Company Announcement 4/1/2025, Supercan Bulk of Miami, Florida is recalling one lot of Supercan Pig Ear Slivers- Thick Cut Piggy Ear Slices pet treats in 500 piece bags, 15.9 oz, expiration date 11/09/2026, due to Salmonella contamination. Pets that have consumed products contaminated with Salmonella can be adversely affected and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers. Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. The product comes in 15.9 oz bags with expiration date 11/09/2026, marked on the back side of the product. The health risk was discovered when samples of the product were collected on 03/04/2025 and tested by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The product tested positive for Salmonella. The recalled lot of Supercan Pig Ear Sliver pet treats was distributed between 04/11/2024 in North 40 store located in Washington State. No illnesses have been reported to date. Supercan Bulk has proceeded with a recall on that lot and will safely proceed to dispose of it under the FDA’s instructions. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return to the place of purchase or destroy the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access it. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils and surfaces that come in contact with recalled food. For more information or refund, contact us at (689) 808-5419 Monday to Friday 8am-5pm ET.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Poultry Meat Marketing Regulations to be amended to support industry through bird flu outbreaks
Poultry meat marketing regulations amended
As announced by the Government today (02 April), free-range poultry meat producers and processors will no longer need to change how free-range poultry meat is labelled when mandatory housing measures are introduced.
Currently, when mandatory housing measures are introduced to protect poultry from the spread of disease, after 12 weeks, free-range poultry has to be labelled as indoor reared. The Poultry Meat Marketing Standards Regulation in England will be amended so that this time limit is removed, enabling free-range poultry meat to be marketed as such for the duration of any mandatory housing measure.
In recent years, outbreaks of avian influenza in England have led to the introduction of mandatory housing measures which on several occasions have exceeded the 12-week maximum derogation period.
The amendment to existing legislation, which will be introduced in England through a Statutory Instrument, will mean that free-range poultry meat can, as long as the rest of the criteria on which free-range is granted are met, continue to be labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures.
The move will cut unnecessary red tape and costs for British producers while also strengthening supply chain and maintaining consumer confidence.
Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs said:
Our priority is to support English free-range poultry farmers while ensuring clear and fair labelling for consumers. Amending the poultry meat marketing regulations will enable the sector to keep costs down and remain competitive.
This Government will restore stability and confidence in the sector introducing a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security alongside nature’s recovery.
Following the confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in England and subsequently in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, the UK is no longer free from HPAI. The risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds in Great Britain and across Europe is currently assessed as very high.
The proposal to remove this derogation period for England and Scotland was supported by the majority of respondents to an eight-week consultation undertaken late last year. Similar legislative changes are to be introduced by the Scottish Government.
Advanced capabilities strengthen data security, streamline workflows and accelerate document collection by nearly 3.5x
BURLINGTON, Mass., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS), the trusted provider of AI-powered digital experience and infrastructure software, today announced purpose-built AI in Progress® ShareFile®, the SaaS-native document collaboration platform. Designed to enhance efficiency and strengthen data security, these features empower businesses to optimize workflows and boost productivity so they can accomplish far more with existing staff.
The ShareFile platform uses AI for powerful, purpose-built features, turbo-charging existing document-centric workflows and providing tangible business outcomes. While many businesses worry that AI could diminish human connections, ShareFile takes a customer-centric approach—automating low-value, repetitive tasks so teams can spend more time on what truly matters: building meaningful customer relationships. ShareFile enables its users to collect documents nearly 3.5x faster and extract the information they need from documents up to 96% faster.
“With ShareFile we are able to provide our customers with tools that significantly boost efficiency and quality in day-to-day work,” said Loren Jarrett, EVP & GM, Digital Experience, Progress. “We’ve developed AI-powered features that eliminate repetitive tasks, strengthen security and free up time for employees to focus on their most valuable work—collaboration, client relationships and strategic tasks.”
New AI-powered benefits include:
Minimize Accidental Data Leaks: With the secure share recommender, organizations can standardize secure data practices by automating safer share settings. This feature makes it effortless for employees to protect sensitive information with Personal Identifiable Information (PII) when sending and sharing files.
Accelerate Time to Insights: Eliminate tedious document analysis to focus on more revenue-generating work with document summarization and Q&A. Quickly analyze and transform lengthy documents into concise insights with a single click or question with document summarization and Q&A. By analyzing large documents instantly, these features help users extract key information without sifting through excess data, enhancing productivity and decision making.
Collect Documents More Easily: Document request list generation uses Generative AI (GenAI) to instantly create ready-to-send document request lists. This tool reduces the need for manual processes and Excel-based lists, allowing users to efficiently generate, standardize and scale document collection workflows up to 3.5x faster.
“We have a screening process which requires us to analyze tax returns of prospects to ensure we’re a good fit. With tax returns reaching around 200 pages, ShareFile’s AI document summarization quickly gives us the information needed, instead of spending an hour reading,” said Paul Nylen, Partner, Nylen & Partners, LLC. “Multiply that by numerous clients a week and you’re significantly creating business impact and productivity gains.”
The ShareFile platform leverages AI to boost front-office efficiency with automation and templates that streamline and help secure document workflows, while deeply embedding it into business processes for lasting impact. By automating tedious administrative tasks, the AI-powered platform frees professionals to focus on high-value work that drives success.
About Progress Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS) empowers organizations to achieve transformational success in the face of disruptive change. Our software enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and digital experiences with agility and ease. Customers get a trusted provider in Progress, with the products, expertise and vision they need to succeed. Over 4 million developers and technologists at hundreds of thousands of enterprises depend on Progress. Learn more at www.progress.com.
Progress and ShareFile are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Press Contacts: Kim Baker Progress +1-800-477-6473 pr@progress.com
A portrait of President Donald Trump in the ‘America’s Presidents’ exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery.Win McNamee/Getty Images
I teach history in Connecticut, but I grew up in Oklahoma and Kansas, where my interest in the subject was sparked by visits to local museums.
I fondly remember trips to the Fellow-Reeves Museum in Wichita, Kansas, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. A 1908 photograph of my great-grandparents picking cotton has been used as a poster by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
This love of learning history continued into my years as a graduate student of history, when I would spend hours at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum learning about the history of human flight and ballooning. As a professor, I’ve integrated the institution’s exhibits into my history courses.
The Trump administration, however, is not happy with the way the Smithsonian Institution and other U.S. museums are portraying history.
On March 27, 2025, the president issued an executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which asserted, “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth. Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”
Trump singled out a few museums, including the Smithsonian, dedicating a whole section of the order on “saving” the institution from “divisive, race-centered ideology.”
Of course, history is contested. There will always be a variety of views about what should be included and excluded from America’s story. For example, in my own research, I found that Prohibition-era school boards in the 1920s argued over whether it was appropriate for history textbooks to include pictures of soldiers drinking to illustrate the 1791 Whiskey Rebellion.
But most recent debates center on how much attention should be given to the history of the nation’s accomplishments over its darker chapters. The Smithsonian, as a national institution that receives most of its funds from the federal government, has sometimes found itself in the crosshairs.
America’s historical repository
The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846 thanks to its namesake, British chemist James Smithson.
Smithson willed his estate to his nephew and stated that if his nephew died without an heir, the money – roughly US$15 million in today’s dollars – would be donated to the U.S. to found “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
The idea of a national institution dedicated to history, science and learning was contentious from the start.
In her book “The Stranger and the Statesman,” historian Nina Burleigh shows how Smithson’s bequest was nearly lost due to battles between competing interests.
Southern plantation owners and western frontiersmen, including President Andrew Jackson, saw the establishment of a national museum as an unnecessary assertion of federal power. They also challenged the very idea of accepting a gift from a non-American and thought that it was beneath the dignity of the government to confer immortality on someone simply because of a large donation.
In the end, a group led by congressman and former president John Quincy Adams ensured Smithson’s vision was realized. Adams felt that the country was failing to live up to its early promise. He thought a national museum was an important way to burnish the ideals of the young republic and educate the public.
Today the Smithsonian runs 14 education and research centers, the National Zoo and 21 museums, including the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which was created with bipartisan support during President George W. Bush’s administration.
In the introduction to his book “Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects,” cultural anthropologist Richard Kurin talks about how the institution has also supported hundreds of small and large institutions outside of the nation’s capital.
In 2024, the Smithsonian sent over 2 million artifacts on loan to museums in 52 U.S. states and territories and 33 foreign countries. It also partners with over 200 affiliate museums. YouGov has periodically tracked Americans’ approval of the Smithsonian, which has held steady at roughly 68% approval and 2% disapproval since 2020.
Smithsonian in the crosshairs
Precursors to the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the Smithsonian took place in the 1990s.
In 1991, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which was then known as the National Museum of American Art, created an exhibition titled “The West as America, Reinterpreting Images of the Frontier, 1820-1920.” Conservatives complained that the museum portrayed western expansion as a tale of conquest and destruction, rather than one of progress and nation-building. The Wall Street Journal editorialized that the exhibit represented “an entirely hostile ideological assault on the nation’s founding and history.”
The exhibition proved popular: Attendance to the National Museum of American Art was 60% higher than it had been during the same period the year prior. But the debate raised questions about whether public museums were able to express ideas that are critical of the U.S. without risk of censorship.
In 1994, controversy again erupted, this time at the National Air and Space Museum over a forthcoming exhibition centered on the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima 50 years prior.
Should the exhibition explore the loss of Japanese lives? Or emphasize the U.S. war victory?
Veterans groups insisted that the atomic bomb ended the war and saved 1 million American lives, and demanded the removal of photographs of the destruction and a melted Japanese school lunch box from the exhibit. Meanwhile, other activists protested the exhibition by arguing that a symbol of human destruction shouldn’t be commemorated at an institution that’s supposed to celebrate human achievement.
Protesters demonstrate against the opening of the Enola Gay exhibit outside the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in 1995. Joyce Naltchayan/AFP via Getty Images
Republicans won the House in 1994 and threatened cuts to the Smithsonian’s budget over the Enola Gay exhibition, compelling curators to walk a tightrope. In the end, the fuselage of the Enola Gay was displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. But the exhibit would not tell the full story of the plane’s role in the war from a myriad of perspectives.
Trump enters the fray
In 2019, The New York Times launched the 1619 project, which aimed to reframe the country’s history by placing slavery and its consequences at its very center. The first Trump administration quickly responded by forming its 1776 commission. In January 2021, it produced a report critiquing the 1619 project, claiming that an emphasis on the country’s history of racism and slavery was counterproductive to promoting “patriotic education.”
That same year, Trump pledged to build “a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live,” with 250 statues to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
President Joe Biden rescinded the order in 2021. Trump reissued it after retaking the White House, and pointed to figures he’d like to see included, such as Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Betsy Ross, Sitting Bull, Bob Hope, Thurgood Marshall and Whitney Houston.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with honoring Americans, though I think a focus on celebrities and major figures clouds the fascinating histories of ordinary Americans. I also find it troubling that there seems to be such a concerted effort to so forcefully shape the teaching and understanding of history via threats and bullying. Yale historian Jason Stanley has written about how aspiring authoritarian governments seek to control historical narratives and discourage an exploration of the complexities of the past.
Historical scholarship requires an openness to debate and a willingness to embrace new findings and perspectives. It also involves the humility to accept that no one – least of all the government – has a monopoly on the truth.
In his executive order, Trump noted that “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn.” I share that view. Doing so, however, means not dismantling history, but instead complicating the story – in all its messy glory.
The Conversation U.S. receives funding from the Smithsonian Institution.
Jennifer Tucker 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.
A new study has demonstrated that the brains of people who experience migraines and other types of headaches cannot modulate visual stimulation in the same way a person without these conditions can.
Daniele Piscitelli, assistant professor of kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), published these findings in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.
Piscitelli had been collaborating with colleagues in Brazil to study changes in the cortical activity and neuroplasticity in the brains of individuals with stroke. In the course of their work, they found that other researchers had been using the same kinds of measurements to study migraines.
This led Piscitelli and his collaborators to wonder if their work could improve understanding of what causes migraines.
