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  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Genocide as colonial erasure – UN expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s ‘intent to destroy’ Gaza

    Democracy Now!

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: Israel’s deadly siege on northern Gaza has entered a 30th day. Early week, the World Health Organisation managed to deliver some medical supplies to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, but on Thursday, Israeli fighter jets bombed the hospital’s third floor, where the supplies were being stored.

    Al Jazeera reports Israeli forces are continuing to shell Beit Lahia, the scene of multiple massacres last week. On Wednesday, an Israeli attack on a market in Beit Lahia killed at least 10 Palestinians. Earlier in the week, Israel struck a five-story residential building, killing at least 93 people, including 25 children.

    Meanwhile, at the United Nations, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, has released a major report accusing Israel of committing genocide.

    Albanese concludes that Israel’s war on Gaza is part of a campaign of, “long-term intentional, systematic, state-organised forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians” . The report is titled Genocide as Colonial Erasure.

    AMY GOODMAN: Francesca Albanese is now facing intensifying personal attacks from Israeli and US officials. She was set to brief Congress earlier last week, but the briefing was cancelled. On Tuesday, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, wrote on social media, “As UN Special Rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the US belief she is unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights.”

    On Wednesday, Francesca Albanese spoke at the United Nations and responded to the US attacks.

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: I have the same shock that you have, looking at how the United States is behaving in this context, in the context of the genocide that is unfolding in Gaza. I’m not — I’m not surprised that they attack anyone who speaks to the facts that are, frankly, on our watch in Gaza. And they do that so brutally because they feel called out, because it’s not that it’s that the United States is simply an observer. The United States is being an enabler in what Israel has been doing.

    AMY GOODMAN: That was UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese speaking at the United Nations on Wednesday. She joins us here in our studio.

    Welcome back to Democracy Now! Thanks so much for joining us.

    Well, before we get you to further respond to what the US and Israel is saying, can you lay out the findings of your report?


    Colonial Erasure’: UN expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “intent to destroy” Gaza Video: Democracy Now!

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Absolutely. First of all, thank you for having me.

    I have to say that this report is the second I write on — and I present to the United Nations on the topic of genocide. And it has been very reluctantly that I’ve taken on the responsibility to be the chronicler of — the chronicler of an unfolding genocide in Gaza.

    In March this year, I concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Israel had committed at least three acts of genocide in Gaza, like killing members of the protected group, Palestinians; inflicting severe bodily and mental harm; and creating conditions of life that would lead to the destruction of the group. And the reason why I identified these were not just war crimes and crimes against humanity is because I identified an intent to destroy.

    And I understand that even in this country, people are quite confused about what is genocidal intent, because it’s not a motive. One can have many motives to commit a crime. And I understand genocide is a very insidious one, and it’s difficult to identify what’s a motive. But this is not about the motives. The intent to commit genocide is the determination to destroy, which is fully evident in — especially in the Gaza Strip, as I identified in — as argued in March already.

    The reason why I continue to write about genocide — and, in fact, this report walks on the heels of the previous one — is in order to better explain the intent, especially state intent, because there is another misunderstanding that there should be a trial of the alleged perpetrators in order to have — to attribute responsibility to a state.

    No, because not only you have had acts committed that should have been prevented by the — in a rule of law, in a proclaimed rule of law system like Israel, where there is the government, the Parliament, the judiciary, working as checks and balances, genocide has not only been not prevented, [it] has been enabled through the various organs of the state.

    And I explain what has happened as of October 7, which has provided the opportunity to escalate violence, to build on the rage and on the fury of many Israelis, turning the soldiers into willful executioners, is that there was already a plan, hatred.

    I mean, the Palestinians, like Ilan Pappé says, are victims not of war, but of a political ideology that has been unleashed. Palestinians have always been an unwanted encumbrance in the Israeli mindset, because they are an obstacle both as an identity and as legal status to the realisation of Greater Israel as a state for Jewish Israelis only.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, we’ll go back to — because I do want to ask about the Israeli state institutions that you name and the branches of the Israeli state that have been involved in forming this state’s intent. But if you could elaborate on the point that you make, the difference between intent and motive, and in particular what you say in the report about how it’s critical to determine genocidal intent, “by way of inference”?

    You know, that’s a different phrasing than one has heard in all of this conversation about genocide so far. If you explain what you mean by that and what such a determination makes possible? So, rather than just looking at genocidal intent in other forms, what it means to infer genocidal intent?

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: So, first of all, what constitutes genocide is established by Article II of the Genocide Convention, which creates a twofold obligation for member states, to prevent genocide so genocide doesn’t have to complete itself. When there is a manifestation of intent, even genocidal intent, there is already an obligation to intervene, because a crime is unfolding.

    And then there is an obligation to punish. How the jurisprudence, especially after Rwanda and after former Yugoslavia, there have been cases both for criminal proceedings, where individual perpetrators have been investigated and tried, and [the] responsibility of the state, litigated before the International Court of Justice. This is how the jurisprudence on genocide has developed.

    And the intent has been further elaborated upon what the Genocide Convention says. And while it might be difficult to have direct intent, meaning to have — it’s difficult but not impossible, in fact, to have a state official say, “Yes, let’s go and destroy everyone” — although I do believe that there is direct intent in this genocide in Gaza.

    But the court also established that genocide can be inferred from the scale of the attack on the people, the nature of the attack, the general conduct. And what it says is that normally there should be a holistic approach in order to identify intent, which is exactly what I’ve done.

    And indeed, this is why I proposed in this report what I called the triple lens approach. We need to look at the conduct, like the totality of the conduct, instead of studying with a microscope each and every crime. We need to look at the whole, against the totality of the people, the Palestinians as such, in the totality of the land, that Israel has slated as its own by divine design.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: No, absolutely. And then, if you could — the other precedent you’ve just spoken about — of course, Rwanda and former Yugoslavia — another case that you cite in the International Court of Justice is The Gambia v. Myanmar. So, how is that comparable to what we see happening in Gaza? Why is that a relevant example and different from both Rwanda and former Yugoslavia?

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Let me tell you what I see as the major differences in the case of Israel, because it’s a very complex discussion. But in all four cases, there is a toxic combination of hatred, ideological hatred, which has informed political doctrines. And this is true in all the various contexts we are mentioning. The other common element is that there is [a] combination of crimes. Like, forced displacement is not an act of genocide per se, but the jurisprudence says that it can contribute to corroborate the intent.

    But, again, mass killing or mass destruction of property, torture and other crimes against a person, which translate into an infliction of physical and mental harm to the group, not individuals as such, but individuals as part of the group, these are common elements to all genocides.

    What I find characteristic in this one is, first of all, this is not — I mean, the state of Israel is not Myanmar and is not Rwanda 30 years ago. This is not war-torn former Yugoslavia. This is a state which has a separation of powers, different organs, as I said, checks and balances. And let me give you a specific example, because you asked me to comment on the state functions.

    In January this year, the International Court of Justice issued a set of preliminary measures in the context of its identification, before even looking at the merits of the case initiated by South Africa for Israel’s breach, alleged breach, of the Genocide Convention, which identified the plausibility of risk for the rights protected — of the rights of the Palestinians protected under the Genocide Convention, which means plausibility — it’s semantics, but it’s plausibility that genocide might be committed against the Palestinians in Gaza.

    And the provisional measures included an obligation to investigate and prosecute the various cases of incitement, genocidal incitement, that the court had already identified. And it mentions leaders, senior leaders, of the Israeli state. Has there been any investigation? Has there been any prosecution?

    But I’m telling you more. The genocidal statements didn’t resonate as shocking in the Israeli public, not only because there was rage, an enormous rage and animosity, of course. I mean, this is understandable, that the facts of October 7 were brutal and traumatized the people.

    But at the same time, hatred against the Palestinians and hate speech, it’s not something that started on October 7. I do remember, and I do remember the shock I felt because no one was reacting, and years ago, there were Israeli ministers talking of — freely, of killing, justifying the killing of Palestinians’ mothers and children because they would turn into terrorists.

    AMY GOODMAN: Francesca Albanese, talk about the title of your report, Genocide as Colonial Erasure.

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: This is another element which I think — and, in fact, it’s the most important, where we see the difference between this genocide and others, because there is a settler-colonial component. And again, if you look at what the International Court of Justice in July this year concluded, when it decided that the — when it found that Israel’s 57 years of occupation in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful and needs to be withdrawn totally and unconditionally, as rapidly as possibly, which the General Assembly says by September 2025.

    The court said that it amounts to — that the colonies amount to — have led to a process of annexation and racial segregation and apartheid. And these are the features of settler colonialism, the taking of the land, the taking of the resources, displacing the local population and replacing it. This has been a feature.

    Now, it is in this context that we need to analyse what is happening today. And by the way, don’t believe, don’t listen only to Francesca Albanese. Listen to what these Israeli leaders and ministers are saying — reoccupying Gaza, retaking Gaza, recolonising Gaza, reconquesting Gaza. This is what they are saying.

    And there are settlers on expeditions, not only to Gaza but also to Lebanon. So, this is why I say that the main difference, the main feature of this genocide, apart all the horrible aspects of it, is that this is the first settler-colonial genocide to be ever litigated before a court, an international court.

    And this is why coming to this country, which is a country birthed from a genocide, when I meet the Native Americans, for example, I feel the pain of these people. And I say if we manage to build on the intersectionality of Indigenous struggle, the cry for justice behind this case for Palestine will resonate even louder, because it will somewhat be an act of atonement from the settler-colonial endeavor, which has sprouted out of Europe, toward Indigenous peoples. So there is a lot of symbolism behind it.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, you know, the analogy — first of all, you talked about the case brought by South Africa, so what they share, apart from South Africa and Israel-Palestine, is both the fact that they were colonial-settler states, as well as the fact that apartheid has been established as having occurred in both places.

    Now, in the case of South Africa, it was a decision that was taken by the United Nations at the time of apartheid, was unseating South Africa from the General Assembly. There have been calls now to do the same with Israel. So, if you could — if you could comment on that?

    And then, I just want to quote another short sentence from your report, in which you say, “As the world watches the first live-streamed settler-colonial genocide, only justice can heal the wounds that political expedience has allowed to fester.” So, if you could talk about the International Court of Justice’s case in that context, what role you think they can play, South Africa’s case, in resolving or addressing — seeing and addressing this wound?

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: First of all, let me unpack the question of the unseating Israel, because this is one of the recommendations I made in my report. Under Article 6 of the UN Charter, a member state can be suspended of its credentials or its membership by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the UN Security Council. And the first criticism I got is that we cannot do that, because every states commit international law violations. Absolutely. Absolutely.

    But there are two striking features here. First, Israel is quite unique in maintaining an unlawful occupation, which has deemed such by — in at least one full occasion, but again, there was already a case brought before the ICJ in 2004, so there have been two ICJ advisory opinions.

    There is a pending case for genocide. There has been the violations of hundreds of resolutions by the — on Israel — over occupied Palestinian territory, by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and steady violation of international humanitarian law, human rights law, the Apartheid Convention, the Genocide Convention. So this is quite unique.

    But all the more, this year alone, Israel has conducted an attack, an unprecedented attack, against the United Nations. It has attacked physically, through artillery, weapons, bombs, UN premises. Seventy percent of UNRWA offices and UNRWA buildings, clinics, distribution centers have been hit and shelled by the Israeli army.

    Two hundred and thirty UN staff members have been killed by Israel in Gaza alone. UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have been attacked. And this doesn’t even take into account the smear, the defamation against senior UN officials, the declaration of the secretary-general as persona non grata, the referring to the General Assembly as a “cloak of antisemites”.

    Again, this has mounted to a level — the hubris against the United Nations and international law has been unchecked and unbounded forever, but now, especially after the Knesset passed a law outlawing UNRWA, declaring UNRWA a terrorist organisation, and therefore disabling it from its capacity to deliver aid and assistance especially in Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, this is the nail in the coffin of the UN Charter.

    And it can also contribute to that sense of colonial erasure, because here it’s not just at stake the function of a UN body — and UNRWA is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, so it’s even more serious. But there is the capacity of UNRWA to deliver humanitarian aid in a desperate situation, and also the fact that UNRWA is seen by Israel as the symbol of Palestinian identity, especially the Palestinian refugees. So there is an attempt to erase Palestinianness, including by hitting UNRWA.

    AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about your trip here, as we begin to wrap up. The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, quoted on — tweeted on Tuesday, “As UN Special Rapporteur Albanese visits New York, I want to reiterate the US belief she is unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights.” If you can further address their charge of antisemitism against you?

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yeah.

    AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened. You were supposed to come to Congress and speak and brief them, but that was cancelled this week.

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yes, it was canceled. But let me — first of all, I’m very embarrassed to read this, because a senior US official who writes this, I mean, it shows a little bit of desperation. I’m sorry, but, you know, I’m very candid.

    And let me unpack my antisemitism for the audience. So, what I’ve been accused of — the reason why I’ve been accused of antisemitism — is because I’ve allegedly compared the Jews to the Nazis. Never done. Never done.

    What I’ve said, what I’ve done is saying, and I keep on saying, that history is repeating itself. I’ve never done such a comparison where I draw the parallel. It’s on the behaviour of member states who have the legal and moral obligation to prevent atrocities, including an unfolding genocide.

    In the past, they have done nothing — nothing — until the end of the Second World War, to prevent the genocide of the Jews and the Roma and Sinti. And they’ve done nothing to prevent the genocide of the Bosnians.

    And they’ve done nothing to prevent the genocide of the Rwandans. And they are doing the same today. This is where I insist that now, compared to when there was the Holocaust, now we have a human rights framework that should prevent this. The Genocide Convention to prevent this. So, this is one of the points.

    The second point, — which leads to portray me as an antisemite, which is really offensive — is that I’ve said that October 7 was not — I’ve contested, I’ve challenged the argument that October 7 was an antisemitic attack. October 7 was a crime, was heinous. And again, I’ve condemned the acts that were directed against the Israeli civilians, and expressed solidarity with the victims, with the families. I’ve been in contact with the families of the hostages.

    But I’ve also said the hatred that led that attack, that prompted that attack, to the extent it hit civilians, not the military, but it was prompted not by the fact that the Israelis are Jews, but the fact that the Israelis — I mean, the Israelis are part of that endeavor that has kept the Palestinians in a cage for 17 years and, before, under martial law for 37 years. And Palestinians have tried — it’s true they have used violence, but before violence, they have tried dialogue. They have tried collaboration. They have tried a number of means to access justice, and they have gone nowhere.

    I can — I mean, let me relate just this case, because last year I worked with children. And someone who was 17 years old before October 7 last year had never set foot out of Gaza. This is the reality. And I spoke with children while I was writing my report on “unchilding”, the experience of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. And one of them — I mean, there were these two girls fighting, because one of them had been able to go to Israel and the West Bank because she had cancer and could be treated, and the other was jealous, because, she said, “At least she was sick, and she could go, she could travel. I’ve never seen the mountains.”

    And again, this doesn’t justify violence, but, please, please, put things in context. And even Israeli scholars have said claiming that October 7 was prompted by antisemitism is a way to decontextualize history and to deresponsibilise Israel.

    I condemn Israel not because it’s a Jewish state. It’s not about that, but because it’s in breach of international law through and through. And were the majority of Israelis Buddhists, Christians, atheists, it would be the same. I would be as vocal as I am now.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: Francesca, just one last question, and we only have a minute. Your recent book, J’Accuse, you take the title, of course, from the letter Émile Zola wrote during the Dreyfus Affair to the French president. You came under severe criticism for the choice of that title. Could you explain why you chose it and what it means in this context?

    FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Absolutely. I have the sense that whatever I say comes under scrutiny and criticism. But J’Accuse is — first of all, it’s the title that was proposed by the editor, the publisher. And I was against it until October 7.

    When I saw the narrative, the dehumanization of the Palestinians after October 7, and what it was legitimising, I said, “This is the title. We need to use it,” because I draw the parallel between what is happening to the Palestinians and what has happened to other groups, particularly the Jewish people in Europe.

    I say the Holocaust was not just about the concentration camps. The Holocaust was a culmination of centuries of discrimination, and the previous decades had led the Jewish people in Europe to be kicked out of jobs, professions, to be treated like subhumans, as animals. And it’s this dehumanisation that we need to look at in the face today, in the eyes today, and recognise as leading to atrocity crimes.

    AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you for being with us, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    The text of this programme was first published by Democracy Now! here and is  republished under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: WSTDF 2024: Harnessing science for sustainable future

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Attendees take part in the “Science and Technology for Risk-Informed Sustainable Development” thematic session at the 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum (WSTDF), in Beijing, Oct. 24, 2024. [Photo courtesy of WSTDF]
    The 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum (WSTDF) held a thematic session in Beijing on Oct. 24 focused on “Science and Technology for Risk-Informed Sustainable Development.” Leading representatives of policymakers, scholars and private sector took part in the event, discussing how to mobilize science and technology to navigate emerging global risks and build a safer, more inclusive and sustainable future.
    The session was hosted by the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR), the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) and the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), and supported by the International Science Council (ISC) and the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Salvatore Arico, CEO of the ISC, and Marco Toscano-Rivalta, head of UNDRR’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, co-chaired the event, and it was co-moderated by IRDR Executive Director Yang Saini and Senior Science Officer Han Qunli.
    Collaboration and shared solutions for global risks
    As climate change accelerates and disaster risks become more complex, the importance of international scientific cooperation grows ever more crucial. Wu Guoxiong, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and a researcher at the CAS Institute of Atmospheric Physics, highlighted the significance of international cooperation in early warnings for disasters. He pointed to the Sub-seasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Prediction Project as a successful model of global collaboration. Countries including China, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan participate in the project, which allows real-time comparisons of their climate prediction models, improving collective capacity to address climate-related disasters.
    Rajib Shaw, chair of the UNDRR Asia-Pacific Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, emphasized the need for increased global cooperation to bridge technological divides. He noted that technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones are vital for disaster risk reduction, yet many Global South countries lack access to these advanced tools, making the collaboration essential.
    Manon Burger, biochemistry publishing director for Elsevier, underlined the importance of open access to scientific research in fostering global knowledge sharing. “We publish more than 3,000 journals, many of which are available open access, ensuring that researchers worldwide can stay updated on the latest scientific advancements,” Burger said. She also introduced Elsevier Foundation, which has partnered with over 100 institutions in 70 countries since it was established in 2005, offering approximately $16 million in funding for initiatives supporting climate action and inclusive health care. 
    Josephine Ngaira, professor of geography (climatology) in the School of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kenya, stressed the need to address the specific challenges of grassroots communities and vulnerable populations in disaster risk management. She advocated for inclusive models that ensure technological benefits reach all levels of society, advancing sustainable development worldwide.
    DRR education and empowerment of young professionals  
    Young people are a driving force behind technological innovation and sustainable development. Shabhaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, stated that the youth is highly recognized by the United Nations, and can be mobilized and engaged in pilot disaster research activities.
    Salvatore Arico, CEO of the ISC, underscored the importance of interdisciplinary training for young researchers. He pointed out that current education systems often remain siloed within single disciplines, whereas solving complex global issues requires interdisciplinary research and training. He advocated for education reforms to provide young scientists with more diverse learning opportunities and to encourage cross-sector exploration.
    Khamarrul Azahari Razak, director of Malaysia’s Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Center, emphasized the importance of investing in human resources and listening to the voices of young people. Meanwhile, professor Christopher Garimoi Orach from the School of Public Health at Makerere University in Uganda, highlighted the need to strengthen disaster risk management education in developing countries, particularly at the higher education level. He noted that training specialists in disaster risk reduction is crucial for future global risk preparedness.
    Building social resilience through government policies
    In tackling global risks, national policies and government support are the keys. Robert Walker, fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Academy of Social Sciences Academy of UK and professor at the University of Oxford, stated that social policy should focus on enhancing social resilience by providing people with a sense of security, thus reducing their anxieties and enabling them to contribute to disaster risk reduction. Walker praised China’s efforts in promoting social security and resilience through advancing common prosperity, poverty reduction and energy transition.
    Salvatore Arico further emphasized that collaboration between governments, communities and scientists is essential for addressing global challenges such as climate change, land degradation and declining water quality. He noted that considering the practical applicability of scientific methods from the beginning of policy design would help enhance implementation effectiveness and ensure technology-driven progress.
    Rajib Shaw called for greater adaptability in governance mechanisms. Given the existing gap between sci-tech advancements and governance structures, he suggested policy adjustments from governments to facilitate adaptive governance, thus ensuing effective application of scientific tools in disaster risk reduction and management.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Sun Dong to visit Canada

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong will depart today on a visit to Canada, where he will stop in Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo and seek to strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and Canada in areas such as innovation and technology (I&T).

    Prof Sun will meet leaders of I&T enterprises in the country, and engage with Hong Kong youngsters studying there.

    He will also deliver a keynote speech at the Seminar on Life Science & Global Health, co-organised by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (Ottawa Chapter) and Invest Hong Kong, and visit universities, research institutes and I&T parks.

    Prof Sun will return to Hong Kong on November 8. During his absence, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong will be Acting Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Trail bike rider seriously injured in West Coast crash

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Trail bike rider seriously injured in West Coast crash

    Sunday, 3 November 2024 – 8:44 pm.

    A 16-year-old male rider has received serious injuries after being involved in a trail bike crash at Four Mile Creek on the state’s west coast.
    Emergency services, including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, responded to the incident and transferred the rider to the Royal Hobart Hospital for treatment.
    Initial investigations indicate the rider was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.Investigations into the crash are continuing.
    Anyone with information should call Police on 131444.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health and Employment – Te Whatu Ora nurses alarmed by safe staffing pause

    Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

    New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) members employed by Te Whatu Ora are alarmed by Health New Zealand’s plans to pause a key component of its safe staffing programme.
    Te Whatu Ora indicated they would pause calculations for the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) programme during collective bargaining late last month.
    CCDM calculates the number of nurses needed based on how sick patients are and how much nursing care they need.
    Te Whatu Ora also indicated their bargaining parameters are restricted to 1% of total employee costs-.
    Both issues will be discussed at 62 urgent paid union meetings across the country this week.
    NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter says the meeting will allow nurses, midwives, and health care assistants to determine their next steps in the ongoing bargaining process.
    “Our members are fiercely committed to caring for their patients. They don’t want to see patients’ safety at risk because there are not enough nurses on duty to give them the care they need.
    “Putting a pause on CCDM calculations is putting a pause on patient safety.”
    Nurses are also insulted by Te Whatu Ora’s indication they would only be offered a ½% wage increase in the first year and up to a 1% wage increase in the second year, he said.
    “Nurses need a pay rise that reflects at least the cost of living. Our members deserve fair pay and conditions that recognise the value of nurses and healthcare workers. With nurses flocking to Australia, we need pay and conditions that help keep them here.”
    – Total employee costs include salaries, penal rates, allowances, leave entitlements, work related expenses and other expenses including leave revaluations, ACC and Superannuation.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK increases support for Anguilla’s health, security and infrastructure as Minister for Overseas Territories visits islands

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, will announce new support for Anguilla’s health and security infrastructure as he makes his first visit to the Overseas Territories this week (2-4 November).

    • UK Overseas Territories Minister will open Anguilla’s new emergency 911 control room and announce funding for new ambulances to be provided by February 2025
    • Further funding will finance an additional search and rescue vessel for Anguilla’s maritime search and rescue service
    • Visit to UK-funded high school and airport to take place as minister assesses impact and progress

    The UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, will announce new support for Anguilla’s health and security infrastructure as he makes his first visit to the Overseas Territories this week (2-4 November).

    The minister will be opening Anguilla’s new emergency 911 control room, partly funded by the UK government, and a facility that will be vital asset in helping to improve public safety. He will also formally announce the UK government’s provision of two new ambulances to Anguilla, and a new boat for assisting with coastal search and rescue operations.

    UK Overseas Territories Minister, Stephen Doughty said:

    “UK funding for Anguilla is helping islanders live healthier, safer, and more prosperous lives.

    “The new support I will announce is just the latest chapter in the UK’s close relationship with Anguilla, with sustainable investment and close partnership at its heart.”

    The minister will make a stop at the Royal Anguilla Police and National Emergency Operating Centre, where he will commend the force for their efforts in reducing gang violence in recent months. The UK has funded seven UK officers to help the Royal Anguilla Police Force tackle gang violence and conduct investigations on the island.

    The Minister will also visit the Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he will hear about the challenges faced by those working in Anguilla’s healthcare sector. UK funding has already provided a dialysis unit, reconstruction lab, isolation ward, and a new morgue, which will significantly improve coronial and post-mortem processes.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 November 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Without a One Health plan, Canada is vulnerable to future pandemics

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Dominique Charron, Visiting Scholar in One Health, University of Guelph

    One Health is based on an understanding that our health and that of animals, plants and ecosystems are interdependent.
     (Shutterstock)

    November 3 is World One Health Day. One Health brings all parts of society and governments together to tackle joint problems of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health.

    Canada needs a One Health plan now to better face worsening climate change, accelerating biodiversity loss, pandemic threats, and threats from superbugs resistant to antibiotics. Canada’s actions on these issues are reactive rather than preventive, and aren’t well co-ordinated or funded. This undermines our readiness and response.

    One Health is based on an understanding that our health and that of animals, plants and ecosystems are interdependent. It presents a way to promote the health of all and to navigate the inevitable trade-offs.

    The current avian flu threat

    A look to our southern border highlights the urgency for action. On March 25, a strain of Avian Influenza A:H5N1 virus that had caused outbreaks in wild birds and poultry in Canada and the United States since 2021, suddenly infected dairy cows in Texas.

    The virus had never been reported in cows before. Its detection was slow and too little was done to stop the spread. As of Nov. 1, H5N1 had spread quickly to 404 dairy farms across 14 states, costing millions in lost milk production and spilling back into poultry and wildlife, killing millions more birds.

    It is concerning that H5N1 has also infected at least 39 people, primarily farm workers, fortunately causing only mild symptoms.

    Canada’s response to the outbreak ramped up after H5N1 reports in U.S. dairy cows. No cases of H5N1 have yet been detected in Canadian cows, but there is need for vigilance because of ongoing H5N1 outbreaks across North America. Authorities in both countries have confirmed that pasteurized milk products are safe.



    Read more:
    U.S. has found H5N1 flu virus in milk — here’s why the risk to humans is likely low

    H5N1 is a growing threat because it infects many species, including seals, mink, bears, foxes, coyotes, dogs and cats. Influenza viruses that jump species pose a greater pandemic threat because of the mixing that may occur when different influenza viruses infect the same animal or person. This can produce new, more severe strains of human flu.

    No one wants to face another pandemic. Canada’s actions to keep ahead of this threat would be enhanced by national One Health planning and co-ordination.

    One Health around the world

    National One Health plans of other countries, like Rwanda, Thailand and Bangladesh, have been shown to help prevent human and animal disease outbreaks. Global Affairs Canada and the International Development Research Centre have invested $40 million since 2021 to support One Health internationally, including in hotspots of disease emergence.

    The U.S. has a One Health Act and recently launched its national co-ordination platform. However, Canada has just begun this work at home. Canada created a high level steering committee to oversee the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Time and effort were taken to involve federal, provincial and territorial agencies, Indigenous people, civil society and researchers to arrive at an inclusive framework with the right objectives, responsibilities and outputs. It’s an ideal model for a new Canadian One Health action plan.

    Canada has a mixed track record of working across sectors, whether to fight past outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease, avian or swine flu, or co-ordinating actions by people from different departments and agencies on H5N1 or COVID-19 today. There are problems: nationally, collaboration is informal and focused on single issues, more reactive than preventive, and not supported by any overarching plan, decision-making structure or resources to ensure consistent, ongoing co-operation across threats and issues.

    The risks of not putting these measures in place include information not reaching decision-makers, resources and expertise not being used optimally, trade-offs being misread by other agencies or partners, duplication and gaps, and too little getting done to prevent health threats.

    Implementing One Health

    Without a national One Health plan, Canada risks being vulnerable to new threats, including pandemics.
    (Shutterstock)

    There is guidance. In 2021, the World Health Organization, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Environment, and the World Organisation for Animal Health agreed to work together on a One Health Joint Plan of Action and implementation guidance.

    With gender equality, inclusiveness and equity, and the importance of local and traditional knowledge at the fore, countries should start implementing One Health by assessing capacities and programs already in place, setting up and funding national co-ordination, setting priorities for action, then producing and putting into action their national plan.

    Canada should mirror what it has done to manage antibiotic-resistant microbes by developing and governing our own national One Health action plan, similar to the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.

    It needs to engage Indigenous perspectives and knowledge to strengthen One Health prevention, readiness and response capabilities. A national One Health action plan, and the co-ordination and resources to go with it, could help Canada achieve other goals — such as the National Climate Adaptation Strategy, biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Protocol, and the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance — and to collaborate more effectively with other countries on shared issues.

    Without a national One Health plan, Canada risks being vulnerable to new threats (including pandemics), investing too little in prevention and having a suboptimal response. It’s time for Canada’s One Health action plan.

    This article was co-authored by Andrea Ellis, DVM, MSc., a consultant currently supporting One Health work with the World Organisation for Animal Health. She is the former Senior Veterinary Advisor to the Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada.

    Dominique Charron is affiliated with the McEachran Institute and START.org. She is a member of the One Health High Level Expert Panel that advises the World Health Organization, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Environment, and World Organisation for Animal Health. She is a former Vice-President, Programs and Partnerships, of the International Development Research Centre.

    Cate Dewey is currently working on a community One Health project in Rwanda. The project is managed by Veterinarians without Borders, North America and is funded by Global Affairs Canada

    – ref. Without a One Health plan, Canada is vulnerable to future pandemics – https://theconversation.com/without-a-one-health-plan-canada-is-vulnerable-to-future-pandemics-242378

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greens reignite call for free dental

    Source: Green Party

    A new report detailing the enormous social and economic costs of our dental system has reignited the Greens’ call for free dental care. 

    “Everyone in Aotearoa deserves access to dental care – we can make this happen with a fair tax system,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Primary Health, Ricardo Menéndez March. 

    “Healthcare is a human right that should be afforded to all, not just those able to pay for it. We can afford to look after one another and ensure people are not discriminated against accessing dental care due to cost. 

    “Successive Governments have excluded oral health from the public health system. This has led to people living in pain and developing life-threatening conditions.  

    “The Frank Advice Report paints a bleak picture of the current state of play, highlighting the billions of dollars each year that unmet oral health needs cost the economy and our communities. This report underlines the need for us to fold dental care into the public health system and make it accessible to all.

    “Cost is the main barrier to accessing dental care for 44 per cent of the adult population, with an average dentist appointment costing about 40 per cent of the weekly income of someone earning the minimum wage. 

    “The consequences of delaying a trip to the dentist, or leaving problems with our teeth and gums untreated, can lead to severe health issues and more expensive interventions in the long run, as well as impacting people’s ability to participate in their communities.

    “The current settings are costing Aotearoa well over $6.2 billion a year, more than three times what it would cost to provide free dental health care for all. This is why the Green Party campaigned on making dental care free for everyone. All of this and more is possible with a wealth tax. 

    “This report is a much-needed wake-up call and call to action for our government. Short-term cost savings for the government create costs for individuals and communities that are real and can be enormous,” says Ricardo Menéndez March. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In the US, political division can take a significant toll on people’s health. Australia should pay attention

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Russell, Adjunct Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, University of Sydney

    MSPhotographic/Shutterstock

    Stark health disparities exist across the United States. Life expectancy is lower than in other wealthy countries – and declining. The richest American men live 15 years longer than their poorest counterparts. The richest American women live ten years longer.

    Political differences are an interesting and provocative way of looking at these disparities.

    Differences are frequently analysed by race, a proxy for other factors that influence health, such as housing, environmental pollution, nutrition and affordable access to health care.

    But there are other ways to cut the data. This includes by state – whether it is “red” (governed by the Republican party) or “blue” (by the Democrats). We can also look at individual political affiliation.

    One new study from the US looks at political polarisation as a risk factor for individual and collective wellbeing. It finds polarisation – where opinions and beliefs become concentrated at opposing extremes – has a major impact on health.

    The paper explores the health risks of polarisation using the COVID pandemic as a case study. COVID saw Americans die at far higher rates than people in other wealthy nations.

    Australia escaped the high death toll. But there are still significant lessons we can learn – about how increasing polarisation affects our health and wellbeing, and for the effective management of pandemics and other health crises.

    Political orientation and health

    The relationship between important health measures, political loyalties and voting patterns in US counties and states is significant. At the state level, policy-making has become increasingly linked to political ideology. With this, differences in lifespan and health status across states have grown.

    Political division in the United States intensified during the COVID pandemic.
    Ron Adar/Shutterstock

    On average, life expectancy for residents in Democratic-voting states is more than two years longer than in Republican states. Political orientation is also a strong predictor of obesity rates and chronic illnesses linked to obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.

    Red states have higher gun death rates than blue states.

    The chronic use of prescription opioid drugs has also been linked to socio-economic disadvantage, health behaviours and the lack of mental health and substance abuse services in red states.

    Much of this is due to differences in social policies, such as Medicaid. All of the ten states yet to take up the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid – which provides health insurance for poor people – are run by Republicans.

    The scale of welfare programs and firearm regulations in these states also play a role.

    Stress of a polarised political climate

    Large numbers of Americans also report that politics takes a significant toll on their health. This is caused by stress, loss of sleep, suicidal thoughts, an inability to stop thinking about politics and engagement with social media, for example, making posts they later regret.

    A study from 2021 showed people who are more ideologically extreme than their state’s average voter have worse physical and mental health.

    This political partisanship has been greatly aggravated by Donald Trump’s arrival on the American political scene. The former Republican president has stoked social division and undermined trust in government, scientific expertise and public health organisations. Disinformation and misinformation continue to spread.

    All of this was on show in how the Trump administration handled the COVID pandemic. Trump and other political leaders made the situation worse by linking health behaviours (such as mask-wearing and vaccination) to partisan identity.

    There was a clear impact on the rates of COVID infection and death. Red states implemented fewer political decisions to mitigate COVID than blue states. And after vaccines became available, residents of pro-Trump counties – less likely to be vaccinated – were more than twice as likely to die from COVID as those in areas that supported Biden.

    It is also interesting to look at the role of education here. Low education levels were found to be a strong and independent predictor of whether you were more likely to die from COVID in the United States. This might be explained by the relationship between education and both collective culture and individual literacy.

    There is also a strong link between education and political affiliation.

    College graduates are more likely to vote Democratic, while those without a degree, especially white Americans, are more likely to vote Republican. This was not explored in the new US study about health and polarisation.

    Erosion of trust is dangerous for health

    Trust in government is another key factor not addressed in that research. But in Australia, this is top of mind following the release of the COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report, which found the federal government must work to rebuild trust after lockdowns and other mandates.

    Greater trust in government is linked to increased political participation, social cohesion and collaboration in tackling societal challenges. In both Europe and the United States, social cohesion and public trust in politicians and experts have been linked to lower excess mortality from COVID.

    In Australia, the Australian Cohesion Index shows the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have eroded trust in government and affected health and well-being. At the same time, Australians see the nation as increasingly polarised.



    Read more:
    Inquiry warns distrustful public wouldn’t accept COVID measures in future pandemic

    The presidential election this week will decide much about the future of the United States as a polarised and divided nation. In Australia, the lessons and recommendations from the COVID report provide an opportunity to avert the choices facing the United States.

    Lesley Russell has worked as a policy advisor for the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, for the Obama Administration and for the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament.

    – ref. In the US, political division can take a significant toll on people’s health. Australia should pay attention – https://theconversation.com/in-the-us-political-division-can-take-a-significant-toll-on-peoples-health-australia-should-pay-attention-242381

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: PSA – Mental health workers fear for safety of patients after police withdrawal of support – PSA survey

    Source: PSA

    – Nine out of 10 workers say change will increase risks to them and clients
    – Two out of three workers not confident workplace can manage risks
    – Nine out of 10 workers say change will add to already heavy workloads
    Mental health workers fear serious harm to themselves, their clients and members of the public from the withdrawal of police support for mental health call outs, a PSA survey shows.
    The phased withdrawal of police from responding to mental health callouts begins today. This includes police staying in EDs for a maximum of 60 minutes, falling to 15 minutes.
    “Mental health workers are saying loud and clear the implementation of the change is profoundly unsafe and that the risks of serious harm to them, the people in their care and the public are very high,” said Ashok Shankar, Health Lead for Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “We are calling on Te Whatu Ora and the police to delay this change until we can be reassured it can be done safely. Our members are at the frontline of this change, they know the risks, so it’s extremely disappointing that their views to date have been ignored.
    “It’s high time both the Health and Mental Health Ministers step in before real harm is caused.
    “Te Whatu Ora is failing to properly plan for the transition to the new regime despite months of consultation. Our members are not getting the extra training they deserve to adjust to the change.
    “One highly experienced mental health worker, who leads a team, said he only received a raft of documents explaining changes to operating procedures 10 days out from the 4 November start date.
    ‘These changes are going to add to the burden of what we endure now’, he said. He warned Te Whatu Ora that ‘patients, the public and staff will be injured, maimed and no doubt die in response to these changes and the poor planning and resourcing that goes with it’.
    Ashok Shankar said: “Mental health crisis teams are already under extreme stress – workloads are as heavy as they have ever been, yet the Government is allowing even more pressure to pile on overstretched teams.
    “Te Whatu Ora needs to expand mental health teams and provide additional training, if required, so they can safely pick up the burden of taking over from the police.
    “But the hiring freeze and the Government’s failure to properly fund Te Whatu Ora is making a dire situation that much worse.
    “The survey shows members expect time taken to see people in distress will increase. It will mean those with less urgent needs will wait even longer as more urgent cases are prioritised. Their health outcomes are being put at risk. That’s just not acceptable when we already have a mental health crisis in this country.
    “Mental health should be a priority – all of us want the best outcome for the people and their families facing challenges, but this process of police handover feels botched from the get-go – patients and workers may pay a heavy price,” said Ashok Shankar.
    ENDS
    Summary of findings from PSA survey (attached summary graphs)
    The survey was taken between 8 and 22 October 2024 and sent to 6,151 members who work in mental health. It attracted 438 responses. The margin of error is 5% at a 95% confidence interval.
    – 66% of workers say they are not confident in the ability of their workplace to manage risk. Only 12% are confident.
    – 38% disagree or strongly disagree that their workplace has a process in place to assess risk in mental health response
    – 88% say it will increase safety risk for clients
    – 91% say it will increase safety risk for workers
    – 86% say it risks increasing workloads
    – 72% say it risks increasing the time taken to see people
    Sample of quotes from survey of mental health workers
    I can understand the pressures that the police service are under and the reasons they want to withdraw, however there is no alternative in place so this just leaves a dangerous void in the process and I would not be surprised if there is an increase in incidents and possibly even lives being at risk.
    I do not understand how an 111 operator with just one days training in mental health could over rule the registered mental health professional decision who could be facing an client and made a risk assessment.
    Police are the only ones who can detain under the Act, and therefore, a withdrawal of their support when requested means more people will go without treatment, more people will fall off the act, the more people with become unwell, and the more mental health patients will end up in Police custody
    As a staff member I am left wondering of we will be safe and whether we will have to argue with police comms to get officers to respond to a danger to life. Having the building smashed up is scary enough but risk to staff, clients and the public is even worse.
    I think it is appropriate. My only concern is if Police take it upon themselves to determine if a person is mentally disordered or not. It could open the gate for police to deliver people to ED who are socially problematic but do not meet a criminal offense threshold. Would not want to see ED inappropriately burdened with these people. Perhaps police liaison nurses, based with Police would be a better use of a resource.
    The withdrawal of police at mental health jobs ultimately shows a failure in resource division at the national government level.
    I feel sorry for the police, but our system is in crisis. I am actually returning to work at present after being knocked out by a patient and having several months off with a nasty concussion. I don’t want this to happen again to myself or any other staff. I am lucky that I did not suffer a more serious injury.
    We are feeling very anxious about the safety of both ourselves and the patients and families involved with the withdrawal process. While we understand that we have the right to refuse and walk away, doing so may leave families at risk with individuals who are very unwell.
    It makes me reconsider my career choices. Do I really want to be in a front-line role where I have to justify my requests for assistance by Police in writing to non-health professionals with limited training in assessing mental health risk?
    The most important change that could be made is for us to have more staff, skilled staff rather than inexperienced ones that we have to spend time teaching when there already is too much to do in terms of clinical assessments.
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health and Safety – TDDA Launches Imperans Report, a New Quarterly Workplace Drug Use Snapshot

    Source: Fred Russo, Botica Butler Raudon Partners  

    Imperans Report to Provide Businesses with Actionable Health and Safety Information

    04 November 2024, Auckland, New Zealand – The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider, has launched the Imperans Report, its new quarterly workplace drug trends report. The report aims to provide Australasian employers with an analysis of drug and alcohol usage trends, combining results from both New Zealand and Australia to empower businesses to engage in proactive workplace risk management.

    The Imperans report addresses an information gap for business. Government organisations like ACC and WorkSafe publish incident reports, but they do not quantify when substances are a factor. Future reports will serve to build businesses’ understanding of substance use patterns regionally and temporally so that they can anticipate and reduce workplace risks.

    TDDA provides over 250,000 drug tests every year in New Zealand and Australia. In Q3/2024 tests from accredited clinic locations and mobile clinics throughout Australasia were used. All tests were taken between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 20241.  Data is anonymised and aggregated using TDDA’s Imperans system, a bespoke IT platform for testing services, data recording, and reporting.

    TDDA drug tests screen for amphetamine-type substances (ATS); benzodiazepines; cocaine; methamphetamine; opiates and opioids; cannabis; and synthetic drugs like synthetic cannabis.

    This quarter, 4.55 per cent of the screens conducted by TDDA in New Zealand indicated the presence of drugs. THC remained the most common substance detected in workplaces in New Zealand, accounting for 72.9 per cent of cases, closely followed by amphetamine-type substances at 34.2 per cent. There was also significant opioid detection, indicating workplaces may want to remind employees of their drug policies surrounding prescription painkillers.  

    Below are the most prevalent substances detected across New Zealand in TDDA testing:

    • THC: 72.9 per cent
    • Amphetamine-type substances (including methamphetamine): 34.2 per cent
    • Opiates (including oxycodone): 12.9 per cent
    • Benzodiazepines: 4.9 per cent
    • Cocaine: 1.7 per cent
    • Alcohol: 0.19 per cent

    It is crucial for Kiwi businesses to stay vigilant and adapt their safety strategies to evolving drug trends. By being proactive and staying committed to addressing drug-related issues, businesses can play a vital role in promoting safer communities and protecting the well-being of their employees.

    “Businesses across New Zealand should be cognisant of the prevailing drug testing trends and the potential impact on employee safety, workplace productivity, and company reputation,” says Glenn Dobson, CEO, TDDA.

    “Substances like cannabis and methamphetamine can significantly affect workplace safety. Symptoms may include impaired judgement, decreased coordination, and delayed reaction times. Anyone using these substances should not be operating vehicles or heavy machinery.”

    TDDA recommends that businesses update their drug and alcohol policies, educate themselves, and train key personnel to recognise signs of substance misuse. Staying informed and prepared is the best strategy to ensure a safe and productive workplace.

    1 Total figures on testing volumes or testing results by industry and region are commercially sensitive.

    Methodology  
    Testing data from 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2024 is aggregated and anonymised from fixed and mobile clinic operations throughout Australasia. Data from preemployment, post incident, and random testing has been combined. Testing methods included urine and oral fluid screening. Data is reported into the TDDA Imperans system, anonymised, and represents a snapshot of drug trends across Australasian workplaces and industries.  

    About The Drug Detection Agency
    The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) is a leader in workplace substance testing with more than 300 staff, 90 mobile health clinics, 65 locations throughout Australasia, and processing more than 250,000 tests annually. TDDA was established in 2005 to provide New Zealand and Australian businesses with end-to-end workplace substance testing, education and policy services. TDDA holds ISO17025 accreditation for workplace substance testing in both AU and NZ. Refer to the IANZ and NATA websites for TDDA’s full accreditation details. Learn more about TDDA at https://tdda.com/.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Better health taking flight for rural and regional Tasmanians

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    As part of the Albanese and Rockliff governments’ commitment to improving the state’s regional healthcare, the new Tasmanian home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is a step closer, with planning and design works underway.

    The $21.3 million redevelopment will support the RFDS to expand its operations, and was made possible by $15 million from the Albanese Government, $6 million from the Rockliff Government, and additional support from the RFDS.

    The new base at Launceston Airport will boost capacity for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as ground vehicle transfers, and will include space needed to cater for surge workers through either infectious disease outbreaks, or for fire-fighting personnel to tackle bushfires.

    This will enable the RFDS to increase outreach support such as mobile mental health services, mobile dental services, and mobile general practitioner services – and support them to deliver urgent care to people across regional Tasmania.

    Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain joined Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell last week to inspect the site of the new base, and to receive an update on the project.

    Up to 62 full time jobs will be supported during the construction phase, with up to 41 ongoing jobs in the healthcare sector set to be created once operational in 2027.

    When completed, the facility will also house staff and equipment for other emergency service providers, including Ambulance Tasmania, Tasmanian Police and the Fixed Wing Aeromedical Providers.

    Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain:

    “It was fantastic to visit RFDS Tasmania to see planning work on this important redevelopment progressing – a region-shaping project made possible thanks to $15 million from the Albanese Government.

    “Your postcode shouldn’t impact the quality of your healthcare, which is why we’re partnering with the RFDS to improve and expand their services across regional Australia – with this project to ensure Tasmanians can continue to access support when they need it.”

    Quotes attributable to Tasmanian Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma:

    “The Tasmanian Liberal Government’s $6 million investment for the new base will enable the RFDS to continue its vital work. 

    “Not only will this project improve access to healthcare across regional Tasmania, it will support local jobs during construction, and once the upgraded site is operational.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell:

    “While the RFDS’s current home in Tasmania has served the community for 20 years, our government is getting on with updating the site ensure it continues to provide the service Tasmanian needs and deserves. 

    “By securing the future of the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Launceston Airport, we’re ensuring that the RFDS can continue to deliver lifesaving care throughout our state, from clinic charter services to road transfers.”

    Quotes attributable to RFDS Tasmania Board Chair, Malcolm White and CEO Nicole Henty:

    “The Royal Flying Doctor Service Tasmania is delighted to be building a new world class facility. We are grateful to both the Federal and State Governments for coming together to support this initiative and help us construct this base at Launceston Airport”

    “This is an exciting development for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania and we look forward to developing an aeromedical base that all Tasmanians can be proud of.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $21 million for alcohol and drug services in Northern NSW, as Drug Summit begins in Lismore

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Published: 4 November 2024

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health

    The NSW Government is committing $21 million over four years to enhance alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment and support for people in Northern NSW, as the second day of the regional Drug Summit begins in Lismore.

    This includes $6.8 million for three new programs to be provided by not-for-profit AOD services and mental health organisation The Buttery, including:

    • $2.6 million for a new day rehabilitation program and counselling for people with dependent children;
    • $2 million over four years for community-based withdrawal management and counselling for priority population groups; and
    • $2.2 million over four years for a new post-custodial support service.

    Community Rehabilitation

    The Community Rehabilitation for Parents program will provide day rehabilitation with individual care-coordination, counselling, and psychosocial support for up to six months for people aged over 18 with a substance use disorder and dependent children.

    The program is expected to support up to 48 people each year.

    Withdrawal management and counselling

    People will be offered withdrawal management in partnership with local GPs, assertive case-management and AOD psychosocial counselling for up to six months.

    Face to face and virtual care will be available. Up to 360 people will be able to receive treatment each year across Northern NSW and the Mid-North Coast.

    Post-custodial support

    Case management and support will be offered to people in Northern NSW and the Mid North Coast up to three months prior to release from custody and up to 12 months post-release.

    Northern NSW Local Health District services

    As part of this announcement, Northern NSW Local Health District will receive funding to support the following services:

    • $1.5 million to establish Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting Services across multiple locations including Tweed Byron Ballina, Richmond and Grafton. A virtual care component will support mothers and parents in rural locations to enable increased engagement with AOD services.
    • $700,000 to expand alcohol and other drug hospital consultation services in Lismore, Tweed, Clarence and Byron/Ballina to better support acute services, provide extended hours of coverage, and virtual care.
    • $1.6 million for expansion and integration of AOD services for young people, including enhance partnerships with other agencies including Department of Communities and Justice, Headspace, Youth Justice and HARP. The service will be available in 3 locations and includes virtual care.

    Drug Summit in Lismore

    The 2024 Drug Summit is underway in NSW with the second regional forum taking place in Lismore today, following the first day of the Summit in Griffith last Friday.

    The Summit will also be held in Sydney on 4 and 5 December, bringing together health experts, police, people with lived and living experiences, drug user organisations, families and other stakeholders to provide a range of perspectives.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

    “I am so proud to be able to announce this important investment into life changing services for the people of Northern NSW, on the second day of the regional Drug Summit in Lismore.

    “It’s vital that we continue to support community organisations like The Buttery to help people achieve recovery and rebuild their lives.

    “This funding will focus on increasing access to evidence-based treatment, prevention, and early intervention services especially in regional and rural areas.

    “These new programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of people living in regional areas, and priority population groups including Aboriginal people, pregnant women, people with mental health conditions, young people, and people involved in the criminal justice system.”

    Quotes attributable to Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin:

    “The Northern NSW community will benefit from this major funding boost, which will significantly improve health and social outcomes for people at risk of alcohol and other drug related harm, and their families.

    “I look forward to listening and reflecting on the experience and expertise of everyone contributing to the second day of the regional Drug Summit in Lismore, so we can better understand how to support our community.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal pedestrian strike – Darwin

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    On Wednesday 30 October, Northern Territory Police responded to reports of a pedestrian being struck by a bicycle in Nakara.

    Around 3:15pm, a youth on a bicycle collided with a 49-year-old woman on the corner of Goodman Street and Rowling Street.

    The woman was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital with serious injuries and later succumbed to her injuries on Saturday 2 November 2024.

    A report will be prepared for the coroner.

    The Lives Lost on Territory Roads in 2024 now stands at 54.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – New consumer resources about managing stress urinary incontinence

    Source: Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality and Safety Commission

    Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission and Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora have released two new consumer resources about managing stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
    The ‘Understanding and managing urinary incontinence’ and ‘Surgery for stress urinary incontinence’ guides will replace previous SUI resources.
    Te Tāhū Hauora clinical director, Martin Thomas, said the guides had been endorsed by the Surgical Mesh Roundtable (MRT), an oversight and monitoring group chaired by the Ministry of Health which in August 2023 supported a pause in the use of surgical mesh for SUI.
    Development of the guides was one of four conditions of lifting the pause on the use of surgical mesh.
    The guides aim to provide detailed information about SUI and its management and were developed with input from health care professionals and consumers, including some with lived experience of SUI, Dr Thomas says.
    “It is the Surgical Mesh Roundtable’s expectation the guides will now be used by health care professionals when discussing with patients’ options in the treatment of urinary incontinence,” he said.
    The guides provided clearer, more detailed information than had been previously available, Ministry of Health Chief Medical Officer, Joe Bourne, said.
    “Spaces in the guides to note questions or concerns to raise with health care providers will allow patients to work with health care teams to make informed decisions about the best treatment for them, or whether or not to undergo surgical treatment,” Dr Bourne said.
    The guides are available on the Health New Zealand website.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health Investigation – Commissioner initiated investigation finds breach of woman’s rights in residential care home 24HDC00460

    Source: Health and Disability Commissioner
    A woman’s rights under the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) were breached by a support worker when he provoked her, retaliated by spitting at her, failed to intervene when she was self-harming, and verbally insulted her, said the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall, in a decision released today.
    The woman was living in a disability residential care setting and had multiple complex social and mental health disorders which could manifest in challenging behaviours and actions. The interactions between her and the support worker at the centre of the investigation, where the support worker could be heard being verbally abusive and spitting at her, were recorded on video.
    A complaint was made to HDC about the woman being recorded without her consent, however, the content of these recordings were of sufficient concern for Ms Wall to undertake a commissioner-initiated investigation (CII).
    I consider this complaint is significant, as it raises concerns about a longstanding support worker’s verbal maltreatment of a vulnerable consumer with dual disabilities and challenging behaviour in residential care. The complaint may never have been brought to the attention of this office had it not come to light in another complaint investigation,” said Ms Wall.
    Ms Wall said it was clear the support worker had provoked and insulted the woman, which amounted to a serious lack of respect and that he failed to intervene when the woman was self-harming.
    “There were many options available to [MrB] to intervene, including talking to [Ms A], employing de-escalation techniques he had learned in Non-Violent Crisis-Intervention training, and/or calling for assistance. He did not attempt any of those actions or any other type of intervention.
    “I am critical and appalled when watching and listening to the videos, and I consider that [Mr B] behaved entirely inappropriately towards Ms [Ms A]. Under no circumstances is it acceptable for a community support worker to behave in this way.’
    Ms Wall found that the man failed to treat the woman with respect – breaching Right 1(1) of the Code and did not treat the woman with dignity in breach of Right 3.
    Ms Wall recommended [Mr B] provide a formal apology to the woman and for him to refamiliarise himself with the Code. Whilst [Mr B] no longer works at the residential care setting, in the event Mr B finds employment as a support worker, she has recommended he ask his future employer to put him through training on treating consumers with respect and dignity and relationship management/communicating with people who display challenging behaviour.
    Evidence of these actions is to be provided to HDC. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health Investigation – Health NZ Southern and registrar breach man’s rights for failures in care 21HDC02293

    Source: Health and Disability Commissioner

    A man’s rights under the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights were breached by Health New Zealand|Te Whatu Ora Southern and a registrar, the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner has found in a decision released today. Sadly, the man died of a brain haemorrhage.
    The man had an unwitnessed fall at his care home and was taken to Southland Hospital emergency department. A yellow envelope containing patient information was misplaced which meant that hospital staff who were treating the man were not aware that he was on anticoagulants.
    The man had his initial observations taken by a registered nurse about six hours after his arrival at hospital. He was first seen by the registrar around nine hours after his arrival. The registrar noted it was usual practice for her to review the information in the yellow envelope but there wasn’t one. The registrar did not order a CT scan because she was not aware he was on anticoagulants.
    The man was kept under observation and was discharged back to the care home the next day. The man became increasingly ill and was taken back to Southland Hospital where a CT showed he had experienced an intracranial haemorrhage and he later died.
    Deborah James said Health NZ breached the Code by not providing services with reasonable care and skill.
    “Health NZ did not have a clear or well understood process in place for ambulance staff to hand over the yellow envelope when there were no available beds in ED, resulting in the man’s yellow envelope being misplaced,” she said.
    She added that the man was not assessed for initial observations until around six hours after his arrival and that several clinicians had failed to identify he was on warfarin. These factors combined meant Health NZ did not provide the appropriate standard of care.
    Ms James said that due to the man’s age, fragility and because he had suffered a head injury, a CT scan should have been completed, regardless of whether or not he was on anticoagulants. She found that the registrar breached the Code by not providing reasonable care and skill in their management of the man’s care by not ensuring a CT was completed or identifying that he was on anticoagulants.
    Health NZ says it has since increased the number of nurses on at night shift and made sure there is always a medical imaging technologist on site to take scans. The registrar has also made a range of changes, which are outlined in the report.
    Ms James has recommended both parties formally apologise to the man’s family. She has recommended Health NZ standardise its process for yellow envelopes to cover when there are no beds available. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health Investigation – Woman’s rights breached for failure to exclude pregnancy before insertion of a Jadelle contraceptive device 21HDC02688

    Source: Health and Disability Commissioner
    In a report released today Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall has found a Medical Centre GP registrar breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) for failing to reliably exclude pregnancy prior to insertion of a Jadelle contraceptive device.
    The woman at the centre of the report, accessed contraception following the birth of her son three months prior. The woman’s usual GP arranged for the woman to have a Jadelle device fitted by a GP registrar.
    The woman later discovered she was 20 weeks pregnant. The ultrasound indicated that she would have been pregnant at the time the contraceptive device was fitted. The discovery led to significant personal distress and concerns about the potential impact of her pregnancy.
    The woman told HDC she did not feel she could cope with another baby so soon, but the pregnancy was too far advanced for termination to be considered and she was concerned about the health of her unborn baby.
    Ms Wall considered several scenarios regarding pregnancy testing prior to fitting the device. On balance, she concluded that the GP registrar had omitted to discuss the method of contraception used by the woman prior to the consultation and to establish clearly whether the woman could be pregnant and, accordingly, offer her a pregnancy test.
    Ms Wall found the GP registrar breached the Code for failing to provide services with reasonable care and skill, in particular failing to reliably exclude pregnancy before the Jadelle insertion, either through a pregnancy test or established criteria.
    In addition, the medical centre’s documentation practices were found lacking, particularly in recording discussions about contraception and pregnancy risk.
    Since the event, the GP registrar has made significant changes to her practice, including additional training and development of a detailed template to ensure thorough documentation and assessment. The medical centre has also taken steps to improve its practices and prevent similar issues in future.
    Ms Wall said, “this case highlights the importance of thorough documentation and reliable exclusion of pregnancy in contraceptive consultations. We commend the GP registrar and the medical centre for their proactive steps to improve their practices.”
    In addition to the changes made, Ms Wall made further recommendations in her report. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese researchers make breakthrough in precision management for thyroid cancer

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Chinese researchers have made progress in localizing medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), a form of thyroid cancer that poses challenges in identifying metastatic lesions.
    This breakthrough is based on a new imaging technique utilizing a novel class of radiopharmaceutical, known as covalent targeted radioligand (CTR). This approach addresses one of the major challenges in treating MTC: precisely locating metastatic lesions, which is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, according to researchers.
    The development of this innovative imaging method was a collaborative effort between Liu Shaoyan’s team from the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Liu Zhibo’s team from Peking University and Changping Laboratory, along with their collaborators. Their study was published online in Cancer Discovery, a leading journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, in late October.
    Liu Shaoyan, the director of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the Cancer Hospital, emphasized that existing imaging techniques often fail to locate metastatic lesions accurately. “Surgery is a primary curative option for MTC. A precise imaging method is crucial to assist surgeons in accurately determining the extent of the surgical procedure,” he stated.
    The new approach allows for selective targeting of tumor cells, enabling higher amounts and longer duration of the radioactive agents to remain in the tumor. This provides better imaging contrast, clearer tumor identification and more precise treatment planning, as explained by Kong Ziren, a member of Liu’s team and the co-first author of the paper.
    Looking ahead, Liu noted that as this imaging approach continues to evolve and expand its applications, CTR has the potential to become a valuable diagnostic tool not only for MTC but also for various other cancers. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 10 killed, 9 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    This photo shows the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Nov. 1, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Ten people were killed and nine others injured on Sunday in Israeli airstrikes on different areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, Lebanese official sources said.

    An anonymous source from the Lebanese Civil Defense said that the Israeli raid on the Saida neighborhood in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three people and left nine others injured. Additionally, three civilians were killed in a raid on the town of Machghara in eastern Lebanon, and two more were killed in the village of Jabal al-Batam in southern Lebanon.

    The source added that two paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority were killed in the municipality of Bazourieh in southern Lebanon.

    Also on Sunday, a team from the Lebanese Red Cross retrieved five bodies of Lebanese civilians from the rubble of two houses destroyed by Israel’s Wednesday airstrikes on the eastern edge of the southeast town of Khiam.

    Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a series of statements that its military wing attacked various Israeli settlements and military bases with drones and missiles.

    The Israeli army has launched intensive attacks on Lebanon since late September in an escalation with Hezbollah.

    According to a report by the Lebanese Health Ministry on Sunday, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the war on Oct. 8, 2023, reached 2,986, while injuries went up to 13,402.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: ADB Provides $10 Million Grant to Address Gender-Based Violence in Cambodia

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA (4 November 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $10 million in grant financing to address gender-based violence (GBV) in Cambodia to help meet the country’s target of zero GBV by 2030.

    The Strengthening Country Systems for Prevention and Response to GBV project is ADB’s first stand-alone Asian Development Fund (ADF) grant specifically focused on gender equality in Southeast Asia, and establishes a clear link between governance systems, public financial management, and the quality and accessibility of services addressing GBV.  

    The project will strengthen legal and institutional frameworks by updating Cambodia’s legislation on domestic violence; improve service delivery at the local level by strengthening the quality and accessibility of response services and refurbishing shelters for survivors, especially in rural areas; and leverage digital solutions in adolescent school-based and community-based programs to promote prevention. It will enhance digital solutions for 24/7 access to information, education, and communication resources on GBV in an effort to link prevention and response in a continuum for maximum impact.

    “This important project will enhance systemic responses, expand access to shelters, and ensure survivors receive the care they need,” said ADB Country Director for Cambodia Jyotsana Varma. “It will also promote community-based programs on prevention, empowering local communities to play a key role in raising awareness and stopping violence before it occurs. ADB remains committed to supporting Cambodia in building a safer, more inclusive society for all.”

    The incidence of GBV remains persistently high even as Cambodia has made significant strides in combating it with the government and civil society organizations piloting promising prevention approaches. Since 2014, the prevalence of intimate partner violence has decreased by 8 percentage points to 21% women (aged 15–49) experiencing it at least once in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization. While better than the global and Southeast Asian average of 30%, Cambodia still faces hurdles due to uneven response hindered by multiple public agencies, and limited survivor-centered care. 

    Building on lessons from previous GBV projects in Asia, this initiative promotes a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach that integrates gender equality and GBV considerations across key ministries for Women’s Affairs, Interior, and Economy and Finance to ensure a coordinated response.

    This $10 million project is funded by a grant from the Asian Development Fund, which supports ADB’s vulnerable developing member countries.

    ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How the US election may affect Pacific Island nations

    By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist

    As the US election unfolds, American territories such as the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and Guam, along with the broader Pacific region, will be watching the developments.

    As the question hangs in the balance of whether the White House remains blue with Kamala Harris or turns red under Donald Trump, academics, New Zealand’s US ambassador, and Guam’s Congressman have weighed in on what the election means for the Pacific.

    Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies senior lecturer Dr Anna Powles said it would no doubt have an impact on small island nations facing climate change and intensified geopolitics, including the rapid expansion of military presence on its territory Guam, following the launch of an interballistic missile by China.

    Pacific leaders lament the very real security threat of climate-induced natural disasters has been overshadowed by the tug-of-war between China and the US in what academics say is “control and influence” for the contested region.

    Dr Powles said it came as “no surprise” that countries such as New Zealand and Australia had increasingly aligned with the US, as the Biden administration had been leveraging strategic partnerships with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan since 2018.

    Despite China being New Zealand’s largest trading partner, New Zealand is in the US camp and must pay attention, she said.

    “We are not seeing enough in the public domain or discussion by government with the New Zealand public about what this means for New Zealand going forward.”

    Pacific leaders welcome US engagement but are concerned about geopolitical rivalry.

    Earlier this month, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa attended the South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting in Auckland.

    He said it was important that “peace and stability in the region” was “prioritised”.

    Referencing the arms race between China and the US, he said, “The geopolitics occurring in our region is not welcomed by any of us in the Pacific Islands Forum.”

    While a Pacific Zone of Peace has been a talking point by Fiji and the PIF leadership to reinforce the region’s “nuclear-free stance”, the US is working with Australia on obtaining nuclear-submarines through the AUKUS security pact.

    Dr Powles said the potential for increased tensions “could happen under either president in areas such as Taiwan, East China Sea — irrespective of who is in Washington”.

    South Pacific defence ministers told RNZ Pacific the best way to respond to threats of conflict and the potential threat of a nuclear attack in the region is to focus on defence and building stronger ties with its allies.

    New Zealand’s Defence Minister said NZ was “very good friends with the United States”, with that friendship looking more friendly under the Biden Administration. But will this strengthening of ties and partnerships continue if Trump becomes President?

    US President Joe Biden (center) stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Image: Jim Watson/RNZ

    US President Joe Biden, center, stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit, at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Photo: Jim Watson

    US wants a slice of Pacific
     Regardless of who is elected, US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said history showed the past three presidents “have pushed to re-engage with the Pacific”.

    While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests.

    The US has made a concerted effort to step up its engagement with the Pacific in light of Chinese interest, including by reopening its embassies in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga.

    On 12 July 2022, the Biden administration showed just how keen it was to have a seat at the table by US Vice-President Kamala Harris dialing in to the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Fiji at the invitation of the then chair former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama. The US was the only PIF “dialogue partner” allowed to speak at this Forum.

    However, most of the promises made to the Pacific have been “forward-looking” and leaders have told RNZ Pacific they want to see less talk and more real action.

    Defence diplomacy has been booming since the 2022 Solomon Islands-China security deal. It tripled the amount of money requested from Congress for economic development and ocean resilience — up to US$60 million a year for 10 years — as well as a return of Peace Corps volunteers to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.

    Health security was another critical area highlighted in 2024 the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Declaration.

    The Democratic Party’s commitment to the World Health Organisation (WHO) bodes well, in contrast to the previous Trump administration’s withdrawal from the WHO during the covid-19 pandemic.

    It continued a long-running programme called ‘The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs’ which gives enterprising women from more than 100 countries with the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses.

    While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests. Image: 123RF/RNZ

    Guam’s take
     Known as the tip of the spear for the United States, Guam is the first strike community under constant threat of a nuclear missile attack.

    In September, China launched an intercontinental ballistic test missile in the Pacific for first time in 44 years, landing near French Polynesian waters.

    It was seen as a signal of China’s missile capabilities which had the US and South Pacific Defence Ministers on edge and deeply “concerned”.

    China’s Defence Ministry said in a statement the launch was part of routine training by the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, which oversees conventional and nuclear missile operations and was not aimed at any country or target.

    The US has invested billions to build a 360-degree missile defence system on Guam with plans for missile tests twice a year over the next decade, as it looks to bolster its weaponry in competition with China.

    Despite the arms race and increased military presence and weaponry on Guam, China is known to have fewer missiles than the US.

    The US considers Guam a key strategic military base to help it stop any potential attacks. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon

    However, Guamanians are among the four million disenfranchised Americans living in US territories whose vote does not count due to an anomaly in US law.

    “While territorial delegates can introduce bills and advocate for their territory in the US Congress, they have no voice on the floor. While Guam is exempted from paying the US federal income tax, many argue that such a waiver does not make up for what the tiny island brings to the table,” according to a BenarNews report.

    US Congressman for Guam James Moylan has spent his time making friends and “educating and informing” other states about Guam’s existence in hopes to get increased funding and support for legislative bills.

    Moylan said he would prefer a Trump presidency but noted he has “proved he can also work with Democrats”.

    Under Trump, Moylan said Guam would have “stronger security”, raising his concerns over the need to stop Chinese fishing boats from coming onto the island.

    Moylan also defended the military expansion: “We are not the aggressor. If we put our guard down, we need to be able to show we can maintain our land.”

    Moylan defended the US military expansion, which his predecessor, former US Congressman Robert Underwood, was concerned about, saying the rate of expansion had not been seen since World War II.

    “We are the closest there is to the Indo-Pacific threat,” Moylan said.

    “We need to make sure our pathways, waterways and economy is growing, and we have a strong defence against our aggressors.”

    “All likeminded democracies are concerned about the current leadership of China. We are working together…to work on security issues and prosperity issues,” US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said.

    When asked about the military capabilities of the US and Guam, Moylan said: “We are not going to war; we are prepared to protect the homeland.”

    Moylan said that discussions for compensation involving nuclear radiation survivors in Guam would happen regardless of who was elected.

    The 23-year battle has been spearheaded by atomic veteran Robert Celestial, who is advocating for recognition for Chamorro and Guamanians under the RECA Act.

    Celestial said that the Biden administration had thrown their support behind them, but progress was being stalled in Congress, which is predominantly controlled by the Republican party.

    But Moylan insisted that the fight for compensation was not over. He said that discussions would continue after the election irrespective of who was in power.

    “It’s been tabled. It’s happening. I had a discussion with Speaker Mike Johnson. We are working to pass this through,” he said.

    US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon

    If Trump wins
     Dr Powles said a return to Trump’s leadership could derail ongoing efforts to build security architecture in the Pacific.

    There are also views Trump would pull back from the Pacific and focus on internal matters, directly impacting his nation.

    For Trump, there is no mention of the climate crisis in his platform or Agenda47.

    This is in line with the former president’s past actions, such as withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2019, citing “unfair economic burdens” placed on American workers and businesses.

    Trump has maintained his position that the climate crisis is “one of the great scams of all time”.

    The America First agenda is clear, with “countering China” at the top of the list. Further, “strengthening alliances,” Trump’s version of multilateralism, reads as what allies can do for the US rather than the other way around.

    “There are concerns for Donald Trump’s admiration for more dictatorial leaders in North Korea, Russia, China and what that could mean in a time of crisis,” Dr Powles said.

    A Trump administration could mean uncertainty for the Pacific, she added.

    While Trump was president in 2017, he warned North Korea “not to mess” with the United States.

    “North Korea [is] best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

    North Korea responded deriding his warning as a “load of nonsense”.

    Although there is growing concern among academics and some Pacific leaders that Trump would bring “fire and fury” to the Indo-Pacific if re-elected, the former president seemed to turn cold at the thought of conflict.

    In 2023, Trump remarked that “Guam isn’t America” in response to warning that the US territory could be vulnerable to a North Korean nuclear strike — a move which seemed to distance the US from conflict.

    If Harris wins
     Dr Powles said that if Harris wins, it was important to move past “announcements” and follow-through on all pledges.

    A potential win for Harris could be the fulfilment of the many “promises” made to the Pacific for climate financing, uplifting economies of the Pacific and bolstering defence security, she said.

    Pacific leaders want Harris to deliver on the Pacific Partnership Strategy, the outcomes of the two Pacific Islands-US summits in 2022 and 2023, and the many diplomatic visits undertaken during President Biden’s presidency.

    The Biden administration recognised Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign and independent states and established diplomatic relationships with them.

    Harris has pledged to boost funding to the Green Climate Fund by US$3 billion. She also promised to “tackle the climate crisis with bold action, build a clean energy economy, advance environmental justice, and increase resilience to climate disasters”.

    Dr Powles said that delivery needed to be the focus.

    “What we need to be focused on is delivery [and that] Pacific Island partners are engaged from the very beginning — from the outset to any programme right through to the final phase of it.”

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: An Indigenous person is 4 times more likely to die from diabetes. We need to better understand how exercise can help

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Kelly, PhD candidate, School of Medicine, The University of Melbourne

    Attila Csaszar/Getty

    It’s estimated almost 1.9 million Australians have diabetes, and numbers are growing. Between 2013 and 2023, the total number of people known to be living with diabetes across the country rose by 32%.

    As is the case for a range of health conditions, diabetes disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

    Indigenous Australians are three times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians. They are 4.4 times more likely to die from it.

    Among other factors, physical activity plays an important role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. But our new study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, shows we don’t know enough about the role of physical activity in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes in First Nations people.

    What is diabetes?

    Diabetes is a condition where there’s too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. There are different types, but the most common is type 2 diabetes. In people with type 2 diabetes, the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, a hormone which regulates blood sugar levels.

    Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include having a family history of diabetes, being overweight, and having high blood pressure.

    The high rates of diabetes in Indigenous communities are to a large extent influenced by the social determinants of health. For example, we know food insecurity disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially in rural and remote communities. This can make it difficult to follow a healthy diet, which in turn affects overall health.

    People in remote Indigenous communities also often have poorer access to educational and employment opportunities, suitable housing, and high-quality health care. All these factors can contribute to poorer health.

    First Nations communities have particularly high rates of younger onset type 2 diabetes (usually defined as a diagnosis before age 40).

    If diabetes is not effectively managed, it can lead to a range of complications, including long-term damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes and feet. Diabetes can affect all aspects of a person’s life, including their mental health.

    People with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels.
    Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

    Lifestyle interventions (diet and physical activity) are generally recommended as part of a treatment plan for type 2 diabetes.

    We wanted to understand how physical activity interventions in particular can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes.

    Our research

    As well as playing a role in diabetes prevention, there’s good evidence exercise is beneficial for people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

    Physical activity has been associated with lower levels of glycated haemoglobin in the blood (an index of glucose control), reduced blood lipids such as cholesterol, and weight loss. Evidence suggests a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise may be superior to either mode alone.

    We reviewed studies that looked at the effects of physical activity interventions and programs in type 2 diabetes prevention and management for First Nations Australians.

    We found only nine studies that investigated physical activity interventions for preventing or managing type 2 diabetes in Indigenous adults.

    There was some evidence linking physical activity to better outcomes in Indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes. However, the value of the findings was affected by shortcomings in study design and a lack of involvement of Indigenous people in designing and carrying out the research.

    Exercise is important in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.
    sutadimages/Shutterstock

    A gap in high-quality evidence

    There are many aspects of diabetes prevention and management that tend to be more difficult for people in First Nations communities, particularly those that are rural or remote.

    Also, new technologies that can help with diabetes management, such as continuous glucose monitors, are often very expensive.

    It’s crucial Indigenous Australians with diabetes have access to appropriate diabetes support, education and services.

    Notably, health, cultural and socioeconomic disparities can impact participation in physical activity. What constitutes realistic opportunities to exercise can differ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to other Australians.

    Previous data has shown Indigenous Australians are less likely to meet physical activity recommendations than non-Indigenous Australians.

    Factors that might influence the uptake of physical activity among First Nations people include access to safe, accessible, family-friendly and inexpensive locations to do exercise. These can be limited in regional and remote communities.



    Read more:
    How a culturally informed model of care helped First Nations patients with heart disease

    Overall, we found a lack of reliable data on whether exercise, and what type of exercise, might benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with type 2 diabetes.

    Given physical activity is a cornerstone in the management of type 2 diabetes, we need more rigorous research in this area. These studies must be well designed and culturally appropriate. They must involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at all levels of the research process.

    Targeted research will help us determine the best approaches to increase physical activity, and understand its benefits, for Indigenous people with type 2 diabetes.

    Ray Kelly is a Director at Ray Kelly Fitness Pty Ltd, which provides lifestyle programs in partnership with Aboriginal medical services. He has received funding from Primary Health Networks, the NSW Ministry of Health, and directly from Aboriginal medical services. Ray has also received MRFF funding for his research.

    Margaret Morris receives research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. An Indigenous person is 4 times more likely to die from diabetes. We need to better understand how exercise can help – https://theconversation.com/an-indigenous-person-is-4-times-more-likely-to-die-from-diabetes-we-need-to-better-understand-how-exercise-can-help-234154

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister McPhee on Radon Action Month

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee has issued the following statement:

    “November is Radon Action Month in Canada. This month, the Government of Yukon is encouraging homeowners to test their homes for radon and take action to protect themselves if their home tests above the Health Canada guideline.

    “Radon is a colourless, odourless gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in rocks and soil. It’s radioactive and is found in every region in Canada. While radon is harmless outdoors, it can build up to dangerous levels indoors.

    • Read more about Statement from Minister McPhee on Radon Action Month
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    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Blood Cancer Patients urge the Government not to forgot them, in an open letter

    Source: Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand
    Patients Sign Open Letter Urging Prime Minister to Honour Promises on Blood Cancer Medicine Funding
    More than six hundred patients from across New Zealand have signed an open letter, sent to the Prime Minister’s office yesterday afternoon, calling for action on pre-election commitments to fund cancer medicines.
    The letter, penned by blood cancer patient Elvin Tibbs, expresses a growing frustration over unfulfilled promises to address the disparities in medicine access between New Zealand and Australia, referencing the Understanding Blood Cancer Medicine Availability in Aotearoa report recently released by the Cancer Control Agency.
    In his role as National’s health spokesperson, Shane Reti stood beside Chris Luxon when announcing their pre-election cancer medicines policy and assured blood cancer patients that they would not be overlooked in efforts to improve access to modern medicines. “We understand, we haven’t forgotten you… we just need that piece of work to be done by the Cancer Control Agency.”
    With the report released, the Health Minister and Prime Minister are yet to explain how they will deliver on their commitments. The open letter asks for immediate action.
    “This report brings to light the harsh reality that life-saving blood cancer medicines remain unfunded in New Zealand while readily available to patients in comparable countries. For those of us with blood cancers, medicines present our best opportunity for survival, underscoring the devastating impact of this disparity. With the report’s findings now public, we implore you to act immediately to bridge this gap and fulfil the commitments you made to our community.”
    The report reveals that many treatments considered standard elsewhere in the world are inaccessible to Kiwis due to underfunding of Pharmac by successive governments. This leaves blood cancer patients in New Zealand with limited options to extend their survival. The co-signed letter highlights that “Every day without access to medicines is a day that brings preventable suffering and reduced quality of life.”
    The letter closes with an appeal to the Prime Minister: “We are simply asking you to deliver on your commitments; for the same chance at life that patients in comparable countries already receive.”
    The letter: The open letter was published online on 31 October and has since gathered over 600 signatures, with new support continuing to roll in. The letter can be viewed at: https://www.bcam.org.nz/openletter.
    Understanding Blood Cancer Medicine Availability in Aotearoa report
    On 24 October, the Cancer Control Agency released a report identifying 24 blood cancer medicines that are funded in Australia but not in New Zealand. These treatments are clinically significant options that Kiwis with blood cancer urgently need to ensure they have the same chances at life as their Australian counterparts. Six medicines that significantly improve survival and quality of life for patients are either on Pharmac’s funding waiting list or are in the assessment process.
    Impact on Blood Cancer Patients
    Blood cancer patients face unique challenges, as there are no prevention or screening options available to them. Their survival relies heavily on timely access to effective treatments, such as those outlined in the Cancer Control Agency’s report. Blood cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in New Zealand, with more than 21,000 New Zealanders currently living with a blood cancer diagnosis.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health and Employment – Nurses stop work across the country

    Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

    Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) employed by Te Whatu Ora are attending a series of 62 meetings across the country over urgent pressing issues.
    These hour-long meetings started today and end on Friday. They aim to allow nurses, midwives, and health care assistants to review Te Whatu Ora’s intention to pause calculations for the Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) safe staffing programme during collective bargaining late last month.
    The employer restricting bargaining parameters to 1% of total employee costs will also be discussed.
    Meeting schedule for Tuesday:
    • Whangārei – Whangārei Hospital 2nd Floor Conference Room – 9.30am-10.30am
    • Kaitāia – Kaitāia Hospital level 3/meeting room 1 – 9.30am-10.30am
    • Dargaville – Dargaville Hospital, Dargaville ward lounge – .30-10.30am
    • Bay of Islands – Old Ward – Meeting Room 2 – 9.30-10.30am
    • Auckland City Hospital, Marion Davis Centre – 9.30-10.30am; 11am-12pm, 1-2pm
    • Auckland – Greenlane Hospital, Building 13, Level 7 – 8.30am-9.30am and 10-11am
    • Auckland – North Shore Hospital – B:HIVE Auditorium, across road from North Shore Hospital, Smales Farm – 2.30pm-3.30pm
    • Auckland – Waitakere Hospital – Manukau Matapo Room -2.45pm-3.45pm 
    • Tauranga – Nikau Room, Tauranga Hospital – 9.30pm-10.30pm
    • Whakatāne – Clinical School Conference Hall, Whakatāne Hospital – 1.30pm-2.30pm
    • Taumarunui – Conference/Library Room Taumarunui Hospital – 11am-12pm
    • Hawera – The Hub Hawera – 1pm-2pm
    • Christchurch – Riccarton Park – Showgate – 1.30-2.30pm
    • Invercargill – Invercargill Working Mens’ Club -1.30pm-2.30pm.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Medical LNOs Participate in Keen Sword 25

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    SINGAPORE (Oct. 31, 2024) Rear Adm. Todd Cimicata, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF 73), and Cmdr. Christopher McCurry, Current Operations officer for COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF 73, right, meet with Cmdr. John Fritz Antoine, assigned to Naval Medical Forces Pacific, left, and Senior Chief Corpsman Rashanta Pippins, assigned to Naval Reserve Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Camp Pendleton, while they participated in Keen Sword 25 as the medical liaison officers in Singapore, Oct. 31, 2024. Keen Sword is a biennial, joint and bilateral field-training exercise involving U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel, designed to increase readiness and interoperability while strengthening the ironclad U.S.-Japan alliance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jomark A. Almazan)

    Date Taken: 10.31.2024
    Date Posted: 11.03.2024 23:47
    Photo ID: 8734165
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  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Valdez wraps up activities to celebrate Small Business Month and highlights government supports for entrepreneurs

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    News release

    November 1, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

    The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business, celebrated Small Business Month (SBM) by meeting with local entrepreneurs and business organizations to highlight the federal government supports that are available to help them thrive.

    Minister Valdez kicked off October by announcing that the federal government has negotiated lower credit card interchange fees by up to 27% for small businesses across Canada. These lower fees for Visa and Mastercard took effect on October 19, 2024. Minister Valdez also announced that the Canada Carbon Rebate will be distributing $2.5 billion to about 600,000 small and medium-sized businesses across Canada where the federal fuel charge applies. The amount is dependent on a business’ number of employees. For example, Ontarian small businesses will receive $401 per employee. Small and medium-sized businesses that filed their taxes before July 15 will receive an automatic payment by the end of this year.

    Throughout SBM, Minister Valdez met with small business owners across the country. She also engaged with diverse groups of entrepreneurs at the Mississauga Board of Trade, the CanadianSME Magazine Small Business Summit, the Casa Foundation for International Development’s Friends of Africa summit, the Elevate Festival, the Alliance of Nigerian Entrepreneurs gathering, the RPA Women Entrepreneur Awards Gala, the Federation of African Canadian Economics’ Small Business Sunday event, the Toronto Small Business Forum, and the Misfit Ventures Misfits Unleashed event.

    During these engagements, Minister Valdez highlighted the federal government’s groundbreaking investments—through programs like the 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program, the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and the Black Entrepreneurship Program—that are helping fight the systemic barriers under-represented entrepreneurs face. She also spotlighted federal government investments in inclusive venture capital and Futurpreneur, as well as support for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

    Minister Valdez also updated entrepreneurs on federal investments to help small businesses adopt digital tools and innovations, including the $2.4 billion committed in Budget 2024 to secure Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) advantage. This includes $200 million in the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which will help bring new AI technologies to market and accelerate AI adoption by small businesses across the country. She also mentioned the Canada Digital Adoption Program, which has helped more than 60,000 small businesses improve their digital capabilities and adopt e-commerce platforms.

    The Minister wrapped up her SBM-related activities on October 30 by announcing a new partnership between the First Nations Health Authority and the CAN Health Network that will help over 200 First Nations communities across British Columbia access health care innovations from Canadian start-ups. Start-ups in the health care sector have expressed that they face unique challenges breaking into the new market and increasing uptake of their technologies. The federal government’s investment in the CAN Health Network is connecting innovative health care providers with promising start-ups that are offering made-in-Canada solutions to meet their unique needs and challenges.

    Quotes

    “Small businesses are the heart of our communities and the backbone of our economy, employing nearly 8 million hard-working Canadians. It was incredible to spend Small Business Month celebrating their invaluable contributions and meeting key organizations that are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs thrive. Our government will continue to have the backs of small businesses from coast to coast to coast, whether they’re just starting out, looking to grow or striving to extend their reach into new markets.”
    – The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business 

    Quick facts

    • The Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses is a refundable tax credit to return a portion of federal fuel charge proceeds directly to eligible businesses.

      • Businesses will not have to apply for this rebate. The Canada Revenue Agency will determine and automatically issue the rebate amounts for eligible businesses based on the payment rates of each applicable province for the corresponding fuel charge years, as specified by the Minister of Finance.
      • The rebate will be available to eligible Canadian-controlled private corporations that had 499 or fewer employees in Canada throughout the calendar year in which the applicable fuel charge year began.
      • The federal fuel charge currently applies in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. The Government of Canada does not keep any direct proceeds from pollution pricing. All direct fuel charge proceeds are returned in the province or territory of origin.

    • The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada was first released in 2010 and was last updated in 2015.

      • All major payment card network operators in Canada incorporate the code into their rules, making it binding on all their network participants: issuers, acquirers and payment processors.
      • More than 1 million businesses that accept payment cards in Canada will benefit from the code revisions. In 2023, these businesses accepted approximately 14.1 billion card payments worth $1.2 trillion.
      • The increased transparency and disclosure elements of the revised code require payment processors to notify eligible businesses if network fee reductions will not be passed on in full. Additionally, payment processors must remind those businesses of their right to terminate their contract, enabling them to switch to a processor that passes on the benefits of rate reductions.
      • Under the existing code, businesses have the right to exit their contracts without penalty if they do not receive the full benefits of certain network fee decreases, such as the upcoming small business interchange reductions. But businesses have not always been aware of this right.

    • Businesses pay fees to process credit card transactions, with the largest component being the interchange fee paid to credit card–issuing financial institutions, such as banks. The federal government has finalized agreements to lower these fees for small businesses starting on October 19, 2024. Visa and Mastercard have agreed to:

      • reduce domestic consumer credit interchange fees for in-store transactions to an annual weighted average interchange rate of 0.95%
      • reduce domestic consumer credit interchange fees for online transactions by 10 basis points, resulting in reductions of up to 7%
      • provide free access to online fraud and cybersecurity resources to help small businesses grow their online sales while preventing fraud and chargebacks
      • allow small businesses to qualify with each credit card network individually

    • Small businesses with an annual Visa sales volume below $300,000 will qualify for the lower interchange fees from Visa, and those with an annual Mastercard sales volume below $175,000 will qualify for the lower fees from Mastercard.

    • Non-profit organizations with transaction volumes below these thresholds will also benefit from reduced rates.

    Contacts

    Callie Franson
    Senior Communications Advisor and Issues Manager
    Office of the Minister of Small Business
    callie.franson@ised-isde.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
    media@ised-isde.gc.ca

    Stay connected

    Follow Canada Business on social media.
    X (Twitter): @canadabusiness | Facebook: Canada Business | Instagram: @cdnbusiness

    For easy access to government programs for businesses, download the Canada Business app.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Roundup: November 1, 2024

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:

    Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency: 

    • Today, the FDA published the FDA Voices: “FDA Takes Exciting Steps Toward Establishing the Rare Disease Innovation Hub,” by Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). The FDA Rare Disease Innovation Hub (the Hub) is an FDA cross-center program that will act as the single point of engagement and connection with outside parties for drug and biological product development and as a forum for CBER and CDER to collaborate on cross-cutting rare disease-related issues. Through the Hub, we plan to foster a community at the FDA for open dialogue and knowledge sharing to identify new approaches to drug and biologic development and overcome hurdles that have traditionally impeded progress for rare disease treatments.
    • Today, the FDA published a final Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) intended to provide the FDA’s current thinking on the adulteration of fish and fishery products with Scombrotoxin (histamine). The CPG will assist the FDA in addressing adulteration associated with decomposition and histamine identified during surveillance sampling and testing. It also will increase consumer protections related to scombrotoxin (histamine) fish poisoning (SFP) by lowering the levels of histamine in fish at which the FDA indicates that it may take action.
    • On Thursday, the FDA announced it will host a public meeting on Nov. 20, 2024, on recommendations for reauthorization of the OTC Monograph Drug User Fee Program (OMUFA). Registration information for this event can be found at the meetings page. The FDA welcomes comments from the public until Dec. 20, 2024. Details on how to submit to the docket can be found at the Federal Register notice. 
    • On Thursday, the FDA announced approval of a modification to the Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (OA REMS). With this approval, companies participating in the OA REMS Program have been notified that they will be required to begin providing pre-paid drug mail-back envelopes upon request to outpatient pharmacies and other dispensers of opioid analgesics by March 31, 2025. This approval follows an April 2023 letter FDA sent to manufacturers of opioid analgesics used in outpatient settings, informing them that they were required to submit a proposed modification to the OA REMS within 180 days of the date of the notice.
    • On Wednesday, the FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) released its 2025 Priority Deliverables, which highlights activities the HFP plans to focus on during its first year following a reorganization of the program’s design and responsibilities that went into effect on October 1, 2024. These priority deliverables are being shared while the HFP works on a more comprehensive multi-year strategic plan to advance its vision and mission.  
    • On Wednesday, the FDA updated the outbreak advisory for E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to slivered onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. The FDA continues to work with CDC, USDA FSIS, state partners and involved firms to investigate the outbreak. 

      As of Oct. 30, 90 people from 13 states have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Of 83 people with information available, 27 have been hospitalized, and 2 people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death has been reported from an older adult in Colorado. This person is not one of those who developed HUS. 

      More illnesses have been reported but they are from before McDonald’s and Taylor Farms took action to remove slivered onions from food service locations. Epidemiologic and traceback data show that slivered onions served at affected McDonald’s locations are the likely source of this outbreak. USDA FSIS conducted a thorough investigation in response to this outbreak, including traceback and testing of beef patties served on Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s, and evidence does not point to ground beef as the likely source of contamination. Testing on beef patties by the Colorado Department of Agriculture is complete and all samples were found to be negative for E. coli.

      Additionally, the FDA is working with Taylor Farms and their direct customers to determine if additional downstream customer recalls are necessary after Taylor Farms recalled yellow onions that were supplied to McDonald’s and other food service customers on Oct. 22, 2024. According to available information, it is unlikely that recalled yellow onions were sold to grocery stores or directly to consumers. Food service customers who received recalled onions were contacted and should no longer be using or serving recalled onions. In addition to recall activities, the FDA has initiated inspections at a Taylor Farms processing center in Colorado and an onion grower of interest in Washington state. The FDA’s investigation is ongoing.

    • On Wednesday, FDA announced that the agency issued warning letters to nine online retailers and one manufacturer for selling and/or distributing unauthorized disposable e-cigarettes with designs and functionalities that resemble smart technology, including phones and gaming devices. The products cited in the warning letters are advertised as having a variety of designs and functions that may appeal to youth, such as the ability to play games, connect to a smartphone, receive text or call notifications, play music, or personalize products with custom wallpaper. This latest round of warning letters marks another step in FDA’s continued efforts to remove unauthorized e-cigarette products from the market, particularly those that appeal to youth. 
    • On Wednesday, the FDA posted a new video in the “FDA In Your Day” series. In this video, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hilary Marston discusses food safety.
    • On Wednesday, the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health published the fall edition of the Digital Health Center of Excellence Newsletter. This edition features the Digital Health Advisory Committee that will hold a meeting on Nov. 20-21, 2024, a Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Glossary, another update to the list of medical devices that incorporate AR/VR or AI/ML, and more.
    • On Tuesday, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Scemblix (asciminib, Novartis AG) for adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase (CP). In the pooled safety population in patients with newly diagnosed and previously treated Ph+ CML in CP, the most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were musculoskeletal pain, rash, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The most common laboratory abnormalities (≥40%) in patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML in CP were decreased lymphocyte count, decreased leukocyte count, decreased platelet count, decreased neutrophil count and decreased calcium corrected. Full prescribing information for Scemblix will be posted on Drugs@FDA. 

    Related Information

    Related Information

    ###

    Boilerplate

    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Inquiries

    Consumer:
    888-INFO-FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $435 Million for Water Infrastructure Improvements

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than $435 million is being awarded to 102 critical water infrastructure projects across New York State through the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Grant programs. The grants awarded by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) deliver on Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State to help small, rural and disadvantaged communities with their water infrastructure needs. With critical financial support for local governments across New York, Governor Hochul is laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient future, ensuring every New Yorker has access to safe and clean water, while creating jobs and boosting the economy.

    “New York is committed to funding water infrastructure upgrades because every person has a right to clean water,”  Governor Hochul said.  “With this funding for communities across the State, we are providing critical resources to local economies, creating jobs and safeguarding the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.”

    The  complete list of WIIA and IMG awardees, including an interactive map and projects by region, is available on EFC’s website. 

    These grants will support water infrastructure projects totaling more than $1 billion that safeguard drinking water from the risk of toxic chemicals, upgrade and replace water and wastewater infrastructure in a manner that will increase community resilience, regionalize water systems, support local economies, and are critical to protecting public health and the environment. The ratepayers are projected to save an estimated $1 billion in costs the communities would have incurred if they had financed the projects on their own.

    Environmental Facilities Corporation President & CEO Maureen A. Coleman said,  ”EFC’s grants are a hallmark of New York State’s robust, nation-leading investment in the environment, which will help municipalities affordably invest in water infrastructure improvement projects. These grants will help get shovels in the ground for 102 water quality projects across New York State. EFC is committed to awarding grant funding to the communities that need it most, as demonstrated by the dedicated work of our Community Assistance Teams and the award of enhanced grants totaling $126.7 million amount to small, rural and disadvantaged communities.”

    This round of WIIA/IMG boasts improvements announced as part of Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State to maximize benefits for rural and disadvantaged communities.

    Enhanced Awards for 32 Projects in Small, Rural Communities
    Even with extensive financial support from the State, some municipalities are left passing a large financial burden to their ratepayers. To alleviate this burden on small, rural and disadvantaged communities, Governor Hochul directed EFC to increase grants for small, rural communities from 25 percent to 50 percent of net eligible project costs. Examples of enhanced awards include:

    • Town of Peru (North Country) is awarded $11 million for upgrades to the Town of Peru Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP), with a focus on effluent disinfection.
    • Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is awarded $9.8 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant.
    • Village of Richfield Springs (Mohawk Valley)  is awarded $9.1 million for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant and sewer rehabilitation.
    • Town of Ellicott (Western NY)  is awarded $3.2 million for the expansion of sewer service in the area around Fluvanna Avenue.

    EFC’s Community Assistance Teams Helped Municipalities Secure Grants
    Small, rural and disadvantaged communities are particularly impacted by deteriorating water infrastructure and emerging contaminants and often do not possess the resources and capacity necessary to advance a project for infrastructure improvement. Governor Hochul expanded EFC’s  Community Assistance Teams program that launched in 2023 to provide essential support for updating New York’s critical water infrastructure. Thirteen municipalities that worked with EFC through this critical initiative received grants, four of which are receiving enhanced awards:

    • Town of Mina (Western NY) is awarded $13 million for the construction of a new sanitary sewer collection system around Findley Lake and a new wastewater treatment plant to treat sewage from the new system.
    • Town of Potsdam (North Country) is awarded $1.4 million for the construction of a new sewer district.
    • Village of Parish (Central NY) is awarded $1 million for wastewater treatment plant improvements.
    • Town of Wilna (North Country) is awarded $154,527 for wastewater treatment facility upgrades.

    Awards Totaling $66 million To Protect Drinking Water From Emerging Contaminants
    Continuing New York’s national leadership on addressing the threat of PFAS, Governor Hochul increased awards for emerging contaminant projects from 60 percent to 70 percent of net eligible project costs. This change will help ensure cost is not a barrier for communities working to make life-saving investments that eliminate risks to their drinking water supplies. Examples of emerging contaminants projects include:

    • Village of Hempstead (Long Island)  is awarded $37 million for water treatment improvements to remove 1,4 Dioxane and PFAS.
    • Town of North Salem (Mid-Hudson)  is awarded $592,074 for the Pabst Water System PFOS Mitigation project.
    • Dutchess County Water & Wastewater Authority (Mid-Hudson)  is awarded $15 million for water system interconnection to remedy PFAS-Contaminated source water.
    • Suffolk County Water Authority (Long Island)  is awarded a total of $4.9 million for four projects using advanced oxidation to remove 1,4-dioxane from groundwater.

    EFC administers the WIIA and IMG programs in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH). The State has awarded more than $2.9 billion in water infrastructure grants through EFC since 2015.

    Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State continues to prioritize investments in clean water for communities statewide. Today’s award of $435 million will support more than 100 water projects across the State to protect public health and the environment. The investments, bolstered by EFC’s assistance to rural, smaller and disadvantaged communities, are advancing effective water infrastructure improvements that will benefit New Yorkers.”

    State Commissioner of Health Dr. James McDonald said, “Governor Hochul is ensuring that New Yorkers throughout the State have access to clean drinking water, the foundation to good health. The financial support in this latest announcement will help municipalities make critical upgrades to their water systems, something they might not be able to afford on their own, and thus help to achieve greater health equity in our great state. New York State will continue to work with communities to ensure their water is safe to drink today and into the future.”   

    Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “Clean water infrastructure is vital to public health and New York State is making a historic economic commitment for communities to address drinking water infrastructure needs. We thank Governor Hochul for her assistance of $435 million that will open doors for small, rural and disadvantaged communities to have an infusion of funds to get shovels in the ground to help create environmentally sound cities and towns for present and future generations.”

    Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “This $435 million in State grants represents a transformative investment in strengthening our water infrastructure, particularly in small, rural and disadvantaged communities. I am proud to have worked with Governor Hochul, Members of the Senate Majority and our partners in the Assembly, to secure this essential funding, which includes the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, and $500 million for clean water infrastructure allocated in the 2024-2025 Budget. By making this investment in our small, rural and disadvantaged communities, we are not only empowering them to upgrade their infrastructure, but also improving public health, saving ratepayers money, building climate resilience and strengthening our economy.”

    State Senator Pete Harckham said, “This major investment from the State ensures public health standards while supporting local businesses. Maintaining safe, accessible drinking water sources and supply systems is integral to future growth and prosperity, and I thank Governor Hochul, my colleagues in the State Legislature and the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation for making the financial commitment to see this through.”

    Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said, “Water infrastructure improvements are a crucial component of protecting the health of New Yorkers and the environment. With the continued threats posed by PFAS and other chemical contamination, the use of lead service lines and increasingly destructive storms and flooding, we must remain focused on funding projects such as these around the State. I thank Governor Hochul and EFC for prioritizing water infrastructure improvement and look forward to working together to secure more funding next year to continue this critical work.”

    New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe said, “Water is our most precious resource and investing in clean water infrastructure is absolutely critical for the health of all New Yorkers. We congratulate all of the water infrastructure awardees and commend Governor Hochul for her ongoing commitment to clean water and public health.”

    The Nature Conservancy’s New York Policy and Strategy Director Jessica Ottney Mahar said, “The Nature Conservancy commends Governor Hochul for dedicating significant resources to protect clean drinking water and update critical infrastructure. State funding enables New York communities to protect public health, improve quality of life and strengthen local economies. The need for clean water is universal; every person, every animal, every community depends on it, which is why public investments like this are essential.”

    Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito said, “Filtering out toxic PFAS and 1,4 Dioxane chemicals is one of the few things that everyone can enthusiastically support this year. These grants mean our drinking water will be safer, cleaner and more reliable, and that is why the public strongly supports clean water funding. Thank you to Governor Hochul for dispersing clean water funding in a timely and strategic way that protects public health and our environment.”

    Environmental Advocates NY Senior Director of Clean Water Rob Hayes said, “We applaud Governor Hochul for delivering a transformative round of water infrastructure funding. These grants are a win-win for our economy and environment, protecting clean water and creating thousands of good-paying union jobs. We are especially thankful for increased funding to help communities remove toxic PFAS from drinking water, protecting public health. With this funding, the Governor is demonstrating her commitment to helping communities across the State be stronger, healthier and more affordable.”

    New York’s Commitment to Water Quality
    New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, including more than $2.2 billion in financial assistance from EFC for local water infrastructure projects in State Fiscal Year 2024 alone. With $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in the FY25 Enacted Budget announced by Governor Hochul, New York will have invested a total of $5.5 billion in water infrastructure between 2017 and this year. Governor Hochul’s State of the State initiatives are ensuring ongoing coordination with local governments and helping communities to leverage these investments. The Governor increased WIIA grants for wastewater projects from 25 to 50 percent of net eligible project costs for smaller, disadvantaged communities. The Governor also expanded EFC’s Community Assistance Teams to help small, rural and disadvantaged communities leverage this funding and address their clean water infrastructure needs. Any community needing assistance with water infrastructure projects is encouraged to  contact EFC.

    MIL OSI USA News –