Source: United Nations (Video News)
Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.
Item 38: report of the Secretary-General (A/79/80)
● Draft resolution (A/79/L.6) ■ Continuation of the debate and action on the draft resolution
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Secretary-General travel /Colombia
-Sudan
-Sudan/humanitarian
-Middle East
-Deputy Secretary-General
-Lebanon/Israel
-Lebanon/humanitarian
-Occupied Palestinian territory
-Gaza
-Ukraine
-Philippines
-Abyei
-Sahel and Lake Chad region
-Briefings today and tomorrow
Secretary-General travel /Colombia
The Secretary-General will travel to Cali, in Colombia, to attend the high-level segment of the16th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16). And he is heading out this afternoon.
On Tuesday, in Cali, he will deliver remarks at the opening of the plenary session of the COP. In his remarks, he is expected to highlight that nature is life, and yet we are waging a war against it – a war where there can be no winner. He is expected to stress that biodiversity is humanity’s ally, and that we must move from plundering to preserving. He will also call for the promises made at the Framework adopted two years ago in Montreal to be turned into actions.
While attending COP16, the Secretary-General will also meet and engage in discussions with Indigenous people and local communities, as well as other representatives of society, including youth groups and women’s groups. He will also meet with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.
On the sidelines of the COP, the Secretary-General will speak at an event on plastic pollution organized by the UN Environment Programme.
And we expect the Secretary-General back in New York on Wednesday evening.
Sudan
In an open session this morning, the Secretary-General briefed the Security Council on the situation in Sudan. As you know, Security Council resolution 2736 that was adopted in June requested that the Secretary-General make recommendations to protect civilians in Sudan. He submitted that to the Security Council last week.
In his remarks, Mr. Guterres outlined three key priorities from his recommendations: First, both sides must immediately agree to a cessation of hostilities; secondly, that civilians must be protected, and his third priority is related to the flow of humanitarian aid.
Mr. Guterres added that at present, the conditions do not exist for the successful deployment of a UN force to protect civilians in Sudan.
However, he said, he stands ready to engage with the Council and others on the range of operational modalities that can meaningfully contribute to the reduction in violence and the protection of civilians.
Moreover, he urged the Council to continue supporting his Special Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra in his diplomatic efforts.
Mr. Guterres spoke at length about the humanitarian situation and the suffering in Sudan, which is growing by the day. He also spoke of the shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence in villages in Aj Jazirah State in the eastern part of the country.
Sudan/Humanitarian
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance is expressing concerns at escalating armed violence in Aj Jazirah State.
Joyce Msuya, our Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs says that we received horrific reports of entire villages being attacked, with civilians killed, detained and displaced in huge numbers, and those reports talk about actions between October 20th and 25th. During that time, the Rapid Support Forces reportedly launched a major assault across 30 towns and villages and towns in Aj Jazirah State.
An estimated 47,000 people have fled the fighting, including to other parts of Aj Jazirah State. We and our partners are continuing to provide assistance to nearly 40,000 people who have sought shelter in Gedaref and Kassala states.
Those displaced by the violence urgently need food, shelter, health care and protection support. Many of the wounded also need medical attention.
We and our partners are concerned about civilians who remain trapped in those areas and are unable to escape due to insecurity and fear of abduction, as well as those on the move in search of safety, protection and urgent assistance.
Also, to flag that the Director General of the International Migration agency, Amy Pope, began today a three-day visit to assess the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and the increasing displacement crisis. The visit in Sudan will focus on rallying international support for the humanitarian response, ensuring that the ongoing crisis in Sudan remains at the forefront of global attention. The Director General will visit various displacement sites to engage directly with impacted communities.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20October%202024
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Briefing by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Sudan and South Sudan – Security Council, 9761st meeting
——————————
“Madam President, Excellencies,
I thank the Council for the opportunity to discuss the utter humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Sudan.
Eighteen months have passed since brutal fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The suffering is growing by the day, with almost 25 million people now requiring assistance.
The people of Sudan are living through a nightmare of violence — with thousands of civilians killed, and countless others facing unspeakable atrocities, including widespread rape and sexual assaults.
In recent days, we have heard shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence in villages in Aj Jazirah State in the east of the country.
They are also enduring a nightmare of hunger — as more than 750,000 people face catastrophic food insecurity and famine conditions take hold in displacement sites in North Darfur, while millions struggle to feed themselves every day.
They are confronting a nightmare of disease — with cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella spreading fast.
A nightmare of collapsed infrastructure — with vital health systems, transportation networks, water and sanitation systems, supply routes and agricultural production grinding to a halt.
A nightmare of displacement — the largest displacement crisis in the world, with more than 11 million people fleeing since April last year, including nearly 3 million who have crossed into neighbouring countries.
A nightmare of extreme weather — with nearly 600,000 people affected by heavy rains and floods this summer.
And Sudan is, once again, rapidly becoming a nightmare of mass ethnic violence, in particular with the dramatic escalation of fighting in El Fasher.
Madam President,
We have consistently appealed to both sides to end the fighting and come to the negotiating table.
But instead of lowering tensions, they are escalating military action.
Meanwhile, outside powers are fuelling the fire.
We face the serious possibility of the conflict igniting regional instability from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa to the Red Sea.
Resolution 2736 adopted earlier this year sent a strong signal.
But we need action on the ground.
The resolution requested me to make recommendations to protect civilians in Sudan, which I submitted to this Council last week.
Allow me to outline three key priorities.
First — both sides must immediately agree to a cessation of hostilities.
Such an agreement should be translated into local ceasefires and humanitarian pauses — creating new avenues of dialogue, and laying the ground for a comprehensive ceasefire.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts must be intensified to finally bring an end to the conflict — including support to implement the commitments in the Jeddah Declaration.
My Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, is working around the clock with that objective.
He convened the parties in Geneva to enhance humanitarian access and strengthen the protection of civilians in Sudan.
And he supported the coordination of mediation initiatives, in collaboration with regional partners — in particular, the African Union’s High-Level Panel.
I urge this Council to continue supporting his efforts, and encourage effective engagement with regional partners like the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, and other key ones.
And I salute the efforts of the African Union and IGAD towards an inclusive Sudanese political dialogue, which would provide an important platform for civilians — including women — to speak out about the importance of ending the war and lend their voices towards a peaceful and democratic future.
Which brings me to my second point — civilians must be protected.
We need this Council’s support to help protect civilians in line with human rights and international humanitarian law — including the parties’ own commitments in the Jeddah Declaration.
The parties to the conflict bear the primary responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and come to the negotiation table.
I am horrified by the Rapid Support Forces’ continued attacks against civilians in El Fasher and surrounding areas, which include displacement sites where famine conditions have been confirmed.
And I am also horrified by reports of attacks against civilians perpetrated by forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces in Khartoum, and by continuing mass civilian casualties due to apparently indiscriminate airstrikes in populated areas.
The perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable” [Excerpt].
Full remarks [as delivered]: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-10-28/secretary-generals-remarks-the-security-council-sudan-bilingual-delivered-scroll-down-for-all-english-and-all-french
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
Hear from the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as hospital and group purchasing organization industry leaders, for an informational briefing on strategies to conserve intravenous fluid (IV) products that are in shortage and may be further impacted until Baxter’s North Cove, NC facility is operational.
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Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
A Hurricane Helene survivor discusses the support she received from FEMA in the aftermath of the storm at a Disaster Relief Center (DRC) in Asheville, North Carolina. She shares her experiences and the impact of FEMA’s assistance on her journey to recovery.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
During the meeting on October 21, 2024, the Advisory Council will hear updates from federal agencies on activities during the last quarter and from panels organized by the clinical care and risk reduction subcommittees. Presenters will discuss dementia care from different perspectives, including those of providers, people with lived experience, and CMMI GUIDE Model participants, as well as how to bridge gaps in service delivery.
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Source: European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a €300 million loan to finance the construction of the Salto de Chira pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant being built by Red Eléctrica, a subsidiary of Redeia, in Gran Canaria.
The Salto de Chira power plant will use a system of two water reservoirs at different heights to store or deliver energy from renewable energies according to the needs of the electricity system. It will have a installed power capacity of 200 MW and energy storage capacity of 3,5GWh, making possible to take advantage of surplus renewable production, which would otherwise be lost, at times when the system needs it. In this way, it will contribute to the quality and security of the electricity supply and to greater integration of renewable energies into the electricity system on the island of Gran Canaria. The project also includes the construction of a seawater desalination plant to contribute to water storage, which is also expected to have a positive impact on farming communities’ access to irrigation water.
“We are delighted to join forces with Red Eléctrica to support the construction of the Salto de Chira hydroelectric power plant. This project is key to ensuring energy autonomy and driving the green transition in Gran Canaria,” said Jean-Christophe Laloux, Director General of Operations in the European Union at the EIB. “The project will improve electricity supply quality and security on the island using existing resources and reflects the EIB’s commitment to territorial cohesion and climate action, two of our strategic priorities.”