Piscitelli was co-responsible for the study design and data analysis. The study was conducted in the laboratory of Kátia Monte-Silva, Ph.D., at the Laboratório de Neurociência Aplicada, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
They recruited three populations of participants: people who experience migraines, people who regularly experience other kinds of headaches, and a “healthy” population that did not have migraines nor other headaches in the past month.
They took measurements of cortical excitability in each of the groups. Cortical excitability is a measure of brain activity, essentially how much a person’s brain responds to stimuli. Previous research had demonstrated that people who experience migraines have higher cortical excitability. This means their neurons have a lower threshold for excitability than the healthy population, leading their brains to become overstimulated more easily.
The researchers here were interested specifically in two areas of the cerebral cortex – the visual cortex, which processes visual information, and the motor cortex – which controls voluntary movement.
“We were interested in seeing the cortical excitability, specifically the motor cortex excitability and the visual cortex excitability in a window that was one day after or before the [migraine or headache] attack,” Piscitelli says.
To evaluate motor cortex excitability, the researchers the researchers applied single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex and recorded the resulting muscle activity using electromyography (EMG) from the hand muscles. To measure excitability in the visual cortex they asked participants when they saw light (phosphenes) in their visual field when TMS was applied over the occipital cortex.
“Both of these are measures that are broadly used to measure the cortical excitability that give us an indirect information about the threshold of the neurons,” Piscitelli says.
In these preliminary measurements, there were no significant differences between the three groups.
The next part of the study involved participants looking at a black and white checkerboard that alternated colors with one eye covered at a time (i.e., pattern-reversal visual stimulation). The researchers then took the same visual and motor cortex excitability measurements after this stimulation.
This time, the researchers saw significant differences between the groups.
Both those who experience migraines and other headaches had increased levels of visual cortex excitability compared to the healthy control group.
“Healthy subjects were able to modulate cortical excitability following the stimulation while people with migraines and other types of headaches had an increase in the cortical excitability,” Piscitelli says.
There were no differences in motor cortex excitability.
The fact that both people with migraines and other headaches responded in the same way to the stimulation indicates that both conditions share a neurological basis.
These results also indicate that existing medications that reduce visual cortex excitability, like those used to treat epileptic seizures, could be useful for this population as well.
Given this, one of the next steps of this research will be conducting a study with people who experience seizures to determine if they have similar cortical excitability.
“How the brain organizes information is the key to pathophysiology and is probably the key to treat the patients,” Piscitelli says.
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.
The Government has been implementing the Silk Samagra scheme for the overall development of silk sector in the country. Based on the proposals received from the States, support is provided through central assistance, for the development of necessary infrastructure through beneficiary oriented components includingsetting up of silkworm seed production units, rearing houses, Chawki Rearing Centres (CRCs), silk reeling & weaving units, Common Facility Centres, State-wise, Centres of Excellence.
The State-wise central funds allocated/ released and utilized during the last five are given below.
Presently, there are no proposals for new sericulture infrastructure projects pending approval. The Financial assistance for infrastructure development under Silk Samagra & Silk Samagra-2 scheme has been provided to states for implementation with the defined sharing pattern. The pattern of assistance under the ongoing Silk Samagra-2 scheme for individual farmers, cooperatives (SPV/FPO/SHG/NGO), and private entities is given below:
#
Particulars
GOI(CSB)
%
State
%
Beneficiary
%
A
All states other than NE states
1
General States- General Category
50
25
25
2
General States – For SC & ST
65
25
10
3
Special Status States
80
10
10
B
Seri Business Enterprise / Entrepreneurs
1
General- New/ existing
30/20
20
50/60
2
SC & ST and Special status & NE states- New/ existing
40/30
30
30/40
C
North East states
1
Group activity/ Community based programmes
100
–
–
2
Common Facility/ State infrastructure
90
10
–
3
Individual Beneficiary
90
–
10
Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) at State Level, Apex Approval & Monitoring Committee at Central Silk Board level and Joint verification of the benefits/ assets at field ensure the effective implementation and utilization of funds under Silk Samagra-2 scheme.
State-wise Central funds allocated/ released & utilised during the last 5 years under Silk Samagra & Silk Samagra-2 scheme
(Rs. in Lakh)
#
State
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
SILK SAMAGRA
SILK SAMAGRA-2
Allocated/ Released
Utilised
Allocated/ Released
Utilised
Allocated/ Released
Utilised
Allocated/ Released
Utilised
Allocated/ Released
Utilised
1
Karnataka
5,507.29
5,507.29
5,756.07
5,756.07
1,0140.19
10,140.19
1,538.38
895.25
8,585.08
8,585.08
2
Andhra Pradesh
2,748.01
2,587.52
2,251.10
1,997.26
2,496.27
2,026.64
0.00
0.00
1,280.51
0.00
3
Telangana
1,021.66
1,021.66
1,391.71
1,391.71
567.79
265.51
3,421.71
1,158.48
77.14
0.00
4
Tamilnadu
1,452.21
1,276.55
1,432.52
1,069.93
1,968.09
1,711.35
3,335.46
3,128.80
4,565.32
1,219.25
5
Maharashtra
475.55
475.55
0.00
0.00
106.68
105.25
284.94
248.38
2,267.46
0.00
6
Kerala
305.35
200.12
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
7
Uttar pradesh
455.77
441.47
357.00
357.00
2,529.74
2,180.27
0.00
0.00
2,304.468
1,190.575
8
Madhya Pradesh
0.00
0.00
8.26
0.00
0.00
0.00
293.18
0.00
0.00
0.00
9
Chattisgarh
218.32
218.32
84.75
84.75
1,478.19
1,194.41
2,895.83
1,497.27
0.00
0.00
10
West Bengal
447.80
447.80
5.51
5.51
0.00
0.00
721.12
658.41
749.49
0.00
11
Bihar
0.00
0.00
364.63
364.63
1,177.44
965.92
1,031.48
38.48
0.00
0.00
12
Jharkhand
44.65
0.00
54.24
0.00
0.00
0.00
273.94
100.18
39.68
0.00
13
Orissa
261.93
70.64
226.97
149.93
76.63
0.00
355.92
0.00
0.00
0.00
14
Jammu & Kashmir
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
546.65
518.03
0.00
0.00
399.29
0.00
15
Himachal Pradesh
213.79
213.79
772.86
772.86
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
16
Uttarakhand
928.98
917.16
269.74
269.74
511.82
473.43
784.09
239.95
148.27
0.00
17
Haryana
217.76
0.00
26.56
0.00
241.24
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
18
Punjab
107.90
107.90
117.72
117.72
241.73
239.73
81.76
75.06
446.38
0.00
19
Assam
74.14
74.14
97.68
57.68
672.42
435.51
2,150.14
545.47
11.70
0.00
20
BTC
0.00
0.00
758.50
758.50
909.13
909.13
1,936.03
1,809.11
0.00
0.00
21
Arunachal Pradesh
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
2,364.26
2,343.69
2,619.15
2,203.93
851.70
640.16
22
Manipur
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3,248.96
228.99
0.00
0.00
23
Meghalaya
0.00
0.00
62.46
0.00
1,039.11
797.87
632.08
115.20
0.00
0.00
24
Mizoram
0.00
0.00
470.13
470.13
967.63
945.86
2,006.90
1,777.12
706.15
561.51
25
Nagaland
0.00
0.00
237.35
237.35
2,249.35
2,248.94
1,521.04
1,382.80
2,304.49
2,170.81
26
Sikkim
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
119.00
0.00
629.57
168.06
0.00
0.00
27
Tripura
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
152.00
152.00
1448.23
0.00
Total
14,481.08
13,559.90
14,745.75
13,860.76
30,403.37
27,501.72
29,913.70
16,422.93
26,185.35
14,367.38
This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Over 1 Million Resources Hired Through GeM in FY 2024-25 GeM Revolutionises Government’s Manpower Outsourcing Service
Posted On: 02 APR 2025 12:20PM by PIB Delhi
Digital procurement platform, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has achieved a significant milestone by facilitating the hiring of over 1 million manpower resources by government organizations in the current fiscal year (2024-25). This milestone underscores GeM’s commitment to transforming public procurement through transparency, compliance, and efficiency.
Manpower outsourcing of GeM provides government buyers with a seamless solution to hire outsourced resources. Over 33,000 service providers on the platform enable buyers to engage manpower based on diverse criteria, including minimum wages and fixed remuneration. Various skilled and unskilled roles such as Security Personnel, Horticulture Staff, Multi-Tasking Staff, Data Entry Operators, and Facility Management Professionals can be hired through the portal.
Speaking on this achievement, CEO of GeM, Shri Ajay Bhadoo, stated, “GeM has harnessed digital capabilities and has emerged as a one-stop-shop for procurement of all possible services required by government buyers at various levels of administration. Our manpower outsourcing service not only simplifies the hiring process for government organizations but also ensures strict labour compliance through our comprehensive Service Level Agreement.”
Key features of GeM’s manpower outsourcing service include:
Flexibility to select resources based on skills, profiles, educational qualifications, and experience
Specialized role categories addressing specific government needs
Transparent pricing models, including minimum wage and fixed remuneration options
Comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) framework ensuring legal compliance and clear obligations for all parties
GeM’s adherence with labour laws and regulations ensures that all transactions meet statutory requirements, providing government buyers with peace of mind while engaging outsourced resources.
The milestone of 1 million manpower resources hired through GeM in FY 2024-25 demonstrates the growing trust and adoption of the platform across government sectors.
Established in 2016, GeM provides government buyers with an end-to-end digital platform to carry out public procurement at cost-effective rates. In FY 2019-20, the platform expanded to include services as a separate segment, initially offering basic services like manpower hiring, cab hiring, security services, and cleaning & sanitation services. Over the last five years, GeM has expanded its portfolio to more than 330 services, including complex offerings like drone services, AR/VR services, cloud services, and cybersecurity services.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kwok-fan and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
Question:
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) has not been updated since its amendment in 2018. The Government proposed in 2019 to amend the Ordinance to step up efforts to combat animal cruelty, but the specific bill has not yet been introduced into this Council to date for scrutiny. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 26 this year that it would complete the law drafting work as soon as possible after collating the views of the stakeholders concerned and introduce the proposed legislative amendments into this Council, of the specific timetable of the relevant work and the direction of the legislative amendments; whether it has encountered difficulties in the course of preparing for the legislative amendments; if so, of the details;
(2) as it is learnt that the community generally considers that the penalties for offences of cruelty to animals under the existing legislation (with the maximum penalty being a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years) fail to reflect the seriousness of some cases (such as cruelty resulting in death and organised cruelty) and to pose sufficient deterrent effect, whether the Government will consider substantially raising the maximum penalty, for example, by increasing the maximum fine to $2,000,000, and raising the maximum term of imprisonment to seven years, so as to satisfy the principle of proportionality;
(3) as the Government has indicated that it will study the introduction of the concept of “Duty of Care” in Cap. 169 mandating persons responsible for animals to take proper care of the welfare of animals, but it is learnt that the community has rather strong and diversified views in this regard, whether the authorities will amend Cap. 169 in phases by raising the maximum penalty in the first place, followed by amendments and enhancements to the Ordinance as appropriate and necessary at the next phase;
(4) as there are views that the existing evidential threshold in Cap. 169 is too high, for example, requiring law enforcement agencies to prove that the perpetrator has the intent of “deliberately causing cruelty to animals” in order to secure a conviction, resulting in a large number of cases not proceeding to judicial proceedings due to insufficient evidence, whether the authorities will draw up dedicated prosecution guidelines so as to lower the evidential threshold and boost the conviction rate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) apart from amending the existing legislation, of the details of the Government’s other specific work in preventing cruelty to animals; whether the authorities will enhance public awareness of animal protection through publicity and educational efforts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government adopts a multi-pronged approach to curb acts of cruelty to animals. This includes exploring raising penalties for offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) (the Ordinance) to enhance deterrent effect, taking stringent enforcement actions against illegal acts, and continuing to enhance relevant public awareness through education and promotion activities.
