NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI China: Peng Liyuan chats over tea with wife of Finnish president

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, chats over tea with Suzanne Innes-Stubb, wife of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 29, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    BEIJING, Oct. 29 — Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, chatted over tea with Suzanne Innes-Stubb, wife of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in Beijing on Tuesday.

    Noting that both China and Finland have time-honored historical traditions and profound cultural heritage, Peng voiced the hope that the two sides will strengthen exchanges and cooperation in fields like art and winter sports, and continuously enhance the friendship between the two peoples.

    Peng expressed appreciation for Suzanne’s active commitment to public interest and introduced China’s achievements in relevant fields, noting that China and Finland can share valuable experience to jointly enhance the well-being of the two peoples.

    Suzanne expressed deep appreciation for Peng’s longstanding efforts to advance the rights of women and children globally. She also expressed her willingness to further promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges between Finland and China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China-Bulgaria cultural ties strengthened with Dragon Boat exhibition

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Xu Yan, vice mayor of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, presented the plaque for the “Dragon Boat Culture Exchange Base and Dragon Boat Culture Exhibition” to Evgenia Alexieva, mayor of Pancharevo district in Bulgaria on Monday, marking a new phase in cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria with the establishment of Chinese dragon boat culture in the nation.

    The Dragon Boat Culture Exhibition presented Chinese dragon boat culture in multiple forms, including pictures, physical exhibits and multimedia.

    Ningbo, known as the hometown of Chinese dragon boat culture, showcased its historical heritage and contemporary innovation, illustrating the city as a place where ancient and modern knowledge converge and connect the world, as seen through the friendship between China and Bulgaria.

    This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. The Dragon Boat Culture Exchange Base and Dragon Boat Culture Exhibition at the China Cultural Center in Sofia hold significant importance.

    Evgenia Alexieva said, “I hope this is a new starting point for deepening cultural exchanges between China and Bulgaria. In the future, we will continue to leverage our respective strengths, explore cooperation potential, establish more communication platforms, steadily deepen exchanges and visits and contribute greater efforts to further enhance bilateral relations between China and Bulgaria.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: TV festival attracts global cultural exchange in entertainment

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The China Pavilion appeared at the Palace of Festivals and Conferences for MIPCOM Cannes in France from Oct 21 to 24, marking the 21st time it has participated in the autumn TV festival, which offers a series of events under the theme “Focus on China, Stories Without Limits”.

    Cao Shumin, director of the National Radio and Television Administration, attended the forum and delivered a speech noting that 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. MIPCOM Cannes is the world’s largest market for international studios and distributors of entertainment content. It serves as a window for showcasing audio-video programs and a platform for discussing industry development.

    Cao shared three characteristics of the Chinese audiovisual content market.

    The quality of audio works is continuously improving, with numerous hits emerging, particularly realistic works that reflect common human experiences and emotions that resonate with audiences worldwide.

    Cultural exchanges and cooperation always adhere to inclusiveness and mutual appreciation, using audio/visual works to enhance understanding and communication in promoting the coexistence and development of diverse global cultures.

    The market has enormous potential and unlimited space for cooperation and innovation. Efforts are being made to deeply integrate and develop radio, television and online audiovisual content and dissemination, using technology to empower innovative audiovisual program forms and improve service quality, thus providing broad prospects.

    At the panel session of the forum, Yang Xiaopei, founder of Xixi Pictures from China, discussed the latest trends in international audiovisual content cooperation.

    Works produced by Yang’s team have been broadcast on streaming platforms and TV stations in various countries. By collecting audience comments and feedback, they found audiences in many countries that appreciate Chinese culture and stories, which greatly encourages and motivates her team, she said.

    The China Pavilion covered a total area of 258 square meters, featuring over 30 outstanding Chinese audiovisual content production, distribution and broadcasting organizations, showcasing 179 works.

    The festival gathered over 1,500 leading distribution and production companies from over 100 countries and regions, with more than 320 booths and 31 national and regional pavilions.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Pacific leaders’ mission to Nouméa – Mapou says New Caledonia at ‘turning point’

    By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/Bulletin editor

    A three-day fact-finding mission, headed by three Pacific leaders, has wrapped up in Nouméa, and New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou says the French territory is at a “turning point”.

    The semi-autonomous Pacific territory has been riddled with violent unrest since May.

    While tensions have reportedly eased for now, the main political decision-making body for the Pacific region has been in Nouméa this week on a “strictly observational” but “critical mission”.

    New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou . . . “They willingly shared their own history.” Image: 1ère TV

    Territorial President Louis Mapou told reporters why the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) “troika -plus” visit was so important.

    “They have a shared intention with government members, drawing on their own experience in the region: the Cook Islands, which are in free association with New Zealand; Tonga, a country that was never colonised; and the Solomon Islands, which have experienced interethnic conflicts in the northern part, where youth played a significant role,” he said.

    “And finally, Fiji, which gained independence, decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth, and is now re-evaluating its connection with the British Crown. So, they willingly shared their own history.

    “They pointed out that in each of these histories, it was often the internal decisions of the populations involved that ultimately shaped the choices made about their country’s future.”

    What a pleasant honour to have Hon. Prime Minister @slrabuka welcomed by @LegionEtrangere & @RSMA_NC , writing a poem about his visit in New-Caledonia as a member of the @ForumSEC high level Troïka-Plus information mission . pic.twitter.com/HVVoebqPfA

    — Véronique Roger-Lacan (@rogerlacanv) October 28, 2024

    Hope and perspective
    Local government spokesperson Charles Wea said the visit brought hope and perspective.

    “It is important that that people from New Caledonia can arrive to express their views, and also the political perspectives, in terms of political future,” he said.

    “The process of decolonisation, for example, which is quite a major subject topic that will be in the discussion with a mission”

    Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni led the PPIF troika-plus delegation — Rabuka was the “plus” factor.

    “We are not there to judge you or to tell them what to do right now. It is a preliminary visit. So, basically, we just want to listen.”

    While it is a fact-finding mission, there are some indisputable facts, such as New Caledonia being on the United Nations Decolonisation List.

    Tuvalu MP Simon Kofe has expressed his thoughts on this.

    Pacific ‘needs to support decolonisation’
    “My position is for independence, we need to continue supporting the decolonisation of the Pacific,” Kofe told RNZ Pacific.

    Hu’akavameiliku’s views were somewhat more diplomatic.

    “I do believe that there is a way of having some sovereignty and control of your country. There are various models in the Pacific. You have Niue and Cook Islands. Then you have American Samoa.

    “We are not the ones who will tell [New Caledonia] what is working and what is not. We respect their sovereignty.”

    But amid the politicking, a Kanak leader from the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia, Billy Wetewea, said people were struggling.

    In particular, the indigenous population, who were battling inequities in education, employment and health, he said.

    “The destruction that the youth have made since May, was a kind of expression of the frustration towards all of these social injustices,” he said.

    “We are fighting for our humanity. So, it’s for the dignity of our humanity, and our humanity is the humanity of everyone.”

    ‘Neither marginalised nor mistreated’
     The pro-France loyalists, however, have a different perspective.

    “Contrary to what some separatists suggest, the Kanak people are neither marginalised nor mistreated,” they said in a statement.

    “On the contrary, [Kanaky people are] one of the most advantaged in our Oceanian region.”

    Wea said the Pacific leaders had the chance to hear from all sides involved in the unrest.

    The findings will be presented to the 18 Pacific leaders at next year’s leaders meeting.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Inflation is sinking ever lower. Now that it’s official what’s the RBA going to do?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra

    Lower petrol prices and an electricity rebate have contributed to a further fall in the quarterly measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index.

    The rate in the September quarter dropped to 2.8%, putting it for the first time within the Reserve Bank’s target range of two-point-something since the March quarter of 2020.

    The fall was broadly in keeping with market expectations, and keeps low the likelihood of an interest rate cut this year. The next Reserve Bank meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

    The bank pays more attention to the long-running quarterly measure of the CPI than the more volatile monthly version which already dropped into its target range in August.

    The monthly measure dropped further, to 2.1%, in September.

    The quarterly CPI is also more important because it is included in all sorts of workplace and other contracts and indexation formulas.

    The main reason for the fall in inflation was the electricity rebates announced in the federal budget and by some states.

    Also helping were the falls in petrol prices, mainly reflecting declines in global oil prices. Cheaper or free public transport in Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin also contributed.

    Preventing a larger fall were the continuing strong growth in insurance costs and rent. The rise in insurance costs reflects a series of extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods. It is a way in which climate change is exacerbating inflation.

    Contrary to what many people think, the increase in rents is not due to landlords passing on higher interest rates. Landlords may want to do this but they are only able if vacancy rates are low, otherwise tenants just move elsewhere.

    History shows it is low vacancy rates that drive up rent regardless of the level of interest rates. The inability of landlords to pass on interest rate increases has been confirmed by a study just published by the Reserve Bank using tax return data.

    It showed that only three cents of every dollar in extra interest costs is passed on.

    The fall in inflation to a rate significantly below the 4% at which wages are increasing means that the cost of living crisis is abating, although not yet over.

    The dramatically lower inflation rate puts Australia in a comparable position to the United States, whose inflation rate is 2.4%, the United Kingdom, whose inflation rate is 1.7% and New Zealand where it is 2.2%.

    The US, UK and New Zealand all have inflation targets (or midpoints) of 2%, so inflation is now only slightly above the target in the US and New Zealand. It is actually below it in the UK. In response all three have cut their key policy interest rates.

    Yet it is unlikely that the Reserve Bank will follow their lead until next year, despite growing pressure.

    One reason is that, even after their cuts, interest rates in our three peers are still higher than in Australia, at around 4.75% to 5%.

    But more importantly, the Bank has stressed recently that it pays more attention to the “underlying” rate of inflation, which looks through temporary measures such as the electricity subsidies. The Bank will only cut interest rates when they are “confident that inflation was moving sustainably towards the target range”.

    The bank’s preferred measure of underlying inflation, the so-called trimmed mean, has also fallen.

    But at 3.5%, it is still above the target. A positive aspect is that it has reached 3.5% ahead of the Bank’s most recent forecast which had 3.5% only being reached by the end of 2024.

    Monetary policy, however, has in Milton Friedman’s famous words “long and variable lags”.

    As the then future governor Glenn Stevens remarked back in 1999,
    “the long lags associated with the full impact of monetary policy changes mean that policy changes today must be made with a view not just to what is happening now, but what is likely to be happening in a year’s time and even beyond then”.

    In other words we want to drive by looking ahead rather than just at the rear view mirror. The Bank is like a footballer who needs to head to where the ball will be rather than where it is now.

    There is therefore a risk that if the Reserve Bank keeps interest rates high until inflation reaches the middle of the target, it will be too late to prevent the economy slowing too much and inflation will undershoot the target. This would likely be associated with unnecessarily high unemployment.

    That is why the Reserve Bank board faces a difficult balancing act in taking its decisions.

    John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist and forecaster in the Reserve Bank and the Australian Treasury.

    – ref. Inflation is sinking ever lower. Now that it’s official what’s the RBA going to do? – https://theconversation.com/inflation-is-sinking-ever-lower-now-that-its-official-whats-the-rba-going-to-do-240336

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Background Press Call on U.S. Efforts to Address U.S. Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of  Concern

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Via Teleconference
    2:38 P.M. EDT
    MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Thanks so much for joining today’s call.  As a reminder, this call will be on background, attributable to senior administration officials, and it is embargoed until 5:00 p.m. Eastern today.
    For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the call today we have [senior administration official], [senior administration official], [senior administration official], and [senior administration official]. 
    We’ll follow up shortly after the call with embargoed materials as well, but I will turn it over to [senior administration officials] who will have a few words at the top, and then we’ll take your questions. 
    Over to you.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, Eduardo, and thanks to everybody for joining us today.
    Since the earliest days of the administration, President Biden has said we are at an inflection point with respect to advanced technologies.  And as he’s often said, we will see more technological change in the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50.
    And that has motivated historic investments, mobilizing hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment to rebuild American manufacturing and innovation. 
    The flipside of that, of course, of promoting critical technologies is, of course, protecting them.  And recognizing how transformative certain technologies can be, the President directed his national security team to ensure that where we have significant advantages, our world-leading technologies and know-how are not used against us to undermine our national security.  That’s been the guiding principle for the Biden-Harris administration’s export control policies, as well as the Outbound Investment Program that we’re glad to announce is being finalized today. 
    As many of you know, we’ve been working on this approach to address certain outbound investments in sensitive technologies and critical sectors that could undermine American national security for some time.  And, in particular, we’ve been focused on the exploitation of certain intangible benefits that often accompany U.S. outbound investments and that help companies succeed through, for example, enhancing their standing and prominence, providing certain types of assistance, introducing investment and talent networks, opening up market access, and enhancing access to additional financing. 
    The People’s Republic of China has a stated goal, as you know: to develop key sensitive technologies that will directly support the PRC’s military modernization and related activities, including weapons development, and it has exploited U.S. investments to develop domestic, military, and intelligence capabilities. 
    So, today, the Treasury Department will issue a Final Rule to implement President Biden’s Executive Order 14105, from August of 2023, which is entitled “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern.” 
    The Final Rule provides the operative regulations and a detailed, explanatory discussion regarding its intent and application.  And as directed in the President’s executive order, the Final Rule does prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that pose a particularly acute national security risk to the United States. 
    The Final Rule also requires U.S. persons to notify the Treasury Department of certain other transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that may contribute to a threat to the national security of the United States. 
    Covered technologies fall into three categories: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence.  This set of technologies, we believe, is core for the next generation of military, cybersecurity, surveillance, and intelligence applications, providing what we believe are force multiplier capabilities. 
    The United States already prohibits and restricts the export to countries of concern of many of the technologies and products covered by the Final Rule.  This program complements the United States’ existing export control and inbound screening tools by preventing U.S. investment from advancing the development of these technologies and products in countries of concern. 
    The Treasury Department, as [senior administration official] will lay out, has used feedback through the notice and comment process to help design a carefully tailored approach.  And we also want to commend Senators Casey and Cornyn, Representatives DeLauro, Fitzpatrick, and Pascrell, as well as Representatives Meeks and McCaul in particular, for their leadership on this issue. 
    The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on Senators Casey and Cornyn’s Outbound Investment Transparency Act as an amendment to the Senate NDAA demonstrates the shared will of Congress and the administration to meaningfully regulate outbound investments. 
    So, with that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] to provide more detail on the content of the Final Rule. 
    Over to you.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks very much.  As mentioned today, Treasury is issuing, at the direction of the President, a targeted and narrowly scoped regulation that implements a new program to address this threat to U.S. national security.  The Final Rule has clear thresholds and definitions to implement the executive order, and provides detailed, explanatory discussion regarding its intent and application to assist investors and other stakeholders to help them navigate this new program. 
    The Final Rule does two things at its core, as previewed: First, it prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions involving semiconductors, quantum, and artificial intelligence.  And second, it requires U.S. persons to notify Treasury of certain other transactions involving semiconductors and artificial intelligence. 
    The rule explains in detail the scope of the program, definitions, processes, requirements, and penalties for non-compliance, among other things.  Importantly, this rule has benefited from the input of a variety of stakeholders, industry experts, and allies and partners. 
    We had two rounds of formal comments on the rulemaking to implement the executive order, first with the August 2023 ANPRM that was issued alongside the ENO and on which we got 60 comments from stakeholders.  Those comments were integral in developing the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that we issued in June of this year and on which we received more than 40 additional comments, which further informed the development of the Final Rule.
    Over two-plus years, Treasury, along with the Departments of State and Commerce, have led extensive engagements with stakeholders across the globe.  These engagements and our deliberate decision to offer two rounds of public comment have helped us receive insightful feedback that has helped inform the Final Rule to ensure to choose our national security objectives while taking into account the need to be focused, targeted, and clear. 
    Now, I’ll briefly discuss a few key aspects of the rule. 
    First, as [senior administration official] suggested, the rule imposes requirements on U.S. persons.  This includes prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions with what the rule identifies as covered foreign persons, and requires the U.S. persons to notify the Treasury Department about other transactions that involve covered foreign persons. 
    Second, the Final Rule focuses on specific categories of investment transactions where the target of the investment has a nexus to the PRC and activities involving sensitive technologies and products. 
    In terms of what transactions are covered, the Final Rule applies to, among other things, a U.S. person’s acquisition of an equity interest or contingent equity interest, certain debt financing, certain greenfield investments, or investments that could result in corporate expansion and joint ventures.  This would include, for example, a U.S. investment firm taking an equity stake in an advanced semiconductor manufacturer in the PRC.  It would also cover a U.S. company’s purchase of land in the PRC to develop a quantum computing research facility. 
    There are exceptions for certain types of transactions that are less likely to contribute to the national security threat we’re worried about. 
    For example, the Final Rule excepts or carves out certain investments by a U.S. person to publicly trade securities and certain investments made by a limited partner in a pooled investment fund, among others.
    In light of our ongoing conversations with allies and partners on the importance of multilateral efforts in this area, the Final Rule also includes an exception for certain transactions involving a person of a country or territory outside the United States where the Secretary of the Treasury has determined that the country or territory is addressing national security concerns posed by outbound investment. 
    And third, in terms of the technologies and products in scope for the program, the Final Rule provides technical details on the subsets of semiconductors, quantum, and artificial intelligence that are relevant to the program. 
    For example, a U.S. person is prohibited from acquiring equity in a PRC entity that manufactures advanced semiconductors or that is developing an AI system designed exclusively or intended for a military end use.  A U.S. person would be required to notify Treasury if they are acquiring equity in a PRC company that manufactures legacy semiconductors. 
    Other examples include direct equity investments by a company or private equity fund into any PRC company that is repurposing an AI model for penetration testing or automated vulnerability detection and exploitation, which would be covered under the rule as either notifiable or prohibited, depending on the design end use and computing power used to train an AI system. 
    In addition to direct investments, indirect investments through a parent of a PRC company that is using AI models to improve targeting, intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance, or autonomous weapons systems for military use would be prohibited, as would such indirect investments in a PRC company developing or scaling quantum computers or networks to undermine encryption systems.  These technologies can be used for advanced code breaking, the development of next-generation military applications, or offensive cyber operations. 
    Additionally, in general, the rule is based on a U.S. person’s knowledge of the relevant facts, rendering a transaction to be covered under the rule.  Enforcement and penalties are consistent with the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, the authority by which the President issued the executive order. 
    The Final Rule takes effect on January 2nd, giving stakeholders time to organize internal infrastructure and processes to ensure compliance with the rule. 
    The lengthy preamble to the rule summarizes the response to the comments received, as well as provides an explanation of the changes since the proposed rule issued over the summer. 
    And let me make two additional and final points before concluding. 
    First, this program is calibrated to help ensure our actions can be supported multilaterally, which is a critical component to maximize its effectiveness and reduce backfill from other investors.  The administration has been engaged in extensive conversations with allies and partners on the issue, and we are encouraged to see some allies and partners, including the European Commission and the United Kingdom, exploring the issue of outbound investment security in their own jurisdictions.
    Second, cross-border investment flows have long contributed to U.S. economic vitality.  This targeted action is focused on national security and scope to address specific risks posed by certain U.S. outbound investment, and it maintains our longstanding commitment to open investment. 
    Thanks.  And back to you, Eduardo, for questions.
    MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We now have time for a few questions.  If you’d like to ask a question, please use the “Raise Your Hand” feature on Zoom, and we’ll come to you. 
    First up, we’ll go to Michael Martina.
    Q    Hi there.  Appreciate you doing this.  So, what you described sounds quite similar to the notice for proposed rulemaking earlier in the year.  I’m wondering if you can detail any specific or key changes that you made to the original notice you said it was used to inform this Final Rule.  So, are any changes from earlier?
    And just an effort at clarification.  You know, given the exemptions for publicly traded securities, is it the White House’s contention that China has not significantly exploited publicly traded security purchases by U.S. investors to enhance their military or intelligence capabilities?  My understanding is that this is perfectly fine — you could trade public securities for Chinese defense companies under this; that’s totally within the rules.  Is that correct?  Thanks. 
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, maybe I’ll take the first question, Eduardo.  And then, [senior administration official], if you want to chime in on the second from a White House perspective.
    So, I think while largely consistent with the NPRM in scope and structure, the Final Rule does contain some changes, including with respect to clarity of the rule and thinking forward to compliance. 
    So, for example, we’ve selected clear technical thresholds for notifiable and prohibited transactions involving AI systems based on the amount of compute power to train an AI system that is open in the NPRM; refine how the rule applies to U.S. persons with investment banking authority and non-U.S. entity, such that it clearly applies only to those who actually exercise authority, for example; and clarifying with respect to compliance and enforcement with the rule. 
    And so, there are a number of areas where we have honed and focused and sharpened the rule since then, and those are some examples.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks for the question, Michael.  So, I will say we do have existing authorities to address the threat you were discussing.  So, for example, Treasury has authorities — the Chinese military industrial complex sanctions regulations that are intended to address U.S. persons from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities and companies that are involved in this sector, and there are others as well. 
    MODERATOR:  Next up, we’ll go to the line of Anita Powell.
    Q    Thank you so much.  As you guys are surely aware, Elon Musk is developing a data center in China to train the algorithm to work on self-driving cars.  That’s a lot simpler than I think it really is.  But anyway, is this the type of investment that might be restricted under this new rule?  Can you just kind of flesh that out for us?
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  Happy to start. 
    Look, I don’t think we’re going to get into hypothetical scenarios, but just reiterate some of the points that I’ve said. 
    What the rule is really targeted on is capital and the intangibles that can flow from such American capital to go into the development of PRC-based — not just based, but PRC-based entities that are developing these advanced technologies.  And so, that’s sort of the scope of the rule. 
    And one thing I will mention is that Treasury will provide some guidance and other documents during this interim period before the rule goes online.  That’s certainly our intent to help flesh this out.  But I think going back to the core tenets of the rule is the best way to answer that.
    MODERATOR:  Next up, we’ll go to the line of (inaudible).
    Q    Yeah, hi.  Thanks for doing this and for taking my question.  Could you talk a little bit more about the engagement with allies and partners in the process of finalizing this rule, specifically which allies specifically you engaged with and whether there are any allies who are going to create similar rules of their own?  Thank you.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  [Senior administration official], maybe you could start with engagements with allies that you’ve had, but then maybe, [senior administration official], if we could go to you, you could talk a little bit about the G7 as well.  That might be helpful.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:   Yeah, sure.  Thanks. 
    So, in terms of — just to sort of put a topper before going to [senior administration official], we’ve had a number of engagements with partners and allies, which have resulted in not only sort of technical exchanges about what we are doing and why we’re doing it, but also various statements.  And [senior administration official] will allude to one of them with regard to the G7, but obviously the European Commission and the United Kingdom have made statements in support of these goals.  And so, it’s an ongoing process and one that will continue.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, and just to add on to what [senior administration official] said, this is something that, you know, even from the White House level we engage with our closest allies and partners on.  And [senior administration official] referenced, you know, a line in the G7 leaders’ statement from Apulia early this year that refers to, you know, recognizing that appropriate measures designed to address risk from outbound investments are important to complement our existing toolkit. 
    So, it’s a conversation that we’re frequently having with our key partners and allies.
    MODERATOR:  And we have time for one more.  We’ll go to the line of Patrick Tucker.
    Q    Hey.  Thanks.  Patrick Tucker from Defense One.
    So, when you say the rule prohibits people from acquiring equity in a PRC entity that manufactures semiconductors that might be used in autonomous weapons systems or that might be repurposed for AI penetration testing, is that based on an observation that there are U.S. firms that currently have investments in those areas of autonomous weaponry and penetration testing for China?  Or are you making the rule now in anticipation that firms might begin to invest in that sort of thing?  I’m trying to get a sense of the degree to which U.S. firms have exposure and have willingly made investments in these areas of the Chinese military.
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So let me start, [senior administration official], and then perhaps, [senior administration official], pass it to you. 
    I think what we are worried about, which I would focus on, is the kinds of scenarios that we have outlined, which is supported by data.  And one statistic that comes to mind — and I won’t get it exactly right, so I’d refer you to the Georgetown Center for — I think it’s Technology — that had a statistic that said something to the effect of: For a five-year period, I think between 2016 and 2020 or 2021, 17 percent of investment in Chinese artificial intelligence companies included U.S. participation, and of that, 91 percent was at the venture capital stage. 
    I think if you think about those sets of facts and scenarios, that’s the kind of situation that when it comes to certain artificial intelligence capable of impacting our national security, from military intelligence, cyber, other related perspectives, that’s what we’re concerned about. 
    SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, I would just add to that that part of the motivation, as we were looking at some case studies to inform the development of this executive order and the regulation, actually was focused on cybersecurity, where we had a number — we saw a number of VC investments directly into firms working on cybersecurity that ended up on the entity list for working with Chinese military or intelligence services.
    MODERATOR:  Thanks, everyone, for joining.  That’s all the time we have for today.  As a reminder, this call was on background, attributable to senior administration officials, and the contents of the call are embargoed until 5:00 p.m. Eastern. 
    We’ll follow up shortly with embargoed materials as well. but do reach out to us, to the NSC or Treasury, with any questions in the meantime.  Thanks so much.
    3:00 P.M. EDT  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Loretta Hart, 94.7 The Pulse

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    LORETTA HART, HOST: As we celebrate 50 years of community radio in Australia, we’re featuring women doing great things in the sector and those making an impact on it. One such woman is my next guest, someone who is a champion for all things community broadcasting, the Honourable Michelle Rowland, Minister for Communications. Welcome to the program.

    MICHELLE ROWLAND, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Great to be with you. 

    HART:  And we’ve also been joined by Libby Coker in the studio as well, our Federal Member for Corangamite. Welcome, Libby.

    LIBBY COKER, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CORANGAMITE: Welcome to you too. It’s great to be with you.

    HART: And look, I can’t go past that we actually got our station manager. Leo. Leo, welcome back from long service leave.

    LEO RENKIN, 94.7 STATION MANAGER: Thank you, Loretta. It’s been a very entertaining first day.

    HART: Absolutely. So, Michelle, you know, we know that the Labor Government introduced community radio back in the ‘70s. Can you share with us the importance of community broadcasting and radio, what- the importance it holds for the Government of today?

    ROWLAND: It’s absolutely an essential part of our media ecosystem, and I think it is opportune to reflect when Gough Whitlam started community broadcasting 50 years ago, it was referred to as experimental. So this was a step into the unknown about what can be done with this very valuable resource we call spectrum. I think it was one of the wisest moves that’s been made in communications regulation in this country, because where community broadcasting fits in in this whole ecosystem is it provides the heavy lifting that’s been done on media diversity. We are one of the most concentrated media ownership markets in the world, and to have hundreds of community broadcasters right around Australia serving localism, supported by volunteers, having connections with community.

    I’m really privileged to be here, just seeing the connections that you have with individuals, with community, how you reflect the local area. You try and think of another media format that can do that. You can’t. You can’t do it on a digital platform. You can’t do it in a profit making commercial broadcasting sense. It’s done through people who want to make a difference. Meeting Marwa, earlier from Syria, one of your stars. Clearly, that’s been life changing for her and she’s found a place here. I just think that says it all. It says everything about community broadcasting, community radio. It really does bring people together. Congratulations to The Pulse for clearly doing it so well. You really are the epitome of why we support this sector.

    HART:  Thank you so much. You used the word experimental, and I know we’re 50 years on, but I would say it still feels experimental. We have this opportunity to bring in new voices, to try new things to be nimble, which is such an exciting place for us to be. I’m wondering, Michelle, you know, as we move into this on demand lifestyle, I watch everything these days on – when it suits me on the TV, people are into their podcasts. Where do you see community radio fitting into this on demand space?

    ROWLAND: I think community radio is going to continue to innovate. Everyone thought radio was going to die with the advent of the iPod and then the iPhone, but community radio has really still found its place. You can find the app; you can listen to it anywhere you want. We’ve introduced a prominence framework in Australia as well to make local content easier to find. I think that the sector will continue to adapt, and I think it does it through two ways. Firstly, it is that local element, but it also is able to connect. It’s two-way. It’s not television. It’s two-way. When you have those personalities that are able to engage, continue to innovate through innovations like podcasting. Podcasting is one of those things, you know, it took off a few years ago, as did- we saw it with the ABC developing iView to have a library. Community broadcasting is doing the same thing, and it’s that kind of innovation that is going to keep it strong. But the key thing here, I’m sure Libby will agree, you need people. You need people, which goes to the whole reason why we’re doing the first really deep sustainability dive into the sector. You can’t operate for profit, but sponsorships are harder to come by. Volunteerism is on the decline, that’s just a fact. So we’ve got to look at new ways of support, and you’ve got to be able to attract people to be part of this. You’re doing it so well here. I could tell as soon as I walked in – you’re very lucky, Libby, to be representing such a special electorate.

    COKER: Yeah. Thanks, Michelle. I’m very fond of The Pulse. It’s been a place where people can come together and it fills a unique niche in this region. We have commercial radio, but we are also quite limited in our range of media. So if you want to have an in-depth interview on an issue, you really need to come to The Pulse to do that. I wish you all the best, and hope you continue to go from strength to strength and be here for another 50 years. It’s an impressive effort.

    HART:  Thank you, Libby. We will hold you to helping us.

    COKER: Yes, I know you will.

    LEO RENKIN CO-HOST: Just one thing that we haven’t really mentioned is the people who go on from the community radio station as well. Like we have Stefan, who’s gone back to Serbia and now presents TV over there. We also have Michelle Rimmer, you might see who’s an ABC reporter over in the UK – they all get their start somewhere like here. It’s very important because most commercial stations and there’s very limited opportunities at the ABC to get experience, and without it, there would be a lot of people who couldn’t go on and make a career out of radio. I think it’s one of the most underrated, important things that happen, not only radio, TV they go onto as well.

    HART: Couldn’t agree more.

    RENKIN: Yeah. That’s part of I think that thing is getting harder and harder to get experience, particularly for people in the media. I think that’s one of the things that we often forget about. You know, coming to a place like we’ve spoken about Marwa this morning, coming to a place where you can then get a chance to go ahead and do those things in media. Without it, as you mentioned before, it’s not a very diverse sector in the media field.

    ROWLAND: I think it’s great that people who are in community broadcasting, like Rove McManus, you know, he got his start on community TV. They go on to great things. But we also want them to stay.

    RENKIN: Exactly.

    ROWLAND: To nurture others as well. So it becomes a virtuous cycle.

    RENKIN: That’s right. They get picked very quickly, yeah.

    HART:  That’s right. I keep telling Marwa not to be so good because SBS is going to find her. She’s our most downloaded program and does an amazing job for her community. But I think that’s right. I mean, and we’re really proud of the links that we’re making with Deakin to support young journalists, students, and those in communications and marketing to come in. I want to give a shout out we had a young man, Cooper Watkins. Cooper came and did an eight-week intro to broadcasting program with us. Just on the weekend, he hosted an hour program with three interviews, and then on Monday, did six interviews for a two-hour program. And he’s just finished his journalism degree. But he is eager to get his hands on these buttons, to get behind the microphone and to get experience.

    So you’re right, Leo. I think that whilst we can have diverse voices, we can have underrepresented stories being given some air, but we’re also a training ground. But you’re right, Michelle, we want people to stay as well. Yeah.

    RENKIN: I’ve got Loretta chained to the desk actually.

    [Laughter]

    I think one of the underrated things about community radio is, like we’ve seen this morning, a diverse group of people coming together, and I think that’s very important for social cohesion as well. We often think of everyone in the community being different, but a place where they can come together and be different is a very special thing to have.

    ROWLAND: Couldn’t agree more.

    HART:  Michelle, just lastly, what can we look forward to- as community broadcasters, what can we look forward to the Albanese Government supporting and providing in this space?

    ROWLAND: Well, I want to reiterate that this is a government that doesn’t just say we support community broadcasting. We’ve backed that up with $23 million in funding. We want to continue to make sure that this sector remains strong. The first Bill I actually presented to the Parliament as Minister was on community broadcasting to help ease some of that regulatory burden. We have the sustainability review that’s being finalised by my Department now. I think it’s been really important to go out and to consult with the sector about what their needs are. When that comes through, I’m sure it will have some really practical suggestions in there for reform.

    But as Libby will tell you too, you know, we want to be judged on our delivery. It’s really something to be able to go to- I’ve lost count of how many community radio stations I’ve been to or have been on around Australia. But I want to be clear to your listeners. We’re a Government of delivery. We’re not afraid of the hard reforms. There are hard things happening in the media at the moment. This sector is under great challenge through the multinational digital platforms, under great stress through just the transition as well. It’s not the advertising market that it used to be. It is hard. There has to be that adaptation across mainstream media, but also by every part of the ecosystem, including community and just discussions today. This is an area that’s not without its challenges, even here in Geelong.

    But I can give you this commitment that we want to follow through on ensuring sustainability. We are going to have to make some hard decisions. But you can be assured that with good people like Libby backing you up in the Parliament as well, I think that this is a universally supported sector. It’s one that actually goes right across the aisle. You get people from regional areas and from metro areas who do support community radio. So I think that the proposals that we will put up, I’m confident that they’ll have strong support. There’s always a need to do more. Let’s be clear. I want to do expectations management. There’s always a need to do more. With hundreds of community radio stations across Australia with so many thousands of volunteers, we do have to remember I think come back to first principles. This is the fourth estate. It’s about making sure that authentic Australian voices, entertainment, and news get out there. We’re in an era of mis- and disinformation that is harmful to our democracy. This fourth estate that you support here is the front row of that fight against it. That’s one of the key reasons why I’m so passionate about it.

    RENKIN: Can I just add to that, Loretta?

    HART: Yeah, well, you can, but you’ve got 30 seconds.

    RENKIN: Sorry, 30 seconds. We found in COVID that we did have enormous amount of people come to us from different ethnic groups and want us to promote the vaccination programs and things that were going on because the only information they were referring to was online stuff, information from their own country. So for example, they were getting information from Croatia about what was going on, and then trying to think that was what was going to go on in Australia. Well, it was completely wrong. So we had some of our presenters come in and say, we have to get this message out, we have to get this message out. I think that’s one of the things that we- you know, when you said before about being the fourth pillar, I suppose, is that we can provide information from local community groups and for the local community groups, the best thing they know is word of mouth. And if it comes from one of the representatives, and then-

    ROWLAND: They trust. 

    RENKIN: They trust, exactly.

    HART:  They do indeed. It’s been a very fantastic conversation this morning. Thanks so much to Leo. Thanks very much to Libby Coker. And also thanks so much, Michelle, for being here, our Federal Minister for Communications. It’s been wonderful to have you in the studio with us.

    ROWLAND: Absolute pleasure.

    COKER: Thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Bladder cancer diagnosed incident cases across 8MM to reach 0.34 million in 2033, forecasts GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Bladder cancer diagnosed incident cases across 8MM to reach 0.34 million in 2033, forecasts GlobalData

    Posted in Pharma

    The diagnosed incident cases of bladder cancer in the eight major markets (8MM*) are set to register an annual growth rate (AGR) of 2.24% from 0.28 million in 2023 to 0.34 million in 2033, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s latest report, “Bladder Cancer – Epidemiology Forecast to 2033,” reveals that the US will have the highest number of diagnosed incident cases of bladder cancer among the 8MM at 0.10 million cases, whereas France will have the lowest number at 0.02 million cases in 2033.

    Antara Bhattacharya, Associate Project Manager, Epidemiology team at GlobalData, comments: “In 2023, men are more affected than women with approximately 78% men and 22% women.”

    Older adults in ages 60 years and above accounted for almost 87% of the diagnosed incident cases of bladder cancer in the 8MM in 2023, while younger adults in ages 18–59 years accounted for approximately 13% of the cases.

    GlobalData estimates that in 2023, approximately 45% of the incident cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed in the early stages by AJCC TNM staging, whereas only 6% of cases had a delayed diagnosis. Additionally, approximately 79% of the incident cases by tumor “T” stage at diagnosis were diagnosed in earlier stages, whereas only 4% cases were in severe stages.

    The high rate of diagnosis at earlier stages can be attributed to the success of increasing rates of cystoscopy, which is an invasive and expensive procedure. Approximately 74% of diagnosed prevalent cases of NMIBC relapse or recurred to MIBC.

    Bhattacharya concludes: “Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer type, and timely detection of the disease is both challenging and expensive. Diagnosis relies mainly on cystoscopy, which is an invasive procedure and difficult in low-resource settings. Even after being diagnosed in early stages when the disease is highly treatable, the relapse and recurrence rates are high.

    “Hence, adequate research and medical interventions are needed to facilitate different medical approaches for the timely detection and treatment. Epidemiological studies focusing on bladder cancer stages with relapse or recurrence can improve treatment outcomes. Additionally, bladder cancer treatment requires a multifaceted approach that integrates medical and surgical interventions, lifestyle modifications, ongoing support, along with immunotherapy, targeted therapy, clinical trials, and follow-up care.”

    *8MM: The US, 5EU (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK), Japan, and urban China.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Telegram of the Holy Father on the death of His Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino

    Source: The Holy See

    Telegram of the Holy Father on the death of His Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, 29.10.2024

    The following is the telegram of condolence on the death on Monday 28 October 2024 of His Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, protodeacon of San Francesco di Paola ai Monti, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, sent by the Holy Father Francis to the late Cardinal’s brother, Marcello Martino:

    Telegram of the Holy Father
    MR. MARCELLO MARTINO00012 GUIDONIA MONTECELIO
    ON LEARNING OF THE NEWS OF THE DEATH OF YOUR BROTHER, CARDINAL RENATO RAFFAELE MARTINO, I WISH TO EXPRESS MY CONDOLENCES TO YOU, TO ALL HIS FAMILY AND TO THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SALERNO-CAMPAGNA-ACERNO OF WHICH HE WAS A RESPECTED PRESBYTER. AS I REMEMBER THIS ZEALOUS PASTOR WHO SERVED THE GOSPEL AND THE CHURCH, I THINK WITH GRATITUDE OF HIS LONG AND DILIGENT COLLABORATION WITH MY PREDECESSORS AS APOSTOLIC NUNCIO TO A NUMBER OF ASIAN COUNTRIES AND ESPECIALLY TO THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION, WHERE HE SPARED NO ENERGY TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE POPE’S PATERNAL CONCERN FOR THE FATE OF HUMANITY, AND FINALLY AS PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE. IN THE VARIOUS ROLES ENTRUSTED TO HIM, HE WORKED WITH GREAT DYNAMISM FOR THE GOOD OF PEOPLES, CONSTANTLY PROMOTING DIALOGUE AND CONCORD. I ASK THE LORD TO WELCOME THIS FAITHFUL SERVANT OF HIS TO THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM AND FROM MY HEART I IMPART MY BLESSING TO THOSE WHO MOURN HIS DEPARTURE, WITH A GRATEFUL THOUGHT FOR THOSE WHO CARED FOR HIM.
    FRANCIS

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cost-of-living crisis impacted Black health – study

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Published: 29 October 2024 at 10:58

    Rise in inflation and bank rates associated with rise in discrimination and worse health

    A groundbreaking new study has revealed the significant impact of the cost-of-living crisis on discrimination and health outcomes among Black people in the UK, with rising interest and bank rates associated with deterioration in general and mental health and rising discrimination.

    The study, published in the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies during Black History Month, is the first to examine the impact of interest and bank rates during the cost-of-living crisis on the health of Black people.

    Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) distributed participation forms during social events in London celebrating 2021 Black History Month. An e-questionnaire was sent to participants between October and December 2021. Follow-up data collection occurred in 2022 and 2023. A total of 264 people took part in the research in 2021, 235 in 2022, and 223 in 2023, resulting in 722 observations overall.

    According to the study, during the 2022/2023 cost-of-living crisis, discrimination towards Black people increased by 3.75%, general health decreased by 4.45% and mental health decreased by 5.62%.

    Instances of discrimination were associated with a 26.4% deterioration in general health and a 27.1% deterioration in mental health.

    Inflation rose from 2.49% in 2021 to 7.9% in 2022, before falling to 6.83% in 2023. In the same time period, the Bank of England’s base interest rate rose from 0.11% in 2021 to 1.58% in 2022 and further to 4.81% in 2023. Researchers found that among the participants, inflation was associated with a 2.9% increase in discrimination towards Black people, while the rising bank rate was associated with a 1.1% increase in discrimination.

    Rising inflation was linked to a 2.3% decline in general health and a 2.5% decline in mental health, while the Bank Rate is associated with a 1.9% decline in general health and a 2.3% decline in mental health.

    The study also found that minority subgroups within the Black community, such as gay men and lesbian women, face higher levels of discrimination and poorer health outcomes compared to reference groups.

    Lead author Nick Drydakis, Professor of Economics at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:

    “The study provides critical insights into how discrimination is related to general and mental health outcomes within the Black community during the cost-of-living crisis. 

    “It was a time of great uncertainty for the majority of people living in the UK and is still having an impact today, but it is clear that it had a disproportionate impact on minority groups.

    “In times of social and economic upheaval, tensions between different communities often intensify, particularly when dominant groups believe their access to resources to be under threat. This can in turn lead to a rise in prejudice and discrimination.

    “The study underlines the need to work towards creating a more equal society and improving the well-being of everybody, particularly those who are most vulnerable.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New road layout coming soon to Downshire Bridge

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Improvements will enhance pedestrian accessibility creating a safer environment for everyone.

    A new road layout will be introduced to Downshire Bridge (The Cut) Banbridge as the £6m public realm scheme nears completion following a major investment. Changes to enhance pedestrian accessibility and the movement of traffic around the Downshire Bridge will take effect from 7pm on Sunday 17th November 2024.

    Road resurfacing and new layout works will take place from 7pm on Saturday 16th November through to 7pm on Sunday 17th November. Overnight weekend works will be carried out to minimise disruption to the busy town centre.

    The key changes coming into effect from Sunday 17th November 2024 will be:

    • The introduction of two ‘Give Way’ signs and road markings at the top of Newry Street and Bridge Street. This means drivers should stop and give way on their approach up the legs of ‘The Cut’.
    • The traffic priority will now be for vehicles moving through Scarva Street and Rathfriland Street.
    • The existing pedestrian crossing on Scarva Street has been moved closer to the junction with Bridge Street.
    • A second pedestrian crossing on Rathfriland Street, close to Houston’s/Menary’s shop corner which aims to create a safer street crossing for pedestrians in this area.

    Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Councillor Sarah Duffy said:

    “As public realm works near completion it is great to see the positive impact this significant investment has had to Banbridge Town Centre. With new and improved pavements and footpaths, feature lighting and street furniture this project has not only created a high-quality and better-connected streetscape, it has strongly focused on improving safety and accessibility for all users to create a safer environment for everyone.

    “The remaining works will introduce changes surrounding the Downshire bridge with priority for pedestrians, as well as improving the junctions for vehicles and traffic flow across the bridge. I understand it will take time to adjust to the new layout and I encourage everyone to embrace the changes recommended to improve this area and make it safer for everyone.”

    During the initial design stages of the public realm scheme, extensive consultations were undertaken with a range of user groups including the Chamber of Commerce, Section 75 groups, such as RNIB, Guide Dogs UK and the Older People’s Alliance.  The Department for Infrastructure advised that the junction at The Cut should be improved to adhere to new guidance.

    An audit was carried out by Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC), which identified the junction as a particularly unfriendly environment for pedestrians.

    Michael Larimor, from IMTAC, who completed the audit report on Banbridge commented:

    “In our original report about the area around the bridge we described the layout as an unfriendly environment for most pedestrians but completely inaccessible for many disabled people. The new road layout goes a long way to addressing these issues.

    “The simple change of road priority requiring users of the bridge slip roads to give way immediately makes pedestrians crossing at junctions safer. This coupled with two zebras providing pedestrians with priority crossing across Scarva Street and Rathfriland Street changes the nature of the bridge area completely, giving a much greater priority to pedestrians in the area. The improved sight lines and the reinstatement of kerbs, coupled with the changes in road priority makes the entire area safer and more accessible for disabled people in particular.”

    New road layout signage will be in operation to make drivers and pedestrians aware of the changes and to remind them to approach with caution until users become familiar with the new road layout.

    To find out more information about the public realm scheme and to view a video animation of the new road layout and changes coming into effect on Sunday 17th November 2024, please visit www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/banbridgepublicrealm

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council seeks local views to improve South Quay Shed

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Council seeks local views to improve South Quay Shed

    Residents, businesses and visitors are being asked to have their say on how to improve South Quay Shed in Whitstable Harbour.

    An online survey has been launched this week by Canterbury Council to find out why people visit the popular destination and what they think of the current food and retail offer, atmosphere, events and pricing.

    It will also ask about improvements to the space and how it can become more attractive to residents and visitors alike.

    The results of the short questionnaire will help inform future plans for the Shed which opened in 2022 as a community event, retail and leisure space with affordable rental units supporting local, creative start-up businesses and food outlets.

    Since opening, it has become home to a wide selection of local businesses and hit national headlines when the Shed’s HatsHats Coffee launched a pop-up shop run by pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities from St Nicholas School in Canterbury.

    Cllr Chris Cornell, Chair of the Whitstable Harbour Board and Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Inclusion and Coastal Towns Champion, said: “We are committed to making sure the harbour remains a vibrant and thriving home for our communities – and South Quay Shed has a vital role in supporting these ambitions.

    “After three successful seasons, we want to know what people think about it. Do they visit it often? If not, why not? And how can we make it better?”

    The survey follows a consultation by Whitstable Harbour Board and the council about their strategic plans for the harbour over the next decade.

    Feedback from this consultation, which ended in January this year, showed huge support for a commercial working harbour and development plans focused on a reduced carbon footprint and increased accessibility.

    Complete the survey online by Friday 29 November 2024.

    Published: 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highway repairs and improvements planned for Western Road

    Source: City of Leicester

    TRAFFIC restrictions will be in place on a busy residential road in Leicester’s West End from next week, while extensive resurfacing and other improvements are carried out.

    Leicester City Council will carry out essential maintenance work on Western Road from Sunday 3 November.

    Footpaths will be improved to remove dropped kerbs that cut across the pavement and do not now provide access to a parking or loading area. Work to improve carriageway drainage in Western Road will also be carried out.

    Changes will also be made to the crossroads at the junction of Western Road and Briton Street, where adjustments will be made to give priority to vehicles and cycles on Briton Street.

    Resurfacing of the main carriageway on Western Road, between its junctions with Braunstone Gate and Briton Street, will be carried out in Spring 2025.

    Initial works are expected to be complete by late January, and will be carried out in phases on short sections of the road to help minimise disruption. Parking restrictions and rolling road closures will be required, with well signposted diversions in place. Access to houses, shops and businesses will be maintained. Work will be suspended during the Christmas holiday period with full access reinstated.

    Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “The city’s road network needs regular maintenance and repairs to ensure it can cope with modern demands.

    “These latest works will see major maintenance and improvements made to a busy residential street and important local route, which will benefit of everyone who uses it.

    “For that work to take place, parts of the road will need to be closed temporarily but diversions will be clearly signposted and disruption will be kept to a minimum wherever possible.”

    The scheme is expected to cost about £700,000 and will be funded as part of the Connecting Leicester programme which is supported by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New funding aims to boost business innovation and deliver positive change for local communities

    Source: City of Leeds

    New funding is on offer for projects that will help local business innovators make a positive difference to life in Leeds.

    Leeds City Council’s Innovation@Leeds programme has up to £175,000 available for distribution in the form of individual grants ranging from £15,000 to £25,000.

    The grants are intended to fund knowledge-sharing projects that will – through the provision of advice, guidance, mentoring or training – encourage world-class innovative thinking and activity by the city’s businesses.

    This in turn, it is hoped, will enable them to deliver cutting-edge products, processes and services that make Leeds a healthier, greener and more inclusive place to live.

    The exact nature of the projects will depend on the proposals submitted by grant applicants, who are being asked to show how their idea can achieve at least one of three main aims. These are:

    • Boosting the capabilities of innovative businesses already operating in fields such as artificial intelligence or financial, health and legal technology;
    • Supporting people from diverse backgrounds who want to launch their own innovation-led businesses;
    • Raising the profile of Leeds as a centre for innovation and showcasing its strengths to outside investors.

    To be considered for a grant to set up and run a project, applicants must be a Leeds-registered small business or microbusiness.

    They should also be able to demonstrate a proven track record in providing development support for innovation-led businesses.

    Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

    “We know Leeds is a city bursting with ideas and inspiration, and we are keen to do whatever we can to ensure local residents realise their full potential.

    “We’re also committed to helping innovative businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs find solutions and ways of working that will have a positive impact on our communities.

    “The new grants will support both of those ambitions – and underline the power of collaboration – by giving innovators access to top-quality knowledge-sharing opportunities.

    “I’d encourage as many eligible small businesses and microbusinesses as possible to apply for a grant, and look forward to seeing the results achieved by the successful projects.”

    Innovation@Leeds was launched by the council in 2021 to ensure that people from all backgrounds have the means to make the most of their talents in fields such as digital and other emerging technologies.

    The programme’s latest grants are being funded through central government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is administered locally by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

    The award of the grants will align with a city-wide vision – co-created by the council with key local partners – for stimulating innovation in a way that has a positive social impact.

    One crucial aspect of that vision is the further development and transformation of the Leeds Innovation Arc, an area on the west side of the city centre that is home to globally-renowned educational, health and cultural establishments as well as an array of start-ups, scale-ups and major businesses.

    For more information about the Innovation@Leeds grants, click here. Applications can be made until November 21, while the projects that secure funding must be delivered by March 28 next year.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Kirkton Community Centre Update

    Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

    A new community centre run by local people is set to be established in the Kirkton area of Dundee. 

    A partnership between a local charity – Kirkton Community Centre SCIO – and the city council has been agreed this week to pave the way for the purpose-built facility. 

    Following the closure and demolition of the current ageing Kirkton Community Centre, the charity intends to build and run a new centre on the same site. 

    The activities and services being delivered from that location would complement the city council’s Community Hub model for the area, which will be based at the nearby Baldragon and St Paul’s academies. 

    Previously agreed by councillors, the Hub model will see community activities provided at the two local secondary schools, with the library located at St Paul’s Academy. 

    Melanie Kiyani, Treasurer of Kirkton Community Centre SCIO, said: “Our members are residents of Kirkton, and we have ambitious plans for a new purpose-built community centre which will be run and owned by the community of Kirkton for the community of Kirkton. 

    “We are working in partnership with Dundee City Council to realise our ambitions. The new community centre will complement the Kirkton Community Hub model by providing space during the day where people can access a fully operational café, retail units, daily activities and support.  

    “The main aim of the new community centre will be to create community wealth.  Funds raised through the community centre and other initiatives will go straight back into community projects for Kirkton as we are a not-for-profit organisation.” 

    The charity is currently raising funds to build the new facility, which would be community owned and run. 

    Leader of Dundee City Council Councillor Mark Flynn said: “I would like to congratulate all those behind the Kirkton Community Centre SCIO for their efforts in bringing their plans to this stage. 

    “The council will be assisting the group through demolition of the current community centre and an arrangement going forward about the site. 

    “They are planning to deliver a number of activities that would complement the Community Hub and would provide a range of benefits for local people. 

    “I am also pleased that they continue to play their part in the working group tasked with delivering our new Community Hub vision in the coming months. 

    “Between the charity’s community provision and our exciting Hub plans, Kirkton residents can look forward to having access to excellent community spaces and activities day and night, all year round.” 

    The charity said that the new community centre will provide employment and volunteering opportunities for local people and a space “where enterprise and innovation can flourish.” 

    Melanie continued: “Internally, the new community centre will provide a large rentable multi-purpose space for social events and community groups to use. 

    “There will be a rentable sensory room, a large low-cost community café open five days a week. There will be two retail units available for local people to rent in order to run local businesses. 

    “The building will also contain a community post office and parcel pick up / drop off point. The building will be fully accessible and contain a changing places toilet. It will also have full Wi-Fi coverage.  

    “Externally the community centre will include a car jet wash, community washing machines and electric charging points along with a large community garden and orchard. 

    “There will also be outdoor seating accessible via the community café and the Strathmartine Community Food Larder will also run from a cabin based in the outdoor area.”

    More information about the charity’s plans can be found on their website: www.kirktoncommunitycentre.co.uk 

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serious assault and verbal abuse in Homerton

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives are appealing for help to identify a woman in connection with a hate crime where a man was assaulted in Homerton.

    The victim was walking along Homerton High Street at about 05:15hrs on Sunday, 27 October when he was verbally abused before being seriously assaulted with a glass bottle by an unknown woman. She then left the scene.

    The victim presented himself at hospital with serious injuries to his face.

    Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage.

    At this early stage in the investigation, the assault is being treated as a hate crime.

    Detectives are now appealing for the public’s help and have today released an image of a woman who they would like to speak with in connection with the investigation.

    If you recognise her or have any information which could assist the investigation, please contact us by calling 101 or message @MetCC on X and quote CAD 1890/27Oct.

    You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Worcestershire brook pollution brings prosecution of 2 companies

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The companies have been ordered to pay fines and costs in excess of £90,000 for causing trade effluent to pollute 3 kilometres of a Worcestershire brook.

    • Fines and costs totalling over £90,000 imposed by court
    • Human error and corporate failings caused 3 kilometres of brook to be impacted
    • Case heard at Worcester Crown Court on 24 October 2024

    A prosecution by the Environment Agency has resulted in the conviction of 2 companies for causing trade effluent to pollute 3 kilometres of a Worcestershire brook. The companies have been ordered to pay fines and costs in excess of £90,000.

    At Worcester Crown Court on 24 October 2024, Elisabeth The Chef (ETC) and Civil Environmental Project Services Ltd (CEPS) were sentenced for causing the discharge into the Laugherne Brook in September 2017.

    ETC, a food manufacturer operating in Lower Broadheath, was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £52,000. CEPS, an engineering company in Bidford-upon-Avon was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £20,000.

    The discharge

    The Court was told that the discharge caused the deaths of a significant number of fish and that it followed a series of human and corporate failings.

    The manufacturing process at ETC produces around 40,000 gallons per day of trade effluent and human sewage.

    CEPS provided quarterly maintenance, and a telemetry monitoring service, for a pumping station at ETC’s premises. It was designed to pump trade effluent and sewage from the works to a foul sewer.

    On 1 September 2017, an employee of CEPS attended the ETC site’s pumping station to conduct routine maintenance.  Following completion of the maintenance work, the employee failed to switch the pumps within the pumping station back on.

    As a result, trade effluent built up in the pump well rather than being sent to the foul sewer.  This caused an overflow of trade effluent from the pumping station into a containment lagoon.

    The containment lagoon filled up and then discharged the pollutant through a broken sluice gate and into a ditch running alongside the factory.

    This pollution discharge flowed from the ditch into the Laugherne Brook, flowing towards Worcester and the River Teme in the south of the city.

    The situation was compounded by the same CEPS employee reporting to ETC on 4 September 2017, whilst the pollution was going on, stating that it was ‘working ok’.

    The same employee had also attended the ETC site in April 2017 and erroneously fitted an alarm too high within the pumpwell. This meant that the alarm did not function properly and consequently ETC was not notified that the pumping station was not working.

    Environment Agency response to the incident

    On 5 September 2017, members of the public contacted the Environment Agency to report that the Laugherne Brook was cloudy and dead fish were on the surface. 

    The Environment Agency managed the response to the incident and identified the source of the pollution and ETC then took action to stop the pollution.

    Officers carried out water quality testing and found that there had been a severe short-term impact covering some 3 kilometres of the Laugherne Brook.

    Some 86 dead fish were counted in the accessible sections of the Brook, including brown trout, bullhead, dace, and gudgeon.

    Hundreds of fish were estimated to have been killed as a result of the incident.

    ETC, a company with previous convictions for environmental offending, initially blamed CEPS for the incident.

    But subsequently accepted that it had failed to put in checks and procedures to ensure its on-site pumping station was working correctly.

    The company also accepted that it had failed to conduct day-to-day physical checks of its pumping station and containment lagoon.

    CEPS was vicariously liable for the actions of its employee. It had failed to put in place appropriate checks and monitoring to instruct its employee to ensure that work was done competently.

    The sentence

    In sentencing, the Court remarked that the state of rivers were ‘at the front of the public consciousness’ and that this was a ‘serious breach of law’.

    In mitigation, the Court remarked that both companies had undertaken investigations and taken all remedial action to prevent a recurrence. 

    The Court noted that ETC had been under different ownership when the pollution event occurred. But the new owners were taking the company’s environmental responsibilities seriously. 

    The Court also noted that there have been no further pollution events at the site since 2017.

    CEPS admitted responsibility for the incident at an early stage.

    The Court noted that the company’s engagement and co-operation with the Environment Agency’s investigation was ‘impressive.’ It had no previous convictions of any kind.

    Kelly Horsley, an Environment Officer for the West Midlands Environment Agency, said:

    We welcome this sentence as this was a serious pollution which caused considerable disruption besides fish deaths. 

    The Environment Agency will pursue any company that fails to uphold the law or protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties. 

    Failure to comply with these legal requirements is a serious offence that can damage the environment and harm human health.    

     If anyone has environmental concerns they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111. 

    The Charge

    Between 1 September 2017 and 5 September 2017, (1) Elisabeth the Chef Ltd and (2) Civil and Environmental Project Services Ltd caused a water discharge activity.

    This was namely a discharge of polluting trade effluent into a ditch adjacent to and joining the Laugherne Brook, Worcester.

    This was not authorised by an environmental permit, contrary to Regulation 38(1)(a) and Regulation 12(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Joins International Action Against RedLine and META Infostealers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RedLine and META Infostealers stole information from millions of victims around the world; U.S. complaint charges developer and administrator; U.S. law enforcement seizes infrastructure

    AUSTIN, Texas – The Department of Justice joined the Netherlands, Belgium, Eurojust and other partners in announcing an international disruption effort against the current version of RedLine Infostealer, one of the most prevalent infostealers in the world that has targeted millions of victim computers, and the closely-related META Infostealer.

    The Justice Department, FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Army Criminal Investigation Division joined international partners in the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (“JCAT”) Operation Magnus (supported by Europol) to seize domains, servers, and Telegram accounts used by the RedLine and META administrators to disrupt the operations of the infostealers.

    International authorities have created a website at www.operation-magnus.com with additional resources for the public and potential victims.

    Infostealers are a prevalent form of malware used to steal sensitive information from victim’s computers including usernames and passwords, financial information, system information, cookies, and cryptocurrency accounts. The stolen information—referred to as “logs”—is sold on cybercrime forums and used for further fraudulent activity and other hacks. RedLine has been used to conduct intrusions against major corporations. RedLine and META infostealers can also enable cyber criminals to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) through the theft of authentication cookies and other system information.

    RedLine and META are sold through a decentralized Malware as a Service (“MaaS”) model where affiliates purchase a license to use the malware, and then launch their own campaigns to infect their intended victims. The malware is distributed to victims using malvertising, e-mail phishing, fraudulent software downloads, and malicious software sideloading. Various schemes, including COVID-19 and Windows update related ruses have been used to trick victims into downloading the malware. The malware is advertised for sale on cybercrime forums and through Telegram channels that offer customer support and software updates. RedLine and META have infected millions of computers worldwide and, by some estimates, RedLine is one of the top malware variants in the world.

    Through various investigative steps, law enforcement has collected victim log data stolen from computers infected with RedLine and META. While an exact number has not been finalized, agents have identified millions of unique credentials (usernames and passwords), email addresses, bank accounts, cryptocurrency addresses, credit card numbers, etc. The United States does not believe it is in possession of all the stolen data and continues to investigate.

    The Department has unsealed a warrant issued in the Western District of Texas that authorized law enforcement to seize two domains used by RedLine and META for command and control.

    In conjunction with the disruption effort, the Justice Department unsealed charges against Maxim Rudometov, one of the developers and administrators of RedLine Infostealer. According to the complaint, Rudometov regularly accessed and managed the infrastructure of RedLine Infostealer, was associated with various cryptocurrency accounts used to receive and launder payments and was in possession of RedLine malware. For his actions, he has been charged with access device fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1030 and 371, and money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956.

    If convicted, Rudometov faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for access device fraud, five years in prison for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, and 20 years in prison for money laundering. The complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating the case. The Task Force participants include the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Army Criminal Investigation Division, among other agencies.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Karthik Srinivasan is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust and Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

    The disruption effort announced today was in conjunction with Operation Magnus, a JCAT law enforcement operation to investigate RedLine and META Infostealers. The participating agencies included the Dutch National Police, Belgian Federal Police, Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office, United Kingdom National Crime Agency, Australian Federal Police, Portuguese Federal Police, and Eurojust.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Clean Energy Technologies, Inc. and Exergy International Sign MOU to Promote ORC Heat Recovery Solutions Across the Americas

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Irvine, CA., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clean Energy Technologies, Inc. (“CETY”) (Nasdaq: CETY), a clean energy manufacturing and services company specializing in eco-friendly energy solutions, clean fuels, and alternative power for small and mid-sized projects in Americas, Europe, and Asia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Exergy International Srl (“Exergy”), a global leading provider of Organic Rankine Cycle (“ORC”) systems, with headquarters in Italy. This strategic partnership aims to drive growth in the field of heat recovery solutions by promoting, selling, and supporting Exergy’s ORC systems across the Americas and potentially other global regions. The collaboration will expand Exergy’s and CETY’s Waste Heat to Power solutions throughout the Americas, enabling CETY to offer small to large-scale ORC systems for industries such as cement, steel, glass, oil & gas, utilities and for power generation from geothermal resources and biomass.

    Leveraging CETY’s established market presence and engineering expertise, coupled with Exergy’s advanced high-capacity ORC systems utilizing the Radial Outflow Turbine, the two companies will offer highly-efficient and competitive waste heat recovery solutions to target specific industry needs for decarbonization.

    “We see a significant growth trajectory ahead,” said Kam Mahdi, CEO of CETY. “With the rising demand for energy-efficient solutions, this partnership provides a scalable platform to tap into a wide range of ORC applications, from waste heat recovery in industrial process heat and biomass projects to geothermal. Together, we’re positioned to make an impact on the waste heat to power landscape, generating strong sales growth and profitability.”

    Luca Pozzoni, General Manager of Exergy, comments: “Exergy views the American market as a key region for the company’s development and growth, a market that we have chosen to focus on in the coming years. I am confident that our collaboration with CETY will allow us to expand our presence, deepen our understanding of the market, and soon establish new ORC references in the region. With over 550 MWe in our portfolio, we are well-positioned to support American industries in their decarbonization journey.”

    This MOU represents a strategic partnership in the waste heat recovery sector and a pathway for scalable global growth. As industries continue to prioritize sustainable energy practices, the demand for ORC solutions is expected to increase. CETY and Exergy are poised to seize the momentum and set a new standard in delivering energy-efficient solutions worldwide.

    About Exergy International srl

    EXERGY INTERNATIONAL Srl is a leading provider of clean energy technologies. We are experts in the design, engineering and manufacturing of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems with the pioneering Radial Outflow Turbine. EXERGY’s proprietary technologies, covered by several patents, allow for highly efficient energy production via the exploitation of heat sources from geothermal, waste heat from industry, biomass and concentrated solar power. The EXERGY portfolio accounts for over 500 MWe and the second largest geothermal binary fleet worldwide. EXERGY is part of the Chinese TICA Group, a leading integrated system and service provider in HVAC. From the headquarters in the north of Italy (Milan), EXERGY exports and implements its technology worldwide with a particular focus on high growth potential markets. Website: https://exergy-orc.com/

    About Clean Energy Technologies, Inc. (CETY)

    Headquartered in Irvine, California, Clean Energy Technologies, Inc. (CETY) is a rising leader in the zero-emission revolution by offering eco-friendly green energy solutions, clean energy fuels and alternative electric power for small and mid-sized projects in North America, Europe, and Asia. We deliver power from heat and biomass with zero emission and low cost. The Company’s principal products are Waste Heat Recovery Solutions using our patented Clean CycleTM generator to create electricity. Waste to Energy Solutions convert waste products created in manufacturing, agriculture, wastewater treatment plants and other industries to electricity and BioChar. Engineering, Consulting and Project Management Solutions provide expertise and experience in developing clean energy projects for municipal and industrial customers and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies.

    CETY’s common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CETY.” For more information, visit www.cetyinc.com.

    For more information, visit www.cetyinc.com.

    Follow CETY on our social media channels: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

    This summary should be read in conjunction with the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2024 and other periodic filings made pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which contain, among other matters, risk factors and financial footnotes as well as a discussions of our business, operations and financial matters located on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This news release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to achieving corporate objectives, developing additional project interests, the Company’s analysis of opportunities in the acquisition and development of various project interests and certain other matters. These statements are made under the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements contained herein. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of CETY’s business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company’s control. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “will” and similar references to future periods. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    Clean Energy Technologies, Inc.
    Investor and Investment Media inquiries:
    949-273-4990
    ir@cetyinc.com
    Source: Clean Energy Technologies, Inc.

    Exergy International Srl
    Media contact:
    Sara Milanesi
    s.milanesi@exergy.it
    +39 3666012588

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Micro extends its GDPR and ISO 27001 compliance services to EU, UK and US clients with new offices

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Key points:

    • South Africa’s most experienced cloud provider is opening new offices across Europe, the UK and the US.
    • These offices make Microsoft licensing and compliance easier across Europe and the United States.
    • Global Micro’s expansion will further help businesses take advantage of the benefits of AI securely while complying with the necessary regulations.

    JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Micro, South Africa’s most experienced cloud provider with more than 30 years of experience, is set to open physical offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    These offices make Microsoft licensing and compliance easier across Europe and the United States. The company is uniquely positioned to help organisations deal with the challenges around compliance in the EU and US. 

    “It has become clear that there is significant demand for assistance to meet the compliance demands of GDPR and NIS 2 by the EU region, particularly with the EU parliament vowing to strengthen GDPR enforcement earlier this year.

    “Our M365 Security and Compliance offering covers all the 34 technical controls for ISO 27001 Information Security, upon which GDPR is based,” explains JJ Milner, the Managing Director of Global Micro.

    Furthermore, Global Micro can provide the US and European markets with an end-to-end service to achieve ISO 27001 certification as well as ensure GDPR and NIS2 compliance.

    The company already has a solid reputation with customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and its solutions have been thoroughly tested. They are highly regarded by 1,200 customers in the region. It has further enabled its customers to attain considerably better security than the norm, a key metric in the EU’s strict regulations.

    “The effectiveness of our unique approach to managed services is evidenced by the success of our customers who enjoy far higher levels of security. While the average Microsoft Secure Score is 44/100, our customers have an average score of 75/100,” he adds.

    The expansion of Global Micro’s physical presence globally will enable the company to provide Microsoft licensing to customers in all European countries, in accordance with European Union laws, as well as across the United Kingdom and the United States.

    The official launch has been a year in the making. This is due to the complexities of meeting the legislative and governance requirements for Microsoft, UK, EU and US, explains Milner.

    The new offices will be able to draw upon the company’s full staff complement, from its back office, project management and consulting services to sales and always-available technical support teams.

    A key benefit that the company will bring is a more effective approach to delivering and maintaining secure and compliant environments.

    Milner explains that its services are delivered as managed code, which allows for standardised, consistent and auditable change management.
    This approach creates a feedback loop across its 1200 managed customers, allows it to update its code base and releases improvements to all its customers.

    The opening of the offices is also intended to help customers take full advantage of Microsoft’s push into artificial intelligence (AI) via its Copilot offering in its Microsoft 365 software suite. “While AI can open up exciting new capabilities for businesses, it can also expose hidden vulnerabilities in a company’s security and compliance measures,” says Milner.

    Companies, therefore, must be able to use the technology securely and ensure that all their security settings are aligned across their users, devices, networks, applications and the entirety of their infrastructure.

    With more than 2,500 different security settings and constantly changing regulations that companies must adhere to, that is no small feat. It is a challenge that the Global Micro office will enable its European customers to meet without needing to retain a large security team.

    These offices are set to be the first physical points of presence that mark Global Micro’s global expansion.

    “We are committed to establishing office locations globally where our customers need a physical presence.

    “We are excited to help our customers deal with their challenges and take advantage of the significant opportunities that AI brings to augment their business,” concludes Milner.

    About Global Micro
    Global Micro leverages the power of technology to deliver IT solutions that build better futures. Trusted for more than 30 years and by thousands of companies across the world, we provide enterprise-grade cloud and cybersecurity, and compliance solutions designed to help businesses comply and succeed. By simplifying sophisticated technology, we make it accessible and affordable. Keeping up with the complexity of technology is difficult. We help make it easy.

    Contact:
    Carly Simon
    Email: critz@we-worldwide.com
    Phone: +27825082209

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df698123-4c87-4f31-b552-9fc8b47cf03b
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e8ab056-38ec-4b19-a3e2-1aaa431270a6
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cd38ab44-70fc-45e6-b75e-d5ebdaa22a97

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Trump’s racist talk of immigrant ‘bad genes’ echoes some of the last century’s darkest ideas about eugenics

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shannon Bow O’Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

    Donald Trump speaks at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27, 2024. John Salangsang/Invision/AP

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly denounced immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally and the danger he says that poor immigrants of color pose for the U.S. – often using hateful language to make his point.

    In early October 2024, Trump took his comments a step further when he questioned immigrants’ faulty genes, saying without support that “Many of them murdered far more than one person, and they are now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”

    It was far from the first time Trump has invoked eugenics – a false, racist theory that some people, and even some races, are genetically superior to others.

    In 1988, for example, Trump told Oprah Winfrey during an interview: “You have to be born lucky in the sense that you have to have the right genes.”

    In 2016, Trump said that his German roots are the reason behind his greatness:

    “I always said that winning is somewhat, maybe, innate. Maybe it’s just something you have; you have the winning gene. Frankly it would be wonderful if you could develop it, but I’m not so sure you can. You know, I’m proud to have that German blood, there’s no question about it. Great stuff.”

    And in 2020, Trump again alluded to his belief that bloodlines convey excellence:

    “I had an uncle who went to MIT who is a top professor. Dr. John Trump. A genius. It’s in my blood. I’m smart.”

    Trump’s repeated and countless comments about white people’s racial superiority to people of color have prompted some comparisons to the Nazis and their ideology of racial superiority.

    The Nazis are indeed the most infamous believers of the false idea that white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired people were superior to others – and that the human population should be selectively managed to breed white people.

    But the Nazis didn’t originate these ideas. In fact, the Nazis were so impressed with many American eugenic ideas that they incorporated them into their racist, antisemitic laws.

    Root of eugenics

    The British scientist Francis Galton, a cousin of the evolutionist Charles Darwin, first developed the theory of eugenics in the 1860s, and it gained a foothold in the U.S. and Britain around this time.

    Eugenics sets racial identity, and especially white identity, as the most desirable and worthy.

    By the dawn of the early 1900s, much of the American eugenics scholarship looked down on American immigrants from any place other than Scandinavia, thus coining the term “Nordicism.”

    In the late 19th and early 20th century, immigration to the U.S. was at its peak. In 1890, 14.8% of people living in the U.S. were immigrants. Many people felt concerned about immigration in the U.S., and there were many prominent eugenicists in America. Two of the most famous were Madison Grant and Lothrop Stoddard.

    Both were avowed white supremacists who advocated for scientific racism. They wrote popular and widely read books that helped shape American and German law in the 1920s and 1930s.

    Grant, Stoddard and other theorists in the U.S. embraced eugenics as a way to justify racial segregation, restrict immigration, enforce sterilization and uphold other systemic inequalities.

    Stoddard attacked the United States’ immigration policies in his 1920 book, “The Rising Tide of Color: The Threat Against White World-Supremacy.” He wrote: “If the present drift is not changed, we whites are all ultimately doomed. … We now know that men are not, and never will be equal. We now know that environment and education can only develop what heredity brings.”

    Another prominent eugenicist was Harry H. Laughlin, an educator and superintendent of the Eugenics Record Office, a now-defunct research group that gathered biological and social information about the American population.

    Laughlin wrote an influential 1922 book, “Eugenical Sterilization in the United States,” which included a chapter on model sterilization laws. The Third Reich used his book and laws as a template when implementing them in Germany during the height of the Nazi period.

    Laughlin also regularly testified before U.S. Congress, with this 1922 testimony representative of his message to lawmakers: “Immigration is essentially and fundamentally a racial and biological problem. There are many factors to consider, but, from the standpoint of the future, immigration is primarily a long time national investment in human family stocks.”

    Eugenicists, including Laughlin, have long been specifically preoccupied with Norwegian genetics – believing that America is under attack when immigration occurs from non-Nordic countries.

    In November 1922, Laughlin said, “Some of our finest and most desirable immigrants are from Norway.”

    In 1924, Congress approved the Immigration Act, which severely limited immigration to the U.S., established quotas for immigrants based on nationality and barred immigrants from Asia.

    It was only following the end of World War II and the Holocaust that eugenics fell out of favor and lost its prominence in American thinking.

    Trump’s recycling of history

    Fears over foreign immigrants weakening the U.S. were popular a century ago, and Trump and many of his followers still embrace them today.

    Trump has promised that he will carry out mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, forcibly detaining immigrants in camps and removing 1 million people a year.

    In April 2024, Trump used dehumanizing language to express his apparent belief that immigrants are unworthy of empathy. “The Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals. They’re humans.’ I said, ‘No, they’re not humans, they’re not humans, they’re animals.’”

    Trump has also promoted eugenicists’ obsession with Scandinavia and the superiority of white people.

    In 2018, Trump spoke about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa, saying “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”

    In the same meeting, Trump also reportedly suggested that the U.S. should instead draw in more people from countries like Norway.

    In April 2024, Trump again embraced this idea of Scandinavian superiority, saying that he wants immigrants from “Nice countries. You know, like Denmark, Switzerland? Do we have any people coming in from Denmark? How about Switzerland? How about Norway?”

    A dangerous flash to the past

    A person running for president in 1924 would seem more likely than a candidate in 2024 to espouse this now-discredited point of view.

    President Calvin Coolidge ran for election on an “America First” platform in 1924, with the slogan only falling out of favor after groups like the Ku Klux Klan embraced it around the same time.

    The idea of America First, at the time, denoted American nationalism and exceptionalism – but also was linked to anti-immigration and fascist movements.

    When Coolidge signed the heavily restrictive 1924 Immigration Act into law he stated, “America must remain American.”

    One hundred years later, Trump calls to mind an America First mentality, including when he regularly reads the lyrics to a song called “The Snake” during his rallies as a way to explain the dangers of welcoming immigrants into the U.S. The civil rights activist Oscar Brown wrote this poem in 1963, and his family has said that Trump misinterprets the song’s words.

    ‘I saved you,’ cried that woman.

    ‘And you’ve bit me even, why’

    ‘You know your bite is poisonous and now I’m going to die.’

    ‘Oh shut up, silly woman,’ said the reptile with a grin,

    ‘You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.’

    I have written a book on this and I used many of my citations in Chapter 4 to help develop this piece though I reworded or reframed it.

    – ref. How Trump’s racist talk of immigrant ‘bad genes’ echoes some of the last century’s darkest ideas about eugenics – https://theconversation.com/how-trumps-racist-talk-of-immigrant-bad-genes-echoes-some-of-the-last-centurys-darkest-ideas-about-eugenics-241548

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Israel’s ban on UNRWA continues a pattern of politicizing Palestinian refugee aid – and puts millions of lives at risk

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nicholas R. Micinski, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Maine

    The Israeli parliament’s vote on Oct. 28, 2024, to ban the United Nations agency that provides relief for Palestinian refugees is likely to affect millions of people – it also fits a pattern.

    Aid for refugees, particularly Palestinian refugees, has long been politicized, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, has been targeted throughout its 75-year history.

    This was evident earlier in the current Gaza conflict, when at least a dozen countries, including the U.S., suspended funding to the UNRWA, citing allegations made by Israel that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. In August, the U.N. fired nine UNRWA employees for alleged involvement in the attack. An independent U.N. panel established a set of 50 recommendations to ensure UNRWA employees adhere to the principle of neutrality.

    The vote by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to ban the UNRWA goes a step further. It will, when it comes into effect, prevent the UNRWA from operating in Israel and will severely affect its ability to serve refugees in any of the occupied territories that Israel controls, including Gaza. This could have devastating consequences for livelihoods, health, the distribution of food aid and schooling for Palestinians. It would also damage the polio vaccination campaign that the UNRWA and its partner organizations have been carrying out in Gaza since September. Finally, the bill bans communication between Israeli officials and the UNRWA, which would end efforts by the agency to coordinate the movements of aid workers to prevent unintentional targeting by the Israel Defense Forces.

    Refugee aid, and humanitarian aid more generally, is theoretically meant to be neutral and impartial. But as experts in migration and international relations, we know funding is often used as a foreign policy tool, whereby allies are rewarded and enemies punished. In this context, we believe Israel’s banning of the UNRWA fits a wider pattern of the politicization of aid to refugees, particularly Palestinian refugees.

    What is the UNRWA?

    The UNRWA, short for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, was established two years after about 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes during the months leading up to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war.

    Palestinians flee their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
    Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Prior to the UNRWA’s creation, international and local organizations, many of them religious, provided services to displaced Palestinians. But after surveying the extreme poverty and dire situation pervasive across refugee camps, the U.N. General Assembly, including all Arab states and Israel, voted to create the UNRWA in 1949.

    Since that time, the UNRWA has been the primary aid organization providing food, medical care, schooling and, in some cases, housing for the 6 million Palestinians living across its five fields: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, as well as the areas that make up the occupied Palestinian territories: the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

    The mass displacement of Palestinians – known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe” – occurred prior to the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defined refugees as anyone with a well-founded fear of persecution owing to “events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951.” Despite a 1967 protocol extending the definition worldwide, Palestinians are still excluded from the primary international system protecting refugees.

    While the UNRWA is responsible for providing services to Palestinian refugees, the United Nations also created the U.N. Conciliation Commission for Palestine in 1948 to seek a long-term political solution and “to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation.”

    As a result, UNRWA does not have a mandate to push for the traditional durable solutions available in other refugee situations. As it happened, the conciliation commission was active only for a few years and has since been sidelined in favor of the U.S.-brokered peace processes.

    Is the UNRWA political?

    The UNRWA has been subject to political headwinds since its inception and especially during periods of heightened tension between Palestinians and Israelis.

    While it is a U.N. organization and thus ostensibly apolitical, it has frequently been criticized by Palestinians, Israelis as well as donor countries, including the United States, for acting politically.

    The UNRWA performs statelike functions across its five fields, including education, health and infrastructure, but it is restricted in its mandate from performing political or security activities.

    Initial Palestinian objections to the UNRWA stemmed from the organization’s early focus on economic integration of refugees into host states.

    Although the UNRWA officially adhered to the U.N. General Assembly’s Resolution 194 that called for the return of Palestine refugees to their homes, U.N., U.K. and U.S. officials searched for means by which to resettle and integrate Palestinians into host states, viewing this as the favorable political solution to the Palestinian refugee situation and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this sense, Palestinians perceived the UNRWA to be both highly political and actively working against their interests.

    In later decades, the UNRWA switched its primary focus from jobs to education at the urging of Palestinian refugees. But the UNRWA’s education materials were viewed by Israel as further feeding Palestinian militancy, and the Israeli government insisted on checking and approving all materials in Gaza and the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

    A protester is removed by members of the U.S. Capitol Police during a House hearing on Jan. 30, 2024.
    Alex Wong/Getty Images

    While Israel has long been suspicious of the UNRWA’s role in refugee camps and in providing education, the organization’s operation, which is internationally funded, also saves Israel millions of dollars each year in services it would be obliged to deliver as the occupying power.

    Since the 1960s, the U.S. – the UNRWA’s primary donor – and other Western countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to use aid to prevent radicalization among refugees.

    In response to the increased presence of armed opposition groups, the U.S. attached a provision to its UNRWA aid in 1970, requiring that the “UNRWA take all possible measures to assure that no part of the United States contribution shall be used to furnish assistance to any refugee who is receiving military training as a member of the so-called Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) or any other guerrilla-type organization.”

    The UNRWA adheres to this requirement, even publishing an annual list of its employees so that host governments can vet them, but it also employs 30,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom are Palestinian.

    Questions over links of the UNRWA to any militancy has led to the rise of Israeli and international watch groups that document the social media activity of the organization’s large Palestinian staff.

    In 2018, the Trump administration paused its US$60 million contribution to the UNRWA. Trump claimed the pause would create political pressure for Palestinians to negotiate. President Joe Biden restarted U.S. contributions to the UNRWA in 2021.

    While other major donors restored funding to the UNRWA after the conclusion of the investigation in April, the U.S. has yet to do so.

    ‘An unmitigated disaster’

    Israel’s ban of the UNRWA will leave already starving Palestinians without a lifeline. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said banning the UNRWA “would be a catastrophe in what is already an unmitigated disaster.” The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. issued a joint statement arguing that the ban would have “devastating consequences on an already critical and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, particularly in northern Gaza.”

    Reports have emerged of Israeli plans for private security contractors to take over aid distribution in Gaza through dystopian “gated communities,” which would in effect be internment camps. This would be a troubling move. In contrast to the UNRWA, private contractors have little experience delivering aid and are not dedicated to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality or independence.

    However, the Knesset’s explicit ban could, inadvertently, force the United States to suspend weapons transfers to Israel. U.S. law requires that it stop weapons transfers to any country that obstructs the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid. And the U.S. pause on funding for the UNRWA was only meant to be temporary.

    The UNRWA is the main conduit for assistance into Gaza, and the Knesset’s ban makes explicit that the Israeli government is preventing aid delivery, making it harder for Washington to ignore. Before the bill passed, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller warned that “passage of the legislation could have implications under U.S. law and U.S. policy.”

    At the same time, two U.S. government agencies previously alerted the Biden administration that Israel was obstructing aid into Gaza, yet weapons transfers have continued unabated.

    Sections of this story were first used in an earlier article published by The Conversation U.S. on Feb. 1, 2024.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Israel’s ban on UNRWA continues a pattern of politicizing Palestinian refugee aid – and puts millions of lives at risk – https://theconversation.com/israels-ban-on-unrwa-continues-a-pattern-of-politicizing-palestinian-refugee-aid-and-puts-millions-of-lives-at-risk-242379

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charitable and voluntary organisations set to receive £4.5 million29 October 2024 The Chief Minister and Minister for External Relations intend to allocate £4. 5 million from the Jersey Reclaim Fund, which will be distributed to local charitable and voluntary organisations over the… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    29 October 2024

    The Chief Minister and Minister for External Relations intend to allocate £4.5 million from the Jersey Reclaim Fund, which will be distributed to local charitable and voluntary organisations over the next three years. 

    Set up in 2017, the Jersey Reclaim Fund is administered by the government and made up of balances in dormant bank accounts in Jersey where contact has been lost with the customer for more than 15 years. 

    The funds will be allocated by​ the Jersey Community Foundation (JCF). 

    The Ministers now wish to provide a three-year funding package for 2025 – 2027 of at least £4.5m to provide sustained support to charities and voluntary organisations, and appropriate arrangements are being made to enable the change to be implemented. As well as supporting the community, charities can use part of their grants to sustain or strengthen the resilience and sustainability of their organisation. 

    The Minister for External Relations, Deputy Ian Gorst, who has responsibility for financial services, said: “This package will provide increased financial support for charities and voluntary organisations over a longer period, increasing confidence and recognising their invaluable contribution to our society. I’m grateful to all those financial services institutions who support the Reclaim Fund, and to the JCF for their continued work. 

    “We are also discussing with the JCF other schemes to match fund large private donations, and hope to have further announcements later in the year.” 

    The Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, said: “The Jersey Community Foundation has supported more than 450 recipients since it was established in 2020, helping charities and voluntary organisations to continue their central role in the life of our Island. 

    “Against the backdrop of recent economic conditions, this government is committed to increasing and strengthening support for the sector.” ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: VT Insurance Agency LLC Selects Applied Digital Agency to Optimize Niche Commercial Lines Workflows

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Chicago, IL., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Applied Systems® today announced that VT Insurance Agency LLC, a niche agency specializing in aerial application risks for fixed wing, rotor wing, and drone insurance, has selected Applied Digital Agency to automate the end-to-end commercial lines new business and remarketing workflows. VT Insurance Agency LLC leveraged the flexibility of Applied Epic and its Applied marketing, customer service, payments hub and submissions management applications to meet its unique business needs, reducing duplicative data entry and keeping information easily accessible to optimize the team’s operational and customer service efforts.

    “As our agency grew, we experienced inefficiencies with our previous agency management system due to the number of unnecessary clicks and data re-entry needed to market and service accounts,” said Vaughn Tolbert, owner, VT Insurance Agency LLC and national board member of the Unmanned Pilots Associate for Safety and Standards (U-Pass). “Applied Epic’s modern, customizable technology stood out to us because we were able to integrate our marketing and policy workflows and build out aviation-specific forms that populate information directly from Applied Epic, allowing data to flow through each step of the workflow and give more time to our customers.”

    Applied’s Digital Agency solution consists of a foundational management system, payment hub, online customer self-service and mobile technology, commercial lines application digitization and automation, and insurer connectivity, all hosted in the cloud. The fully integrated solution enables agencies to create higher-value business transactions and deliver superior customer experiences throughout the entire insurance lifecycle. By leveraging integrated applications that enable agencies to manage their entire business and eliminate duplicative work typically caused by multiple, disparate systems, digital agencies operate more efficiently, improve customer service, and accelerate growth and profitability across all lines of business.

    “Independent agents with lean teams must be strategic about the technology they use to enable their unique workflows and keep their bottom line in check,” said Anupam Gupta, chief product officer, Applied Systems. “Applied Digital Agency’s connected workflows and flexible infrastructure allow niche agencies to easily reuse account and policy data they’ve entered once across fields and forms throughout the insurance lifecycle, helping them work smarter and faster, and ultimately increase profitability.”

    # # #

     

    The Applied products and logos are trademarks of Applied Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S.

     

    About Applied Systems
    Applied Systems is the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognized as a pioneer in insurance automation and the innovation leader, Applied is the world’s largest provider of agency and brokerage management systems, serving customers throughout the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied’s people and products enable millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most.

    About VT Insurance Agency LLC
    VT Insurance Agency is the nation’s leading aerial application drone insurance agency, with a strong focus on agricultural drones. The agency carries 75%-80% of all legal aerial application drone policies, offering Property and Casualty insurance services such as aerial application drone/aircraft, pleasure and business drone/aircraft, aviation commercial general liability, products and completed operations, premises, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and inventory. VT Insurance Agency is a proud national board member of the Unmanned Pilots Associate for Safety and Standards (U-Pass) and regularly helps push for regulation changes for drones in state and federal agencies.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Wales and Netherlands mark 80th anniversary of city’s liberation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Wales Office Minister Dame Nia Griffith and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, have attended commemorations of the liberation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 1944 by the 53rd Welsh Infantry Division.

    Wales Office Minister Nia Griffith and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies holdling a wreath each.

    ‘s-Hertogenbosch, also known as Den Bosch, has maintained strong links to Wales ever since. The city features many tributes to the sacrifices of the Welsh people. A war memorial in the town honours Welsh soldiers who fought for its freedom, and the names of the 146 Welsh soldiers who gave their lives for the town are displayed on its bridge. There is also a Welsh cross in the cathedral with the names of the Welsh soldiers engraved on the windows of the ‘Welsh rooms’ in the town hall.

    Wales Office Minister Nia Griffith and the Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies each laid a wreath, attended a parade walk and the remembrance service to honour the soldiers.

    A large delegation from Wales visited the city, including representatives from cultural and military organisations, and families of the veterans involved – known as ‘the liberators’.

    In 1995, the Pontypridd branch of The Royal Welsh Regimental Association established a link with the city of s’-Hertogenbosch.  An annual dinner was established in Pontypridd to commemorate the battle and officials from Den Bosch continue to attend to this day.

    In April 2019, to commemorate the liberation of their town, 26 Dutch city employers cycled 400 miles to Cardiff, stopping off at various locations including Crickhowell, Pontypridd and Caerphilly. This event culminated in a ceremony for the handover of a Davy Lamp containing a symbolic ‘Flame of Freedom’. The cyclists took this back to s’-Hertogenbosch where it will burn until the commemorations this weekend.

    This year a group have cycled over 300 miles from Pontypridd to Den Bosch to mark the anniversary, organised by Gareth Pennell who was honoured as a freeman of the Dutch city in 2019 in honour of his work on commemorations over the years.

    Wales Office Minister, Dame Nia Griffith said: 

    It is so important that we take time to reflect on the events of 80 years ago and honour those from the 53rd Welsh Infantry Division who fought and died alongside civilians in order to liberate ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

    It is a privilege to represent the UK Government at this commemoration and help make sure that the sacrifice of so many lives is not forgotten.

    The Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: 

    The commemorations this weekend serve as a poignant opportunity for us to remember, reflect and recognise those who served and those who paid the ultimate price for the liberation of this city; they will be remembered. Their sacrifices enable us all to live our lives with the freedom we have today.

    It is our duty to remember what happened here in Den Bosch and ensure future generations understand that, so we can learn the lessons and ensure peace for generations to come.

    Wales has an important relationship with Den Bosch, and we hope to see this continue and grow through economic and cultural ties.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada imposes sanctions as violence in Myanmar escalates

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations against 3 individuals and 4 entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military.

    October 29, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Burma) Regulations against 3 individuals and 4 entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military.

    The sanctions announced today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and the European Union, respond to the ongoing and increasing aerial attacks by the Myanmar military regime. Over the last six months, military airstrikes killed almost 400 civilians, including more than 60 children, and injured more than 750 people

    These attacks are a grave breach of international peace and security and violate the basic principles of democracy and respect for human rights. The conflict has resulted in a worsening humanitarian crisis and increased instability as the regime escalates violence to assert its authority. 

    Imposing these sanctions on individuals and entities under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) is in direct response to these actions and to those supplying weapons, military equipment, key resources and revenue to the Myanmar military.

    Canada continues to urge all countries to impose similar measures. We call on the international community to suspend all support to the Myanmar military, including the transfer of weapons, materiel, aviation fuel, equipment, and technical assistance to the Myanmar military.  

    Canada will continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar and those who work peacefully to advance a peaceful, inclusive, democratic future. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ancient Irish get way too much credit for Halloween

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lisa Bitel, Dean’s Professor of Religion & Professor of History, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    The Celtic festival of Samhain celebrates a time of year when the division between Earth and the otherworld collapses, allowing spirits to pass through. Matt Cardy/Getty Images

    This time of year, I often run across articles proclaiming Halloween a modern form of the pagan Irish holiday of Samhain – pronounced SAW-en. But as a historian of Ireland and its medieval literature, I can tell you: Samhain is Irish. Halloween isn’t.

    The Irish often get credit – or blame – for the bonfires, pranksters, witches, jack-o’-lanterns and beggars who wander from house to house, threatening tricks and soliciting treats.

    The first professional 19th-century folklorists were the ones who created a through line from Samhain to Halloween. Oxford University’s John Rhys and James Frazer of the University of Cambridge were keen to find the origins of their national cultures.

    They observed lingering customs in rural areas of Britain and Ireland and searched medieval texts for evidence that these practices and beliefs had ancient pagan roots. They mixed stories of magic and paganism with harvest festivals and whispers of human sacrifice, and you can still find echoes of their outdated theories on websites.

    But the Halloween we celebrate today has more to do with the English, a ninth-century pope and America’s obsession with consumerism.

    A changing of the seasons

    For two millennia, Samhain, the night of Oct. 31, has marked the turn from summer to winter on the Irish calendar. It was one of four seasonal signposts in agricultural and pastoral societies.

    After Samhain, people brought the animals inside as refuge from the long, cold nights of winter. Imbolc, which is on Feb. 1, marked the beginning of the lambing season, followed by spring planting. Beltaine signaled the start of mating season for humans and beasts alike on May 1, and Lughnasadh kicked off the harvest on Aug. 1.

    But whatever the ancient Irish did on Oct. 31 is lost to scholars because there’s almost no evidence of their pagan traditions except legends written by churchmen around 800 A.D., about 400 years after the Irish started turning Christian. Although they wrote about the adventures of their ancestors, churchmen could only imagine the pagan ways that had disappeared.

    A neopagan celebration of Samhain in October 2021.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    An otherworld more utopian than terrifying

    These stories about the pagan past told of Irish kings holding annual weeklong feasts, markets and games at Samhain. The day ended early in northwestern Europe, before 5 p.m., and winter nights were long. After sundown, people went inside to eat, drink and listen to storytellers.

    The stories did not link Samhain with death and horror. But they did treat Samhain as a night of magic, when the otherworld – what, in Irish, was known as the “sí” – opened its portals to mortals. One tale, “The Adventure of Nera,” warned that if you went out on Samhain Eve, you might meet dead men or warriors from the sí, or you might unknowingly wander into the otherworld.

    When Nera went out on a dare, he met a thirsty corpse in search of drink and unwittingly followed warriors through a portal into the otherworld. But instead of ghosts and terror, Nera found love. He ended up marrying a “ban sídh” – pronounced “BAN-shee” – an otherworldly woman. But here’s the medieval twist to the tale: He lived happily ever after in this otherworld with his family and farm.

    The Irish otherworld was no hell, either. In medieval tales, it is a sunny place in perpetual spring. Everyone who lives there is beautiful, powerful, immortal and blond. They have good teeth. The rivers flow with mead and wine, and food appears on command. No sexual act is a sin. The houses sparkle with gems and precious metals. Even the horses are perfect.

    Clampdown on pagan customs

    The link between Oct. 31, ghosts and devils was really the pope’s fault.

    In 834, Pope Gregory IV decreed Nov. 1 the day for celebrating all Christian saints. In English, the feast day became All Hallows Day. The night before – Oct. 31 – became known as All Hallows Eve.

    Some modern interpretations insist that Pope Gregory created All Hallows Day to quell pagan celebrations of Samhain. But Gregory knew nothing of ancient Irish seasonal holidays. In reality, he probably did it because everyone celebrated All Saints on different days and, like other Popes, Gregory sought to consolidate and control the liturgical calendar.

    In the later Middle Ages, All Hallows Eve emerged as a popular celebration of the saints. People went to church and prayed to the saints for favors and blessings. Afterward, they went home to feast. Then, on Nov. 2, they celebrated All Souls’ Day by praying for the souls of their lost loved ones, hoping that prayers would help their dead relatives out of purgatory and into heaven.

    But in the 16th century, the Protestant rulers of Britain and Ireland quashed saints’ feast days, because praying to saints seemed idolatrous. Protestant ministers did their best to eliminate popular customs of the early November holidays, such as candle-lit processions and harvest bonfires.

    In the minds of ministers, these customs smacked of heathenism.

    A mishmash of traditions

    Our Halloween of costumed beggars and leering jack-o’-lanterns descends from this mess of traditions, storytelling and antiquarianism.

    Like our ancestors, we constantly remake our most important holidays to suit current culture.

    Jack-o’-lanterns are neither ancient nor Irish. One of the earliest references is an 18th-century account of an eponymous Jack, who tricked the devil one too many times and was condemned to wander the world forever.

    Supposedly, Jack, or whatever the hero was called, carved a turnip and stuck a candle in it as his lantern. But the custom of carving turnips in early November probably originated in England with celebrations of All Saints’ Day and another holiday, Guy Fawkes Day on Nov. 5, with its bonfires and fireworks, and it spread from there.

    Guy Fawkes Day, an annual celebration in Great Britain, features fireworks and bonfires and is observed on Nov. 5.
    Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images

    As for ancient bonfires, the Irish and Britons built them to celebrate Beltaine, but not Samhain – at least, not according to the medieval tales.

    In 19th-century Ireland, All Hallows Eve was a time for communal suppers, games like bobbing for apples and celebrating the magic of courtship. For instance, girls tried to peel apples in one long peel; then they examined the peels to see what letters they resembled – the initials of their future husbands’ names. Boys crept out of the gathering, despite warnings, to make mischief, taking off farm gates or stealing cabbages and hurling them at the neighbors’ doors.

    Halloween with an American sheen

    Across the Atlantic, these customs first appeared in the mid-19th century, when the Irish, English and many other immigrant groups brought their holidays to the U.S.

    In medieval Scotland, “guisers” were people who dressed in disguise and begged for “soul cakes” on All Souls Day. These guisers probably became the costumed children who threatened – and sometimes perpetrated – mischief unless given treats. Meanwhile, carved turnips became jack-o’-lanterns, since pumpkins were plentiful in North America – and easier to carve.

    Like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter, Halloween eventually became a feast of consumerism. Companies mass-produced costumes, paper decorations and packaged candy. People in Britain and Ireland blamed the Americans for the spread of modern Halloween and its customs. British schools even tried to quash the holiday in the 1990s because of its disorderly and demonic connotations.

    The only real remnant of Samhain in Halloween is the date. Nowadays, no one expects to stumble into a romance in the sí. Only those drawn to the ancient Celtic past sense the numinous opening of the otherworld at Samhain.

    But who’s to say which reality prevails when the portals swing open in the dark of Oct. 31?

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

    – ref. The ancient Irish get way too much credit for Halloween – https://theconversation.com/the-ancient-irish-get-way-too-much-credit-for-halloween-239801

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK, EU and Canada impose new sanctions targeting Myanmar military regime and its associates

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK, EU and Canada have announced further sanctions targeting the Myanmar military’s access to military material, equipment and funds.

    • The UK, EU and Canada have announced a further round of sanctions to increase pressure on the Myanmar military regime and its associates.  

    • UK sanctions target entities supplying aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military. August 2024 saw the highest number of airstrikes on record by the Myanmar military, killing dozens of civilians.  

    The UK, EU and Canada have announced further sanctions targeting the Myanmar military’s access to military material, equipment and funds.  

    UK action will help to constrain the Myanmar military’s ability to conduct airstrikes on civilians, which amount to gross human rights violations.  

    The latest round of UK sanctions is against six entities involved either in providing aviation fuel to the Myanmar military or in the supply of restricted goods, including aircraft parts. Today’s announcement bolsters previous sanctions against suppliers of aviation fuel to the military in February and March 2023 and arms dealers in October 2023.  

    The UK will continue to work with partners to restrict the sale and transfer of arms and finance to the Myanmar military. Since the coup, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar.

    Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West said:  

    The human rights violations taking place across Myanmar, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, by the Myanmar military is unacceptable and the impact on innocent civilians is intolerable. 

    That is why today the UK is announcing fresh sanctions targeting the suppliers of equipment and aviation fuel to the Myanmar military. Alongside the EU and Canada, we are today further constraining the military’s access to funds, equipment and resources. 

    These sanctions will increase pressure on the Myanmar military. The UK remains steadfast in our support for the Myanmar people and their aspirations for a peaceful and democratic future.

    On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and installed a military regime. Since then, they have used violence and atrocities to maintain power and suppress any opposition voices. Increasingly brutal tactics have been implemented as the military continue to cling on to power, leading to the highest number of airstrikes on record by the Myanmar military this August (2024), killing dozens of civilians. 

    Over 3.4 million people are now displaced from their homes due to the fighting, over 18 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and Myanmar is now seeing a proliferation in serious and organised crime. 

    Background  

    Since the coup, the UK has designated 25 individuals and 33 entities under the Myanmar Sanctions Regime. The UK continues to lead international efforts to undermine the regime’s credibility and constrain their access to revenue and arms. 

    Today the UK has sanctioned: 

    1. Asia Sun Group Company Limited – for being owned or controlled by Zaw Min Tun, a Myanmar businessman previously sanctioned by the UK in 2023 for making available economic resources, namely aviation fuel, directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of the Myanmar security forces. 

    2. Swan Energy Company Limited – for being associated with Asia Sun Trading Company Limited and by for making available economic resources (aviation fuel) directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of the Myanmar security forces.  

    3. Myan-Oil Company Limited – for being associated with Asia Sun Trading Company Limited. 

    4. Rich Ray Trading Company Limited – for being associated with Asia Sun Trading Company Limited and by making available economic resources (aviation fuel) directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of the Myanmar security forces. 

    5. Progress Technology Support Company (a.k.a Royal Shune Lei Co) – for being involved in the supply to Myanmar of restricted goods or restricted technology or of material related to such goods or technology.  

    6. King Royal Technologies Company Limited- for being involved in the supply to Myanmar of goods or technology which could contribute to a serious human rights violation or abuse.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Independent Chair for Dartmoor Land Use Management Group

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The government has appointed Phil Stocker as Independent Chair of the newly formed Dartmoor Land Use Management Group

    Phil Stocker has been appointed as Independent Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group, as the government moves forward with recommendations to create a long-term plan for land use which preserves the cultural heritage of the area, recovers nature and boosts food production.

    Mr Stocker has strong technical knowledge of farming and the environment and is recognised as progressive ensuring we are balancing food production with nature’s recovery. He has previously held posts at both the Soil Association and RSPB prior to his current role as Chief Executive for the National Sheep Association.

    Phil Stocker is also the Chairman of the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership which has given him unique extensive experience of managing different interests in delivering cooperative and sustainable land management in an upland setting. 

    Appointed through an open recruitment process, Phil Stocker has over 40 years’ experience in agriculture and land management. This included 15 years leading the Soil Association’s support work for its organic farmer and grower members. His varied background and leadership experience puts him in good stead for the role.

    The Dartmoor Land Use Management Group will provide a space for stakeholders to discuss important issues and work to strike the right balance between food security and preserving the diversity and abundance of nature in the area. Mr Stocker will be responsible for steering the Land Use Management Group to meet its aims and objectives. This includes oversight and delivery of the other 25 recommendations attributed to the group, put forward in the response to the review, and ensuring effective ways of working throughout.  

    As Chair, his first task will be to identify and appoint members who bring the necessary knowledge, expertise and engagement to the group. Defra will also review and confirm the appointments to ensure the group has a balanced membership with representation from different stakeholder groups.  

    Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

    Dartmoor is a breathtaking landscape with unique challenges. The area has one of the largest semi-natural moorland habitats in the country and over recent years the relationship between farming, nature and other impacts, such as climate change have lacked balance.

    With more than 40 years’ experience working in farming and the environment, I am delighted that Phil Stocker has been appointed. He is uniquely placed to consider the needs of our land: restoring nature, boosting food production and preserve its beauty for generations to come.

    Phil Stocker, Independent Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group, said:

    It is an honour to have been appointed as Independent Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group. This is a role that comes with great responsibility, and one which I have not taken on lightly.

    As someone who has worked on agriculture and land management across my career, I know only too well the delicate balance between nature and food production.

    It is now my intention to bring people together to ensure that the group delivers a land use plan that reflects the evidence and will create a sustainable future for Dartmoor.

    Andrea Ayres, Natural England Deputy Director for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, said:

    We are working hard to find solutions with farmers and land managers on Dartmoor, and I am confident that Phil Stocker’s leadership will strike the right balance between protecting environmental objectives and preserving grazing on the commons.

    There are a wide range of stakeholders and challenges in Dartmoor and it’s important that all parties come together to build a sustainable vision for the future of this precious landscape.

    Kevin Bishop, Chief Executive, Dartmoor National Park Authority said:

    We want to see thriving farm businesses in Dartmoor that are delivering a high-quality environment that is alive with nature and with opportunities for all to enjoy and cherish this special place.

    We welcome the establishment of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group and look forward to supporting the group deliver land management solutions that help achieve the vision in the Dartmoor Partnership Plan.

    The creation of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group was a key proposal made by the Dartmoor Independent Review and the Government supports the recommendations of the Review.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Scotland’s approach to special needs education is more inclusive than the rest of the UK – but it doesn’t always work in practice

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Joan Mowat, Reader in the School of Education, University of Strathclyde

    nimito/Shutterstock

    Across the UK, how children are identified with special educational needs, and how they are then supported, differs according to where they live. There are broad similarities in the approaches in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. But in Scotland things are done differently.

    Northern Ireland, Wales and England define children with learning needs as those who have significantly greater difficulty in learning than their peers.

    Scotland takes a more distinctive approach, using the term “Additional Support Needs” (ASN). A child or young person has ASN if they are unable, without the provision of additional support, to benefit from the school education provided.

    This much broader definition means that there is a wide range of reasons a learner could have ASN. These could be permanent or temporary in nature: they could be, for instance, experiencing family bereavement or bullying. Unsurprisingly, Scotland’s broader definition has meant that it has a significant proportion of learners identified with ASN – 37% in 2023.

    Across a wide range of policy documentation, inclusive education in Scotland is understood broadly to encompass an extensive range of issues, such as addressing discrimination more widely – not just related to disability.

    This is underpinned by a presumption of mainstreaming in Scottish law. This is the assumption that, with the exception of specific circumstances, children identified with additional support needs will be educated in mainstream schools.

    Making inclusivity work

    There is a broad consensus from parents, children, teachers, politicians and others that the Scottish approach to inclusive education is the correct way forward. However, there is significant divergence between policy intent and practice.

    An independent 2020 review investigated how provision for additional support needs worked in practice – and found many failures.

    The review showed that the needs of children and young people for additional support were not being met adequately. There were disconnects between the system’s intentions and what children and young people were actually experiencing.

    The report established that not all children, young people and those who support them flourish or are equally valued within the education system. Their voices are not being heard by those who have the power to make a difference. Service providers and senior leaders in schools experience significant challenges in being able to meet needs, but this is not recognised sufficiently at a higher level.

    A subsequent inquiry, concluded in 2024, found many reasons for this divergence between policy and practice. These included a lack of resources, the need for ongoing professional training for school staff and issues with school culture.

    The inquiry heard that resourcing for Additional Support for Learning had decreased over time. It found that many recently built schools had not been designed to be accessible to all. It heard about the need for school leaders to have training which has equity, inclusion and social justice at its heart to effect the necessary cultural change.

    Learning from practice

    Across the UK and in Ireland, an issue of concern is the lack of a clear definition of what inclusive education means and entails and how it should be implemented in practice. This is reflected in the current crisis in the growing demand for specialist provision.



    Read more:
    There’s a crisis in special educational needs provision: here’s the situation across the UK and Ireland

    A recent review of special educational needs education in England by the National Audit Office has pointed out that mainstream schooling needs to be much more inclusive, that schools are not incentivised to prioritise it, and that the Department of Education should “develop a vision and long-term plan for inclusivity across mainstream education”.

    In Scotland, in contrast to the other nations, greater attention has been devoted to coming to a shared understanding of what an inclusive education system constitutes. This is reflected within the National Framework for Inclusion, the third edition of which was published in 2022. This framework underpins the professional standards for teachers and informs policy more generally.

    The Framework, produced under the auspices of the Scottish Universities Inclusion Group and influenced by the work of inclusive education expert Lani Florian and colleagues on inclusive pedagogy, offers a series of reflective questions to promote inclusive practice. This is indicative of a more consensual and collaborative approach towards educational policy making in general. But it is clear that more work needs to be done to make this understanding of inclusivity a widespread reality in schools.

    The differences in policy approaches to additional support and learning needs mean that the profile of a child identified with special educational needs will vary depending on which country they live in. Furthermore, the variations in the education systems themselves will affect the child’s placement and the support they may receive.

    Collaborative cross-nation work is essential to gain a stronger understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to meeting the additional learning needs of children and young people.

    Carmel Conn has received funding from Welsh Government.

    Brahm Norwich and Joan Mowat do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Scotland’s approach to special needs education is more inclusive than the rest of the UK – but it doesn’t always work in practice – https://theconversation.com/scotlands-approach-to-special-needs-education-is-more-inclusive-than-the-rest-of-the-uk-but-it-doesnt-always-work-in-practice-240257

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –