NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Prime Minister’s Questions with British Sign Language (BSL) – 30 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    Prime Minister’s Question Time, also referred to as PMQs, takes place every Wednesday the House of Commons sits. It gives MPs the chance to put questions to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP, or a nominated minister.

    In most cases, the session starts with a routine ‘open question’ from an MP about the Prime Minister’s engagements. MPs can then ask supplementary questions on any subject, often one of current political significance.

    The Leader of the Opposition, Rishi Sunak MP, asks six questions and the leader of the second largest opposition party asks two. If another minister takes the place of the Prime Minister, opposition parties will usually nominate a shadow minister to ask the questions.

    Want to find out more about what’s happening in the House of Commons this week? Follow the House of Commons on:

    X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HouseofCommons
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukhouseofcommons
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukhouseofcommons`

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Prime Minister’s Questions – 30 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    Watch Prime Minister’s Questions with BSL: https://youtu.be/lhbxI_qSyPQ

    Prime Minister’s Question Time, also referred to as PMQs, takes place every Wednesday the House of Commons sits. It gives MPs the chance to put questions to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP, or a nominated minister.

    In most cases, the session starts with a routine ‘open question’ from an MP about the Prime Minister’s engagements. MPs can then ask supplementary questions on any subject, often one of current political significance.

    The Leader of the Opposition, Rishi Sunak MP, asks six questions and the leader of the second largest opposition party asks two. If another minister takes the place of the Prime Minister, opposition parties will usually nominate a shadow minister to ask the questions.

    Want to find out more about what’s happening in the House of Commons this week? Follow the House of Commons on:

    X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HouseofCommons
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukhouseofcommons
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ukhouseofcommons

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHeGSsNli9U

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sir Mark Walport reappointed as the Royal Society’s Trustee of the British Museum

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport has reappointed Sir Mark Walport as the Royal Society Nominated Trustee for the British Museum for a four year term from 01 December 2024 to 30 November 2028.

    Sir Mark Walport

    Appointed from 01 December 2024 to 30 November 2028.

    Professor Sir Mark Walport is Vice President and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, Chair of the Kennedy Memorial Trust, and Trustee of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. He is the recently retired founding Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which is responsible for the public funding of research and innovation.

    He was previously the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) and Head of the Government Office for Science from 2013 to 2017. Before these, he was Director of the Wellcome Trust, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Medicine at Imperial College London, and Founder Fellow and first Registrar of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

    Mark received a knighthood in the 2009 New Year Honours List for services to medical research and was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society in 2011 and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2017.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Trustees of the British Museum are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Sir Mark Walport has not declared any significant political activity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sugemalimab approved to treat adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer     

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today, 30 October, approved the medicine sugemalimab (Eqjubi) to treat adult patients with a type of lung cancer called ‘non-small cell lung cancer’. 

    Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for around 80 to 85 out of 100 cases. It can be one of three types: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma or large-cell carcinoma. 

    Sugemalimab is a monoclonal antibody (a type of protein designed to recognise and attach to a specific target in the body). It works by attaching to the target called programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Cancer cells with PD-L1 may switch off some cells of the immune system. By blocking PD-1, sugemalimab stops the cancer switching off immune cells and increases the immune system’s ability to kill cancer cells.  

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

    Enabling safe access to high quality, safe and effective medicines is a key priority for us. 

    We’re assured that the appropriate regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for the approval of this new formulation have been met. 

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

    Sugemalimab is given to the patient in a hospital or clinic under the supervision of an experienced doctor. The patient’s doctor will give them sugemalimab through an infusion (drip) into a vein over 60 minutes every 3 weeks.  

    Clinical trials showed that sugemalimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy was more effective than placebo (a dummy treatment) in patients with Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. The main measure of effectiveness was survival without worsening (progression) of the cancer. Patients who had sugemalimab treatment lived on average 9.0 months without the disease getting worse, compared with 4.9 months for patients who did not receive sugemalimab.  

    During clinical studies, common side effects included a decreased number of red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body, increased blood levels of liver enzymes, sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol, decreased blood levels of calcium, potassium, sodium and thyroid hormone, increased levels of protein in the urine, and numbness, tingling or decreased sensation in part of the body. 

    As with any medicine, the MHRA will keep the safety and effectiveness of sugemalimab under close review.  Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the Yellow Card scheme, either through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/) or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.    

    Notes to editors    

    • The new marketing authorisation was granted on 30 October 2024 to CStone Pharmaceuticals  

    • This product was submitted and approved via a National procedure.  

    • More information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information leaflets which will be published on the MHRA Products website within 7 days of approval.  

    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.  

    • The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.  

    • For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Rebuilding after the wildfire: Parks Canada changes the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    In collaboration with the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada updates the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy to guide the recovery of the community..

    In collaboration with the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada updates the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy to guide the recovery of the community.

    October 30, 2024                              Jasper, Alberta                            Parks Canada

    Hundreds of Jasper homeowners are navigating the choices for rebuilding their homes after the Jasper Wildfire ignited structures in the town of Jasper in July 2024. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting residents as they rebuild, working side-by-side with the Municipality of Jasper.

    Today, Ministerial Lead for Jasper Recovery, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, released updates to local land use policy in the town of Jasper. The changes simplify the process of rebuilding for anyone who lost structures within the townsite. This builds on the momentum of Bill C-76, passed unanimously in Parliament to enable the transfer of some development authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper.

    The Government of Canada, through Parks Canada, with the Municipality of Jasper, have been working closely together through the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre. Together, they outlined a 5-phase approach to rebuilding Jasper. Today’s launch of the Rebuilding Guide marks the completion of Phase 1. This guide summarizes updates to the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy and Architectural Motif Guidelines to simplify the rebuilding process.

    The land use policy changes focus on making rebuilding easier for Jasperites, rebuilding with wildfire in mind, increasing housing options, climate resilience and sustainability. Individual changes are increasing community resilience to wildfire by requiring the use of noncombustible materials on the exterior of new buildings being rebuilt, and that the 1.5 m area around them are noncombustible. Key changes to support housing include allowing leaseholders with lots formerly zoned for single-detached dwellings to build either one or two primary dwelling units on a lot, reduced parking requirements, making subdivision easier and more options for accessory dwellings. Newly established minimum standards and guidance for those who wish to go beyond the minimum standard encourage a balance between safety and increased housing. This approach will provide the flexibility for innovation by homeowners while promoting essential safety and resilience while maintaining the unique character of the national park community. 

                                                                                                          -30-

    “Rebuilding Jasper is about more than about restoring lost structures; it’s an opportunity to reimagine our future with a focus on sustainability and resilience. By collaborating with Parks Canada, we can ensure that Jasper rebuilds in a sustainable way, integrating innovative practices that better protect our homes, our businesses and the environment, enhancing our community for residents and for our essential visitor economy. Together, we can create a more vibrant community that thrives on resilience, innovation, and unity, forging a path forward toward a brighter future for all.”

    Richard Ireland
    Mayor, Municipality of Jasper

    Oliver Anderson
    Director of Communications      
    Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    819-962-0686
    oIiver.anderson@ec.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Fiscal Affairs Department’s 60th Anniversary Conference: “60 Years of FAD: The Fiscal Affair Continues”

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    The Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) of the IMF will celebrate 60 years since it was formed in 1964 with a one-day conference, “60 Years of FAD: The Fiscal Affair Continues,“ on November 4, 2024, in Washington D.C., USA.

    Even as prospects for a global soft landing have improved, fiscal policy continues to struggle with legacies of high debt and deficits, while facing new challenges. Risks to public finances are acute, reflecting the pressures of aging societies, industrial policies, geopolitical tensions, the needs of a greener and more equitable society and now, the threat to labor from AI technologies. Lower medium-term growth prospects have worsened debt dynamics and compounded the risks to fiscal sustainability. Fiscal policy challenges are especially acute in low-income countries, where financing is scarce and limits the ability of governments to support economic and human development.

    In this context, the conference will bring together fiscal policy experts, senior policy makers, and former and current IMF staff. They will look back at the contributions of FAD to the global fiscal policy discourse and its service to the membership. They will discuss the likely evolution of sovereign debt market and the role that public policy can play in making AI beneficial for workers and growth. And they will look ahead to the challenges that will emerge for fiscal policy in the future, and the choices fiscal policymakers will face, especially in low-income and fragile countries. The conference will also be an occasion to celebrate the evolution and impact of FAD’s capacity development (CD) from serving a small section of the membership to covering nearly every corner of the world.

    Agenda

    8:30 A.M. Coffee and refreshments
    9:00 A.M. Opening remarks. Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, introduced by Vítor Gaspar, Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF.
    9:15 – 10:30 A.M. Sovereign Debt
     Moderator: Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, Director, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, IMF
    Panelists:

    S. Ali Abbas  (Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF)

    S. Ali Abbas is a deputy director in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department where he supervises the sovereign debt and governance workstreams, and oversees the department’s review of Fund programs in emerging and developing economies, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. He was previously IMF mission chief for the United Kingdom and Jordan, and deputy chief of the Debt Policy Division in the IMF’s Strategy Policy and Review Department. He has been closely involved in several complex Fund programs, and has led reforms to the IMF’s exceptional access lending and debt sustainability frameworks. In 2019, he co-edited Sovereign Debt: A Guide for Economists and Practitioners (OUP), with Alex Pienkowski and Kenneth Rogoff, adding to his earlier published work on post-GFC fiscal policy, the euro area sovereign debt crisis, international tax competition, state contingent debt instruments, fiscal policy and the current account, and government securities markets. Ali is a Rhodes scholar from Pakistan and holds a doctorate in economics from Oxford. He also served as an Overseas Development Institute fellow to the Tanzanian Treasury during 2000–02.

    Carlo Cottarelli (Former Director Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF)

    Carlo Cottarelli, a citizen of Italy, after receiving degrees in economics from the University of Siena and the London School of Economics, worked at the Bank of Italy, ENI and the IMF. He was FAD Director in 2008-13, Commissioner for Public Spending in Italy in 2013-14, IMF Executive Director in 2014-17. He taught at Bocconi University and he is currently Director of the Observatory on the Italian Public Accounts of the Catholic University of Milan, where he also teaches a course of Fiscal Macroeconomics In 2021 he was awarded the honor of First Class Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

    Christoph Trebesch (Professor, Kiel University)

    Christoph Trebesch is a professor at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the University of Kiel. His research focuses on international finance and macroeconomics as well as political economy and geopolitics. His research has been published in leading economic journals such as the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Political Economy, and is regularly cited in international media, including the New York Times, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He directs the CEPR Policy Network on “International Lending and Sovereign Debt” and co-directs the CEPR Network on “Geoeconomics”, for which he organizes an annual high-level conference on geopolitics and economics. He is also the creator of the widely referenced “Ukraine Support Tracker” on military and financial aid flows to Ukraine. In 2023, he was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant, one of the most prestigious research recognitions in Europe.
    10:30 – 11:00 AM The Surge in FAD’s Capacity Development Delivery (A/V) Moderators:

    Katherine Baer (Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF)

    Katherine Baer is a Deputy Director in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD). She oversees FAD’s work in the areas of taxation and public financial management, supervises Capacity Development (CD) delivery in all fiscal areas to countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Centra Asia, oversees FAD’s strategy to strengthen fiscal policies and institutions in the Fragile and Conflict-Affected States, and manages the department’s work on fiscal issues from a gender perspective. Her career at the IMF has focused on strengthening fiscal policies and institutions in member countries across all regions and income levels, and in countries experiencing economic crises. She has been an economist in the U.S. Treasury and an assistant commissioner in the Mexican Tax Administration. She also worked at the World Bank on public finance reforms in Latin America and the Caribbean at the height of the region’s debt crisis in the 1980s. Ms. Baer has many publications relating to public finance and holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

    Juan Toro (Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF)

    Juan Toro is Deputy Director of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), in charge of: managing FAD budget, relationship with development partners, overseeing governance and operations of FAD’s capacity development (CD), coordinating FAD’s CD to Europe, and coordinating FAD TA on sustainable development goals. He previously was Assistant Director in charge of the IMF’s revenue administration CD to Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Central Asia.

    He has led and participated in IMF TA missions in taxation in more than 40 countries and has authored and contributed to several analytical papers in taxation. Before joining the IMF in 2007, he was the Commissioner of the Chilean Tax Administration (Servicio de Impuestos Internos, SII) from 2002 to 2006.
    11.00 – 11:30 A.M. Coffee break
    11:30 A.M. – 12:45 P.M. FAD in the Global Discourse
    Moderator: Ruud De Mooij , Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
    Panelists:

    Zainab Ahmed (Alternate Executive Director, World Bank)

    Alternate Executive Director from Nigeria from July 2023 to October 2024. A Nigerian national representing – Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa (EDS25). Prior to joining the WBG, Ms. Ahmed has served a:- Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning (2018- 2023); Minister of State, Ministry of Budget and National Planning (2015 – 2018); Chair of the board of Trustees of the African Union Peace Fund (2019 – 2023). Member of the International Board, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) (2016 – 2019); Executive Secretary and National Coordinator, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) (2010 – 2015); and Managing Director, Kaduna Investment Company Ltd (2009 – 2010).

    Abdulelah Alrasheedy (Deputy Minister of Macro-Fiscal Policies, Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia)

    Dr. Abdulelah AlRasheedy is the Deputy Minister for Macro-Fiscal Policies at Ministry of Finance (MOF). Before being named Deputy Minister in March 2024, Dr. AlRasheedy was Assistant Deputy Minister for Macroeconomic Policies Analysis and Acting as General Supervisor of Policy and Consultation Assistant Deputyship.
    Prior to joining Ministry of Finance, Dr. Abdulelah spent 12 years with Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) most recently as Manager of Economic Modeling Division and was SAMA Representative at The International Financial Architecture Working Group.
    Dr. Abdulelah earned a Ph.D.  in economics and statistics from University of Missouri, where he was a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity.
    In addition to being a Deputy Minister, he is a board member of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy. Also a Ministry of Finance Representative for Financial Sustainability Board. 

    Adam Posen (President, Peterson Institute of International Economics)
    Mark Sobel (U.S. Chairman, OMFIF)

    Mark Sobel is currently US Chair at OMFIF.  He served  nearly four decades at the US Treasury, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Monetary Affairs from 2000-2015, a position in which he led the Department’s work in preparing G7 and G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor meetings, formulating US positions in the IMF, and coordinating the work of Treasury and regulatory agencies in the Financial Stability Board.  He was also chief US financial negotiator in the G20 from 2008-2015, including for the 2009 London Economic Summit.  From 2015 through early 2018, he was US representative at the IMF. 
    12:45 – 1:00 P.M. FAD Montage (A/V)
    A look back at FAD through the decades.
    1:00 – 2:15 P.M. Lunch (by invitation)
    2:15 – 3:30 P.M. Public Policy for AI
    Moderator: Era Dabla-Norris, Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
    Panelists:

    Simon Johnson (Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management & 2024  Nobel Prize Winner in Economics )

    Simon Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he is head of the Global Economics and Management group. At MIT, he is also co-director of the Shaping the Future of Work Initiative and a Research Affiliate at Blueprint Labs. In 2007-08, Johnson was chief economist and director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund. He currently co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council with Erkki Liikanen. In February 2021, Johnson joined the board of directors of Fannie Mae, where he is vice chair of the audit committee and a member of the risk and capital committee. Johnson’s most recent book, with Daron Acemoglu, Power and Progress: Our 1000-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, explores the history and economics of major technological transformations up to and including the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence.
    2024 Nobel prize laureate in economic sciences “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity”

    Branko Milanovic (Professor, City University of New York)

    Research professor at the Graduate Center, City University of New York and senior scholar at The Stone Center on Socio-economic Inequality; Visiting Professor at the Institute for International Inequalities at LSE; was lead economist in World Bank Research Department for almost 20 years and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. Milanovic’s main area of work is income inequality, in individual countries and globally, as well as historically among pre-industrial societies. His most recent books are Global inequality: a new approach for the age of globalization which deals with economic and political issues of globalization, and Capitalism, Alone that contrasts inequality and class formation in societies of liberal and political capitalism. In October 2023, he published Visions of Inequality that looks at how income distribution was studied by the most famous economists over the past 200 years. Milanovic was awarded (jointly with Mariana Mazzucato) the 2018 Leontieff Prize.

    Christine Qiang (Global Director, Digital Transformation Global Department, World Bank)
    3.30 – 4:00 P.M. Coffee break
    4:00 – 5:15 P.M. The Future of Fiscal Policy
    Moderator: Vítor Gaspar Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF
    Panelists:

    Jason Furman (Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University)

    Jason Furman is the Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy jointly at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Furman engages in public policy through research, writing and teaching in a wide range of areas including U.S. and international macroeconomics, fiscal policy, labor markets and competition policy. Previously Furman served eight years as a top economic adviser to President Obama, including serving as the 28th Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from August 2013 to January 2017, acting as both President Obama’s chief economist and a member of the cabinet. In addition to articles in scholarly journals and periodicals, Furman is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and Project Syndicate and the editor of two books on economic policy. Furman holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

    Ilan Goldfajn (President, Inter-American Development Bank)

    He was elected president of the IDB in November 2022, after serving as director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the International Monetary Fund. Previously, he was governor of the Banco Central do Brasil (2016-2019), where he led several modernization reforms, including promoting financial inclusion through Brazil’s fast digital payment system. He has also held several academic positions and high-ranking roles in Brazil’s financial sector.  In 2017, he was elected Central Banker of the Year by The Banker magazine.  Mr. Goldfajn holds a doctorate in economics from MIT, and master’s degree in economics from the Pontificia Universidade and has taught economics at universities in Brazil and the U.S. He is fluent in four languages.

    Mick Keen (Professor, Tokyo University)

    Michael Keen was formerly Deputy Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund. He is now Ushioda Fellow at the University of Tokyo. Michael was President of the International Institute of Public Finance from 2003 to 2006, awarded the CESifo Musgrave Prize in 2010, and in 2018 received from the National Tax Association of the United States its most prestigious award, the Daniel M. Holland Medal for distinguished lifetime contributions to the study and practice of public finance. His most recent book, Rebellion, Rascals and Revenues (with Joel Slemrod), aims to use history and humor to convey basic tax principles to a wider audience.
    5:15 P.M. Closing remarks
    Vítor Gaspar (Director, Fiscal Affairs Department )
    6:00 P.M. Adjourn

    Conference Organizing Committee: Katherine Baer (Deputy Director, FAD), Mitali Das (Advisor, FAD), and Andrew Okello (Deputy Division Chief, FAD).

    Conference Coordinators: Agnese de Leo (Administrative Coordinator), Harsha Padaruth (Administrative Coordinator), Luciana Marcelino (Administrative Coordinator) Martha Gaytan Frettlohr (Administrative Coordinator), Sahara De la Torre (Administrative Coordinator), and Sheetal Prasad (Senior Administrative Coordinator) – all FAD.

    The conference (which is in-person only) is open to all Fund employees and invited external guests (registration is required of external guests who will all receive a link to the registration form). Please note that the deadline for registration for this conference is October 25th, 2024. Registered external guests will be required to present photo identification on entering the IMF at 1900 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. For questions regarding the conference, please email FAD_60th_anniversary@imf.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CoRWM visits Wylfa nuclear power station

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Members met on Anglesey to learn more about the potential new nuclear development at its Closed and Open Plenary meetings.

    A sketch of Wylfa by CoRWM member Stephen Tromans (non-irradiated graphite on paper).

    On 11 and 12 September 2024, CoRWM members met on the beautiful island of Yns Mon (Anglesey) for its Closed and Open Plenary meetings. Some of the hardier members of the Committee were able to swim in the less than tropical waters of Trearddur Bay between working sessions. As well as our regular business, we had an excellent presentation from Sasha Wynn Davies, chair of the Wales Nuclear Forum.  North Wales has a strong nuclear heritage and is part of the “nuclear arc” of Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales. The power station at Wylfa was a crucial source of employment on Anglesey and Sasha left us in no doubt that the future economic and social well-being of the island is bound up with potential new nuclear development at that site, whether at gigawatt scale or with small modular reactors, or both.

    After our Open Plenary meeting, we were privileged to visit Wylfa, at the invitation of the site manager Stuart Law. Stuart and the site waste manager Adele Brooksbank gave us an excellent overview of the issues involved in decommissioning and waste management before taking us on an illuminating tour. It was opportune to make the visit for two reasons: first as a helpful complement to our visit to Trawsfynydd last year, another Magnox station, but a very different one; and secondly since the last visit by CoRWM members to Wylfa was in January 2015, almost 10 years ago. Much has happened since then including the consignment of the last batch of Magnox fuel to Sellafield for reprocessing in September 2019. It is greatly to the credit of the site management that defuelling was undertaken and completed so that Sellafield was not kept waiting for the fuel., and moreover that the site was able to reshuffle fuel between reactors to accommodate the earlier delays in Sellafield’s readiness to receive spent fuel. The site has also completed the difficult job of dealing with a number of badly corroded fuel elements affected by a water leak into the dry store in the past.

    This location of Wyla on the north coast of Anglesey was chosen for a nuclear power station because of its geological stability and easy access from the sea for construction materials. The proximity of seawater was important for cooling its twin nuclear reactors, the last and largest of the Magnox type. Construction began in 1963 and the station fed its first electricity into the supply grid in 1971. A high-voltage power line was built across Anglesey to transport the electricity. A considerable portion of the output, up to 255 MW, was consumed by the nearby Anglesey Aluminium smelting plant.

     Wylfa was the last of the ten Magnox power stations to be built and the second constructed with a pre-stressed concrete vessel. Construction began in 1963  at a cost of £740 million and commercial operation commenced in 1971. Its twin reactors and associated turbo-generators had a generating capacity of up to 980 megawatts (electrical) [MW(e)]. It was the largest of the Magnox stations and its massive scale was very apparent on our site tour. Over its life from 1971 to 2015, Wylfa produced 232 TW hours of electricity, a very significant contribution to the UK’s power needs.

    It is proposed to have the site ready for a period of care and maintenance by 2037, which will leave just the reactors and dry store cells. However, critically, achieving that goal will depend on reliable funding. In particular, certainty of funding is necessary because of the long lead in times to projects because of the need to comply with procurement legislation. It was clear that in some cases better, storage facilities are needed for waste, with some wastes having to be stored in makeshift locations. While this is not unsafe, it is certainly sub-optimal in terms of handling and access.  Considerable use was made of asbestos as a cheap building material during construction in the 1960s, and this will present its own challenges in achieving a state of passive safety for the remaining buildings.

    In terms of waste disposal offsite, we were interested to hear of the cessation of shipments to the LLWR at Drigg, in favour of commercial licensed landfills and incinerators. Since 2007, government policy and strategy has sought to divert wastes away from the LLWR where alternative routes are available, as LLWR itself is seen as a valuable national resource and subject to increasing space constraints. Also, the Wylfa environmental permit was varied to allow a wider range of suitable disposal routes. The site will generate about 3,000 tonnes of graphite, currently packed as tightly as possible for a core design, and which once dismantled and packaged for a GDF will have an increased volume of 2.6. This illustrates graphically the future demands on space in a GDF from this particular waste stream.

    Finally we had an interesting visit to the control room for the twin reactors. The enormous size of Wylfa’s cores gave inherent stability against transients, i.e. changes in the coolant system temperature, or pressure, caused by changes in power output, by evening out fluctuations. This will have been beneficial in terms of waste production, and may be a factor to bear in mind with a generation of smaller reactors in the offing. It was also interesting to hear (at least for those of us more technically minded) that some fuel had been in low flux regions of the core for 22 years: this must presumably have been beneficial in terms of spent fuel arisings relative to the 11 outages that will have happened during that time. Also, online refuelling at Wylfa may well have enabled greater fidelity in fuel discharge and hence less spent fuel volume. This does illustrate an important linkage between reactor design and operation and spent fuel generation.

    This useful visit left us with plenty to consider in our ongoing work. We were impressed that Stuart Law had worked at Wylfa for 32 years and his pride in both the history and current phase of the site, together with his intimate knowledge, were apparent. The challenge at Wylfa and of course other Magnox and AGR sites will be maintaining those levels of commitment and practical knowledge as the current generation of management retires.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: CEO Emre Gürsoy leaves Agillic and Christian Samsø is appointed new CEO

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Announcement no. 08 2024
    Inside information

    Copenhagen – 30 October 2024 – Agillic A/S

    The Board of Directors of Agillic A/S (“Agillic”) informs that CEO Emre Gürsoy leaves the company, and that
    Christian Samsø is appointed new CEO of Agillic.

    Mr. Samsø has served as Chief Sales Officer and in the Management Team of Agillic since late September 2024. His previous experience includes positions as CEO of Goodiebox, CEO of CBIT and he holds a board position in MapsPeople.

    Christian Samsø will take up the position as CEO, and Emre Gürsoy will leave the company with immediate effect.

    For further information, please contact:
    Joar Welde, Chair of the Board of Directors
    Joar.Welde@vikingventure.com

    Certified Adviser
    John Norden, Norden CEF A/S

    About Agillic A/S
    Agillic is a Danish software company offering brands a platform through which they can work with data-driven insights and content to create. automate and send personalised communication to millions. Agillic is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with teams in Germany, Norway, and Romania.
    For further information, please visit www.agillic.com  

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: LECTRA: Q3 and First Nine Months of 2024 financial report available

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Q3 and First Nine Months of 2024 financial report available

    Paris, October 30, 2024 – Lectra informs its shareholders, in compliance with Article 221-4-IV of the General Regulation of the Autorité des marchés financiers, that the Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the third quarter and the nine months of 2024 is available on the company’s website: www.lectra.com

    It is also available, upon request, at the company’s headquarters 16-18 rue Chalgrin, 75016 Paris (email: investor.relations@lectra.com).

    About Lectra

    A major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the development of Industry 4.0 with boldness and passion, fully integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into its global strategy.The Group offers industrial intelligence solutions – software, cutting equipment, data analysis solutions and associated services – that facilitate the digital transformation of the companies it serves. In doing so, Lectra helps its customers push boundaries and unlock their potential. The Group is proud to state that its 3,000 employees are driven by three core values: being open-minded thinkers, trusted partners and passionate innovators. Founded in 1973, Lectra reported revenues of 478 million euros in 2023. The company is listed on Euronext, where it is included in the following indices: CAC All Shares, CAC Technology, EN Tech Leaders and ENT PEA-PME 150. For more information, visit lectra.com.

    Lectra – World Headquarters: 16–18, rue Chalgrin • 75016 Paris • France
    Tel. +33 (0)1 53 64 42 00 – www.lectra.com
    A French Société Anonyme with capital of €37,832,965 • RCS Paris B 300 702 305

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: LECTRA: First nine months of 2024: revenues and EBITDA continued to grow, despite the degraded environment

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    First nine months of 2024: revenues and EBITDA continued to grow, despite the degraded environment

    • Revenues: 394.2 million euros (+10%)*
    • EBITDA before non-recurring items: 68.5 million euros (+16%)*

            
    *At actual exchange rates

         
    In millions of euros July 1 – September 30 January 1 – September 30
      2024(1) 2023 2024(1) 2023
    Revenues 131.9 118.7 394.2 358.3
    Change at actual exchange rates (in %) 11%   10%  
    EBITDA before non-recurring items(2) 26.2 23.9 68.5 59.2
    Change at actual exchange rates (in %) 10%   16%  
    EBITDA margin before non-recurring items
    (in % of revenues)    		 19.9% 20.1% 17.4% 16.5%
    Income from operations before non-recurring items (2) 15.7 16.4 37.3 36.7
    Change at actual exchange rates (in %) -5%   2%  
    Net income(3) 10.1 11.0 21.2 24.9
    Free cash flow before non-recurring items (2) 21.6 15.5 49.9 32.1
             

    (1)  The 2024 amounts include Launchmetrics since January 23, 2024
    (2)  The definition for performance indicators appears in the September 30, 2024 Financial Report
    (3)  In 2023, net income included the impact of non-recurring income of 2.6 million euros

    Paris, October 30, 2024. Today, Lectra’s Board of Directors, chaired by Daniel Harari, reviewed the consolidated financial statements for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2024, which have not been reviewed by the Statutory Auditors. To facilitate the analysis of the Group’s results in its new scope, the accounts of Lectra excluding Launchmetrics (the “Lectra 2023 scope”) and those of Launchmetrics are analyzed separately.

    The detailed 2024 vs 2023 comparisons are based on actual exchange rates, except for the Lectra 2023 scope stated on a like-for-like basis.

    1. Q3 2024

    The macroeconomic and geopolitical environment experienced further degradation in the third quarter but with heterogeneous situations across different geographical markets and market sectors.

    This situation resulted in a cautious position on the part of the Group’s customers in their investment decisions, resulting in a negative effect, particularly on orders for new systems.

    However, driven by both the integration of Launchmetrics and the improvement in the Group’s fundamentals –growth in recurring revenues, higher gross profit, growth in EBITDA before non-recurring items and near-coverage of all fixed costs through recurring activity– Q3 2024 revenues (131.9 million euros) and EBITDA before non-recurring items (26.2 million euros) increased significantly (by 11% and 10%, respectively). The EBITDA margin before non-recurring items stood at 19.9%.

    Lectra 2023 scope

    Orders for perpetual software licenses, equipment and accompanying software, and non-recurring services (32.2 million euros) were stable compared to Q3 2023.

    The annual value of new subscriptions for software came to 2.6 million euros, up 17% compared to Q3 2023.

    Q3 2024 revenues came to 120.8 million euros, up 3% compared Q3 2023. EBITDA before non-recurring items was 23.5 million euros and EBITDA margin before non-recurring items stood at 19.5% (-0.5 percentage point).

    1. FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2024

    Revenues for the first nine months of 2024 were 394.2 million euros, up 10%, with the following breakdown: 111.3 million euros in revenus from new systems (28% of total revenues, down 5%) and 282.9 million euros in recurring revenues (72% of total revenues, up 18%), including 56.4 million euros in SaaS revenue (14% of total revenues, multiplied by 2.6)

    Gross profit came to 281.6 million euros, up 13% compared to the first nine months of 2023, and the gross profit margin came to 71.4%, up 1.7 percentage points.

    EBITDA before non-recurring items totalled 68.5 million euros, up 16%, and the EBITDA margin before non-recurring items rose to 17.4%, up 0.9 percentage point.

    Consolidated income from operations before non-recurring items amounted to 37.3 million euros, up 2%. This included a 16.8 million euros charge for amortization of intangible assets arising from acquisitions made since 2021, including 7.4 million euros for Launchmetrics.

    Considering this amortization, the increase in financial expenses and an income tax charge of 10.0 million euros, net income totalled 21.2 million euros. Net income for the first nine months of 2023 (24.9 million euros) included the impact of a non-recurring income of 2.6 million euros in Q3 2023.

    Free cash flow before non-recurring items came to 49.9 million euros, up sharply from 32.1 million euros in the first nine months of 2023.

    As of September 30, 2024, the Group has a particularly robust balance sheet, with consolidated shareholders’ equity of 332.7 million euros, a negative working capital requirement of 8.7 million euros and net financial debt of 41.0 million euros after payment of the first tranche of the acquisition of Launchmetrics, i.e., 77.0 million euros.

    Lectra 2023 scope

    In the first nine months of 2024, orders for perpetual software licenses, equipment and accompanying software, and non-recurring services (106.3 million euros) were stable compared to the same period in 2023. The annual value of new software subscription orders came to 8.0 million euros, up 4% compared to the first nine months of 2023.

    Revenues amounted to 364.0 million euros, up 2% compared to the first nine months of 2023.

    EBITDA before non-recurring items was 63.2 million euros, up 8%, and the EBITDA margin before non-recurring items came to 17.4%, up 1.0 percentage point compared to 2023.

    1. BUSINESS TRENDS AND OUTLOOK

    In its financial report on the fourth quarter and full year 2023, published on February 14, 2024, Lectra reiterated its long-term vision, as well as the objectives of its 2023-2025 strategic roadmap and its ambitions for 2025: revenues of 600 million euros, of which 400 million euros in recurring revenues, including 90 million euros in SaaS revenues, and an EBITDA margin before non-recurring items exceeding 20%.

    The Group also stated that while the substantial improvement in the fundamentals of the Group’s business model in 2023 would have a positive impact on 2024 results, persistent macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties could continue to weigh on investment decisions by its customers.

    On February 14, the Group reported its objectives for 2024, before including the Launchmetrics acquisition (i.e., for the Lectra 2023 scope): to achieve revenues in the range of 480 to 530 million euros (+2% to +12%) and EBITDA before non-recurring items in the range of 85 to 107 million euros (+10% to +40%).

    The Group also reported that Launchmetrics revenues (for the consolidation period from January 23 to December 31, 2024) were projected to be in the range of 42 to 46 million euros, with an EBITDA margin before non-recurring items of more than 15%.

    These scenarios were prepared based on the closing exchange rates on December 29, 2023, and particularly $1.10/€1.

    Given the results for the first nine months of 2024, full year revenues and EBITDA before non-recurring items are expected to reach the lower end of the indicated ranges.

    The 2024 Annual Financial Report, as well as the Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations and the financial statements for the first nine months of 2024 are available on lectra.com. Q3 and the first nine months of 2024 earnings will be published on October 30, 2024.

    About Lectra

    A major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the development of Industry 4.0 with boldness and passion, fully integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into its global strategy.The Group offers industrial intelligence solutions – software, cutting equipment, data analysis solutions and associated services – that facilitate the digital transformation of the companies it serves. In doing so, Lectra helps its customers push boundaries and unlock their potential. The Group is proud to state that its 3,000 employees are driven by three core values: being open-minded thinkers, trusted partners and passionate innovators. Founded in 1973, Lectra reported revenues of 478 million euros in 2023. The company is listed on Euronext, where it is included in the following indices: CAC All Shares, CAC Technology, EN Tech Leaders and ENT PEA-PME 150. For more information, visit lectra.com.

    Lectra – World Headquarters: 16–18, rue Chalgrin • 75016 Paris • France
    Tel. +33 (0)1 53 64 42 00 – www.lectra.com
    A French Société Anonyme with capital of €37,832,965 • RCS Paris B 300 702 305

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: WhiteBIT Surpasses 5 Million Users, Strengthening Its Leadership in Europe’s Crypto Market

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VILNIUS, Lithuania, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As WhiteBIT approaches its 6th anniversary in November, the exchange continues to reinforce its role as a prominent player in Europe’s cryptocurrency sector, driven by a focus on user experience, security, and strategic partnerships. 

    WhiteBIT, one of Europe’s largest centralized crypto exchanges, is proud to announce it has reached a major milestone, exceeding 5 million users. In the past year, WhiteBIT added over 1 million new users, more than doubling its user base since 2022. The platform’s trading volume exceeded $1 trillion across spot and futures markets, and its B2B services now support over 1,000 business clients. This growth reflects the increasing trust in WhiteBIT as a secure platform for digital asset trading among investors. 

    “Our mission from the start has been to make cryptocurrency accessible, secure, and trusted across Europe and beyond. Hitting 5 million users is more than just a number—it’s a validation of our efforts. We keep focusing on continuous innovation and fostering trust in the digital economy,” comments Volodymyr Nosov, CEO of WhiteBIT.

    Growth Fueled by Strategic Partnerships

    Partnerships have been a cornerstone of WhiteBIT’s growth strategy. Collaborations with major football clubs and organizations, such as FC Barcelona, FC Trabzonspor, and the Ukrainian national football team, as well as FACEIT in e-sports have bolstered its brand presence. Moreover, WhiteBIT has established an alliance with Georgia’s Hash Bank.

    For its institutional clients, WhiteBIT has partnered with Fireblocks, a leader in digital asset management, which strengthens its services for businesses looking to expand in the crypto space.

    Expanding Ecosystem and Technological Advancements

    WhiteBIT has also made strategic advancements in blockchain technology, unveiling its rebranded blockchain, Whitechain, which has already processed 50 million transactions and facilitated 25,000 NFTs. Additionally, WhitePool, the exchange’s Bitcoin mining pool, has ranked among the top 15 mining pools worldwide and is now one of the largest mining pool backed by a centralized exchange.

    Global Expansion and Commitment to Security

    WhiteBIT has been rapidly expanding its presence beyond Europe, establishing offices in Australia, Georgia, the UK, and Turkey. With a team of over 1,100 professionals globally, WhiteBIT is steadily growing its international footprint while staying rooted in its Ukrainian origins.

    In its growth, security remains a top priority for WhiteBIT. According to cer.live, the exchange consistently ranks among the top five most secure platforms. Its robust security protocols, including WAF firewalls, strict AML policies, and mandatory KYC procedures, recently earned WhiteBIT the Hacken Security Award 2024 at TOKEN2049 in Singapore.

    WhiteBIT continues to lead in blockchain innovation, fostering technological progress and championing the global cryptocurrency community. As the exchange grows, WhiteBIT empowers users and businesses to embrace digital assets while bridging the gap between traditional finance and the evolving world of cryptocurrency.

    About WhiteBIT

    WhiteBIT, established in 2018, is one of the largest centralized crypto exchanges in Europe. It offers over 600+ trading pairs, 300+ digital assets, and supports 9 national currencies. WhiteBIT is an official partner of the Ukrainian national football team, FC Barcelona, FC Trabzonspor, and FACEIT. The exchange is dedicated to advancing blockchain technology and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards in all jurisdictions where it operates.

    Users can visit:

    Twitter | FaceBook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Telegram | Discord | Medium

    Contact

    WhiteBit

    pr@whitebit.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New funding to fix the NHS: here’s how it will be spent

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Chancellor has announced 40,000 more appointments each week to cut NHS waiting lists.

    The NHS needs both investment and reform. As part of the Autumn Budget 2024, the government has allocated our most valued public service an extra £25.7 billion over this year and next. 

    This is the biggest increase in NHS spending since 2010, excluding COVID-19 years. 

    It includes funding to reduce waiting times by supporting the NHS to deliver an extra 40,000 elective appointments a week. Elective appointments are appointments planned in advance, such as knee replacements. 

    Since July, the government has invested an additional £1.8 billion to support this. 

    These extra appointments will help reduce waiting times. This is part of our plan to make sure patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from their referral to getting treatment.  

    The Budget also includes:  

    • £1.5 billion to fund new surgical hubs which will help build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures, and more than 1.25 million additional diagnostic tests (which use CT or MRI scanners) 

    • £70 million to invest in new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment 

    • Over £2 billion for NHS technology and digital improvements to increase productivity and save staff time 

    • Over £600 million increase in local government spending to support social care  

    • £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres 

    Our long-term plans for the NHS  

    Looking beyond this Budget, the government will publish a 10-year health plan for the NHS in spring 2025.  

    This will set out the long-term vision for fixing the NHS.  

    Change NHS: submit your own ideas for how to fix the NHS

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: A Budget to fix the foundations and deliver change for Wales

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Chancellor takes long-term decisions to restore stability, rebuild Britain and protect working people across Wales.

    HM Treasury

    • Chancellor takes long-term decisions to restore stability, rebuild Britain and protect working people across Wales.
    • No change to working people’s payslips as employee national insurance and VAT stay the same, but businesses and the wealthiest asked to pay their fair share.
    • Record £21 billion for the Welsh Government in 2025/26 includes £1.7 billion through the Barnett formula.
    • Funding for freeports, City and Growth Deals and coal tips to fire up growth and deliver good jobs across Wales.

    The Chancellor has delivered a Budget to fix the foundations to deliver on the promise of change after a decade and a half of stagnation. She set out plans to rebuild Britain, while ensuring working people across Wales don’t face higher taxes in their payslips. The UK Government was handed a challenging inheritance; £22 billion of unfunded in-year spending pressures, debt at its highest since the 1960s, an unrealistic forecast for departmental spending, and stagnating living standards.

    This Budget takes difficult decisions to restore economic and fiscal stability, so that the UK Government can invest in the economic future of Wales and lay the foundations for growth across the UK as its number one mission.

    The Chancellor announced that the Welsh Government will be provided with a £21 billion settlement in 2025/26 – the largest in real terms in the history of devolution. This includes a £1.7 billion top-up through the Barnett formula, with £1.5 billion for day-to-day spending and £250 million for capital investment.

    Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

    This Budget has delivered for Wales for the first time in a generation.

    The biggest settlement since devolution will provide a record boost to spending for the Welsh Government to support public services like the NHS while thousands of working people across Wales will benefit from today’s increases to their wages.

    Little more than a week after the anniversary of Aberfan disaster it is fitting that we have committed £25m to make coal tips safe. It is testament to the new relationship between the UK and Welsh government, based on cooperation, respect and delivery.

    We will also drive economic growth and support our world-leading Welsh industries with Investment Zones, Freeports and funding for communities across Wales.

    We have prioritised money to support our steel communities, with nearly £100m to support workers and businesses.

    This Budget delivers on what’s important to the people of Wales, and shows the difference we can make when two governments work together for the benefit of all.

    Protecting working people and living standards

    While fixing the inheritance requires tough decisions, the Chancellor has committed to protecting the living standards of working people. The decisions taken by the Chancellor to rebuild public finances enable the UK Government to deliver on its pledge to not increase National Insurance or VAT on working people in Wales, meaning they will not see higher taxes in their payslip.

    • The National Living Wage will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour from April 2025. The 6.7% increase – worth £1,400 a year for a full-time worker – is a significant move towards delivering a genuine living wage.
    • The National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds will also see a record rise from £8.60 to £10 an hour.
    • Working people will benefit from these increases, with there estimated to be over 70,000 minimum wage workers in Wales in 2023.
    • The Chancellor has made the decision to protect working people in Wales from being dragged into higher tax brackets by confirming that National Insurance Contributions thresholds will be unfrozen from 2028-29 onwards.
    • The Chancellor is also protecting motorists by freezing fuel duty for one year – a tax cut worth £3 billion, with the temporary 5p cut extended to 22 March 2026. This will benefit an estimated 2.1 million people in Wales, saving the average car driver £59, vans £126 and Heavy Goods Vehicles £1,079 next year.
    • To support Welsh pubs and smaller brewers in Wales, the UK Government is cutting duty on qualifying draught products by 1p, which represent approximately 3 in 5 alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This measure reduces duty bills by over £70 million a year, cutting duty on an average strength pint in a pub by a penny. The relief available to small producers will be updated to help smaller brewers and cidermakers.  
    • Over 600,000 Welsh pensioners will benefit from a 4.1% increase to their new or basic State Pension in April 2025. This is an additional £470 a year for those on the new State Pension and an additional £360 a year for those on the basic State Pension.
    • Households eligible for Pension Credit will get £465 a year more for single pensioners and up to £710 a year more for couples due to a 4.1% increase in the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee, benefitting 80,000 pensioners in Wales.
    • Around 1.1 million families in in Wales will see their working-age benefits uprated in line with inflation – a £150 gain on average in 2025-26.
    • Reducing the maximum level of debt repayments that can be deducted from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month from 25% to 15% will benefit a Welsh family by over £420 a year on average.
    • The weekly earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance will be increased by £45 a week from April next year, expanding support to more carers in Wales and helping them balance work and caring responsibilities. This is the largest ever increase to the earnings limit and provides certainty for carers with a commitment that the earnings limit will increase with the National Living Wage in the future.

    Rebuilding Britain

    This UK Government will not make a return to austerity and will instead boost investment to rebuild Britain and lay the foundations for growth in Wales. This includes £160 million of targeted funding for the Welsh Government, of which £150 million is in capital investment.

    • The UK Government will deliver £88 million for City and Growth Deals, unlocking growth and investment across Wales.
    • The government also confirms £80 million funding for the Port Talbot / Tata Steel Transition Board, with work already underway to support workers and businesses affected by decarbonisation at Tata Steel.
    • £29 million of funding will be provided to the Welsh Government for the necessary build costs of border facilities in Holyhead and Pembrokeshire.
    • Essential work being undertaken by the Welsh Government to keep disused coal tips maintained and safe will be supported by £25 million of funding in 2025/26.
    • The Budget gives certainty to local leaders and investors, confirming funding for the Investment Zones and Freeports programmes across the UK – including the Celtic Freeport where tax sites will be operational from next month.
    • The Chancellor committed the UK Government to working closely with the Welsh Government on the Industrial Strategy, 10-year infrastructure strategy and the National Wealth Fund – to ensure the benefits of these are felt UK-wide and as part of the relationship reset between governments. These will mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s world-leading clean energy and growth industries.
    • Under-served parts of Wales will benefit from the rollout of digital infrastructure enabled by over £500 million of UK-wide investment in Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.
    • A corporate tax roadmap will provide businesses with the stability and certainty they need to make long-term investment decisions and support our growth mission. It confirms our competitive offer, with the lowest Corporate Tax rate in the G7 and generous support for investment and innovation.
    • The UK Government will also proceed with implementing the 45%/40% rates of the theatre, orchestra, museum and galleries tax relief from 1 April 2025 to provide certainty to businesses in Wales’ thriving cultural sector.

    Repairing public finances

    The Chancellor has made clear that, whilst protecting working people with measures to reduce the cost of living, there would be difficult decisions required. The Budget will ask businesses and the wealthiest to pay their fair share while making taxes fairer. This will go directly towards fixing the foundations of the UK economy.

    • The rate of Employers’ National Insurance will increase by 1.2 percentage points, to 15%. The Secondary Threshold – the level at which employers start paying national insurance on each employee’s salary – will reduce from £9,100 per year to £5,000 per year.
    • The smallest businesses will be protected as the Employment Allowance will increase to £10,500 from £5,000, allowing Welsh firms to employ four National Living Wage workers full time without paying employer national insurance on their wages.
    • Capital Gains Tax will increase from 10% to 18% for those paying the lower rate, and 20% to 24% for those paying the higher rate.
    • To encourage entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) will remain at 10% this year, before rising to 14% on 6 April 2025 and 18% from 6 April 2026-27.
    • The lifetime limit of BADR will be maintained at £1 million. The lifetime limit of Investors’ Relief will be reduced from £10 million to £1 million.
    • The OBR say changes to CGT will raise over £2.5 billion a year and the UK will continue to have the lowest CGT rate of any European G7 country.
    • Inheritance Tax thresholds will be fixed at their current levels for a further two years until April 2030. More than 90% of estates each year will be outside of its scope. From April 2027 inherited pensions will be subject to Inheritance Tax. This removes a distortion which has led to pensions being used as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth rather than their original purpose to fund retirement.
    • From April 2026, agricultural property relief and business property relief will be reformed. The highest rate of relief will continue at 100% for the first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets, fully protecting the majority of businesses and farms. It will reduce to 50% after the first £1 million. Reforms will affect the wealthiest 2,000 estates each year. Inheritance Tax reforms in total are predicted by the OBR to raise £2 billion to support stability.
    • From 2026-27 Air Passenger Duty (APD) for short and long-haul flights will increase by 13% to the nearest pound, a partial adjustment to account for previous high inflation. For economy passengers, this means a maximum £2 extra per short haul flight and tickets for children under the age of 16 remain exempt from APD. APD for larger private jets will be increased by a further 50%.

    The Budget also announced a package of measures that disincentivise activities that cause ill health, by:

    • Renewing the tobacco duty escalator which increases all tobacco duty rates by RPI+2% plus an above escalator increase to hand rolling tobacco (totalling RPI+12%).  
    • Introducing a new vaping duty at a flat rate of 22p/ml from October 2026, accompanied by a further one-off increase in tobacco duty to maintain financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking. 
    • To help tackle obesity and other harms caused by high sugar intake, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will increase to account for inflation since it was last updated in 2018, and the duty will rise in line with inflation every year going forward.
    • The UK Government will also uprate alcohol duty in line with RPI on 1 February 2025, except for most drinks in pubs.

    The UK Government has set out the next steps to deliver its tax manifesto commitments in the July Statement. Having consulted on the final policy details where appropriate, this Budget delivers the UK Government’s manifesto commitments to raise revenue to pay for First Steps, with reforms that are underpinned by fairness, and tackle tax avoidance by:  

    • A new residence-based regime will replace the current non-dom regime from April 2025 and will be designed to attract investment and talent to the UK.
    • Offshore trusts will no longer be able to be used to shelter assets from Inheritance Tax, and there will be transitional arrangement in place for people who have made plans based on current rules.
    • The planned 50% reduction for foreign income in the first year of the new regime will be removed.
    • Reforms to the non-dom regime will raise a total of £12.7 billion according to the OBR.
    • The tax treatment of carried interest will be reformed by first increasing the Capital Gains Tax rates on carried interest to 32% and then, from April 2026, moving to a revised regime – with bespoke rules to reflect the characteristics of the reward.
    • The UK Government will also introduce 20% VAT on education and boarding services provided for a charge by private schools from 1 January 2025.

    The Chancellor also doubled down on fiscal responsibility through two new fiscal rules that put the public finances on a sustainable path and prioritise investment to support long-term growth, and new principles of stability. Spending Reviews will be held every two years, setting plans for at least three years to ensure public services are always planned and improve value for money. 

    One major fiscal event per year will give families and businesses stability and certainty on tax and spending changes, while giving the Welsh Government greater clarity for in its own budget-setting.  A Fiscal Lock will also ensure no future government can sideline the OBR again.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to the news that UKHSA has detected the first case of Clade Ib mpox in the UK, in an individual who’d been on holiday in Africa

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on news that the first case of Clade Ib Mpox has been detected in the UK. 

    Dr Brian Ferguson, Associate Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge, said:

    “The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced today that it has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox in the UK.  This case is from an individual who has recently returned from travelling in countries in Africa where there are currently cases of Clade 1b mpox being found in the community.  This is an unsurprising event and likely will not be the only time this happens in the UK.  It follows discovery of similar imported cases in Germany and Sweden and other countries globally.  The close contacts of this individual are being sought and should be offered testing and vaccines in line with current policy to help reduce the chances of onward transmission.  The UK government recently purchased 150,000 doses of mpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic to help with such efforts, although the longevity of the protection afforded by this vaccine has recently been called into question.  The clade 1b mpox is more virulent than clade 2 virus that caused the outbreak in 2022 and is causing more cases of disease in younger people than the clade 2 virus in Africa.  As such continued surveillance and early diagnosis and treatment is very important to minimise the chances of onward transmission of imported cases.”

    Prof Jonathan Ball, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Professor of Molecular Virology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said:

    “This is not unexpected.  There are active human to human transmission chains of Clade 1b monkeypox infections in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and therefore people coming into close contact with anyone infected is at risk.

    “WHO previously announced the Mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in recognition of its potential for continued and potentially accelerated spread if the global community did not come together in a concerted effort to stamp out the current outbreak.  This was more recently backed up by the announcement yesterday of activation of the Global Health Emergency Corps to strengthen the response.

    “The number of cases reported outside of Africa remains low, but the ability of Clade 1b virus to spread by human to human transmission means that this issue can not be ignored.  It is unlikely that we will see extensive outbreaks in countries with well developed public health and surveillance systems, but it is a reminder that we need to do more to remove health inequalities around the world.”

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-detects-first-case-of-clade-ib-mpox

    Declared interests

    Dr Brian Ferguson: “I don’t have any conflicts of interest.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Budget marks ‘step in right direction’

    Source: Scottish Government

    Finance Secretary responds to UK Autumn Budget.

    Finance Secretary Shona Robison has welcomed additional funding in the Autumn Budget, but said the Scottish Government will still face “enormous cost pressures” despite the measures.

    The Finance Secretary said:

    “We called for increased investment in public services, infrastructure and tackling poverty. This budget is a step in the right direction, but still leaves us facing enormous cost pressures going forwards. The additional funding for this financial year has already been factored into our spending plans.

    “By changing her fiscal rules and increasing investment in infrastructure, the Chancellor has met a core ask of the Scottish Government. But after 14 years of austerity, it’s going to take more than one year to rebuild and recover – we will need to see continued investment over the coming years to reset and reform public services.

    “Indeed, there is a risk that by providing more funding for public services while increasing employer national insurance contributions, the UK Government is giving with one hand while taking away with the other. We estimate that the employer national insurance change could add up to £500 million in costs for the public sector unless it is fully reimbursed – and there is a danger that we won’t get that certainty until after the Scottish budget process for 2025/26 has concluded.

    “With the lingering effects of the cost of living crisis still hitting family finances, it is disappointing that there was no mention of abolishing the two-child limit, which evidence shows would be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce child poverty. Neither was there mention of funding for the Winter Fuel Payment.

    “As ever, the devil is in the detail, and we will now take the time to assess the full implications of today’s statement. I will be announcing further details as part of the Scottish Budget on 4 December.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: David Goldstone CBE appointed as independent Chair of the Office for Value for Money

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Office for Value for Money will place value for money at the heart of government spending decisions.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer has today announced the appointment of David Goldstone as independent Chair of the Office for Value for Money.

    David will advise the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury on decisions for the multi-year Spending Review. This will include conducting an assessment of where and how to root out waste and inefficiency, undertaking value for money studies in specific high-risk areas of cross-departmental spending, and scrutinising investment proposals to ensure they offer value for money. David will also develop recommendations for system reform, underpinning a ruthless focus within government on realising benefits from every pound of public spending.

    David Goldstone, Chair of the Office for Value for Money, said:

    I am honoured to have been appointed by the Chancellor and Chief Secretary to this important role. I look forward to working within government over the coming year to bring renewed focus to ensuring we deliver maximum value for the public in how money is spent.

    Alongside his role as Chair of the Office for Value for Money, David Goldstone is also a Non-Executive Director of the Submarine Delivery Agency, a Non-Executive Director of HS2 Ltd, acting as HM Treasury’s representative on the Board, and a member of the Projects & Programmes Committee of GB Nuclear. Prior to this, David served as Chief Executive of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority since July 2020. He was also a member of the Board of the Major Projects Association from 2022 to 2024. 

    David was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Ministry of Defence, where he led the Department’s complex multi-billion transformation programme, and represented the Department on the Boards of the military commands. 

    David played a leading role in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  He was responsible for overseeing the Government’s £9.3bn investment for the 2012 Games including the delivery of the Olympic Park venues and infrastructure. As CEO of the London Legacy Development Corporation, David was responsible for the delivery of the East London regeneration legacy, including the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding areas. David was also previously Transport for London’s Chief Finance Officer.

    David trained as a CIPFA accountant whilst at the Audit Commission before moving to Price Waterhouse and then spending 12 years in the delivery of locally based investment programmes for Government. He had previously spent two years as a secondary school teacher.  

    Notes to Editors

    • Autumn Budget 2024 announced the formal launch of the Office for Value for Money (OVfM), with the direct ministerial appointment of David Goldstone as the independent Chair of OVfM. As part of his role, David will advise the Chancellor on the multi-year Spending Review. In order to ensure David is in place to perform this role, a Direct Ministerial appointment process was run. The criteria used are set out in the accompanying Terms of Reference.

    • David was appointed Treasury-nominated Non-Executive Director on the board of HS2 on 1st June 2024.

    • The OVfM will be time limited, and David Goldstone will take up the role on a part-time basis for an initial 12 month period, starting on 30 October 2024. The Government will set out its decisions on the future of the Office and other activities to improve value for money in due course.

    • David will be supported by a multidisciplinary team of up to 20 civil servants based in HM Treasury.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Forever chemicals are in our drinking water – here’s how to reduce them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stuart Harrad, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, University of Birmingham

    fast-stock/Shutterstock

    News reports of so-called forever chemicals in drinking water have left people worried about the safety of tap and bottled water. But recent research has shown there are ways to significantly reduce the levels of these harmful chemicals in our water.

    Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide range of synthetic chemicals that are used in many everyday products such as cosmetics, fabrics and food packaging (where they are used to make products resistant to water and grease), as well as in fire-fighting foams.

    Unusually in the chemical universe, the structures of PFAS include groups of atoms within the same molecule that imbue them with both water-hating and water-loving properties. They are also resistant to degradation.

    While this latter characteristic can improve the quality of the products we buy, it also means it is nearly impossible to break these chemicals down once they escape into the environment. Some PFAS chemicals are are also toxic. For example, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been classified as carcinogenic to humans, and has been found to lower immune response to common childhood vaccines.

    PFAS can penetrate human skin and have been found in our drinking water, air, food, and even in human milk.

    Concerns about their safety has led numerous jurisdictions to set limits on levels of some PFAS in drinking water. Nevertheless, many news stories have reported on research finding dangerous levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water sources in England.



    Read more:
    PFAS forever chemicals found in English drinking water – why are they everywhere and what are the risks?

    With this in mind, my colleagues and I measured concentrations of ten key PFAS in 41 samples of tap water from the West Midlands of the UK and 14 samples from Shenzhen, China. We also measured the same PFAS in 112 samples of bottled water.

    We sampled 87 different brands from 15 countries that we bought either from shops or online in the UK and China. The PFAS we tested included many of those regulated in drinking water as well as some others we have found previously in indoor air and dust.

    Forever chemicals are in our drinking water.
    Shining symbols/Shutterstock

    We compared concentrations of PFAS in plastic and glass bottled water, as well as in sparkling versus still water. In neither case did we find significant differences in concentrations of PFAS. In contrast however, in China we found significantly higher concentrations of PFAS in natural mineral water than in bottled purified water.

    Crucially, while we found PFAS in every sample analysed, the maximum concentration limits set recently by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for some PFAS were only exceeded for PFOA in some samples of tap water from Shenzhen.

    Concentrations of PFAS were lower in bottled water than in tap water from the same locality. This finding is in line with studies conducted in other countries like Spain.

    It may be reassuring to some extent but our study only examined a relatively small number of tap water samples from two municipalities and cannot be taken as representative of the UK or China overall. There is no room for complacency as the USEPA’s target concentration limits for two of the PFAS we measured are zero.

    So, taking note of the lower concentrations we saw in bottled purified water, we examined the effectiveness of boiling and filtration using activated carbon jug filters.

    Boiling in a regular kettle reduced concentrations of all ten of the PFAS we tested. The level of reduction varied between different PFAS though. For PFOA and the three other PFAS that we measured for which there are USEPA concentration limits, concentrations reduced by 11%−14% but were much greater (61%-86%) for the more volatile and non-regulated PFAS we examined that are more easily evaporated.

    Reductions were greater for all the PFAS we tested (81%−96%) when we passed the water through an activated carbon jug filter. Boiling the water after activated carbon filtration, as sometimes happens in China, reduced concentrations a little further to between 81 and 99.6%.

    These results suggest that using a jug water filter can substantially reduce concentrations of some regulated PFAS in our tap water. Boiling water before drinking also reduces PFAS concentrations but is less effective.

    Our findings add to those of a 2024 study in Montreal, which suggested that using a filter fitted to the kitchen tap reduced concentrations of 75 PFAS in tap water.

    Our findings are a small first step towards reducing our exposure to PFAS. But we should not lose sight of the need to reduce and eliminate such forever chemicals. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about these chemicals but what we’ve learned so far shows that some of them present an urgent threat to the health of both humans and wildlife.

    Stuart Harrad has received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland and the European Union.

    – ref. Forever chemicals are in our drinking water – here’s how to reduce them – https://theconversation.com/forever-chemicals-are-in-our-drinking-water-heres-how-to-reduce-them-241645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The UK plans to rebuild its crumbling classrooms – but it should take this chance to transform the school environment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Edward Edgerton, Reader in Psychology, University of the West of Scotland

    Inside Creative House/Shutterstock

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged £1.4 billion to meet a target of rebuilding 50 schools in England a year. The funding boost follows the news of slow progress on the government’s school rebuilding programme. This effort began in 2020 but has been under particular scrutiny since the closure of school buildings made with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in 2023.

    A 2023 report from the National Audit Office estimated that 700,000 students in England are learning in schools that the Department for Education believes require major rebuilding or refurbishment.

    These rebuilding programmes have promised to produce state-of-the-art schools. But I believe that the focus in the UK is still too much on the condition of the building, rather than the approach in countries like Finland where the focus is on the relationship between school design and teaching and learning practice.

    In Scotland, recent figures highlight that 91.7% of school buildings are in a “good/satisfactory” condition, and 92.0% of pupils are now educated in school environments rated as “good/satisfactory” condition. Here, condition refers to the state of the school fabric – such as state of, the appropriateness of the design, and the health-and-safety requirements.

    In the past, researchers have questioned whether there is any need to go beyond this minimum standard and suggested that schools might not need to be any more than adequate.

    I believe there should be higher aspirations for the UK’s school estate. To understand why, we need to think about the role of the school environment. It is much more than simply providing a safe, weatherproof building for teaching children and young people.

    Many studies have shown that teaching and learning activities can be impaired by environmental characteristics such as noise, ventilation, colour and furniture arrangement.

    However, there is disappointingly little research that explores the whole school environment, how it is experienced by students and how it relates to important outcomes, such as exam results.

    There are some notable exceptions. A report on primary schools in England, conducted by researchers from the University of Salford in 2015, showed that well-designed classrooms can boost children’s academic performance in reading, writing and maths.

    A few aspects were of particular importance. They included naturalness (the light, temperature and air quality), individualisation (classrooms with varied floor plan shapes and breakout spaces, along with elements that pupils can personalise such as coat pegs) and stimulation (appropriate levels of complexity in use of colour and wall displays).

    Student experience

    My own research with colleagues on secondary schools in Scotland showed that there were substantial improvements in students’ feelings of security and small improvements in behaviour and motivation for learning in newly built schools.

    We found that these improvements were long lasting and were not due simply to the effect of their novelty. The improvements in feelings of safety and security seem to be linked to features such as more spacious corridors and staircases with natural daylight and good locker facilities.



    Read more:
    School concrete crisis: how Raac has been used well beyond its expiry date

    We also found that how students experience and evaluate their school environment is related to their academic performance. Students with more positive perceptions of their school environment have better academic performance. This is especially true where pupils feel positive about the physical comfort of the social and teaching spaces in the school.

    School rebuilding programmes provide a unique opportunity for educational experts, environmental psychologists and design professionals to collaborate to find out what works and why.

    The need to recognise and learn about the role of school buildings in the education process is only likely to increase as we accommodate more students with additional support needs in mainstream schools and strive to create inclusive schools that respond to needs of neurodiverse students.

    The government’s ambition for school rebuilding should go beyond simply fixing crumbling schools. As well as supporting learning and teaching, schools should provide an environment that encourages young people in their social development and aims to give them the best start in life possible.

    Edward Edgerton received funding from East Dunbartonshire Council for a research project evaluating
    its secondary school rebuilding programme (2006-2010).

    – ref. The UK plans to rebuild its crumbling classrooms – but it should take this chance to transform the school environment – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-plans-to-rebuild-its-crumbling-classrooms-but-it-should-take-this-chance-to-transform-the-school-environment-241838

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Charles Z. Levkoe, Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems, Lakehead University

    For more than a year, the Israeli state has been engaged in a massive incursion into Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack against Israel.

    In March 2024, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, announced: “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met.”

    A core element of this apparent genocide includes food militarization and weaponization, a tactic that has also been used by Canada to exterminate, dispossess and control Indigenous populations.

    We have come together as a group of critical food systems scholars to examine the parallels between the weaponization of food in Gaza and Canada to bring about the systematic destruction of Indigenous Peoples. But we’ve also observed that food has been a powerful tool of resistance and resurgence.



    Read more:
    Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

    Food as a weapon

    Throughout modern history, food has been deployed as a weapon by colonial regimes to control and displace Indigenous populations. The current crisis in Gaza has brought this into sharp focus as the Israeli state has engaged in the systematic destruction of Palestinian food systems, with devastating consequences.

    Israel’s blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007, has cut off access to essential agricultural areas and restricted fishing activities. Gaza farmers are often unable to access their land, while fishers are constantly barred from accessing the coast, harassed, intimidated and even killed by Israeli forces.

    This blockade, combined with military operations that destroy farmland, trees and infrastructure, has resulted in more than 95 per cent of people in Gaza facing severe food insecurity and a famine declared by the United Nations experts in the summer of 2024.



    Read more:
    Starvation is a weapon of war: Gazans are paying the price

    Canada’s use of food weaponization

    Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Canadian government employed similar tactics to restrict Indigenous Peoples’ access to land, food and water. Colonial policies like the Indian Act, the Homesteading Act and the Pass System confined Indigenous Peoples to reserves, prohibited hunting and fishing and forced reliance on inadequate government food rations.

    This led to malnutrition and starvation, particularly in response to Indigenous resistance to settler expansion. The use of food as a weapon was part of a broader project to eliminate or otherwise undermine Indigenous identity and self-determination, a process that continues today.

    From ongoing boil-water advisories to environmental degradation caused by mining, oil and gas extraction, forestry, agriculture and chemical production, settler governments and industries continue to dispossess Indigenous Peoples from their lands and undermine their livelihood.

    These practices have severely and disproportionately impacted Indigenous health and well-being, as well as their food systems.



    Read more:
    Colonialists used starvation as a tool of oppression

    The Scream, by Kent Monkman (2016), was part of a travelling exhibition in 2017 on colonized Canada entitled ‘Shame And Prejudice: A Story Of Resilience.’
    (Courtesy of Kent Monkman)

    Israel targets food infrastructure

    In the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli control over land and resources reflects a similar colonial dynamic. Laws like the Absentee Property Law of 1950 facilitated the expropriation of Palestinian land.

    Meanwhile, the Israeli military has systematically targeted Gaza’s food infrastructure and used starvation as a weapon of war, according to Human Rights Watch. Satellite imagery shows that 70 per cent of Gaza’s tree cover has been eliminated or damaged, and about one-third of greenhouses have been demolished.

    Tanks and trucks have decimated orchards, field crops and olive groves.

    An estimated 800,000 tonnes of asbestos among the debris of destroyed buildings will result in asbestos-related diseases for generations to come. Under the Geneva Conventions, destruction of civilians’ means of survival and starvation as a tool of warfare is strictly prohibited.

    Food as resistance

    Food has also long been mobilized as a powerful tool of resistance. Among Palestinians, struggles for food sovereignty have played a critical role in self-determination.

    Palestinians continue to cultivate their land under the rubble, grow olive trees despite ongoing violence and maintain food practices that connect them to their lands and their cultural heritage.

    Similarly, Indigenous nations and communities across Canada have used food as a form of resurgence. Alongside land back movements, efforts to revitalize Indigenous food systems — such as hunting, fishing, growing and gathering — are central to movements for Indigenous sovereignty.

    Learning about and enacting traditional food practices are important acts of resistance, as these practices sustain communities, strengthen connections to land and assert rights over the unceded territories Indigenous Peoples are fighting to reclaim. By reclaiming and rebuilding their land and food systems on their own terms, they continue to challenge colonial structures.

    Food, colonialism and resistance

    The destruction of food systems in Gaza and Canada is part of a larger effort of land dispossession and capitalist accumulation. By severing Indigenous Peoples’ connection to their food systems, settlers and colonial regimes have sought to control not only the land but also the people who depend on it.

    Yet, through food sovereignty movements, these same populations are reclaiming their right to self-determination and building global networks of solidarity.



    Read more:
    Indigenous food sovereignty requires better and more accurate data collection

    The struggle for food sovereignty is inseparable from broader struggles for land, justice and self-determination.

    Connecting the dots between the Palestinian territories and Canada provides powerful examples of global colonial relations and struggles for justice and self-determination. It challenges us to critically examine the role of food in these struggles and demand government accountability.

    We wish to acknowledge Mustafa Koç, professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University, as a co-author and to thank Max Ajl, Yafa Al Masri and Justin Podur for contributions to this article.

    Charles Z. Levkoe receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the the Government of Ontario.

    Sarah Rotz receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Tammara Soma receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Martha Stiegman 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. Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada – https://theconversation.com/colonialism-starvation-and-resistance-how-food-is-weaponized-from-gaza-to-canada-241525

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: National recognition for Council support to people seeking sanctuary

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    The formal recognition of the Council’s support for the sanctuary-seeking population follows a comprehensive evaluation by UK City of Sanctuary.  

    Perth and Kinross has been a place of sanctuary for people for many years, and since at least the outbreak of World War I in 1914 when a group of Belgian refugees came to Perth. In more recent times, people of all ages from countries around the world, including the Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan, have received vital help and multi-agency support for positive integration and resettlement within the community. 

    Leader of Perth and Kinross Council, Councillor Grant Laing said: “Our vision is for Perth and Kinross as a place where ‘everyone can live well free from poverty and inequalities’. For refugees and people seeking asylum this can be a challenge, however we will continue to work creatively across our services and with our public sector and community partners to make the area as safe and welcoming as possible.” 

    Equalities Lead, Councillor Peter Barrett said: “Our sanctuary seeking population have come from wide-ranging and difficult circumstances in their own countries from war to persecution. This national recognition of what we have done to make a difference to their lives, from families to unaccompanied children and young people, is something we all warmly welcome at the Council and the link with the UK City of Sanctuary organisation also opens up new avenues of support, advice and good practice we can access for the benefit of those most in need.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘nocebo effect’ in IBS: Why gluten might not be the real problem

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Caroline Seiler, PhD, McMaster University

    One-third of patients with irritable bowel syndrome aslo have disordered eating habits and perceptions about food that may cause symptoms in and of themselves. (Shutterstock)

    Many people find that wheat or gluten cause them to react in some way: Some people have a wheat allergy, some have the autoimmune condition celiac disease, but the majority find they have some sort of intolerance or sensitivity to wheat and gluten.

    This is challenging to diagnose because there still aren’t any reliable biomarkers to confirm gluten or wheat sensitivity, and clinicians typically rely on patient self-reports.

    In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms without any visible damage to the digestive tract. Many patients with IBS believe that specific foods, like gluten or wheat, trigger their symptoms, prompting them to exclude these foods from their diets without consulting a dietitian or their doctor.

    Unsurprisingly, about a third of IBS patients develop disordered eating habits and perceptions about food that may cause symptoms in and of themselves, such as orthorexia, or an unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating. This may cause a “nocebo effect,” where patients experience symptoms due to their beliefs and expectations about a substance they assume is causing their issues but is actually inert — a “nocebo.”

    Identifying the true sensitivities for patients with IBS is a controversial research area, with some studies finding gluten avoidance to be beneficial versus others finding it to have [no significant effect.
    (Shutterstock)

    As a nutrition researcher at McMaster University’s Farncombe Institute, I’m a member of a team that ran a clinical trial to find out whether wheat, gluten or a gluten-free nocebo caused symptoms in IBS. And the results were surprising: even though some patients experienced worse symptoms from gluten or wheat, they weren’t very different from the nocebo, with similar proportions of patients reacting to each.

    These results are similar to other published studies. Identifying the true sensitivities for patients with IBS is a controversial research area, with some studies finding gluten avoidance to be beneficial versus others finding it to have no significant effect.

    Researchers from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands published an innovative study from the Lancet medical journal. Patients with reported gluten sensitivity were divided into four groups: Two groups were given gluten-free bread, but one of these groups was told it contained gluten and one was told it didn’t. Two other groups were given bread that did contain gluten, with one group believing it was gluten-free and the other believing it contained gluten.

    The results showed that the patients who ate gluten and were also told they were eating gluten had significantly worse symptoms than the other three groups.

    Why are people concerned about gluten?

    Patients with IBS are often left to navigate conflicting online resources and test new diets to treat their symptoms.
    (Shutterstock)

    Given the controversial evidence that not only gluten, but other wheat components like fermentable carbohydrates or immune-stimulating proteins, may exacerbate IBS symptoms, it’s possible for this hot topic to get blown out of proportion or taken out of context, contributing to nutrition misinformation.

    All of these factors — that it is often diagnosed by excluding all other options, the significant psychological component, the division in the scientific community and clinicians who often discount patients’ experiences — make treatment difficult for patients with this disorder.

    As a result, patients with IBS are often left to navigate conflicting online resources and test new diets to treat their symptoms.

    How patients respond to evidence

    When researchers challenge patients with gluten, wheat or a nocebo, they rarely report the personalized results back to the patients and see how this information impacts patient behaviour.

    At McMaster University, we wanted to see how presenting personalized nutrition information would affect our patients. After providing them with personal results about their gluten and wheat reactions, we followed up with patients after six months or more to see how this impacted their beliefs, behaviours and symptoms.

    Again, we were in for a surprise! Patients largely kept similar beliefs about gluten, maintained a gluten-free diet and had consistent symptoms even after learning that most of them did not react to gluten or wheat. This begs the question: when people more generally learn new information that conflicts with an existing belief, what may help them to change accordingly?

    The role of psychology in treating IBS

    IBS has been long understood as a disorder of the gut-brain interaction. Psychological treatments are being increasingly investigated to minimize patient fears of foods, or nocebo effects, and to treat IBS symptoms more generally. At Harvard, a recent study found that exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) showed promise to improve IBS symptoms in five sessions with a nurse practitioner.

    Similarly, CBT correlated with shifts in brain networks and the gut microbiome, or gut bacteria, that were also correlated with improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms. At the University of Calgary, virtually delivered yoga was highly feasible and helped improve symptoms for patients with IBS.

    However, IBS is a complex disorder which may be exacerbated due to many different causes, and psychological treatment will likely be only one component of an effective treatment plan for many patients.

    Diet plays an important role in human health, but how it does so — especially among those with gastrointestinal diseases — becomes complicated by the emotional aspects of eating and the real needs for people to have nutritious, well-balanced diets without risking malnutrition. If you have concerns that certain foods, like gluten, trigger your symptoms, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor or a registered dietitian.

    Caroline Seiler receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

    – ref. The ‘nocebo effect’ in IBS: Why gluten might not be the real problem – https://theconversation.com/the-nocebo-effect-in-ibs-why-gluten-might-not-be-the-real-problem-241553

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Disastrous budget for farming families

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement by TUV vice chairman and East Londonderry representative Councillor Allister Kyle:

    “Every agricultural business with assets, in buildings and land, over £1m will be hit further with 20% inheritance tax. Livestock and equipment were already taken into account for inheritance tax.

    “£1m sounds like a lot of money, which it is, but with the Northern Ireland average farm size being 41 hectares (101 acres), if ground was valued at £12k per acre and a farmyard and house valued at £400k, this would leave a tax bill of around £100k, on top of the livestock and equipment values.

    “One needs to remember that land is not tax deductible when being purchased. Therefore, if a farmer purchases land he pays tax. When his son or daughter inherits the farm, tax will be paid on the same land again. That is perverse.

    “Many farmers will be forced to sell ground to clear this new tax bill which will then also trigger possible capital gains tax to be paid on the level that ground may have increased in value since the time it was bought.

    “Currently 36% of farmers in Northern Ireland are 65 or over.

    “When will the nation and its politicians start to respect those who put food on our tables?

    “The agricultural sector isn’t generally a cash rich business, most profits are usually re-invested in ground, farmyards or equipment to have a lasting legacy for future generations to keep on stewarding the land, caring for livestock and keeping us fed.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Buckle Up: NASA-Funded Study Explores Turbulence in Molecular Clouds

    Source: NASA

    3 min read

    On an airplane, motions of the air on both small and large scales contribute to turbulence, which may result in a bumpy flight. Turbulence on a much larger scale is important to how stars form in giant molecular clouds that permeate the Milky Way.

    In a new NASA-funded study in the journal Science Advances, scientists created simulations to explore how turbulence interacts with the density of the cloud. Lumps, or pockets of density, are the places where new stars will be born. Our Sun, for example, formed 4.6 billion years ago in a lumpy portion of a cloud that collapsed.

    “We know that the main process that determines when and how quickly stars are made is turbulence, because it gives rise to the structures that create stars,” said Evan Scannapieco, professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University and lead author of the study. “Our study uncovers how those structures are formed.”

    Giant molecular clouds are full of random, turbulent motions, which are caused by gravity, stirring by the galactic arms and winds, jets, and explosions from young stars. This turbulence is so strong that it creates shocks that drive the density changes in the cloud.

    The simulations used dots called tracer particles to traverse a molecular cloud and travel along with the material. As the particles travel, they record the density of the part of the cloud they encounter, building up a history of how pockets of density change over time. The researchers, who also included Liubin Pan from Sun Yat Sen University in China, Marcus Brüggen from the University of Hamburg in Germany, and Ed Buie II from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, simulated eight scenarios, each with a different set of realistic cloud properties.  

    [embedded content]

    This animation shows the distribution of density in a simulation of a turbulent molecular cloud. The colors represent density, with dark blue indicating the least dense regions and red indicating the densest regions. Credit: NASA/E. Scannapieco et al (2024)

    The team found that the speeding up and slowing down of shocks plays an essential role in the path of the particles.  Shocks slow down as they go into high-density gas and speed up as they go into low-density gas. This is akin to how an ocean wave strengthens when it hits shallow water by the shore.   

    When a particle hits a shock, the area around it becomes more dense. But because shocks slow down in dense regions, once lumps become dense enough, the turbulent motions can’t make them any denser.  These lumpiest high-density regions are where stars are most likely to form.

    While other studies have explored molecular cloud density structures, this simulation allows scientists to see how those structures form over time. This informs scientists’ understanding of how and where stars are likely to be born.

    “Now we can understand better why those structures look the way they do because we’re able to track their histories,” said Scannapieco.

    This image shows part of a simulation of a molecular cloud. The colors represent density, with dark blue indicating the least dense regions and red indicating the densest regions. Tracer particles, represented by black dots, traverse the simulated cloud. By examining how they interact with shocks and pockets of density, scientists can better understand the structures in molecular clouds that lead to star formation.
    NASA/E. Scannapieco et al (2024)

    NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is exploring the structure of molecular clouds. It is also exploring the chemistry of molecular clouds, which depends on the history of the gas modeled in the simulations. New measurements like these will inform our understanding of star formation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First Highland-wide virtual jobs fair to coincide with Scottish Careers Week

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council’s Employability team has announced details of the first Highland-wide virtual jobs fair to highlight new job opportunities that will run from the 11 to the 15 November during Scottish Careers Week 2024. 

    The week-long virtual event is being delivered by the Local Employability Partnership for the West – The Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Department for Work and Pensions , Developing the Young Workforce and UHI North West and Hebrides.

    Anyone interested in finding out more about career opportunities, looking to change careers or to return to work after a break will be able to log onto sessions hosted by a number of businesses from the comfort of their own home. 

    Employers taking part include Torbhaig Distillary, Carr Gomm, Dounreay, CalMac, Sheil Buses, BEAR Scotland, Balfour Beatty and The Highland Council.

    They will host sessions to provide information about the full-time and part-time opportunities their businesses have, along with apprenticeship schemes and initiatives to attract seasonal and year-round workers

    Chair of Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: “This Highland-wide virtual jobs fair will provide a fantastic platform to showcase the wide range of opportunities there are for people to develop and learn new skills while in employment. Employers taking part will be on hand to answer questions and explain what opportunities they have for training and up-skilling people.

    “We hope that by being held online people can be flexible and attend without the need for travelling. The sessions are designed for people to drop in and out of throughout the week. It will be accessible to everyone no matter their location or circumstances and will directly connect potential employees with the businesses providing information about work opportunities.

    He added: “The Highland Council’s Employability team will be on hand throughout the week to provide support to attendees.”

    Gilliam Unger, Skills Development Scotland Team Leader said: “SDS are excited to collaborate with partners of the West Highland Local Employability Partnership to put together this event. As it is a virtual event it is accessible for everyone across Highland and is a great opportunity for the people of Highland to find out more about employers and career opportunities locally and further afield.”

    If you would like to attend the event, please email employ.ability@highland.gov.uk to register your interest and receive further information.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Teenager convicted of murdering woman in Hackney

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A teenager has been convicted of the murder of Lianne Gordon in Hackney.

    Lianne Gordon was sheltering behind her front door at home when she was shot and killed on 5 December 2023. While she might not have been the intended target, we know that her needless death was a consequence of a gang dispute.

    A 17-year-old boy [A] appeared at the Old Bailey where, following trial, he was convicted on Wednesday, 30 October, of the murder of Lianne Gordon.

    He was also found guilty of affray, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a bladed article and two counts of attempted murder, He had earlier pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

    He will be sentenced at the same court on Monday, 2 December.

    The court heard that police were called at 18:28hrs on Tuesday, 5 December 2023, to reports of a shooting outside an address in Vine Close, E5. Officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service attended and found three people with gunshot wounds.

    Despite the efforts of the emergency services to save her, Lianne Gordon, 42, sadly died at the scene.

    Two other people, a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that were not life threatening.

    The defendant was arrested at his home address on 8 December 2023.

    Officers searched his home address and recovered Class A drugs, a machete, a ‘burner phone’ and drug paraphernalia.

    A search of his IT equipment showed that, after he returned home from the shooting, he conducted 65 searches on news sites and social media relating to a ‘fatal shooting in Hackney’ and ‘Lianne Gordon’. He was charged with murder on 9 December 2023 and remanded in custody.

    Footage seized by officers also showed the defendant approaching the two male victims as they stood outside Lianne Gordon’s home on Vine Close. He fired shots at them both as they attempted to hide behind parked cars.

    It was at this point that Lianne, realising she was in danger, attempted to close the door, but the teenager was able to shoot her before she could do so. That single shot ended her life and a post-mortem examination confirmed that Lianne had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

    Forensic officers recovered shell casings from the scene and ballistic scientific testing confirmed that the gun that was used in Lianne’s murder was also used in an incident on 2 December 2023 where shots were fired close to the entrance to Vine Close. On that occasion there were no reported injuries.

    A glove was found in a search of the 17-year-old’s home address. This had his DNA and firearm residue on it, linking him to the fatal shooting.

    Officers would later seize song lyrics, composed by the defendant in his cell, that were a self-congratulating outline of the murder and the shootings.

    Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke who led the investigation said: “The defendant was a known gang member with previous involvement in drugs and violence. Lianne Gordon was a mother of two who was shot dead for reasons we may never know or fathom.

    “I am pleased that the murderer will face the consequences of his actions, but also that he will spend years of his life in a place where he can no longer pose a threat to the community.

    “While nothing can bring Lianne back, I sincerely hope that today’s verdict brings some comfort to her loved ones.”

    A/Ch Supt Brigid Beehag-Fisher, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets said: “I welcome today’s result which has brought justice to the family of Lianne Gordon. Whilst this verdict will not bring back a mother to her family, it does bring some closure to her family, friends and the local community who have been impacted by this tragic event.

    “We are committed to tackling gun crime and serious violence across London and today’s verdict is testament to the hard work of the team taking violent and dangerous individuals off the streets and protecting our local communities.

    “If you know someone who is carrying a weapon or involved with serious violence, I ask you to come forward to the police or via the independent charity Crimestoppers to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Erasmus+ programme, speculation-driven rent hikes and the need to increase the number of student halls of residence – E-002214/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    22.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002214/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    João Oliveira (The Left)

    At a time of rampant speculation in the housing market, we have been alerted to a possible connection between the Erasmus+ programme and speculation-driven hikes in rent prices.

    In countries such as Portugal, which traditionally host more Erasmus+ students than they send, the scant supply of student halls of residence and dearth of affordable accommodation have, alongside speculation, sent rent prices sky-rocketing in recent years.

    The EUR 7.5 million in support for students announced by the Portuguese Government does nothing to address the underlying problem and may even have the undesirable effect of using public money to fuel speculation.

    Instead, resources should go towards investing in increasing the supply of publicly owned student accommodation, which should also be available to Erasmus+ students.

    In light of the above:

    • 1.Has the Commission carried out an assessment of the impact of the Erasmus+ programme on rent prices?
    • 2.Is the Commission considering measures to lessen the impact by providing specific support to the hardest hit countries?
    • 3.What resources have been provided by the Portuguese State under the 2021-2027 MFF or the RRF to build affordable student halls of residence and what resources are still available and could be used?

    Submitted: 22.10.2024

    Last updated: 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EIB Group showcases progress of European Tech Champions Initiative boosting European scale-ups at event in Madrid

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Since its launch in 2023, the European Tech Champions Initiative has closed fund deals worth €2 billion and mobilising five times this amount, totalling €10 billion in public and private sector resources.
    • Investments have been made in 16 technology scale-ups, two of which are Spanish.
    • In Spain, the European Tech Champions Initiative has invested in a mega fund specialising in deep tech and climate, and an investment in a second mega fund is expected by 2025.
    • As an ETCI participant country, Spain has announced an additional contribution of €300 million to the initiative by the Ministry of Digital Transformation that is soon to be approved by the Spanish cabinet.

    The EIB Group outlined the progress of the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI) – the fund of funds promoted by the European Union and participating EU Member States to foster the growth of cutting-edge technology startups with high growth potential (scale-ups) – today in Madrid. This initiative is led by the European Investment Fund (EIF), the EIB Group’s specialist provider of investment capital to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps.

    The presentation took place during the Tech Champions Made in Europe day, which brought together representatives of the Spanish investment and technological innovation ecosystem and was attended by EIB Group President Nadia Calviño, Spanish Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo, EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt and Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) Chairman Manuel Illueca Muñoz.

    Opening the day, President Calviño had the opportunity to detail the ongoing work to bolster the European capital market, including the expansion of the ETCI and opening it up to private investors. New financial instruments are also being developed to facilitate investor exits via acquisition or listing of the technology startups on European markets.

    “Thanks to EIB Group support, Spain now has a top-tier European investment mega fund. We are already working on the second phase of this initiative, in which Spain is expected to retain its key role,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño.

    The event was closed by Spanish Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo, who said: “Spain has already provided €400 million to the ETCI, and today we are announcing an additional contribution of €300 million from the Ministry of Digital Transformation that is soon to be approved by the Spanish cabinet.”

    Since its launch in 2023, the ETCI has been fostering a positive environment in the European venture capital fund market and in the technology ecosystem. It has already closed fund deals worth €2 billion and mobilising five times this amount, totalling €10 billion in public and private sector resources for investment in growth-stage technology companies. ETCI-backed funds have so far invested in 16 European companies, two of which are Spanish.

    In Spain, the ETCI has already made an initial investment in the Kembara Fund I FCR mega fund, a deep tech and climate-focused venture capital fund operating across Europe and managed by Alma Mundi Ventures SGEIC (Mundi Ventures). An investment in a second mega fund is expected by 2025. ETCI-backed funds have in turn invested in two Spanish high-tech companies in their advanced growth phase: Inke, which specialises in respiratory disease treatments, and Factorial, which develops and sells human resources software.

    EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt said: “We are very happy with the ETCI’s progress to date, and are working on expanding it to increase its impact on the European venture capital and technological innovation ecosystems even further. We are exploring initiatives including structures where the private sector can play a greater role in this fund of funds, which is vital for ensuring European technological autonomy.”

    During his speech, ICO Chairman Manuel Illueca Muñoz said: “The ETCI is helping to strengthen the EU innovation ecosystem. ICO Group aims to support Spanish startups and scale-ups throughout their lifecycle, until they reach sufficient maturity for the ETCI to turn them into European champions.”

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), consisting of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), reported total financing signatures in Spain of €11.4 billion in 2023, approximately €6.8 billion of which went to climate action and environmental sustainability projects. Overall, the EIB Group signed €88 billion in new financing in 2023.

    The European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI) is an EU programme managed by the EIF and backed by the European Commission and participating EU Member States. It helps to cover the financing needs of European technology scale-ups, preventing them from relocating and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness. Sectors benefiting from the initiative include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, deep tech, green technologies, biotechnology and digital technologies. The ETCI is also making a major contribution to the European financial markets and is an example of how the EIB Group can act as a pioneering instrument for the capital markets union.

    Discurso completo de la presidenta Nadia Calviño durante la apertura de la jornada

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Investment decisions by pharmaceutical companies and their influence on health policies in the Member States – E-002237/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    23.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002237/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Christine Anderson (ESN)

    According to recent media reports[1], the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. has allegedly made its investment of EUR 2.3 billion in Germany contingent upon a change in national legislation on the confidentiality of medicinal product prices. This practice could hamper competition in the internal market and lead to unequal market access conditions for pharmaceutical product manufacturers.

    • 1.To what extent is the Commission aware of similar cases in which pharmaceutical companies have linked their investment decisions to regulatory concessions in individual Member States, and what is its assessment of this in terms of a level playing field in the internal market?
    • 2.To what extent does the Commission see a risk of market distortion to the detriment of smaller pharmaceutical companies and certain Member States in the event that national rules on the confidentiality of pharmaceutical prices were to be introduced?
    • 3.Does the Commission intend, within the limits of its existing competences, to take measures to safeguard transparency of pharmaceutical prices in the internal market and to ensure a level playing field?

    Submitted: 23.10.2024

    • [1] https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/gesundheitssystem-medikamente-pharmaunternehmen-104.html
    Last updated: 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Electricity prices in Cyprus – E-002232/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    23.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002232/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Giorgos Georgiou (The Left)

    Cyprus is the only Member State that remains condemned to energy isolation as it is cut off from all EU energy networks and cannot fulfil the objectives of the green transition. As a result, electricity prices in Cyprus are constantly rising, leaving much of the population mired in energy poverty. According to data from the European statistics service, Cyprus has the second highest electricity prices in Europe. Of those in the EU who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 35 % said they live in accommodation that is not comfortably warm in the winter.

    In view of the above:

    • 1.What measures does the Commission plan to put forward so that the problem of high electricity prices across the EU can be resolved?
    • 2.What short-term measures will it take to address the problem, in Cyprus in particular (e.g. VAT reduction)?
    • 3.Will it support the proposal for the establishment of an emergency mechanism for recovering the excessive profits of energy producers and suppliers?

    Submitted: 23.10.2024

    Last updated: 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – The response to German border controls and potential violations of the Schengen Borders Code – E-001678/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    30.10.2024

    The Schengen Borders Code[1], which has been thoroughly revised[2] with effect from 10 July 2024, provides in its Title III that internal borders may be crossed without border checks.

    However, Member States may reintroduce internal border controls, exceptionally and temporarily, in case of threats to public policy or national security.

    The revised framework provides for clearer deadlines and strict monitoring and reporting obligations. The Commission has stressed the importance of alternative measures to the reintroduction of internal border controls, such as joint police controls[3].

    Border checks at the internal border do not call into question the right of EU citizens to move and reside freely within the EU, under the conditions set out in Directive 2004/38/EC[4].

    EU citizens can still enter the territory upon simple presentation of a passport or of an identity card, unless there are reasons to restrict the right on grounds of public order, public security or public health.

    The Commission is currently assessing the impacts of the recently notified reintroduction of border controls by Germany. In the notification of 9 September 2024, the German authorities indicated that they would attempt to minimise the impact of controls on free movement of persons within the Schengen area without internal border controls and cross-border regions.

    The time-limits for a reintroduction of internal border controls are laid down in Article 25a of the revised Schengen Borders Code.

    For foreseeable threats, a reintroduction may be extended to a maximum of two years for the same threat, with a possible renewal of twice six months in case of a major exceptional situation with regard to a persisting serious threat.

    • [1]  OJ L 77, 23.3.2016.
    • [2]  OJ L, 2024/1717, 20.6.2024.
    • [3]  OJ L, 2024/268, 17.1.2024.
    • [4]  OJ L 158, 30.04. 2004.

    MIL OSI Europe News –