Having consulted the Security Bureau and the Department of Justice, the reply to the question from the Hon Lau Kwok-fan is as follows:
(1) and (3) The Government has been studying amendments to the Ordinance. The directions being explored in the legislative amendment include imposing a positive “Duty of Care” on persons responsible for animals, requiring them to take proper care of the welfare of animals (including diet, environment, health, and behaviour); raising penalties for animal cruelty offences; and enhancing enforcement power, etc. In preparing the bill, it is necessary to consult the relevant stakeholders again on some of the proposals. After collating the views, we will finalise the legislative amendment proposals, implementation arrangement, and law drafting work promptly. Once the work is completed, we will consult the Legislative Council on the proposal.
(2) Currently, any person who does or omits doing any act and causes unnecessary suffering to an animal, may constitute an offence for animal cruelty. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years.
The Government is studying raises to the penalties for animal cruelty offences to reflect more clearly the gravity of the offence, and to introduce an indictable offence to allow enforcement officers more time to instigate prosecution on complex or serious cruelty cases, in order to further enhance deterrent effect. In finalising the proposal on penalty, the Government will make reference to overseas experience, local penalties for relevant criminal offences, and views of stakeholders, etc.
(4) The existing offences under the Ordinance cover different forms of cruelty to animals, including causes any unnecessary suffering to an animal by wantonly or unreasonably doing or omitting to do any act; neglects to supply animal in confinement with sufficient food and sufficient fresh water; conveys an animal in such a manner as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering, etc. The Ordinance provides that an owner shall be deemed to have permitted cruelty if he shall have failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision in respect of the protection of the animal therefrom, proof of intention to cause cruelty to animals is not required.
In making a decision of whether or not to prosecute in each case, the relevant departments make an objective and professional assessment of the available evidence and applicable law, and strictly act in accordance with the Prosecution Code issued by the Department of Justice. The current practice has worked well and we consider it not necessary to formulate a specific prosecution guideline.
On the other hand, according to the information of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), over 90 per cent of the reports were found to be not related to animal cruelty after investigation, but nuisance or other situations, such as frequent noise from animals or odour from the premises where the animals were kept, and this misled the reporters into thinking that the animals suffered from acts of cruelty.
(5) The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the AFCD and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) jointly implement the Animal Watch Scheme to proactively prevent and detect suspected cases of animal cruelty through multi-agency collaboration. The HKPF would also invite the AFCD and the SPCA officers to provide professional advice at the scene of an animal cruelty case and assist thereafter where necessary.
On publicity and education, through various channels including the Animal Watchers Programme, the “Be a Responsible Pet Owner” thematic website and roving exhibitions, the HKPF and the AFCD are respectively promoting the message of preventing cruelty to animals at the community level and online platforms; encouraging the public to report cases timely and to provide information that aids investigations; as well as raising public awareness of animal welfare.
The AFCD has also launched a series of “Duty of Care” publicity programmes, including the production of posts on social media platforms to share information on how to take proper care of animals, and the recent launch of the “Animal Welfare Project: The Adventures of Meow” promotional video, which aims to educate the public on the content and importance of “Duty of Care” in an interesting manner.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Flower Show photo competition entries to close on April 15 The photo competition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). The competition aims to promote community greening with impressive photographs of flowers and plants on display, interesting or touching scenes captured at the showground, and portraits of TVB artistes and Miss Hong Kong titleholders with beautiful garden displays as a background.
The photo competition is divided into three categories: Category A – Portrait of TVB Artistes and Miss Hong Kong; Category B – Flowers; and Category C – Snapshots.
Entries for Category A, comprising the Open and Student Sections, must be photos of TVB artistes and Miss Hong Kong titleholders taken by entrants to the activity, Portrait Photo Shooting Session, on March 13 at the showground in Victoria Park. Entries for Category B must be photos of flowers including garden displays or floral art exhibits taken at the showground during the show period. Entries for Category C must be photos of interesting features or moments at the flower show taken during the show period.
Results of the competition will be announced in June on the flower show webpage. Winners will be notified in writing for the collection of prizes. All winning entries will be uploaded onto the flower show webpage for public viewing at the same time.
Amnesty advert alerts residents of South London to the problematic predictive policing happening in their communities
Transport for London rejected the advert, stating ‘it might bring other members of the Greater London Authority Group (GLA) into disrepute’
Research revealed that Met Police (a member of the GLA Group) attempt to predict the future by labelling people as ‘suspects’ without them ever having offended or committed a crime
The Met had the highest rate of stop and search encounters for people of ‘black ethnic appearance’ per 1,000 population of any ethnic group
‘Transport for London, and its Chair Mayor Sadiq Khan, are in danger of being complicit in a cover up of harmful Met Police crime predicting technology’ – Sacha Deshmukh
Amnesty International UK has sharply criticised Transport for London (TFL) for preventing them from displaying adverts that would inform South London residents that ‘predictive policing’ is occurring on their streets.
Amnesty had booked advertising space in Elephant and Castle tube station highlighting the findings of their new research which exposed the prevalence of racial profiling technology and its use by police forces across the UK.
The aim was to alert the public to Amnesty’s damning conclusions in their 120 – page report Automated Racism – How police data and algorithms code discrimination into policing’ which exposes the grave dangers to society from ‘predictive policing’ systems and technology used across almost three quarters of the UK’s police forces.
This is the first report to demonstrate how these systems are in flagrant breach of the UK’s national and international human rights obligations.
Amnesty found that at least 33 police forces – including the Metropolitan police and British Transport police – across the UK have used predictive profiling or risk prediction systems. Of these forces, 32 have used geographic crime prediction, profiling, or risk prediction tools, and 11 forces have used individual prediction, profiling, or risk prediction tools.
Transport for London rejected the adverts, stating ’it might bring other members of the GLA Group into disrepute’ which would include the Mayor’s office of crime and policing.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said:
“Transport for London and its Chair Mayor Sadiq Khan are in danger of being complicit in a cover up by preventing police transparency and community awareness about harmful crime predicting technology.
“Protecting members of the GLA, such as the Mayor’s office of crime and policing, just creates more of a shroud of secrecy. A shocking lack of transparency already exists about these crime-predicting technologies, and public policing should be open to critique and accountability.
“The use of predictive policing tools violates human rights. The evidence that this technology keeps us safe is just not there; the evidence that it violates our fundamental rights is clear as day. We are all much more than computer-generated risk scores.
“These technologies have consequences. The future they are creating is one where technology decides that our neighbours are criminals, purely based on the colour of their skin or their socio-economic background.
“These tools to ‘predict crime’ harm us all by treating entire communities as potential criminals, making society more racist and unfair.
“TFL have made the wrong call in preventing us from advertising, and we are calling on the Mayor of London to reverse it.”
Racist and failing systems in London
Risk Terrain Monitoring (RTM) is a predictive policing system that processes police acquired data to generate a location-based risk score.
An initial period of RTM-influenced policing targeted the north of the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, commencing in September 2020. Between December 2020 and October 2021, Lambeth had the second-highest volume of stop and searches of all London boroughs. In the same period, people of ‘black ethnic appearance’ (as defined by the Metropolitan Police Service) had the highest rate of stop and search encounters per 1,000 population of any ethnic group: they were stopped and searched more than four times than people of white ethnic appearance. Eighty per cent of these stops and searches resulted in no further action. In the same period, Lambeth had the second highest volume of police uses of force in all London boroughs, and police used force most against people recorded as ‘black or black British’.
In Southwark in the year ending March 2021, Black people were stopped and searched 3.3 times more than white people. Police used force against people in Southwark at least 8,924 times between September 2020 and September 2021, and 45 per cent of those times, it was against ‘black or black British’ people.
The Metropolitan Police Service’s Violence Harm Assessment profiles people based on intelligence reports and about people who are ‘suspects’, and an individual can be profiled without ever having offended or committed a crime.
The force has said that it will not inform any member of the public that they feature on the Violence Harm Assessment. It also says that data subject access requests from individuals asking if they are on the Violence Harm Assessment list will be considered ‘on a case-by-case basis against the statutory exemptions and the level of risk the individual presents and risks of notification to the individual’.
The Metropolitan Police Service has itself noted that issues with the Violence Harm Assessment include: the adultification of children; the Rationale for Suspect over Convictions and how using ‘suspect’ could risk racial disproportionality if wrongly named; and that this leads to a ‘possibility of disproportionality due to some communities/areas being “over policed” leading to greater reports’.
Human rights violations exposed
Racial profiling: The use of these systems by police results in, directly and indirectly, racial profiling and the disproportionate targeting of Black and racialised people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This, in turn, leads to their increased criminalisation, punishment, and exposure to violent policing.
There is no right to a fair trial: Predictive systems target individuals and groups before they have actually committed an offense, which risks infringing on the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
Mass surveillance: This is indiscriminate and can never be proportionate interference with the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of association and of peaceful assembly.
Chilling effect: Individuals who live in areas targeted by predictive policing will likely seek to avoid those areas, resulting in a chilling effect. Participants in the Essex discussion group stated that if police were targeting specific areas, they would likely avoid those areas.
Recommendations
Amnesty is calling for:
Accountability obligations, including a right and a clear forum to challenge a predictive, profiling, or similar decision or consequences leading from such a decision.
The district wise details of projects approved under Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) in Tamil Nadu, including number of projects, sanctioned amount and project types are mentioned in the Annexure –I
The district-wise fund disbursement and number of beneficiaries, particularly small and marginal farmers, cooperatives and FPOs is mentioned in the Annexure – II
To ensure equitable fund distribution under AHIDF across all districts nationwide, the following measures have been adopted:
To increase the uptake of the scheme, a diverse range of entities, including individual enterprises, private companies, Section 8 companies, Farmer Producer Organizations, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and cooperatives, have been made eligible. A dedicated end-to-end digitized portal (ahidf.udyamimitra.in) has been developed for application submission, ensuring a transparent and fair mechanism that promotes ease of doing business. The portal is also linked to Common Service Centers, enabling applications to be submitted even from remote locations across the country. Additionally, state-level nodal officers and bank nodal officers have been appointed to facilitate project monitoring and provide handholding support to applicants. In Review Meetings States are also requested to sponsor cases.
As far as employment generation is concerned, total of 4595 persons are directly employed and 3.78 lakh indirect employment generation has been estimated in the State of Tamil Nadu. The livestock production capacity which has been added to the supply chain from the sanctioned projects of Tamil Nadu under AHIDF is of 24.34 Lakh litres per day under Dairy processing and value addition category projects. For Animal Feed category, production capacity of 12.76 lakh metric tonnes per annum of Cattle and poultry feed is added through AHIDF. 39718 Metric tonnes per annum capacity of meat processing is being added through projects sanctioned under AHIDF. 3.32 crores birds per annum and 126.99 crores eggs per annum will be added to supply chain. The district wise details for the State of Tamil Nadu are at Annexure –III.
Annexure – I
The district wise details of projects approved under Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) in Tamil Nadu, including number of projects, sanctioned amount and project types are as under:
Category of Infrastructure
S No
District
Approved Projects
Animal Feed Plant
Breed improvement Technology and Breed Multiplication farm
Dairy Processing & Value Addition
Meat Processing & Value Addition
Project Cost (In Cr.)
Term Loan (In Cr.)
Interest Subvention Released (In Cr.)
1
Coimbatore
6
6
–
–
–
104.31
64.77
3.38
2
Dharmapuri
1
–
–
1
–
75.13
24.82
2.74
3
Dindigul
5
–
2
2
1
114.32
55
2.89
4
Erode
4
1
–
3
–
1310.52
935.52
20.38
5
Karur
1
–
1
–
–
7.11
5
1.71
6
Krishnagiri
3
1
1
–
1
15.45
9.74
0.57
7
Namakkal
3
2
–
1
–
102.09
73
0.32
8
Perambalur
1
1
–
–
–
0.34
0.3
0.01
9
Salem
1
–
–
1
–
140.14
112.11
1.33
10
Tiruppur
6
3
2
1
–
177.69
129.32
6.95
Grand Total
31
14
6
9
2
2047.1
1409.58
40.27
Annexure – II
The district-wise fund disbursement and number of beneficiaries are as follows:
S No
District
Approved Projects
Cooperatives
Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)
Individual Entrepreneur
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise
Private Company
Project Cost (In Cr.)