The investment takes part entirely in the Canary Islands, a cohesion and outermost region. It is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy by driving growth and job creation, and firmly backs the EIB Group’s commitment to economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Commenting on the agreement, the CEO of Redeia, Roberto García Merino, highlighted the importance of this project and of storage in advancing the penetration of renewable energies, “storage will be one of the key elements in the energy transition, providing flexibility and manageability to the electricity system to integrate large amounts of renewable energies, thus contributing to electrification and access to renewable energy, which is especially important for an electricity system like the Canary Islands, which is isolated and therefore more vulnerable’.
Once finalized, the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant will be a fundamental tool for the operation of the system, providing it with the flexibility essential for the substitution of fossil energy sources and the safe and reliable integration of renewable resources, mitigating the interconnection difficulties of the Canary Islands’ electricity systems.
This project contributes to the decarbonisation objectives of the European Green Deal. It is also part of the EIB’s action plan to support REPowerEU in ensuring energy security and reducing EU dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Operation of the Salto de Chira pumped-storage plant
The plant will use two of Gran Canaria’s existing reservoirs, Chira and Soria, to create an electricity-generating waterfall. It will that harnesses the renewable energy stored in the form of water in the upper reservoir to produce energy through an underground hydroelectric plant, reducing its impact on the environment.
At times of peak renewable energy generation, the excess power will be used to pump water from the lower reservoir (Soria) to the upper one (Chira), storing this energy in the form of water. The water will then be used to generate electricity at times of high demand and low electricity generation from renewable sources.
The project includes the construction of a seawater desalination plant that will be used to fill the reservoirs and will directly benefit the development of farming communities in the area thanks to the water not needed for the operation of the plant.
The EIB and energy security
In 2023, the EIB Group signed more than €21 billion in financing for energy security in Europe. In the same year, it allocated €4.5 billion to this goal in Spain, financing projects in areas including renewable energy, energy efficiency, power grids and storage systems. These investments are helping Europe speed up its transition to sustainable energy and reduce its reliance on fossil fuel imports.
In July 2023, the EIB Board of Directors raised the amount earmarked for REPowerEU projects to €45 billion. REPowerEU is the plan designed to end Europe’s dependence on fossil fuel imports. To boost financing for the EU manufacturing industry, the EIB will also expand the range of eligible sectors to include leading strategic technologies with net-zero carbon emissions, as well as extraction, processing and recycling of critical raw materials. The additional financing will be disbursed between now and 2027. In total, it is expected to mobilise more than €150 billion in investment in the target sectors.
Find out more about the EIB’s support for the energy sector here.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances sound investments that further EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.
The EIB Group, consisting of the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF), reported total financing signatures in Spain of €11.4 billion in 2023, approximately €6.8 billion of which went to climate action and environmental sustainability projects. Overall, the EIB Group signed €88 billion in new financing in 2023.
Red Eléctrica
Red Eléctrica is the sole transmission agent and operator of the electricity system in Spain. Created in 1985, it is the first TSO in the world, being the first company dedicated exclusively to the operation of the electricity system and the transmission of electricity; a model currently implemented in 22 of the 27 countries of the EU.
A subsidiary of Redeia, manager of essential electricity and telecommunications infrastructures, Red Eléctrica’s mission has always been to guarantee a safe and quality electricity supply and to develop a reliable electricity transmission grid to provide a service that is essential for households, companies and public services. It is now also a fundamental pillar of Spain’s ecological transition process, developing the grids necessary for this transformation and operating the system for an efficient and safe integration of renewable energies.
Source: European Parliament
18.10.2024
Question for written answer E-002178/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR)
Unfortunately, Thessaly’s tourism industry became collateral damage in the catastrophic floods of September 2023. The fact that the businesses affected in Thessaly have failed to recover is taking a toll on the Greek tourism industry as a whole.
Industry representatives are calling for a specific financial instrument to provide direct financial support for tourism businesses that have suffered a huge loss of income, as well as a change in the regulatory framework governing the NSRF and the possibility of funding commensurate with that made available in 2020 as part of the amendment to address the economic crisis associated with the COVID-19 period.
In view of Article 107(2) TFEU, Member States may determine the design of State aid in compliance with EU State aid rules.
In light of the above:
Submitted: 18.10.2024
Source: European Parliament
Source : © European Union, 2024 – EP
Source: European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European American Chamber of Commerce New York (EACCNY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday to establish the Transatlantic Resilient Infrastructure Alliance, a platform for engaging with the private sector to boost infrastructure financing in low- and middle-income countries.
This alliance will provide a new grouping for a set of actors interested in infrastructure development and financing, building a transatlantic platform with major organisations from the US and Europe. Participants will include banks, institutional investors (such as pension funds, insurers, asset managers), and industry, all of which will join in an effort to develop sustainable financing options, identify and advance priority projects, and collaborate on the promotion of resilient infrastructure to build a sustainable future.
TRIA will take as a basis the EIB’s long experience in financing infrastructure investments and complement this through dialogue with European and US businesses keen to support global sustainability goals.
Based on the MoU, the alliance will regularly convene meetings between EIB senior staff and leaders from EACCNY member companies and associated organisations to improve shared understanding of the financing needs and opportunities in infrastructure projects in developing countries. The members of the alliance will work together to identify gaps in existing financing mechanisms and seek to identify solutions.
“The initiative will allow us to build closer relationships with existing and potential clients and other partners interested in transatlantic cooperation in low- and middle-income countries,” said Markus Berndt, Head of the European Investment Bank’s Representation in Washington. “The EACCNY brings together a range of important corporates and institutions who have a lot of valuable insights, as we seek to ensure that more private sector finance reaches high priority investments.”
“Considering the enormous needs in global infrastructure development at this critical moment in time, it is essential that Europe and the United States, two major economic powerhouses, come together and strategically address this challenge,” said Yvonne Bendinger-Rothschild, Executive Director of the EACCNY. “Bringing together public and private financing and expertise will help bridge the gap and improve the speed and efficiency of infrastructure investment around the world. Our members are ready to be part of this ambitious project.”
The Transatlantic Resilient Infrastructure Alliance is aligned with the broader objectives of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, aiming to promote sustainable investment in line with EU and international standards. The scope of TRIA will include all sectors of the Global Gateway strategy, namely digital, climate and energy, transport, health, and education, and their associated value chains.
The European American Chamber of Commerce New York (EACCNY) is a platform connecting public and private sector entities on both sides of the Atlantic. The goal of the EACCNY is to stimulate transatlantic investment, cross-border business development and to facilitate networking and relationships between its members. To do this, the EACCNY provides its members with access to information, resources and support, on matters affecting business activities between Europe and the US.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner in Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027, around one third of the overall target of this EU initiative. With Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.
Source: European Parliament
18.10.2024
Question for written answer E-002177/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR)
The EU Ambassador to Albania said in a statement that Albania can continue its accession path ‘without the need for a plan B’ and he praised ‘the efforts of the Albanian Government in a particularly lengthy and complex process in which candidate countries are asked to implement a series of economic, legislative and sometimes constitutional reforms’. This was following the approval given by the intergovernmental conference (IGC) of the European Council, which ‘examined the negotiating chapters overall for Albania’.
Unfortunately, this ‘overall examination’ appears hypocritical when one looks at the actual implementation of the Copenhagen accession criteria. Albania shows no respect for the rights of minorities and the implementing authority has full control over the (inexistent) judiciary, as can be seen from the concerted action against the Greek ethnic minority of Northern Epirus. It is clear that the arrest of the elected mayor of Himara, who was a member of the Greek ethnic minority of Northern Epirus, and his removal from office, show a defeat of the institutions, of democracy and of the rule of law against the political machinations of a mafia state and of micropolitical decisions.
In view of the above:
Submitted: 18.10.2024
Source: European Investment Bank
Stark Future’s electric dirt bike uses cutting-edge technology and engineering, featuring custom-made key component and innovative electronics. To achieve this, Wass and his team had to reimagine the very essence of the motocross bike itself.
“Motocross is maybe the most difficult motorcycle to build, and the reason is that it does the most extreme type of riding,” says Wass. “So, it needs to be extremely durable and strong, but it also requires having perfect weight balance, very low weight, high power-to-weight ratio, and all of these things have to match perfectly.”
This becomes even more complex when designing an electric bike. You need to consider components such as the battery and electrical systems, which significantly impact the bike’s weight, balance, and overall performance.
“You no longer have things like a gas tank, gears, clutch and an exhaust system,” Anton adds. “It really changes the whole construction of the chassis. But if you stay open minded, this also gives you new opportunities.”
The final product is truly impressive. The company has developed the most powerful power-to-weight motor of any production motocross bike. The 6.5 kilowatt-hour battery, coupled with a custom carbon fibre sleeve motor, provides up to 80 horsepower, 30% more power than a comparable 450cc motocross gas bike. This setup allows up to six hours of technical trail riding or enough energy to complete a full motocross race, with a recharge time of just two hours.
