced. Most of them will enter circulation as regular coins, but some will be made available to the public as collectors’ versions. These will be available to purchase via coin and stamp dealer nordfrim.dk on 1 No-vember 2024. However, It will be possible to pre-order the coin beginning today.

    The Passing of the Crown Coin will circulate alongside existing coins, which remains legal tender.

    Regular circulation coins featuring King Frederik X are expected to be released during the second half of 2025. More information about this will be available on Dan-marks Nationalbank’s website in 2025. These coins will also be circulated alongside coins that are currently in circulation.

    You can see the Passing of the Crown Coin and read more about it at nationalbanken.dk.

    Press enquiries can be directed to Press and Communica-tions Officer Peter Levring on +45 2620 1809.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Enabling change that matters: the Daintta ACE supplier story

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    How ACE provided the consultants with a platform for growth, the ability to showcase quality work and access to new customers they wouldn’t otherwise have met.

    Technical and business consultancy Daintta was founded on the values of transparency, fairness and daring with a mission to put staff and customers first.

    Starting with just three staff in 2020, it now has over 60 engineers and technical and business consultants as well as horizon scanning and innovation specialists. The company prides itself on having a diverse workforce as well as creating an environment that enables people to bring the best of themselves to work and thrive.

    Daintta has been a member of the Vivace community since late 2020 and its core expertise areas are:

    • digital intelligence, bringing disparate datasets together through capabilities such as data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable greater insights
    • cybersecurity and data privacy, helping companies become more resilient and
    • networks and communication, helping organisations embrace new and emerging technologies

    Navigating complexity

    One thing that links much of Daintta’s work inside and outside the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) is complex project delivery says Abu Sayed, the company’s chief client officer.

    He said: “Most of the work we do doesn’t have a clear-cut solution, and so what we’re doing is helping customers navigate through the complexity and untangle some of that.

    “We’re the company that enables change that truly matters, it’s kind of our tagline, and we do that by helping clients leverage the opportunities uncertainty produces. Ultimately, most of our work is helping clients strengthen their ability to deliver their mission.

    “We work really well with ACE because ACE is all about working alongside the customer, embracing innovation and willing to be daring.”

    Daintta’s first commission with ACE was supporting a workshop, and the company has since gone from “strength to strength”. Today its plays an active role in pulling together collaborative rainbow teams of suppliers to respond to client problems. Daintta enjoys working with both new and established ACE community members and is comfortable either leading or supporting commissions, ensuring that the team’s expertise as well as knowledge of ACE best practice is shared.

    Significant pieces of work for ACE include helping develop a business case for the UK Telecoms Lab, providing telco subject matter experts as part of a rainbow team. This was successful in helping secure funding, and Daintta stayed on to work directly with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to help build the lab and transition it to operational. Today, Daintta continues to provide experts to develop this capability.

    Another project involved creating a data strategy for a law enforcement body, including discovery to understand what data existed, where it was stored and how it could be used. A visual ‘data landscape’ was then created to help understand how available data could be used to help answer investigative questions.

    A third piece of work was around understanding the requirements for a secure development environment for law enforcement, for use cases involving technologies such as machine learning, AI and graphing technologies as well as unstructured data, and then creating a prototype intelligence search capability.

    Sayed said: “ACE has undoubtedly provided us with a platform for growth. It has given us an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of our work and the expertise of our people. And it has provided us with access to customers that we would not have otherwise come into contact with, accelerating our growth by 12 to 15 months.

    “It’s also unique – no other government framework has the kind of sense of community that ACE has fostered, because people are competing for work but collaborating a lot more than they are competing. That allows the best ideas to come forward and really make a difference to the customer.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: latest Channel crossing deaths are another ‘avoidable tragedy’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to reports that eight people have died during an attempted crossing of the Channel, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

    “This is yet another appalling and avoidable tragedy and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who’ve died.

    “These perilous crossings are seemingly becoming more and more dangerous, suggesting smugglers are taking greater chances with people’s lives as they try to evade detection efforts by the UK and French authorities.

    “The Government’s ‘smash the gangs’ slogan and its security-heavy approach is contributing to the death toll because the refusal to establish safe asylum routes means these flimsy vessels controlled by people smugglers are the only real option for desperate people fleeing persecution.

    “Until UK ministers and their counterparts in France start sharing responsibility over the need for safe routes, we should expect this weekend’s tragedy to keep repeating itself time and time again.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 671,000 young people urged to cash in their government savings pot

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Thousands of young people could have £2,200 sitting unclaimed in their Child Trust Fund account.

    • Young people urged to claim their Child Trust Fund
    • £2,200 on average waiting in unclaimed accounts

    More than 670,000 18-22 year olds yet to claim their Child Trust Fund are reminded to cash in their stash as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reveals the average savings pot is worth £2,212.

    Child Trust Funds are long term, tax-free savings accounts which were set up, with the government depositing £250, for every child born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. Young people can take control of their Child Trust Fund at 16 and withdraw funds when they turn 18 and the account matures.

    The savings are not held by government but are held in banks, building societies or other saving providers. The money stays in the account until it’s withdrawn or re-invested.

    If teenagers or their parents and guardians already know who their Child Trust Fund provider is, they can contact them directly. If they do not know where their account is, they can use the online tool on GOV.UK to find out their Child Trust Fund provider. Young people will need their National Insurance number – which can be found easily using the HMRC app –  and their date of birth to access the information.

    Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said:

    Thousands of Child Trust Fund accounts are sitting unclaimed – we want to reunite young people with their money and we’re making the process as simple as possible.

    You don’t need to pay anyone to find your Child Trust Fund for you, locate yours today by searching ‘find your Child Trust Fund’ on GOV.UK.

    Third-party agents are advertising their services offering to search for Child Trust Funds and agents will always charge – with one charging up to £350 or 25% of the value of the savings account.

    Using an agent can significantly reduce the amount received, is likely to take longer and customers still need to supply them with the same information they need to do the search themselves.

    Gavin Oldham, The Share Foundation, said:

    If you are 18-21 years old, the government would have put money aside for you shortly after birth. This investment would have grown quite a bit and it’s in your name. The Share Foundation has linked over 65,000 young people to their Child Trust Fund accounts. It’s easy and free to find out where your money is. Go to  findCTF.sharefound.org or GOV.UK to locate it today.

    In the last year more than 450,000 customers, with just their National Insurance number and date of birth, used the free GOV.UK tool to locate their Child Trust Fund.

    More information on Child Trust Funds and how to access your savings can be found on GOV.UK.

    Further Information

    Latest figures for Child Trust Funds included in the Annual Savings Statistics  were released on 19 September 2024 and include figures up to April 2024.

    The Child Trust Fund scheme closed in January 2011 and was replaced with Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA).

    If a parent or guardian was not able to set up an account for their child, the government opened a savings account on the child’s behalf.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: Government must stop doing deals to offload asylum responsibilities

    Source: Amnesty International –

    After eight deaths in the Channel this weekend, and ahead of Starmer’s meeting on asylum with Italian Premier Georgia Meloni, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, Steve Valdez-Symonds said:

     

    “There should be no question of the UK doing deals to offload its responsibilities onto other countries – not Albania, Rwanda or anywhere else.

     

    “After the Conservative government’s shameful attempt at this, the last thing needed is yet another government pursuing schemes to avoid fulfilling the UK’s comparatively modest refugee obligations rather than showing some leadership and taking responsibility.

     

    “The Government should be trying to restore the UK’s battered reputation on refugee issues by repairing an asylum system that’s been deliberately sabotaged by successive home secretaries stretching back years.

     

    “We need safe asylum routes to help end the exploitative practices of people smugglers, and we need a fair and efficient system for processing people’s asylum claims however they arrive.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: NHS pay rise agreed

    Source: Scottish Government

    Agenda for Change pay offer accepted by trade unions.

    Almost 170,000 nurses and healthcare workers in Scotland will receive a 5.5% salary increase this year, ensuring they have the best reward package in the UK.

    Unions representing NHS Agenda for Change staff – which includes nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others – unanimously agreed to an investment of more than £448 million for improved pay conditions. 