Term Loan (In Cr.)
Interest Subvention Released (In Cr.)
1
Coimbatore
6
–
–
–
6
–
104.31
64.77
3.38
2
Dharmapuri
1
–
–
–
–
1
75.13
24.82
2.74
3
Dindigul
5
–
–
–
3
2
114.32
55.00
2.89
4
Erode
4
–
–
–
2
2
1310.52
935.52
20.38
5
Karur
1
–
–
–
1
–
7.11
5.00
1.71
6
Krishnagiri
3
–
–
1
1
1
15.45
9.74
0.57
7
Namakkal
3
1
–
–
2
–
102.09
73.00
0.32
8
Perambalur
1
–
1
–
–
–
0.34
0.30
0.01
9
Salem
1
1
–
–
–
–
140.14
112.11
1.33
10
Tiruppur
6
–
–
–
2
4
177.69
129.32
6.95
Grand Total
31
2
1
1
17
10
2047.10
1409.58
40.27
ANNEXURE-III
The district-wise impact of AHIDF on employment generation, income growth, and livestock productivity of in Tamil Nadu is present are as under
S No
District
Animal Feed Plant
Breed improvement Technology and Breed Multiplication farm
Dairy Processing & Value Addition
Meat Processing & Value Addition
Total Approved Projects in Tamil Nadu
Projects
Employment
Farmers Benefitted
Capacity (Lakh MTPA)
Projects
Employment
Farmers Benefitted
Capacity (Cr. Eggs/Annum & Birds/Annum)
Projects
Employment
Farmers Benefitted
Capacity (Lakh LPD)
Projects
Employment
Farmers Benefitted
Capacity (Metric Tonnes per annum)
Projects
Employment
Farmers Benefitted
1
Coimbatore
6
961
36281
4.84
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
6
961
36281
2
Dharmapuri
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1
65
2100
42000
–
–
–
1
65
2100
3
Dindigul
–
–
–
–
2
80
450
124 (E)
2
85
7000
1.40
1
50
2318
21000
5
215
9768
4
Erode
1
200
4535
0.60
–
–
–
–
3
943
39702
10.62
–
–
–
4
1143
44237
5
Karur
–
–
–
–
1
200
1228
3.36 (E)
–
–
–
–
–
–
1
200
1228
6
Krishnagiri
1
15
907
0.12
1
9
28
0.97 (B)
–
–
–
1
120
52
468
3
144
987
7
Namakkal
2
55
19048
2.52
–
–
–
–
1
125
0
2.00
–
–
–
3
180
19048
8
Perambalur
1
18
454
0.60
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1
18
454
9
Salem
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1
428
228000
7.00
–
–
–
1
428
228000
10
Tiruppur
3
171
9615
1.27
2
69
9479
3.31 (B)
1
107
6000
1.20
–
–
–
6
347
25094
Grand Total
14
1420
70839
6
358
11185
9
1753
282802
2
170
2370
21468
31
3701
367196
Note: B represents Birds and E represents Eggs
This information was given by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 2nd April, 2025.
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying is implementing a new Central Sector Sub-scheme namely the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY) under the ongoing Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for a period of four years from FY 2023-24 to FY 2026-27 at an estimated outlay of ₹6000. As of now, an amount of Rs. 11.84 crore has been sanctioned under the PM-MKSSY.
The Component 1-B of PM-MKSSY provides onetime incentive to the aquaculture farmers against purchase of insurance with farm size upto 4 hectares of water spread area. The ‘onetime incentive’ is provided at the rate of 40% of the cost of premium subject to the ceiling of ₹25000 per hectare of water spread area of the aquaculture farm. The maximum incentive payable to single farmer is ₹100,000 upto farm size of 4 hectares of water spread area. For intensive form of aquaculture other than farms such as cage culture, Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (RAS), bio-floc, raceways, etc. the incentive payable is 40% of premium. The maximum incentive payable is ₹1 lakh and the maximum unit size eligible is 1800 m3. The aforesaid benefit of ‘onetime incentive’ is provided for aquaculture insurance purchased for one crop only i.e. one crop cycle. Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Women beneficiaries would be provided an additional incentive @ 10% of the incentive payable for General Categories.
The Component 3 of PM-MKSSY provides financial incentive to fisheries micro and small enterprises in the form of Performance Grant to adopt safety and quality assurance systems in fish and fishery products through provision of performance grants against a set of measurable parameters. The quantum of Performance Grant is given in the following manner: (i)For a microenterprise, 25% of the total investment or, ₹35 lakhs, whichever is lower, for General Category and 35% of total investment or, ₹45 lakhs, whichever is lower, for SC, ST and Women owned microenterprises. (ii) For a Small enterprise, 25% of total investment or ₹75 lakhs, whichever is lower, for General Category and 35% of total investment or ₹100 lakhs, whichever is lower, for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Women owned small enterprises. (iii) For Village Level Organizations and Federations of Self Help Groups (SHGs), Fish Farmer Producer Organisation (FFPOs) and Cooperatives, 35% of total investment or ₹200 lakhs, whichever is lower.
This information was given by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri George Kurian, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 2nd April, 2025.
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, with effect from financial year 2018-19 has been implementing Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) with a total fund size of Rs 7522.48 crore. FIDF inter-alia provides concessional finance for development of various fisheries infrastructure facilities to the Eligible Entities (EEs), including State Governments/Union Territories and State entities for development of identified fisheries infrastructure facilities. Under FIDF, the Department of Fisheries, Government of India provides interest subvention up to 3% per annum for providing the concessional finance by the Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) at the interest rate not lower than 5% per annum. The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying since the inception of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) in 2018-19, has accorded approvals to a total of 64 number of fisheries infrastructure development proposals of Governments of Tamil Nadu at a total outlay of Rs. 1574.73 crore with project cost restricted for interest subvention at Rs.1336.73 crore. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) being the Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) for State Implemented projects, has sanctioned loan amount of Rs. 1314.73 crore to the Government of Tamil Nadu and out of this, an amount of Rs. 956.05 crore has been disbursed so far to the State Government for implementation of the approved projects under FIDF. The Government of Tamil Nadu reported completion of a total of 47 projects while 16 projects are in progress and one project has not yet commenced by the State Government. The Central Approval and Monitoring Committee (CAMC) of FIDF monitors regularly the progress of the projects approved under FIDF and National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) as the Nodal Implementing Agency (NIA) of FIDF conducts the desk studies and need based field inspections of approved projects to ensure the timely completion of approved projects. Besides, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying also reviews the progress of approved projects to ensure the timely implementation.
This information was given by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri George Kurian, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 2nd April, 2025.
As per the information provided by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), surveillance data on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in food animals including poultry is compiled and published as part of the Indian Network for Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR) annual report, which is accessible to the public. The study conducted by ICAR – Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) examined various factors like agro climatic zones, pathogen phylotypes and host characteristics including utilization of machine learning algorithms to identify key drivers of AMR in poultry.
The measures and advisories are outlined as follows:
Department under Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP) scheme, 100% central assistance is provided to States/UTs for vaccination against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Lumpy Skin Disease, Black Quarter, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia etc. including disease surveillance, monitoring and capacity building. Vaccination reduces the use of antibiotics, hence reduce the AMR.
Department has developed The ‘Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTGs) for Livestock and Poultry’ for best practices in veterinary care to enhance livestock health and disease control while ensuring the responsible use of drugs including antimicrobials.
DAHD has formulated the Poultry Disease Action Plan, which emphasizes proactive disease management through biosecurity measures, enhanced surveillance, and vaccination protocols, thereby safeguarding both poultry population and public health.
Bharat Pashudhan application under National Digital Livestock Mission provides management of nearly 29 common ailments of dairy animals e.g. mastitis, indigestion, diarrhoea etc. using Ethno-Veterinary Medicine (EVM).
Department has constituted the Empowered Committee on Animal Health-Regulatory, a subcommittee to ‘Assess and provide recommendations on submission of veterinary vaccines/biological/drugs for policy input’ to examine the proposals received from DCGI regarding import and manufacturing of drugs and vaccine including antibiotics.
Department has formulated the National Action Plan on Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR) in consultation with MoH&FW and other stake holders for judicious use, surveillance and monitoring of antibiotics in animal health sector. MoA&FW is also one of the stakeholder in respect to use of pesticides and antibiotics in agriculture sector keeping in view the One Health Initiative and provisions under NAP-AMR.
Department has issued advisories to all State/UTs for judicious use of antibiotics in treatment of food producing animals, for stopping the use of antibiotics in animal feed and for general awareness.
As per information received from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) import, manufacture, sale, distribution of drugs including antibiotics are regulated under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules there under. Further, it is mandatory that the container of the medicine for treatment of food producing animals requires to be labelled with the withdrawal period of the drug for the species on which it is intended to be used.
On the recommendations of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Colistin and its formulations have been prohibited to be manufactured, sold and distributed for food producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplement
ICAR has strengthened the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by initiating All India Network Programme on AMR (AINP-AMR) involving 31 centres across different states of the country. Further, INFAAR is a nationwide initiative that comprises 20 animals science centres establishing a strong frame work for monitoring and surveillance.
The Central Government has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Egg laying Hens) Rules, 2023 to ensure the welfare of poultry specifically for the space requirement for sheltering the poultry bird. As per the Rule 10 of the said Rules following shall be prohibited for feeding of laying hens:
Feeding of laying hens with remains of dead chicks.
Use of antimicrobial growth promoters.
Use of antimicrobials, if required, may be administered for therapeutic purposes (disease treatment) and only under supervision of a veterinarian and
Withdrawal of feed to induce a molting.
This information was given by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 2nd April, 2025.
In order to create decentralized food grain storage capacity in the country, the Government on 31.5.2023 approved the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector, which has been rolled out as a Pilot Project. It entails creation of various agri infrastructure at the level of Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS), including setting up decentralized godowns, custom hiring center, processing units, sorting and grading facilities, cold storage units, packhouses etc. through convergence of various existing schemes of the Government of India (GoI), such as, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME), etc.
The Plan addresses transportation and distribution challenges by enabling local storage of grains at the PACS level, minimizing long-distance transportation costs and losses. Additionally, by integrating PACS with agri-marketing and procurement systems, direct access to storage facilities is ensured for farmers, reducing their dependence on intermediaries. Hence, the Plan aims to ensure better price realization for farmers, reduce transportation costs, and create employment opportunities in rural areas.
Under the Pilot project of the Plan, 11 godowns in 11 PACS have been constructed across the country and a total storage capacity of 9,750 MT has been created.
The Government on 15.2.2023, has approved the Plan for strengthening cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots. The Plan entails establishment of 2 lakh new multipurpose PACS (M-PACS), Dairy, Fishery Cooperative Societies covering all the Panchayats/ villages in the country in five years, through convergence of various existing GOI schemes, including Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF), National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), etc. with the support of National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) and State Governments.
As per National Cooperative Database, a total of 3,667 new PACS have been registered as on 27.1.2025 across the country, including 148 new PACS in the State of Maharashtra, since the approval of the plan on 15.2.2023. The State-wise details of the same are enclosed at Annexure.
Government of India has approved a project for Computerization of functional PACS with a total financial outlay of ₹2,516 Crore, which entails bringing all the functional PACS onto an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) based common national software, linking them with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks (StCBs) and District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs). The National Level Common Software for the project has been developed by NABARD and 50,455 PACS have been onboarded on ERP software as on 27.01.2025. So far, proposals for computerization of 67,930 PACS from 30 States/ UTs have been sanctioned, for which Rs. 741.34 Cr. has been released as GoI share to the States/UTs concerned as on 27.01.2025 and hardware has been delivered to 60,382 PACS.
*****
S. No.
State/UT
Newly registered PACS
1.
