Source: Deutsche Bundesbank in English
A digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money, specifically the euro. It could be used by the general public in much the same way as cash, only in virtual form. Alongside cash, the Eurosystem would thus supply households with an additional form of central bank money that can be used quickly, easily and securely.
Source: Deutsche Bundesbank in English
A digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money, specifically the euro. It could be used by the general public in much the same way as cash, only in virtual form. Alongside cash, the Eurosystem would thus supply households with an additional form of central bank money that can be used quickly, easily and securely.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
BRUSSELS, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Eclipse Foundation, one of the world’s largest open source software foundations, has announced the launch of the ThreadX Alliance, a new initiative dedicated to ensuring the continued growth and sustainability of the Eclipse ThreadX real-time operating system (RTOS) and its dynamic ecosystem. ThreadX, the world’s first and only safety-certified open source RTOS, powers billions of devices across a broad range of industries, including automotive, medical, aerospace, home appliances, and industrial controls.
With ThreadX already a proven solution trusted by companies worldwide, the ThreadX Alliance ensures the ongoing sustainability of its robust code base, platform enhancements, and crucial safety certification efforts. By joining the alliance, organisations can access exclusive resources while contributing to the evolution of the next generation of embedded systems.
“ThreadX is the only open source safety-certified RTOS on the market today, powering over 12 billion devices and trusted in a vast array of embedded applications,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. “The ThreadX Alliance is an important step in ensuring the platform’s future, allowing companies to actively support its sustainability while gaining valuable tools and resources to streamline their development efforts, reduce costs, and bring products to market.”
Key benefits of joining the ThreadX Alliance include:
The launch of the ThreadX Alliance represents a significant leap forward in supporting the open source embedded systems ecosystem, especially in industries where safety and reliability are critical. Companies looking to take part in this influential community are invited to visit threadxalliance.org to learn more about how to contribute to and benefit from the program.
About Eclipse ThreadX
Eclipse ThreadX (formerly Azure RTOS) is the world’s first and only safety-certified open source real-time operating system (RTOS), and has been trusted by industries for over two decades. Deployed in over 12 billion devices since its launch in 1997, ThreadX offers an MIT-licensed, robust, modular platform that includes advanced subcomponents for graphical interfaces (GUIX), networking (NetX Duo), file storage (FileX), and USB connectivity (USBX). To learn more about how ThreadX powers next-generation embedded systems, visit threadx.io.
About the Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organisations with a business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. We host the Eclipse IDE, Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, and over 420 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, open processor designs, and many others. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 385 members. Visit us at this year’s Open Community Experience (OCX) conference on 22-24 October 2024 in Mainz, Germany. To learn more, follow us on social media @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org.
Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Media contacts:
Schwartz Public Relations (Germany)
Gloria Huppert/Marita Bäumer
Sendlinger Straße 42A
80331 Munich
EclipseFoundation@schwartzpr.de
+49 (89) 211 871 -70/ -62
514 Media Ltd (France, Italy, Spain)
Benoit Simoneau
benoit@514-media.com
M: +44 (0) 7891 920 370
Nichols Communications (Global Press Contact)
Jay Nichols
jay@nicholscomm.com
+1 408-772-1551
Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (Video Release)
#Gaza: Hassan Hamad, one of the last journalists still reporting from the northern enclave, was killed yesterday, in a targeted Israeli strike, according to RSF’s information, as he was about to send footage from home after a report.
Before the strike, the freelance reporter had been covering an Israeli incursion into the camp for Media Town, which began on Saturday night. According to his X account, his last messages were published shortly before his death.
In the preceding months, Hassan Hamad had told his colleagues and others that he had received threats in the form of a text message on his phone on May 13, 2024, and multiple phone calls ordering him to leave the northern Gaza Strip or risk being killed. The young reporter refused to comply and continued to work until his final moments.
The tragic death of Hassan Hamad marks the disappearance of one of the last accessible sources of information in the north of the Gaza Strip. Impunity must end.
#israel #tsahal #israelgaza #israelgazawar #journalisme #tech #medias #humanrights #pressfreedom #journalists #journalism #pressfreedom #media #journalistes #press #journalismisnotacrime #rsf #israelistrikes
Source: Republic of China Taiwan
President Lai meets Senate President Alvina Reynolds and Speaker Claudius J. Francis of Saint Lucia
President Lai meets Senate President Alvina Reynolds and Speaker Claudius J. Francis of Saint Lucia
2024-10-08
On the morning of October 8, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Senate President Alvina Reynolds and Speaker Claudius J. Francis of Saint Lucia. In remarks, President Lai thanked the delegation for joining us to mark our National Day celebration, demonstrating the friendly relations between the governments and parliaments of our two countries. The president noted that Saint Lucia is one of Taiwan’s key allies in the Caribbean, and that over the years, our diplomatic alliance has continued to deepen as our bilateral cooperation in several areas has yielded fruitful results. He stated that going forward, Taiwan will continue to promote values-based diplomacy and economic diplomacy, and he expressed his hope that we will continue to enhance the well-being of our peoples and contribute more to global peace and prosperity.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
I extend a warm welcome to Senate President Reynolds and Speaker Francis as they visit Taiwan once again. It is a pleasure to have you and your delegation join us to mark our National Day Celebration. Your presence demonstrates the friendly relations between the governments and parliaments of our two countries.
Saint Lucia is one of Taiwan’s key allies in the Caribbean. It has continued to voice support and call for Taiwan’s international participation at numerous international venues, including the Central American Parliament and the General Debate during this year’s United Nations General Assembly. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the government and parliament of Saint Lucia.
Taiwan and Saint Lucia share such universal values as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Over the years, our diplomatic alliance has continued to deepen. At the same time, bilateral cooperation in such areas as the economy, agriculture, and education has yielded fruitful results. In working toward post-pandemic economic recovery, Taiwan and Saint Lucia have cooperated on promoting vocational training and empowerment projects for women and the youth. This has helped enhance industrial processing technology, boosted the competitiveness of goods, and created even more job opportunities.
Furthermore, with regard to the cultivation of talent, Taiwan’s youth ambassadors visited Saint Lucia last year and shared their experiences with local students. I thank Senate President Reynolds and Speaker Francis for their warm reception of our students. And I believe that the ongoing promotion of bilateral projects designed to nurture talent will facilitate even more cooperation and exchanges.
In closing, I want to thank you all for your longstanding support for our diplomatic relations. Going forward, Taiwan will continue to promote values-based diplomacy, strengthening ties with Saint Lucia. We will also engage in economic diplomacy, spurring further industrial development together with our democratic partners and Saint Lucia for the benefit of our peoples. Let us move forward together as we continue to enhance the well-being of our peoples and contribute more to global peace and prosperity.
Senate President Reynolds then delivered remarks, first extending greetings to President Lai from the government, people, and members of parliament of Saint Lucia. She extended sincere congratulations to President Lai on his election success, expressing her confidence that he will lead this great country into realizing greater success.
Senate President Reynolds remarked that it is her distinct honor to be back in our beautiful country once again, this time to join with us as we celebrate our 113th anniversary of National Day. She noted that they celebrate our great advancements in education, technology, trade and manufacturing, community development, health and wellness, arts and culture, climate, smart agriculture, sustainable development, and our values in diplomacy.
Senate President Reynolds pointed out that their visit is more than a symbol of the warm and friendly relations that Taiwan and Saint Lucia have enjoyed for many years; it is also a celebration and a reaffirmation of the deep diplomatic bonds that have existed between our peoples. Over the years, this partnership has significantly impacted the lives of Saint Lucians, especially the women, children, and persons with disabilities who are the most vulnerable among them.
On behalf of Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and the government and people of Saint Lucia, Senate President Reynolds offered their profound gratitude for Taiwan’s kind generosity over the years. She added that as Taiwan prospers and shares selflessly with the rest of the world, Saint Lucia has also benefited. Taiwan’s kind gestures, she noted, contribute to improving the lives and livelihoods of so many Saint Lucians.
As a former minister for health and member of parliament in Saint Lucia, Senate President Reynolds said that she was able to see firsthand the significant contributions that Taiwan has made and continues to make to Saint Lucia’s health sector. This includes, she said, the scholarships Taiwan offers to many young Saint Lucians to pursue studies in the field of medicine. She added that Taiwan has also offered opportunities for biomedical, health promotion, and health technology training, and that it has given professional assistance for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.
In closing, Senate President Reynolds once again expressed gratitude to the people of Taiwan. Stating that she looks forward to us continuing to work together for the further growth and development of the peoples of Saint Lucia and Taiwan, she wished Taiwan a happy National Day.
Speaker Francis then delivered remarks, saying that he is honored to extend heartfelt congratulations to President Lai on his election as president. He said he is confident that in assuming this role of leadership, President Lai will guide our nation toward prosperity, peace, and progress. The speaker noted that Taiwan has long been a beacon of democracy, innovation, and resilience, and that it is a shining example to nations across the globe. He added that our strides in areas such as technology, healthcare, and sustainable development have not only elevated Taiwan’s standing but have also inspired admiration and respect worldwide.
Speaker Francis expressed gratitude on behalf of the government and people of Saint Lucia for the unwavering support that Taiwan has extended to their nation. Through partnerships in healthcare, education, agriculture, and infrastructure, Taiwan has stood by them, he said, fostering growth and enriching the lives of all Saint Lucians. He emphasized that Taiwan’s generosity and friendship have made a tangible difference in Saint Lucia, enabling them to achieve significant milestones and overcome challenges together. That spirit of collaboration between our two nations, he noted, serves as a testament to the enduring bonds of solidarity and shared values that unite us.
Speaker Francis stated that the resilience and determination demonstrated by Taiwan in the face of global challenges exemplify the spirit of leadership and compassion that defines a true partner on the world stage. The speaker expressed his hope that we will reaffirm our commitment to working hand in hand towards a brighter, more inclusive future for both of our countries, and that together we can forge paths of progress, equity, and sustainability that leave a lasting impact on generations to come. He then expressed his wish for our partnership to continue to flourish, nurturing a legacy of friendship for both Taiwan and Saint Lucia.
Also in attendance at the meeting was Saint Lucia Senator Embert Charles. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Saint Lucia Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The CMA has published its response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on planning system reform.
The CMA responded to the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and planning system, led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
The CMA’s response welcomes the government’s intent to reform to the planning system in England, as these reforms consider options we had identified in our Housebuilding Market Study.
The response also sets out where the CMA thinks the UK government should consider further reform, particularly on reform of statutory consultees, taking steps to increase the variety of houses being built, and taking further steps to support small and medium housebuilders. It also urges the government to respond to our Market Study recommendations, and so tackle issues in private management of public amenities and issues in consumer protection for buyers of new build homes.
For queries relating to the CMA’s response, please contact the CMA advocacy team by email at advocacy@cma.gov.uk.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
NEW YORK, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Greenbacker Capital Management (“GCM” and, together with its affiliates, “Greenbacker”), an energy transition-focused investment manager, is pleased to announce that it has expanded its distribution and fundraising capabilities, particularly in markets where Greenbacker is seeing increasing investor demand for sustainable investments. As senior members of the business development team, Adam Evans, CAIA, CIMA and John Hennessey broaden Greenbacker’s ability to offer individual and institutional investors the opportunity—across all distribution channels—to participate in the energy transition.
“With Greenbacker’s evolving set of strategies, the timing couldn’t be better to add these two individuals, and their wealth of experience, to the distribution side of our business,” said Brandon Praznik, Greenbacker’s Executive Vice President of Business Development. “The strategic additions of Adam and John bolster our capital raising efforts as Greenbacker seeks to execute on its growth targets and capitalize on the energy transition opportunity set for our investors.”
Evans is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience distributing financial services products to institutional and retail investors. As a senior vice president on Greenbacker’s business development team, he is responsible for the distribution of company strategies through all distribution channels in the Central US. Prior to Greenbacker, Evans served as a director within the financial institutions group at Lazard Asset Management, before which he held the role of business development director at Cushing Asset Management. In both roles, Evans was responsible for distributing firm strategies to the registered investment advisor (“RIA”), bank trust, and family office channels, including securing investment in new strategies.
Hennessey is a seasoned business development professional, bringing to Greenbacker 15 years of experience marketing and distributing investment strategies to the RIA, family office, and institutional channels. As a vice president on Greenbacker’s business development team, he is responsible for the distribution of company strategies through all channels, with a focus on the Southeastern US. Previously in his career, Hennessey served as a director at Chicago Atlantic Group and a vice president at Merit Hill Capital; at both firms, he was responsible for business development, covering the RIA, family office, and institutional channels.
The two join the company during a period of expansion and transformation for Greenbacker. Greenbacker’s latest quarterly results highlight substantial year-over-year growth in revenue and clean power production, as well as a 30% increase in fee-earning AUM,1 bringing the total to $762 million. As of the end of the second quarter, the company’s aggregate AUM2 had reached $3.7 billion.
Greenbacker also recently expanded its investments team following the launch of GCM’s fourth sustainability-driven investment strategy, focused on Energy Transition Real Estate. Earlier this year, Greenbacker announced it added three new members to its leadership team, including a new Chief Financial Officer and the newly created Head of Infrastructure and Head of Capital Markets positions. Late last year, the company expanded its private equity investment team, adding a managing director to its Greenbacker Development Opportunities (“GDEV”) strategy, which invests in growth-stage sustainable infrastructure development platforms.
GCM serves as the SEC-registered investment manager to four energy transition-focused investment strategies. Greenbacker remains committed to empowering a sustainable future by putting investor capital to work in the energy transition asset class. As of June 30, 2024, Greenbacker’s fleet of clean energy projects has produced over 10.7 million MWh of clean power3 since 2016, abating nearly 7.5 million metric tons of carbon4 and conserving approximately 7.4 billion gallons of water,5 compared to the amount of water needed to produce the same amount of power by burning coal.
About Greenbacker Capital Management
Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries. For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com.
About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that both acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms, and provides investment management services to other renewable energy investment vehicles. We seek to acquire and operate high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contracts to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. Greenbacker conducts its investment management business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. We believe our focus on power production and asset management creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholders—while facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update and forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations.
Greenbacker media contact
Chris Larson
Media Communications
646.569.9532
c.larson@greenbackercapital.com
1 Fee-earning AUM represents the asset base upon which management fee revenue is earned from GCM’s managed funds. The financial and portfolio metrics set forth herein are unaudited and subject to change.
2 Aggregate AUM includes GREC and GCM’s managed funds. AUM represents the underlying fair value of investments, determined generally in accordance with ASC 820, cash and cash equivalents and project level debt. These figures are unaudited and subject to change.
3 As of June 30, 2024.
4 As of June 30, 2024. When compared with a similar amount of power generation from fossil fuels. Carbon abatement is calculated using the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator which uses the Avoided Emissions and generation Tool (AVERT) US national weighted average CO2 marginal emission rate to convert reductions of kilowatt-hours into avoided units of carbon dioxide emissions.
5 As of June 30, 2024. Gallons of water saved are calculated based on Operational water consumption and withdrawal factors for electricity generating technologies: a review of existing literature – IOPscience, J Macknick et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 045802.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextGen Digital Platforms Inc. (“NextGen” or the “Company”) (CSE: NXT) is pleased to provide an update on recent and ongoing developments at its two core businesses, namely e-commerce platform PCSections.com (“PCS”) and the cloud-based hardware-as-a-service leasing business (“Cloud AI Hosting”). Both platforms continue to be upgraded to improve scalability, performance, and operational efficiency, as the Company continues to drive forward its growth strategy.
Cloud AI Hosting Buildout Trial
The Company has engaged Logic V Inc. (“Logic V”), a Vancouver-based provider of cloud computing and IT services, to explore transitioning its Cloud AI Hosting business to a fully cloud-based model. This new approach would involve the Company virtually leasing a subset of computing workstations from larger cloud computing and/or datacentre providers, which the Company would then sublease to smaller third-party artificial intelligence end-users via the existing online portal already being used by Cloud AI Hosting. Virtually leasing this computing power, rather than building an in-house computing fleet, could provide significant scalability and operational benefits as the Company builds out this business line.
Logic V is currently conducting a proof of work (the “POW”) to assess this transition. If successful, this new approach is expected to significantly enhance scalability and speed to market by eliminating the need for NextGen to acquire and operationalize physical workstations, thus avoiding risks associated with physical inventory, operational challenges, and the large upfront costs of workstation purchases and infrastructure upgrades.
NextGen expects Logic V to complete the POW in the coming weeks, and in due course will provide an update on outcomes from the POW and the next phase of the Cloud AI Hosting buildout.
PCS Platform Enhancements
PCS is undergoing both front-end and back-end upgrades aimed at enhancing the overall user experience, site performance, and security. The upgrades to PCS include:
The front-end design improvements are expected to be completed soon, and the Company will continue to work on finalizing the back-end enhancements.
Kevin Zhou, NextGen’s Director of Platforms & Marketing, stated, “Pursuing a cloud-based model for Cloud AI Hosting has the potential to be a more efficient and scalable path compared to our original plan of acquiring physical workstations. If the current POW is successful, we will immediately scale up our operations. If not, we are still able and funded to expand our current fleet of workstations, towards our goal of owning a total of 10 to 15 GPUs with enough computing power for our smaller-scale users. Regardless of the outcome, we anticipate expanding the operational capacity and revenue level of our Cloud AI Hosting business once Logic V completes the POW. Similarly, with the updates on PCS, we are aiming to improve its overall functionality and competitiveness as we continue to refine both platforms.”
Joel Freudman, President & CEO of NextGen, added, “We are pleased with the development milestones being achieved across both our PCS and Cloud AI Hosting platforms. We remain committed to their continued growth to fuel NextGen’s development trajectory, and are exploring what other potential revenue streams and ancillary capabilities we may be able to derive by leveraging our existing infrastructure.”
About NextGen Digital Platforms Inc.
NextGen is a Canadian technology company specializing in the development and acquisition of revenue-generating micro-technology digital platforms. The Company currently operates e-commerce platform PCSections.com (“PCS”) and a hardware-as-a-service business supporting the artificial intelligence sector, called cloud AI hosting (“Cloud AI Hosting”). Both PCS and Cloud AI Hosting were developed in-house by NextGen. From time to time the Company also intends to evaluate and acquire or develop other micro-technology platforms.
NextGen is a portfolio company of Resurgent Capital Corp. (“Resurgent”), a merchant bank providing venture capital markets advisory services and proprietary financing. Resurgent works with promising public and pre-public micro-capitalization companies listing on Canadian stock exchanges. For more information on Resurgent and its portfolio companies, please visit Resurgent’s website at https://www.resurgentcapital.ca/ or follow Resurgent on LinkedIn at https://ca.linkedin.com/company/resurgent-capital-corp.
For further information about NextGen, please contact:
Joel Freudman
Founder, President & CEO
NextGen Digital Platforms Inc.
Phone: (647) 368-7789
Email: info@nextgendigital.ca
Website: https://nextgendigital.ca/
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including those relating to the future development and revenue potential of PCS and Cloud AI Hosting; the POW for Cloud AI Hosting; and expected benefits of improvements to PCS and Cloud AI Hosting. These statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company’s business plans and technological development forecasts, and outcomes of the POW, that are believed by management to be reasonable in the circumstances, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation: technological and business risks inherent in artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and other emerging sectors that the Company is or may become involved in; operational and technical challenges; timeline for completion of the POW, and the outcomes therefrom, including as to revenue and/or profitability of Cloud AI Hosting; the Company’s ability to compete with other businesses in the e-commerce and/or cloud hosting markets; negative operating cash flow and insufficient capital to complete the development and/or expansion of any of the Company’s technologies; volatility in economic conditions; and those other risks described in the Company’s continuous disclosure documents. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements herein. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by applicable securities laws.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE and NEW YORK, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — YieldMax™ announced the launch today of the following ETF:
YieldMax™ PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF (NYSE Arca: PLTY)
PLTY seeks to generate current income by pursuing options-based strategies on Palantir Technologies Inc. (“PLTR”). PLTY is actively managed by ZEGA Financial. PLTY does not invest directly in PLTR.
PLTY is the newest member of the YieldMax™ ETF family and like all YieldMax™ ETFs, aims to deliver current income to investors. With respect to distributions, PLTY will be a Group B ETF and its first distribution is expected to be announced on November 6, 2024. Please see table below for distribution and yield information for all outstanding YieldMax™ ETFs.
| ETF Ticker1 |
ETF Name | Reference Asset |
Distribution Rate2,4,5 |
30-Day SEC Yield3 |
| TSLY | YieldMax™ TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF | TSLA | 115.53% | 3.09% |
| OARK | YieldMax™ Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF | ARKK | 53.47% | 3.37% |
| APLY | YieldMax™ AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF | AAPL | 31.19% | 3.17% |
| NVDY | YieldMax™ NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF | NVDA | 65.43% | 3.24% |
| AMZY | YieldMax™ AMZN Option Income Strategy ETF | AMZN | 41.70% | 3.27% |
| FBY | YieldMax™ META Option Income Strategy ETF | META | 31.65% | 3.22% |
| GOOY | YieldMax™ GOOGL Option Income Strategy ETF | GOOGL | 22.22% | 3.28% |
| NFLY | YieldMax™ NFLX Option Income Strategy ETF | NFLX | 36.06% | 3.45% |
| CONY | YieldMax™ COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | COIN | 97.94% | 3.70% |
| MSFO | YieldMax™ MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF | MSFT | 27.17% | 3.33% |
| DISO | YieldMax™ DIS Option Income Strategy ETF | DIS | 35.17% | 3.41% |
| XOMO | YieldMax™ XOM Option Income Strategy ETF | XOM | 18.73% | 3.32% |
| JPMO | YieldMax™ JPM Option Income Strategy ETF | JPM | 34.76% | 3.60% |
| AMDY | YieldMax™ AMD Option Income Strategy ETF | AMD | 73.41% | 3.24% |
| PYPY | YieldMax™ PYPL Option Income Strategy ETF | PYPL | 102.97% | 2.94% |
| SQY | YieldMax™ SQ Option Income Strategy ETF | SQ | 86.71% | 3.44% |
| MRNY | YieldMax™ MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF | MRNA | 71.92% | 3.91% |
| AIYY | YieldMax™ AI Option Income Strategy ETF | AI | 47.26% | 3.76% |
| MSTY | YieldMax™ MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | MSTR | 81.35% | 0.00% |
| YBIT | YieldMax™ Bitcoin Option Income Strategy ETF | Bitcoin ETP | 87.09% | 4.07% |
| CRSH | YieldMax™ Short TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF | TSLA | 101.44% | 3.61% |
| GDXY | YieldMax™ Gold Miners Option Income Strategy ETF | GDX® | 40.15% | 3.27% |
| SNOY | YieldMax™ SNOW Option Income Strategy ETF | SNOW | 40.64% | 3.44% |
| ABNY | YieldMax™ ABNB Option Income Strategy ETF | ABNB | 33.60% | 2.84% |
| FIAT | YieldMax™ Short COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | COIN | 110.90% | 3.22% |
| DIPS | YieldMax™ Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF | NVDA | 87.48% | 3.69% |
| BABO | YieldMax™ BABA Option Income Strategy ETF | BABA | 33.24% | 2.62% |
| YQQQ | YieldMax™ Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF | NDX® | 26.88% | 3.63% |
| TSMY | YieldMax™ TSM Option Income Strategy ETF | TSM | 23.98% | 3.48% |
| SMCY* | YieldMax™ SMCI Option Income Strategy ETF | SMCI | — | — |
| YMAX | YieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs | Multiple | 61.63% | 62.93% |
| YMAG | YieldMax™ Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs | Multiple | 45.17% | 50.85% |
| ULTY | YieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF | Multiple | 113.94% | 0.00% |
The performance data quoted above represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Performance current to the most recent month-end can be obtained by calling (833) 378-0717.
Note: CRSH, FIAT, DIPS and YQQQ are hereinafter referred to as the “Short ETFs” and “ADR” stands for American Depositary Receipt.
Distributions are not guaranteed. The Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield are not indicative of future distributions, if any, on the ETFs. In particular, future distributions on any ETF may differ significantly from its Distribution Rate or 30-Day SEC Yield. You are not guaranteed a distribution under the ETFs. Distributions for the ETFs (if any) are variable and may vary significantly from month to month and may be zero. Accordingly, the Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant.
Investors in the Funds will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions with respect to the underlying reference asset(s).
* The inception date for SMCY is September 11, 2024.
Standardized Performance
For TSLY, click here. For OARK, click here. For APLY, click here. For NVDY, click here. For AMZY, click here. For FBY, click here. For GOOY, click here. For NFLY, click here. For CONY, click here. For MSFO, click here. For DISO, click here. For XOMO, click here. For JPMO, click here. For AMDY, click here. For PYPY, click here. For SQY, click here. For MRNY, click here. For AIYY, click here. For MSTY, click here. For YBIT, click here. For CRSH, click here. For GDXY, click here. For SNOY, click here. For ABNY, click here. For FIAT, click here. For DIPS, click here. For BABO, click here. For YQQQ, click here. For TSMY, click here. For SMCY, click here. For YMAX, click here. For YMAG, click here. For ULTY, click here.
Prospectuses
Click here.
Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information are in the prospectus. Please read the prospectuses carefully before you invest.
There is no guarantee that any Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment in any such Fund.
Contact Gavin Filmore at gfilmore@tidalfg.com for more information.
Tidal Financial Group is the adviser for all YieldMax™ ETFs and ZEGA Financial is their sub-adviser.
THE FUND, TRUST, AND SUB-ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY UNDERLYING REFERNCE ASSET.
Risk Disclosures (applicable to all YieldMax ETFs referenced above, except the Short ETFs)
YMAX and YMAG generally invest in other YieldMax™ ETFs. As such, these two Funds are subject to the risks listed in this section, which apply to all the YieldMax™ ETFs they may hold from time to time.
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.
Call Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s call writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold call options and over longer time periods.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Call Period.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (ARKK, TSLA, AAPL, NVDA, AMZN, META, GOOGL, NFLX, COIN, MSFT, DIS, XOM, JPM, AMD, PYPL, SQ, MRNA, AI, MSTR, Bitcoin ETP, GDX®, SNOW, ABNB, BABA, TSM, SMCI, PLTR), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Risk Disclosures (applicable only to BABO and TSMY)
Currency Risk: Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.
Depositary Receipts Risk: Investment in ADRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Foreign Market and Trading Risk: The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight.
Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers.
Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GDXY)
Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. The Fund is exposed indirectly to the securities of foreign issuers selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.
Risk of Investing in Gold and Silver Mining Companies. The Fund is exposed indirectly to gold and silver mining companies selected by GDX®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies.
The Fund invests in options contracts based on the value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX®), which subjects the Fund to some of the same risks as if it owned GDX®, as well as the risks associated with Canadian, Australian and Emerging Market Issuers, and Small-and Medium-Capitalization companies.
Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YBIT)
YBIT does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than YBIT.
Bitcoin Investment Risk: The Fund’s indirect investment in Bitcoin, through holdings in one or more Underlying ETPs, exposes it to the unique risks of this emerging innovation. Bitcoin’s price is highly volatile, and its market is influenced by the changing Bitcoin network, fluctuating acceptance levels, and unpredictable usage trends.
Digital Assets Risk: Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility. Potentially No 1940 Act Protections. As of the date of this Prospectus, there is only a single eligible Underlying ETP, and it is an investment company subject to the 1940 Act.
Bitcoin ETP Risk: The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Bitcoin ETP. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Bitcoin ETP, even though it does not. Bitcoin ETPs are subject, but not limited, to significant risk and heightened volatility. An investor in a Bitcoin ETP may lose their entire investment. Bitcoin ETPs are not suitable for all investors. In addition, not all Bitcoin ETPs are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Those Bitcoin ETPs that are not registered under such statute are therefore not subject to the same regulations as exchange traded products that are so registered.
Risk Disclosures (applicable only to the Short ETFs)
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.
Price Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the value of the underlying reference asset. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the underlying reference asset, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, the Fund is subject to the risk that the value of the underlying reference asset increases. If the value of the underlying reference asset increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses.
Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing (selling) strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in decreases in the value of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer time periods.
Purchased OTM Call Options Risk. The Fund’s strategy is subject to potential losses if the underlying reference asset increases in value, which may not be offset by the purchase of out-of-the-money (OTM) call options. The Fund purchases OTM calls to seek to manage (cap) the Fund’s potential losses from the Fund’s short exposure to the underlying reference asset if it appreciates significantly in value. However, the OTM call options will cap the Fund’s losses only to the extent that the value of the underlying reference asset increases to a level that is at or above the strike level of the purchased OTM call options. Any increase in the value of the underlying reference asset to a level that is below the strike level of the purchased OTM call options will result in a corresponding loss for the Fund. For example, if the OTM call options have a strike level that is approximately 100% above the then-current value of the underlying reference asset at the time of the call option purchase, and the value of the underlying reference asset increases by at least 100% during the term of the purchased OTM call options, the Fund will lose all its value. Since the Fund bears the costs of purchasing the OTM calls, such costs will decrease the Fund’s value and/or any income otherwise generated by the Fund’s investment strategy.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.
Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.
Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given month. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings.
Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in decreases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Put Period.
Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, for any Fund that focuses on an individual security (e.g., TSLA, COIN, NVDA), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.
Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.
Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YQQQ)
Index Overview. The Nasdaq 100 Index is a benchmark index that includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, based on market capitalization.
Index Level Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the Index level. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the Index, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the Index level, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Index level increases. If the Index level increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses. The Fund may also be subject to the following risks: innovation and technological advancement; strong market presence of Index constituent companies; adaptability to global market trends; and resilience and recovery potential.
Index Level Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will benefit from decreases in the Index level experienced over the Put Period. This means that if the Index level experiences a decrease in value below the strike level of the sold put options during a Put Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and any Fund gains may significantly differ from the level of the Index losses over the Put Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in decreases in value experienced by the Index level over each Put Period, but has significant negative exposure to any increases in value experienced by the Index level over the Put Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the inverse of the performance of the Index level. The Fund’s ability to benefit from the Index level decreases will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put option contracts and will vary from Put Period to Put Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of component companies that comprise the Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Index and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the Index level changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Put Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly inversely correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Index level. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact that the value of the options contracts has on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the Index level will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than the inverse of the changes experienced by the Index level.
Holdings
As of October 7, 2024, the YieldMax™ PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF did not hold any shares of Palantir Technologies Inc. (“PLTR”). As of such date, the holdings of PLTR in such fund were 0.00%.
YieldMax™ ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with Tidal Financial Group, YieldMax™ ETFs or ZEGA Financial.
© 2024 YieldMax™ ETFs
Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Bern, 08.10.2024 – The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) foundation, co-founded by the Swiss Confederation, will hold its fourth summit from 9 to 11 October in Geneva, in presence of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis. The high-level political segment, focused on anticipatory science diplomacy, will centre on the theme of ensuring widespread access to the groundbreaking scientific advances that will shape our future.
Since 2019, GESDA has brought together scientists, diplomats, representatives of the private sector and civil society to work together to anticipate the scientific breakthroughs that will impact our societies and develop solutions to best manage these developments. The foundation’s areas of action include artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, synthetic biology and neurotechnologies.
These themes will be discussed from 9 to 11 October at the 4th GESDA summit in Geneva, one of the major events on the international science diplomacy calendar. Under the theme of scientific acceleration, the summit will examine how new technologies can impact food security, intellectual property and coral reef conservation, in particular through insights from the EPFL’s Transnational Red Sea Center, an initiative supported by the FDFA.
The impact of scientific progress on peace and security
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, will attend the summit on 11 October 2024 and hold political discussions with various ministers and senior representatives. The main goal of this high-level political summit is to democratise access to the scientific advances that will shape the future. To advance this objective, Mr Cassis and GESDA will launch several concrete pilot projects.
A training framework will be set up to equip decision-makers with the skills needed to anticipate and navigate a world rapidly transformed by scientific and technological advancements, primarily through regional workshops and online training programmes. An interactive exhibition, the Geneva Public Anticipation Portal, will also offer the public a gateway to the world of technological advances. This installation will be part of the Swiss pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.
GESDA, a tool of Swiss foreign policy
GESDA was established in 2019 by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva. The foundation is helping to strengthen Geneva’s role as a centre for international cooperation. In 2023, GESDA launched the Open Quantum Institute, now based at CERN, with the aim of putting quantum technologies at the service of the common good. Anticipatory science diplomacy is also one of the thematic objectives set out in the Federal Council’s Foreign Policy Strategy 2024–27.
Address for enquiries
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
Publisher
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001854/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Miriam Lexmann (PPE), Christine Singer (Renew), Pina Picierno (S&D), Engin Eroglu (Renew)
Earlier this year, the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the American subsidiary of JBS, the world’s largest producer of beef products, for misleading the public about its environmental impact. JBS has claimed that it will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, despite plans to increase production and thereby increase its carbon footprint.
JBS has a well-documented history of environmental degradation, deforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices in the Amazon rainforest and other sensitive ecosystems. JBS has by far the highest emissions of any company in agriculture, and the company’s methane emissions exceed the combined total methane emissions of France, Germany, Canada and New Zealand.
On top of this, there have been a litany of abuses, price manipulation practices and what has been dubbed ‘the largest corruption inquiry in history’ linked with the Batista brothers, who de facto control JBS through a holding company.
Even while interinstitutional negotiations on the ‘green claims’ directive are still ongoing:
Submitted: 27.9.2024
Source: European Parliament
During its meeting on 14 October, EMPL will hold an exchange of views with the Directors of EU-OSHA, ELA, Cedefop, Eurofound and ETF.
William Cockburn (EU-OSHA), Cosmin Boiangiu (ELA), Jürgen Siebel (Cedefop), Ivailo Kalfin (Eurofound) and Pilvi Torsti (ETF) are going to give Members a snapshot of their respective Agencies’ main fields of expertise, focusing on current and planned work on important issues such as digitalisation in the world of work, just transition, skills recognition and portability, labour mobility and labour market shortages or housing, as well as ways of enhancing cooperation with the Committee in view of the start of the new mandate.
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001896/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tomas Tobé (PPE)
The Swedish Transport Agency says that thousands of people registered in Sweden are travelling to other European Economic Area (EEA) countries in order to have a third-country driving licence exchanged for an EEA licence in a way that is not possible in Sweden.[1]
The Driving Licence Directive regulates how driving licences are exchanged and establishes that EEA driving licences can be exchanged for a national driving licence.[2] However, the legislation was never intended to be used by people from third countries to engage in ‘driving licence tourism’ by travelling to the country affording the most favourable conditions to have a driving licence from their home country converted into an EEA licence.[3]
Abuse of the rules on exchanging driving licences within the EEA in this way has a major impact on road safety throughout the EU, as adequate driver skills can no longer be guaranteed. The growth of driving licence tourism shows the shortcomings of the current EU legislation and an inability to keep the Union’s roads free of driving licence fraudsters.
In view of the above:
Submitted: 1.10.2024
Source: European Parliament 3
On Tuesday, MEPs approved over €1 billion in EU Solidarity Fund aid to support recovery efforts in five EU countries due to severe floods that occurred in 2023.
The €1,028,541,689 in aid from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) will be distributed as follows:
The EUSF assistance will cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, including repairing damaged infrastructure, safeguarding cultural heritage, and conducting clean-up operations.
MEPs express their “deepest solidarity with all the victims, their families and all the individuals affected by the destructive floods in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France as well as with the national, regional and local authorities involved in the relief efforts”. They point to the “increasing number of severe and destructive natural disasters in Europe” and consider that the “budget of the EUSF or its equivalent should be expanded in view of the upcoming Commission proposal on the new Multiannual Financial Framework”.
The aid package was approved by 632 votes in favour, 7 votes against and 3 abstentions.
More information can be found here (Commission proposal) and in the EP report by rapporteur Georgios Aftias (EPP, Greece). Watch the rapporteur’s plenary speech following this link.
Background
Since its inception in 2002, the EUSF has mobilised over €8.6 billion for 130 disasters (110 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies) in 24 member states (plus the UK), and four accession countries (Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye).
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
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WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Latino-Jewish Caucus, Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL), and Tony Gonzales (R-TX), issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel: “Today marks one year since the devastating terrorist attack by Hamas that massacred more than 1,200 innocent men, women, and children. On this solemn day, we embrace the families of the remaining 101 hostages and join the entire world in mourning and honoring the innocent lives lost on October 7th. Together, we must continue to fight to bring home the hostages, including the four living Americans, Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel and ensure their return and reunification with their loved ones, as well as bringing home the remains of three Americans who were killed by Hamas in Gaza. As co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Latino-Jewish Caucus, we remain steadfast in our commitment and collaboration with our colleagues to work toward the return and reunification of the hostages with their families and to do whatever it takes to ensure the horrors of October 7, 2023 never again take place.” |
Source: United States Navy (Medical)
Naval Hospital Bremerton staff didn’t really go to the dogs during National Dog Week.
Many were already there.
For the third consecutive year, nearly 50 dog-owners responded to a request to share an image of their canine companion(s) for the last week in September. The pictures were compiled into a visual digital display of 32 pages, ranging from lovable rescues to litter runts and many breeds in between.
There were working breeds represented, such as bloodhounds Ellie Mae, 8-year old and 2-year old MJ, of Amy Salzsieder, Occupational Health registered nurse, who are actively involved with the Kitsap County K9 Search and Rescue and National Search Dogs Alliance. German Shepherd Harley belonging to Terry Lerma, NHB emergency preparedness manager, has officially retired from her K9 Search and Rescue days and is content to catch up on napping, tasting treats and ensuring their home has a ready bark-alert warning system.
There’s Honey, a 9-year old Saluki mix which Cmdr. Laura Moody has had since 2019. She’s a former sled pulling dog from Oregon, while Aspen, a 7-year old Siberian Husky who Cmdr. Dean Kang rescued in Portland also in 2019, dislikes all delivery truck drivers.
Under the notable announcement, ‘fur missiles inbound,’ Chief Hospital Corpsman Justin Brown, sharing images of his family canine companions.
“Theodore is a 12-year old brown husky/lab mix. I’ve had him since he was five weeks. My first true love before I met my wife and had my kid,” explained Brown. “He was my running, hiking, truck, and gym buddy attached to my hip. Now old and has hip problems he hangs with mom, the one who feeds him, snuggles him, and is always around. Sampson “Sammy” is my Red Speckled Heeler mutt who’s 11-year old and found us during July 4 fireworks in 2013 when he was only a few months old. We were playing ball with Theo. He ran right up and started playing together. No one was looking for him, no one had reported him missing, and he had no ID tags or microchip. The shelter told us we can hold onto him for a couple weeks and if they don’t reach out with someone looking for him, we could keep him if we wanted. He adopted us and been spoiled ever since.”
Rebecca Drew, medical coder, shared her three fur babies, Rylee, 12-yr old black lab, adopted at 8-week old, Zola, black lab/Great Pyrenees mix, 8-year old, adopted at six months, along with resident feline Maia, American short/long hair, 2-yrs old, adopted at 8-weeks who is readily accepted as part of the pack.
Staff were also introduced to Mochi, a 2-year old Havanese belonging to financial technician Jinky Angel.
“We adopted him when he was 10 weeks old in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is originally from Yorktown, Virginia,” Angel said. “Mochi is a playful, sweet, and loving dog. He brings so much joy to our family. We relocated to Port Orchard last year and he loves Washington weather.”
The Kelly Gann household features hounds of plenty, all adopted from a coonhound rescue, with Jester, a five-year old Treeing Walker Coonhound, Elly Mae, 6-year old Treeing Walker Coonhound, Shira, 10-year old Bluetick Coonhound. and Samantha, 11-yr old Treeing Walker Coonhound.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Cade Crenshaw showcased Winston, a two-year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. “I’ve had Winston, affectionately referred to as ‘Winnie’ by many, since he was six months old. He loves playing fetch and running outside in the grass at the park,” shared Crenshaw.
There were other submissions shared who were slightly less active, such as Violet, from Motta Sant’Anastasia, Sicily. According to Cmdr. Kevin Johnson, Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton Detachment Puget Sound Naval Shipyard interim officer-in-charge, she is quite possibly the laziest dog in the Pacific Northwest, clocking an average daily combined sleep duration of 20 hours. Johnson also notes Violet openly protests walks by laying on her back in the middle of sidewalks or streets.
Along with the personal connection with canines for many, the U.S. Navy has long had an affinity for dogs.
Not only do dogs provide specialized services in the Navy such as explosive and narcotic detachments, they also provide security patrols from the routine to crucial operational missions.
Dogs have also been haze-gray underway and not just as official mascots. Most notable has been Capt. Demo, a golden retriever/lab mix on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during their extended nine month deployment to the volatile waters of the Middle East, providing comfort, companionship and curative as only a canine can.
Dog gone it, indeed.
Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Diocese of Nongstoin
Nongstoin (Agenzia Fides) – “In our territory, where women are at the center of family and social life, the Church also has a feminine face. And devotion to the Virgin Mary is strong and deep-rooted,” says to Fides Wilbert Marwein, Bishop of Nongstoin, a diocese in the Indian state of Meghalaya, one of the seven states in north-east India. It is one of the three states (Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, all located in the same territory) where the Christian population is the majority in the Indian Federation. In the state of Meghalaya there are almost a million Catholic believers (out of a population of 3.3 million), but Christians of various denominations (with Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans) make up a total of 75% of the population.”We received the faith from the Italian and Spanish Salesian missionaries and we are grateful for that,” says the Bishop. “Our diocese extends over a mountainous area where it is very difficult to reach the remote villages, inhabited mainly by communities of the three main tribal groups: Khasi, Garo and Jaintia. Despite the geographical difficulties, the mission of the Church is progressing very well and the love of Christ continues to attract new believers. In 2006, when the diocese was carved out of the Shillong territory, we counted 120,000 Catholics; today there are 175,000.””Every year,” continues the bishop, “we have the gift of many new baptisms of children and adults, and we register conversions of animist locals. This happens above all thanks to the testimony of priests, nuns and catechists who build friendly relations with the people and help those in need. Often, those who ask for baptism say that they are impressed by the Eucharist, by Jesus who became bread for us, or by the intense prayer in community.”In Meghalaya, the culture of all three major ethnic groups has a particularity: it is a matriarchal society in which the woman carries the family forward and is the main point of reference. Children take their mother’s surname and “there is a great celebration in the family when a girl is born,” says the bishop. “Moreover, it is the last daughter who – according to the ancient social and cultural tradition – inherits the entire family assets,” he reports.In this cultural context, women also play a special role in the ecclesial community: “There are many catechists, women who lead remote communities, who are present in the pastoral councils and organize pastoral life in the parishes. Our Church definitely has a female face and there is no ‘competition’ with the work and commitment of priests.”The presence and importance of women is also demonstrated by the number and work of women’s religious orders, “in which thousands of consecrated women carry out an apostolic service to the poorest population with great devotion, often in the schools attached to the parishes, and which are very appreciated by the population,” continued Bishop Marwein.And it is precisely because of these cultural realities that “the spiritual relationship with the figure of the Virgin Mary is something very precious and easily accessible for the local population, even for the simple and uneducated.” “We experience a deep Marian devotion. The figure of Mary is very loved, there are processions with deep devotion, she is the mediator who leads the faith of her children to Christ, as we see in so many who are converted ‘through Mary’: Ad Jesum per Mariam (Through Mary to Jesus), as Saint Louis Grignion de Monfort used to say. Now in October, the special month of the Rosary, the Rosary is prayed at home in every Catholic family in the diocese. Mary is truly our Mother, the faithful feel like her children, loved and protected by her,” affirms the bishop.The Bishop of Nongstoin often travels to remote villages where he feels the faith of the people: “I enjoy visiting villages and am really edified by it. There are simple and humble people there. They want to talk and wait for the Sacraments. When I come to a village, I often spend more than three hours administering the sacrament of confession. A single parish (we have 22 in the diocese, 16 of which are outside the town of Nongstoin, scattered in the inaccessible area) often includes more than 30-40 villages, with small groups of Catholic families who are moved when a catechist, priest or bishop arrives. This is my mission, and often on this path I meet people who do not know the Lord Jesus: this is how we try to spread the love of God to proclaim and testify to the Gospel that can touch the heart of every man and woman.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 8/10/2024)
Diocese of Nongstoin
Diocese of Nongstoin
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Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – “The division of political leaders is a scandal. They claim to be Christians but promote the disunity of the country,” said the President of the Kenyan Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Kisumu, Maurice Muhatia Makumba. In his homily for the national prayer at the Marian Shrine in Subukia (Nakuru) on October 5, Archbishop Makumba criticized Kenyan politicians who “instead of expressing the gift of unity that comes from God, express division and divide citizens.” Political division, warned the President of the Bishops’ Conference, undermines the country’s economic development at a time when people need it most, burdened by rising prices, unemployment and rising taxes. “May the Lord touch the hearts and minds of our political leaders so that they understand what the people are asking of them. We need leaders who unite the country and not divide it to pursue their own selfish interests,” he warned.The background to Archbishop Makumba’s comments is the serious rifts at the top of the State. On October 1, an 11-count impeachment procedure was initiated against Vice President Rigathi Gachagua by a member of the presidential coalition (Kenya Kwanza). This is the latest act in the months-long dispute between Gachagua and President William Ruto. The 11 charges include ” insubordination” against the President and “attack on national unity” as well as conflict of interest, embezzlement and abuse of power. The motion against him states in particular that he “has inexplicably amassed a huge fortune estimated at 5.2 billion shillings (about 36 million euros) over the past two years, mainly from alleged corruption and money laundering.”Today, October 8, parliamentarians are expected to debate the motion to impeach Gachagua. A total of 291 parliamentarians, more than the 117 required by the Constitution, have signed the motion. Kenyan President William Ruto, meanwhile, has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment process, while in the first days of his presidency he said he would not publicly humiliate his deputy, alluding to the difficult relationship he had with his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta during his second term. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 8/10/2024)
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Source: US State of California 2
In total, California has deployed 284 highly specialized personnel to support hurricane response efforts in recent weeks
SACRAMENTO – With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall in Florida this week as a Category 5 hurricane, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the deployment of 144 firefighters and ground support personnel from three California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force teams to assist with incident management, emergency operations and search and rescue efforts.
This incoming aid is in addition to California Urban Search and Rescue resources recently deployed to support the response to Hurricane Helene, including 140 firefighters and support personnel from California/FEMA US&R Task Forces 5 and 6 from the Orange County Fire Authority and Riverside Fire Department, and California Swiftwater Task Force 1 from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
In close coordination with FEMA, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is now deploying Task Force members from the Los Angeles City Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Menlo Park Fire Protection District to support the Hurricane Milton response. These highly specialized personnel are trained in structural collapse and swift water/flood environments and are expected to arrive in Georgia in the coming days to stage before being dispatched.
The deployment has no impact on California’s emergency response and firefighting capabilities.
“California stands with all those who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As Hurricane Milton approaches landfall, California is sending additional specialized resources to support critical emergency response and recovery efforts.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
“Cal OES is proud to deploy highly-skilled teams to be ready to help those in need as Hurricane Milton heads toward the U.S.,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “These search and rescue professionals have the training needed to navigate extreme environments and assist in the effort to preserve life and property.”
Last month, Governor Newsom deployed California support to Florida to bolster the response to Hurricane Helene. California also sent aid to Texas in July and Georgia in August in response to tropical storms. In the past two years, California has also deployed firefighters to New Mexico, Hawaii, Oregon and Montana.
Source: US Food and Drug Administration
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization for the Healgen Rapid Check COVID-19/Flu A&B Antigen Test. The test, authorized for use without a prescription, is for use by individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms and uses a nasal swab sample to deliver at-home results in approximately 15 minutes for COVID-19 and influenza (flu). The test detects proteins from both SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and influenza A and B (the viruses that causes flu).
This is the first over-the-counter (OTC) test that can detect influenza to be granted marketing authorization using a traditional premarket review pathway, which enables the test to be marketed in the absence of an applicable emergency use declaration. Other OTC flu/COVID tests are currently available under emergency use authorization.
“As we enter this year’s annual flu season with respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 on many of our minds, our ability to detect these pathogens effectively and efficiently can be impactful on our daily lives. Today’s authorization expands the options for individuals with respiratory symptoms to receive information about their health from the comfort of their home,” said Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA continues to take actions that support the development and availability of at-home tests for a variety of medical conditions.”
The test is for use by individuals 14 years or older taking and testing their own sample, or individuals 2 years and older with a sample taken and tested by an adult. The FDA reviewed data from a study of individuals with signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza, which showed that this test correctly identified 99% of negative and 92% of positive SARS-CoV-2 samples, 99.9% of negative Flu A and B samples, and 92.5% and 90.5% of positive Flu A and Flu B samples, respectively.
Validation data for the test was gathered through the Independent Test Assessment Program (ITAP), a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx®) Tech program, in collaboration with the FDA. ITAP was launched in 2021 to accelerate test evaluation to support the FDA’s regulatory review and the availability of high-quality, accurate and reliable diagnostic tests to the public.
As with all rapid antigen tests, which generally have lower sensitivity than molecular tests, there is a risk of false negative test results. Individuals who test negative and continue to experience symptoms of fever, cough and/or shortness of breath may still have SARS-CoV-2, flu or another respiratory infection and should seek follow up care with their health care provider. Individuals who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or flu should take appropriate precautions to avoid spreading the virus and should seek follow-up care with their physician or health care provider.
Along with this De Novo authorization, the FDA is establishing criteria called special controls that define the requirements related to labeling and performance testing. When met, the special controls, in combination with general controls, provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for tests of this type. This action also creates a new regulatory classification, which means that subsequent devices of the same type with the same intended use may go through the FDA’s less burdensome 510(k) pathway, whereby additional devices can obtain marketing clearance by demonstrating substantial equivalence to a predicate device.
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Boilerplate
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
​To step up enforcement actions against distribution of illicit cigarette leaflets in public housing estates, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) launched a joint operation codenamed “Thunder” in various districts across Hong Kong between September 19 and October 6. TACO is following up on the investigation of three cases of distributing smoking product leaflets in Mun Tung Estate in Tung Chung, Long Shin Estate in Yuen Long and Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate in Kwun Tong respectively, where over 1 700 pieces of illicit cigarette leaflets were seized. The three persons concerned were aged 23, 48 and 57. In accordance with the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) (the Ordinance), no person shall distribute any smoking product advertisement (including any promotion leaflets). Any person who contravenes the regulation is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000.
TACO, together with the C&ED, have carried out 18 joint operations under this round of “Thunder” until today, during which a total of 31 public housing estates in various districts across Hong Kong have been inspected. In addition, TACO, the Police and the Housing Department have established a co-operation mechanism targeting the distribution of smoking product leaflets in public housing estates. When any smoking product leaflet distribution is detected at public housing estates, the housing estate staff will contact the Police for assistance and subsequently refer the case to TACO for further investigation. TACO will continue to carry out relevant interdepartmental operations, and follow up and investigate every complaint regarding the distribution of smoking product advertisements, as well as to refer any suspected cases of illicit cigarettes that involve violations of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109) to the relevant department for further investigation.
A spokesman for the DH stressed that the department has long been closely monitoring and taking stringent enforcement actions against violations of the Ordinance (including the distribution of smoking product advertisements). The spokesman reiterated that all tobacco products, regardless of whether they are duty paid or not, pose significant health risks. Smokers should quit smoking as early as possible for their own health and that of others. Information on smoking cessation can also be obtained from http://www.livetobaccofree.hk.
Source: City of Liverpool
Budding young actors, musicians, photographers, fashion designers and film directors from across Liverpool are being invited to sign up to a creative programme that could give them a head-start in their chosen career.
Commissioned by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team as part of its Creative Neighbourhoods programme and funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Future Movement is delivered by leading British dance company Rambert.
The free creative youth programme, aimed at those aged 16-25, is unique because it is co-created with the young people, designed around their career ambitions.
Throughout the 12-week programme, Rambert invites guest artists from a wide range of creative industries to share their skills, experience and career paths with the participants, who will benefit from dedicated sessions focusing on different areas of work such as producing and marketing.
The initiative was piloted in Liverpool last year following its success in London, Rochdale and Mansfield and it gave young people the chance to collaborate with like-minded creatives across the country.
During the programme, the students had the opportunity to work with and be mentored by industry experts including Merseyside born designer Patrick McDowell and film director Dan Löwenstein of House of Create.
The students also collaborated with set and costume designer Olivia Du Monceau to design and make a protest banner. Researching art and activism, the group used different mediums of creativity, such as sewing and drawing to create a joyful banner of self-expression.
The programme culminated in an exhibition of the students’ work at the press night of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby at the Liverpool Empire earlier this month. Here, they not only had the opportunity to showcase their work but also to network with industry insiders including the producers of Peaky Blinders, which was filmed in Liverpool, and the Chief Executive of Arts Council England.
The new term starts on October 8 and the group meet every Tuesday from 6.30pm-8.30pm at Toxteth Library, Windsor St, Liverpool, L8 1XF. Sign-up here.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle said: “Full of BAFTA-winning productions and Oscar-winning talent, Liverpool has a vibrant, fast-growing creative sector, which plays a significant role in contributing to the local economy. So it’s only right that we invest in the next generation of creatives.
“We’ve never been short of pioneers in Liverpool and while the city attracts world-class talent, it’s vital that we invest in home-grown talent and help our young people achieve their potential. Seeing the work that the young people have produced has blown me away – truly inspiring.”
Daniel Fulvio, Deputy Director of Audiences and Rambert’s lead on Future Movement says: “Future Movement is designed to inspire and support anyone who is interested in starting a career in the creative industries. It aims to fuel young minds whilst giving them opportunities to try things out in an environment where they are supported to push themselves to build new skills and explore a range of creative jobs.
“Liverpool is a beacon of creativity in the UK. Not only is it the birthplace of Hollywood stars and award-winning directors and producers but it is the second most filmed UK city outside of London and a UNESCO City of Music. Future Movement is a youth programme that takes young people seriously as the next generation of creatives and where better to nurture talent than here.”
Patrick McDowell, Fashion Designer collaborating with Rambert on Future Movement says: “Working with Future Movement has been enriching and fulfilling on both a creative and a personal level. It has been a joy to have had this opportunity to return to my hometown to work with young people from the area, who have opened my eyes to different ideas.
“Growing up, I was inspired by Liverpool’s style and how powerful and strong clothing seemed to make people feel. My working-class background and queer identity allowed me to see things through a certain lens, working with what I had to create something special. That ethos has remained with me to this day and it has been such a joy to mentor this pioneering project to inspire the next generation of creatives.”
Kieran Gregory, a 19-year-old actor who took part in the pilot said: “Future Movement is boss. I’m an actor but as part of the programme, we designed a costume for one of the Rambert dancers. I’ve had no previous experience of contemporary dance before so it’s great to have new skills to put on my CV. We’re exposed to so many different people, learning about their journeys into the world of creative arts.
“Rambert have been so good at letting us use our brains. We’ve gone to them and said ‘we’ve got this idea, can you make it happen?’ And they’ve said ‘yes, we’ll back you to the hilt.’ Whatever stimulus they give us, we’ll put our Scouse twist on it. I love representing Liverpool because people outside the city don’t properly understand. Over the last couple of years, things like Eurovision have been fantastic for the community so why not showcase it? Rambert and Culture Liverpool have put their faith in us and given us that opportunity and confidence.”
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
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Dmitry Patrushev at the fourth Russian Ecological Forum. With the CEO of the Russian Ecological Operator company Denis Butsaev
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev announced this at the fourth Russian Environmental Forum. The event was attended by representatives of federal authorities and regulatory agencies, industry and public organizations, and the business community.
As noted, a corresponding reform has been implemented in Russia since 2019 to create rational approaches to waste management. With its start, the Russian Environmental Operator (REO) was created for the comprehensive coordination of processes. Over the past five years, it has become the main tool for the development of the industry. Today, the entire waste management cycle is the responsibility of 184 regional operators. About 50 million tons of MSW pass through them annually.
“Over the past period, more than 250 facilities for waste processing, recycling and storage have been built. A significant step was ensuring waste sorting. Since 2019, its volumes have increased almost fivefold. A lot of work was simultaneously carried out in the field of regulatory control. Thus, the concepts of secondary resources and recyclable materials were legislatively established, and requirements for their handling appeared. A new procedure for determining the standards for the accumulation of solid municipal waste was also approved, on which the creation of infrastructure and the calculation of tariffs depend,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
As noted, since January of this year, changes to the extended producer responsibility mechanism have come into force, which provide for the obligation of packaging manufacturers to dispose of it in full. Also in 2024, a law was adopted to solve the problem of medical waste. The least hazardous categories will be sent for processing and disposal along with other types of MSW, which will reduce the volume of landfill disposal.
At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister also drew attention to the difficulties that still need to be addressed. “There are still questions about the quality of regional operators’ work. There are problems with financial stability, payment collection, and a shortage of equipment and containers. All of this ultimately leads to the fact that people can still see uncollected garbage in their yards. And no reporting indicators can cover this. There are regions where the reform is clearly stalling. In order to solve this problem, in a command mode at the level of the entire country, we are working together to sort out the situation in the regions,” said Dmitry Patrushev.
The Deputy Prime Minister also recalled that the tasks for further development of the waste management sphere are outlined in the Presidential Decree on National Development Goals. By 2030, it is necessary to ensure complete sorting of MSW, reduce its landfill disposal by half, and involve at least a quarter of the volume in secondary circulation. Taking into account the existing capacities, in order to achieve the designated targets, it is necessary to double waste processing and reduce its disposal to landfills by 30% in six years.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the creation of the relevant infrastructure will continue within the framework of the new national project “Environmental Well-Being”. “The events, as you know, are included in the federal project “Closed Cycle Economy”. And I want to emphasize that the initiative should come first and foremost from the regions and businesses. The government, for its part, will help in the implementation of the projects,” said Dmitry Patrushev.
Speaking about government support measures in this area, the Deputy Prime Minister reported that over three years, 15 projects worth almost 40 billion rubles have been financed through the REO alone. In addition, the entities have concluded 65 concession agreements to create solid municipal waste management facilities with an investment volume of over 170 billion rubles.
According to Dmitry Patrushev, the implementation of these support mechanisms will continue. At the same time, it is important that entities, especially those with insufficient reform implementation rates, actively engage in the work and find reliable investors.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
http://government.ru/nevs/52935/
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.
Source: European Investment Bank
Today, European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño announced the Ukraine Energy Rescue Plan, an initiative to extend EU support for Ukraine’s heavily damaged energy infrastructure due to Russia’s ongoing war, ahead of the winter season, aimed at supporting the resilience of the country and its people.
Briefing EU finance ministers in Luxembourg today, President Calviño outlined that as part of the plan, the EIB expects to invest up to €600 million in financing for emergency energy projects across the public and private sectors. This funding will be guaranteed under the European Union’s Ukraine Facility and in part supported by the EIB’s EU for Ukraine Fund and Advisory Programme. It will help restore and strengthen Ukraine’s energy infrastructure while also aligning it with EU standards, further advancing the country’s integration into the European Union.
Initially the emphasis will be on making finance available for projects that generate electricity and heat using equipment which can be quickly set up to meet the urgent needs of households and businesses. The plan focuses also on projects to protect key electricity substations with shelters. It aims to urgently restore electricity and heating to prevent disruptions to critical services such as hospitals, schools and water supplies, ensuring uninterrupted operations for households, businesses and public services.
Furthermore, part of the plan also refers to more medium-term measures aimed at making the Ukraine energy sector more sustainable and resilient. It aims to improve energy efficiency in both the industrial and residential sectors, reducing energy consumption and promoting long-term resilience.
The plan will also extend the EIB’s ongoing recovery and municipal framework programmes, to include energy-related initiatives. It is closely aligned with the priorities of the Ukrainian government and follows discussions with Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance.
EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said: “The Ukraine Energy Rescue Plan is a crucial measure to ensure that millions of Ukrainian citizens and businesses have the electricity and heat they urgently need to face the coming winter. We aim to invest up to €600 million, leveraging the European Union’s Ukraine Facility and the contributions of our shareholders, the EU member states. The EIB is also strengthening Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for the future. Together with our EU partners, our support is unwavering, working hand-in-hand with Ukraine in this critical phase and for the better times ahead.”
“While addressing Ukraine’s immediate energy needs, the plan also invests in the country’s green transition through energy efficiency and renewable projects. This will not only help Ukraine recover but also accelerate its path to a sustainable energy future and deeper integration with the European Union, aligning the country with EU standards for a stronger, shared future,” added EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who is in charge of the Bank’s operations in Ukraine and will present the rescue plan to the Steering Committee of the Ukraine Donor Platform this week in Rome.
Ukraine’s Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko said: “I am grateful to the EIB for recognising Ukraine’s urgent energy needs and for the swift decision that has been taken. Russia’s relentless attacks on our energy infrastructure place immense pressure on our country. The EIB’s plan to support Ukraine’s energy sector is yet another crucial form of assistance for us in restoring power and heating to essential services like hospitals and schools. This will ensure that our people have access to the energy they need to withstand the potential challenges ahead.”
European Commission Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People Valdis Dombrovskis said: “This financing from the EIB, also backed by the EU budget, comes at just the right moment to allow Ukraine’s authorities to restore power and heating for basic services like hospitals and schools, while guarding against further supply disruptions given Russia’s brutal attacks on its energy infrastructure. It will help Ukraine to prepare for the winter season, make its energy network more reliable and resilient, and improve its sustainable energy efficiency as the country aligns with EU standards on its way to eventual accession. The European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine and its people.”
Background information
The Ukraine Facility is the European Union’s financial assistance programme for Ukraine. During the 2024-2027 period, €50 billion will be allocated by the European Union to finance the state budget, stimulate investment and provide technical support in the implementation of the programme.
The EU for Ukraine Fund (EU4U) was established in 2023 as part of a larger EU for Ukraine initiative. The fund aims to accelerate EIB Global’s support for Ukraine’s most urgent infrastructure needs and to help sustain the country’s economy. It supports critical recovery and reconstruction projects involving both the public and the private sector and improves access to finance for entrepreneurs in Ukraine. To date, the fund has secured over €420 million in pledges from the Member States.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
It’s time to take Donald Trump seriously. Betting markets say it’s as likely as not he will be elected US president four weeks from today.
And unlike in 2016 when his program wasn’t clearly defined, he has set out plainly what he intends to do. Which means it’s possible to model the consequences.
The three Trump promises with the greatest economic impact are
the deportation of millions of US residents
steep restrictions on imports, especially from China
presidential influence over interest rates.
The best way to model the consequences is with an established model of the kind used by the International Monetary Fund and central banks around the world rather than one set up for the purpose that could be seen as designed to favour or not favour Trump.
The Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics has just done that, noting that during Trump’s first term as president he “by and large” did what he said he would do.
It finds
ironically, despite his ‘make the foreigners pay rhetoric’, Trump’s package of policies does more damage to the US economy than to any other in the world.
No other country in the world would be hurt by Trump’s program as much as the US – not even China – although several US allies would suffer, including Australia, which would be the fourth-worst hit by the most extreme version of what Trump is proposing.
Trump has repeatedly promised the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” targeting up to 20 million unauthorised immigrants, including about 8.3 million thought to be in the workforce.
He says his model is Operation Wetback – a 1956 Eisenhower administration program that used military-style tactics to deport 1.3 million Mexicans.
The institute says Eisenhower’s success makes it easy to believe Trump could remove 1.3 million immigrant workers. It has modelled two scenarios: removing 1.3 million and 8.3 million, both over two years in 2025 and 2026.
Both slash employment, including the employment of non-immigrants, both push up inflation, which eventually is brought under control, and both make the US a less attractive place to invest, which benefits much of the rest of the world.
The institute says the low and high scenarios differ “only by the degree of damage inflicted on people, households, firms, and the overall economy”.
Trump wants to increase every tariff on goods imported to the US by 10 percentage points, including where there is at present no tariff. And he wants at least a 60% tariff on imports from China. The institute has modelled both, with and without retaliatory tariffs from China and the rest of the world.
It finds, unsurprisingly, that extra tariffs push up the price of US imports and the prices of US-produced goods that compete with imports. Many are used as inputs in manufacturing, which means US manufacturing suffers (which is probably not what Trump had in mind).
Fewer imports mean less demand for foreign exchange within the US, which means a higher US dollar which makes US exports less competitive. The US economy is weaker as a result, although China’s is weaker still and Australia’s is weakened as much as the US given its role in providing resources to China.
Trump has raised the prospect of more presidential influence over interest rates, saying he thinks he has “a better instinct than, in many cases” the board of US Federal Reserve. This could be achieved by requiring the president to be consulted on rate decisions or by appointing a compliant chair.
However it’s done, the institute’s “conservative” assumption based on what happens in developing countries with less central bank independence is that it will push inflation two percentage points higher.
The modelled result is capital flight. While the US economy is initially stronger than it would have been because of the Fed’s willingness to tolerate higher inflation, after a few years it is weaker and every other economy is stronger.
When all the measures are combined, under the extreme scenarios the US economy is 6.7% weaker than it would have been by 2035 and Australia’s is 0.2% weaker. Under the more modest scenarios, the US economy is 1.6% weaker and Australia’s is 0.06% weaker.
Despite a history of non-partisanship, the Peterson Institute is prepared for criticism. It points out that the economic model it used is regarded as the best in the world for scenario planning and is Australian, built by Warwick McKibbin of the Australian National University.
And it says it has modelled the Trump policies rather than the Harris policies because only Trump’s represent a departure from business as usual.
As the Institute’s president Adam Posen put it in Washington last month, the Harris campaign has said it will not impose across-the-board tariffs, will not engage in mass deportations and will not interfere with the independence of the US Federal Reserve.
The Trump campaign has indicated it will do all three.
It’s entirely possible that in office Trump wouldn’t do everything he proposed while campaigning, and it’s entirely possible that he would change course if what was doing damaged the US in the way the modelling suggests.
But there’s something to be said for taking people at their word, at least to get an idea of what we could be in store for after a knife-edge election.
Peter Martin is Economics Editor of The Conversation.
– ref. From mass deportations to huge tariff hikes, here’s what Trump’s economic program would do the US and to Australia – https://theconversation.com/from-mass-deportations-to-huge-tariff-hikes-heres-what-trumps-economic-program-would-do-the-us-and-to-australia-240650
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in English
Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research
Dübendorf, St. Gallen und Thun, 08.10.2024 – In summer 2024, the South African government published a strategy paper on the management of e-waste, which was developed in collaboration with Empa. This is the first time the country has issued standardized guidelines for the proper and safe handling of e-waste. The collaboration is part of a program funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Electronic waste can pose a considerable risk to people and the environment, as it often contains toxic substances such as the heavy metals mercury and cadmium. At the same time, discarded electrical and electronic devices are an important source of valuable materials, for instance copper and gold. Proper disposal and recycling of e-waste is therefore crucial – also for developing and newly industrialized countries, who can use it to safeguard their populations and strengthen their economies.
With support from Empa, South Africa has now come a good deal closer to this goal. In June 2024, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment published, for the first time, a comprehensive e-waste management strategy. An important basis for this strategy was provided by the Sustainable Recycling Industries program (SRI, see text box), financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Sustainable change
As part of the SRI program, Empa and the World Resources Forum (WRF) are working with teams from several developing and newly industrialized countries, including South Africa, to improve the recycling of e-waste in these countries. The aim is both to create the necessary legal framework and to impart technical know-how. “Thanks to the collaboration with Empa and the WRF, our partner countries benefit from proven expert knowledge,” says Philipp Ischer, program manager at SECO. According to the expert, this has a very positive effect on the development of the legal foundations for recycling and the formulation of the relevant norms and standards.
“One of our activities as part of the SRI program, for example, is the training of auditors who check the quality of e-waste handling processes at recycling companies,” says Manuele Capelli, a researcher in Empa’s Technology and Society laboratory, which manages the program together with the WRF. Members of the Critical Materials and Resource Efficiency (CARE) research group, which has a longs-standing experience in development cooperation, also carried out audits for the Swiss e-waste recycling industry until 2023.
The expertise from small, prosperous Switzerland cannot, however, be transferred one-to-one to a large newly industrialized country like South Africa. “One of SRI’s goals is to promote sustainable change so that the activities continue even after the program ends,” emphasizes Capelli. Special attention is therefore paid to cooperation with local teams. “Our partners are in contact with the authorities and the industry in South Africa and are very familiar with the country-specific challenges in the area of electronic waste recycling.”
Creating suitable conditions
The recycling of batteries is one example of the e-waste management challenges particular to South Africa. The power grid in the country is unstable; hour-long power cuts have been a daily occurrence for years. “As the largest electricity producer in the region, South Africa has no easy way of importing electricity,” explains Capelli. For this reason, many wealthy households rely on their own solar system with battery storage, resulting in large quantities of used batteries over time. “Batteries are a particularly dangerous form of e-waste. They can cause fires if stored incorrectly and not properly monitored,” says Capelli. Thanks to their experience with the recycling and reuse of batteries, the Empa researchers were able to pass on useful know-how to their local partners.
Otherwise, South Africa faces similar challenges in e-waste recycling as other newly industrialized countries, says Capelli: “The quantities of e-waste are increasing, but disposal and recycling are often inadequate or unsafe. With the new strategy paper, the country now has comprehensive and uniform guidelines for the first time in order to better overcome these challenges. “This is a major milestone and we are delighted to have been able to support South Africa in this,” he says.
Sustainable Recycling Industries
Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) is a program funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and run by Empa and the World Resources Forum (WRF), an international non-profit organization that emerged from Empa. The aim of the program is to create favorable framework conditions for a sustainable recycling industry for e-waste and related waste streams in selected developing and emerging countries. The countries involved are Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Peru and South Africa. SRI is currently in its second phase, which will run until 2025. Colombia and Peru have already successfully completed the program.
http://www.sustainable-recycling.org
Address for enquiries
Manuele Capelli
Technology and Society
Phone +41 58 765 69 01
manuele.capelli@empa.ch
Mathias Schluep
Managing Director, World Resources Forum
Phone +41 71 554 09 06
mathias.schluep@wrforum.org
Publisher
Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research
http://www.empa.ch
Source: Government of Western Samoa
25th September, 2024; Pharmaceutical Warehouse @ 12noon
Lau Susuga le Ta’ita’i o le Sauniga; Rev. Saaga Tuiletufuga
Australian High Commissioner to Samoa – H.E Will Robinson
and the Australian Department of Foreign and Trade in Samoa
UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Samoa – Ms. Khin Moe Aye and
the UNICEF office in Samoa
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Samoa has been making steady progress in terms of reaching all
eligible children with the vaccines as per the National
Immunisation Schedule. There has been successful roll out of 4
lifesaving childhood vaccines in the last 3 years like Rotavirus
vaccine, Pneumococcal Vaccine, HPV vaccine and Typhoid vaccine
to protect our children respectively from Diarrhoea, Pneumonia,
Cervical cancer and Typhoid fever. This year the coverage for the 2
doses of Measles vaccine has been quite encouraging for Samoa.
The coverage of first dose of Measles has reached 91% for the first time in the last 5 years after the Measles outbreak and the 2nd dose of Measles vaccine is around 64%. I am confident that our
Immunization Program or EPI team will be able to reach the
missed children in the remaining months of this year to achieve a
good coverage for the year through our continuous and existing
outreach vaccinations.
The new vaccine introduction initiative, Post-Measles Outbreak
recovery plan and COVID-19 Pandemic, brought in a C-change to
the immunization domain of Samoa. There are significant
developments in Cold Chain, capacity building of health workers,
documentation and reporting to strengthen the Health System
with regards to Immunization with technical support from UNICEF.
The transportation and distribution of vaccines in the country was
identified as a gap. Now with this new vehicle procured with the
funding support from Australian Government, transportation of
vaccines will be faster, which means a boost in efficient and timely
vaccine supply of vaccines and logistics to the healthcare facilities.
The vehicle is also covered to protect vaccines against
unfavourable weather conditions. Though this vehicle will have
priority for vaccines, it may be considered to accommodate the
pharmaceutical supplies for distribution to the health facilities
across the country to improve the cost efficiency.
We are immensely grateful to Australian Government for their
timely support and also to UNICEF for their able technical guidance
and support for strengthening our Health system to get equipped
to provide quality services in a cost-effective way.
SOIFUA MA IA MANUIA!
Lauga a le Afioga le Minisita o le Soifua Maloloina
Tatala Aloaia le Tauaaoina o le Ta’avale mo le tufaina/kilivaina o Tui Puipui ma Vailaau
Lau Susuga le Ta’ita’i le Sauniga – Rev. Saaga Tuiletufuga
Lau Susuga le Komisina Maualuga o Ausetalia i Samoa, H.E
Will Robinson
Lau Susuga le Sui o le Ofisa o le Faalapotopotoga o le UNICEF i
Samoa – Khin Moe Aye
Le paia o le aofia ua potopoto,
Ua molimauina e tusa ai ma fa’amaumauga lata mai, le alualu i
luma o taumafaiga a Samoa, e ala i le to’atele o alo ma fanau ua
fa’atino o latou tui puipui fa’aauau. I totonu o le 3 tausaga talu ai,
na fa’amauina le lelei o le faatinoina o nisi o tui Puipui fou na
fa’amanuiaina ai lo tatou atunu’u mo le puipuiga o alo ma fanau
mai le tele o fa’ama’i.
O nei tui Puipui e aofia ai tui e puipuia mai fa’ama’i e pei o le
manava tatā, o fa’ama’i e aofia ai le nimonia, o le fa’ama’i o le
taifoi, faapea ma tui puipui mo alo ma fanau teine e puipuia mai
nisi o Kanesa o tama’ita’i.
O le tausaga lenei, e fa’alototeleina lava le auaunaga, ona o le
maoa’e o le tulaga ua o’o iai le fa’atinoga o tui Puipui o le Misela.
O le tui muamua lava o le Misela (MR1) e 91% le faitau aofa’i o alo
ma fanau e agava’a na faia tui Puipui. Ao le tui lona lua o le Misela (MR2) e 64%. O lo’o mafanafana lava, o le a fa’aauau le una’i a le aufaigaluega ina ia ausia le 90-100% o le tui puipui lenei o le Misela i nai masina o totoe o lenei tausaga.
O le o’o mai o nisi o tui Puipui fou e faaopoopo i tui Puipui fa’aauau a le fanau e puipuia mai fa’ama’i e pei ona ou ta’ua, o
taumafaiga o le una’i o le faia o tui ina ua mae’a le pipisi o le
Misela, faapea ma le KOVITI-19 o ni matati’a sili ia mo le
Polokalame o Tui Puipui mo Samoa. Ua si’itia fo’i le tulaga o le
mata’itūina o le mālūlū ma le vevela talafeagai e teu malu ai tui
Puipui, aemaise le taimi e feavea’i ma kiliva ai i tua i falema’i ma
nofoaga o lo’o faatino ai tūiga.
O lo’o fa’aauau pea a’oa’oga mo le si’itia o le silafia o tausi soifua
i le fa’atinoga o tui Puipui. E le gata i lea a’o le si’itia o le silafia e
fa’aleleia atili ai fa’amaumauga e ala i metotia fa’aona-po-nei. O
le naunautaiga o nei taumafaiga uma, ina ia mautinoa e faia uma
tui Puipui o alo ma fanau faapea ma tagata matutua e agava’a. Ia
mafai ai ona puipuia mai le tele o fa’ama’i pipisi. E le galo Afia i si
ona vao, ma e faafetai ai le lagolago a le Faalapotopotoga o le
UNICEF faapea ma le Polokalame mo Tui Puipui Fou o lo’o
faatupeina e le ADB mo nei taumafaiga.
A’o le meaalofa o le a tau’aaoina nei, e pei ona iai le ta’avale
faapitoa mo le kilivaina o tui Puipui, o se foa’i sili lea ua
fa’aopoopo e unaia ai le auaunaga o tūiga. E le gata ina ia mautinoa e vave ona taunu’u le tufaina ma le kilivaina o Tui Puipui mana’omia mo falema’i uma. Ae faapea fo’i ma le puipuia mai o nei vailaau ma tui mai le vevela ma vave ona fa’aleaogāinaai.
O lenei foa’i o le a fesoasoani tele, e le na’o le fa’aaogaina mo Tui
Puipui, ae mo le kilivaina o nisi o vailaau mo’omia i tua i falema’i
fa’aitūmalo ma nofoaga mamao o lo’o faatinoina ai le auaunaga
fa’asoifua maloloina.
O le agaga fa’agae’etia mai le Malo o Samoa e tauala atu le
Matagaluega o le Soifua Maloloina, e fa’afetaia ai le Malo o
Ausetalia faapea ma le Faalapotopotoga o le UNICEF mo lenei
foa’i, ina ia si’itia le auaunaga mo le mamalu o le atunu’u.
Ia fa’aauau ai pea le tatou galulue fa’atasi aua se Samoa
maloloina mo nei ma le lumana’i.
SOIFUA MA IA MANUIA
Source: Government of India (2)
In seven specially designed lectures, they were sensitized by eminent experts on various aspects of human rights
Posted On: 08 OCT 2024 12:18PM by PIB Delhi
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has been organizing human rights awareness programmes for sensitization of All India Services officers including IAS, IPS, and IFS officers. In the series of such programmes, the Commission organized a two-day residential capacity-building programme for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police officers in Coimbatore from 3rd-4th October, 2024. It was organized in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Police. In addition to the inaugural and valedictory sessions, the programme had seven technical sessions on various aspects of human rights and policing. About 45 police personnel including Additional Superintendents of Police (Addl. SP), Superintendents of Police (SP) and Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) rank attended.
On 3rd October, 2024, NHRC, India DG (I), Shri Ajay Bhatnagar inaugurated it in the presence of Shri Shankar Jiwal, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, Shri Devajyoti Roy, Additional Director General, Karnataka and Shri Joginder Singh, Registrar (Law), NHRC. He said that the concept of preventive actions by the states should preside over punitive actions. The idea should percolate to every aspect of policing. Shri Shankar Jiwal, DGP, Tamil Nadu, praised the innovative concept of conducting capacity-building training at the zonal level in Coimbatore and expressed gratitude to the NHRC for organizing such a flagship training program.
In the first session on the ‘Human Rights and Ethical Dilemmas – A Practitioner’s Perspective,’ Shri Ajay Bhatnagar highlighted the challenges officers encounter while balancing their responsibilities in upholding human rights within the framework of law enforcement.
In the second session, Justice Shri V. Kannadasan, Member, Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission spoke about the ‘Human Rights and the Role of Police Officers’. He highlighted issues including false complaints and the importance of judicial activism in ensuring justice.
Shri Joginder Singh, Registrar (Law), NHRC spoke in the third session on ‘Various Guidelines issued by the NHRC relating to Policing and Important Supreme Court Cases’. He highlighted the key areas where the Commission has issued directions to improve police practices, with a particular emphasis on human rights violations during investigations, custodial violence, and the need for transparency and accountability in law enforcement.
Shri Devajyoti Ray, Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka, spoke on the ‘Infrastructure of Human Rights Complaints Redressing System in Karnataka’ in the fourth session of the first day. He gave an insight into the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission’s (KSHRC’s) innovative approach to complaint registration, which includes both an app-based system and a web-based platform, making it easier for citizens to report violations.
On Day 2, NHRC, India Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal spoke in the first session about the ‘Evolution of Human Rights Framework’ He emphasized that greatness is all about prioritizing others’ welfare and highlighted the police’s crucial role in delivering justice and upholding the human rights of all and particularly those who are most vulnerable. He cited examples from Lord Buddha and other Indians like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar, Dr. Karve, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and so many freedom fighters and social reformers who devoted their whole life for the wellbeing of others. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luthar King Jr. and many other civil rights activists worked as human rights defenders. Secretary General Shri Bharat Lal appealed the police officers to be the true human rights defender.
Shri Rajiv Jain, former Member NHRC delivered a lecture in the second session on ‘Jurisprudence on Human Rights. He emphasized the importance of protecting fundamental rights as in Article 21 of the Constitution and referenced landmark Supreme Court cases, including Sunil Batra and Maneka Gandhi in this regard. He discussed justice access, female prisoners’ rights, and state liability. He highlighted the critical role of judiciary in safeguarding human rights.
The last session was addressed by Shri Joginder Singh, Registrar (Law), on the ‘Cases of Human Rights Violations Registered at NHRC in Connection with Tamil Nadu.’
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NSK/VCK
(Release ID: 2063075) Visitor Counter : 16
Source: Government of Western Samoa
03 October 2024
Apia, SAMOA – Seventy-six electric vehicles (EVs) were handed over to the Government of Samoa earlier today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), thanks to a major regional project that Samoa is part of, funded by the Government of Japan.
Valued at more than US$6 million, the EVs were supplied by the Ford-Hyundai Samoa company.
They include 24 sedans, 19 SUVs, 12 pick-up trucks, two of which were converted to first-responder firefighter trucks, a flat-bed truck converted to an oxygen tanks carrier truck with loading/unloading platform, and 20 plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) passenger vans (minibuses).
Fifty-three EVs will serve as official vehicles to cater for delegates of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) later this month.
Supporting infrastructure are also now in place, with 14 wall mounted EV charging stations installed at selected Government premises, five high capacity ground mounted Direct Current (DC) type charging stations at the Tuanaimato Bowser, and several public charging stations, such as a solar-powered DC type charging station at the Mulifanua wharf, and the Faleolo and Fagalii airports, as well as other locations. The Bowser central government charging station will be fully operational later this month.
All this was made possible under the Climate Action Pathways for Island Transport (CAP-IT) Project, implemented by the Government of Samoa via the leadership of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (MWTI), in partnership with UNDP, and funded by Japan.
“We applaud the fact that this is the first time in the world that some of these EV models have been manufactured and reconfigured to suit our purposes. Most significantly, the procurement of this first lot of EVs for the Government fleet, is our response to the Expected Outcomes of the Pathway to the Development of Samoa 2021 to 2026, in placing emphasis on strengthening and increasing ‘Green Developments’,” said Hon. Olo Fiti Afoa Vaai, Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure.
The project aims to promote urgent and inclusive transformation of the land and maritime transport sectors towards decarbonization. The project supports the achievement of Samoa’s enhanced NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) which is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts, for the energy and transport sector by 2030.
“Today’s launch of EVs represents a pivotal moment in our journey towards a cleaner and more resilient transportation system in Samoa. The CAP-IT project is a vital part of our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and promote sustainable mobility solutions across the islands. With these electric vehicles, Samoa takes another step towards achieving our Sustainable Development Goals, also Samoa’s NDCs, and leading by example in the Pacific region,” said Aliona Niculita, UNDP Resident Representative.
Two critical related studies were also launched today focusing on (1) End-of-life EV battery management, and (2) Traffic volumes, vehicle registration, imports, and ownership.
“The two reports we are launching today – The Baseline Assessment of Samoa”
Transport Sector and The Report on Solutions for the Safe Disposal and Recycling of EV Batteries – will play a critical role in shaping Samoa’s National Transport Decarbonization Strategy. These reports represent a crucial step towards advancing sustainable transport solutions for the future,” said H.E. Senta Keisuke, Japan’s Ambassador to Samoa.
The CAP-IT project is a component of the Japan-funded regional project, ‘Promoting Green Transformation in the Pacific Region towards Net-zero and Climate-Resilient Development’, also supporting Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu in achieving their green transformation ambitions for a more inclusive, climate-resilient future.
The US$36.8 million regional project, with a country allocation of US$15.5 million for Samoa, is scheduled for completion in March 2025.
-ENDS-
SOURCE – Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure Samoa, Embassy of Japan in Samoa, UNDP in Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau & Niue
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) announced today that Converge ICT Solutions Inc. (PSE: CNVRG), the leading fiber broadband and technology solutions provider in the Philippines, selected Infinera as its submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE) vendor for the fiber pairs over which Converge has been granted an Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) on the Bifrost Cable System, using Infinera’s industry-leading GX Series Compact Modular Platform and its next-generation high-performance 1.2T ICE7 optical engine.
Additionally, Converge will use Infinera’s solutions to modernize its nationwide terrestrial fiber network across the Philippines.
Keppel and Converge have entered into agreements for the grant of an IRU to Converge for one fiber pair on the main trunk and the entire Davao branch of the Bifrost Cable System. Developed by Keppel, Meta, and Telin, the Bifrost Cable System is an end-to-end trans-Pacific cable system spanning over 15,000 km, connecting the west coast of North America via Guam with the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. Converge is also the landing party for the Davao branch segment of the Bifrost Cable System and owns the cable landing station in Davao, located in the southern Mindanao region.
Converge is the fastest-growing fiber broadband and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions provider in the Philippines, with total fiber assets extending over 70,000 kilometers. It operates the biggest fiber-to-the-home network in the country, with total homes passed reaching 16 million.
Converge selected Infinera’s solution based on Infinera’s proven track record in subsea networking with industry-leading reach and capacity performance. Leveraging Infinera’s subsea solution will enable Converge to monetize its fiber assets by delivering the highest capacity at the lowest cost over ultra-long distances.
Once deployed, Converge will benefit from the industry’s latest generation of advanced high-speed optics and 5-nm technology, enabling single wavelengths of up to 1.2T and improved capacity-reach. Infinera’s solution provides Converge with an operationally seamless solution including advanced spectrum sharing capabilities in a single platform that supports both ICE7 transponders and next-generation optical line system (OLS) capabilities.
“We are excited to leverage the latest generation of Infinera’s technology for our terrestrial and subsea cable assets. Infinera provides the most advanced subsea networking solution with industry-leading capabilities including advanced power management,” said Dennis Anthony Uy, CEO and Co-Founder of Converge. “Leveraging Infinera’s innovative solution, Converge will be able to effectively scale to meet rapidly growing bandwidth demands across the Philippines and the entire Asia-Pacific region.”
“By selecting Infinera’s ICE7 as the SLTE for the fiber pairs utilized by Converge in the Bifrost Cable System and to modernize its terrestrial backbone, Converge will benefit from the industry’s latest technology, enabling them to provide their customers with access to cost-effective, high-performance, and high-capacity services,” said David Heard, CEO at Infinera. “We are pleased to have been selected for the company’s growth and expansion, which underscores the value of Infinera’s innovative optical engine solutions and expertise in deploying critical networks globally.”
Contacts:
Infinera Media:
Anna Vue
Tel. +1 (916) 595-8157
avue@infinera.com
Converge Media:
Jay-Anne Encarnado
VP and Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations
corpcomm@convergeict.com
Infinera Investors:
Amitabh Passi, Head of Investor Relations
Tel. +1 (669) 295-1489
apassi@infinera.com
Converge Investors:
Owen Ocampo
VP and Head of Investor Relations
Investor.relations@convergeict.com
About Converge ICT Solutions
Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, Inc. (PSE:CNVRG) is the fastest-growing fixed broadband service provider in the Philippines. It is the first to run an end-to-end pure fiber internet network in the country, providing Filipinos simple, fast, and reliable connectivity. Aside from broadband services, Converge also offers integrated data center and network solutions services. With over 70,000 kilometers of fiber optic assets nationwide, it has one of the most extensive fiber networks in the Philippines. With this fiber-powered network, Converge provides premium world-class digital experience for residential, enterprise, and wholesale customers. Go to https://www.convergeict.com for more information.
About Infinera
Infinera is a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors that enable carriers, cloud operators, governments, and enterprises to scale network bandwidth, accelerate service innovation, and automate network operations. Infinera solutions deliver industry-leading economics and performance in long-haul, submarine, data center interconnect, and metro transport applications. To learn more about Infinera, visit http://www.infinera.com, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe for updates.
Infinera and the Infinera logo are registered trademarks of Infinera Corporation.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the operational, performance and financial benefits of Infinera’s GX Series Compact Modular Platform and its ICE7 optical engine. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual results may vary materially from these expectations as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Information about these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that affect Infinera’s business, is contained in the risk factors section and other sections of Infinera’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Fiscal Quarter ended June 29, 2024 as filed with the SEC on August 2, 2024, as well as any subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are available on Infinera’s website at http://www.infinera.com and the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies and can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. Infinera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements.