The bike also has an adjustable power setting, enabling riders to set the power level anywhere from 10 to 80 horsepower. Thanks to this feature, new riders can reduce the power as needed during the learning curve.
Source: European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is granting a €125 million loan to housing-company GEWOBA AG Wohnen und Bauen in Bremen. The loan supports an extensive €500 million building and renovation project to increase the supply of affordable and climate-friendly housing in Bremen and Bremerhaven by the company that is majority-owned by the two municipalities. The flats will meet the high energy efficiency standards set out by the European Union and at least meet the German energy standard of KfW Efficiency House 55.
According to the current plans, almost 500 new flats will be built, most of which will be accessible for people with reduced mobility. As part of the project, there will be a new kindergarten for around 60 children, as well as assisted-living communities and a day centre for 15 elderly people. In addition, over 2 000 existing flats will undergo energy-related renovation works. The price of rent per square metre for the new flats may not exceed €6.80 for subsidised flats and €9.00 for rent-capped flats.
Bremen is a growing city, with its population expected to rise from today`s 685 000 inhabitants to 705 000 by 2035. Although the state of Bremen is in good economic shape overall, it has the highest unemployment rate of all federal states of Germany at 10%, and a high proportion of its residents earn low incomes.
As in many cities in Germany, rent prices have increased in recent years. As the biggest rental housing provider in Bremen and Bremerhaven, GEWOBA is steering away from this trend, charging an average rent price of €6.94 per square metre (excluding bills) and an average of €7.94 per square metre for new rental contracts in existing flats.
“The project is helping to ensure that a vibrant city can continue to grow and be liveable for families with children and the elderly”, says EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer. “Together with our partner GEWOBA, we are facing up to the social challenge in German and European cities and continuing to create affordable and climate-friendly housing.”
The new flats are set to be highly energy efficient and will contribute to the European Union’s climate and environmental sustainability goals. They will help to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted from buildings and will support Bremen on its path to climate neutrality. They will also encourage social inclusion, as demonstrated by the emphasis on accessibility, and will create more housing options in the city for people on low and moderate incomes.
“We are pleased to have a partner at our side in the form of the EIB, which is pursuing the same climate and social objectives as we are,” said Member of the Executive Board of GEWOBA Anja Passlack.
Background information
The EIB Group is the long-term lending institution of the European Union. It finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives and works closely with other EU institutions and bodies to advance shared priorities such as equitable growth and a just transition towards climate neutrality. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed a total of €88 billion in new financing in 2023, of which €8.6 billion in Germany.
The EIB Group has been providing financing and advisory services to the housing sector for 25 years. In the last five years alone, it has provided around €13.4 billion to support sustainable urban development and modernisation projects. Together with the European Commission, the EIB will increase its commitment to affordable housing in the coming years.
GEWOBA AG Wohnen und Bauen in Bremen was founded in 1924 with the aim of making decent housing available for broad sections of the population – a mission that is still enshrined in its statute today. With around 43 000 rental apartments, GEWOBA is the largest rental housing provider in the state of Bremen and is majority-owned by the municipality. Its core business is value-based management and looking to the future to further develop its diverse housing portfolio. For decades, it has invested in extensive maintenance and modernisation projects, and expands its portfolio with new, high-quality buildings when required.
Source: Scottish Government
An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland.
Scotland’s Redress Scheme statistics have been published for the period from December 2021 to June 2024.
They show that over the first 30 months of the scheme:
Background
Scotland’s Redress Scheme Statistics December 2021 – June 2024
Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
This is an Official Statistics publication providing data on applications, outcomes and payments made, fees and costs, as well as apologies made under Scotland’s Redress Scheme. It builds on last year’s publication of figures from December 2021 to June 2023.
Source: Scottish Government
An Accredited Official Statistics Publication for Scotland
Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published Homicide in Scotland, 2023-24. The publication provides information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2023-24. The main findings are:
In 2023-24, 57 victims of homicide were recorded, 10% (or five victims) more than the 52 victims recorded in 2022-23.
Over the latest 10 year period from 2014-15 to 2023-24, the number of victims fell by 10% (six victims) from 63 to 57.
Over the latest 20 year period from 2004-05 to 2023-24, the number of homicide victims in Scotland fell by 58% (or 80 victims) from 137 to 57.
The greatest reduction in homicide victims over the last 20 years has been amongst young people aged 16-24. In the five years between 2004-05 to 2008-09 there were 125 victims in this age range. This dropped to 29 across the latest five years between 2019-20 to 2023-24.
Of the 57 victims recorded in 2023-24, 77% (44) were male and 23% (13) were female.
In 2023-24, 85 persons were accused of homicide, of which 81% (69) were male and 19% (16) were female. For all the 57 homicide victims recorded in 2023-24, the associated case was solved.
For each of the last 20 years, the most common method of killing was with a sharp instrument. In 2023-24, a sharp instrument was the main method of killing for 49% (or 28) of homicide victims.
For the latest year of 2023-24, the majority (64%) of male victims were killed by an acquaintance (28 of 44 male victims). Female victims were most likely to be killed by a partner or ex-partner (38%, or five of 13 female victims).
Whilst most recorded incidents of homicide in these statistics have one victim and one accused, some incidents can have multiple victims and/or accused. There were 57 homicide incidents recorded in 2023-24, 12% (or six incidents) more than the 51 recorded in 2022-23.
Background
The full statistical publication can be accessed at: Homicide in Scotland 2023-24
The term “sharp instrument” includes knives, broken bottles, swords, sharpened screwdrivers and any other pointed or edged weapons.
Further information on Crime and Justice statistics within Scotland can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/collections/crime-and-justice-statistics/
Accredited official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of accredited official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at: About our statistics
Source: City of Westminster
Recognising an increase in demand for services for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), Westminster City Council has expanded its extensive current offer by investing nearly £4 million in dedicated SEND facilities for young residents and their families.
A brand-new SEND facility has opened in the south of Westminster – known as Tresham South, and a major refurbishment and expansion of our facility in the north of Westminster – known as Tresham North, has taken place to greatly improve our SEND provision right across the city.
£1.8 million has been spent on our brand-new Tresham South site in Pimlico in response to parents and carer feedback. This site includes our Short Breaks service – a place for children with SEND to experience unforgettable activities and develop vital skills, while giving their families time away from their caring responsibilities, as well as a new council-funded campus for College Park Special School.
The new Short Breaks centre contains two main activity rooms that cater for lots of different types of free flow play: one for older children and one for younger children. It also features arts and craft spaces and a main hall for larger group activities. The school’s facilities include a sensory room, occupational therapy suites and seven classrooms to provide an additional 50 school spaces for SEN children.
College Park School and the Short Breaks service also share several state-of-the-art facilities – these include a sensory room with a number of exciting elements, a soft play area, and a large playground space with an outdoor play area.
In the north of Westminster, £1.9 million of council funding has gone towards significant refurbishment and expansion to our existing popular Tresham North Short Breaks centre near Edgware Road. This provides cutting edge and expanded facilities, including an outside cinema, two soft plays, youth zone and facilities for children with complex health needs.
Our expanded Short Breaks service addresses the council’s desire to increase SEND provision in the south of the city. It offers eligible children a local place where they can socialise, enjoy activities and learn in a safe and nurturing environment.
The development of all SEND provision across Westminster, including these new facilities, happens in collaboration with Make it Happen, a parents’ forum for those with children and young people who have special needs and disabilities.
At our opening event for our new Short Breaks Facility in the South of Westminster, Charlie Lynch, said:
Having this centre will really help my son socially, physically and emotionally. Nothing like this exists to include children with learning disabilities in the community. It gives them a chance to make friends, learn who they are as individuals, and have a safe space to play as part of a community.
Claire Sheppard, Headteacher at College Park Special School, said:
Westminster City Council have been instrumental in making this place work, making it the best it can be and has been really supportive in everything we do. It’s been amazing having local councillors and a great education department that are willing to invest in our children with special needs, knowing that there is such a demand.
Kayleigh Lloyd, our Short Breaks Service manager said:
The additional provision in the south of the city is something we’ve been really looking forward to. We cannot wait to welcome more of our families so they can access this new free, and fully accessible facility, that I know will be really enjoyed by all the children who attend here.
Cllr Aicha Less, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children at Westminster City Council said:
The council remains committed to a forward-thinking approach for special educational needs and disabilities provision. By actively consulting with local communities, we aim to understand their needs and identify the best way to provide comprehensive support. Our goal is to ensure that every child and young person with SEND receives the care, opportunities and resources they deserve, and these brilliant new facilities will help us to make that a reality in Westminster.
Note to editors:
Our Short Breaks service provides a number of different types of activity for children with SEND up to the age of 18 who have a package to attend the centres with a school holiday scheme, Saturday provision and after school activities. The aim is to provide valuable respite for parents and carers, as well as fantastic play and leisure activities for the children who attend. We have two centres within the city – Tresham North and Tresham South. To find out more about our Short Breaks service you can visit: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/shortbreaks.
College Park Special School is a local authority school in Westminster for children with autism and complex learning difficulties.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
HKSAR Government strongly opposes US’s restriction on investment in China including Hong Kong
HKSAR Government strongly opposes US’s restriction on investment in China including Hong Kong
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In response to the United States (US)’s measure restricting investment in China including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence systems, a spokesman for the HKSAR Government today (October 29) expressed strong objection to the US for intentionally targeting China and the HKSAR using various excuses out of political interests, causing damage to normal trade and investment activities as well as severely undermining the principles of a free market and economic order. The US will ultimately reap the consequences, in particular the impact on the trade surplus it has realised in bilateral trade with Hong Kong throughout the years. The spokesman said, “In 2023, the US was the third-largest trading partner of Hong Kong, with the total merchandise trade value amounting to HK$472.2 billion (US$60.3 billion). Meanwhile, Hong Kong is the US’s 27th largest trading partner. As at end 2022, the US ranked sixth in inward direct investment (IDI) into Hong Kong, with an IDI stock of HK$351.4 billion (US$45 billion). It ranked eighth in outward direct investment (ODI) from Hong Kong, with an ODI stock of HK$164.2 billion (US$21 billion). Furthermore, the US has realised a trade surplus of US$271.5 billion with Hong Kong during the past 10 years, the largest among its global trading partners. These figures demonstrate the close economic interaction between Hong Kong and the US, as well as the vast business interests of US businesses in Hong Kong. “The US politicians once again have shown that they have acted out of their own political interests, causing damage to normal trade and investment, the free market and economic order. The so-called restriction not only cause damage to normal business activities between Hong Kong and the US, but also affect the stability of the global supply chain. Such restriction, which also harm US enterprises as well as their business interests and adversely impact bilateral economic activities, was politically driven and in nobody’s interest. The HKSAR Government would work with our country to safeguard our national interests and protect the interests of Hong Kong enterprises,” the spokesman stressed.
Ends/Tuesday, October 29, 2024Issued at HKT 18:43
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Source: US Department of Labor
LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor encourages employers and others in Kentucky’s highway construction industry to complete a statewide prevailing wage rates survey to help its Wage and Hour Division establish accurate pay and fringe benefits for workers on federally funded and assisted construction projects.
The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require the department to set the prevailing wage rates that reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work occurs.
The survey asks participants to provide information on wages employers paid on highway projects in Kentucky where construction occurred from Nov. 4, 2023, to Feb. 4, 2025. Not limited to federally funded construction projects, survey findings help the division in publishing accurate prevailing wage and fringe benefit rates in areas surveyed. Correct determinations also save contractors time spent requesting additional labor classifications. The department encourages all industry employers and stakeholders to participate.
The division strongly encourages online survey completion by Feb. 4, 2025, and will send notification letters to interested parties and contractors known to the agency with directions on how to access and complete the survey. To request a survey by mail or receive more information, contact the division’s Davis-Bacon Survey Center at (866) 236-2773 or email Davisbaconinfo@dol.gov.
Learn more about the surveys.
The Wage and Hour Division will provide two online briefings at no cost to employers and stakeholders to learn more about the survey process and obtain instructions for survey completion on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, 2024. Register to attend an upcoming briefing.
Source: USAID
ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: Dobro jutro [good morning], here. Dobar dan [good evening], there.
It’s really great to be part of this event. Jim [Hope], really lovely to hear from your perspective. Jim has most recently been our Mission Director in Ukraine, and this is the first ceremony that I’ve had the chance to hear him emcee. But, it’s great to hear from a fellow Mission Director what these ceremonies mean. Certainly, they mean the world to us.
Ambassador [Michael] Murphy, as much as you think you know about Emily, you are about to learn much more. You will have a lot more ammo to use in various interagency deliberations. But, I want to thank you for joining and doing so in the spirit you did, I’ve actually – we haven’t had the chance to meet in person – but I devour your cables and your tweets. But above all, I have the greatest respect for just how you have not taken the easy path there and really stood. I think, very strongly in the face of an awful lot of resistance and many many headwinds – for not only American values but ultimately for the dignity of the people of the country and of the region. Really, really grateful to you for that. I’ve admired you from afar for a long time.
I do want to recognize – and Emily and I just talked about the tragedy of the historic floods that have really besieged really small communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, very specifically Jablanica and Konjic. I know that Ambassador Murphy and Emily are already working with affected communities to support recovery efforts and even visited and met with the affected people. That means the world, I’m sure, to them, that someone has their back. But, our thoughts, of course, go out to those communities. There’s a lot coming at the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and when the floods pile on, it must be very overwhelming. So again, just a reflection of how much the American people care about the people of the country, and you all are incredible ambassadors for that.
Emily has a full house here today, in person and online, and maybe breaking some records if we add up all the miles traveled for each of the family members. But, we have her father Daniel and her mother Blanche, beaming in on the screen. And, here in the audience, we have her sisters Elizabeth, Ginny, and Julie. Ginny flew in all the way from England, and, incredibly, Julie has made the time to be here today after spending the past few weeks helping hurricane recovery efforts in western North Carolina.
And again, the parallel between what happens in Bosnia and the extremity of that and what happens here is just a reminder of the universality, sadly, of these challenges these days.
Thank you to the sisters, you seem like an incredibly close-knit group. I was like, “Are you thinking of visiting?” And they were like, “Ah, we’ve been there many times, you know!” So, I know Emily is incredibly lucky to have you in her corner.
We’re also joined by Emily’s children, of course – by Adrian, who studies engineering at the University of North Florida, and Emily’s daughter Stella, who began her own studies recently in anthropology in Amsterdam. I know that through your lives you’ve had to make big changes often to accommodate mom’s spirit of public service – leaving schools, and friends, and communities. So, thank you for your own sacrifices. You are the reason your mom does everything she does. So, thank you.
Alright, this is your life portion.
Emily was born in Jacksonville, Florida, to two parents we just got to see, who instilled in her the value of helping others. Her mom was a nurse before becoming a great caretaker for her four daughters, and then her mom worked at a local school. Emily’s dad was a pilot in the Navy and then a lawyer.
As a child, Emily was a go-getter who loved adventure, apparently. Although she was not the oldest, I’m told that she was the one who always directed the games among the girls. Emily went on to earn her degree in philosophy from Texas Christian University, before working at Merrill Lynch, where she saved up enough money to keep fueling her adventures.
She went to Guatemala for three months to learn Spanish and to Chile for six months to teach English to children of the indigenous Mapuche people, where she caught the spark, I guess, for international development work. Emily went on to earn her master’s in international peace and conflict resolution at American University, while also volunteering at the International Rescue Committee.
One day, Emily heard that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, was looking for people to support Bosnia and Herzegovina’s very first municipal elections since the war. The country, as all of you know, had emerged from a horrific conflict with the signing of the U.S.-brokered Dayton Accords just the year before, and tensions were high as elections neared – with the question of whether the Dayton agreement could result in lasting peace and whether democracy really could be meaningfully ushered in.
Emily still had two months left in her degree program, but everyone she talked to, including the professors whose classes she would be skipping out on, said, “You have to do this. This is too important not to do.”
But, she was conflicted, because she was clearly a better student than I was. And so, she called her dad, and he was the last person she just had to make sure that she wasn’t doing something crazy. Her dad, Dan, of course, was worried about her going to war-torn Bosnia – again, the bullets had barely ceased firing, and this election was really soon after the war had ended.
But, Emily asked him, and he expressed some reluctance, you know, given that the headlines had recently been very grim. But, Emily asked him, “Dad, what exactly were you doing when you were 27?”
And his answer was, “I guess I was flying jets off aircraft carriers in the ocean…”
So, Emily went on, booked her ticket with everybody’s full support. As you heard, she went on to work in Bosnia and Herzegovina for eight years, eventually joining the World Conference of Religions for Peace, one of USAID’s partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Chief of Party.
Emily knew that for development efforts to be effective there, after such vicious inter-ethnic conflict, there needed to be enhanced communication and cooperation. The demonization across lines had been very, very intense.
Muslims, Croats, Bosnian Serbs, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Jews – everyone kind of had to come together in dialogue. So, as you heard again from Ambassador Murphy, she and her team founded this inter-religious council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it really has, over the years, worked to mobilize faith leaders, faith communities, in service of reconciliation and rebuilding.
The work has never been easy. The demons, not only from the wars of the 1990s, but dating even further back, loom large. The misinformation which really impedes, you know, the ability to sustain, sometimes, that trust that those encounters can breed – all of that makes it immensely challenging.
But, Emily continued to help the council members establish common ground and find productive ways to work together. Over these last decades, this Council has played an important role on everything from organizing youth reconciliation, to addressing gender-based violence, to facilitating the protection of holy sites for all groups.
I think this shows a characteristic that has defined Emily’s work over the years. Even in incredibly difficult environments where the odds seem low of succeeding, she has managed to help people see that there is a path forward, if they can come together.
In Rwanda, Emily arrived at a time when the democracy team’s funding had been nearly zeroed out for two years in a row. The Mission was actually considering stopping all democracy and governance programming. But, Emily understood that supporting democracy, again as Ambassador Murphy reinforced, was, in fact, fundamental to advancing development.
To make enduring progress on any front, developmentally, citizens have to be empowered to demand and work toward the change that they want in their own communities. They also have to be able to, through raising their voice at the ballot, be able to get rid of leaders who are corrupt or governing poorly and in a way that isn’t bettering the lives of citizens.
In the words of Joseph Rurangwa, an FSN in Rwanda, Emily “fought for DG’s identity” – fought for democracy and governance’s identity. Apparently, she worked day and night to convince partners, donors, and colleagues that democracy and governance was worth the investment.
Emily went to battle, and Emily won. The Mission in Rwanda didn’t just revitalize the small democracy team that Emily had come to lead. It created an entirely new standalone democracy and governance office. The office went from having two activities in other portfolios to an entire portfolio of 13 democracy and governance activities: from training journalists, to hosting election roundtables for citizens and human rights training for Rwandan youth, to even creating the Mission’s first-ever activity supporting the LGBTQI+ community in Rwanda. Joseph says, “Emily steered the boat in troubled waters, and with her at the helm, 800,000 flowers bloomed all at once.”
In Jordan, where Emily started as the Democracy, Rights, and Governance Office Director and ultimately became the Deputy Mission Director, she helped manage a portfolio completely unknown to her: water. Water is a huge, huge issue, as everyone knows. For Jordan, specifically, the country is the third most water scarce country in the entire world. And, while a country is considered to face water scarcity when it has less than 500 cubic meters of water per person per year, Jordan has just one-fifth of that. Just to give you a sense of the magnitude of this challenge. And water, as we know, again, all of us, from our own lives, is necessary for just about everything.
Jordan’s water portfolio is the largest budget for any single portfolio for USAID, and it is also a country – one of the few countries in the world – where USAID finances large infrastructure projects. So, it was a huge task, and though Emily had no formal background in water, she quickly became fluent in everything from project finance to major infrastructure construction. One colleague at the time says, “Emily came to the job with so much humility and curiosity. It really inspired all of us to feel like we were all in this together.”
Emily led the team as they took on two tasks. First, while Jordan had an existing water sharing agreement with its neighbor Israel, Emily knew that in spite of the complex relationship between the countries, they could and should share more water.
So, she and the team helped negotiate an agreement in which the two countries agreed to double the volume of water that they shared. This was a historic agreement that spared further water rationing in Jordan. But, Emily also knew that to meet the scale of need, Jordan needed to develop its own desalination ability, turning saltwater into drinkable water. So, she oversaw the design and procurement of the third-largest desalination project in the world, leading it through political negotiations, financial hurdles, and technical discussions, as donors, partners, diplomats, and elected officials came together to achieve a workable plan. Emily’s efforts paid off.
USAID was able to catalyze nearly $3 billion against our $300 million pledge from donors like the Development Finance Corporation, the European Union, and the Islamic Development Bank. When construction is complete, slated to be in about five years, the project will pump newly desalinated water from the south of Jordan, 280 miles uphill, to the population centers of Jordan, who need the water for daily life – through pipes that are so big that you can actually drive a car through them. This single desalination project will meet a full 40 percent of Jordan’s water needs, transforming its water security.
Emily has spent the past year, of course, applying the skills that she honed leading these kinds of ambitious projects in difficult environments in the Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she returned to serve as Deputy Mission Director. We are told that the first two weeks that Emily was back on the ground in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she met every single person at the Mission, from the Ambassador to the Foreign Service Officers to the Foreign Service Nationals to the cleaning staff, to get to know all of those who are part of her new team.
When it was announced that she was going to be the new Mission Director, her predecessor, Courtney Chubb – an extraordinary Mission Director in her own right – but as Courtney described it, when word went out that she was going to be promoted, the Ambassador was completely overjoyed. And, as Courtney put it, “I’ve never seen so many smiles on the faces of our Mission staff.”
And just to say a word about that Mission staff and having a chance to engage you all directly, you’re extraordinary. Our Foreign Service Nationals – as Courtney and I discussed when I was on the ground there on a visit, and Emily and I just discussed – you all are really some of the leading lights in the world. The amount you know, the amount you have achieved, the amount you have circumnavigated, all that stands in your way to make the peace enduring and to try to strengthen checks and balances and institutions. Many of our FSNs in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been there more than 20 years, some more than 30 years. It’s just an incredible team. And to have as a Mission Director, as you do, someone who so values you and recognizes how much she has to learn from you every day, that’s the best kind of teamwork that can be expected.
So, there is no better person, I think, in something of a returning home, second home really, to Emily but for Emily Coffman-Krunic to be taking the helm as the Mission Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a special place. It is a country whose people continue to experience incredible hardship. I talked earlier about the flooding, but there’s a lot of man-made disasters happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because so many elected leaders do not put their people first. Some do, and they are extraordinary, what they put up with as well.
But, when institutions don’t work always on behalf of the people, it makes what the people do to make development happen even more impressive. And, the efforts that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have made, initially, to rebuild, to revitalize, to grow, really speak just to the resilience of all communities, and it’s an inspiration for those of us who only get to visit every now and then.
Since 1996, the U.S. government has provided more than $2 billion, including $1.5 billion from USAID alone, in assistance in efforts to support, again, those on the ground who are building a democratic and inclusive European country. One of the most complicated government structures in the world, makes things very, very challenging. It is hard, often, for leaders to agree on the kinds of basic policies or basic initiatives that the people really expect from them. When they agree, it can be very challenging to operationalize those efforts. But nonetheless, again, there is so much good that is happening on the ground.
The virulent nationalism that lives on, usually most vocally in those who don’t know how to or don’t care to deliver basic services for the citizens of the country, continues to threaten the progress that has been made. We see the direct targeting of NGOs and development partners. We see attacks on independent media. We see, basically, threats to this effort to build a strong, independent, and vibrant European country, which is so clearly what young people in the country want.
USAID has an incredibly important role to play in support of the whole country team’s effort to push back against these challenges. We are working to counter harmful nationalistic rhetoric and narrative, with the goal of strengthening the security and the dignity for individuals and for communities within the country. We are expanding our work with independent media, with civil society, with investigative journalists. We are working to contribute to economic development, to help the private sector drive growth, and to include all groups like LGBTQI+ communities, women and Roma populations, in the progress that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are trying to drive.
Now, Emily, I want to end these remarks on something your son Adrian told us. We asked Adrian what it was like to grow up and to travel the world with you. And Adrian said, “I always knew that what my mom did was helping people. It made me want to be a better person.”
So, Emily, I think it’s safe to say you’ve made so many of us here want to be better people, even I, just listening to your journey, but also seeing what you’ve been doing on the grounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Jordan, just during my time here. And, what I love about your spirit is you never give up. You don’t care about the odds. You just invest body and soul, bring questions and not answers in the first instance, empower your teams, and you have one of the best teams in the world there, as you well know, and you do it all with an eye to future generations and what would mean the most.
So, we are thrilled that you’re our Mission Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I look forward to making it official and swearing you in. Congratulations.
Source: US State of Hawaii
Posted on Oct 28, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
DAWN CHANG
CHAIRPERSON
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 28, 2024
POST-STORM CLEAN-UP OF ALA WAI SMALL BOAT HARBOR UNDERWAY
(HONOLULU) – Crews with the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) started the seemingly endless task of cleaning storm debris from the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor.
Over the weekend, debris and rubbish from upstream flowed into the ocean entrance of the Ala Wai as well as into the largest recreational boat harbor in the state.
DOBOR Administrator Meghan Staffs said, “This work is endless, as past experience has shown that once an area is cleaned up, more trash comes in. This debris is generated far upstream and unfortunately, the entrance to the ocean and the small boat harbor forms a collection basin.”
DOBOR teams collected and removed trash and debris from finger piers this morning. A contractor is scheduled to remove debris from the trap at the mouth of the canal using heavy construction equipment tomorrow. Statts added, “The debris is not a DOBOR issue and outfalls from the stream and under the Ala Wai bridge need to be addressed to prevent post-storm rubbish from even reaching the harbor. Our division has been raising this issue for more than 25 years.”
# # #
RESOURCES
(All images and video courtesy: DLNR)
HD video – Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor clean-up (Oct. 28, 2024):
[embedded content]
Photographs – Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor clean-up (Oct. 28, 2024):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/k9arcdirot0qnf50k3tdl/AHuXlbKlIaCV-Tv-5kLws00?rlkey=302wblrdnvk0yq3qwycpjtmzq&st=cz0jsji6&dl=0
Media Contacts:
Dan Dennison
Communications Director
808-587-0396
[email protected]
Ryan Aguilar
Communications Specialist
808-587-0396
[email protected]
Source: US State of California 2
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of Barstow Fire Protection District Fire Captain Garret Miller:
“Our heartfelt sympathies are with Fire Captain Miller’s family, friends, colleagues and everyone grieving his passing. His bravery and dedication to protecting Californians will never be forgotten.”
Fire Captain Garret Miller, 44, passed away on October 21, 2024 as a result of an on-duty medical emergency.
He joined the Barstow Fire Protection District in 2017. Fire Captain Miller also served as a member of the U.S. Forest Service-San Bernardino National Forest and Fort Irwin Fire Department. He is survived by his three children.
In honor of Fire Captain Miller, flags at the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space will be flown at half-staff.
Source: US State of Hawaii
Posted on Oct 28, 2024 in Main
October 28, 2024
NR24-31
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB), will host an event to educate the public about the Amnesty Program which allows illegal animals to be voluntarily turned in, no questions asked and no penalties assessed. This coincides with the ongoing multi-agency “Don’t Let it Loose” public awareness campaign aimed at preventing the release of invasive marine aquarium species into Hawai‘i waters.
The PQB event is scheduled for:
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m,
HDOA Plant Quarantine Office, 1849 Auiki St., Honolulu
PQB agriculture inspectors will have displays of live and preserved illegal animals that have been either turned in, found or confiscated in Hawai‘i. Educational displays will also explain the importance of Hawai‘i’s animal import laws and how everyone can help protect our state’s unique environment and agriculture industry.
“The state’s Amnesty Program was established to help prevent illegal animals, both aquatic and terrestrial, from being released into the wild where it could have devastating impacts if populations become established,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture. “If you possess an illegal animal, just drop it off at the designated sites, no questions asked.”
Under the Amnesty Program, illegal animals may be turned in to any HDOA office, any municipal zoo or aquarium, or the Hawaiian Humane Society on each island. If illegal animals are turned in prior to the start of an investigation, no criminal charges or fines will be assessed. Animals surrendered under amnesty will not be euthanized. Depending on the species, illegal animals may be used for educational purposes, transferred to a municipal zoo or relocated to an appropriate facility on the mainland.
If caught, persons possessing illegal animals may be charged with a class C felony and subject to fines up to $200,000 and three years in prison. Sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species should be immediately reported to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
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Source: US State of California 2
What you need to know: The Tijuana River sewage crisis has been impacting communities for far too long, and Governor Newsom has pushed federal and international partners to fund repairs and complete infrastructure improvements to finally address this crisis.
TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY – Governor Gavin Newsom visited wastewater treatment facilities on both sides of the border to assess rehabilitation efforts and the ongoing sewage crisis, a long-standing environmental and public health issue.
Working alongside federal, state, and local partners, Governor Newsom has helped secure critical funding and support to address cross-border pollution from the Tijuana River while holding authorities accountable to expedited timelines. With upgrades to facilities on both sides of the border, sewage flows are expected to be reduced by up to 90%.
Governor Gavin Newsom
“Pollution in the Tijuana River Valley is the number one environmental health crisis impacting our region, and Governor Newsom coming to San Diego for today’s briefing shows his steadfast commitment to our communities,” said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “I have said time and again that the only way we will solve this crisis is by working together. Our collaboration with Governor Newsom, as well as our federal partners, is critically important. We’re working to put forward our best collective efforts to restore and protect our region.”
Addressing this decades-long crisis
Securing federal funding: In partnership with California’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration, Governor Newsom helped secure $453 million in federal funding — $103 million this year and $350 million last year— for critical upgrades to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. The upgrades will significantly reduce the flow of untreated sewage into California’s coastal waters.
State investments to clean up the area, provide air filters to communities: Earlier this month, the County announced plans to purchase and distribute $2.7 million worth of air purifiers for local residents, which will be reimbursed by the state. Since 2019, California has allocated $35 million in state funding to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and support cleanup efforts:
Expedited timelines: Federal authorities committed to expediting construction timelines to more quickly repair infrastructure to mitigate sewage flows.
Public health and air quality monitoring: California public health officials have been working closely with local authorities to monitor air quality and support public health efforts to protect the community. The state helped get the CDC to deploy resources on the ground and assess public health conditions. The state has also supported the local air district on air monitoring, planning, and mitigation strategies to protect public health.
Water quality and timeline accountability: State authorities have been using enforcement tools to compel infrastructure improvements to the federal wastewater treatment plant, with the San Diego Water Board holding the federal facility to timelines for several repair and maintenance actions, including replacing and installing additional pumps, cleaning out sedimentation tanks, replacing a junction box and temporary influent pipe, and rehabilitating all mechanical parts for sedimentation tanks.
Continued federal and Mexico partnerships: The Governor has urged federal and Mexican partners to address this crisis. When Governor Newsom traveled to Mexico for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration, he discussed with Mexican authorities this crisis and repairing wastewater treatment facilities to prevent excess flows from reaching the U.S. During today’s visit, the Governor also met with Baja Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda. In February and October of this year, the Governor met with White House officials to push for action to address this crisis.
Source: US State of Hawaii
Posted on Oct 28, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ʻOIHANA MAHIʻAI
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KIAʻĀINA
SHARON HURD
CHAIRPERSON
HAWAI`I BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NR24-31
October 28, 2024
PLANT QUARANTINE BRANCH HOLDS EVENT
TO ENCOURAGE TURN IN OF ILLEGAL ANIMALS
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB), will host an event to educate the public about the Amnesty Program which allows illegal animals to be voluntarily turned in, no questions asked and no penalties assessed. This coincides with the ongoing multi-agency “Don’t Let it Loose” public awareness campaign aimed at preventing the release of invasive marine aquarium species into Hawai‘i waters.
The PQB event is scheduled for:
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m,
HDOA Plant Quarantine Office, 1849 Auiki St., Honolulu
PQB agriculture inspectors will have displays of live and preserved illegal animals that have been either turned in, found or confiscated in Hawai‘i. Educational displays will also explain the importance of Hawai‘i’s animal import laws and how everyone can help protect our state’s unique environment and agriculture industry.
“The state’s Amnesty Program was established to help prevent illegal animals, both aquatic and terrestrial, from being released into the wild where it could have devastating impacts if populations become established,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture. “If you possess an illegal animal, just drop it off at the designated sites, no questions asked.”
Under the Amnesty Program, illegal animals may be turned in to any HDOA office, any municipal zoo or aquarium, or the Hawaiian Humane Society on each island. If illegal animals are turned in prior to the start of an investigation, no criminal charges or fines will be assessed. Animals surrendered under amnesty will not be euthanized. Depending on the species, illegal animals may be used for educational purposes, transferred to a municipal zoo or relocated to an appropriate facility on the mainland.
If caught, persons possessing illegal animals may be charged with a class C felony and subject to fines up to $200,000 and three years in prison. Sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species should be immediately reported to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).
###
Attachments: Photos of illegal animals
Media Contact:
Janelle Saneishi, Public Information Officer
Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture
Phone: 808-973-9560
Cell: 808-341-5528
[email protected]
http://hdoa.hawaii.gov
HDOA is committed to maintaining an environment free from discrimination, retaliation, or harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or any other class as protected under federal or state law, with respect to any program or activity.
For more information, including language accessibility and filing a complaint, please contact HDOA Non-Discrimination Coordinator at 808-973-9591, or visit HDOA’s website at http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/.
To request translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, or other auxiliary aids or services for this document, contact the HDOA at 808-973-9591 or email [email protected].
TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or any other class as protected under applicable federal or state law, in administration of its programs, or activities. To learn more, or file a complaint, please refer to the links below:
NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE
English | Hawaiian Hoʻokomo ʻōlelo | Ilokano | Laotian ພາສາລາວ | Chinese 中文 | Tagalog | Thai ไทย
NON-EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT PROCEDURES
English | Hawaiian Hoʻokomo ʻōlelo | Ilokano | Laotian ພາສາລາວ | Chinese 中文 | Spanish Español | Tagalog | Thai ไทย
DISABILITY NON-DISCRIMINATION PROGRAM AND POLICY
English
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) PLAN
English
Source: US State of California 2
What you need to know: In late 2023, California distributed over $267 million to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across the state to combat organized retail and property crime. In the first nine months, local law enforcement agencies that received grants reported 10,000+ arrests for retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and cargo theft offenses.
SACRAMENTO — California’s largest-ever single investment to fund local law enforcement efforts to combat retail and property crime continues to pay off. Today, the state reported that law enforcement agencies that received Organized Retail Theft grants have used the Governor’s investments totaling more than $267 million to make 10,138 arrests and to hire additional law enforcement officers and staff.
Governor Gavin Newsom
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) recently published the results of the third quarter ending June 30, 2024, of the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant and the Organized Retail Theft Vertical Prosecution Grant Program. The grants awarded to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout California fund efforts to hold thieves accountable.
The Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Prevention Grant is a competitive funding initiative for city police, county sheriffs, and probation departments to combat retail, motor vehicle, and property theft. Through a $242 million state investment, 31 city police departments and seven sheriffs’ offices have increased arrests by 46% in the recent quarter, bringing total arrests to 10,138 suspects, including nearly 8,000 for organized retail theft. Additionally, 8,736 cases were referred for prosecution, while agencies hired new staff, implemented data collection tools, and reviewed racial bias policies for surveillance practices. The ORT Vertical Prosecution Grant, providing $24.8 million to 13 district attorneys’ offices, has led to charges against 1,643 organized crime suspects, with 467 people convicted so far.
This follows Governor Newsom’s recent signing of the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state’s robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills establish tough new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars.
Governor Newsom has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, hire more police, and improve public safety. Today’s action builds on the Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan — which focuses on strengthening local law enforcement response, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and getting guns and drugs off our streets, including by deployment of California Highway Patrol to hot spots including Oakland, Bakersfield, San Francisco, and the newly announced partnership in San Bernardino.
As part of Governor Newsom’s strategy to improve public safety, in 2022, CHP launched a multiyear recruitment campaign to fill 1,000 officer positions by hiring qualified individuals from California’s diverse communities. CHP is well on its way to meeting its goal. In the first six months of 2024, the CHP received more than 11,700 cadet applications – a 58% increase from the same period in 2022. The next CHP graduation is in November.
The Governor’s investments in public safety are producing strong results. Last year, the California Highway Patrol reported an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety. And since January 2024, CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is on track to surpass the work in 2023, making 1,123 arrests and recovering more than $8 million worth of stolen goods. Though the year is still ongoing, the CHP has already surpassed the total investigations of any prior year and made more arrests than any year prior to 2023. Since the task force’s inception in 2019, the CHP has arrested more than 3,200 suspects, recovered over 880,276 stolen items worth over $46 million, and conducted 3,045 investigations.
The following are some examples of operations and efforts conducted by Organized Retail Crime grantee agencies during the third quarter of the grant cycle:
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed multiple cases in the grant period, including prosecuting 16 individuals following an investigation by the San Jose Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Charges included conspiracy to commit organized retail crimes, burglary, and grand theft, in addition to conspiracy to commit violent offenses such as assault, kidnapping, torture, robbery, carjacking, criminal threats, drug trafficking, possession, and keeping of gambling machines.
Source: US State of California 2
What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a new California Highway Patrol (CHP) operation with the city of San Bernardino to address the city’s higher crime rates and gun violence. The Inland Operation team will assist the San Bernardino Police Department, similar to the CHP’s previous successful operations in Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco.
SAN BERNARDINO — Continuing the state’s ongoing efforts to support local hot spots throughout California to address crime and enhance public safety, Governor Newsom today announced a new CHP operation with the city of San Bernardino. The operation will place additional CHP personnel in the city to help clamp down on property theft and violent crime, including gun violence.
Governor Gavin Newsom
“We are grateful to Governor Newsom for providing additional support from the California Highway Patrol to the City of San Bernardino,” said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “This year, our City Police Department’s efforts have led to a 13% reduction in violent crime, and the extra support will strengthen public safety in our community. With this new state and local collaboration in San Bernardino, we can continue to impact criminal enterprises targeting our neighborhoods and businesses.”
Recent data shows that San Bernardino’s violent crime rate is nearly double the statewide average, and its homicide rate is over three times the statewide average. San Bernardino’s vehicle theft rate remains one of the highest in the state. Local San Bernardino law enforcement also report increased traffic and street violations, including sideshows, that put public safety at risk.
The CHP’s operation will add special law enforcement units on the ground and in the air — targeting sideshow activities and stolen vehicles. The CHP is also providing San Bernardino Police Department with additional investigative support to disrupt organized criminal activity and violent street gangs, get illegal guns off the street and help prevent gun violence.
“Our partnership with the city of San Bernardino strengthens our efforts to enhance public safety,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “This collaboration allows us to share resources, intelligence, and expertise, enhancing our ability to reduce crime and create a safer environment for all members of the community.”
This builds on the CHP’s ongoing work with local law enforcement units through surges statewide, including in Oakland, San Francisco, and Bakersfield. Together, these operations have resulted in a total of more than 3,200 arrests, the recovery of nearly 3,000 stolen vehicles, the seizure of more than 170 illegal firearms, and illicit drugs, including fentanyl, taken off the streets.
This also builds on the Governor’s efforts to assist local law enforcement directly through historic investments to address organized retail theft. Last year, Governor Newsom provided 55 local law enforcement agencies with more than $267 million to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of organized retail theft – leading to more than 10,000 arrests in just nine months. Additionally, through the CHP’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force, the state has arrested more than 3,200 suspects, recovered over 880,276 stolen items worth over $46 million, and conducted 3,045 investigations.
California has invested over $1.1 billion to fund resources and personnel to fight crime, help locals hire more police, and improve public safety since 2019. In 2023, as part of California’s Real Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.
This year, the Governor signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state’s robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills establish tough new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars. The Governor also signed into law a bipartisan package of bills to impose stricter penalties, increase accountability, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat sideshows and deter illegal activities such as drifting, street racing, and blocking intersections.
What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a new California Highway Patrol (CHP) operation with the city of San Bernardino to address the city’s higher crime rates and gun violence. The Inland Operation team will assist the San Bernardino Police Department, similar to the CHP’s previous successful operations in Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco.
SAN BERNARDINO — Continuing the state’s ongoing efforts to support local hot spots throughout California to address crime and enhance public safety, Governor Newsom today announced a new CHP operation with the city of San Bernardino. The operation will place additional CHP personnel in the city to help clamp down on property theft and violent crime, including gun violence.
Governor Gavin Newsom
MAYOR QUOTE
Recent data shows that San Bernardino’s violent crime rate is nearly double the statewide average, and its homicide rate is over three times the statewide average. San Bernardino’s vehicle theft rate remains one of the highest in the state. Local San Bernardino law enforcement also report increased traffic and street violations, including sideshows, that put public safety at risk.
The CHP’s operation will add special law enforcement units on the ground and in the air — targeting sideshow activities and stolen vehicles. The CHP is also providing San Bernardino Police Department with additional investigative support to disrupt organized criminal activity and violent street gangs, get illegal guns off the street and help prevent gun violence.
CHP QUOTE
This builds on the CHP’s ongoing work with local law enforcement units through surges statewide, including in Oakland, San Francisco, and Bakersfield. Together, these operations have resulted in a total of more than 3,200 arrests, the recovery of nearly 3,000 stolen vehicles, the seizure of more than 170 illegal firearms, and illicit drugs, including fentanyl, taken off the streets.
This also builds on the Governor’s efforts to assist local law enforcement directly through historic investments to address organized retail theft. Last year, Governor Newsom provided 55 local law enforcement agencies with more than $267 million to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of organized retail theft – leading to more than 10,000 arrests in just nine months. Additionally, through the CHP’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force, the state has arrested more than 3,200 suspects, recovered over 880,276 stolen items worth over $46 million, and conducted 3,045 investigations.
California has invested over $1.1 billion to fund resources and personnel to fight crime, help locals hire more police, and improve public safety since 2019. In 2023, as part of California’s Real Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.
This year, the Governor signed into law the most significant bipartisan legislation to crack down on property crime in modern California history. Building on the state’s robust laws and record public safety funding, these bipartisan bills establish tough new penalties for repeat offenders, provide additional tools for felony prosecutions, and crack down on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars. The Governor also signed into law a bipartisan package of bills to impose stricter penalties, increase accountability, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat sideshows and deter illegal activities such as drifting, street racing, and blocking intersections.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
HOLMDEL, N.J., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BIO-key® International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKYI), an innovative provider of workforce and customer identity and access management (IAM) solutions featuring Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB) for phoneless, tokenless, passwordless and phish-resistant authentication, announced that it has received a $910,000 order from a long-term financial services customer to upgrade to BIO-key’s “fingerprint only” Biometric Customer Identification Technology.
The technology enhancement builds on the customer’s expanding deployment of BIO-key technology to verify the identity of customers, now totaling over 25 million enrolled individuals. Previously customers were verified at a branch location by matching their fingerprint scan and their ID number, account number or card. By upgrading to BIO-key’s “fingerprint only” identification, the customer will be able to identify each of its clients by a simple fingerprint scan – without the need for a card, account or ID number, saving an estimated thirty seconds per client encounter.
The financial services customer plans to upgrade all its users to BIO-key’s fingerprint-only identity solution in order to further streamline what is already a best-in-class client experience of its existing BIO-key-based verification solution. The new client identification solution will be entirely hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure in order to support the technical demands of real-time, one-to-many biometric identification as compared to one-to-one matching of a fingerprint scan with a biometric associated with an account number, ID number or card.
Following full deployment of the enhanced biometric customer identification solution during 2025, BIO-key expects annual recurring revenue (ARR) from this financial services customer to increase to approximately $1.4M per year.
“This financial services customer remains on the cutting edge of biometric technology deployment as it works to deliver the best possible customer experience and protection against fraud”, said Jim Sullivan, BIO-key’s SVP of Strategy and CLO. “After closely working with our team on advance testing, they found that upgrading to BIO-key’s one-to-many fingerprint-only identification technology would not only provide a better user experience but would also save a substantial amount of time at every client encounter, avoiding the time to retrieve a physical ID card. BIO-key’s unparalleled accuracy in identification and speed of indexed search makes this leap in efficient customer engagement possible. The upgrade advances our customer’s commitment to leveraging the power of biometric technology to execute secure digital, paper-less transactions for their clients. We believe this is one of the world’s largest deployments of one-to-many biometric technology in a private commercial or enterprise setting. Working with the client and our partner at AWS, we intend to publish a more detailed whitepaper on this deployment in order to support other enterprises’ understanding the benefits our advanced biometric identity solutions can provide.”
About BIO-key International, Inc. (www.BIO-key.com)
BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication and cybersecurity with biometric-centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) software securing access for over forty million users. BIO-key allows customers to choose the right authentication factors for diverse use cases, including phoneless, tokenless and passwordless biometric options. Its hosted or on-premise PortalGuard IAM solution provides cost-effective, easy-to-deploy, convenient, and secure access to computers, information, applications, and high-value transactions.
BIO-key Safe Harbor Statement
All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical facts are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). The words “estimate,” “project,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, our history of losses and limited revenue; our ability to raise additional capital; our ability to protect our intellectual property; changes in business conditions; changes in our sales strategy and product development plans; changes in the marketplace; continued services of our executive management team; security breaches; competition in the biometric technology industry; market acceptance of biometric products generally and our products under development; our ability to execute and deliver on contracts in Africa; our ability to expand into Asia, Africa and other foreign markets; our ability to integrate the operations and personnel of Swivel Secure into our business; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; delays in the development of products and statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing as well as other factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Investor Contacts
William Jones, David Collins
Catalyst IR
BKYI@catalyst-ir.com
212-924-9800
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Innofactor Plc Stock Exchange Release, on October 29, 2024, at 12:35 Finnish time
Innofactor Plc’s CFO Antti Rokala has resigned from his position on October 29, 2024. During his notice period, Rokala will not have any work obligations.
Innofactor has initiated actions to hire a new CFO. In the interim, CEO Sami Ensio will assume the responsibilities of the CFO.
Espoo, October 29, 2024
INNOFACTOR PLC
Sami Ensio, CEO
Additional information:
Sami Ensio, CEO
Innofactor Plc
Tel. +358 50 584 2029
sami.ensio@innofactor.com
Distribution:
NASDAQ Helsinki
Main media
www.innofactor.com
Innofactor
Innofactor is the leading driver of the modern digital organization in the Nordic Countries for its about 1,000 customers in commercial and public sector. Innofactor has the widest solution offering and leading know-how in the Microsoft ecosystem in the Nordics. Innofactor has about 600 enthusiastic and motivated top specialists in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The Innofactor Plc share is listed in the technology section of the main list of NASDAQ Helsinki Oy. www.innofactor.com #ModernDigitalOrganization #PeopleFirst #CreatingSmiles #BeTheRealYou
Source: Reserve Bank of India
|
The Reserve Bank of India has today released the 43rd half-yearly report on management of foreign exchange reserves with reference to end-September 2024. The position of foreign exchange reserves as on October 18, 2024 is as under:
It may be recalled that in February 2004, the Reserve Bank had started a process of compiling half yearly reports and placing them in the public domain for bringing about more transparency and enhancing the level of disclosure in relation to management of the country’s foreign exchange reserves. (Puneet Pancholy) Press Release: 2024-2025/1391 |
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Source: European Central Bank
29 October 2024
As of October 2024, the quarterly sector accounts published by the ECB provide more detailed financial accounts data on OFIs, which constitute the second largest financial sector in the euro area after monetary financial institutions (MFIs).[1] OFIs mainly provide financing to NFCs and to a lesser extent to households and other sectors. They also channel funds to and from the rest of the world.
This new release provides counterpart sector data, such as loans granted by the OFI subsectors to NFCs (Chart 1). The release also includes new data on euro area NFC financing conduits which are captive financial institutions that raise funds by issuing debt securities to be used by their parent corporation.[2]
Loans to NFCs by financial subsector
(outstanding amounts at the of end of the second quarter of 2024, as percentages of financial sector loans to NFCs)
Source: ECB.
* Loans from NFC financing conduits to NFCs are estimated based on the financing conduits’ issuance of debt securities.
Euro area net saving increased to €795 billion (6.7% of euro area net disposable income) in the four quarters to the second quarter of 2024, compared with €787 billion in the four quarters to the previous quarter. Euro area net non-financial investment decreased to €440 billion (3.7% of net disposable income), mainly due to decreased investment by NFCs (Chart 2 and Table 1 in the Annex).
Euro area net lending to the rest of the world increased to €388 billion (from €336 billion previously) reflecting the increased net saving and decreased net non-financial investment. Household net lending increased to €549 billion (4.6% of net disposable income) from €501 billion. Net lending of NFCs (€233 billion, 2.0% of net disposable income) and that of financial corporations (€124 billion, 1.0% of net disposable income) were broadly unchanged. Government net borrowing stood broadly unchanged at €517 billion, contributing negatively (-4.3% of net disposable income) to euro area net lending.
Euro area saving, investment and net lending to the rest of the world
(EUR billions, four-quarter sums)
Sources: ECB and Eurostat.
* Net saving minus net capital transfers to the rest of the world (equals change in net worth due to transactions).
Data for euro area saving, investment and net lending to the rest of the world (Chart 2)
Household financial investment increased at a higher annual rate of 2.3% in the second quarter of 2024 (after 2.0% in the previous quarter). Among its components, investment in currency and deposits (2.3%, after 1.6%) and investment in shares and other equity (0.8%, after 0.4%) grew at higher rates due to investment fund shares, while investment in debt securities increased at a lower rate (27.9%, after 38.5%).
Households continued to directly buy, in net terms, mainly debt securities issued by general government and MFIs. Households were overall net sellers of listed shares, selling predominantly listed shares of non-financial corporations, while buying listed shares issued by the rest of the world (i.e. shares issued by non-euro area residents) and MFIs (Table 1 below and Table 2.2 in the Annex).
The household debt-to-income ratio[3] decreased to 83.4% in the second quarter of 2024 from 87.8% in the second quarter of 2023. The household debt-to-GDP ratio declined, to 52.2% in the second quarter of 2024 from 54.4% in the second quarter of 2023 (Chart 3).
Financial investment and financing of households, main items
(annual growth rates)
|
Financial transactions |
|||||
|
2023 Q2 |
2023 Q3 |
2023 Q4 |
2024 Q1 |
2024 Q2 |
|
|
Financial investment* |
2.0 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
|
Currency and deposits |
1.3 |
0.3 |
0.8 |
1.6 |
2.3 |
|
Debt securities |
48.6 |
56.9 |
54.3 |
38.5 |
27.9 |
|
Shares and other equity** |
1.3 |
1.1 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
0.8 |
|
Life insurance |
-0.2 |
-0.7 |
-0.6 |
-0.2 |
0.0 |
|
Pension schemes |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.2 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
|
Financing*** |
2.4 |
1.6 |
0.9 |
1.1 |
1.4 |
|
Loans |
1.8 |
1.0 |
0.5 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
Source: ECB.
* Items not shown include: loans granted, prepayments of insurance premiums and reserves for outstanding claims and other accounts receivable.
** Includes investment fund shares.
*** Items not shown include: financial derivatives’ net liabilities, pension schemes and other accounts payable.
Data for financial investment and financing of households (Table 1)
Debt ratios of households and NFCs
(percentages of GDP)
Sources: ECB and Eurostat.
* Outstanding amount of loans, debt securities, trade credits and pension scheme liabilities.
** Outstanding amount of loans and debt securities, excluding debt positions between NFCs
*** Outstanding amount of loan liabilities.
Data for debt ratios of households and NFCs (Chart 3)
Financial transactions
2023 Q2
2023 Q3
2023 Q4
2024 Q1
2024 Q2
Financing*
1.7
1.2
0.8
0.8
1.0
Debt securities
0.7
1.5
1.3
1.9
2.9
Loans
3.8
1.9
1.7
1.4
1.3
Shares and other equity
-0.0
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.8
Trade credits and advances
5.2
2.2
1.2
0.6
1.8
Financial investment**
2.9
2.4
1.8
1.9
2.1
Currency and deposits
-0.6
-1.2
-1.2
0.5
2.9
Debt securities
23.3
27.9
23.0
10.6
7.8
Loans
5.9
5.2
5.1
4.4
4.5
Shares and other equity
1.2
1.2
1.0
1.4
1.3