Andaman And Nicobar Islands
1
2.
Andhra Pradesh
0
3.
Arunachal Pradesh
12
4.
Assam
59
5.
Bihar
25
6.
Chhattisgarh
0
7.
Goa
12
8.
Gujarat
291
9.
Haryana
2
10.
Himachal Pradesh
57
11.
Jammu And Kashmir
84
12.
Jharkhand
44
13.
Karnataka
128
14.
Ladakh
0
15.
Lakshadweep
0
16.
Madhya Pradesh
16
17.
Maharashtra
148
18.
Manipur
68
19.
Meghalaya
193
20.
Mizoram
25
21.
Nagaland
12
22.
Odisha
1,535
23.
Puducherry
2
24.
Punjab
0
25.
Rajasthan
760
26.
Sikkim
23
27.
Tamil Nadu
21
28.
Telangana
0
29.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu
4
30.
Tripura
38
31.
Uttar Pradesh
94
32.
Uttarakhand
0
33.
West Bengal
13
Total
3,667
This was stated by the Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The Government has approved the Plan to establish 2 lakh new multi-purpose PACS (M-PACS), Dairy & Fishery Cooperative Societies to cover all the Panchayats/ Villages across the country through convergence of various existing schemes of Government of India (GoI), including Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF), National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), etc, with the support of National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) and State/ UT Governments. The convergence of GoI schemes under this Plan enables newly formed Dairy & Fishery Cooperative Societies to set up and modernize necessary infrastructure for diversifying their activities, like, milk testing laboratories, bulk milk coolers, milk processing units, construction of biofloc ponds, fish kiosks, development of hatcheries, acquiring deep sea fishing vessels, etc.
Further, in order to diversify the business activities of PACS, the Government has circulated Model Bye-laws for PACS to all the States/ UTs, which enable them to undertake more than 25 economic activities, including dairy, fishery, floriculture, setting up godowns, processing, marketing of agricultural produce, custom hiring centers, Common Service Centers (CSCs), Fair Price Shops (FPS), community irrigation, etc. The registration of new PACS as multipurpose PACS enables them as well as their farmer members to diversify their business activities, expand their access to markets & credit and generate additional sources of revenue for themselves.
As on 27.1.2025, 12,957 new M-PACS, Dairy and Fishery Cooperative Societies have been registered across States/ UTs, with 17,10,224 farmer members associated with them, the details of which are enclosed at Annexure.
The formation of these newly formed cooperative societies enables their farmer members to get requisite forward and backward linkages to market their produce, expand the size of their markets, enhance their incomes, obtain credit facilities, and other services at the village level itself, thus contributing towards strengthening the rural economy.
*****
Annexure
State/ UT- wise details of newly registered Cooperative Societies
Sr. No.
State/UT
Total no. of newly
registered M-PACS, DCS and FCS
No. of associated farmer members
1.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
9
104
2.
Andhra Pradesh
897
18,018
3.
Arunachal Pradesh
33
1,337
4.
Assam
321
17,546
5.
Bihar
308
80,873
6.
Chhattisgarh
331
6,050
7.
Goa
12
247
8.
Gujarat
733
98,031
9.
Haryana
50
4,389
10.
Himachal Pradesh
411
8,556
11.
Jammu & Kashmir
1,118
22,840
12.
Jharkhand
248
9,858
13.
Karnataka
598
82,035
14.
Ladakh
4
371
15.
Lakshadweep
7
508
16.
Madhya Pradesh
613
27,350
17.
Maharashtra
889
65,008
18.
Manipur
95
11,216
19.
Meghalaya
206
11,994
20.
Mizoram
29
1,093
21.
Nagaland
14
657
22.
Odisha
1,535
6,87,126
23.
Puducherry
7
507
24.
Punjab
80
1,851
25.
Rajasthan
1,995
3,22,255
26.
Sikkim
57
1,192
27.
Tamil Nadu
520
36,271
28.
Telangana
82
2,345
29.
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman &
Diu
5
298
30.
Tripura
40
961
31.
Uttar Pradesh
1,464
1,79,926
32.
Uttarakhand
147
3,612
33.
West Bengal
99
5,799
Total
12,957
17,10,224
This was stated by the Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The Office of the Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, has announced the appointment of Gadija Brown, the former MEC for Finance in the Free State, as his Special Economic Advisor.
A seasoned professional with rich experience in the commercial banking sector, the Office of the Deputy President believes Brown brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role as an advisor in the Presidency.
Brown served the Free Sate Provincial Government in various capacities as a Member of the Provincial Executive Council for Finance, Head of the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Public Works and Infrastructure as well as the Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department.
“The appointment of Ms Brown will surely enhance the work of the advisory team in the Office of the Deputy President, and her great deal of expertise in various fields, will significantly strengthen the delivery of tasks delegated to us, by President Ramaphosa,” the Deputy President said on Wednesday.
Brown holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Leadership, majoring in Finance and Economics, from the University of Free State.
She also holds various certificates in banking, project and risk management, and ethics, contributing to her academic aptitude. – SAnews.gov.za
In the Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food[1], published on 19 February 2025, the Commission commits to develop a comprehensive plan to address the EU’s heavy reliance on imported high-quality protein from a limited number of origins.
This initiative will be based on a holistic approach encompassing the agri-food system, considering both the way protein is produced and consumed.
Learning from on-the-ground efforts and research, it will present a way forward to ensure the long-term competitiveness, sustainability, profitability and attractiveness of the sector.
It will, in particular, focus on fostering domestic production to improve self-sufficiency to reduce the long-standing dependency on imported plant-based protein and on diversifying imports of plant-based protein to increase the EU’s food security.
India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement Celebrates 3rd Anniversary of Signing ECTA Boosts Trade: Gains Recorded in Textiles, Pharma, Chemicals, and Agriculture Sectors
Posted On: 02 APR 2025 4:35PM by PIB Delhi
The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA) marks its third anniversary of signing today, a landmark achievement that has enhanced the economic partnership between India and Australia. Since the agreement’s signing on 2nd April 2022, it has created pathways for robust trade, offering new avenues for businesses, entrepreneurs, and employment across both nations.
With the signing of the ECTA, India and Australia have fostered new economic opportunities, underlining the complementary strengths of both economies. Following the signing and implementation of the agreement, total bilateral trade reached USD 24 billion in 2023-24, marking an impressive 14% growth in India’s exports to Australia as compared to 2022-23. This positive momentum continues in the current fiscal year, with India’s exports to Australia having increased by 4.4% during April 2024-February 2025 as compared to the same period in April 2023-February 2024.
The ECTA has brought tangible benefits across several sectors, notably textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and agriculture. Exports on new lines, such as Calcined Petroleum Coke, High-Capacity Diesel Generating Sets, and Air Liquefaction Machinery, demonstrate the expanding trade opportunities facilitated by the agreement. Sectors like electronics and engineering hold significant potential for future exports, offering promising prospects for further growth and innovation.
Imports of key raw materials, such as metalliferous ores, cotton, wood and wood products have supported the growth of Indian industries, solidifying the mutually beneficial and complementary nature of the partnership.
The India-Australia partnership is poised for even greater growth. As the ECTA celebrates its third anniversary, India and Australia reaffirm their commitment to deepening their economic ties, driving mutual prosperity, and contributing to a stronger and more resilient global economy.
2025-47 PRELIMINARY INJUCTION GRANTED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES
Posted on Apr 1, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
ANNE LOPEZ
ATTORNEY GENERAL
LOIO KUHINA
ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ WINS PRELIMINARY INJUCTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES
News Release 2025-47
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025
HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez and a coalition of 20 attorneys general have secured apreliminary injunction(PI) in a lawsuit against numerous federal agencies for the unlawful mass firing of federal probationary employees. The suit, Maryland et al. v. USDA, was filed in the United States District Court for Maryland.
The PI protects federal probationary employees who liveor work in the plaintiff states and orders 20 federal agencies to reinstate unlawfully terminated probationary employees while the court case continues. The PI also requires those agencies to follow lawful procedures in conducting any future reductions in force.
“The granting of this injunction sends a clear message that the government must follow certain laws and regulations when it comes to firing and laying off federal employees,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The federal workers who live and work in Hawaiʻi should not be treated as disposable. These agencies and their employees provide a critical safety net through social assistance programs and through state and federal partnerships.”
On March 6, 2025, Attorney General Lopez joined the coalition in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injury to the plaintiff states, including Hawaiʻi. The lawsuit sought immediate relief, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on March 14, 2025, against 18 federal agencies. The court later extended that order by five days, setting an expiration date of April 1, which would have resulted in devastating impacts on the plaintiff states, as well as their probationary federal employees.
The PI extends the court’s earlier order requiring the federal agencies to stop the unlawful mass firings and to give those employees back their jobs while the attorneys general litigate the case against the agencies. The PI ensures that for the remainder of the case, the following federal agencies cannot continue their unlawful conduct:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Department of Treasury
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
U.S. Department of Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
General Services Administration
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Department of Interior
Small Business Administration
U.S. Department of Labor
United States Agency for International Development
The state of Hawaiʻi is represented in this litigation by Special Assistant to the Attorney General Dave Day and Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes.
Attorney General Lopez was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
# # #
Media contacts:
Dave Day
Special Assistant to the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1284
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov
Toni Schwartz Public Information Officer Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General Office: 808-586-1252 Cell: 808-379-9249 Email: [email protected]
2. Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025 (debate)
European Council and Commission statements: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025 (2024/2980(RSP))
António Costa (President of the European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (President of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Manfred Weber, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Nicola Procaccini, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Terry Reintke, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Dolors Montserrat, Raphaël Glucksmann, Jean-Paul Garraud, Patryk Jaki, Billy Kelleher, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Zsuzsanna Borvendég, Ruth Firmenich, Siegfried Mureşan, Paolo Borchia, Nicolas Bay, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Hannah Neumann, Li Andersson, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, Željana Zovko, Alex Agius Saliba, Anna Bryłka, Charlie Weimers, Hilde Vautmans, Reinier Van Lanschot, Paulo Cunha, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Christel Schaldemose, Gilles Pennelle, Carlo Fidanza, Svenja Hahn, Tom Berendsen (the President spoke about Siegbert Frank Droese’s behaviour following Hannah Neumann’s speech), Javier Moreno Sánchez, Harald Vilimsky, Johan Van Overtveldt, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Reinhold Lopatka, Dan Nica, Emmanouil Fragkos, Ľubica Karvašová, Danuše Nerudová, Marta Temido, Anna Zalewska, Karlo Ressler, Elio Di Rupo, François-Xavier Bellamy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Brando Benifei.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Dariusz Joński, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Anna Maria Cisint, Sebastian Tynkkynen, João Oliveira, Siegbert Frank Droese, Lukas Sieper, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Bruno Gonçalves and Seán Kelly.
The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič (Member of the Commission) and António Costa.
The debate closed.
3. Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine: standing with Ukraine and upholding justice (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine: standing with Ukraine and upholding justice(2025/2635(RSP))
The President said that there would be only one round of political group speakers and no catch-the-eye procedure or blue-card questions.
Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.
The following spoke: Sandra Kalniete, on behalf of the PPE Group, Thijs Reuten, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anders Vistisen, on behalf of the PfE Group, Michał Dworczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Petras Auštrevičius, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Martin Schirdewan, on behalf of The Left Group, and René Aust, on behalf of the ESN Group.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.
The debate closed.
4. Amendment of the agenda
In accordance with Rule 164(2), the President proposed the following amendment of the agenda, with the agreement of the political groups:
Wednesday/Thursday
The vote on ‘Energy-intensive industries’ (item 24 on the agenda) would be held over until voting time on Thursday.
Parliament agreed to the proposal.
The agenda was amended accordingly.
(The sitting was suspended at 11:54.)
IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS Vice-President
5. Resumption of the sitting
The sitting resumed at 12:01.
6. Voting time
For detailed results of the votes, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.
6.1. Amending Directives (EU) 2022/2464 and (EU) 2024/1760 as regards the dates from which Member States are to apply certain corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements ***I (vote)
Amending Directives (EU) 2022/2464 and (EU) 2024/1760 as regards the dates from which Member States are to apply certain corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements (COM(2025)0080 – C10-0038/2025 – 2025/0044(COD)) – JURI Committee
REQUEST FOR AN URGENT DECISION by the PPE Group (Rule 170(6))
Approved
The following tabling deadlines had been set:
– amendments: Wednesday 2 April 2025 at 13:00 – requests for separate votes and split votes: Wednesday 2 April 2025 at 19:00.
Vote: 3 April 2025.
The following had spoken:
Tomas Tobé, on behalf of the PPE Group (the author of the request), and Manon Aubry against.
Detailed voting results
6.2. Request for waiver of the immunity of Jana Nagyová (vote)
Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Jana Nagyová [2024/2035(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Krzysztof Śmiszek (A10-0029/2025)
6.3. Request for waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron (vote)
Report on the request for waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron [2024/2048(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Dominik Tarczyński (A10-0030/2025)
6.4. Request for waiver of the immunity of Maciej Wąsik (vote)
Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Maciej Wąsik [2024/2043(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Mario Furore (A10-0031/2025)
6.5. Request for waiver of the immunity of Mariusz Kamiński (vote)
Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Mariusz Kamiński [2024/2046(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Mario Furore (A10-0032/2025)
6.6. Partial renewal of a member of the Court of Auditors – Lucian Romașcanu (vote)
Report on the nomination of Lucian Romașcanu as a Member of the Court of Auditors [05958/2025 – C10-0010/2025 – 2025/0801(NLE)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Tomáš Zdechovský (A10-0039/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast) (Secret ballot (Rule 133(3)))
The list of Members voting is annexed to these minutes (minutes of 1.4.2025 Annex 1)
Detailed voting results
6.7. Common data platform on chemicals, establishing a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common data platform on chemicals, laying down rules to ensure that the data contained in it are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable and establishing a monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals [COM(2023)0779 – C9-0449/2023 – 2023/0453(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0018/2025)
Dimitris Tsiodras (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).
Detailed voting results
6.8. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency [COM(2023)0781 – C9-0448/2023 – 2023/0454(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0019/2025)
Dimitris Tsiodras (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).
Detailed voting results
6.9. Re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks and improving cooperation among Union agencies in the area of chemicals ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 401/2009, (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the re-attribution of scientific and technical tasks and improving cooperation among Union agencies in the area of chemicals [COM(2023)0783 – C9-0447/2023 – 2023/0455(COD)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Dimitris Tsiodras (A10-0020/2025)
Dimitris Tsiodras (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).
Detailed voting results
6.10. Macro-financial assistance to Jordan ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on providing macro-financial assistance to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan [COM(2024)0159 – C9-0146/2024 – 2024/0086(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Céline Imart (A10-0038/2025)
Michael McGrath (Member of the Commission), before the vote, to make a statement.
6.11. Macro-financial assistance to Egypt ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on providing macro-financial assistance to the Arab Republic of Egypt [COM(2024)0461 – C10-0009/2024 – 2024/0071(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Céline Imart (A10-0037/2025)
– Michael McGrath (Member of the Commission), before the vote, to make a statement.
– Céline Imart (rapporteur), after the vote on the Commission’s proposal, to request that the matter be referred back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations, in accordance with Rule 60(4).
6.12. Customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the USA ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2018/196 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 February 2018 on additional customs duties on imports of certain products originating in the United States of America [COM(2025)0027 – C10-0007/2025 – 2025/0012(COD)] – Committee on International Trade. Rapporteur: Bernd Lange (A10-0034/2025)
8. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting
The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
9. CFSP and CSDP (Article 36 TUE)(joint debate)
Report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy – 2024 annual report [2024/2080(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: David McAllister (A10-0010/2025) Report on the implementation of the common security and defence policy – annual report 2024 [2024/2082(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (A10-0011/2025)
David McAllister and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte introduced the reports.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy).
The following spoke:Michael Gahler, on behalf of the PPE Group, Sven Mikser, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Adam Bielan, on behalf of the ECR Group, Urmas Paet, on behalf of the Renew Group, Marc Botenga,on behalf of The Left Group,Stanislav Stoyanov, on behalf of the ESN Group,Rasa Juknevičienė, Tobias Cremer, António Tânger Corrêa, Alberico Gambino, Bart Groothuis, Hannah Neumann,Özlem Demirel, Marcin Sypniewski, Monika Beňová, Łukasz Kohut, Yannis Maniatis, Pierre-Romain Thionnet,Rihards Kols, Hilde Vautmans, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Lynn Boylan, Hans Neuhoff, Francisco José Millán Mon,Nacho Sánchez Amor, Afroditi Latinopoulou, Nathalie Loiseau, Hanna Gedin, Salvatore De Meo, Hana Jalloul Muro,Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Petras Auštrevičius,Davor Ivo Stier, who also answered a blue-card question from Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Tonino Picula, Lucia Yar, Vangelis Meimarakis, who also answered a blue-card question from Petras Gražulis, Thijs Reuten, Marta Wcisło, Riho Terras, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Mārtiņš Staķis, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, and Sebastian Tynkkynen.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Tomislav Sokol, João Oliveira, Željana Zovko, Lukas Sieper and Michał Szczerba.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas, David McAllister and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte.
The debate closed.
Vote: 2 April 2025.
10. Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)
Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 [2024/2081(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Isabel Wiseler-Lima (A10-0012/2025)
Isabel Wiseler-Lima introduced the report.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy).
The following spoke: Abir Al-Sahlani (rapporteur for the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Antonio López-Istúriz White, on behalf of the PPE Group, Francisco Assis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Christophe Bay, on behalf of the PfE Group, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Catarina Vieira, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Kathleen Funchion, on behalf of The Left Group, Petr Bystron, on behalf of the ESN Group, Reinhold Lopatka, Elisabeth Grossmann, Silvia Sardone, Sophie Wilmès, Mounir Satouri, Alvise Pérez, Liudas Mažylis, Marco Tarquinio, András László, who also answered a blue-card question from Catarina Vieira, Loucas Fourlas, Chloé Ridel, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Hermann Tertsch, Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Evin Incir and Alice Teodorescu Måwe.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sunčana Glavak, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper and Michał Wawrykiewicz.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.
IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE Vice-President
The following spoke: Isabel Wiseler-Lima.
The debate closed.
Vote: 2 April 2025.
11. Presentation of the new European Internal Security Strategy(debate)
Commission statement: Presentation of the new European Internal Security Strategy (2025/2608(RSP))
Magnus Brunner (Member of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Tomas Tobé, on behalf of the PPE Group, Birgit Sippel, on behalf of the S&D Group, Fabrice Leggeri, on behalf of the PfE Group, Assita Kanko, on behalf of the ECR Group, Malik Azmani, on behalf of the Renew Group, Saskia Bricmont, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giuseppe Antoci, on behalf of The Left Group, Mary Khan, on behalf of the ESN Group, Jeroen Lenaers, Thijs Reuten, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Alessandro Ciriani, Moritz Körner, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper, Lena Düpont, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Petra Steger, Mariusz Kamiński, François-Xavier Bellamy, Marieke Ehlers, Charlie Weimers, Javier Zarzalejos, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Dariusz Joński, Paulo Cunha, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Elena Donazzan, Maciej Wąsik and Gheorghe Piperea.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Dariusz Joński, José Cepeda, João Oliveira, Sunčana Glavak, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Ana Miguel Pedro and Lukas Sieper.
The following spoke: Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President of the Commission).
The debate closed.
12. EU Preparedness Union Strategy (debate)
Commission statement: EU Preparedness Union Strategy (2025/2641(RSP))
Hadja Lahbib (Member of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Lena Düpont, on behalf of the PPE Group.
IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO Vice-President
The following spoke: Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Roberto Vannacci, on behalf of the PfE Group, Beata Szydło, on behalf of the ECR Group, Grégory Allione, on behalf of the Renew Group, Diana Riba i Giner, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on the language used by a Member during this debate (the President agreed), Merja Kyllönen, on behalf of The Left Group, Christine Anderson, on behalf of the ESN Group (the President reminded the House of the rules on conduct), Lukas Mandl, Christophe Clergeau, Christophe Bay, Elena Donazzan, Anna-Maja Henriksson, Ville Niinistö, Catarina Martins, Cecilia Strada, who referred to the speech of Roberto Vannacci (the President reiterated the need to respect the rules on conduct), Kostas Papadakis, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Tomislav Sokol, Heléne Fritzon, Barbara Bonte, Adrian-George Axinia, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Alvise Pérez, Nathalie Loiseau, Lena Schilling, Luke Ming Flanagan, Massimiliano Salini, Annalisa Corrado, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Grégory Allione, Michał Dworczyk, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Leire Pajín, Matej Tonin, Tobias Cremer, Victor Negrescu and Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Hélder Sousa Silva, Laura Ballarín Cereza, Ana Miranda Paz, Cecilia Strada, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, João Oliveira and Maria Zacharia.
The following spoke: Hadja Lahbib.
The debate closed.
13. Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Improving the implementation of cohesion policy through the mid-term review to achieve a robust cohesion policy post 2027 (2025/2648(RSP))
Adam Szłapka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Raffaele Fitto (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Andrey Novakov, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Rody Tolassy, on behalf of the PfE Group, Denis Nesci, on behalf of the ECR Group, Ľubica Karvašová, on behalf of the Renew Group, Cristina Guarda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Elena Kountoura, on behalf of the The Left Group, Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Marcos Ros Sempere, Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza, Ciaran Mullooly, Gordan Bosanac, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper.
IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS Vice-President
The following spoke: Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, Victor Negrescu, Antonella Sberna, Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Christian Doleschal, Carla Tavares, who also answered a blue-card question from Ana Miranda Paz, Elsi Katainen, Elena Nevado del Campo, who also answered a blue-card question from Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Estelle Ceulemans, Joachim Streit, Jacek Protas and Hannes Heide.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Nikolina Brnjac, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Ana Miranda Paz, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Francisco José Millán Mon, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral and Maria Grapini.
The following spoke: Raffaele Fitto and Adam Szłapka.
The debate closed.
14. Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Safeguarding the access to democratic media, such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty(2025/2630(RSP))
Marta Kos (Member of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Sebastião Bugalho, on behalf of the PPE Group, Nils Ušakovs, on behalf of the S&D Group, António Tânger Corrêa, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Irena Joveva, on behalf of the Renew Group, Virginijus Sinkevičius, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, Andrey Kovatchev, Francisco Assis, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, Dan Barna, Mary Khan, who also answered a blue-card question from Tomáš Zdechovský, Erik Kaliňák, who also answered a blue-card question from Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Ondřej Kolář, Robert Biedroń, Virginie Joron, Rihards Kols, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Petar Volgin, Fidias Panayiotou, Rasa Juknevičienė, Hannes Heide, Csaba Dömötör, who also answered a blue-card question from Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Laurence Farreng, Elena Yoncheva, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Evin Incir, who also answered a blue-card question from Fidias Panayiotou, and Julien Sanchez.
IN THE CHAIR: Antonella SBERNA Vice-President
The following spoke: Helmut Brandstätter, Mika Aaltola, Michał Kobosko, Alice Teodorescu Måwe and Tomáš Zdechovský.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Radan Kanev, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă and Gabriella Gerzsenyi.
The following spoke: Marta Kos.
The debate closed.
15. Crackdown on democracy in Türkiye and the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Crackdown on democracy in Türkiye and the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu(2025/2642(RSP))
Marta Kos (Member of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The following spoke: Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, on behalf of the PPE Group, Nacho Sánchez Amor, on behalf of the S&D Group, Susanna Ceccardi, on behalf of the PfE Group, Assita Kanko, on behalf of the ECR Group, Malik Azmani, on behalf of the Renew Group, Vladimir Prebilič, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Michalis Hadjipantela, Kathleen Van Brempt, Mathilde Androuët, Bernard Guetta, Mélissa Camara, Özlem Demirel, Reinhold Lopatka, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Željana Zovko, Nikos Papandreou, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi and Dario Nardella.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sebastian Tynkkynen, Ana Miranda Paz, Hanna Gedin, Maria Zacharia, Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, Lukas Sieper and Fidias Panayiotou.
The following spoke: Marta Kos.
The debate closed.
16. Dramatic situation in Gaza and the need for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement (debate)
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:Dramatic situation in Gaza and the need for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement(2025/2644(RSP))
Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.
The following spoke: Hildegard Bentele, on behalf of the PPE Group, Evin Incir, on behalf of the S&D Group, Fabrice Leggeri, on behalf of the PfE Group, Bert-Jan Ruissen, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Irene Montero, on behalf of The Left Group, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Sebastiaan Stöteler, Hana Jalloul Muro, Barry Andrews, Ana Miranda Paz, Giorgos Georgiou, Ondřej Kolář, who also answered a blue-card question from Rima Hassan, and Matjaž Nemec.
IN THE CHAIR: Ewa KOPACZ Vice-President
The following spoke: Tomáš Kubín, Leoluca Orlando, Danilo Della Valle, Céline Imart, who also answered a blue-card question from Benedetta Scuderi, Marta Temido, Saskia Bricmont, Estrella Galán, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Mimmo Lucano, and Marit Maij and Benedetta Scuderi, on the language sometimes used during this debate (the President took note).
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Davor Ivo Stier, Daniel Attard, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Vladimir Prebilič and Marc Botenga.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.
The debate closed.
17. Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Targeted attacks against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – defending religious freedom and security (2025/2612(RSP))
Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.
The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Marit Maij, on behalf of the S&D Group, Thierry Mariani, on behalf of the PfE Group, Patryk Jaki, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Mounir Satouri, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Marc Botenga, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Wouter Beke, Francisco Assis, György Hölvényi, Alexander Sell, Nikolaos Anadiotis, Reinhold Lopatka, Anja Arndt, Ingeborg Ter Laak and Davor Ivo Stier.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Saskia Bricmont, Bert-Jan Ruissen and Sebastian Tynkkynen.
The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.
Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 3.4.2025, item I.
The debate closed.
Vote: 3 April 2025.
18. Explanations of vote
18.1. Written explanations of vote
Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.
19. Agenda of the next sitting
The next sitting would be held the following day, 2 April 2025, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.
20. Approval of the minutes of the sitting
In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.
21. Closure of the sitting
The sitting closed at 22:07.
LIST OF DOCUMENTS SERVING AS A BASIS FOR THE DEBATES AND DECISIONS OF PARLIAMENT
I. Documents received
The following documents had been received from committees:
– Report on Parliament’s estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2026 (2024/2111(BUI)) – BUDG Committee – Rapporteur: Matjaž Nemec (A10-0048/2025)
In line with the communication on the road to the next multiannual financial framework (MFF)[1], the Commission will ensure that the upcoming MFF is simpler, more focused and aligned with EU priorities.
The communication highlights the importance of food security and nature protection for sustaining Europe’s quality of life and emphasises that a Common Agricultural Policy that is fit for purpose must provide targeted support to farmers who need it most, promote positive environmental and social outcomes through rewards and incentives for ecosystem services and support the right enabling conditions for thriving rural areas.
It must find the right balance between incentives, investment and regulation, and ensure that farmers have a fair and sufficient income.
The Commission is currently working on the next MFF and it intends to present the next financial framework in July 2025. Effective design of the next MFF requires involving various stakeholders.
The Commission’s approach involves structured dialogues, thematic public consultations, and active citizen engagement, all aimed at gathering diverse inputs early in the process. This ensures that funding is tailored to regional conditions and sectoral needs.
The Vision for Agriculture and Food[2] also provides a long-term policy perspective on EU agriculture and food, which will guide the design of the future Common Agricultural Policy.
MEPs adopted their priorities for the 2026 EU budget on Wednesday, emphasising defence, prosperity and sustainability.
MEPs endorsed Parliament’s guidelines for the 2026 EU budget by 441 votes in favour, 173 against, and with 70 abstentions, saying that next year’s budget should focus on strategic preparedness and security, economic competitiveness and resilience, sustainability, climate, and the single market. They want to see additional investment in research, innovation, enterprises, health, energy, migration, border protection, digital and green transitions, job creation and opportunities for young people.
In the adopted text, MEPs call for improved EU security, cybersecurity and defence capabilities, and funding for dual-use transport infrastructure. They demand proper support for farmers and also stress the importance of implementing the Asylum and Migration Pact. The text states that the EU’s economic resilience and sustainability depends on boosting public and private investment, increasing innovation, closing the skills gap and stepping up industrial production in Europe.
Health, Ukraine and debt repayment
Among other investment priorities, the guidelines call for continued support for health programmes and crisis preparedness, educational and cultural programmes to empower young people, and proper use of EU funds while upholding the rule of law.
MEPs also underline the need for sufficient resources given the sudden drop in international funding, and pledge unconditional and full support for Ukraine. They are concerned that repayment of the borrowing costs of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan must not lead to a reduction in EU programmes and funds.
Finally, while the 2026 budget has limited flexibility, as it is second to last in the 2021-2027 long-term EU budget, MEPs argue that, amid significant geopolitical changes and the worsening effects of climate change, the EU budget remains crucial in ensuring stability for Europeans, supporting established policies and providing for strategic priorities such as defence and security.
“After tough negotiations between our political groups, we have produced well-balanced guidelines that respect the values and ideals of all the groups. Our compromise underlines key priorities, including defence, security, energy, competitiveness, agriculture, economic resilience, crisis response, health, democracy, and a stronger Union in a changing world. We have delivered a strong position, showing the Commission and the Council that Parliament is a serious player, fully prepared to defend the priorities of our citizens,” said rapporteur Andrzej Halicki (EPP, PL).
Next steps
The Commission is expected to present its proposal for next year’s budget in June 2025. Parliament’s negotiators will use the guidelines as the basis for their discussions with the Council and the Commission. The budget needs to be agreed between the Council and the Parliament by the end of this year.
Background
The annual budget lays down all the EU’s expenditure and revenue for one year within the limits fixed by its seven-year budget. The budget guidelines set out what Parliament expects the Commission to take into account when drawing up its budget proposal.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: ODIHR opens election observation mission in Albania
TIRANA, 2 April 2025 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 11 May parliamentary elections in Albania, following an official invitation from the national authorities.
The mission is headed by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier and consists of a core team of 12 international experts based in Tirana and 26 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 10 April. ODIHR will also request 300 short-term observers, to arrive several days before election day.
The mission will assess the election for its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.
Observers will closely monitor all aspects of the election, including developments before and after election day. Specific areas of focus will include the implementation of the legal framework, the campaign, including on social networks, the work of the election administration at all levels, the resolution of election disputes, and media coverage. The observers will also assess the implementation of previous ODIHR election recommendations.
Meetings with representatives of state authorities, political parties, civil society, the media and the international community form an integral part of the observation.
On election day, the ODIHR mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to observe the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of votes and the tabulation of results.
An interim report will be published some two weeks prior to the election, and the day after the election the mission’s preliminary findings and conclusions will be presented at a press conference. A final report with an assessment of the entire election process and containing recommendations will be published some months after the election.
Media contacts:
Katya Andrusz, ODIHR Spokesperson: katya.andrusz@odihr.pl or +48 609 522 266
Elma Šehalić, Media Analyst: elma.sehalic@odihr.al or +355 68 209 3931
Two Country Parks Hiking & Planting Day events will be held in April and May.
Jointly organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department and Friends of the Country Parks, the events will take place on April 27 at Pak Sha Wan Peninsula, Ma On Shan Country Park and May 4 at Wong Nai Tun Irrigation Reservoir, Tai Lam Country Park.
People can enrol at the designated registration point on-site from 9am to 10.30am on the event day. Pre-registration is not required.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
On the weekend of April 5 and 6, the Moskino cinema park will become a creative territory for young filmmakers and anyone who wants to get to know the world of cinema better.
Make your own film and meet experienced filmmakers
Camera operators, directors and producers will be able to film their course and diploma theses for free on location at the Moscow Cathedral Square cinema park, Prince Andrey’s Chambers, the area near the Tu-154 aircraft and the natural chromakey, as well as in the Moscow of the 1940s set. For filming you need register.
On April 5, from 15:00 to 16:00, the educational center will host a lecture by Irina Glebova, Dean of the Production Department of the Institute of Cinema and Television (GITR). The winner of numerous awards will talk to the audience about detective films and the principles of creating such films. On April 6, from 15:00 to 16:00, producer Pavel Kirillov will talk to the audience about the creative aspects of producing films and television, and will also answer questions.
From 17:00 to 18:00, the Gonzaga Theatre will host a creative evening with theatre and film actor and stage fencing teacher Sergei Chudakov, who will talk about the acting profession, participation in projects, and show fencing tricks.
On the second floor of the educational center on April 5 and 6 at 13:00 and 15:30, two master classes are planned: on makeup (it will be conducted by Svetlana Shevtsova) and on creating hairstyles (Irina Konovalova will teach). During the classes, you can learn how makeup is applied to professional actresses and how original images of heroines are created through styling. Participation is included in the cost of an entrance ticket to the cinema park. You can buy it by link.
Remember your childhood or feel like a student
This weekend, the baroque Gonzaga Theatre will host the play When I’m Little Again, performed by the Little Family Theatre. On April 5, viewers will be able to see the production at 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, and on April 6, at 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM. Visitors will be treated to a story about childhood memories, filled with joy, carefree pranks, and bright dreams.
Fans of tasks on logic, speed and attention will be able to take part in the quest “Time for a retake”. They will have to remember the school curriculum and answer a number of questions, imagining themselves as a student at an exam. This quest will appeal not only to schoolchildren and students, but also to those who have long since graduated. In addition, children and teenagers will be interested in the games “Record Book”, “Retake” and others. In the relay race “Record Book” participants will need to balance on one leg and juggle balls, and in the game “Retake” you will need to unite into a team to confuse the teacher and prevent him from taking the cheat sheet. Guests of the cinema park will also find many other similar games.
On both days at 12:00 and 15:35, master classes on creating postcards from colored soap will be held in the central square, at 13:10 and 16:45 — paintings on cardboard using texture paste, and at 14:20 and 17:55, participants will mold magical characters from airy plasticine. Attendance at the events is included in the price of the entrance ticket to the cinema park.
Join the production and see the long-awaited premieres
On the locations of “Berlin Streets” and “Moscow in the 1940s”, staged filming based on the Soviet films “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson” and “Operation Y and Shurik’s Other Adventures” will once again take place, and everyone is invited to join in. You can play in one of the scenes from the film in a movie costume and with props, as well as receive photos and a video as a souvenir, throughout the weekend. Participation is included in the price of the entrance ticket to the cinema park.
On April 5 and 6, the Moskino Kinopark cinema invites you to screen the most anticipated Russian films of this spring. The program includes the comedy Batya 2. Ded, a continuation of the beloved story about family, growing up and nostalgia for childhood. In the film Palma-2, viewers will experience exciting adventures. This is a story about a boy, his faithful shepherd and a bear cub who have to go through the dangers of the forest. Young dreamers will be delighted with The Frog Princess, a kind and funny fairy tale about how miracles happen if you believe in them. Fans of historical films will enjoy the drama The Prophet. The History of Alexander Pushkin, a new look at the life of the great poet. Tickets are already on sale on the website.
You can get to the Moskino cinema park not only by your own car, but also by free transport. Buses run every 25 minutes on routes M1 and M2 from the Salaryevo and Teply Stan metro stations. You can find out more about the route and see the schedule on the cinema park’s website in the section “How to get there”.
The Moskino cinema park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s “Moscow – City of Cinema” project and an object of the Moscow cinema cluster, which is being developed by the capital Department of Culture. The first stage has already been completed here: 24 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been equipped, including the sets “Center of Moscow”, “Moscow in the 1940s”, “Vitebsk Station”, “Yurovo Airport”, “Cathedral Square of Moscow”, “Deaf Village”, “Partisan Village”, “County Town”, “Cowboy Town”, “St. Petersburg Bar” and others.
The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino film park, the Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino film factory, the Moskino cinema chain, the film commission and the Moskino film platform.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Source: US State of California Department of Justice
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration from conducting unlawful mass terminations of federal probationary employees who live or work in California.
“The Trump Administration’s callous and reckless mass firings of federal employees have harmed thousands of employees and families including many veterans in our state who have dutifully served their country in uniform,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s decision is an important victory for the rule of law, which blocks the administration from terminating federal employees without lawfully required notice. California will continue to fight to protect our federal workforce, and the services Californians rely on.”
Background
Last month, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for conducting an illegal mass firing of federal employees. Soon after, the U.S. District Court for Maryland granted a temporary restraining order that barred the Trump Administration’s unlawful mass firing of federal employees from 18 federal agencies from taking effect and ordering the employees’ reinstatement. Today’s order prevents the federal agencies listed below from conducting during the pendency of the lawsuit unlawful mass firings of federal employees who live or work in California and requires the reinstatement of any affected employees who have not already been reinstated. The order also extends the injunction to encompass employees from the Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management.
Department of Agriculture
Department of Transportation
Department of Commerce
Department of Treasury
Department of Defense
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Department of Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Department of Homeland Security
General Services Administration
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Personnel Management
Department of Interior
Small Business Administration
Department of Labor
United States Agency for International Development
Nationally, there are more than 5.1 million federal workers. Nearly all federal employees serve a one-or two-year probationary period, and more than 200,000 are on probationary status across the federal government. In California, numerous federal employees serve in critical roles across key agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, among others.
The abrupt, pretextual termination of federal employees was not only unlawful but also disrupted essential government services from support for veterans and farmers to protection of our cherished national parks and lands. This action also had far reaching economic effects. Specifically, in California, federal employees heavily contribute to our economy by paying state income taxes and generating substantial local revenue. As a direct result of the Trump Administration’s unlawful actions, the state Employment Development Department was forced to commit substantial human and financial resources to quickly offer unemployment and reemployment assistance and information to wrongfully displaced workers. During the month of February 2025, coinciding with the layoffs, California saw a 149% increase in state unemployment benefit claims by federal workers.
Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, in securing the preliminary injunction.
Water is life. It quenches our thirst, powers our progress, and feeds nature.
With countless rivers, vast oceans, and thundering storms, water can seem infinite.
But for over 2 billion people in Asia and the Pacific, their daily relationship with water is one of struggle and hardship.
NORIO SAITO
Despite many achievements in Asia and the Pacific, 1.5 billion people in rural areas and 600 million more in urban areas still lack basic water supply and safely managed sanitation services. ADB is working to improve water security and resilience in the region by supporting sustainable service delivery. From 2014 to 2023, ADB committed a total of 23.5 billion U.S. dollars to the water sector across the region to benefit the lives of 654 million people.
QINGFENG ZHANG
The water-food-energy nexus is emerging as a critical issue in Asia and the Pacific. Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water in Asia. As of 2021, ADB has allocated 2 billion U.S. dollars to irrigation, 1 billion U.S. dollars to water-based natural resources management, and 477 million U.S. dollars to rural flood protection.
SATOSHI ISHII
ADB has been a long-standing partner in finding solutions for our developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific. Attaining the SDGs also means collaborating with other institutions and organizations, opening new channels for financing and encouraging public and private partnerships.
VIVEK RAMAN
80 percent of the wastewater generated in Asian cities is disposed of, untreated into our water bodies, making our sanitation services ineffective and more importantly our water bodies unsafe. In line with SDGs 6 and 11, ADB’s work prioritizes the provision of basic sanitation services, wastewater management, urban drainage and flood management, and solid waste management in Asia’s cities.
YASMIN SIDDIQI
In already arid countries like those in the Central West Asia region, water scarcity exacerbated by climate change is not only a food and water security issue but a transboundary challenge. ADB’s Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, CAREC, aims to develop a climate resilient framework for member countries in Central Asia region. This will enhance knowledge and technology transfer to support improved water resources and energy management.
NEETA POKHREL
Every year thousands of people are displaced in fragile and conflict-affected situations and small island developing states due to water-related climate and disaster events. How can we make informed investment decisions in this challenging environment? Therefore, ADB applies flexible business processes, we encourage field presence, and we implement in-depth analytics to better understand fragility and help our clients implement these.
FATIMA MABOR BAUTISTA
In 2022, ADB announced the Asia and the Pacific Water Resilience Initiative, an ambition to mobilize more than 200 million financing from internal sources and external partners to leverage 10 billion climate adaptation financing for ADB water sector operations from 2021 to 2030.
TANYA HUIZER
The Water Financing Partnership Facility, or WFPF, supports the Asia and the Pacific Resilience Initiative in accelerating implementation of sustainable development goals. With contributions from financing partners such as the Government of Austria, Spain, and the Netherlands, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, WFPF has helped ADB to do business as unusual.
NORIO SAITO
To achieve ADB’s vision of prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, providing sound water management and reliable services to the vulnerable is of vital importance. We at ADB are committed to seeing this vision to fruition.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Lieutenant General John D. “Razin” Caine, nominee to be general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing. Sen. Tuberville and General Caine discussed the importance of being impartial when advising the President of the United States on national security matters, as well as working with our nation’s military academies to build a higher standard of leadership and excellence for the next generation of warfighters.
Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below and watch on YouTube and Rumble.
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, General, for being here, your service, and congratulations on your nomination. You’re nominated to be the senior military adviser to the President of the United States. What a chore. I remember a time when generals and retired senior officers would avoid political discussions.
It was extremely uncommon for a former senior officer to even endorse a candidate for political office. Lately, that approach seems to be an exception, not the rule. You know, some of your predecessors even appear to support political positions while in uniform. Your predecessor was deeply involved in politics, which should not be part of this approach. General Caine, in your own words, how would you describe to this committee the importance of your responsibility and commitment to provide the best military advice, even when that advice might differ from what the President of the United States believes?”
GEN. CAINE: “Well, Senator, thank you for that question. It ultimately is, the whole job, is to be the principal military adviser to the President. And pursuant to that job, provide the President with best military advice, even when the President may have different feelings about it. And that is exactly what the nation pays me to do. So, if confirmed, that is exactly what I’ll do.”
TUBERVILLE: “General, when you take this job, what’s your number one concern?”
GEN. CAINE: “Senator, right now, the number one concern is the passage of time. And ensuring that the joint force is ready, properly armed with the right capabilities out at the tactical edge, properly, globally integrated with the services themselves, with the other elements of the interagency, with our allies and partners, and with the private sector and ready to go tonight. And that means their families are ready. They’re ready. They’re properly trained and equipped. So, we have much to do, Senator.”
TUBERVILLE: “We all know that the machines that we build, the guns, and the bullets that we have, everything is at the disposal of the warfighter. […] Recruiting has much improved in the last couple of months. What do you see your role as an adviser to the President in recruiting for all of our military?”
GEN. CAINE: “Well, Senator, we don’t have much of a military without the incredible 2.8 million members of the joint force that selflessly joined the service to do something more important than themselves. And, you know, to answer your question, if confirmed, I think it’s an opportunity for me to be another voice of encouragement for those young men and women who have the capability and meet the standards to come into the service. And do something that they will forever hold so high in their past history. The chance to serve this nation is a special privilege for those of us that have come into the cloth of our nation and served, and I hope that I’ll be able to encourage others to do so.”
TUBERVILLE: “Being the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Personnel [in the Senate Armed Services Committee], we had a hearing last week with our Academies—[Westpoint], Naval Academy and Air Force Academy. I would hope in the future, and I know your job is to inform our President and keep him advised of everything. But I think that your job too would be able to work with our academies in terms of our leadership, help build that leadership to a higher standard. To keep it to a higher standard, to build, and let our young men and women know that that’s where it all starts. If we don’t have leadership, we don’t have anything.
And I think that’s a good point, you know, that’s passed on to the President. Obviously, the information you give to the President is going to be number one but also build and help build our military is going be a huge part, I think, of your job. What do you think?”
GEN. CAINE: “I agree, sir.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) participated in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing today on his legislation, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This bipartisan bill would bring back whole and reduced milk to American schools.
Senator Marshall highlighted the health benefits of consuming whole milk and how it ties into the Make America Healthy Again movement, which focuses on transparency, increasing access to whole, nutritious foods, and improving the health outcomes of all Americans.
Senator Marshall is an OB-GYN with over 25 years of experience practicing medicine. He is also the founder and chairman of the Make America Healthy Again Caucus.
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Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full line of questioning.
Highlights from the hearing include:
On the importance of whole milk to the Make America Healthy Again movement:
Senator Marshall: “We all came to Congress with a reason, and I sat down on my first day and had a list of 10 things I wanted to do when I got here. You know… save Medicare, save Medicaid, balance the budget, and get whole milk back in school. So, this is a great day for us to have a hearing on this, and I do appreciate the members of the Ag Committee coming here and having this discussion…”
“I think about whole milk growing up, where my grandparents delivered milk to us two or three times a week, and it was just part of our diet… and how important whole milk is.
“You think about the MAHA movement, the Make America Healthy Again movement, it’s about whole foods. And I think we could characterize whole milk as part of that MAHA movement as well. I think about the fat-soluble vitamins, which are so important, that we have to have some fat in our body to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.”
On the health benefits of whole milk:
Senator Marshall: “I’m going to just talk a little bit more about healthy fats. And some of the good things about these healthy fats is [they help] with hormone production. So think about adolescents going through puberty, those types of things. So there’s good fats that help with that hormone production. Also, there are good studies to show that healthy fats also decrease your appetite for later that it has some satiety impact. Would you agree or expand on those thoughts?”
Dr. Eve Stoody, Director of Nutrition Guidance and Analysis Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at United States Department of Agriculture: “I am aware of that research. We haven’t addressed it directly in the dietary guidelines, but I’m aware of the research that you’re referencing. So yes.”
Senator Marshall: “You also would agree with me that whole milk has small amounts of omega-three fatty acids, which support brain health and inflammation control as well?”
Dr. Stoody: “Yes, the dietary guidelines actually recommend for those one to two years of age that plain whole milk be the type of dairy that is consumed because of the importance of whole milk to supporting brain development, and then after that point, the recommendation is to move towards lower fat.
“There’s a bit of an evidence gap as to exactly when that transition to lower fat options might be most beneficial, but there’s definitely benefits of plain whole milk, particularly in young children, to supporting brain development.”
On the decrease of milk consumption:
Senator Marshall: “Well, association doesn’t necessarily determine the cause, but I think as we saw whole milk come off of the school lunch menus, we also saw consumption of milk come down consistently.
“Senator Durbin makes a good point about… it has to taste good… I don’t know that I’m aware of any good studies either proving my point, but certainly it seems to me that whole milk tastes a whole lot better, and that we’ve seen milk consumption go down when whole milk was taken out of the school lunches. Would that be accurate?”
Dr. Stoody: “I don’t have data for specifically school meals, and what has happened since, for example, 2010, 2012 when it moved towards just low fat and fat-free. But we do see that, as you mentioned at the national level, we see that milk consumption really drinking fluid milk starting to decline in the early 2000s and it has continued to decline. And I think it is very concerning, that current consumption in adolescence is about half a cup lower per day than it was, you know, two decades ago, right?”
On osteoporosis, osteopenia due to lack of milk consumption:
Senator Marshall: “I still want to make the point about my concern about osteoporosis and osteopenia, that bone mass density peaks around age 28, and what we’re seeing now is a generation of people reaching that age that didn’t drink milk and their bone density is down to standard deviation. Maybe it’s more than that.
“So while today, most women start developing osteopenia. And when you reach that peak bone mass at age 28 the rest of our life, that aging process starts. It’s really hard to build bone mass beyond then. So we’re going to have women develop osteopenia, osteoporosis a decade sooner, and we’re going to see men suddenly also have osteopenia as well.”