    The pay rise, backdated to 1 April 2024, will come into effect from next month.

    Health Secretary Neil Gray said:

    “I am pleased that trade unions have unanimously agreed to accept this pay offer, which ensures that nurses and healthcare staff in Scotland, who are part of Agenda for Change, will have the best reward package in the UK.

    “I want to express my thanks again to Scotland’s hardworking healthcare staff for the care they provide to patients, day in, day out.  They are the very backbone of the NHS and we are committed to ensuring they feel supported and valued.”

    BACKGROUND

    A total of £448 million has been invested in Agenda for Change pay in 2024-25. This equates to an uplift of 5.5% for all staff.

    Examples of increases for 2024-25:

    • experienced porters (band 2) will receive £1,395
    • experienced healthcare support workers (band 4) will receive £1,651
    • experienced staff nurses (band 5) will receive £2,072
    • experienced paramedics (band 6) will receive £2,535.

     

    Scottish Pay Settlement

    2023-24

    Scottish Pay in

    2024-25

    after 5.5%

    Uplift

    Uplift as

    £

    New Hourly Rate

     

     

     

     

     

    Band 1

    £23,240

    £24,518

    £1,278

    £12.71

    Band 2

    £23,362

    £24,647

    £1,285

    £12.78
     

    £25,368

    £26,763

    £1,395

    £13.87

    Band 3

    £25,468

    £26,869

    £1,401

    £13.93
     

    £27,486

    £28,998

    £1,512

    £15.03

    Band 4

    £27,598

    £29,116

    £1,518

    £15.09
     

    £30,019

    £31,670

    £1,651

    £16.42

    Band 5

    £30,229

    £31,892

    £1,663

    £16.53
     

    £32,300

    £34,077

    £1,777

    £17.66
     

    £37,664

    £39,735

    £2,072

    £20.60

    Band 6

    £37,831

    £39,912

    £2,081

    £20.69
     

    £39,498

    £41,670

    £2,172

    £21.60
     

    £46,100

    £48,635

    £2,535

    £25.21

    Band 7

    £46,244

    £48,788

    £2,543

    £25.29
     

    £48,010

    £50,651

    £2,641

    £26.25
     

    £53,789

    £56,747

    £2,958

    £29.41

    Band 8a

    £56,992

    £60,126

    £3,135

    £31.16
     

    £61,522

    £64,906

    £3,384

    £33.64

    Band 8b

    £67,285

    £70,986

    £3,701

    £36.79
     

    £71,978

    £75,937

    £3,959

    £39.36

    Band 8c

    £79,466

    £83,837

    £4,371

    £43.45
     

    £85,181

    £89,866

    £4,685

    £46.58

    Band 8d

    £94,345

    £99,534

    £5,189

    £51.59
     

    £98,384

    £103,795

    £5,411

    £53.80

    Band 9

    £111,595

    £117,732

    £6,138

    £61.02
     

    £116,428

    £122,831

    £6,404

    £63.67

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF closes programmes in Russia after instruction to deregister

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • After receiving a letter from the Ministry of Justice of Russia, MSF had to close our operations in the country.
    • This comes after 32 years of working in Russia.
    • MSF would like to work in Russia again should the necessary conditions be provided by authorities.

    Moscow / Amsterdam – Thirty-two years after starting work in Russia, Médecins Sans Frontières/ (MSF) had to close our operations in the country.  In August this year, we received a letter from the Ministry of Justice of Russia, with the decision to withdraw the affiliate office of the non-profit association ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ (Netherlands) in Russia from the register of affiliate and representative offices of foreign NGOs.

    “It is with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities in Russia,” says Yashovardhan, head of MSF programmes in the country. “Our organisation’s work is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality, and medical ethics. We provide assistance based on the needs.”

    MSF had been present in Russia since 1992. For more than 30 years, we successfully implemented dozens of programmes, ranging from assistance to the homeless to emergency response to the collaborative work with the Ministry of Health on innovative tuberculosis treatment. We worked in various regions of the country, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Kemerovo region, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, and – more recently – in the Arkhangelsk and Ivanovo regions, as well as in the south of Russia in Belgorod and Rostov-on-Don.

    A significant part of the history of MSF in Russia and the region was linked to the implementation of advanced approaches to the treatment of tuberculosis. MSF has collaborated with the medical academic community of Russia and other countries in the eastern Europe and central Asia to extend effective, innovative treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis to patients in penitentiary and civil sectors across the region.

    In 2004-2017, we worked in close partnership with the Chechen Ministry of Health, providing technical and advisory support to the local health authorities in the treatment of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Chechen Republic. The programme covered different aspects of tuberculosis diagnostics, treatment, laboratory services and health education, as well as adherence counselling and psychosocial support for patients and their families. In 2014, MSF supported the Ministry of Health in introducing new treatment regimens for patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis which yielded impressive results giving hope to patients who previously had no treatment options left.

    In 2021, MSF and local health authorities of the Arkhangelsk region in the north of Russia started successful implementation of a nine-month all-oral course of treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. We enrolled 173 patients on this treatment regimen. And later, in 2023, we started enrolling patients on an even shorter, six months-long, all-oral treatment course that was recommended by the World Health Organization in the updated treatment guidelines in late 2022.

    In Arkhangelsk, and starting from 2024 in Ivanovo, MSF was providing expertise and technical assistance to health authorities with a special emphasis on implementing new treatment regimens and enhancing patients’ adherence and integrating person-centred care. To date, 41 patients in the Arkhangelsk and Ivanovo regions started treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis within this joint programme. The aim of the collaboration was to contribute to the evidence base for more effective, meaning less toxic and person-centred, treatment with a view to scale up these scientifically proven treatment protocols in Russia.

    In Moscow and St. Petersburg since 2020, MSF partnered with two community-based NGOs to support access to general healthcare, as well as testing and treatment for infectious diseases, for people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups, such as migrants, who otherwise struggle to obtain medical assistance. Over 14,000 medical consultations were supported for patients from these vulnerable groups.

    Since the escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022, many people have sought safety in Russia, and MSF, in partnership with local NGOs in the Belgorod and Rostov regions in the south of Russia, started providing assistance to those who crossed into Russia from Ukraine and later – with the development of the situation – internally displaced people. Since the start of our response in 2022, more than 52,000 refugees and displaced people were provided with humanitarian aid and more than 15,400 received free medical, mental health and psychosocial support.

    As part of this partnership, we were also planning to respond to the humanitarian and medical needs of the internally displaced people in the Kursk region. MSF continues to stand in solidarity with people impacted by this conflict and remain steadfast in our commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, irrespective of what side of the front line they are on, should the necessary conditions for our work be provided by relevant authorities.

    “We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our colleagues in Russia for their hard work and commitment to humanitarian values we hold high as an organisation,” says Norman Sitali, MSF operations manager responsible for programmes in Russia. “We are very sad to conclude our programmes in the country as many people in need of medical and humanitarian assistance will now be left without the support we could have provided to them. MSF would like to still work in Russia again, if and when possible”.
     

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cann Bridge and Tor Bridge latest to trial Safer School Streets

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Two more Plymouth schools are trialling traffic restrictions during morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up times.

    Cann Bridge and Tor Bridge Primary are the latest to introduce ‘Safer School Streets’, where roads are closed to school-run and through traffic during these peak times.

    The measures – which aim to improve safety for all road users, make it easier for families to walk, cycle or scoot to school, tackle inconsiderate parking and create a healthier street environment with cleaner air – are widely welcomed by parents and local residents.

    Cann Bridge and Tor Bridge Primary, which sit alongside each other in Estover, are the fourth and fifth schools in the city to trial the restrictions on a longer-term basis, with Stuart Road Primary being the first, followed by St Paul’s RC Primary and Compton CofE Primary.

    Councillor John Stephens, the Council’s walking and cycling champion, said: “We’re really pleased to be working alongside Sustrans to help another two schools implement Safer School Streets measures. They have proven really popular at the other three trial locations and help to encourage families to either leave the car at home or at least make part of their journey in more active ways.

    “This has so many benefits – not just for pupils, parents, staff and nearby residents but for the wider community as a whole. As well as reducing congestion and improving air quality around the school gates, they help to tackle some of the inconsiderate and irresponsible parking experienced by neighbours, making journeys safer and healthier for everyone.”

    The trial began yesterday (Monday). Every weekday during term-time the entrance to Eden Valley Gardens is being closed with temporary barriers during morning and afternoon school run times (8am to 9am and then 2.15pm to 3.30pm.

    Volunteers and members of staff are stewarding the closure and access is being maintained for local residents and businesses, parents and children with disabilities, the emergency services, deliveries and other service vehicles.

    Shane Baker, Headteacher at Cann Bridge School, said: “We are grateful to our parents and staff for their support in making the Safer School Street initiative a reality. This program is crucial for ensuring the safety of all children, promoting active travel, and creating a cleaner, healthier environment at our school gates.

    “Even in the short time spent outside this morning, it was evident that reducing vehicles on our road will significantly improve air quality. Together, we are building a safer community for everyone.”

    The arrangements have been agreed for up to 18 months under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, advertised in the local press and on street. Signs have also been placed on street to advise road users of the closure times.

    Families are being encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school or, if they really need to drive, to ‘park and stride’ from Asda, who are supporting the scheme.

    For more information see our Safer School Streets page or visit the School Streets website.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF-Netherlands closes programmes in Russia after instruction to deregister

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • After receiving a letter from the Ministry of Justice of Russia, MSF-Netherlands had to close our operations in the country.
    • This comes after 32 years of working in Russia.
    • MSF would like to work in Russia again should the necessary conditions be provided by authorities.

    Moscow / Amsterdam – Thirty-two years after starting work in Russia, Médecins Sans Frontières/ (MSF) had to close our operations in the country.  In August this year, we received a letter from the Ministry of Justice of Russia, with the decision to withdraw the affiliate office of the non-profit association ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ (Netherlands) in Russia from the register of affiliate and representative offices of foreign NGOs.

    “It is with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities in Russia,” says Yashovardhan, head of MSF programmes in the country. “Our organisation’s work is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality, and medical ethics. We provide assistance based on the needs.”

    MSF had been present in Russia since 1992. For more than 30 years, we successfully implemented dozens of programmes, ranging from assistance to the homeless to emergency response to the collaborative work with the Ministry of Health on innovative tuberculosis treatment. We worked in various regions of the country, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Kemerovo region, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, and – more recently – in the Arkhangelsk and Ivanovo regions, as well as in the south of Russia in Belgorod and Rostov-on-Don.

    A significant part of the history of MSF in Russia and the region was linked to the implementation of advanced approaches to the treatment of tuberculosis. MSF has collaborated with the medical academic community of Russia and other countries in the eastern Europe and central Asia to extend effective, innovative treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis to patients in penitentiary and civil sectors across the region.

    In 2004-2017, we worked in close partnership with the Chechen Ministry of Health, providing technical and advisory support to the local health authorities in the treatment of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Chechen Republic. The programme covered different aspects of tuberculosis diagnostics, treatment, laboratory services and health education, as well as adherence counselling and psychosocial support for patients and their families. In 2014, MSF supported the Ministry of Health in introducing new treatment regimens for patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis which yielded impressive results giving hope to patients who previously had no treatment options left.

    In 2021, MSF and local health authorities of the Arkhangelsk region in the north of Russia started successful implementation of a nine-month all-oral course of treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. We enrolled 173 patients on this treatment regimen. And later, in 2023, we started enrolling patients on an even shorter, six months-long, all-oral treatment course that was recommended by the World Health Organization in the updated treatment guidelines in late 2022.

    In Arkhangelsk, and starting from 2024 in Ivanovo, MSF was providing expertise and technical assistance to health authorities with a special emphasis on implementing new treatment regimens and enhancing patients’ adherence and integrating person-centred care. To date, 41 patients in the Arkhangelsk and Ivanovo regions started treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis within this joint programme. The aim of the collaboration was to contribute to the evidence base for more effective, meaning less toxic and person-centred, treatment with a view to scale up these scientifically proven treatment protocols in Russia.

    In Moscow and St. Petersburg since 2020, MSF partnered with two community-based NGOs to support access to general healthcare, as well as testing and treatment for infectious diseases, for people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups, such as migrants, who otherwise struggle to obtain medical assistance. Over 14,000 medical consultations were supported for patients from these vulnerable groups.

    Since the escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022, many people have sought safety in Russia, and MSF, in partnership with local NGOs in the Belgorod and Rostov regions in the south of Russia, started providing assistance to those who crossed into Russia from Ukraine and later – with the development of the situation – internally displaced people. Since the start of our response in 2022, more than 52,000 refugees and displaced people were provided with humanitarian aid and more than 15,400 received free medical, mental health and psychosocial support.

    As part of this partnership, we were also planning to respond to the humanitarian and medical needs of the internally displaced people in the Kursk region. MSF continues to stand in solidarity with people impacted by this conflict and remain steadfast in our commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, irrespective of what side of the front line they are on, should the necessary conditions for our work be provided by relevant authorities.

    “We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our colleagues in Russia for their hard work and commitment to humanitarian values we hold high as an organisation,” says Norman Sitali, MSF operations manager responsible for programmes in Russia. “We are very sad to conclude our programmes in the country as many people in need of medical and humanitarian assistance will now be left without the support we could have provided to them. MSF would like to still work in Russia again, if and when possible”.
     

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  • MIL-OSI NGOs: One month after floods in Koukou

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    The situation in Koukou Angarana, Sila province, Chad, and the surrounding area, remains critical after devastating floods on 9 August. The floods displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and left health centres unable to function. The likelihood of another major flood is decreasing, but the needs left from 9 August are not.  

    Urgent needs not being met

    Forced from their homes because of the floodwaters, people have now set up sites where food, water and sanitation services, shelter reinforcement, and access to healthcare, are their urgent needs.

    “The living conditions of displaced people in Koukou are extremely difficult,” says Julie Melichar, project coordinator. “They are exposed to risks of epidemics given the lack of drinking water, people living on top of one another in the camps, and the absence of health facilities.”

    People are living in makeshift shelters. There are very few blankets, including for young children and pregnant women. The tarpaulins used for tents are insufficient and often in poor condition. With repeated rains and storms, the lack of physical protection promotes the development of diseases like acute respiratory infections and malaria.

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has set up a health post where we provide basic healthcare. Between 14 August and 9 September, we carried out 1,850 health consultations. Over 340 people had acute respiratory tract infections, 265 tested positive for malaria, and more than 220 were treated for diarrhoea. Our team also provided antenatal consultations to 232 pregnant women.

    340

    34

    people treated for respiratory tract infection

    265

    265

    people tested positive for malaria

    232

    232

    pregnant women provided consultations

    Access to clean drinking water is almost non-existent in Koukou. The quality of the water at the few functional sources needs to be assessed, and the quantity available does not cover the number of people in the displacement sites.

    “Water sources were contaminated during floods by a mixture of sewage and waste, including faeces,” says Melichar. “Water is not always available, pushing people to use water from wadis [rivers]. Although MSF is cleaning water wells, they are at risk of being contaminated again in the event of further rains or flooding. The situation remains precarious and requires an effective water, sanitation and hygiene response to reduce the risk of communicable disease outbreaks.” 

    Food and international response lacking

    Food is another concern. The floods destroyed much of the food supply and made essential activities, like collecting firewood and working in the fields, impossible. Many fields of sorghum, groundnuts and millet have been destroyed or are no longer suitable for cultivation. Food prices have also skyrocketed- so what little is available is unaffordable.

    MSF teams have heard from people that hunger is their immediate concern. The number of people affected means they require huge support. Yet, one month after the floods, many have received nothing as an adequate response from international organisations has not materialised.

    “An immediate food distribution would significantly help many people here,” says Melichar. “This would be a crucial, and much needed, first step, but despite these floods happening a month ago there has been very little in terms of international response. People can’t wait much longer.” 

    Makeshift shelters on one of the sites for displaced people, La Colline, on the bank of the Wadi Bahr Azoum river, Chad, September 2024.
    Julie Melichar/MSF

    Concerns for people outside Koukou

    The government announced, as of 3 September 2024, that a total of nearly 1.5 million people are affected by floods countrywide, with nearly 260,000 hectares of fields destroyed in 115 departments out of the 120 in the country.

    With roads being largely impassable due to flooding, information about affected villages on both sides of the Wadi Bahr Azoum [river] in Sila province is beginning to trickle in. They describe many flooded villages, destroyed fields, and people who have been displaced multiple times. Reaching these people is a logistical challenge and a rapid response from other organisations is essential to meet the most urgent needs of people, in particular to provide medical care.

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    Rapid response needed in Koukou as thousands flee worst floods in living memory

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    Year in Review 2023

    Opinion 18 Jun 2024

     

    Russia

    MSF-Netherlands closes programmes in Russia after instruction to deregister

    Press Release 16 Sep 2024

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First Step assisted purchase housing scheme reopens23 September 2024 The Government has reopened a scheme to help Islanders buy their first home.  First Step, a scheme to help aspiring homeowners onto the property ladder, was launched by the Minister for Housing, Deputy… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    23 September 2024

    The Government has reopened a scheme to help Islanders buy their first home. 

    First Step, a scheme to help aspiring homeowners onto the property ladder, was launched by the Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mézec, in February this year, and reopened for a second round of applications in June. It has so far resulted in 51 applicants being offered equity loans.

    First Step is delivered in partnership with Andium Homes and uses £10m of Government funding to help eligible Islanders access a contribution of up to 40% towards the purchase of an open-market property. 

    Applicants have four weeks to apply, with the deadline for applications on 20 October 2024. Applicants must:

    • hold Entitled status
    • not own any property in Jersey or overseas
    • be registered on the Assisted Purchase Pathway 
    • be able to provide a 5% deposit towards the purchase
    • be able to access the maximum lending available to them from one of the scheme’s partnering mortgage lenders
    • not be under offer on another assisted purchase scheme. 

    Islanders not already registered should apply to the Assisted Purchase Pathway before applying for First Step. Applications will be means-tested against the financial criteria.

    It is anticipated that up to 60 households will benefit from the initial £10 million investment. An additional £2 million has been earmarked for the scheme in the proposed Budget for next year, subject to States Assembly approval. 

    The Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mézec, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to reopen First Step for a third time this year. This scheme has made a real difference to Islanders who would have otherwise been unable to own their first home. I am hopeful that we will be able to reopen First Step in 2025 to help even more Islanders into home ownership. In the meantime, I would like to thank our Government officials and the team at Andium Homes for their valuable work this year.”

    Andium Homes’ Policy & Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Dominique Caunce, said: “We were delighted with the interest shown in the first and second tranches of the scheme, where the funding available enabled us to make loan offers to 51 first-time buyers. Feedback from previous applicants has been really positive, particularly around the website and application process, and we would encourage all those unsuccessful in the initial tranches to reapply.”

    Islanders wishing to join the Assisted Purchase Pathway, or those wanting to update their details, can do so via First Step (andiumhomes.je)​ ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: NGOs call on all UN Member States to adhere to the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the unlawfulness of Israel’s occupation

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In July the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a historic advisory opinion concluding that Israel’s decades long occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory is unlawful because it violates some of the most fundamental tenets of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and denies Palestinians their human rights.

    The ICJ opinion also concludes that all states have an “obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Meanwhile, the virtually unconditional transfer and sale of weapons, parts, and ammunition by governments where there is clear risk of use in harming civilians and violating international law has continued.

    As the UN General Assembly prepares to vote on a resolution this week that would seek to bring the occupation to an end, the undersigned organizations call on all governments, including the UN Security Council and its members, to adhere to the ICJ’s advisory opinion, including through the halting the transfer and sale of weapons, parts and ammunition.

    Humanitarian, development and human rights organizations, many of us with decades of experience working throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, delivering lifesaving assistance and other services, have witnessed first-hand the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s occupation, and its devastating impact on the Palestinian population, including the well-being of children.

    This includes but is not limited to:

    ● the use of weapons, by Israeli forces and settlers in attacks, including in apparent violations of international law, resulting in the killing and permanent disabilities of Palestinian civilians, including children, and instances of gender based violence;

    ● the arbitrary detention and systematic prosecution of Palestinians, including children, in Israeli military courts, often held in horrific conditions;

    ● the forced displacement of Palestinians through demolitions of Palestinian homes and property, Israeli settlement expansion, Israeli settler violence, and so-called “evacuation” orders amid Israeli bombardment in Gaza;

    ● a discriminatory permit regime that denies freedom of movement to Palestinians, depriving them of basic services, including vital medical assistance.

    These practices have taken place without accountability for decades, but the intensification over the last 11 months has led to a staggering humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, fuelled by the virtually unconditional supply of weapons, parts, and ammunition.

    More than 40,000 people in Gaza have been killed, and tens of thousands face life-altering injuries and potentially irreversible mental harm, including as a result of apparent violations of IHL. Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank is deteriorating at a rapid pace, with large-scale Israeli military ground incursions and airstrikes killing and injuring people almost every day this year. The violence and restrictions under Israeli occupation have rendered the mandates of humanitarian, human rights, and development organizations almost impossible to fulfill.

    Humanitarian support provided by Member States is regularly obstructed and destroyed by Israeli authorities. Assistance that humanitarian organizations have managed to provide has been insufficient to address the needs and does not address the root causes of the humanitarian consequences created by Israel’s decades-long occupation that the international community has allowed to continue for too long.

    Failure to adhere to the ICJ’s advisory opinion will send a message that states can be selective in their application of international law. It is imperative that states reinforce and show their commitment to international institutions and the international order that has been in place for nearly 80 years. The time for empty statements has passed. All Member States must act decisively to adhere to the ICJ Advisory Opinion before more lives are irreparably destroyed.

    Undersigned:

    1. ActionAid

    2. American Friends Service Committee

    3. Amnesty International

    4. BePax

    5. CCFD-Terre Solidaire

    6. Center for Peace Education (Miriam College, Philippines)

    7. Christian Aid

    8. Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

    9. DanChurchAid 10.Danish Refugee Council

    11. Finn Church Aid

    12.Franciscans International

    13.Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) (Secretariat)

    14.Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

    15.Handicap International/Humanity & Inclusion (HI)

    16.Human Concern International

    17.Islamic Relief Worldwide

    18.Médecins du Monde International Network

    19.Mennonite Central Committee

    20.Middle East Children’s Alliance

    21.Norwegian Church Aid

    22.Norwegian Refugee Council

    23.Oxfam

    24.Pax Christi Austria

    25.Pax Christi England and Wales

    26.Pax Christi International

    27.Pax Christi Scotland

    28.Pax Christi USA

    29.Première Urgence Internationale

    30.Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

    31.Terre des hommes Foundation

    32.Terre des Hommes Italy

    33.United Church of Christ

    34.War Child

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Recycling Centres move to winter operating hours from 1 October

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    As winter approaches there will be a change to operating hours for Household Recycling Centres across the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, effective from Tuesday, 1 October.

    The annual seasonal change in opening hours for all nine recycling facilities in the borough will continue until March 31.

    The winter opening hours (October 1 – March 31) are:

    • Station Road, Armagh: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.
    • Markethill: Mon Closed; Tue – Sat 9am – 3.45pm.
    • Tandragee: Mon Closed; Tue – Sat 9am – 3.45pm.
    • Keady: Mon Closed; Tue – Sat 9am – 3.45pm.
    • Banbridge: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.
    • Dromore: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.
    • Rathfriland: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.
    • Newline, Lurgan: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.
    • Fairgreen, Portadown: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4.45pm; Saturday: 8.30am – 3.45pm.

    Residents and businesses are encouraged to download the ABC Council App, which offers information on the operating hours of Household Recycling Centres and provides useful recycling tips. The app can be downloaded through the App Store and Google Play Store.

    Facility users can also check opening times in advance of visiting via the council’s website at: www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/recycling-centres

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –