NewzIntel.com

Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI USA: Does Daylight Saving Time Actually Save? Research Shows Costs Outweigh Benefits

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    As we prepare to fall back once again this year on Sunday, Nov. 3, debates over the costs and benefits of Daylight Saving Time are sure to reemerge.

    A bill to permanently end the practice passed in the Senate in 2022 and awaits further movement through the House of Representatives, indicating the argument to overturn the century-old policy is heating up.

    Shinsuke Tanaka, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, has published work that helps inform this policy debate with evidence about the costs of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

    When Tanaka, who is originally from Japan, first came to the U.S., Daylight Saving Time felt like a shock, as Japan does not engage in the practice.

    An expert in environmental and health economics, Tanaka decided to look into the costs and benefits of DST. He found that many other researchers had been questioning the economic, environmental, and health impacts as well.

    DST was first implemented during World War I as an energy saving policy. However, recent studies have found that people actually consume more energy during DST, because with more daylight, people run air conditioners for longer, even if their lights aren’t on for as long.

    “The cooling consumes more energy, and the studies have shown that the energy consumption overall increases during Daylight Saving Time,” Tanaka says.

    People also go out more often during the extended daylight, usually in cars, which increases carbon emissions.

    For his research, Tanaka focuses on Indiana, because until 2006, only some counties in Indiana participated in Daylight Saving Time. This means Tanaka can look at data from before 2006 and after and get a clear picture of any changes that may be related to the start of participating in the policy.

    Shinsuke Tanaka, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics. (Contributed photo)

    “This creates the change in policy,” Tanaka says. “So, I can see what happened without DST in the previous year, and then I can see what happened to some outcome after they adopted DST.”

    Tanaka focuses on heart attacks, one of the most serious health impacts related to DST. Previous studies demonstrated that the number of heart attacks increases after the time change in spring, when clocks move forward one hour.

    This may be because people lose an hour of sleep in the spring transition, which has many negative health impacts. Our internal clocks also become misaligned with the external environment.

    “There is no clear mechanism in the medical literature,” Tanaka says. “But the evidence shows that sleep is important for cardiovascular diseases, and people do lose one hour of sleep during the spring forward, so then we can infer that this is one of the mechanisms.”

    Tanaka found a 27% increase in the number of heart attacks in Indiana for two weeks after springing ahead when the entire state started practicing DST compared to the year before, while no significant impact was observed at the fall transition. This increase at the spring transition was substantially higher than other studies which had found more modest changes, closer to 5%, in other countries.

    Tanaka explains this difference may be due to differences in physical environments and lifestyle habits between countries. Tanaka was also better able to control for seasonality because he compared data from before and after the transition to practicing DST.

    “Indeed, we found that heart attacks would have declined without DST, and that’s not quite controlled for in the medical literature,” Tanaka says. “In my own study, we can see what happened without practicing DST at this time of year so we can better control for that and then we find much bigger impacts.”

    Some have argued that this short-term negative health impact is offset by the opportunity to engage in more outdoor physical activity in the extended daylight. Tanaka, however, has shown that this is not the case. His research presents the first comprehensive evidence examining the overall impacts during Daylight Saving Time, countering the notion that the benefits of increased daylight could compensate for these harms.

    “That’s an important piece of evidence when it comes to the policy debate because people don’t just worry about the short-term impacts, but what is the overall impact,” Tanaka says. “So that’s what we need to understand.”

    Tanaka found that the increase in the number of heart attacks remained relatively consistent from year-to-year, indicating that it was just a shock from starting the practice for the first time in 2006.

    “It’s hard to justify this policy at this point,” Tanaka says. “There’s no such big benefit that can justify the significant costs that we see in many aspects.”

    This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.

    Follow UConn CAHNR on social media

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Strengthened in the Caribbean

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    During the training, experts from the IAEA, MD Anderson, PAHO and C/Can delivered lectures on breast anatomy, breast cancer epidemiology, risk factors, pathologies, clinical guidelines and image acquisition protocols for various clinical scenarios – with interactive hands-on image acquisition simulation and biopsy practice sessions. In underlining the importance of early detection, risk management, safety and image quality, they highlighted how essential a multidisciplinary approach is in treating cancer.

    Instructors delivered common and parallel programmes tailored to the specific training needs of two diagnostic imaging professional groups – technologists (radiographers and mammographers) and physicians (namely radiologists and those who are also involved in the interpretation of breast images such as gynaecologists, oncologists and surgeons) – from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, strengthening cancer screening and diagnosis for the Caribbean region’s 3.8 million women.

    Beyond providing financial support, the IAEA procured 52 breast mannequins on which participants could practice. For their part, MD Anderson and PAHO are providing participants with continued long distance teaching through their Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) telementoring partnership.

    The joint course, developed through collaboration between the IAEA and MD Anderson, enhanced regional capabilities to provide better support for breast cancer. MD Anderson is the latest IAEA Collaborating Centre in cancer care and first in North America.

    “This regional course – the first joint training under the IAEA’s recently expanded cooperation with MD Anderson –highlights the importance of collaboration in tackling cancer challenges across the globe,” said May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Human Health. “By working hand-in-hand with our partners to address specific needs, we can strengthen the cancer care capacities of IAEA Member States – enabling equitable care for all.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Harbour Grace — Charges anticipated against off-road vehicle operator who attempted to evade traffic stop

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Charges are pending against a 42-year-old operator of an off-road vehicle who attempted to evade Harbour Grace RCMP during a traffic stop in Harbour Grace on October 26, 2024.

    At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, police observed a side-by-side, with two occupants who were not wearing helmets, travelling at a high rate of speed on Harvey Street. The officer was unable to initiate a traffic stop and engaged another officer, who was also on Harvey Street, for assistance. In anticipation of the off-road vehicle approaching, the second officer positioned the police vehicle in the middle of the road and activated emergency lights. Upon approach of the police vehicle, the off-road vehicle operator attempted to evade the traffic stop by turning around in the roadway and subsequently crashed the side-by-side on the roadway.

    The passenger, a 48-year-old woman, was transported to Carbonear General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver, who was without insurance or registration, was uninjured.

    The side by side was impounded as part of the investigation. Charges are anticipated. The investigation is continuing.

    RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Health chief joins medical conference

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau led a delegation to attend the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Medical Products Administration Conference in Zhuhai today.

    During the conference, he introduced the latest initiatives of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub as put forth in the 2024 Policy Address.

    The conference is co-organised by the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau of the Macao SAR Government.

    It serves as a platform for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to share their work experience in drug regulation, enhance the work mechanism for collaboration on drug and medical device regulation in the bay area, and foster the innovation development of drug and medical device regulation in the region.

    National Medical Products Administration Deputy Commissioner Zhao Junning also attended the conference.

    During the conference, representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau exchanged views on the current situation of regulation over drugs and medical devices in the three places, as well as the mechanism for regulatory collaborations on drugs and medical devices in the bay area.

    They also covered bay area standards for Chinese medicines, in addition to the feasibility of streamlining the registration and approval procedures for Hong Kong and Macau-registered traditional proprietary Chinese medicines for oral use for sale on the Mainland, and had an in-depth discussion on the way forward.

    Prof Lo updated the conference attendees on the latest developments of Hong Kong’s healthcare policies put forward in the 2024 Policy Address.

    These included complementing technological innovation with institutional innovation through expediting the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices, strengthening biomedical technology research and development and translation, and promoting the internationalisation of Chinese medicines.

    Prof Lo said the Hong Kong SAR Government is determined to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, and expedite the provision of advanced diagnostic and treatment services to patients by leveraging the advantages of “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s healthcare professional system.

    He also noted that Hong Kong will actively integrate into the national development by dovetailing with the national initiative of fostering new quality productive forces in biomedical technology as set out in the Resolution of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization and the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

    “The Hong Kong SAR Government will enhance Hong Kong’s clinical trial capability and facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications by rendering firm support to innovation and application of advanced biomedical technology, with a view to attracting the world’s top-notch biomedical enterprises and research and development institutions to set up operations in Hong Kong,” Prof Lo added.

    The delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Fighting antibiotic resistance at the source – using machine learning to identify bacterial resistance genes and the drugs to block them

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Mississippi State University

    Current methods of identifying resistance mutations in microbes can miss other ways resistance can develop. koto_feja/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem around the world. When bacteria like E. coli no longer respond to antibiotics, infections become harder to treat.

    To develop new antibiotics, researchers typically identify the genes that make bacteria resistant. Through laboratory experiments, they observe how bacteria respond to different antibiotics and look for mutations in the genetic makeup of resistant strains that allow them to survive.

    While effective, this method can be time-consuming and may not always capture the full picture of how bacteria become resistant. For example, changes in how genes work that don’t involve mutations can still influence resistance. Bacteria can also exchange resistance genes between each other, which may not be detected if only focusing on mutations within a single strain.

    My colleagues and I developed a new approach to identify E. coli resistance genes by computer modeling, allowing us to design new compounds that can block these genes and make existing treatments more effective.

    Identifying resistance

    To predict which genes contribute to resistance, we analyzed the genomes of various E. coli strains to identify genetic patterns and markers associated with resistance. We then used machine learning algorithms trained on existing data to highlight novel genes or mutations shared across resistant strains that might contribute to resistance.

    E. coli is one of many bacterial species developing resistance to common antibiotics.
    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health via Flickr, CC BY-NC

    After identifying resistance genes, we designed inhibitors that specifically target and block the proteins these genes produce. By analyzing the structure of the proteins these genes code for, we were able to optimize our inhibitors to strongly bind to these specific proteins.

    To reduce the likelihood that bacteria would evolve resistance to these inhibitors, we targeted regions of their genome that code for proteins critical to their survival. By interfering with how bacteria carry out important functions, it makes it more difficult for them to develop mechanisms to compensate. We also prioritized compounds that work differently from existing antibiotics to minimize cross-resistance.

    Finally, we tested how effectively our inhibitors could overcome antibiotic resistance in E. coli. We used computer simulations to assess how strongly a number of inhibitors bind to target proteins over time. One inhibitor called hesperidin was able to strongly bind to the three genes in E. coli involved in resistance that we identified, suggesting it may be able to help combat antibiotic-resistant strains.

    A global threat

    The World Health Organization ranks antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 threats to global health. In 2019, bacterial antibiotic resistance killed an estimated 4.95 million people worldwide.

    By targeting the specific genes responsible for resistance to existing drugs, our approach could lead to treatments for challenging bacterial infections that are not only more effective but also less likely to contribute to further resistance. It can also help researchers keep up with bacterial threats as they evolve.

    Some microbes can transfer resistance to other microbes.

    Our predictive approach could be adapted to other bacterial strains, allowing for more personalized treatment strategies. In the future, doctors could potentially tailor antibiotic treatments based on the specific genetic makeup of the bacteria causing the infection, potentially leading to better outcomes.

    As antibiotic resistance continues to rise globally, our findings may provide a crucial tool in the fight against this threat. Further development is needed before our methods can be used in the clinic. But by staying ahead of bacterial evolution, targeted inhibitors could help preserve the efficacy of existing antibiotics and reduce the spread of resistant strains.

    Nothing to disclose.

    – ref. Fighting antibiotic resistance at the source – using machine learning to identify bacterial resistance genes and the drugs to block them – https://theconversation.com/fighting-antibiotic-resistance-at-the-source-using-machine-learning-to-identify-bacterial-resistance-genes-and-the-drugs-to-block-them-237919

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed appointed chair of CHM for another four years as three commissioners reappointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The appointment will involve a time commitment of 33 days per year. Remuneration for the role will be at a rate of £500 per attendance and preparation for meetings.

    Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed has been appointed chair of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) for another four years, from 12 February, 2025.

    The CHM is an advisory non-departmental public body which is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

    The CHM advises ministers on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines.

    Three commissioners have been reappointed:

    • Professor Marc Turner and Professor Christopher Weir have been reappointed to for a further four years from 5 July, 2024.

    • Professor Poulam Patel has been reappointed for a further two years from 5 July 2024. 

    The appointments will involve a time commitment of approximately 22 days per year, including 11 meetings. Remuneration for the roles will be at a rate of £325 per meeting.

    All appointments are made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Governance for Public Appointments.

    The regulation of public appointments against the requirements of this code is carried out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

    The appointments are made on merit and political activity played no part in the decision process. However, in accordance with the code, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public.

    None of the appointees have declared any political activity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Red River Bancshares, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ALEXANDRIA, La., Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red River Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: RRBI), the holding company for Red River Bank (the “Bank”), announced today its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2024.

    Net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.8 million, or $1.27 per diluted common share (“EPS”), an increase of $767,000, or 9.6%, compared to $8.0 million, or $1.16 EPS, for the second quarter of 2024, and an increase of $733,000, or 9.1%, compared to $8.0 million, or $1.12 EPS, for the third quarter of 2023. For the third quarter of 2024, the quarterly return on assets was 1.13%, and the quarterly return on equity was 11.11%.

    Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was $24.9 million, or $3.59 EPS, a decrease of $1.7 million, or 6.2%, compared to $26.6 million, or $3.70 EPS, for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the return on assets was 1.08%, and the return on equity was 10.86%.

    Third Quarter 2024 Performance and Operational Highlights

    In the third quarter of 2024, the Company reported higher earnings, an improved net interest margin, and fairly consistent loans and deposits. We deployed excess funds into the securities portfolio and completed a significant stock repurchase. In mid-September, the target range of the federal funds rate was reduced by 50 basis points (“bps”).

    • Net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.8 million compared to $8.0 million for the prior quarter. Net income for the third quarter benefited from higher net interest income and an improved net interest margin fully tax equivalent (“FTE”), along with higher noninterest income.
    • Net interest income and net interest margin FTE increased for the third quarter of 2024 compared to the prior quarter. Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $22.5 million compared to $21.8 million for the prior quarter. Net interest margin FTE for the third quarter of 2024 was 2.98% compared to 2.92% for the prior quarter. These increases were due to improved yields on securities and loans outpacing higher deposit rates.
    • Noninterest income totaled $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $321,000, or 6.3%, compared to $5.1 million for the previous quarter. Noninterest income benefited from the receipt of a $151,000 nonrecurring loan fee.
    • As of September 30, 2024, assets were $3.10 billion, which was $53.2 million, or 1.7%, higher than June 30, 2024. The increase was mainly due to a $30.5 million increase in deposits.
    • Deposits totaled $2.75 billion as of September 30, 2024, an increase of $30.5 million, or 1.1%, compared to $2.72 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, customer deposit balances remained consistent, with normal activity.
    • As of September 30, 2024, loans held for investment (“HFI”) were $2.06 billion, slightly higher than $2.05 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we closed on a high level of loan commitments, which should fund over time.
    • As of September 30, 2024, total securities were $697.7 million, which was $31.1 million, or 4.7%, higher than June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we redeployed cash flows from lower yielding securities into higher yielding securities, as well as deployed other liquid assets into the securities portfolio.
    • As of September 30, 2024, liquid assets, which are cash and cash equivalents, were $232.6 million, and the liquid assets to assets ratio was 7.50%. We do not have any borrowings, brokered deposits, or internet-sourced deposits.
    • In the third quarter of 2024, the provision for credit losses totaled $300,000. This included $200,000 for loans and $100,000 for unfunded loan commitments.
    • As of September 30, 2024, nonperforming assets (“NPA(s)”) were $3.1 million, or 0.10% of assets, and the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) was $21.8 million, or 1.06% of loans HFI.
    • We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per common share in the third quarter of 2024.
    • The 2024 stock repurchase program authorizes us to purchase up to $5.0 million of our outstanding shares of common stock from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we entered into a privately negotiated stock repurchase agreement for the repurchase of 60,000 shares at an aggregate cost of $3.0 million. In connection with this repurchase, we reduced the availability under the 2024 repurchase program by $3.0 million. We also repurchased 233 shares at an aggregate cost of $11,000 from the open market. As of September 30, 2024, the 2024 stock repurchase program had $1.2 million remaining.
    • As of September 30, 2024, capital levels were strong with a stockholders’ equity to assets ratio of 10.46%, a leverage ratio of 11.90%, and a total risk-based capital ratio of 18.07%.
    • The book value per share of common stock was $47.51 as of September 30, 2024, compared to $44.58 as of June 30, 2024. This improvement was primarily due to the decrease in the accumulated other comprehensive loss related to securities and net income added to stockholders’ equity, partially offset by stock repurchases.

    Blake Chatelain, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased with the financial results for the third quarter of 2024. We managed continued improvement to the net interest margin FTE, higher earnings, solid asset quality, steady loan activity, and continued strong liquidity and capital.

    “Throughout the majority of the third quarter, until the Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate, we continued to reprice assets at a quicker pace than liabilities, which benefited net interest margin FTE and net interest income. Loan demand continued to be steady in the third quarter, despite some companies possibly placing investment decisions on hold due to the pending presidential election. We did, however, close on a significant amount of construction loan commitments, which should fund over the next year.

    “On September 18, 2024, the Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate by 50 bps. This marks the conclusion of one of the most aggressive interest rate tightening cycles in many years. The rapid increase in interest rates has been challenging for banks and their customers. A lower interest rate environment should spur loan demand and mortgage loan activity, as well as help moderate accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity related to securities. Overall, the Louisiana economy seems to be faring well, and our customers’ balance sheets and earnings appear solid.

    “Our company is well-positioned for the future, with robust capital and liquidity levels combined with a great team of community bankers. As we gain more clarity regarding future interest rates and the presidential election concludes, we remain committed to providing steady financial results for the company.”

    Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin FTE

    Net interest income and net interest margin FTE increased in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the prior quarter. These increases were due to improved yields on securities and loans outpacing higher deposit rates. After keeping the federal funds rate consistent since the third quarter of 2023, the Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) decreased the federal funds rate by 50 bps in September of 2024.

    Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $22.5 million, which was $670,000, or 3.1%, higher than the second quarter of 2024, due to a $1.2 million increase in interest and dividend income, partially offset by a $550,000 increase in interest expense. The increase in interest and dividend income was due to higher interest income on loans and securities. Loan income increased $1.0 million primarily due to higher rates on new and renewed loans compared to the existing portfolio. The average rate on new and renewed loans was 7.89% for the third quarter of 2024 and 7.98% for the prior quarter. Securities income increased $266,000 due to reinvesting lower yielding securities cash flows into higher yielding securities. The increase in interest expense was primarily due to higher rates on interest-bearing transaction deposits and time deposits.

    The net interest margin FTE increased six bps to 2.98% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 2.92% for the prior quarter. This increase was due to improved yields on securities and loans, partially offset by higher deposit costs. The yield on securities increased 15 bps due to reinvesting lower yielding securities cash flows into higher yielding securities. The yield on loans increased 11 bps due to higher rates on new and renewed loans compared to the existing portfolio. The cost of deposits increased six bps to 1.81% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 1.75% for the previous quarter, primarily due to a nine bp increase in the rate on interest-bearing deposits during the third quarter, partially offset by our adjustment to certain transaction deposit rates late in the third quarter.

    Late in the third quarter of 2024, the target range of the federal funds rate was reduced 50 bps to 4.75%-5.00%. At that time, we adjusted rates on transaction and time deposits, and we expect to continue lowering these rates in conjunction with future federal funds rate decreases. The market’s expectation is that the FOMC will continue lowering the target federal funds rate in the fourth quarter of 2024. During the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, we anticipate receiving approximately $134.0 million in securities cash flows with an average yield of 2.86%, and we project approximately $194.2 million of fixed rate loans will mature with an average yield of 5.95%. We expect to redeploy these balances into higher yielding assets. Additionally, during the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, we expect $558.5 million of time deposits to mature with an average rate of 4.47%, which we anticipate repricing into lower cost deposits. As of September 30, 2024, floating rate loans were 14.9% of loans HFI, and floating rate transaction deposits were 7.2% of interest-bearing transaction deposits. Depending on balance sheet activity and the movement in interest rates, we expect the net interest income and net interest margin FTE to improve slightly in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Provision for Credit Losses

    The provision for credit losses for the third quarter of 2024 totaled $300,000, which included $200,000 for loans and $100,000 for unfunded loan commitments. The provision for credit losses in the second quarter was $300,000 for loans. The provision in the second and third quarters was due to potential economic challenges resulting from the recent inflationary environment, changing monetary policy, and loan growth. In the third quarter of 2024, we had an increase in unfunded loan commitments. We will continue to evaluate future provision needs in relation to current economic situations, loan growth, trends in asset quality, forecasted information, and other conditions influencing loss expectations.

    Noninterest Income

    Noninterest income totaled $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $321,000, or 6.3%, compared to $5.1 million for the previous quarter. The increase was mainly due to a gain on equity securities and increases in service charges on deposit accounts, loan and deposit income, and brokerage income, partially offset by a decrease in Small Business Investment Company (“SBIC”) income.

    Equity securities are an investment in a Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) mutual fund consisting primarily of bonds. The gain or loss on equity securities is a fair value adjustment primarily driven by changes in the interest rate environment. Due to the fluctuations in market rates between quarters, equity securities had a gain of $107,000 in the third quarter of 2024, compared to a loss of $13,000 for the previous quarter.

    Service charges on deposit accounts totaled $1.5 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $119,000, or 8.7%, compared to $1.4 million for the previous quarter. This increase was mainly due to a larger number of non-sufficient fund transactions and related fee income in the third quarter of 2024.

    Loan and deposit income totaled $588,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $96,000, or 19.5%, compared to $492,000 for the previous quarter. The third quarter of 2024 benefited from the receipt of a $151,000 nonrecurring loan fee.

    Brokerage income was $987,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $94,000, or 10.5%, compared to $893,000 for the previous quarter. The higher income in the third quarter of 2024 was mainly due to increased investing activity by clients. Assets under management were $1.13 billion as of September 30, 2024.

    SBIC income for the third quarter of 2024 was $301,000, a decrease of $153,000, or 33.7%, compared to $454,000 for the previous quarter. This decrease was primarily due to lower normal income received from these partnerships in the third quarter. We expect SBIC income to be slightly higher in the fourth quarter of 2024 when compared to the third quarter.

    Operating Expenses

    Operating expenses totaled $16.8 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $63,000, or 0.4%, compared to $16.7 million for the previous quarter. This increase was mainly due to higher technology expenses and other tax expenses.

    Technology expenses totaled $865,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $141,000, or 19.5%, compared to $724,000 for the previous quarter. This increase was primarily due to continued upgrades to our core banking systems and other software technology enhancements.

    Other taxes totaled $622,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $122,000, or 24.4%, compared to $500,000 for the previous quarter. The second quarter benefited from the reversal of $145,000 of stock repurchase tax expense due to finalized guidelines.

    Asset Overview

    As of September 30, 2024, assets were $3.10 billion, compared to assets of $3.05 billion as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $53.2 million, or 1.7%. In the third quarter, assets were mainly impacted by a $30.5 million, or 1.1%, increase in deposits. In the third quarter of 2024, liquid assets increased $19.6 million, or 9.2%, to $232.6 million and averaged $224.0 million for the third quarter. As of September 30, 2024, we had sufficient liquid assets available and $1.69 billion accessible from other liquidity sources. The liquid assets to assets ratio was 7.50% as of September 30, 2024. Total securities increased $31.1 million, or 4.7%, to $697.7 million in the third quarter and were 22.5% of assets as of September 30, 2024. During the third quarter, loans HFI increased $8.2 million, or 0.4%, to $2.06 billion. The loans HFI to deposits ratio was 74.84% as of September 30, 2024, compared to 75.38% as of June 30, 2024.

    Securities

    Total securities as of September 30, 2024, were $697.7 million, an increase of $31.1 million, or 4.7%, from June 30, 2024. Securities increased primarily due to $52.9 million in purchases combined with a $14.9 million reduction in net unrealized loss on securities AFS. This was partially offset by maturities and principal repayments.

    The estimated fair value of securities available for sale (“AFS”) totaled $560.6 million, net of $49.5 million of unrealized loss, as of September 30, 2024, compared to $526.9 million, net of $64.4 million of unrealized loss, as of June 30, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, the amortized cost of securities held-to-maturity (“HTM”) totaled $134.1 million compared to $136.8 million as of June 30, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, securities HTM had an unrealized loss of $17.3 million compared to $22.8 million as of June 30, 2024.

    As of September 30, 2024, equity securities, which is an investment in a CRA mutual fund consisting primarily of bonds, totaled $3.0 million compared to $2.9 million as of June 30, 2024.

    Loans

    Loans HFI as of September 30, 2024, were $2.06 billion, slightly higher than $2.05 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we closed on a high level of loan commitments, which, depending on customer activity, should fund over time. Unfunded loan commitments that originated in the third quarter of 2024 totaled $76.4 million.

    Loans HFI by Category
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Amount   Percent   Amount   Percent   $ Change   % Change
    Real estate:                      
    Commercial real estate $ 875,590   42.6%     $ 865,645   42.3%     $ 9,945     1.1%  
    One-to-four family residential   616,467   30.0%       611,904   29.9%       4,563     0.7%  
    Construction and development   141,525   6.9%       129,197   6.3%       12,328     9.5%  
    Commercial and industrial   327,069   15.9%       344,071   16.8%       (17,002)     (4.9%)  
    Tax-exempt   66,436   3.2%       67,941   3.3%       (1,505)     (2.2%)  
    Consumer   28,961   1.4%       29,132   1.4%       (171)     (0.6%)  
    Total loans HFI $ 2,056,048   100.0%     $ 2,047,890   100.0%     $ 8,158     0.4%  

    Commercial real estate (“CRE”) loans are collateralized by owner occupied and non-owner occupied properties mainly in Louisiana. Non-owner occupied office loans were $57.2 million, or 2.8% of loans HFI, as of September 30, 2024, and are primarily centered in low-rise suburban areas. The average CRE loan size was $947,000 as of September 30, 2024.

    Health care loans are our largest industry concentration and are made up of a diversified portfolio of health care providers. As of September 30, 2024, total health care loans were 8.0% of loans HFI. Within the health care sector, loans to nursing and residential care facilities were 4.4% of loans HFI, and loans to physician and dental practices were 3.4% of loans HFI. The average health care loan size was $399,000 as of September 30, 2024.

    Asset Quality and Allowance for Credit Losses

    NPAs totaled $3.1 million as of September 30, 2024, a decrease of $103,000, or 3.2%, from June 30, 2024, primarily due to changes to nonaccrual loans. The ratio of NPAs to assets was 0.10% as of September 30, 2024, and 0.11% as of June 30, 2024.

    As of September 30, 2024, the ACL was $21.8 million. The ratio of ACL to loans HFI was 1.06% as of September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024. The net charge-offs to average loans ratio was 0.00% for the third quarter of 2024 and 0.01% for the second quarter of 2024.

    Deposits

    As of September 30, 2024, deposits were $2.75 billion, an increase of $30.5 million, or 1.1%, compared to June 30, 2024. Average deposits for the third quarter of 2024 were $2.73 billion, a decrease of $5.6 million, or 0.2%, from the prior quarter. The following tables provide details on our deposit portfolio:

    Deposits by Account Type
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Balance   % of Total   Balance   % of Total   $ Change   % Change
    Noninterest-bearing demand deposits $ 882,394   32.1%     $ 892,942   32.9%     $ (10,548)     (1.2%)  
    Interest-bearing deposits:                      
    Interest-bearing demand deposits   163,787   6.0%       135,543   5.0%       28,244     20.8%  
    NOW accounts   379,566   13.8%       377,385   13.9%       2,181     0.6%  
    Money market accounts   551,229   20.0%       547,715   20.1%       3,514     0.6%  
    Savings accounts   166,723   6.1%       170,050   6.3%       (3,327)     (2.0%)  
    Time deposits less than or equal to $250,000   411,361   15.0%       399,981   14.7%       11,380     2.8%  
    Time deposits greater than $250,000   192,065   7.0%       193,030   7.1%       (965)     (0.5%)  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,864,731   67.9%       1,823,704   67.1%       41,027     2.2%  
    Total deposits $ 2,747,125   100.0%     $ 2,716,646   100.0%     $ 30,479     1.1%  
    Deposits by Customer Type
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Balance   % of Total   Balance   % of Total   $ Change   % Change
    Consumer $ 1,348,281   49.1%     $ 1,351,709   49.8%     $ (3,428)     (0.3%)  
    Commercial   1,191,625   43.4%       1,149,023   42.3%       42,602     3.7%  
    Public   207,219   7.5%       215,914   7.9%       (8,695)     (4.0%)  
    Total deposits $ 2,747,125   100.0%     $ 2,716,646   100.0%     $ 30,479     1.1%  
     

    In the third quarter of 2024, customer deposit balances remained consistent, with normal activity.

    The Bank has a granular, diverse deposit portfolio with customers in a variety of industries throughout Louisiana. As of September 30, 2024, the average deposit account size was approximately $27,000.

    As of September 30, 2024, our estimated uninsured deposits, which are the portion of deposit accounts that exceed the FDIC insurance limit (currently $250,000), were approximately $832.2 million, or 30.3% of total deposits. This amount was estimated based on the same methodologies and assumptions used for regulatory reporting purposes. Also, as of September 30, 2024, our estimated uninsured deposits, excluding collateralized public entity deposits, were approximately $674.8 million, or 24.6% of total deposits. Our cash and cash equivalents of $232.6 million, combined with our available borrowing capacity of $1.69 billion, equaled 231.3% of our estimated uninsured deposits and 285.2% of our estimated uninsured deposits, excluding collateralized public entity deposits.

    Stockholders’ Equity

    Total stockholders’ equity as of September 30, 2024, was $324.3 million compared to $307.0 million as of June 30, 2024. The $17.3 million, or 5.6%, increase in stockholders’ equity during the third quarter of 2024 was attributable to a $12.1 million, net of tax, market adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive loss related to securities, $8.8 million of net income, and $92,000 of stock compensation, partially offset by the repurchase of 60,233 shares of common stock for $3.0 million and $615,000 in cash dividends. We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share on September 19, 2024.

    Non-GAAP Disclosure

    Our accounting and reporting policies conform to United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the prevailing practices in the banking industry. Certain financial measures used by management to evaluate our operating performance are discussed as supplemental non-GAAP performance measures. In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules, we classify a financial measure as being a non-GAAP financial measure if that financial measure excludes or includes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of excluding or including amounts, that are included or excluded, as the case may be, in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP as in effect from time to time in the U.S.

    Management and the board of directors review tangible book value per share, tangible common equity to tangible assets, and realized book value per share as part of managing operating performance. However, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most directly comparable or other financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Moreover, the manner in which we calculate the non-GAAP financial measures that are discussed may differ from that of other companies’ reporting measures with similar names. It is important to understand how such other banking organizations calculate and name their financial measures similar to the non-GAAP financial measures discussed by us when comparing such non-GAAP financial measures.

    A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures is included within the following financial statement tables.

    About Red River Bancshares, Inc.

    Red River Bancshares, Inc. is the bank holding company for Red River Bank, a Louisiana state-chartered bank established in 1999 that provides a fully integrated suite of banking products and services tailored to the needs of commercial and retail customers. Red River Bank operates from a network of 28 banking centers throughout Louisiana and one combined loan and deposit production office in New Orleans, Louisiana. Banking centers are located in the following Louisiana markets: Central, which includes the Alexandria metropolitan statistical area (“MSA”); Northwest, which includes the Shreveport-Bossier City MSA; Capital, which includes the Baton Rouge MSA; Southwest, which includes the Lake Charles MSA; the Northshore, which includes Covington; Acadiana, which includes the Lafayette MSA; and New Orleans.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this news release regarding our expectations and beliefs about our future financial performance and financial condition, as well as trends in our business and markets, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “outlook,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on current information and on assumptions that we make about future events and circumstances that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond our control. As a result of those risks and uncertainties, our actual financial results in the future could differ, possibly materially, from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and could cause us to make changes to our future plans. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties to which our business and future financial performance are subject is contained in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in other documents that we file with the SEC from time to time. In addition, our actual financial results in the future may differ from those currently expected due to additional risks and uncertainties of which we are not currently aware or which we do not currently view as, but in the future may become, material to our business or operating results. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release or to make predictions based solely on historical financial performance. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements, express or implied, included in this news release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

    Contact:
    Isabel V. Carriere, CPA, CGMA
    Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Assistant Corporate Secretary
    318-561-4023
    icarriere@redriverbank.net

    FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)
     
        As of and for the
    Three Months Ended    		   As of and for the
    Nine Months Ended
    (dollars in thousands, except per share data)   September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    Net Income   $ 8,754     $ 7,987     $ 8,021     $ 24,929     $ 26,587  
                         
    Per Common Share Data:                    
    Earnings per share, basic   $ 1.28     $ 1.16     $ 1.12     $ 3.60     $ 3.70  
    Earnings per share, diluted   $ 1.27     $ 1.16     $ 1.12     $ 3.59     $ 3.70  
    Book value per share   $ 47.51     $ 44.58     $ 39.43     $ 47.51     $ 39.43  
    Tangible book value per share (1)   $ 47.28     $ 44.35     $ 39.21     $ 47.28     $ 39.21  
    Realized book value per share (1)   $ 54.78     $ 53.54     $ 50.27     $ 54.78     $ 50.27  
    Cash dividends per share   $ 0.09     $ 0.09     $ 0.08     $ 0.27     $ 0.24  
    Shares outstanding     6,826,120       6,886,928       7,150,685       6,826,120       7,150,685  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic     6,851,223       6,896,030       7,168,413       6,932,137       7,176,219  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted     6,867,474       6,914,140       7,180,084       6,949,196       7,188,371  
                         
    Summary Performance Ratios:                    
    Return on average assets     1.13%       1.05%       1.05%       1.08%       1.18%  
    Return on average equity     11.11%       10.69%       11.15%       10.86%       12.71%  
    Net interest margin     2.93%       2.87%       2.74%       2.87%       2.91%  
    Net interest margin FTE     2.98%       2.92%       2.78%       2.92%       2.94%  
    Efficiency ratio     60.09%       62.07%       61.70%       60.84%       59.02%  
    Loans HFI to deposits ratio     74.84%       75.38%       70.60%       74.84%       70.60%  
    Noninterest-bearing deposits to deposits ratio     32.12%       32.87%       35.22%       32.12%       35.22%  
    Noninterest income to average assets     0.70%       0.67%       0.73%       0.67%       0.71%  
    Operating expense to average assets     2.17%       2.19%       2.13%       2.14%       2.12%  
                         
    Summary Credit Quality Ratios:                    
    NPAs to assets     0.10%       0.11%       0.07%       0.10%       0.07%  
    Nonperforming loans to loans HFI     0.15%       0.16%       0.10%       0.15%       0.10%  
    ACL to loans HFI     1.06%       1.06%       1.09%       1.06%       1.09%  
    Net charge-offs to average loans     0.00%       0.01%       0.00%       0.02%       0.01%  
                         
    Capital Ratios:                    
    Stockholders’ equity to assets     10.46%       10.07%       9.20%       10.46%       9.20%  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets(1)     10.41%       10.02%       9.15%       10.41%       9.15%  
    Total risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets     18.07%       18.01%       18.35%       18.07%       18.35%  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets     17.05%       16.99%       17.31%       17.05%       17.31%  
    Common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets     17.05%       16.99%       17.31%       17.05%       17.31%  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital to average assets     11.90%       11.74%       11.56%       11.90%       11.56%  

    (1)  Non-GAAP financial measure. Calculations of this measure and reconciliations to GAAP are included in the schedules accompanying this release.

    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
     
    (in thousands) September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   March 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2023
    ASSETS                  
    Cash and due from banks $ 39,664     $ 35,035     $ 19,401     $ 53,062     $ 42,413  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   192,983       178,038       210,404       252,364       279,786  
    Securities available-for-sale, at fair value   560,555       526,890       545,967       570,092       529,046  
    Securities held-to-maturity, at amortized cost   134,145       136,824       139,328       141,236       143,420  
    Equity securities, at fair value   3,028       2,921       2,934       2,965       2,833  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,305       2,283       2,261       2,239       2,190  
    Loans held for sale   1,805       3,878       1,653       1,306       2,348  
    Loans held for investment   2,056,048       2,047,890       2,038,072       1,992,858       1,948,606  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,757)       (21,627)       (21,564)       (21,336)       (21,183)  
    Premises and equipment, net   57,661       57,910       57,539       57,088       56,466  
    Accrued interest receivable   9,465       9,570       9,995       9,945       8,778  
    Bank-owned life insurance   30,164       29,947       29,731       29,529       29,332  
    Intangible assets   1,546       1,546       1,546       1,546       1,546  
    Right-of-use assets   2,853       2,973       3,091       3,629       3,757  
    Other assets   31,285       34,450       32,940       32,287       36,815  
    Total Assets $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,073,298     $ 3,128,810     $ 3,066,153  
                       
    LIABILITIES                  
    Noninterest-bearing deposits $ 882,394     $ 892,942     $ 895,439     $ 916,456     $ 972,155  
    Interest-bearing deposits   1,864,731       1,823,704       1,850,452       1,885,432       1,787,738  
    Total Deposits   2,747,125       2,716,646       2,745,891       2,801,888       2,759,893  
    Accrued interest payable   11,751       8,747       8,959       8,000       6,800  
    Lease liabilities   2,982       3,100       3,215       3,767       3,892  
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities   15,574       13,045       15,919       11,304       13,617  
    Total Liabilities   2,777,432       2,741,538       2,773,984       2,824,959       2,784,202  
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES   —       —       —       —       —  
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                  
    Preferred stock, no par value   —       —       —       —       —  
    Common stock, no par value   41,402       44,413       45,177       55,136       58,031  
    Additional paid-in capital   2,682       2,590       2,485       2,407       2,327  
    Retained earnings   329,858       321,719       314,352       306,802       299,079  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)   (49,624)       (61,732)       (62,700)       (60,494)       (77,486)  
    Total Stockholders’ Equity   324,318       306,990       299,314       303,851       281,951  
    Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,073,298     $ 3,128,810     $ 3,066,153  
    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
                         
        For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine
    Months Ended
    (in thousands)   September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    INTEREST AND DIVIDEND INCOME                                    
    Interest and fees on loans   $ 27,909   $ 26,882     $ 23,925     $ 80,684   $ 68,541  
    Interest on securities     4,334     4,068       3,404       12,465     10,635  
    Interest on federal funds sold     —     —       —       —     886  
    Interest on deposits in other banks     2,630     2,709       2,950       8,378     6,359  
    Dividends on stock     28     22       45       73     106  
    Total Interest and Dividend Income     34,901     33,681       30,324       101,600     86,527  
    INTEREST EXPENSE                    
    Interest on deposits     12,444     11,894       9,562       35,993     21,319  
    Interest on other borrowed funds     —     —       37       —     64  
    Total Interest Expense     12,444     11,894       9,599       35,993     21,383  
    Net Interest Income     22,457     21,787       20,725       65,607     65,144  
    Provision for credit losses     300     300       185       900     485  
    Net Interest Income After Provision for Credit Losses     22,157     21,487       20,540       64,707     64,659  
    NONINTEREST INCOME                    
    Service charges on deposit accounts     1,486     1,367       1,489       4,223     4,317  
    Debit card income, net     905     949       830       2,875     2,687  
    Mortgage loan income     732     650       604       1,838     1,524  
    Brokerage income     987     893       1,029       2,867     2,759  
    Loan and deposit income     588     492       571       1,572     1,566  
    Bank-owned life insurance income     217     216       191       635     557  
    Gain (Loss) on equity securities     107     (13)       (113)       63     (145)  
    SBIC income     301     454       920       1,107     2,479  
    Other income (loss)     96     90       60       266     184  
    Total Noninterest Income     5,419     5,098       5,581       15,446     15,928  
    OPERATING EXPENSES                    
    Personnel expenses     9,700     9,603       9,461       28,854     28,008  
    Occupancy and equipment expenses     1,661     1,698       1,663       4,975     4,933  
    Technology expenses     865     724       675       2,298     2,066  
    Advertising     317     408       331       1,061     955  
    Other business development expenses     521     593       522       1,589     1,451  
    Data processing expense     652     651       651       1,650     1,689  
    Other taxes     622     500       664       1,859     2,042  
    Loan and deposit expenses     294     309       238       561     728  
    Legal and professional expenses     653     729       616       2,000     1,714  
    Regulatory assessment expenses     421     401       419       1,226     1,223  
    Other operating expenses     1,046     1,073       990       3,241     3,041  
    Total Operating Expenses     16,752     16,689       16,230       49,314     47,850  
    Income Before Income Tax Expense     10,824     9,896       9,891       30,839     32,737  
    Income tax expense     2,070     1,909       1,870       5,910     6,150  
    Net Income   $ 8,754   $ 7,987     $ 8,021     $ 24,929   $ 26,587  
    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    NET INTEREST INCOME AND NET INTEREST MARGIN (UNAUDITED)
     
      For the Three Months Ended
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate    		   Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate
    Assets                      
    Interest-earning assets:                      
    Loans(1,2) $ 2,054,451     $ 27,909   5.32%     $ 2,042,602     $ 26,882   5.21%  
    Securities – taxable   545,171       3,344   2.45%       546,466       3,069   2.25%  
    Securities – tax-exempt   191,285       990   2.07%       193,954       999   2.06%  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   194,229       2,630   5.36%       199,668       2,709   5.43%  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,284       28   4.85%       2,262       22   3.96%  
    Total interest-earning assets   2,987,420     $ 34,901   4.59%       2,984,952     $ 33,681   4.48%  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,702)               (21,653)          
    Noninterest-earning assets   104,599               96,631          
    Total assets $ 3,070,317             $ 3,059,930          
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Interest-bearing transaction deposits $ 1,230,487     $ 6,042   1.95%     $ 1,230,474     $ 5,701   1.86%  
    Time deposits   597,286       6,402   4.26%       595,120       6,193   4.19%  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,827,773       12,444   2.71%       1,825,594       11,894   2.62%  
    Other borrowings   —       —   —%       1       —   5.78%  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   1,827,773     $ 12,444   2.71%       1,825,595     $ 11,894   2.62%  
    Noninterest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   901,192               908,930          
    Accrued interest and other liabilities   28,006               24,868          
    Total noninterest-bearing liabilities   929,198               933,798          
    Stockholders’ equity   313,346               300,537          
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 3,070,317             $ 3,059,930          
    Net interest income     $ 22,457           $ 21,787    
    Net interest spread         1.88%             1.86%  
    Net interest margin         2.93%             2.87%  
    Net interest margin FTE(3)         2.98%             2.92%  
    Cost of deposits         1.81%             1.75%  
    Cost of funds         1.66%             1.60%  

    (1)  Includes average outstanding balances of loans held for sale of $3.0 million and $3.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively.
    (2)  Nonaccrual loans are included as loans carrying a zero yield.
    (3)  Net interest margin FTE includes an FTE adjustment using a 21.0% federal income tax rate on tax-exempt securities and tax-exempt loans.

    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    NET INTEREST INCOME AND NET INTEREST MARGIN (UNAUDITED)
     
      For the Nine Months Ended
      September 30, 2024   September 30, 2023
    (dollars in thousands) Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate    		   Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate
    Assets                      
    Interest-earning assets:                      
    Loans(1,2) $ 2,037,435     $ 80,684   5.21%     $ 1,933,226     $ 68,541   4.68%  
    Securities – taxable   553,714       9,461   2.28%       618,345       7,535   1.63%  
    Securities – tax-exempt   194,341       3,004   2.06%       203,748       3,100   2.03%  
    Federal funds sold   —       —   —%       24,861       886   4.70%  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   206,023       8,378   5.40%       167,210       6,359   5.05%  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,262       73   4.27%       3,744       106   3.76%  
    Total interest-earning assets   2,993,775     $ 101,600   4.47%       2,951,134     $ 86,527   3.88%  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,586)               (20,920)          
    Noninterest-earning assets   100,586               88,527          
    Total assets $ 3,072,775             $ 3,018,741          
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Interest-bearing transaction deposits $ 1,240,737     $ 17,424   1.88%     $ 1,259,198     $ 12,126   1.29%  
    Time deposits   591,771       18,569   4.19%       441,442       9,193   2.78%  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,832,508       35,993   2.62%       1,700,640       21,319   1.68%  
    Other borrowings   —       —   —%       1,539       64   5.49%  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   1,832,508     $ 35,993   2.62%       1,702,179     $ 21,383   1.68%  
    Noninterest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   907,722               1,016,034          
    Accrued interest and other liabilities   25,983               20,951          
    Total noninterest-bearing liabilities   933,705               1,036,985          
    Stockholders’ equity   306,562               279,577          
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 3,072,775             $ 3,018,741          
    Net interest income     $ 65,607           $ 65,144    
    Net interest spread         1.85%             2.20%  
    Net interest margin         2.87%             2.91%  
    Net interest margin FTE(3)         2.92%             2.94%  
    Cost of deposits         1.75%             1.05%  
    Cost of funds         1.61%             0.97%  

    (1)  Includes average outstanding balances of loans held for sale of $2.7 million and $2.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
    (2)  Nonaccrual loans are included as loans carrying a zero yield.
    (3)  Net interest margin FTE includes an FTE adjustment using a 21.0% federal income tax rate on tax-exempt securities and tax-exempt loans.

    RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED)
     
    (dollars in thousands, except per share data) September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    Tangible common equity          
    Total stockholders’ equity $ 324,318     $ 306,990     $ 281,951  
    Adjustments:          
    Intangible assets   (1,546)       (1,546)       (1,546)  
    Total tangible common equity (non-GAAP) $ 322,772     $ 305,444     $ 280,405  
    Realized common equity          
    Total stockholders’ equity $ 324,318     $ 306,990     $ 281,951  
    Adjustments:          
    Accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss   49,624       61,732       77,486  
    Total realized common equity (non-GAAP) $ 373,942     $ 368,722     $ 359,437  
    Common shares outstanding   6,826,120       6,886,928       7,150,685  
    Book value per share $ 47.51     $ 44.58     $ 39.43  
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 47.28     $ 44.35     $ 39.21  
    Realized book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 54.78     $ 53.54     $ 50.27  
               
    Tangible assets          
    Total assets $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,066,153  
    Adjustments:          
    Intangible assets   (1,546)       (1,546)       (1,546)  
    Total tangible assets (non-GAAP) $ 3,100,204     $ 3,046,982     $ 3,064,607  
    Total stockholders’ equity to assets   10.46%       10.07%       9.20%  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP)   10.41%       10.02%       9.15%  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova: More than 30 thousand primary healthcare facilities will be modernized in 2025–2030

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the plenary session of the 3rd National Congress with International Participation “National Healthcare”

    October 30, 2024

    At the end of the plenary session, the winners of the All-Russian competition of young leaders – healthcare organizers were awarded

    October 30, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    The central event of the third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” took place in the Great Hall of the State Kremlin Palace – the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the Present Day”, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist and physician.

    The plenary session of the third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” was opened by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

    The moderator of the plenary session was Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. The event was attended by Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova, Governor of the Orenburg Region Denis Pasler, and TV presenter of the Russia 24 TV channel Alexandra Suvorova.

    The plenary session included a discussion of key areas of development and achievements of the Russian healthcare system through the prism of the merits of the outstanding Soviet healthcare organizer N.A. Semashko: development of human health; accessibility of medical care regardless of place of residence; unity of prevention and treatment; public involvement in the implementation of state policy in the field of healthcare; ensuring sanitary well-being; healthcare management from a scientific point of view; provision of affordable healthy food for everyone and modern affordable medical products.

    “The peculiarity of this congress was its dedication to one of the significant organizers, the first People’s Commissar of Health Nikolai Aleksandrovich Semashko, who laid the foundations of the world’s first state health care system and formed a hierarchical state centralized model with a district principle of providing primary health care, which was subsequently implemented in many countries of the world – Great Britain, Norway, France, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and others. We carried the main principles of Semashko’s system through the years and laid them at the foundation of our Russian health care system,” emphasized Tatyana Golikova.

    The state character of the Russian healthcare system, its free nature and accessibility for citizens, has been preserved.

    “Every year, the state’s expenses on paying for medical care alone increase and by the end of 2023 amounted to 4 trillion rubles. Over the past five years, compared to 2018, expenses on paying for medical care have increased by 1.5 trillion rubles. And by the end of 2024, such expenses are preliminarily estimated at 4.5 trillion rubles,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

    Currently, medical care is provided by 7 thousand state and municipal medical organizations, including more than 300 federal ones.

    The federal law “On the Fundamentals of Health Protection of Citizens in the Russian Federation” establishes an approach to the formation of human health from birth and throughout the entire period of his life.

    The entire population of our country is attached to medical organizations. And at least 118 million people use their capabilities annually, including almost 31 million children. Medical organizations annually perform more than 1 billion cases of medical care.

    As Tatyana Golikova noted, in order to implement the main principle of Soviet medicine – disease prevention and prophylaxis – since 2024, the volume of medical care provided in outpatient settings has been increased, and dispensary observation at the workplace has been introduced. “But so far only 36 regions of our country have taken advantage of this opportunity. I ask all regions to more actively implement this approach to dispensary observation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. She emphasized that the principle of accessibility of medical care at the place of residence, work or study is the main one in Russian legislation.

    Accessibility of medical care and its provision itself are impossible without medical personnel. “Until 2023, we noted a decrease in the number of doctors. Therefore, a whole range of measures was implemented at the federal level, which allowed us, by the end of 2023, for the first time in the last five years, to stop this decline and increase the number of doctors by 7.5 thousand people without taking into account new regions,” Tatyana Golikova emphasized.

    Developing and continuing the foundations laid by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Semashko, the primary health care system is being actively modernized, which in 1978 was recognized by the World Health Organization as the best in the world, which was recorded in a specially adopted declaration. Therefore, the federal project for the modernization of the primary health care system is the most resource-intensive project of the new national project “Long and Active Life”.

    “Over the past three years, we have already modernized over 18,000 healthcare facilities, which affected over 24 million of our citizens. By the end of 2025, within the framework of current regional programs, we will modernize almost 2,000 more facilities. The plans for 2025-2030 include over 30,000 more facilities, where over 80 million residents of the country receive medical care, including those living in rural areas, urban-type settlements and small towns,” noted Tatyana Golikova.

    The priority of prevention in health protection has been established by law, the unity of prevention and treatment has been regulated. Almost 5 thousand medical prevention departments and health centers have been opened in its development. 35.5 million people have applied to these departments for training in the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Another 9 million people have been trained in so-called schools.

    The population is provided with medical examinations and preventive check-ups.

    Since 2024, as part of the Year of the Family, a medical examination to assess reproductive health has been introduced for the first time. Over 3 million men and women of reproductive age have already been examined. In 11% of cases, diseases that negatively affect reproductive function were detected. Additional examination and treatment of such patients is being carried out.

    “We have preserved and strengthened the state system of ensuring sanitary well-being and social hygiene, the foundations of which were laid by Nikolai Aleksandrovich. We have launched a new federal project, “Sanitary Shield of the Country”. We have formed a single centralized system for responding to possible infectious threats. As a result, we have ensured a multiple reduction in infectious diseases. Last year alone, such a reduction was 30%. More than 17 million cases of infectious pathology were prevented,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    Since 2019, a separate project aimed at promoting healthy eating has been implemented within the framework of the national project “Demography”. The project’s activities have already covered more than 40 million people.

    Research for the development of medical science is conducted by over 400 scientific, medical and educational organizations. These organizations perform almost 5.5 thousand studies for medicine. 120 billion rubles have been allocated from various sources for these purposes.

    “We have created conditions for the development of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. In 2023 alone, Russian medical products worth over 1 trillion rubles were produced,” said Tatyana Golikova.

    The participants of the discussion presented information in the format of “was – became – will be” on each thematic area of the session: since the time of N.A. Semashko, achievements of the present time and what will be implemented in the future, in focus on the advantages of the Soviet and Russian health care system and the replication of the Soviet experience of building a health care system in other countries.

    The final plenary session included an award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian Competition of Young Leaders – Healthcare Organizers. The competition was held by the Central Research Institute of Healthcare and Informatics with the support of the Ministry of Healthcare. The award ceremony was held by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and Minister of Healthcare Mikhail Murashko.

    The plenary session ended with an opera ball featuring artists from the Helikon Opera musical theatre.

    The third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” was held with the support of the Russian Government. The event was organized by the Ministry of Healthcare and the Roscongress Foundation. The organizational partner of the event was the Central Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Informatization of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ghost forests: Learn more as Halloween sneaks up!

    Source: US Geological Survey

    These eerie forests, filled with standing dead trees, tell a story on the effects of sea level rise and extreme flooding. And scientists with the USGS are investigating!

    When coastal forests are inundated with salt water or frequently flooded, trees can be stressed to levels they can’t withstand. If trees don’t survive, coastal forests can transform into different types of settings such as marshes or open water, creating ghost forests and leaving behind remnants of the ecosystems that once were.

    What the USGS knows…

    Coastal ghost forests typically occur in low-lying areas, and USGS scientists are studying how and where these shifts are happening across the nation. The USGS and partners are also working to forecast what areas might be impacted in the future, considering various sea level rise scenarios. 

    Changes can lead to potentially positive or negative impacts. Healthy coastal forests provide numerous benefits such as supporting wildlife habitat, filtering pollutants and offering flood protection along coastlines, while marshes also provide species habitat, improve water quality and absorb floodwaters, among many other purposes.

    A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water. Photograph by Melinda Martinez, USGS.

    USGS science can be used by decisionmakers such as land and wildlife managers as they consider the costs and benefits of conservation and restoration.

    An example: The Chesapeake Bay

    The eastern U.S. is a particular concern, as these transitions are taking place up and down the Atlantic coast. The USGS has projects in several areas, including, for example, ongoing research in the Delmarva Peninsula within the Chesapeake Bay. This region consists of several low sloped landscapes, which allows for rapid change to occur.

    Drilling into the trees

    Here’s where it gets even more interesting! The USGS and partners recently drilled into trees to see what’s inside. Why? To understand the role of ghost forests in greenhouse gas fluxes.

    Trees are known to naturally absorb and release gases, but there’s limited research on whether and how that process changes when coastal forests die. A recent study finds that standing dead trees in ghost forests have tiny organisms that actually convert methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to carbon dioxide, which is less potent.

    This insight is another piece of the puzzle as officials consider the trade-offs for how to manage these landscapes.

    The USGS is a coauthor on that study, which was led by Hollins University. 

    Share the tale

    Don’t forget to share what you learned with friends! Do they know ghost forests are real?

    Ghost forest on the Delmarva Penninsula. Photograph by Kyle Derby, USGS.
    A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water. Photograph by Melinda Martinez, USGS.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Time to freak out? How the existential terror of hurricanes can fuel climate change denial

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jamie Goldenberg, Professor of Psychology and Area Director, Cognitive, Neuroscience and Social Psychology, University of South Florida

    Hurricane Milton flooded parts of the Tampa Bay region just days after Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby. Bryan R. Smithy/AFP via Getty Images

    As TVs across Florida broadcast the all-too-familiar images of a powerful hurricane headed for the coast in early October 2024, people whose homes had been damaged less than two weeks earlier by Hurricane Helene watched anxiously. Hurricane Milton was rapidly intensifying into a dangerous storm, fueled by the Gulf of Mexico’s record-breaking temperatures.

    Many residents scrambled to evacuate, clogging roads away from the region. Officials urged those near the coast who ignored evacuation warnings to scrawl their names on their arms with indelible ink so their corpses could be identified.

    The two hurricanes were among the most destructive in recent memory. They are also stark reminders of the increasingly extreme weather events that scientists have long warned would be the consequence of human-driven climate change.

    Still, many people deny that climate change is a worsening threat, or that it exists at all. As its impacts grow more visible and destructive, how is this possible?

    Views of Hurricane Milton’s damage across Florida.

    One answer lies in a unique facet of human psychology – specifically, in how people manage the fear aroused by existential threats. For many people, denying the existence of a climate crisis is not only convenient, but may feel psychologically necessary.

    Terror management theory

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning anthropologist Ernest Becker put it this way: “The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else … to overcome it by denying it in some way is the final destiny for man.”

    In plain terms, he was saying that most people struggle to accept their mortality and take pains to distort their perception of reality to avoid confronting it.

    In the 1980s, social psychologists developed “terror management theory,” showing the lengths people go to deny death. Hundreds of experiments have tested its implications. In a common method, participants reflect on their own death, while control groups consider less threatening topics, like dental pain. The key question: What does death awareness do to people?

    After writing about death, people tend to quickly move on, pushing thoughts of it from consciousness with distractions, rationalizations and other tactics. Health care professionals see this every day. For example, people often dodge screenings and diagnostic tests to avoid the frightening possibility of discovering cancer.

    Skidmore College psychologist Sheldon Solomon discusses Ernest Becker’s ‘The Denial of Death’ and terror management theory in the context of humanity’s history of brutal behavior.

    But here’s the rub: Terror management theory suggests that when people are not thinking about death, it nevertheless holds influence. The unconscious mind lingers on the problem even after people have used strategies to quiet the fear by pushing it from awareness.

    Social psychology experiments show that people often cope with the specter of death by attaching themselves to cultural ideologies, such as religious, political or even sports fandom. These worldviews imbue life with meaning, values and purpose. And that can ease the terror of mortality by connecting people to an enduring and comforting web of ideas and beliefs that transcend one’s own existence.

    When people are made aware of death, those systems of meaning become even more critical to their psychological functioning. Existential threats make us cling even tighter to the meaning systems that sustain us.

    Climate denial as a defense mechanism

    Much like a terror management lab experiment – or the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton trigger death anxiety.

    Rising sea levels, warming oceans and intensifying storms – all tied to global warming fueled by human actions – represent an existential threat.

    From our perspective, it is not surprising that climate-related disasters disappear from the public consciousness almost as soon as they have passed. Google Trends data exemplifies this: Incoming storms instigated an uptick in searches for “climate change” and “global warming” in the days before Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 25, 2024, and Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, 2024. Then those searches quickly declined as people shifted their focus away from the threat.

    Unfortunately, climate change isn’t going away, no matter how hard anyone tries to deny it.

    While climate denial allows people to protect themselves from feelings of distress, terror management theory suggests that denying death is just the tip of the iceberg. For some people, accepting the reality of climate change would necessitate reevaluating their ideologies.

    Terror management theory predicts that individuals whose ideologies conflict with environmental concerns may ironically double down on those beliefs to psychologically manage the existential threat posed by climate-related disasters. It’s similar to how mortality reminders can lead people to engage in risky behavior, such as smoking or tanning. Hurricanes may reinforce denial and commitment to a worldview that rejects climate change.

    A path forward: Building new worldviews

    Although denial may be a natural psychological response to existential threats, the U.S. may be getting to a point where even deniers can’t ignore the existential threat associated with climate change.

    Again and again, Americans are gobsmacked by the devastation – from hurricanes to severe flooding, wildfires and more.

    A terror management analysis suggests that overcoming this crisis requires weaving a solutions-focused narrative into the ideologies that people rely on for comfort. As psychologists who work on terror management, we believe the fight against climate change should be framed not as an apocalyptic battle that humanity is destined to lose, but as a moral and practical challenge that humanity can collectively overcome.

    Tampa, Florida, meteorologist Denis Phillips had the right idea as the two hurricanes headed for his community: His fact-based social media updates eschew partisan critique, encourage neighbors to support one another and emphasize preparedness and resilience in the face of incoming storms.

    As Milton approached, Phillips told residents to remember his Rule #7: Don’t freak out. That doesn’t mean do nothing – it means evaluate risks without letting emotion interfere, and take action.

    Shifting the narrative from helplessness to collective empowerment and action can help people confront climate change without triggering the existential anxieties that lead to denial – offering a vision for a future that is both secure and personally meaningful.

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

    – ref. Time to freak out? How the existential terror of hurricanes can fuel climate change denial – https://theconversation.com/time-to-freak-out-how-the-existential-terror-of-hurricanes-can-fuel-climate-change-denial-242390

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People with blindness and low vision are squeezed by high costs of living − new research

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Zachary Morris, Associate Professor of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

    A young blind man prepares to board a Denver RTD light rail train in 2019. Robert Alexander/GettyImages

    Colin Wong, a blind Ph.D. student, can’t forget having to pay US$100 for an Uber when he needed to take a standardized test. There was no testing center in San Francisco, where he lived, that could accommodate his disability.

    That kind of expensive hassle isn’t unusual. It costs nearly $7,000 more per year to live in the U.S. with his disability, according to research I, a social work scholar, conducted with four experts at the American Foundation for the Blind – a nonprofit dedicated to promoting equality and inclusion for people with blindness or low vision.

    For our research, we looked at survey data from a representative sample of Americans, focusing on how people with visual impairments answered. We considered anyone who said they live with a vision disability – or said that they have a lot of trouble seeing or can’t see at all, even with glasses – as a person with low vision or blindness.

    We calculated that people with blindness or low vision spend, on average, 27% of their household income on expenses related to their disability – about $7,000 per year.

    Low-income Americans with disabilities are shouldering an even bigger burden. The people who took this survey and were earning less than $25,000 per year said they spent about 40% of their income on costs related to their disability, on average, compared with 16% for those with higher incomes.

    That leaves them with less money for other essentials such as food and housing. About 1 in 4 of the people we surveyed said they spent less on food to cover their expenses associated with their disability.

    And about 2 in 3 of the people we surveyed said they frequently go without goods and services they need, including medical care, assistive technologies and transportation to get to school or go to work.

    Why it matters

    Cost-of-living issues rank at the top of all Americans’ concerns, according to a recent Gallup survey. And people with disabilities, including those with physical or mental health conditions, tend to have more trouble making ends meet than the average person.

    That includes the roughly 7 million Americans with blindness or vision loss who are among the more than 1 in 4 people in this country with a disability.

    One reason for the higher costs of living is that people with disabilities tend to incur many other extra expenses, such as spending more on transportation, prepared foods and grocery delivery services. Others struggle to afford the prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements they need.

    Politicians and policymakers appear to be paying more attention to this problem, which my research team calls the “disability squeeze.” Vice President Kamala Harris, for example, announced in October 2024 a proposal to expand Medicare to cover the long-term care needs for older adults and people with disabilities.

    Denise Chamberlin and her guide dog, Ridley, emerge from a Toronto subway station.
    AP Photo/Business Wire

    What still isn’t known

    Our survey included 288 people with blindness or low vision. Studies with larger numbers of participants could greatly expand upon what’s known about this problem and what can be done about it.

    Expanding accessible public transit, making assistive technologies more affordable and increasing disability benefits might be enough for some people with disabilities to have an opportunity to thrive, but not for others.

    Future research could shed a brighter light on the cracks in the U.S. health and social welfare systems. For example, researchers could look into why people with health insurance from Medicaid or Medicare told us they had more unmet needs rather than fewer than those with coverage through private insurers. Other studies could examine how the disability squeeze affects the health and employment of people with disabilities over the long term.

    The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

    Zachary Morris’ research presented here is funded from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of this survey do not necessarily represent the policy of the federal government or any government agency.

    – ref. People with blindness and low vision are squeezed by high costs of living − new research – https://theconversation.com/people-with-blindness-and-low-vision-are-squeezed-by-high-costs-of-living-new-research-241752

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Head of the Kirov Military Medical Academy Evgeny Kryukov became an Honorary Doctor of the Polytechnic University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    At the meeting of the Academic Council of the Polytechnic University on October 30, a ceremony was held to present the diploma and mantle of the Honorary Doctor of SPbPU to the head of the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy (VMedA), Lieutenant General of the Medical Service, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Evgeny Kryukov.

    The decision to award the honorary title to Evgeny Kryukov was made unanimously by the members of the Academic Councilmeeting on May 24 this year.

    Evgeny Vladimirovich graduated with a gold medal from the military medical faculty of the Gorky Medical Institute, served in the Black Sea Fleet as a doctor and head of the medical service of a submarine. He was a senior resident and head of the therapeutic department, chief therapist, and since 2009 – head of the Naval Hospital named after Academician N. I. Pirogov. From 2014 to 2020, he headed the Main Military Clinical Hospital named after Academician N. N. Burdenko. In 2020, he was appointed to the post of head of the Military Medical Academy named after S. M. Kirov.

    Evgeny Vladimirovich is a legendary man who has visited all the hot spots, a doctor with a capital letter. In our difficult times, he heads the Military Medical Academy named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov, famous for the names of outstanding scientists and healers. It is the highest honor for us to accept you, Evgeny Vladimirovich, into our ranks as an Honorary Doctor of the Polytechnic University, – the rector of SPbPU, chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrei Rudskoy opened the ceremony.

    The new Honorary Doctor of the University was presented by the University Scientific Secretary Dmitry Karpov: Today, the large family of Polytechnicians welcomes a man for whom caring for the lives of others has become his life’s work. Often, saving lives. Evgeny Vladimirovich is a military doctor: from the Crimean Medical Institute and the Military Medical Faculty of the Gorky Medical Institute, which he graduated with honors, to the title of Honored Doctor of Russia and veteran of military service. Evgeny Vladimirovich is a scientist: since 1994 – Candidate of Medical Sciences, since 2004 – Doctor of Sciences, since 2016 – Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Department of Medical Sciences, since 2022 – Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the specialty of “military field therapy”. The author of more than six hundred scientific papers, prepared eleven candidates and doctors of science.

    Dmitry Karpov noted that Evgeny Kryukov contributed to the formation of a system for providing troops in armed conflicts, the creation of principles for interaction between military and civilian healthcare, and the adjustment of the scientific process to the needs of the army and navy.

    Dmitry Anatolyevich also said that Yevgeny Vladimirovich made a significant contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and participated in the trials of the Sputnik V vaccine. As the head of the Main Military Clinical Hospital at the time, Yevgeny Kryukov put on a protective suit and carried out procedures in the red zone himself to understand the operating conditions of medical personnel. For his dedicated work during the pandemic, he received the specially established Pirogov Order. Yevgeny Vladimirovich’s awards also include the Certificate of Honor of the President of the Russian Federation (2021), the Order of Honor (2022) and “For Military Merit” (2024).

    Evgeny Kryukov significantly strengthened the ties of the Military Medical Academy with the Russian Academy of Sciences and relevant international organizations. In conclusion of the presentation, Dmitry Karpov expressed confidence that such a connection will also be strengthened with the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    After all the welcoming words, the rector of the Polytechnic gave the command: Bring in the Honorary Doctorate Diploma, the mantle and the medal!

    According to tradition, the doctoral gown and cap were brought into the hall of the Academic Council by students dressed in the uniform of polytechnics of the early 20th century. The ceremony was accompanied by the Gaudeamus anthem performed by the Polyhymnia choir. Yevgeny Vladimirovich was also presented with a book about the Honorary Doctors of the Polytechnic — his page is already in it.

    In his response, Evgeny Kryukov thanked the members of the Academic Council for the honor of being elected as an Honorary Doctor of the country’s leading engineering university.

    Our cooperation in medicine dates back about sixty years, when the Department of Biophysics was created at the Polytechnic University. In 1997, the outstanding professor of the Military Medical Academy Vladimir Olegovich Samoilov headed the faculty of medical physics at your university, – said Evgeny Vladimirovich. – Over this time, more than a hundred people have been awarded the high honor of becoming Honorary Doctors of the Polytechnic University, mainly representatives of engineering and exact sciences. Today’s event is especially valuable for me, because for the first time a doctor has been elected Honorary Doctor of the Polytechnic University. First of all, this is, of course, the merit of scientific schools, professors of the Military Medical Academy, the merit of all military medicine. Your decision demonstrates the unity of science, the army and society. Probably, it was this unity that allowed our country to win victories over enemies in all historical periods, preserve its cultural identity and gave a powerful incentive to the scientific and technical development of the country. It is symbolic that this event is taking place on the eve of the great holiday of National Unity Day.

    At the end of the ceremony, the rector of the Polytechnic invited Evgeny Kryukov, as an Honorary Doctor, to support the tradition and give a lecture to the students.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Exciting Opportunity to Leverage Triller’s Underutilized Assets to Create Next-Gen Entertainment Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Triller Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ILLR) (“Triller Group” or “the Company”) today announced the release of its latest Fact Sheet, providing initial insights into the Company’s mission to become the next generation Entertainment Platform.

    “I could not be more excited about our future prospects, as an App, as a brand and as a group of leading-edge companies”, said Bob Diamond, Chairman of the Board. “We have the disruptive fighting brand in BKFC, the next generation streaming platform in TrillerTV, sophisticated AI tools helping Presidential candidates and NFL franchises find their audiences, and an App upon which we will build an integrated vertical video and connected TV multimedia entertainment platform.”

    With the creator economy valued at a massive $180 billion and experiencing robust growth, Triller Group is well positioned to address emerging issues driven by ongoing technological disruption. Issues such as creators or professional content providers struggling to protect, leverage, or monetize their content. Or users looking for better ways to discover and engage with exciting new content. These unmet needs of creators, brands and users create huge market opportunities for Triller Group.

    As the Company develops and implements strategies to meet these needs, Triller Group is not starting from scratch. The Company already has a strong foundation with powerful assets and brands in vertical video (Triller App), connected TV (TrillerTV) and content and events (BKFC) that foster passionate user engagement through authenticity and trust. The transformation journey has already started as evidenced by the fact that the Company has:

    • A content-rich Triller App, with 36% of users actively creating content.
    • A highly sophisticated, AI-driven suite of tools and services, currently serving top creators and leading brands globally on the Triller App and across the social media landscape.
    • More than 3,000 events live-streamed annually without a glitch through TrillerTV.
    • Proof of concept with BKFC, the world’s fastest-growing combat league, featuring highly successful events and unique content made accessible across all media distribution channels, including vertical video and connected TV, on a global scale.

    As Triller Group connects and integrates these underleveraged assets, Triller Group will start to occupy a truly unique position as an entertainment platform, translating into unparalleled value for all our stakeholders.

    Over the next few weeks, the Company will provide further updates as an experienced management team renowned for its execution and integrity is being put into place under the leadership of Kevin McGurn, the Company’s previously announced incoming CEO. More details on the transformation plan and associated business plan will also be provided during a planned investor and media day in November 2024.

    Triller Group is excited to embark on this journey to redefine entertainment and create unparalleled opportunities for creators, brands and audiences alike.

    The Fact Sheet is available on the Company’s Investor Relations page at the following address: https://trillercorp.com/ir/.

    About Triller Group Inc.

    Triller Group is a US-based company that operates two main businesses: the newly merged US-based social media operations (Triller Corp.), and the legacy operations of the Company in Hong Kong (“AGBA”).

    Triller Corp. is a next generation, AI-powered, social media and live-streaming event platform for creators. Pairing music culture with sports, fashion, entertainment, and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology, Triller Corp. uses proprietary AI technology to push and track content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks, enabling them to reach millions of additional users. Triller Corp. additionally owns Triller Sports, Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC); Amplify.ai, a leading machine-learning, AI platform; and TrillerTV, a premier global PPV, AVOD, and SVOD streaming service. For more information, visit www.triller.co.

    Established in 1993, AGBA is a leading, multi-channel business platform that incorporates cutting edge machine-learning and offers a broad set of financial services and healthcare products to consumers through a tech-led ecosystem, enabling clients to unlock the choices that best suit their needs. Trusted by over 400,000 individual and corporate customers, the Group is organized into four market-leading businesses: Platform Business, Distribution Business, Healthcare Business, and Fintech Business. For more information, please visit www.agba.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; the Company’s future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us following the consummation of the business combination; expectations regarding our strategies and future financial performance, including its future business plans or objectives, prospective performance and opportunities and competitors, revenues, products, pricing, operating expenses, market trends, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and our ability to invest in growth initiatives and pursue acquisition opportunities; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in Hong Kong and the international markets the Company plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the SEC, the length and severity of the recent coronavirus outbreak, including its impacts across our business and operations. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

    Investor & Media Relations: 

    Bethany Lai
    ir@triller.co
     investorrelations@triller.co

    Anthony Silverman
    ads@apellaadvisors.com

    # # #

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: RAISE Summit 2025 to Shape the Future of AI Confirmed for July in Paris

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PARIS, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RAISE Summit, the leading conference for the AI industry, has announced its 2025 event. Set to take place on July 8-9 in Paris, RAISE 2025 will bring together thousands of delegates to explore the future of artificial intelligence and meet the visionaries shaping this transformative technology.

    Poised to be the largest RAISE Summit yet with more than 5,000 delegates, the 2025 event at the Carrousel du Louvre will feature three stages and an exhibition hall. Highlights include a startup competition, hackathon, and VIP dinner, while 2,000 companies and more than 250 speakers will address key themes including the potential of AI to reshape everyday life.

    Speakers confirmed for the 2025 event include Jonathan Ross, CEO and Co-founder of Groq; Clément Delangue, CEO and Co-founder of Hugging Face; and Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP, Design & Emerging Products at Adobe. Event tracks include Infrastructure, Finance & Insurance, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Public Policy and Compliance & Safety, Breakthrough (Agents Economy, AGI), and Blockchain x Decentralisation.

    RAISE Summit Co-Founder Hadrien de Cournon said: “We are thrilled to announce the expansion of RAISE Summit into a two-day event at the iconic Carrousel du Louvre. Following the overwhelming success of our inaugural event in April 2024, it’s clear that businesses are eager to unlock the full potential of generative AI.

    “This next edition will be the European flagship AI event for businesses, offering C-suite executives a unique platform to shape their AI strategies and connect with the partners needed to drive meaningful implementation. As AI continues to transform industries, we are committed to helping leaders navigate this journey with confidence and insight.”

    One of the main draws of the 2025 summit, the RAISE Startup Competition, will attract cutting-edge innovators from across the world. Sponsored by leading venture capital firms, the competition is designed for emerging AI companies to gain recognition, connect with top investors, and accelerate their growth. The RAISE Summit Hackathon, meanwhile, will feature more than 300 participants tasked with creating impactful solutions that will drive the adoption of AI for businesses and consumers alike.

    As a tech-agnostic and cross-industry event, RAISE aims to bring together builders and innovators spanning multiple disciplines to explore and drive the future of AI. Delegates can look forward to in-depth case studies that showcase proven AI implementations and interactive sessions to refine strategy with industry experts. There will also be networking opportunities and side-events with key partners aided by an event app so attendees can plan meetings in advance.

    Praises for the inaugural RAISE Summit of 2024 included: “RAISE is where everyone in AI is going,” from Jonathan Ross, Founder, Groq; “As things become more virtual, I think it’s increasingly important for people to come together. The serendipity that can happen when you’re together in a physical space is life-changing,” from Chamath Palihapitiya, Co-Founder, Social Capital; and “I found RAISE to be quite remarkable and I’m sure many people will find value from it through contacts and opportunities,” from Karim Beguir, Co-Founder, Insta Deep.

    To reserve a place see here https://www.raisesummit.com/register 

    About the RAISE Summit

    More than just another AI event, RAISE SUMMIT forms a global gathering for the brightest minds, visionary partners, and industry leaders intent on transcending boundaries and driving AI innovation. RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI industry.

    RAISE Summit 2024 saw 2,100 attendees, 545 leading companies, and 110 inspiring speakers, with over 40 sponsors. For 2025, we’re building on that success, expanding to a two-day event, expecting +5000 attendees, 2000 companies, 250 speakers, 200 sponsors and focusing on the transformative potential of Generative AI to reshape industries, societies, and everyday life.

    Keynote speakers in 2024 included Chamath Palihapitiya, Co-Founder, Social Capital; Aravind Srinivas, Co-Founder, Perplexity AI; Jonathan Ross, CEO and Co-founder of Groq; Arthur Mensch, Co-Founder, Mistral AI; Caspar Herzberg, CEO, AVEVA Systems; Nicolas Dufourq, CEO, BPI France; Tony Fadell, Entrepreneur & Author – Ex-Apple SVP – iPod; Rodrigo Liang, CEO & Co-Founder of; SambaNova Systems; Renate Nyborg, Founder & CEO, Meeno; Michael Kratsios, ex-CTO of the USA – MD Scale AI. Leading sponsors included Google, AWS, Mistral AI, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Accenture, Tesla, Oracle, Hackerone and bpifrance.

    https://www.raisesummit.com/

    Jen Summers

    jen@chainof.events

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/91fcc022-7daa-4394-87be-1f4915e6b62b

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor chooses a Budget to rebuild Britain

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered a Budget to fix the foundations of our economy.

    • Chancellor protects public services as departments’ day-to-day spending set to grow by an average of 3.3% in real terms between 2023-24 and 2025-26, including increase of more than £22 billion for health to help bring down waiting lists.
    • Budget will restore economic stability and begin a decade of national renewal, providing a boost to public investment by over £100 billion over the next five years across roads, rail, schools and hospitals whilst keeping debt on a downward path.
    • No change to working people’s payslips as income tax, employee national insurance and VAT stay the same, but businesses and the wealthiest asked to pay more.

    The Chancellor has delivered a Budget to fix the foundations to deliver on the promise of change after a decade and a half of stagnation. She has set out plans to fix the NHS and rebuild Britain, while ensuring working people don’t face higher taxes in their payslips.

    The government was handed a challenging inheritance; £22 billion of unfunded in-year spending pressures, debt at its highest since the 1960s, unrealistic plans for departmental spending, and stagnating living standards.

    As a mission-led government, the Chancellor has today made clear the difficult choices this government will make to rebuild the country. This Budget takes the difficult decisions on tax, spending and welfare to restore economic and fiscal stability, so that the government can invest in the country’s future and achieve its mission for growth. This means hospital waiting lists will be cut with room to invest in Britain to rebuild our schools, hospitals and broken roads.

    The government is protecting working people’s living standards by raising the National Living Wage, cutting duty on draught pints, keeping bus fares down, and not increasing the main rates of income tax, employee national insurance, and VAT.

    The Budget will help rebuild Britain by boosting public investment by over £100 billion over the next five years while exceeding the manifesto commitment to fix an extra 1 million potholes per year with an additional £500 million for local road maintenance in 2025-26.

    Fixing the NHS and reforming public services

    By repairing the public finances and restoring economic stability, the Budget delivers on a new settlement for public services, increasing day to day spending for public services by 3.3% on average in real terms over this year and next to fix the NHS, boost the education system and repair the criminal justice system.

    This government has been clear from the start it will not tolerate wasteful spending – and that means treating taxpayers’ money with respect. For the next financial year, all government departments have a 2% productivity, efficiency, and savings target, that is expected to save billions of pounds.

    • The Chancellor has confirmed an additional £22.6 billion for day-to-day spending over two years for the Department of Health and Social care, supporting the NHS to deliver an extra 40,000 elective appointments per week, delivering on one of the Government’s first aims in office to reduce waiting times in the NHS.
    • The government is investing around £1.5 billion capital funding for new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners and new beds across the NHS estate to create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times and help shift more care into the community.
    • £100 million will be earmarked to carry out 200 GP estate upgrades across England, supporting improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling delivery of more appointments.
    • The Chancellor has focused on improving education as part of her first Budget, with an additional £4 billion for the sector, including £2.3 billion into the core schools’ budget which increases per pupil spending in real terms.
    • This will allow 100 project plans to begin delivery across England next year and begin to tackle the crumbling school and college buildings across the country. This paves the way for a long-term strategy to improve schools nationwide so that students can learn in safe, state-of-the-art facilities, tailored to the needs of 21st-century education.
    • The Chancellor will provide £1.4 billion for the school rebuilding programme, including an increase of £550 million this year.

    In addition to these commitments, this government is securing our borders and taking back our streets.

    • The new Border Security Command will smash the organised criminal gangs by deploying 100 new NCA officers and increasing cooperation with European intelligence agencies and police forces.
    • Smashing gangs and boosting the processing of asylum claims forms a crucial part of the government’s plan to cut asylum support costs by more than £4bn over the next 2 years compared to the previous government’s spending trajectory.
    • The Home Office settlement will put us on track to start delivering the manifesto pledge to boost visible neighbourhood policing with 13,000 more neighbourhood officers and PCSOs.

    Protecting working people and living standards

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

    • The Chancellor has made the decision to protect working people from being dragged into higher tax brackets by confirming that Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions thresholds will be unfrozen from 2028-29 onwards.
    • The National Living Wage will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, which means a pay boost for 3 million workers. The 6.7% increase – worth £1,400 a year for a full-time worker – is a significant move towards delivering a genuine living wage.  The National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds will also rise from £8.60 to £10.00 an hour.
    • The Chancellor is also protecting motorists by freezing fuel duty for one year and extending the temporary 5p cut to 22 March 2026 – a tax cut worth £3 billion. This will save the average car driver £59, vans £126 and Heavy Goods Vehicles £1,079 next year.
    • To support the take-up of zero emission cars, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) First Year Rates (FYRs) are changing from 2025-26. Rates for zero emission cars will be frozen at £10 until 2029-30 while rates for hybrid and petrol/diesel cars will rise from 1 April 2025.
    • The weekly earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance will be increased to 16 hours at the National Living Wage, worth an additional £45 a week from April next year, making over 60,000 carers eligible for support, and helping carers to balance work and caring responsibilities. This is the largest ever increase to the earnings limit and provides certainty for carers with a commitment that the earnings limit will increase with the National Living Wage in the future.
    • To help ensure pensioners are protected in their retirement, the Budget will also confirm a 4.1% increase to the basic and new State Pension as well as the standard minimum guarantee for Pension Credit, from April next year.
    • Over 12 million pensioners will benefit from this as the full new State Pension will rise from £221.20 to £230.25 a week, providing an additional £470 a year, while the full basic State Pension will increase from £169.50 to £176.45 per week, worth an extra £360 annually.
    • The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will also increase by 4.1% from April 2025, meaning an annual increase of £465 in 2025-26 in the single pensioner guarantee and £710 in the couple guarantee.
    • The administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit will be brought together for new claimants from 2026. This is two years earlier than previously planned, and will support more people to receive the benefits that they are entitled to.
    • In addition, working-age benefits and the Additional State Pension will rise by 1.7% in April 2025, in line with inflation. This increase will see around 5.7 million families on Universal Credit gain an average of £150 annually.

    Rebuilding Britain

    This government will not make a return to austerity and will instead boost investment to rebuild Britain by investing in the fabric of the country, as well as supporting the industries of the future. This will go towards rebuilding our schools, hospitals and roads, turbocharging the delivery of 1.5 million homes, and unlocking long-term economic growth.

    This comes on top of action already taken under the government’s growth mission including establishing the National Wealth Fund, publishing the Industrial Strategy green paper, and hosting the International Investment Summit.

    • The government is exceeding its manifesto commitment to fix an extra 1 million potholes per year, with an additional £500 million for local road maintenance in 2025-26 – an almost 50% increase on the commitment made by the previous government for the current financial year.
    • This brings the total amount dedicated to fixing the roads in England over the next year to nearly £1.6 billion.
    • This government is growing day-to-day spending at an average of 2.0% per year in real terms between 2023-24 and 2029-30 to support public services.
    • This government is boosting public investment by over £100 billion over the next five years whilst keeping debt on a downward path, with a greater focus on value for money and delivery to help unlock long-term growth.
    • Capital investment will increase by £13 billion next year, taking total departmental capital spending to £131 billion in 2025-26. This includes increased investment in local roads maintenance and local transport, supporting everyday journeys, and driving growth in our regional towns and cities.
    • The government is also making the reforms needed to deliver sustained growth in the long-term. These include ambitious planning reforms to remove barriers to growth, the development of a 10-year infrastructure strategy to be published alongside Phase 2 of the Spending Review, the publication shortly of the Get Britain Working White Paper, and the establishment of Skills England to ensure we have the highly-trained workforce needed to deliver economic growth.
    • An extra £200 million will be given to Metro Mayors for local transport in 2025/26, bringing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements to over £1.3 billion.
    • The government is also announcing over £650 million for improving transport in towns, villages, and rural areas alongside our city regions.
    • Single bus fares will be kept down at £3 until the end of 2025, as part of an over £1bn package to support bus services across the country.
    • To fully harness its potential and foster a dynamic investment economy, the government is protecting record levels of government R&D investment with £20.4 billion allocated in 2025-26.
    • To boost digital infrastructure in under-served areas across the UK and support growth in the digital and technology sectors, the government will invest over £500 million in Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network next year.
    • A new housing package will include £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme, increasing it to £3.1 billion, the biggest annual budget for affordable housing in over a decade. This brings total investment in housing supply to over £5 billion and supports the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes.
    • £3 billion of additional support will be provided to SMEs and the Build to Rent sector by expanding existing housing guarantee schemes to support a strong and diverse private housing market.
    • The Budget also began the government’s reform of business rates to help level the playing field for high streets across the country as from 2026-27 permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties will be introduced. This will be funded sustainably by introducing a higher multiplier for the most valuable properties, including distribution warehouses used by online giants.
    • To support the transition, the Chancellor also announced a 40% relief for retail, hospitality and leisure, up to a cap of £110,000 per business. The small business multiplier will also be frozen next year to protect against inflationary increases. This support is worth almost £2.4 billion over the next five years. One third of business properties will continue to pay no business rates because of Small Business Rates Relief.

    Repairing public finances

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

    • The rate of employer National Insurance will increase by 1.2 percentage points, to 15% from 6 April 2025. The Secondary Threshold – the level at which employers become liable to pay national insurance on each employee’s salary – will reduce from £9,100 per year to £5,000 per year.
    • The smallest businesses will be protected as the Employment Allowance will increase to £10,500 from £5,000 and be extended to all eligible employers by removing the £100,000 cap, allowing firms to employ up to four National Living Wage workers full time without paying employer National Insurance on their wages.
    • Capital Gains Tax (CGT) will increase from 10% to 18% for those paying the lower rate, and 20% to 24% for those paying the higher rate. These new rates will match the residential property rates, which will unchanged at 18 for the lower rate and 24% for the higher rate.
    • To encourage entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses, Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) will remain at 10% this year, before rising to 14% on 6 April 2025 and 18% from 6 April 2026-27.
    • The OBR say changes to CGT will raise £2.5 billion by the end of the forecast and the UK will continue to have the lowest CGT rate of any European G7 country.
    • Inheritance tax thresholds will be fixed at their current levels for a further two years until April 2030. More than 90% of estates each year will not pay inheritance tax. From April 2027 inherited pension pots will be subject to inheritance tax. This removes a distortion which has led to pensions being used as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth rather than their original purpose to fund retirement.

    • From April 2026, agricultural property relief and business property relief will be reformed. The highest rate of relief will continue at 100% for the first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets on top of the existing nil-rate bands, fully protecting the majority of businesses and farms. The rate of relief will reduce to 50% after the first £1 million. Reforms will affect the wealthiest 2,000 estates each year. Inheritance tax reforms are predicted by the OBR to raise £2 billion in total to support public services.

    • The government will also uprate alcohol duty in line with RPI, except for most drinks in pubs. To support British pubs, and brewers, the government is reducing duty on qualifying draught products, which represent approximately 3 in 5 alcoholic drinks sold in pubs.

    • This measure reduces duty bills by over £85 million a year, cutting duty on an average strength pint in a pub by a penny. The value of the relief available to small producers will also be increased to help smaller brewers and cidermakers.   

    • From 2026-27 Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates for short and long-haul flights will be adjusted to partially account for previous high inflation. For economy passengers, this is only a £1 increase for domestic flights, £2 extra for short haul, and £12 more for long-haul flights, with children under the age of 16 remaining exempt from APD. APD for larger private jets will be increased by a further 50%. These changes will help align with the government’s environmental objectives.

    To further support the government’s mission to fix the NHS, the Budget announces a package of measures that disincentivise activities that cause ill health, by:

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

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

    • A new residence-based regime will replace the current non-dom regime from April 2025 and will be designed to attract investment and talent to the UK.
    • Offshore trusts will no longer be able to be used to shelter assets from Inheritance Tax, and there will be transitional arrangements in place for people who have made plans based on current rules.
    • The planned 50% reduction for foreign income in the first year of the new regime will be removed.

    • Reforms to the non-dom regime will raise a total of £12.7 billion according to the OBR.

    • The tax treatment of carried interest will be reformed by first increasing the Capital Gains Tax rates on carried interest to 32% and then, from April 2026, moving to a revised regime – with bespoke rules to reflect the characteristics of the reward.
    • The Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings surcharge of Stamp Duty Land Tax will rise from 3 to 5%, providing those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, with a comparative advantage over second home buyers, landlords, and businesses purchasing residential property.
    • To secure additional funding to help deliver commitments relating to education and young people, the government will introduce 20% VAT on education and boarding services provided for a charge by private schools from 1 January 2025. The government will also remove business rates charitable rate relief from private schools in England from April 2025. 
    • Over the next five years HMRC, will look to close the UK’s tax gap – the amount of uncollected tax owed to the UK – by bringing in an additional £6.5 billion per year. The revenue will go directly to funding UK public services and fixing the foundations of the economy.
    • The package to close the tax gap will include overhauling HMRC’s IT system to improve their debt management system to ensure tax debt enquiries can be dealt with faster, improving the productivity of the organisation. 5000 additional compliance staff will be recruited and 1,800 debt management staff will also be maintained and recruited. HMRC’s services will be also digitised to make it easier and simpler for taxpayers to self-serve and manage their tax affairs.

    The government has also published its Corporate Tax Roadmap alongside the Budget. This will offer the certainty that encourages investment and gives business the confidence to grow. The Roadmap includes commitments:

    • to cap the headline rate of Corporation Tax at 25%, which is the lowest in the G7;
    • to maintain our world leading capital allowances system (including permanent full expensing and the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance);
    • to preserve the generosity of our R&D reliefs; and
    • to develop a new process for increasing the tax certainty available in advance for major investments.

    Strengthening the fiscal framework

    The Chancellor has paved the way for growth while doubling down on fiscal responsibility by making reforms to the fiscal framework. This is based on two new fiscal rules: the stability rule and the investment rule.

    • The stability rule will balance the current budget, so day-to-day costs are met by revenues.
    • The investment rule will ensure that net financial debt is falling as a proportion of GDP. This rule keeps debt on a sustainable path whilst allowing the step change needed for investment.
    • Both of these rules will be met two years early in 2027-28.
    • This investment will be underpinned by clear guardrails to ensure it is high quality and well delivered.
    • Our ten-year infrastructure strategy will provide industry a vision of the government’s priorities and a credible delivery plan to encourage investment and supply chains.
    • NISTA will be the central body that brings strategy and delivery together under one roof to implement this strategy working across Whitehall and industry.
    • Further reforms will help deliver stability by holding Spending Reviews every two years, setting plans for at least three years to ensure public services are always planned and improve value for money. One major fiscal event per year will give families and businesses stability and certainty on tax and spending changes.
    • The Fiscal Lock will ensure no future government can sideline the OBR again, and we are committing to improving the transparency and consistency of the spending information shared with the OBR.
    • The government will also introduce new controls: that financial investments should by default target a return for the Exchequer that at least covers the government’s cost of borrowing, that all large-scale financial transactions will be managed by expert bodies like the National Wealth Fund, and that the government will publish an annual report on the performance and value of its financial assets based on accounts audited by the National Audit Office.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Murphy Announces Kate McDonnell as Chief Counsel

    Source: US State of New Jersey

    TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today announced that Kate McDonnell, currently serving as Deputy Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, will be his next Chief Counsel. McDonnell will assume the role in mid-November following the departure of Parimal Garg, who is leaving to pursue an opportunity in private practice.

    “I am thrilled to welcome Kate McDonnell back to the Governor’s Office as my new Chief Counsel,” said Governor Murphy. “Her decades of service to the Garden State and her strong background in public policy demonstrate the ideal skillset to excel in this role. I look forward to working alongside Kate as we continue working to advance the goals of our Administration and build a stronger, fairer New Jersey.”

    “I want to thank Governor Murphy for his confidence in me, and for giving me the opportunity to serve as his next Chief Counsel,” said incoming Chief Counsel Kate McDonnell. “I would also like to thank Parimal Garg for his valuable support over the years and through this transition. I look forward to returning to the Governor’s Office and continuing to build upon the great work and tremendous accomplishments of the Murphy Administration.”

    “I served with Kate McDonnell in the Governor’s Counsel’s Office for five years, and continued to work with her as she assumed senior roles in the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Community Affairs,” said outgoing Chief Counsel Parimal Garg. “Kate is brilliant, deeply versed in public policy, and the consummate team player. Her entire career has been dedicated to public service and her contributions to this state are already immeasurable. I know Kate will do an outstanding job as Governor Murphy’s chief counsel and solidify the Murphy Administration’s legacy of historic achievements.”

    Kate McDonnell first began her career in public service in 2006, serving the New Jersey Assembly Democratic Office for nearly 12 years, including nine years as General Counsel under Speakers Joe Roberts, Sheila Oliver, and Vincent Prieto.

    Following Governor Murphy’s inauguration in 2018, McDonnell served for nearly five years as his Deputy Chief Counsel and then later Senior Deputy Chief Counsel.

    In November 2022, McDonnell took on the role of Chief Counsel to New Jersey’s Attorney General Matt Platkin. In January 2024, McDonnell moved to the Department of Community Affairs to serve as Deputy Commissioner under Commissioner Jacquelyn Suarez.

    McDonnell received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude, and earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law, Camden. She also holds a Master’s degree from Rutgers New Brunswick’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Company Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Sell Misbranded N95 Masks to Hospital in Early Months of COVID-19 Pandemic

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Two individuals also pleaded guilty to misbranding N95 masks and conspiracy to commit price gouging

    BOSTON – A Florida company, and two individuals associated with the company, have pleaded guilty to charges associated with shipping facemasks that were misbranded as N95 respirators, and price gouging hospitals, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    JDM Supply LLC (JDM) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded devices into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Daniel Motha, 40, of Miami, Fla., and Jeffrey Motha, 36, of Norfolk, Mass., also pleaded guilty to one count of introduction of misbranded devices into interstate commerce and one count of conspiracy to commit price gouging in violation of the Defense Production Act. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Daniel Motha and Jeffrey Motha on March 4, 2025 and JDM on March 25, 2025. In August 2023, a third individual, Jason Colantuoni of Norfolk, Mass, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit price gouging in connection with this investigation.  

    In the spring of 2020, during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, JDM and a company identified as “Company 1” conspired to ship facemasks that were misbranded as National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved, N95 respirators. One hospital accepted and paid for hundreds of thousands of purported N95 masks that were manufactured by Company 1 and sold by JDM. Ultimately, the hospital did not use the masks, which were eventually returned to Company 1. JDM misled the hospital into believing that the Company 1 masks were NIOSH-approved N95s, when in fact they were not.

    In August 2020, a NIOSH lab tested a sample of the Company 1 masks that had been shipped to the hospital. The masks tested between 83.94% and 93.24% filtration efficiency, thus falling below the 95% minimum level of filtration efficiency required for N95 respirators.  

    Daniel Motha and Jeff Motha conspired to use JDM to exploit and profit off of the critical need of hospitals and healthcare workers for scarce N95 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They accumulated N95 masks from various sources and then sold the N95 masks through JDM to hospitals in Massachusetts, and elsewhere, at prices in excess of the prevailing market price.

    The charge of conspiracy to introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate commerce a misbranded device with intent to defraud or mislead, brought against JDM, provides for a fine of $500,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense, whichever is greater and up to five years of probation. The charge of introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce a misbranded device provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison; up to one year of supervised release; and a fine of $100,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit price gouging in violation of the Defense Production Act provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison; up to one year of supervised release; and a fine of up to $10,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Brady and Howard Locker of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud. 
        
    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa’s flagship universities have a proud history – but are they serving local communities?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By James Ransom, Researcher: societal challenges, UCL

    Universities play a number of crucial roles in society. They educate students, research solutions to problems and serve as spaces for national debate. This is especially true for large public institutions, often referred to as flagship universities. A number were launched with great fanfare around the time of a country’s independence from colonial rule. They were tasked with driving national development by training skilled graduates to fill workforce gaps and conducting applied research to address societal challenges. Many have done well in their historic national missions. But how are they performing today when it comes to serving their local communities?

    Higher education researcher James Ransom set out to answer this question in his new book, Revisiting Africa’s Flagship Universities: Local, National and International Dynamics. He analysed local engagement at ten African flagship universities: Ethiopia’s University of Addis Ababa; Makerere University in Uganda; the universities of Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Nigeria’s University of Ibadan. He tells The Conversation Africa what he learned.

    What is a flagship university?

    They are pillars of the nation: their campuses are intertwined with history as sites of protest and revolution; their researchers lead the way in publications and research; their students are tomorrow’s leaders.

    Sometimes there is one flagship in a country. Sometimes a country will be home to several. In Nigeria, the University of Ibadan is joined by the University of Nigeria at Nsukka.

    A map showing the ten flagship universities the author studied. Dr James Ransom, Author provided (no reuse)

    Small, specialist institutions and private universities all play important roles in national higher education systems. But flagships are the trendsetters. They often mentor new universities by seconding senior staff to lead them, and helping design the curricula. Their staff sit on government committees. They have international partnerships and projects.

    The term “flagship” has been used elsewhere in the world, not just in post-colonial countries. In the book I focused on Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa, including countries that were not traditional colonial states, such as Ethiopia.

    Read more: The untold story of how Africa’s flagship universities have advanced

    What made you write this book and why now?

    In the UK, where I live, we have seen a shift in the expectations placed upon universities.

    The “redbrick” universities, such as Birmingham and Liverpool, are a good example. They were founded in the 19th century to meet local needs. Then they developed strong global ambitions over the next hundred years, excelling in world-leading research and innovation.

    During the past couple of decades, the local question returned: what are you doing to serve your local community? The redbricks (and many others) have responded – nudged along by national policies and frameworks – with serious programmes of civic engagement. These include projects designed with communities, seconding staff into local planning organisations, and opening up their campuses to communities – from 5-a-side football pitches to photography exhibitions.

    The shift I witnessed in the UK, and mirrored in my work across Europe and Canada, made me wonder: has a similar shift, from a historic national mission to a local one, taken place for African universities?

    The question is timely. Societal challenges may be national or global in scale. But they need local knowledge and local partnerships to solve at the local level. This means universities working with local government, which is a key focus of my work. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has calculated that 100 of the 169 UN Sustainable Development Goal targets can only be achieved if local governments are involved. Universities can play an important supporting role.

    What did you find?

    It is clear that flagship universities’ local work is growing and will continue to grow. For instance, Addis Ababa University established a railway engineering centre to train engineers to maintain the city’s light rail transit system, with students employed by the Ethiopian Railway Corporation. The University of Ghana runs satellite campuses in all ten regional capitals. This allows it to reach remote areas and to establish a local presence in different regions.

    Successful projects often emerge from deep links with local communities. Ibadan has worked closely with a few communities over many decades. These “field laboratories” include a community health programme in the village of Ibarapa, which began in the early 1960s with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and technical support from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

    The programme has trained hundreds of medical students in community medicine through practical work in rural areas, while also improving health services and conducting research on health issues in the Ibarapa community. An example is studying and addressing neglected tropical diseases such as onchocerciasis (river blindness) and guinea worm.

    In 2020 the University of Ibadan signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government on the Ibarapa programme. Over half a century after it began, local partnerships continue to sustain the programme.

    However, a national focus continues to dominate at all ten institutions I studied. This is perhaps best illustrated by the University of Rwanda. Local engagement activity is secondary to the nation’s development strategy spearheaded by its Vision 2050, an ambitious effort to become an upper-middle income country in the next 25 years.

    There is some local activity, of course. Students provide health services to the community, staff run community workshops on informal housing, and there are plans to open model farms to showcase irrigation and agricultural mechanisation. But all of this ultimately serves the national vision.

    Rwanda is a small country, but this finding – of national priorities dominating at the expense of local programmes – was consistent across all the flagships I studied, in large countries like Nigeria as well as in other small countries like Mauritius and Namibia.

    What can other universities on the continent learn from your findings?

    Flagships are complex institutions, with rich histories and often complicated relationships with government. They are survivors, skilled at balancing multiple roles. There is much that other universities can learn from flagships, and that flagships can learn from each other – and more of these partnerships are needed.

    But one senior staff member at a flagship university told me that many African university heads

    feel rather oppressed by the narratives from higher education leaders in other parts of the world

    They were talking about international benchmarking, unequal research partnerships, and models of “best practice”. These constrain the local role of flagships, creating identikit institutions. The result is a race to local irrelevance. Relevance can only emerge from an approach that reflects the local and national context.

    Universities that capture the work they do locally, effectively communicate this, and can demonstrate how it is relevant to society, will be in a good place to chart their own path as a pillar of the nation.

    – Africa’s flagship universities have a proud history – but are they serving local communities?
    – https://theconversation.com/africas-flagship-universities-have-a-proud-history-but-are-they-serving-local-communities-240813

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Africa’s flagship universities have a proud history – but are they serving local communities?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By James Ransom, Researcher: societal challenges, UCL

    Students pictured in 1955 in a reading room at what is today the University of Ibadan. Flagship universities have long histories. Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images

    Universities play a number of crucial roles in society. They educate students, research solutions to problems and serve as spaces for national debate. This is especially true for large public institutions, often referred to as flagship universities. A number were launched with great fanfare around the time of a country’s independence from colonial rule. They were tasked with driving national development by training skilled graduates to fill workforce gaps and conducting applied research to address societal challenges. Many have done well in their historic national missions. But how are they performing today when it comes to serving their local communities?

    Higher education researcher James Ransom set out to answer this question in his new book, Revisiting Africa’s Flagship Universities: Local, National and International Dynamics. He analysed local engagement at ten African flagship universities: Ethiopia’s University of Addis Ababa; Makerere University in Uganda; the universities of Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Nigeria’s University of Ibadan. He tells The Conversation Africa what he learned.

    What is a flagship university?

    They are pillars of the nation: their campuses are intertwined with history as sites of protest and revolution; their researchers lead the way in publications and research; their students are tomorrow’s leaders.

    Sometimes there is one flagship in a country. Sometimes a country will be home to several. In Nigeria, the University of Ibadan is joined by the University of Nigeria at Nsukka.

    Small, specialist institutions and private universities all play important roles in national higher education systems. But flagships are the trendsetters. They often mentor new universities by seconding senior staff to lead them, and helping design the curricula. Their staff sit on government committees. They have international partnerships and projects.

    The term “flagship” has been used elsewhere in the world, not just in post-colonial countries. In the book I focused on Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa, including countries that were not traditional colonial states, such as Ethiopia.



    Read more:
    The untold story of how Africa’s flagship universities have advanced

    What made you write this book and why now?

    In the UK, where I live, we have seen a shift in the expectations placed upon universities.

    The “redbrick” universities, such as Birmingham and Liverpool, are a good example. They were founded in the 19th century to meet local needs. Then they developed strong global ambitions over the next hundred years, excelling in world-leading research and innovation.

    During the past couple of decades, the local question returned: what are you doing to serve your local community? The redbricks (and many others) have responded – nudged along by national policies and frameworks – with serious programmes of civic engagement. These include projects designed with communities, seconding staff into local planning organisations, and opening up their campuses to communities – from 5-a-side football pitches to photography exhibitions.

    The shift I witnessed in the UK, and mirrored in my work across Europe and Canada, made me wonder: has a similar shift, from a historic national mission to a local one, taken place for African universities?

    The question is timely. Societal challenges may be national or global in scale. But they need local knowledge and local partnerships to solve at the local level. This means universities working with local government, which is a key focus of my work. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has calculated that 100 of the 169 UN Sustainable Development Goal targets can only be achieved if local governments are involved. Universities can play an important supporting role.

    What did you find?

    It is clear that flagship universities’ local work is growing and will continue to grow. For instance, Addis Ababa University established a railway engineering centre to train engineers to maintain the city’s light rail transit system, with students employed by the Ethiopian Railway Corporation. The University of Ghana runs satellite campuses in all ten regional capitals. This allows it to reach remote areas and to establish a local presence in different regions.

    Successful projects often emerge from deep links with local communities. Ibadan has worked closely with a few communities over many decades. These “field laboratories” include a community health programme in the village of Ibarapa, which began in the early 1960s with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and technical support from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

    The programme has trained hundreds of medical students in community medicine through practical work in rural areas, while also improving health services and conducting research on health issues in the Ibarapa community. An example is studying and addressing neglected tropical diseases such as onchocerciasis (river blindness) and guinea worm.

    In 2020 the University of Ibadan signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government on the Ibarapa programme. Over half a century after it began, local partnerships continue to sustain the programme.

    However, a national focus continues to dominate at all ten institutions I studied. This is perhaps best illustrated by the University of Rwanda. Local engagement activity is secondary to the nation’s development strategy spearheaded by its Vision 2050, an ambitious effort to become an upper-middle income country in the next 25 years.

    There is some local activity, of course. Students provide health services to the community, staff run community workshops on informal housing, and there are plans to open model farms to showcase irrigation and agricultural mechanisation. But all of this ultimately serves the national vision.

    Rwanda is a small country, but this finding – of national priorities dominating at the expense of local programmes – was consistent across all the flagships I studied, in large countries like Nigeria as well as in other small countries like Mauritius and Namibia.

    What can other universities on the continent learn from your findings?

    Flagships are complex institutions, with rich histories and often complicated relationships with government. They are survivors, skilled at balancing multiple roles. There is much that other universities can learn from flagships, and that flagships can learn from each other – and more of these partnerships are needed.

    But one senior staff member at a flagship university told me that many African university heads

    feel rather oppressed by the narratives from higher education leaders in other parts of the world

    They were talking about international benchmarking, unequal research partnerships, and models of “best practice”. These constrain the local role of flagships, creating identikit institutions. The result is a race to local irrelevance. Relevance can only emerge from an approach that reflects the local and national context.

    Universities that capture the work they do locally, effectively communicate this, and can demonstrate how it is relevant to society, will be in a good place to chart their own path as a pillar of the nation.

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

    – ref. Africa’s flagship universities have a proud history – but are they serving local communities? – https://theconversation.com/africas-flagship-universities-have-a-proud-history-but-are-they-serving-local-communities-240813

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Icymi: Manchin Attends The Thomas Orthopedic Hospital Grand Re-Opening, Ribbon -Cutting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin
    October 30, 2024
    Charleston, WV – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) attended the grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for West Virginia University Health System’s (WVU Medicine) Thomas Orthopedic Hospital in Charleston.
    “WVU Medicine continues to be a leader in high-quality patient care and cutting-edge medical research,” said Senator Manchin. “This hospital is set to be at the forefront of orthopedic medicine, focused on bone and joint issues. I am certain all West Virginians will be able to receive quality, specialized treatment from experienced professionals using the latest medical technology. I look forward to returning to the hospital soon to hear all about its positive impacts on the community and the continued great work of everyone involved.”
    Photos from the event are available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Update following round 5 of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The fifth round of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Switzerland took place in London between 14 and 18 October 2024

    The fifth round of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Switzerland took place in London between 14 and 18 October 2024.

    The talks were the UK’s first with the Swiss since the Secretary of State for Business and Trade announced the government’s intention to deliver the UK’s FTA negotiations programme in July.  

    FTAs have an important role to play in achieving economic growth. A stronger trade relationship with Switzerland will contribute to growth, jobs and prosperity in the UK, providing long-term certainty on UK business travel to Switzerland and helping data and ideas flow seamlessly between two world-leading services powerhouses. Total trade between the UK and Switzerland was worth £50.8 billion in 2023.  

    UK negotiators made good progress in this round and covered almost all areas of the negotiation.

    Talks continue to be constructive, with both countries working towards agreeing ambitious outcomes in key areas, including services, investment and digital.

    Round 6 of negotiations is expected to take place in Switzerland in early 2025. The government will continue to work towards delivering outcomes in the FTA that secure economic growth for the UK. 

    The government will only ever sign a trade agreement which aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors, including protections for the National Health Service.   

    Any organisations or individuals interested in speaking to the Department for Business and Trade about negotiations with Switzerland should do so by emailing ch.fta.engagement@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UKHSA detects first case of Clade Ib mpox

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox. The risk to the UK population remains low.

    This is the first detection of this Clade of mpox in the UK. It is different from mpox Clade II that has been circulating at low levels in the UK since 2022, primarily among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM).

    UKHSA, the NHS and partner organisations have well tested capabilities to detect, contain and treat novel infectious diseases, and while this is the first confirmed case of mpox Clade Ib in the UK, there has been extensive planning underway to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and prepared to respond to any confirmed cases.

    The case was detected in London and the individual has been transferred to the Royal Free Hospital High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit. They had recently travelled to countries in Africa that are seeing community cases of Clade Ib mpox. The UKHSA and NHS will not be disclosing any further details about the individual.

    Close contacts of the case are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organisations. Any contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.

    UKHSA is working closely with the NHS and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further assess the risk to human health. While the existing evidence suggests mpox Clade Ib causes more severe disease than Clade II, we will continue to monitor and learn more about the severity, transmission and control measures. We will initially manage Clade Ib as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) whilst we are learning more about the virus.

    Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said:

    It is thanks to our surveillance that we have been able to detect this virus. This is the first time we have detected this Clade of mpox in the UK, though other cases have been confirmed abroad.

    The risk to the UK population remains low, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread. In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, said:

    I am extremely grateful to the healthcare professionals who are carrying out incredible work to support and care for the patient affected.

    The overall risk to the UK population currently remains low and the government is working alongside UKHSA and the NHS to protect the public and prevent transmission.

    This includes securing vaccines and equipping healthcare professionals with the guidance and tools they need to respond to cases safely.

    We are also working with our international partners to support affected countries to prevent further outbreaks.

    Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccination and screening, said:

    The NHS is fully prepared to respond to the first confirmed case of this clade of mpox.

    Since mpox first became present in England, local services have pulled out all the stops to vaccinate those eligible, with tens of thousands in priority groups having already come forward to get protected, and while the risk of catching mpox in the UK remains low, if required the NHS has plans in place to expand the roll out of vaccines quickly in line with supply.

    Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany.

    Clade Ib mpox was detected by UKHSA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

    Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last 2 to 4 weeks. It can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

    The infection can be passed on through close person-to-person contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals and through contact with contaminated materials. Anyone with symptoms should continue to avoid contact with other people while symptoms persist.

    The UK has an existing stock of mpox vaccines and last month announced further vaccines are being procured to support a routine immunisation programme to provide additional resilience in the UK. This is in line with more recent independent JCVI advice.

    Working alongside international partners, UKHSA has been monitoring Clade Ib mpox closely since the outbreak in DRC first emerged, publishing regular risk assessment updates.

    The wider risk to the UK population remains low.

    UKHSA has published its first technical briefing on clade I mpox which provides further information on the current situation and UK preparedness and response.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices

    $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices
    hejones1

    The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announces $5 million to help providers build capacity and implement the Collaborative Care Model in primary care offices across the state. Through the Collaborative Care Model, primary care providers work with an integrated behavioral health case manager and a psychiatric consultant to monitor and treat patients for mild to moderate behavioral health conditions. The need for integrated medical and behavioral health care is greater than ever as rates of anxiety and depression have substantially increased following the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Too many individuals with mental health and substance use disorders delay the care they need because they struggle finding a provider,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “Collaborative Care can serve more people earlier by supporting primary care providers in reaching people at the onset of behavioral health symptoms.”

    Collaborative Care is covered by NC Medicaid, Medicare and most commercial insurance plans in North Carolina, helping to break down barriers that separate how physical and behavioral health services are delivered and paid for. Patients are able to receive services through a provider, and in a setting, they already know and trust, which gives them easier access to the care they need. Collaborative Care improves patient outcomes, reduces health care costs and reduces stigma related to mental health and substance use disorders.

    NCDHHS’ investment is designed to help with the startup costs of implementing Collaborative Care, particularly for primary care providers in rural or high-need areas that have limited access to behavioral health services. The department is partnering with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) to select eligible provider applications and distribute funding to approximately 100 providers across the state.

    As of Oct. 10, providers can apply for up to $50,000 per site to help with hiring and start up costs. Primary care practices are encouraged to apply and can find more information through CCNC’s dedicated Collaborative Care website. Efforts will be made to ensure primary care practices in western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene will have an opportunity to apply for inclusion in the program, even if they are unable to apply for funds at this time.

    “The need is greater than ever before,” said Dr. Carrie Brown, Chief Psychiatrist for NCDHHS. “From 2019 to 2021, the percentage of Americans reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression nearly quadrupled, from 11% to 41%. The Collaborative Care partnership between primary care and psychiatrists is one example of the department’s efforts to increase access to behavioral health care for those who need it as we focus on whole-person health.”

    Nationally, the Collaborative Care Model is a strategic response to the shortage of mental health care professionals across the country. Recent data show more than 123 million people in the U.S. live in a Federally Designated Mental Health Professional shortage area, including one in four North Carolina counties. In North Carolina, a recent study finds there are 28 counties without a practicing psychiatrist, and it can take weeks or even months to get an appointment with a mental health provider. 

    With the Collaborative Care Model, a behavioral health care manager is embedded within a primary care office and, through consultation with a psychiatrist, helps the primary care physician implement evidence-based interventions for patients who screen positive for targeted behavioral health conditions. In this model, one psychiatrist can reach far more North Carolinians with mild to moderate behavioral health needs than they could directly provide care for through traditional behavioral health services.

    “Through this partnership with primary care professionals, we are working to create a more accessible mental healthcare system,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. “This ensures our community receives the mental health care they need and deserve, in a setting where they are most comfortable.”

    The $5 million investment in capacity building is made possible by the NC General Assembly through the signing bonus North Carolina received from the federal government when it approved Medicaid Expansion. The investment builds on the department’s strategic work to enhance access to the Collaborative Care Model, which has already resulted in a nearly 100% increase in utilization among NC Medicaid primary care providers between April 2023 and May 2024.

    NC Medicaid, in coordination with key stakeholders, has led a statewide effort over the past two years to align requirements and reimbursement for Collaborative Care across payors, increase NC Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral health services to 120% of Medicare rates and remove copays for Medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, NC Medicaid has provided training and technical assistance to support model implementation through Area Health Education Centers, connected interested primary care practices with psychiatric consultants, and created a customized Collaborative Care registry for providers through CCNC. These efforts are outlined in detail in a white paper published by NC Medicaid in December 2023.   

    NCDHHS’ investment in the Collaborative Care Model is part of a broader commitment to build an integrated behavioral health system in North Carolina. The NC General Assembly last year allocated a historic $835 million to strengthen the behavioral health system, and millions of North Carolinians are already benefiting from the sweeping, systemic improvements these funds are making for their health, well-being and day-to-day lives. More information is available in the NCDHHS Transforming North Carolina’s Behavioral Health System white paper.

    El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte anuncia $ 5 millones para ayudar a los proveedores a desarrollar capacidades e implementar el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa en las oficinas de atención médica primaria de todo el estado. A través del Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, los proveedores de atención médica primaria trabajan con un administrador de casos de salud conductual integrado y un consultor psiquiátrico para monitorear y tratar a los pacientes con condiciones de salud conductual de leves a moderadas. La necesidad de atención médica y de salud conductual integrada es mayor que nunca, ya que las tasas de ansiedad y depresión han aumentado sustancialmente después de la pandemia de COVID-19.

    “Demasiadas personas con trastornos de salud mental y uso de sustancias retrasan la atención que necesitan porque tienen dificultades para encontrar un proveedor”, dijo el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Kody H. Kinsley. “La Atención Colaborativa puede servir a más personas antes, al ayudar a los proveedores de atención médica primaria a llegar a las personas al inicio de los síntomas de salud conductual”.

    La Atención Colaborativa está cubierta por NC Medicaid, Medicare y la mayoría de los planes de seguros comerciales en Carolina del Norte, lo que ayuda a derribar las barreras que separan la forma en que se prestan y pagan los servicios de salud física y conductual. Los pacientes pueden recibir servicios a través de un proveedor y en un entorno que ya conocen y en el que confían, lo que les brinda un acceso más fácil a la atención que necesitan. La Atención Colaborativa mejora los resultados de los pacientes, reduce los costos de atención médica y reduce el estigma relacionado con la salud mental y los trastornos por uso de sustancias.

    La inversión del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) está diseñada para ayudar con los costos iniciales de la implementación de la Atención Colaborativa, particularmente para los proveedores de atención médica primaria en áreas rurales o de alta necesidad que tienen acceso limitado a los servicios de salud conductual. El departamento se está asociando con Atención Comunitaria de Carolina del Norte (Community Care of North Carolina, CCNC, por sus siglas en inglés) para seleccionar solicitudes de proveedores elegibles y distribuir fondos a aproximadamente 100 proveedores en todo el estado.

    A partir del 10 de octubre, los proveedores pueden solicitar hasta $50,000 por sitio para ayudar con los costos de contratación e iniciación. Se alienta a las prácticas de atención médica primaria a aplicar y encontrar más información a través del sitio web dedicado a la Atención Colaborativa de CCNC. Se harán esfuerzos para garantizar que las prácticas de atención médica primaria en el oeste de Carolina del Norte afectadas por el huracán Helene tengan la oportunidad de solicitar su inclusión en el programa, incluso si no pueden solicitar fondos en este momento.

    “La necesidad es mayor que nunca”, dijo la doctora Carrie Brown, directora psiquiatra del NCDHHS. “De 2019 a 2021, el porcentaje de estadounidenses que reportaron síntomas de ansiedad y depresión casi se cuadruplicó, del 11% al 41%. La asociación de Atención Colaborativa entre la atención médica primaria y los psiquiatras es un ejemplo de los esfuerzos del departamento para aumentar el acceso a la atención de salud conductual para quienes la necesitan, ya que nos centramos en la salud integral de la persona”.

    A nivel nacional, el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa es una respuesta estratégica a la escasez de profesionales de la salud mental en todo el país. Datos recientes muestran que más de 123 millones de personas en Estados Unidos viven en un área de escasez de profesionales de la salud mental designados por el gobierno federal, incluido uno de cada cuatro condados de Carolina del Norte. En Carolina del Norte, un estudio reciente encuentra que hay 28 condados sin un psiquiatra que ejerza, y puede tomar semanas o incluso meses obtener una cita con un proveedor de salud mental. 

    Con el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, un administrador de atención de salud conductual está integrado en una oficina de atención médica primaria y, a través de la consulta con un psiquiatra, ayuda al médico de atención médica primaria a implementar intervenciones basadas en evidencia para pacientes que dan positivo para condiciones de salud conductual específicas. En este modelo, un psiquiatra puede llegar a muchos más habitantes de Carolina del Norte con necesidades de salud conductual de leves a moderadas de las que podrían atender directamente a través de los servicios tradicionales de salud conductual.

    “A través de esta asociación con profesionales de atención médica primaria, estamos trabajando para crear un sistema de salud mental más accesible”, dijo Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, directora de la División de Salud Mental, Discapacidades del Desarrollo y Servicios de Uso de Sustancias del NCDHHS. “Esto garantiza que nuestra comunidad reciba la atención de salud mental que necesita y merece, en un entorno más cómodo”.

    La inversión de $ 5 millones en el desarrollo de capacidades es posible gracias a la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte a través del bono por contratación que Carolina del Norte recibió del gobierno federal cuando aprobó la Expansión de Medicaid. La inversión se basa en el trabajo estratégico del departamento para mejorar el acceso al Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, que ya ha resultado en un aumento de casi el 100% en la utilización entre los proveedores de atención médica primaria de Medicaid de Carolina del Norte entre abril de 2023 y mayo de 2024.

    NC Medicaid, en coordinación con las principales partes interesadas, ha liderado un esfuerzo estatal en los últimos dos años para alinear los requisitos y el reembolso de la Atención Colaborativa entre los contribuyentes, aumentar el reembolso de NC Medicaid por servicios de salud conductual al 120% de las tasas de Medicare y eliminar los copagos para los beneficiarios de Medicaid. Además, NC Medicaid ha brindado capacitación y asistencia técnica para apoyar la implementación del modelo a través de los Centros de Educación para la Salud del Área (Area Health Education Centers, AHEC, por sus siglas en inglés), ha conectado las prácticas de atención médica primaria interesadas con los consultores psiquiátricos y ha creado un registro personalizado de Atención Colaborativa para los proveedores a través de CCNC. Estos esfuerzos se describen en detalle en un libro blanco publicado por NC Medicaid en diciembre de 2023.   

    La inversión del NCDHHS en el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa es parte de un compromiso más amplio para construir un sistema integrado de salud conductual en Carolina del Norte. El año pasado, la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte asignó $ 835 millones históricos para fortalecer el sistema de salud conductual, y millones de habitantes de Carolina del Norte ya se están beneficiando de las mejoras radicales y sistémicas que estos fondos están haciendo para su salud, bienestar y vida cotidiana. Para obtener más información, visite [$835 reporte]. 

    Oct 30, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Three judges announced for The Conversation Prize for writers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jo Adetunji, Executive Editor – Partnerships

    L-R: Miriam Frankel, Priya Atwal, Alice Hunt. CC BY

    The Conversation UK, Curtis Brown and Faber are pleased to announce our three judges for The Conversation Prize for writers: Miriam Frankel, senior science editor at The Conversation UK, Priya Atwal, historian, broadcaster and community history fellow at the University of Oxford, and Alice Hunt, professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton.

    Our competition is looking for the best longform article and nonfiction book idea aimed at a general audience from our community of academics. For your chance to win £1,000, publication on The Conversation Insights and mentorship from a literary agent and book publisher then enter your 2,000-word story and book idea.

    About our judges

    Miriam Frankel.

    Miriam Frankel is senior science editor at The Conversation UK. She is co-author of Are You Thinking Clearly? 29 Reasons You Aren’t and What To Do About It, a book investigating the many factors that influence and manipulate the way we think, from genetics, biology, bias and personality to time perception, culture, language, advertising and technology. Miriam also writes on a freelance basis for a number of publications including New Scientist, The Observer, BBC Future and BBC Science Focus magazine.

    Priya Atwal is a historian of monarchy, empire and cultural politics in Britain and South Asia. Her first book, Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire, was published in 2020 and was one of BBC History Magazine’s Best Books of the Year. Priya is an active champion for public history and community empowerment in historical research. She is currently building a new Community History Hub at the University of Oxford, and regularly consults on a wide range of creative historical projects, from working on Netflix’s Bridgerton, to supporting the development of inclusive history curricula for UK state schools.

    Alice Hunt.

    Alice Hunt is professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton. She was awarded a Leverhulme Trust fellowship to research her first trade book, Republic: Britain’s Revolutionary Decade, 1649-1660, which was published by Faber in 2024. Alice is also the author of The Drama of Coronation and has previously written about the Tudors and James I.

    How to Enter

    Submissions are open to academics employed or affiliated to a university or approved research institution (IRO) in the UK, Europe or Commonwealth, including PhD candidates under supervision by an academic. Submissions should be in the following areas: History, Arts + Culture, Business + Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Politics + Society, Science + Technology or World.

    To enter, please email your 2,000-word article, plus the following information, to uk-prize@theconversation.com:

    Name

    Institution

    Country

    Email

    Telephone no.

    Your book idea [max 350 words]
    Please provide a brief summary of a trade nonfiction book idea based on your article. Tell us why this topic deserves a deeper dive and why it would appeal to an audience of non-academic readers.

    About you [max 100 words]
    Tell us a little about you – your current academic role or affiliation, your area of expertise and any relevant research to your book idea. Why would you be the right author for this book?

    Please disclose any conflicts of interest that should be mentioned in relation to your article or book idea.

    Terms & Conditions [Pdf] – please read carefully.

    You can read more about what we’re looking for here [Pdf].

    – ref. Three judges announced for The Conversation Prize for writers – https://theconversation.com/three-judges-announced-for-the-conversation-prize-for-writers-242505

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to Science and R&D elements of the Autumn Budget, as announced by the Chancellor

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Science Community comment on Science and R&D elements of the Autumn Budget, delivered by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

    Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, said:

    “Sustained investment in science, innovation and technology is needed to drive the UK’s economic growth and productivity. When the Government was elected in July, it committed to supporting innovation as part of its mission driven approach.  

    “It’s vital that UK R&D gets long-term funding to keep up the momentum and level of expertise needed to drive our future prosperity. I welcome the commitment to protect core research funding, as well as the specific investments planned for R&D in high-tech industries like aerospace, automotive, and clean energy. 

    “The Committee looks forward to scrutinising the Budget in detail. We’ll be examining how the Budget will impact science and technology, and hearing views from across the sector and industry.” 

     

    Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), said:

    “I am pleased to hear such positive support for UK R&D and innovation from the Chancellor, and recognition that, if supported, it will drive economic growth. We also know the public care about this, with 70% of people saying it is important for the Government to invest in R&D. Seeing this reflected by Government is unequivocally a good thing.

    “Beyond the positive intent, it is the detail we must now turn to. It is reassuring to hear pledges to protect core R&D funding and to increase DSIT’s R&D budget, but it will take time to unpack and understand what this means in practice. We look forward to receiving more detail about DSIT’s budget allocations to enable us to build a fuller picture of the changes announced.”

     

    Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive, UK Research & Innovation, said:

    “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to research and innovation in today’s Budget, recognising their crucial role in driving sustainable economic growth, creating jobs, and improving public services for people across the UK.

    “We appreciate the Chancellor’s prioritisation of research and innovation, given the difficult choices to be made on public expenditure. We will work closely with the Secretary of State, Science Minister, across government and with our research and innovation partners to maximise the impact of our investments and create a strong platform for an ambitious programme of research and innovation in the multi-year Spending Review next Spring.”

     

    Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says:

    “The Chancellor’s first budget was a difficult balancing act, and we are pleased to see a long-term commitment to research and innovation, which is proven to help business, productivity and growth. We know the pressures on public finances that put government spending on research and development in the spotlight, and also that R&D spending is the catalyst for economic success. We welcome the commitment to protect government investment in R&D, and the acknowledgement of the key role that the UK’s National Academies play in driving innovation in engineering, biotechnology and medical science. It is now up to the Science, Engineering and Technology sector to work with the government to deliver the innovation and growth needed to unlock investment and create jobs.”

    “With sustained investment in innovation and entrepreneurship, the UK is well placed to leverage its impressive engineering and technology strengths to sustain business confidence, catalyse investment and power growth, and ultimately improve our public services and productivity.”

    “The economy can only grow if the infrastructure that underpins it keeps pace with its needs – we welcome the £100bn additional investment over the next five years to fund public infrastructure, and the boost this will give to UK capabilities and regional development.”

     

    On the NHS funding announcements in the Budget, Director of Evidence and Implementation at Cancer Research UK, Naser Turabi, said:

    “The fact that the NHS has received additional funding in today’s budget for day to day spending and investment is good news. It’s no secret that our health service is struggling, and record numbers of cancer patients are having to wait longer than they should to begin their treatment. Funding, coupled with reform, will be vital to bringing waiting lists down. 

    “But the new government will only be able to turn things around with effective planning and sustained funding. The development of a long-term health plan is promising, but it’s vital that we see a dedicated cancer strategy alongside this. Other countries like Denmark have proven that they can help save lives, and transforming outcomes for cancer patients will go a long way towards fixing the NHS in England as a whole.”

    On the research funding announcements in the Budget, Director of Policy at Cancer Research UK, Dr Owen Jackson, said:

    “It is good news that the Chancellor has committed to protecting R&D funding in this Budget. A strong R&D system is essential to prosperity of the UK and health of the nation. 

    “The UK is unusual in that nearly two thirds of non-commercial cancer research is funded by charities like Cancer Research UK. We will continue to work in partnership with government and the private sector to build on the UK’s strengths in life sciences and cancer research, and to advocate for increased funding for these vital areas over the coming years. Continued partnership relies on sustained investment in research over the long term.”

     

    Sharon Todd, CEO of UK-based Innovation Network SCI, said: 

    “R&D relief being maintained won’t turn the UK into a science superpower – only a material increase will help a sector that is so vital to scaling up and economic growth.

    “Whilst it would be nice to think that industry would mushroom out of the ground and create value for the UK through the development of new medicines, fuels and technologies, that is not going to happen without greater support for research, development and commercialisation. Global competition means even start-up companies innovating products and ideas for our sustainable future are leaving for overseas. 

    “The opportunity is now. A strategy for industry is one thing, but with huge tax incentives in Europe and the US, the UK is set to miss out on the 240,000 extra jobs and $230 billion of added value the clean tech and life sciences revolutions could otherwise bring the UK in the next five years.”

     

    Declared interests

    The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mind the gap… in public toilets on the tube

    Source: Mayor of London

    [1] Transport for London quarterly performance report 

    Caroline has been pushing for toilet funding in every Mayoral budget since the 2020-2021 cycle. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Caroline pointed out the serious public health consequences of the lack of public toilets across London.  

    The following summer, Caroline incorporated her work with the charity Muscular Dystrophy to again implore the Mayor to see how essential toilets are to accessibility on Lonon’s transport network.  

    In the 2022 budget cycle, Caroline’s Green Group budget amendment tried to once more fund public toilets, this time by proposing a £10 million investment for a brand-new London toilets fund to give local councils access to money to refurbish, reopen and revitalise these essential local amenities. 

    The following year, Caroline’s fully costed and feasible 2023 budget amendment for new TfL toilets was mysteriously blocked by the Assembly Labour group in a shocking blow to older and disabled Londoners, new parents, and so many more travellers in need of a loo on their journeys. Seeming to understand the gravity of his party’s mistake, the TfL toilet feasibility study was first proposed by London’s Mayor following his party’s puzzling opposition to that blocked Toilet amendment.  

    The Mayor’s team indicated the feasibility study would be shared by June 2023, but by August that deadline had been pushed back as well.   

    Later that month, Caroline published the ‘Loo League Table,’ analysing the many loo ‘deserts’ across the transport network and pushing TfL to explain its failure to make use of the existing upgrade programme on the tube to provide new toilet facilities. This report followed her 2021 “Toilet Paper” report as Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, in which the committee found 91.3 per cent of respondents to their survey do not feel toilet provision is adequate to meet their needs.   

    In January 2024, Caroline welcomed the Mayor’s allocation of £3 million for public toilets on the TfL network in the Mayor’s budget, though urged the Mayor to commit to the full £20 million investment needed to ensure every tube stop has a safe, clean, and operable public toilet.   

    Building on that momentum, in February 2024 Caroline commissioned new polling from YouGov showing that 74 per cent of respondents believe that there should be more toilets on the TfL network. 

    Most recently, in March 2024 Caroline pressed the Mayor directly over the latest delay in his long-promised feasibility study, where the Mayor explained that while “good progress has been made” on the feasibility study, TfL now plans to “publish the full study in the summer.”   

    Though several weeks after summer’s end now, Caroline proudly joined the Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance, and TfL Customer Director Emma Strain at White Hart Lane station today to welcome in an era of what will, hopefully, culminate with toilets built across the TfL network.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Affirmation of Command Ceremonies in the Pacific Region

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    On October 28, 2024, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) held an Affirmation of Command Ceremony in the Pacific Region for five institutions:

    October 29, 2024 – Abbotsford, British Columbia – Correctional Service Canada

    On October 28, 2024, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) held an Affirmation of Command Ceremony in the Pacific Region for five institutions:

    Warden Attila Turi assumed command of Pacific Institution and Regional Treatment Centre.

    The ceremony reinforces the responsibility of leadership in the role of Warden. It represents the responsibility, authority, and accountability of a correctional leader.

    This ceremony is an important tradition for CSC. It reaffirms the institutional head’s pledge to support CSC’s mission and contribute to the safety and security of the public, employees, and offenders.

    CSC is proud of the dedicated staff members at these institutions who work tirelessly every day to make a difference in the lives of offenders. Their professionalism and commitment contribute to public safety for Canadians.

    Jean-Paul Lorieau
    Regional Manager Communications
    Pacific Region
    604-870-2523
    Gen.Pac@csc-scc.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DEQ issues five penalties in September for environmental violations

    Source: US State of Oregon

    he Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued five penalties totaling $105,394 in September for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

    Fines ranged from $4,500 to $51,651. Alleged violations included a wood treater improperly managing hazardous waste, a metal recycler establishing a solid waste disposal site without a permit, and a hospital not maintaining or testing an underground storage tank for fuel.

    DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

    • Biggs Service District, Wasco, $4,500, wastewater
    • City of Monroe, Monroe, $6,300, water quality
    • Permapost Products Company Inc., Hillsboro, $51,651, hazardous waste
    • Radius Recycling Inc. formerly Schnitzer Steel Co., Portland, $29,580, solid waste
    • St. Charles Health System Inc., dba St. Charles Medical Center – Redmond, Redmond, $13,363, underground storage tanks

    Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of a penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves Oregon’s environment. Learn more about these projects at https://ordeq.org/sep.

    Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm.

    DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water. DEQ uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Announces Over a Billion Dollars to Decarbonize California Ports and Improve Air Quality

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Announces Over a Billion Dollars to Decarbonize California Ports and Improve Air Quality

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award over $1 billion across seven California ports to build zero-emission (ZE) port infrastructure and implement climate and air quality management plans. This substantial investment comes from the EPA’s Clean Ports Program, which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and aims to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality at ports across the nation.
    California ports will receive three of the largest seven grants nationwide, including over $411 million for the Port of Los Angeles, the biggest award in the country.
    California’s ports play an important role in the nation’s economy, moving hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of goods annually. These ports process about 40 percent of all containerized imports and 30 percent of all exports in the United States.
    “California’s ports move the goods that power our economy. This historic investment in our ports is a major step forward in accelerating the zero-emission infrastructure transition,” said Senator Padilla. “With more than a billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funding headed to California, we’re decarbonizing our supply chain to produce cleaner air in neighboring communities and meet our climate goals while creating green jobs.”
    “This transformative investment will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to meet our ambitious zero emission goals, improve regional air quality, and combat climate change, while accelerating the port-industry’s transition to zero emissions across the country,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This grant will fund over 400 pieces of ZE cargo handling equipment, replacing nearly one-third of the diesel equipment currently on our docks, and eliminating over 40,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. This successful application is the culmination of a deep partnership with environmental justice groups, labor, the private sector, and stakeholders at all levels of government, and we’ll continue to work with our local communities to ensure this investment delivers benefits in their neighborhoods. We thank Senator Padilla, the EPA and the Biden-Harris Administration for their unprecedented support of our ambition and look forward to delivering on our commitment to cleaner air for future generations.”
    “Special thanks to U.S. Senator Alex Padilla for his continued advocacy on supply chain decarbonization,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan. “These Clean Ports grant funds will allow us to bring hundreds of additional zero emissions equipment and vehicles to our seaport resulting in more environmental and economic benefits for the region.” 
    “The funding Senator Padilla has helped to secure from the EPA will be transformational for the Port of Stockton. These funds will significantly decrease freight-related emissions in the Central Valley by transitioning more than 90 percent of our cargo-handling equipment to Zero Emissions. We have been working hard over the years to reduce emissions and replace diesel powered cargo handling equipment with Zero Emission technology and this grant will springboard our efforts. We look forward to leveraging this support to further our advancements in zero-emission equipment and foster a more sustainable future for all,” said Port of Stockton Director Kirk DeJesus.
    “The Port of San Diego is grateful to Senator Padilla for his continued advocacy of the work we are doing to get closer to our goal of becoming a zero emissions operation,” said Chairman Frank Urtasun, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “Modernizing our cargo terminals is a win for our maritime tenants, cargo trade business, and most importantly for our public health goals. Together we are delivering on our promise to those who live, work, and play on and around San Diego Bay.”
    “We are grateful for the U.S. EPA’s award to the Port of San Francisco,” said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “This major investment will allow us to complete the Mission Bay Ferry Landing and to achieve an electric fleet, with zero emissions. We look forward to working with our partners at San Francisco Bay Ferry and the SFPUC to provide Bay Area residents with the nation’s first zero-emission ferry network, and to bring ferry service to Mission Bay. These EPA funds will also support access to critical, well-paying jobs in the maritime trades.”
    “This grant represents an enormous push forward for the nation’s first high-speed zero-emission ferry network,” said Jim Wunderman, Chair of the SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors. “SF Bay Ferry will provide a critical transportation link to Mission Bay, an incredibly successful development hub in San Francisco. And because of the EPA’s decision, we’ll be able to do so with clean, reliable and efficient electric ferries. Thank you to Senator Padilla and the Bay Area Congressional Delegation for their support in winning this transformational grant.”
    “The EPA Clean Ports announcement is exciting news for the Port of Hueneme,” said Celina Zacarias, President of the Oxnard Harbor District/Port of Hueneme. “We have the funding to accelerate the Board’s policy to decarbonize the port.”
    “The $43 million EPA Clean Ports Grant is transformative for the Port of Hueneme,” said Kristin Decas, President & CEO of the Port of Hueneme. “We are grateful for the support and leadership of Senator Padilla to help secure these critical dollars for the betterment of communities adjacent to Ports throughout California.”
    “The Port of Redwood City applauds the EPA for this investment to facilitate the long-range planning and create a roadmap towards decarbonization by diversifying fueling options of Port operations,” said Kristine A. Zortman, Executive Director. “This investment represents an opportunity to create new jobs in a transformative sector of energy production furthering our environmental stewardship, workforce development, and emissions reductions.”
    California ports receiving funding from the Clean Ports Program include:
    Port of Los Angeles — $411.69 million: This project aims to accelerate the port’s transition toward ZE on-terminal operations by significantly reducing air pollution in and around the port, deploying ZE cargo handling equipment (CHE), and enhancing electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The funding will help acquire over 400 pieces of ZE CHE and 250 ZE drayage trucks and associated charging infrastructure, replace nearly 30 percent of the Port’s diesel-burning CHE fleet, and eliminate 41,500 tons of carbon dioxide and 55 tons of NOx emissions annually. The port will also install cutting-edge power management systems, innovative heavy-duty drayage truck and charging deployments, and one of the world’s first shore-power support systems for auto carrier vessels.
    Port of Oakland — $322.17 million: This project will support the vision of reducing emissions and fully decarbonizing port acti­­vities by transitioning to ZE alternatives for drayage trucks and cargo handling equipment. This includes the purchase of 762 pieces of ZE equipment (battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell) to complete a nearly 100 percent­­ conversion of all cargo handling equipment to zero emissions technologies.
    Port of Stockton — $110.47 million: This project will transform the port into the first small port with ZE terminal operations and increase the ZE workforce in Northern California. The port will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxide by acquiring electric forklifts, cranes, terminal tractors, and a mobile railcar indexer; obtaining a direct current fast charger; implementing a shore power system; and deploying rooftop solar power and battery energy storage to power new equipment.
    Port of San Diego — $58.6 million: This project will support the port’s longstanding commitment to the electrification of San Diego’s maritime cargo handling facilities and freight transportation by implementing the final electrification elements to transform San Diego’s maritime cargo terminals and the goods movement network on San Diego Bay. These funds will help construct all remaining improvements to the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal’s (TAMT) legacy 12kv loop to support all future investments in electrical infrastructure and install a grid-based shore power systems to connect ocean-going vessels and support electric commercial harbor craft homeported at TAMT and deployed throughout San Diego Bay, among other improvements.
    Port of San Francisco — $55.39 million: This investment will transition ferry operations along the San Francisco waterfront to zero-emissions, removing 455,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases and enhancing air quality at the Port of San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area airshed. The project will also connect disadvantaged communities with high-paying employment centers. The funding will deliver a series of projects that will complete the establishment of the first ZE fast ferry network in the country, connecting the two visitor and employment centers of Downtown San Francisco and Mission Bay with the emerging waterfront neighborhood on Treasure Island.
    Port of Hueneme — $42.29 million: The Port of Hueneme Reducing Emissions, Supporting Health (PHRESH) project consists of two components: PHRESH START (Sustainable, Thoughtful And Resilient Transformation), which includes planning activities, and PHRESH AIR (Accelerating Implementation and Results), which involves the deployment of roughly 35 pieces of ZE terminal equipment and a drayage truck incentive program.
    Port of Redwood City — $1.97 million: This project, in partnership with a private entity, includes climate and air quality planning for hydrogen-based fueling and infrastructure.
    Grants from the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition will slash mobile source emissions (criteria pollutants, air toxics, and greenhouse gases) at California ports, while grants from the Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition will fund emissions inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement, and resiliency measure identification to strengthen zero-emissions port operations and reduce air pollution.
    Senator Padilla believes decarbonizing our ports is vital for powering economic growth and protecting public health. Last year, he announced $74.5 million from the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration to decarbonize, upgrade, and rehabilitate key ports along California’s coast. He has consistently pushed for funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for California’s ports, including over $283 million for the Port of Long Beach last year, $94 million in port infrastructure grant funding in 2022, and over $57 million in 2021. Earlier this year, Padilla announced that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (San Pedro Ports) will receive more than $112 million through the FY 2024 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan for critical construction upgrades and operations and maintenance activities.
    Last year, Senator Padilla and Representative Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44) led 16 California lawmakers in urging EPA Administrator Michael Regan to grant authorization for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) request for its Ocean-going Vessels At-Berth Regulation, which would reduce air pollution in California and protect the health of millions of people who are impacted by emissions from diesel-powered ships. Additionally, Padilla and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced the Clean Shipping Act of 2023 to reduce air pollution within the shipping industry and protect the health of port communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Pink October – B10-0087/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    B10‑0087/2024

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Pink October

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Rule 149 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan,

    A. whereas Pink October promotes breast cancer screening to detect tumours at an early stage, which improves the chances of remission and the possibility of conservative surgery;

    B. whereas 90 % of breast cancer patients recover if it is detected early;

    C. whereas screening rates are still low, however, and in France less than half of all women between the ages of 50 and 74 take part in the recommended screening;

    D. whereas cancer detection rates are rising, particularly among younger women;

    1. Highlights the growing shortage of medical services, which automatically reduces screening rates;

    2. Urges the Member States to provide better breast services to reduce the delays faced by women and carry out mammograms more quickly;

    3. Calls on the Commission to propose an initiative to combat tobacco addiction;

    4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –