Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Castries, Saint Lucia – The Government of Saint Lucia took a major step last week, as it moves to develop a comprehensive evidence-based migration policy to serve the country’s development agenda in the coming years. The “Essentials of Migration Data” (EMD) workshop was held from 16-17 July 2025 with the aim of strengthening the Government’s ability to produce, disseminate and use data and statistics on migration.
Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Mogadishu, Somalia, 31 July 2025 – The Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ugochi Daniels, has wrapped up a four-day mission to Somalia, sounding the alarm on the deepening climate and displacement crisis unfolding in the region.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector sets out the intention to invoke the urgent notification process for Oakhill Secure Training Centre, along with findings from recent visits.
This letter was sent from Sir Martyn Oliver to the Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP. The letter sets out the intention to invoke the urgent notification process for Oakhill Secure Training Centre.
It also provides a summary of findings from previous visits.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
In response to the serious risk of harm to children, Ofsted, CQC and HMI Prisons have issued an urgent notification about Oakhill STC to the Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP.
The urgent notification comes after an inspection earlier this month found a palpable change in culture at Oakhill Secure Training Centre (STC) since its last inspection. Inspectors uncovered serious and systemic failures at the centre, with safeguarding systems in disarray.
Read the letter from Martyn Oliver to the Secretary of State for Justice about Oakhill Secure Training Centre
Inspectors reported that Oakhill is no longer child-centred and staff conduct is of significant concern. Twenty-three staff were suspended between November 2024 and 13 July 2025, including 16 in response to allegations about their conduct with children. Since 14 July 2025, 7 more staff members have been suspended relating to their conduct with children.
Inspectors found a fractured leadership team. The centre director and one of the two deputy directors are suspended from their duties, and the other deputy director was recently dismissed from employment. An interim director and new deputy director have started work at the centre, but have had limited opportunity to make any meaningful impact.
Oakhill was judged inadequate at its last full inspection in October 2024. Since 2017, it has not been judged higher than ‘requires improvement to be good’.
The Secretary of State now has 28 days to respond with an action plan for improvement at the centre.
The inspection of Oakhill Secure Training Centre took place from 21 to 25 July 2025; the full report will be published in line with Ofsted’s usual inspection timelines.
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Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
6 hours ago
What started as a ride to campus for a friend has led to a new career path for Herb Kepa (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pāoa), who recently completed the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) at EIT Tairāwhiti.
The 56-year-old spent more than three decades working in landscaping and stone masonry before a serious health scare in 2019 forced him to step away from the physical work.
Herb Kepa at EIT Tairāwhiti, where his passion for cooking turned into a new career path.
He spent months in hospital with a torn aorta and has since experienced a series of mini strokes, most of them occurring around the end of the year.
No longer able to return to the work he had done most of his life, Herb was unsure what would come next.
“A friend of mine wanted a lift to come in to check out this cooking course. I sat in on it, and then the tutor asked if I wanted to join up too. I said, I’ve got nothing else to do, so why not give it a go. I’ve been there ever since.”
That decision led to four years of study in hospitality. Herb began with the New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Level 3), followed by a plant-based cookery training scheme, the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3), and then the two-year New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4), which he completed last year.
While studying, Herb worked part-time at The Vines Restaurant in Makaraka. He continues to work there, preparing entrees, desserts and breads.
“I’ve always loved cooking, but I never thought I’d be a chef,” he said. “I love my breads. It’s something I enjoy.”
Herb said his background in landscaping helped with the hands-on nature of kitchen work, and that returning to study in his 50s came with some challenges but was well worth it.
“I’ve never been one to study. I’m better with my hands. But this is the first time I’ve actually studied properly.”
He said the tutors were “really good”, especially Maaki Gooding, Karen Johnston and Tony Davis who “helped a lot”.
His advice to others thinking about making a change later in life and studying at EIT is simple.
“If you like food, give it a go. It’s definitely worth it. You’re never too old.”
Assistant Head of School for Tourism and Hospitality at EIT, Nikki Lloyd said the level 4 cookery programme allows students to study while they work, attending class one day a week while working in the industry.
“The ability to learn and earn is a win-win for both student and employer. What students learn in class is put into practice in the workplace, giving them the confidence that is critical to their success. Employers often mention how students grow into key roles in the workplace as a result of their training.”
Chef tutor Tony Davis said Herb’s curiosity with food regularly showed results above expectation.
“The enjoyment he gets from cooking is apparent both in the classroom and the workplace. This combined with his steady work ethic has seen him graduate as one of our top students and now a respected, qualified chef in the workplace.”
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Lands Department today posted land resumption notices for private lots required for the construction of the Northern Link (NOL) Main Line, in accordance with the Railways Ordinance.
The land will revert to the Government on November 1.
The NOL Main Line project is a 10.7-kilometre underground railway connecting Kam Sheung Road Station, on the Tuen Ma Line, and Kwu Tung Station, a stop on the East Rail Line that is under construction. There will be three intermediate stations at Au Tau, Ngau Tam Mei and San Tin.
In all, 686 private lots, comprising about 26 hectares, and an underground batch of 252 private lots, comprising about 8.6 hectares, will be resumed. The Government will release ex-gratia land compensation to relevant land owners and handle statutory claims for compensation after the land reversion.
The Lands Department will post notices in relevant areas according to applicable procedures about three months before departure deadlines for affected households and business undertakings.
It is estimated the affected households and business undertakings will have to move out from early 2026 at the earliest. The Government will liaise with land owners and affected parties, and handle all compensation and rehousing matters proficiently.
Source: European Banking Authority
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today launched a public consultation on its draft Implementing Technical Standards (ITS) for the supervisory reporting of third-country branches under the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). This initiative aims to establish uniform formats, definitions, and reporting frequencies for third-country branches, ensuring a consistent and comprehensive approach to regulatory and financial information reporting across the EU. The consultation runs until 31 October 2025.
The draft ITS not only aim at harmonising reporting formats and definitions but also at enhancing supervisory oversight of third-country branches. By introducing structured data collection – covering both the third-country branches and their head undertakings – the ITS support the effective supervision of third-country branches by addressing previous inconsistencies in national approaches and enabling a standardised reporting of their activities across the Union. The new templates should provide a clear picture of the financial soundness, risk exposures, and intra-group dependencies of third-country branches, thereby supporting more effective and consistent supervision across the EU. Importantly, the ITS incorporate a proportionate approach through a “core + supplement” model, ensuring that reporting obligations are tailored to the systemic relevance of each third-country branch. This ensures that supervisory scrutiny is risk-sensitive while maintaining a level playing field.
Comments on the draft ITS can be submitted to the EBA by clicking on the “send your comments” button on the consultation page. The deadline for the submission of comments is 31 October 2025. All contributions received will be published after the consultation closes, unless requested otherwise.
A public hearing on the draft ITS will take place on 5 September from 10:00 to 12:00 CEST. The deadline for registration is 2 September 2025, 16:00 CEST.
The EBA has developed these draft ITS in accordance with Article 48l(1) of Directive 2013/36/EU, which mandates the EBA to specify uniform formats, definitions, and reporting frequencies for the supervisory reporting of third-country branches.
The consultation period will run for three months, during which the EBA invites comments and feedback from stakeholders. Following the consultation, the EBA will finalise the draft ITS and submit them to the European Commission by January 10, 2026. The first reference date for the application of these ITS is anticipated to December 2026, so as to grant Competent Authorities and third-country branches to have an implementation period of approximately one year.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Donald Trump’s lawyers are pushing to get Rupert Murdoch deposed, and quickly.
The US president is suing the billionaire media owner, alongside the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones and others, for libel after it published an article alleging that Trump once wrote a “bawdy” birthday letter to the convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump is seeking US$10 billion in damages. In a court filing in late July, his lawyers asked the court to order a swift deposition, citing Murdoch’s age at 94.
Trump and Murdoch have a transactional friendship that goes back decades. Despite past tensions, this rupture is something new in a relationship that has continued to serve both men’s interests.
In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, professor of journalism Andrew Dodd at the University of Melbourne takes us back to where their relationship began in 1970s New York, to understand how Murdoch helped to build brand Trump.
Murdoch was already a very successful media magnate in Australia and the UK before he made his move to America. In 1976, after dabbling in two newspapers in Texas, he bought the New York Post.
“ Murdoch wanted to make it big in the US and to do that he really needed to break into New York,” says Dodd. US television networks were all based in US, he explains, “so by influencing what was going on in Manhattan, he was influencing the entire country’s media.”
Meanwhile, Trump was a young property developer from Queens. “ He’s wanting to develop and build, and he’s also wanting a profile because the profile will help him along the way,” says Dodd. “But he’s also an egomaniac. He needs publicity for its own sake, and so he’s attracted to the media.” Trump became easy and frequent fodder for the new Page Six gossip column of Murdoch’s New York Post.
Dodd says that both men saw in each other “opportunities for their own advancement”. For Trump, it was about access to notoriety. For Murdoch, a newcomer and foreigner in New York, he needed to make friends quickly and start establishing relationships. “He’s becoming ingratiated with power in the city, and so they’re all using one another,” he says.
Listen to the conversation with Andrew Dodd about Trump and Murdoch and the power they now wield over each other, on The Conversation Weekly podcast.
This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Ashlynne McGhee. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.
Newclips in this episode from ITV News, MSNBC and The Independent.
Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast – https://theconversation.com/how-rupert-murdoch-helped-to-build-brand-trump-podcast-262158
MIL OSI –
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Extreme weather killed at least 60 people in northern China over the past week, with 31 deaths in an elderly care home in Beijing’s hilly Miyun district in one of the deadliest floods to have hit the Chinese capital in years.
In Beijing, 44 people were killed and nine were missing as of midday Thursday, deputy mayor of Beijing, Xia Linmao, said at a press conference.
Heavy rains began a week ago and peaked around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, with Miyun experiencing rainfall of up to 573.5 mm (22.6 inches) – levels local media described as “extremely destructive.” The average annual rainfall in Beijing is around 600 mm.
In the nearby province of Hebei, 16 people died as a result of the intense rainfall, authorities said.
At least eight were killed in the city of Chengde just outside Beijing, with 18 unaccounted for.
The deaths occurred in villages within the Xinglong area of Chengde in Hebei province, state-run Xinhua reported late on Wednesday citing local authorities, without specifying when or how the people died.
The deaths in Chengde occurred in villages which border Beijing’s Miyun about 25 km (16 miles) from the Miyun reservoir, the largest in China’s north.
The reservoir saw record-breaking overall water levels and capacity during the rains which devastated nearby towns.
At its peak on Sunday, up to 6,550 cubic metres of water – about 2.5 Olympic-sized pools’ worth – flooded into the reservoir every second.
In another Hebei village north of the reservoir, a landslide on Monday killed eight people, with four missing.
Extreme rainfall and severe flooding, which meteorologists link to climate change, pose major challenges for Chinese policymakers, with officials partially attributing a slowdown in factory activity to such events.
(Reuters)
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
A flood threat looms over rural areas in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district after heavy rainfall in the Hadoti region and nearby areas led to the release of nearly 5 lakh cusecs of water into the Chambal River – from both Kota Barrage and later the Navnera Barrage.
The Chambal’s water level surged to 141.10 metres by 10 PM on Wednesday, significantly breaching the danger mark of 131.79 metres, according to the Water Resources Department. The old Chambal bridge has submerged due to the rising water, prompting the district administration to request Army assistance. Troops are expected to reach Dholpur today.
Floodwaters have begun entering villages in the Sarmathura and Rajakheda subdivisions, sharply increasing the risk to life and property. In response, the leave of all government officers and employees has been cancelled to ensure coordinated relief efforts.
Despite the flooding of the old bridge, traffic on National Highway 44 remains unaffected, as vehicles are being rerouted via the new Chambal bridge.
Dholpur SP Vikas Sangwan and District Collector Nidhi B.T. are closely monitoring the situation and conducting visits to the affected areas. Army personnel will assist in relief and rescue operations, particularly in flood-prone zones like Rajakheda.
Meanwhile, Director of the Meteorological Center, Jaipur, Radheshyam Sharma, said that the low-pressure system, a remnant of the Bay of Bengal depression, is expected to weaken from August 2. However, due to the monsoon trough line currently passing through Bikaner and Sikar, heavy rainfall is still likely in parts of Rajasthan on Thursday. A reduction in rainfall activity is anticipated from August 1.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma conducted a detailed inspection of rain-affected areas in Jaipur, spending over two-and-a-half hours reviewing the situation.
He visited B-2 Bypass Road, Sanganer, Sumer Nagar, Surajmal Circle, Muhana Mandi, and Chauradia Petrol Pump, issuing immediate instructions to address waterlogging, damaged roads, potholes, and drainage issues.
The Chief Minister also inspected the Dravyavati River near B-2 Bypass Road and directed officials to prune overgrown trees and repair damaged ferro drain covers.
At the Sanganer camp office, he reviewed the status of waterlogged areas across the city. Later, at the Muhana Mandi intersection, he gave instructions for the construction of a traffic circle and urgent road repairs at Maharaja Surajmal Circle and Kesar Nagar intersection.
(With inputs from IANS)
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
New members appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards Advisory Board.
Five new members have been appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Advisory Board. They are:
OPSS welcomes these new members of its Advisory Board, who have a wealth of experience in areas including engineering, regulation, research and standards development.
The OPSS Advisory Board typically meets once a quarter. Its members act as critical friends, providing external challenge and bringing fresh perspectives and ideas, ensuring OPSS is best prepared to deal with current and future challenges. The group is not involved in operational decisions, such as handling individual regulatory incidents.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
HMRC is actively pursuing dishonest agents who make false Stamp Duty Land Tax repayment claims
Homebuyers are being warned to avoid Stamp Duty Land Tax scams, following a landmark Court of Appeal decision.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is warning people purchasing properties to be vigilant of tax agents offering to secure Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) repayments on their behalf where repairs are needed to a property they have bought.
Some agents have suggested that, for a fee, they can reclaim SDLT the buyer has already paid by saying that the property is non-residential because it’s uninhabitable. But making claims of this kind often leave the homeowner liable for the full amount of SDLT, plus penalties and interest.
A recent Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Mudan & Anor v HMRC has confirmed that housing (“dwellings”) in need of repair are chargeable at the residential rates of SDLT, and that repayment claims based solely on a property’s condition are not valid.
This decision confirms HMRC’s long-standing view that if a property requires repairs but retains the fundamental characteristics of a dwelling, it is still suitable for use as a dwelling and attracts residential rates of SDLT. A key factor in determining suitability is whether a property had been previously used as a dwelling.
HMRC is taking decisive action on spurious SDLT repayment claims, using civil and criminal powers to deal with the minority who undermine the tax system.
Anthony Burke, HMRC’s Deputy Director of Compliance Assets, said:
The Court of Appeal’s decision is a major win, protecting public funds. Homebuyers should be cautious of allowing someone to make a Stamp Duty Land Tax repayment claim on their behalf. If the claim is inaccurate, you could end up paying more than the amount you were trying to recover.
Anyone who is unsure of the rules should check the SDLT guidance on GOV.UK.
As an example, if Joe bought a house in London for £1,100,000 and his solicitor filed the SDLT return, SDLT was calculated at the residential rates (£53,750). As the house required modernisation and repair, Joe couldn’t move in straight away. The house needed a new boiler, rewiring and damp proofing.
Shortly after moving in, Joe received an advert in the post from a repayment agent which incorrectly suggested that due to the required repairs they could get him a refund of SDLT on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. In Joe’s case the refund amounted to £9,250 (the difference between residential and non-residential rates), less the agent’s 30% fee. Joe agreed for the agent to make a claim on his behalf, and he received his repayment. Later in the year, HMRC opened a compliance check into the repayment claim and concluded that the property was residential.
Consequently, Joe found out that he owed £9,250 SDLT, plus interest and a penalty, even though the agent only sent him £6,475, after deducting their fee. He is now out of pocket as the agent refused to cover the interest and penalty and the agent has since refused to respond to his emails and phone calls.
For more information visit HMRC’s Stamp Duty Land Tax guidance
SDLT is a self-assessed tax, so when claiming a repayment of SDLT it is the responsibility of the taxpayer to get it right.
In the case of Mudan & Anor v HMRC, the claimant had requested a refund of SDLT paid on a property transaction from August 2019. The property was in a poor state of repair. Their claim was submitted by their tax agent who persuaded them that the condition of the purchased property would qualify for a repayment. The dispute centred on the definition of residential property for SDLT purposes, and specifically whether the legal term ‘suitable for use as a dwelling’ meant that the purchaser should be able to move in straight away.
The primary findings from the Upper Tribunal decision include:
The Court of Appeal firmly dismissed the appeal, finding that the Upper Tribunal decision was legally sound, and that the principles laid down in that decision are practical and workable. The decision confirms that the definition of ‘residential property’ should be considered against its statutory context, bearing in mind what the “ordinary speaker of English” would characterise as residential property (that being the “sort of property that people live in”). Past use of the building and whether it retains its identity or character as residential property, despite any disrepair and the requirement for renovations, will therefore be important considerations.
HMRC has a high success-rate litigating cases where the refund claimed is not due. We encourage customers to carefully consider the terms of engagement with the reclaims specialist including understanding any fee that might be taken.
Where a claim is due, it can be made directly by the customer at no cost.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Yorkshire Water has been fined £865,000 after a South Yorkshire water treatment works pumped out millions of litres of chlorinated water for almost a month.
The water company appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 30 July for sentence after previously pleading guilty in February to one charge of polluting Ingbirchworth Dike near Barnsley.
The court heard that Ingbirchworth Water Treatment Works illegally discharged chlorinated water into the watercourse, which connects Ingbirchworth and Scout Dike reservoirs.
Approximately 1 million litres per day of chlorinated water was discharged – which even at low levels of chlorine is toxic to fish and other aquatic life – resulting in over 430 dead fish being found in one day.
Yorkshire Water was fined £865,000, ordered to pay costs of £34,979.79 and a victim surcharge of £170.
Jacqui Tootill, Water Industry Regulation Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said:
This pollution was not caused by an unforeseen event or extreme weather. The systems were simply not robust enough and this wouldn’t have happened if proper checks had taken place.
We expect full compliance from water companies and are committed to taking robust enforcement action where we see serious breaches.
We’re pleased Yorkshire Water has now been dealt with by the courts following our investigation.
Ingbirchworth Water Treatment Works provides 90,000 people in Barnsley and South Yorkshire with drinking water every day and is fed by Ingbirchworth and Royd Moor reservoirs.
Water from the reservoirs passes through the works for treatment. It includes an underground ‘clean water wash tank’, containing chlorine.
When operating normally the level in this tank fluctuates. At 87% capacity an inlet valve automatically opens allowing the tank to refill and when it reaches 91% capacity it should close.
As a back-up, if it reached 96% capacity it would discharge via an overflow pipe into Ingbirchworth Dike. The works has an environmental permit which allows, in emergency situations, the discharge of the chlorinated water into the Dike.
However, both before and during this incident, a capacity alarm was set at 97% meaning the overflow pipe would be discharging before the alarm was activated.
On 1 November 2017 an alarm was received in the Yorkshire Water control room that indicated the inlet valve to the tank had failed. The valve was then manually opened to allow the tank to fill and maintain the water supply.
But due to a series of failures by the water company, maintenance operatives were unaware that the capacity alarm was set above the overflow pipe level. This led to intermittent but regular discharges for 27 days.
On 26 November Barnsley Trout Club reported dead fish at Scout Dike Reservoir. Officers attended and counted 434 dead fish in a 1.5km stretch of water between the treatment works and the reservoir.
At this stage the discharge had been ongoing for almost four weeks and in passing sentence District Judge Tim Spruce agreed with the Environment Agency’s assertion that the fish death total is likely to have been substantially higher.
The Environment Agency alerted Yorkshire Water about the incident and the inlet valve of the clean water wash tank was returned to automatic operation.
The court agreed that the series of failures by Yorkshire Water showed a high degree of negligence, resulting in ‘a prolonged and catastrophic loss of aquatic life’.
Judge Spruce said that the company’s previous convictions, including several since this incident, suggested that despite higher fines available to courts being an incentive for Yorkshire Water to improve regulatory compliance, that incentive has had ‘a lukewarm reception’.
A Yorkshire Water-commissioned ecology report concluded that there was mortality in aquatic insect population but that the impact had a ‘significant but reversible impact to aquatic or groundwater dependent nature conservation’.
Since the incident Yorkshire Water has made a number of improvements to the tank. It has amended the alarm trigger so that it is activated before the overflow point is reached, and the inlet valve has been replaced.
It has also introduced a new regime of weekly proactive checks and has improved internal communication with operatives.
The discharge pipes from the tank have also been moved so that it discharges into on site lagoons rather than the watercourse.
After substantially reducing the fine due to Yorkshire Water’s guilty plea, District Judge Spruce said the subsequent measures illuminated the inadequacies of the pre-incident systems.
Full charge
Between 01 November 2017 and 29 November 2017 Yorkshire Water Services Ltd caused a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of chlorinated potable water into inland freshwaters, namely Ingbirchworth Dike, otherwise than in accordance with an environmental permit
Contrary to Regulations 12(1)(b) and 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on a UK air traffic control issue which led to flight delays and cancellations.
Dr Guy Gratton, Associate Professor of Aviation and the Environment, Cranfield University, said:
“National Air Traffic Services (NATS) have said there was a fault with their radar system, and this caused a stop on departing and arriving airline traffic on Wednesday afternoon for about an hour. They control the upper airways of the UK from two sites – Swannick near Southampton, and Prestwick near Glasgow. It’s very integrated, and any interruption, as occurred, can only be solved in the short term by reducing the volume of traffic so as to make absolutely sure that in Britain’s very busy airways system, they achieve safe separation of all aircraft. As the systems come back up, they have to maintain that safe separation whilst introducing new traffic back into the airways system, so even a short delay will cause disruption for some time.
“It looks to me that NATS handled this very well, with departures and arrivals only stopped for about an hour. There’s no sign that safety was compromised, and hopefully the overnight reduction in air traffic will give them a chance to clear the disruption and recommence flying on Thursday morning with only minimal residual delays. It’s inevitable that people directly affected are frustrated, but safety has to be the primary concern.”
Junade Ali, a Fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said:
“The cause of this significant grounding of aircraft appears to be a technical issue at National Air Traffic Services (NATS). As of 16:25, NATS report a fix is being rolled out, meaning the issue was addressed promptly.
“In late 2023, there was a similar incident related to the IT systems that NATS uses. Given the short duration of the outage, it seems likely this is also an IT or software outage.
“NATS has previously thoroughly investigated such incidents and implemented suitable measures. From prior incident reports, the software is understood to not compromise safety at the expense of keeping airspace open. This is the right approach as, whilst keeping airspace open is important, the public risk appetite demands a high standard of safety when it comes to air travel. Incidents like this remind us of the need for robust IT systems that are resilient.”
Statement from the National Air Traffic Control Services: https://www.nats.aero/statement/statement-technical-issue-at-swanwick/
Declared interests
Junade Ali: “No conflicts of interest.”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent
Published: Thursday, 31st July 2025
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is stepping up its crackdown on illegal tobacco and vape sales after seizing more illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes.
Trading Standards officers carried out a visit to a storage facility in Etruria on Wednesday 23 July, supported by police officers and a tobacco dog and handler from JMS Accelerant Search.
The teams seized 638,380 cigarettes, 108kg of hand rolling tobacco and 1262 vapes – with a total retail value of £671,363.
The individual who hired the two shipping containers, which stored the illegal goods, is now under investigation.
The work is part of Operation CeCe – a national operation with HMRC and National Trading Standards to tackle illegal tobacco.
Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride, environment and sustainability at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This work clearly shows that illegal tobacco sales will not be tolerated. Those involved in the storage, distribution, or sale of illicit tobacco will face serious consequences.
“Smuggling and counterfeiting on this scale is organised crime – the shops these goods were destined for don’t care who they sell to and are happy to sell to the city’s children.
“Our message is clear, those engaging in crime will be held accountable. We are committed to making Stoke-on-Trent a greener, fairer, cleaner, safer city and keeping these substances off our streets.”
Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said: “The illicit tobacco trade is driven by organised criminal gangs and poses serious risks to local communities, especially young people.
“Since its launch in January 2021, Operation CeCe – a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC – has removed 69 million illegal cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, helping to clamp down on this illicit trade and protect communities and honest businesses across the UK.”
Anyone with concerns about illegal tobacco, vapes and underage sales can contact Trading Standards on the hotline at 01782 238884 or visit www.stoke.gov.uk/tradingstandards
Source: City of Plymouth
Significant strides have been made in how care-experienced young people are supported in Plymouth according to Ofsted inspectors, who found ‘many improvements’ since their last visit in February 2024. The Council’s ambition and commitment to its role as a corporate parent were particularly highlighted.
A focused visit in early July looked specifically at the arrangements for care leavers, who are young people aged 16 to 25-years-old who have previously lived in the local authority’s care. While focused visits do not result in a graded judgement, inspectors published a letter detailing their findings and areas for improvement today.
The inspection found that ‘Plymouth City Council is an ambitious Corporate Parent, driven effectively by the Director of Children’s Services’.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care said: “There is a lot in this inspection letter to celebrate and I am incredibly proud that we are now delivering a better service to all our care-experienced young people.
“We are absolutely committed to being corporate parents, which means supporting our care-experienced young people as a family would support their own young adult children. As every parent knows, your responsibility does not end once your child reaches adulthood.
“By working closely with partners across the city, we can ensure that care leavers are properly supported at this crucial time in their lives.”
Corporate parenting means that it is the collective responsibility of the Council and partner organisations to support children in care and care leavers.
Plymouth City Council is committed to supporting care leavers as set out in the updated corporate parenting strategy, ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ and in the comprehensive local support offer, which was commended by Ofsted. This includes dedicated help to access health, education and wellbeing services, as well as financial support.
The Council also agreed to treat care experience as a protected characteristic in March 2023 and is a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant.
The Council’s Corporate Parenting Board meets four times a year and works to advise on best practices in fulfilling the council’s role as a corporate parent to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in care and care leavers. Ofsted inspectors noted that the Board ‘provides effective governance and oversight of the council’s work with care-experienced young people’.
There are currently 200 care-experienced young people in Plymouth aged 18 to 21-years-old, and a further 86 young people aged between 21 and 25 who have chosen to continue receiving support from the Council.
Each of these young people has a personal adviser (PA) who works closely with them to offer advice and support. The inspectors highlighted how positive these trusting relationships are: young people ‘describe their PAs as always being responsive and kind’ and ‘receive timely practical and emotional support from social workers and PAs who know them well’.
One young person shared that their PA ‘is amazing, I have no negatives about her, she is trying her best to get the right support for me.’
Inspectors also noted that care-experienced young people who are pregnant or parents receive ‘dedicated effective support’ to help them ‘succeed in their parenting, and reduce risks in meeting the needs of their children’.
Karen Blake, Head of Service for Permanence at Plymouth City Council, said: “I am delighted by the recognition we have received from Ofsted about the improvements that have been made for our care-experienced young people. Our staff are extremely dedicated and work incredibly hard every day to support young people as they transition into adulthood.
“While we’re very proud of these achievements, we know what we need to do to make our service even better and will be focusing on the further improvements that are required as a priority.”
The inspection letter outlines two key areas for improvement. The first is the effectiveness of joint working with housing to improve the quality and availability of accommodation for care leavers, with a small number of young people having spent too long living in bed and breakfast accommodation.
Joint working across the Council is already taking place to address this issue, which includes finding alternative accommodation that is more suited to individual young people’s needs.
The other area for improvement is the identification and management of risk for young people. An additional team manager had already been recruited and has since started with the team, providing additional management capacity which will help to address this issue and work is being undertaken to improve quality assurance across the service.
Councillor Laing continued: “We completely accept that there are still improvements that need to be made in order to give our young people the best possible start to their adult life. Council teams are working collaboratively to make these improvements as swiftly as possible and the Corporate Parenting Board will have oversight of these improvements.”
The inspection letter also positively highlights how partnership working between the Council and health organisations means that ‘the physical health needs of young people are well considered and well met’, with access to a flexible nursing team and dental services. Support is given to help young people access mental health services and more work is underway to develop bespoke mental health support.
Penny Smith, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS Devon said: “It is great to see the hard work that has been put into improving health services for care-experienced young people in Plymouth over the last 18 months recognised by OFSTED.
“These improvements include improved access to mental health support and dental services and are the result of strong partnership working between numerous organisations.
“Care-experienced young people in Plymouth have for some time had access to well established, flexible, and responsive nursing teams and these improvements further enhance the support offer available to them.
“We are committed to continuing to further improve health services for care-experienced young people in Plymouth and growing the strong partnership arrangements we have in place to do this.”
Read the full inspection letter on the Ofsted website.
For more information about Plymouth’s offer to care-experienced young people, please visit: www.plymouth.gov.uk/care-leavers.
Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen
Parks, gardens, and allotments all over Aberdeen have retained accolades in a world-wide awards which rewards well managed spaces – just before the city is judged in Britain in Bloom.
Hazlehead Park, Seaton Park, Westfield Park, Victoria Park, Johnstone Gardens, Garthdee Field Allotments, and Slopefield Allotments have been given the Green Flag Award which sets the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the UK and around the world. Duthie Park has been awarded Green Heritage Site from the awards which celebrates its historical and cultural significance alongside environmental beauty.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “Aberdeen is famous for its parks and green spaces. They offer a splendid array of beautiful and peaceful environments for all to enjoy. The Green Flag award is welcome recognition of the high quality of these open places. It is important to maintain them to high standards because of the recreational and health benefits that they offer to residents and to the environment.”
Aberdeen City Council Net Zero, Environment and Transport vice convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “The Green Flag and Green Heritage Site accolades are thanks to the great work carried out by our enthusiastic gardeners and greenkeepers as well as all the amazing community organisations, groups and individuals who help to continue make Aberdeen’s green spaces beautiful.”
The purpose and aim of The Green Flag Award is:
The Green Heritage Site accreditation acknowledges parks which excel as guardians of history, bring history to life, a place for exploration, preserving authenticity, and understanding the past while inspiring the future.
Aberdeen is in the 2025 finals of the prestigious Britain in Bloom competition after winning the overall best in Scotland award – the Rosebowl – along with the City Trophy, the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Award, the VisitScotland Award for Tourism and a Gold Medal Certificate, at the Beautiful Scotland Awards. Britain in Bloom judges will be in Aberdeen next month.
Aberdeen has won a medal in either Britain in Bloom or Beautiful Scotland every year since 2008 and has been award-winning in the competitions since 1964. Aberdeen City Council this year is also celebrating 61 years competing in Britain in Bloom and Beautiful Scotland.
Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen
An additional thousands of pieces of chewing gum have been removed from Union Street thanks to a grant administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
The £27,500 grant, from the Chewing Gum Task Force, contributed towards additional cleaning and signage aimed at preventing people from littering again – estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is about £7million.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “This additional action to remove chewing gum really helps with the shared aim of improving the city centre. The area should be pleasant and attractive for the benefit of all businesses, visitors and residents.
“The £27,500 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force is a welcome boost to enable more cleaning and to introduce signage aimed at preventing the unacceptable practice of discarding chewing gum. The collective work is important and will hopefully be able to make a lasting difference.”
Aberdeen City Council Net Zero, Environment and Transport vice convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “The Council’s cleansing team work hard keeping Union Street free of litter.
“We’d ask people as always not to drop litter, including chewing gum, as it is unsightly and its removal takes time and money.”
Aberdeen City Council was one of 52 local authorities across the country which successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fourth year and funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle with an investment of up to £10million spread over five years.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces – though thankfully the scheme is leading to significant reductions.
People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally – and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up.”
Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils across the UK who wish to clean up gum in their local areas and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — The number of people crossing the Chinese border at the Tianshan International Airport checkpoint in Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, totaled 449,900 in the first half of 2025, up 63.58 percent year-on-year, the Xinjiang Daily newspaper reported, citing data from the airport administration.
In addition, during the same period, 43 thousand tons of cargo were imported and exported through Tianshan Airport, which is 465 percent more than during the same period last year.
In the first six months of this year, the checkpoint handled 3,575 inbound and outbound passenger flights, up 51 percent from a year earlier. The airport currently operates 32 international passenger routes, connecting Urumqi with 27 cities in 19 countries.
From January to June this year, airport customs officers processed 2,549 incoming and outgoing cargo flights, up 620 percent year-on-year. The total value of imported and exported goods passed through the airport checkpoint increased by 221.4 percent year-on-year.
Today, 24 international cargo routes operate at the specified border crossing, covering key hub cities in Europe, as well as Central and Western Asia.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — Beijing is stepping up efforts to restore power, clear roads and deliver essential supplies to residents displaced by flash floods and landslides caused by some of the most intense rainfall in the capital’s mountainous suburbs.
In Miyun District, one of the hardest-hit areas of the Chinese capital, a temporary supply center in the village of Xizhuangzi was bustling with activity as of the morning of July 30, with supplies of bottled water, instant noodles, sausages and canned eggs ready to be shipped out.
More than 60 tons of relief supplies were distributed across Miyun District on July 28 and 29, and four helicopters were deployed on the morning of July 30 to further deliver relief supplies. Repair crews were also dispatched to restore damaged communication and power lines, according to local authorities.
As of midnight on July 28, 30 people had been confirmed dead in Beijing, including 28 in Miyun District and two in Yanqing District. Authorities said the Miyun Reservoir had recorded its highest inflow, highest water level and fastest outflow since it was built in 1959.
In Yanqing, more than 4,200 people were evacuated. Some 488 rescue teams with a total of more than 8,300 personnel were dispatched to provide emergency assistance. Communications were restored to all previously cut-off villages, while damaged roads were cleared and basic utilities such as electricity were restored.
Taotiaogou, a remote village in Yanqing, was the hardest hit. After more than 48 hours of rescue work, its 49 residents were gradually brought to safety.
“I have never seen such a powerful flood in my life,” said 89-year-old Zhai Cheng’an, recalling how his home was quickly inundated by torrents of dirty water.
Zhai Yonghui, deputy secretary of the Taotiaogou village party branch, said the downpour intensified at 10:20 p.m. on July 26, breaking local rainfall records. Yanqing County plans to help residents of the devastated village start new lives elsewhere.
“The waters will recede and we will have our homes again. We believe in that,” he added.
As part of ongoing restoration work, train services on the Beijing-Baotou high-speed railway will resume on Thursday after being suspended due to heavy rains in Beijing and Hebei province earlier this week, China Railway Hohhot Group Co., Ltd. said.
Heavy rains also hit other parts of northern China.
In Hebei province, eight people were confirmed dead and 18 were missing in Xinglong County, while eight people were killed after a rain-triggered landslide hit a village in Luanping County. Ten people were confirmed dead in Shanxi province after a mid-size bus carrying 14 passengers went missing on the morning of July 27 amid days of heavy rainfall. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — China’s new economic growth drivers are expected to continue expanding steadily in 2024, making an even larger contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Thursday.
The volume of value-added production from new industries, new forms of business and new business models increased by 6.7 percent year-on-year, the data showed.
By the end of 2024, their share in GDP increased to 18.01 percent, which is 0.43 percentage points more than in the previous year.
Meanwhile, the latest data showed that the country’s high-tech sectors continued to grow rapidly in the first half of this year, with the value-added industrial output of high-tech manufacturing growing by 9.5 percent. The growth rate was 3.1 percentage points higher than the country’s overall industrial output in the same period. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — Did you know that out of five Russian Kamchatka crabs eaten by Chinese, four came from the border town of Hunchun, (Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Northeast China’s Jilin Province), which is not actually a coastal town?
At the King Crab Exhibition Hall located in the Northeast Asia Cross-Border E-Commerce Industrial Park in Hunchun, hundreds of blue and red king crabs from the Bering Strait live comfortably in a huge pool.
The cool air in the exhibition hall mixes with the faint salty taste of sea water. It turns out that the pool is filled with sea water from the “native land” of king crabs, and its temperature is maintained at about 2 degrees Celsius.
“The king crabs, which cost more than 320 yuan (US$44.5) per kilogram, were transported to China using original transport and water environment to ensure their longer life,” said Cui Ling, an employee of Hunchun Shengjin International Trade Co., Ltd., adding that July to August is the busiest time of the year. On average, up to 150 king crabs are sold per day through online and offline sales. These king crabs are shipped from here and delivered across the country within two weeks. In many regions, customers who order this seafood delicacy in the morning receive it the next day.
Why hasn’t the coastal city of Hunchun become the key hub for importing Russian Kamchatka crabs?
Previously, Kamchatka crabs imported from Russia to China had to be transported through the Republic of Korea and Japan, which led to higher costs and a deterioration in the quality of king crabs.
After Hunchun Port was approved as a specialized port for importing chilled seafood and edible aquatic animals, this “golden corridor” for importing king crabs into China was opened. In addition, the Kamchatka-Zarubino-Hunchun route made the transportation of aquatic products between China and Russia more stable and smooth.
To ensure the freshness of imported seafood, Hunchun Customs has opened a “green channel” to provide inspection and release services by appointment all year round and around the clock, speeding up customs clearance.
“In 2024, about 1.5 million pieces of king crab worth 3.31 billion yuan were imported into China through Hunchun Port, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country’s total market,” said Sun Jufeng, head of the Hunchun Port Management Service Center.
According to him, in recent years the efficiency of customs clearance has been constantly improving. If the driver registers in advance, the passage through the checkpoint can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Let us recall that last year, construction of a new terminal began in Hunchun on the territory of the checkpoint in order to meet the increasing volumes of cargo flow between China and Russia. The new terminal with a design capacity of 2 million tons will be put into operation during this year, and then the volume of transportation through the Hunchun checkpoint will increase more than fourfold.
In recent years, Chinese consumers’ interest in Russian Kamchatka crabs has grown rapidly. According to the General Administration of Customs of China, the total value of China’s imports of live, fresh and frozen crabs from Russia exceeded US$1.14 billion last year, up 16.7 percent from the previous year. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — The two sides had a frank, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on major topics of common interest during the latest round of China-U.S. economic and trade talks in Stockholm from Monday to Tuesday, sending a clear signal that the world’s two largest economies remain committed to dialogue, resolving differences and strengthening global stability.
Based on the consensus reached during the talks, the parties will continue to promote a 90-day extension of the pause in the 24 percent mirror tariffs of the US side and the countermeasures of the Chinese side.
The progress achieved in the talks once again demonstrates that as long as both sides follow the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and adhere to the principle of equal dialogue and consultation, they can effectively resolve differences, enhance mutual trust and push bilateral economic and trade relations in a healthy, stable and sustainable direction.
During the talks, the Chinese side emphasized that the essence of Chinese-American trade and economic relations is mutual benefit. China and the United States benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. The American side also stated that stable trade and economic relations between Washington and Beijing are of great importance for the economies of both countries and the world as a whole.
This shared awareness has become a key foundation for both sides to come together, engage in constructive dialogue and make tangible progress.
For decades, the two largest economies have been deeply integrated, with broad common interests and enormous potential for cooperation in trade and economic matters. Such strong economic complementarity cannot be easily destroyed by any artificial tariff barriers.
China approaches the consultations with 100 percent sincerity, firmly adhering to its principles without compromise, and consistently emphasizing the need to respect each other’s core interests. China’s position on the mirror tariffs unilaterally imposed by the United States is clear and consistent: they are essentially acts of unilateralism and protectionism that violate the rules of the World Trade Organization.
China is willing to properly resolve differences and find solutions through dialogue and consultation. However, such dialogue must take place on an equal basis. China’s right to development is inalienable, and its determination to safeguard its core interests and development rights remains unwavering. Any attempt to pressure China to make concessions on fundamental issues is unrealistic.
Some of the deeper problems in China-US trade and economic relations are difficult to resolve overnight, but progress begins with concrete steps. /The Chinese side/ hopes that Washington will move in the same direction as Beijing, implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and the positive momentum gained from the talks.
In this way, both sides can contribute to stabilizing their economic ties, strengthening mutual trust, reducing misjudgments, deepening cooperation, and quickly returning bilateral relations to the track of healthy and sustainable development. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KATHMANDU, July 31 (Xinhua) — Nepal has seen 43 people killed and 116 injured since the monsoon season began in late May, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
According to a report released by the department on Wednesday evening, 16 people were missing in 569 monsoon-related disasters.
Floods were the deadliest, killing 15 people and injuring seven others. Lightning strikes were next, killing 14 and injuring 95. Landslides were the third deadliest natural disaster, killing 14 people.
The monsoon season in Nepal usually lasts until early October. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TOKYO, July 31 (Xinhua) — A welcoming ceremony for the one millionth visitor, a Japanese family, was held at the China Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 Osaka on Wednesday.
Upon entering the pavilion, Teruwa Asakawa and his family were greeted by the words “Welcome to the millionth visitor to the China Pavilion” displayed on a large screen. The family was presented with a panda doll and other souvenirs.
The Asakawas said they were honored to be the millionth visitor. They praised the beautiful appearance of the pavilion and the variety of exhibits, saying that it “allowed us to deeply feel China’s rich historical and cultural heritage.”
Zhang Shujing, director of the China Pavilion, told Xinhua that since the opening of Expo 2025, the China Pavilion has consistently been one of the most popular. Welcoming the millionth visitor is an important moment worth celebrating, he said.
The exhibition runs from April 13 to October 13. The Chinese pavilion occupies an area of about 3.5 thousand square meters and is one of the largest foreign pavilions built by China itself. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — The text of the speech delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the National Conference on Ecology and Environment Protection on July 17, 2023, will be published in the 15th issue of Qiushi, a leading journal of the CPC Central Committee, on Friday.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — China has employed 250,000 demobilized officers and soldiers during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), and the quality and efficiency of work in this area have improved significantly, Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Xu Yao said Thursday.
Veterans are playing an increasingly important role in the country’s socio-economic development, he said at a press conference on Thursday.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
Labor is well-placed to win three seats in the electorate of Bass at the Tasmanian election, although its party totals imply it deserves only two. This would give left-leaning MPs a total of 20 of 35 seats. Interstate, New South Wales Labor has surged to a large lead in a Resolve poll.
The postal receipt deadline for the July 19 Tasmanian state election passed at 10am Tuesday. Final statewide vote shares
were 39.9% Liberals (up 3.2% since the March 2024 election), 25.9% Labor (down 3.2%), 14.4% Greens (up 0.5%), 2.9% Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (up 0.6%), 1.6% Nationals (new) and 15.3% independents (up 5.7%).
Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system to elect its lower house. There are five electorates corresponding to Tasmania’s five federal seats, and each electorate returns seven members, for a total of 35 lower house MPs.
Under this system, a quota for election is one-eighth of the vote or 12.5%, but half of this (6.2%) is usually enough to give a reasonable chance of election. There’s no above the line section like for the federal Senate. Instead, people vote for candidates not parties, with at least seven preferences required for a formal vote.
Robson rotation means that candidates for each party are randomised across ballot papers for that electorate, so that on some ballot papers a candidate will appear at the top of their party’s ticket and on others at the bottom.
This means parties can’t control the ordering of their candidates. Independents can be listed in single-candidate columns.
Leakage occurs when party candidates with more than one quota are elected and their surplus distributed, or when minor candidates are excluded and their preferences distributed. In the federal Senate, the large majority of votes are cast above the line, and these votes cannot leak from the party that received a first preference vote.
The consequence of leakage is that parties will lose votes from their totals during the distribution of preferences when their own candidates are elected or excluded. Single-candidate tickets can’t lose votes, and will only gain as other candidates are excluded.
Unlike other states and federally, the Tasmanian distribution of preferences is done manually. Before the distributions, analyst Kevin Bonham had called 14 of the 35 seats for the Liberals, ten for Labor, five for the Greens and four for left-leaning independents, leaving two undecided (the final seats in Bass and Lyons).
Final primary votes in Bass gave the Liberals 3.34 quotas, Labor 2.20, the Greens 1.32, the Shooters 0.32 and independent George Razay 0.27. The Shooters and Razay had single-candidate tickets that can’t leak votes.
After three days of preference distributions, vote shares in Bass are 3.30 quotas for the Liberals, 2.25 for Labor, 1.31 for the Greens, 0.40 for the Shooters and 0.37 for Razay.
On quota fractions, the final seat in Bass looks as if it should go to the Shooters or Razay. However, with one Labor candidate already elected, the two leading Labor candidates (Jess Greene and Geoff Lyons) each have about 0.37 quotas with two Labor candidates still to be excluded.
If the remaining Labor votes divide roughly evenly between Greene and Lyons, they would each have about 0.62 quotas. Greens preferences will then favour Labor whether their final opponent is the Shooters or the Liberals. So Labor is well-placed to win three seats in Bass despite their party total implying they only deserve two.
If Labor wins the final Bass seat, Labor, the Greens and left-leaning independents would have a total of 20 of the 35 seats, making any Labor attempt to form government easier.
In Lyons, final primary votes gave the Liberals 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.27, the Greens 1.08, the Shooters 0.53 and the Nationals 0.33. The Shooters had a single-candidate ticket.
The Liberals now have 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.44, the Greens one, the Shooters 0.68 and the Nationals 0.34. Neither Labor nor the Liberals have any chance of pulling off an even split across candidates, so the Shooters will win the final Lyons seat.
A New South Wales state Resolve poll for The Sydney Morning Herald, conducted July 13–18 from a sample of 1,054, gave Labor 38% of the primary vote (up five since April), the Coalition 32% (down four), the Greens 13% (up two), independents 8% (down six) and others 10% (up four).
Resolve does not usually give a two-party estimate for its state polls, but The Poll Bludger estimated a Labor lead by 57–43. Despite the strong voting intentions for Labor, Labor incumbent Chris Minns’ lead over Liberal Mark Speakman as preferred premier narrowed from 40–15 to 35–16. This indicates that Labor’s surge is due to the federal election result.
Resolve polls taken well before an election have overstated the independent vote as they give independent as an option in all seats, when many seats don’t have viable independents. The six-point drop for independents in this poll suggests a different method is now being used.
By 32–25, respondents expected their personal outlook in the next year to get better rather than worse, but by 25–21 they expected the NSW state outlook to get worse.
I previously covered a national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that gave Labor a 56–44 lead. On reforms, 36% thought the government should take the opportunity from its landslide re-election to undertake reforms, while 32% thought it should restrict itself to policies put forward at the election.
By 47–20, respondents opposed raising the GST rate even if it would reduce other taxes. By 31–26, they supported reducing or ditching negative gearing concessions. By 36–27, they supported reducing or ditching capital gains tax concessions on properties.
By 57–18, respondents thought the opposition should work with the government to negotiate changes, rather than just oppose major reforms.
By 53–18, respondents thought Donald Trump’s election as United States president last November a bad outcome for Australia (68–11 bad in April, after Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs).
By 46–22, they thought Australia becoming more independent from the US on foreign policy and national security would be good. By 38–26, voters blamed Trump more than Albanese for the lack of a meeting.
Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Labor well-placed to win three Bass seats in Tasmanian election, giving left a total of 20 of 35 MPs – https://theconversation.com/labor-well-placed-to-win-three-bass-seats-in-tasmanian-election-giving-left-a-total-of-20-of-35-mps-261751
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, according to a study by ASIO and the Australian Institute of Criminology.
The figure includes the direct costs of known espionage incidents, including state-sponsored theft of intellectual property, as well as the indirect costs of countering and responding.
Details of the Cost of Espionage report were released by the head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, in delivering the annual Hawke Lecture on Thursday night. Espionage is defined as “the theft of Australian information by another country that is seeking an advantage over Australia”.
Burgess said the Institute estimated foreign cyber spies stole nearly $2 billion from Australian companies and businesses in trade secrets and intellectual property in 2023-24.
In one instance, spies hacked into a major Australian exporters computer network, stealing commercially sensitive information.
“The theft gave the foreign country a significant advantage in subsequent contract negotiations, costing Australia hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Burgess pointed to another espionage incident several years ago when an overseas delegation visited a sensitive Australian horticultural facility.
A delegation member entered a restricted area and photographed a rare, valuable variety of fruit tree. A staff member intervened and deleted the image but it later turned out several of the tree’s branches had been stolen and smuggled out of Australia.
“Almost certainly, the stolen plant material allowed scientists in the other country to reverse engineer and replicate two decades of Australian research and development.”
In another instance, an Australian defence contractor invented and sold a world-leading innovation.
At first sales boomed but then they collapsed, and “customers began flooding the company’s repair centre with faulty products. While the returns looked genuine, closer examination revealed they were cheap and nasty knock offs.
“An investigation uncovered what happened.
“One year earlier, a company representative attended a defence industry event overseas and was approached by an enthusiastic local. She insisted on sharing some content via a USB, which was inserted into a company laptop. The USB infected the system with malware allowing hackers to steal the blueprints for the product.
“Almost certainly, the ‘enthusiastic local’ worked for a foreign intelligence service. The blueprints were given to a state-owned enterprise which mass-produced the knock-offs and deprived the Australian company millions of dollars in lost revenue – the tangible cost of espionage.”
Burgess said many entities do not realise their secrets have been stolen by espionage.
He stressed the institute was deliberately conservative, only modelling costs it could confirm and calculate.
“That means many of the most serious, significant and cascading costs of espionage are not included in the 12.5 billion dollar figure. The potential loss of strategic advantage, sovereign decision-making and warfighting capacity hold immense value, but not a quantifiable dollar value.”
“The Institute estimates Australia prevented tens of billions of dollars of additional costs by stopping or deterring spying,” Burgess said.
He said ASIO estimated the espionage threat “will only intensify. It is already more serious and sophisticated than ever before, so our response must also be more serious and sophisticated than ever before.”
Burgess confirmed that in 2022 a number of “undeclared Russian intelligence officers” were removed from Australia.
“The decision followed a lengthy ASIO investigation that found the Russians recruiting proxies and agents to obtain sensitive information, and employing sophisticated tradecraft to disguise their activities.”
Last year, two Russian born Australian citizens were charged with an espionage related offence.
Russian remained a persistent and aggressive espionage threat, Burgess said. “But Russia is by no means the only country we have to deal with.
“You would be genuinely shocked by the number and names of countries trying to steal our secrets.
“The obvious candidates are very active – I’ve previously named China, Russia and Iran – but many other countries are also targeting anyone and anything that could give them a strategic or tactical advantage, including sensitive but unclassified information.”
Burgess said increasingly foreign intelligence services were broadening their collection efforts beyond traditional categories. They were aggressively targeting science and technology, and public and private sector projects, negotiations and investments. This includes Antarctic research, green technology, critical minerals and rare earths extraction and processing.
Burgess said foreign intelligence services were “taking a very unhealthy interest in AUKUS and its associated capabilities.”
“Australia’s defence sector is a top intelligence collection priority for foreign governments seeking to blunt our operational edge, gain insights into our operational readiness and tactics, and better understand our allies’ capabilities.
“Targets include maritime and aviation-related military capabilities, but also innovations with both commercial and military applications.
“And with AUKUS, we are not just defending our sovereign capability. We are also defending critical capability shared by and with our partners.”
He said foreign intelligence services were “proactive, creative and opportunistic” in targeting present and former defence employees.
There was relentless cyber espionage, in-person targeting and technical collection.
“In recent years, for example, defence employees travelling overseas have been subjected to covert room searches, been approached at conferences by spies in disguise and given gifts containing surveillance devices.”
Burgess said that ASIO had detected and disrupted 24 major cases of foreign interference in the last three years alone.
This was more than in the previous eight years combined. They were just the major disruptions – there were many other cases. Among the examples he gave were:
spies recruited a security clearance holder who handed over official documents on free trade negotiations
foreign companies connected to intelligence services sought to buy access to personal data sets; sought to buy land near sensitive military sites, and sought to collaborate with researchers developing sensitive technologies
foreign intelligence services tried to get someone employed as a researcher in a media outlet, aiming to shape reporting and receive early warning of critical stories
spies convinced a state bureaucrat to login to a database to obtain details of people considered dissidents by a foreign regime
nation state hackers compromised a peak industry body’s network getting sensitive information
a foreign intelligence service had multiple agents and their family members apply for Australian government jobs to get access to classified information.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, ASIO boss Mike Burgess says – https://theconversation.com/espionage-cost-australia-12-5-billion-in-2023-24-asio-boss-mike-burgess-says-262349
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Tata Motors Limited has announced plans to acquire Iveco Group N.V., a leading European commercial vehicle and mobility company, through an all-cash voluntary tender offer valued at approximately €3.8 billion.
The proposed acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and the successful separation of Iveco’s defence business. The deal aims to create a powerful global player in the commercial vehicle industry, combining complementary capabilities, a broader market presence, and a shared commitment to sustainable mobility.
Under the terms of the deal, Tata Motors will acquire all issued common shares of Iveco Group—excluding its defence division—at €14.1 per share in cash. Completion of the transaction is conditional upon the separation of the defence business, which is expected to be finalised by March 31, 2026.
The offer represents a 22–25% premium over Iveco’s average share price in the three months ending July 17, 2025. Factoring in the estimated €5.5–€6.0 per share extraordinary dividend from the defence division’s sale, the premium could increase to 34–41%.
The merger will combine Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle division with Iveco’s operations, bringing together annual sales of approximately 540,000 units and revenues of €22 billion (INR 2.2 lakh crore). The combined revenue base will be spread across Europe (50%), India (35%), and the Americas (15%).
“This is a logical next step following the demerger of Tata Motors’ Commercial Vehicle business,” said Tata Motors Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran. “It will allow the combined group to compete globally with two strategic home markets in India and Europe.”
Olof Persson, CEO of Iveco Group, said the partnership with Tata Motors would strengthen industrial capabilities, accelerate innovation in zero-emission transport, and expand the company’s presence in key global markets.
Tata Motors has secured full financing for the acquisition through a consortium led by Morgan Stanley and MUFG Bank. Clifford Chance, PwC, and Kearney are advising Tata Motors, while Goldman Sachs and law firms De Brauw and PedersoliGattai are advising Iveco Group.
— ANI