NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI: Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. – Drilling completed on the second well in the Shenandoah South Pilot Project, Shenandoah S2-4H

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
    (“Falcon” or “Company”)

    Drilling completed on the second well in the Shenandoah South Pilot Project, Shenandoah S2-4H

    23 December 2024 – Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSXV: FO, AIM: FOG) is pleased to announce that the Shenandoah S2-4H (“SS4H”) horizontal well was successfully drilled, cased and cemented to a measured depth of 6,452 metres (21,169 feet) in exploration permit 98 in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Northern Territory, Australia with Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited’s (“Falcon Australia”) joint venture partner, Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited (“Tamboran B2”).

    Data from the SS4H well has indicated strong gas shows and a continuation of the high-quality shale and rock properties observed in the Shenandoah South 1H and Shenandoah South 2H (“SS2H ST1”) locations with no faulting observed along the entire 3,048-metre (10,000 foot) lateral section.

    The Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT) stimulation equipment and sand has been mobilized to location ahead of the stimulation campaign, which is planned to commence in early 1Q 2025, with IP30 flow test from both SS2H ST1 and SS4H expected to be released in 1Q 2025.

    Philip O’Quigley, CEO of Falcon commented:
    “The completion of the SS4H well is another milestone in the development of the Beetaloo Sub-basin and we will look forward to the upcoming stimulation campaign and updating the market as operations progress.”

                                                    Ends.

    CONTACT DETAILS:

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.          +353 1 676 8702
    Philip O’Quigley, CEO +353 87 814 7042
    Anne Flynn, CFO +353 1 676 9162
     
    Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (NOMAD & Broker)
    Neil McDonald / Adam Rae +44 131 220 9771
       

    This announcement has been reviewed by Dr. Gábor Bada, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd’s Technical Advisor. Dr. Bada obtained his geology degree at the Eötvös L. University in Budapest, Hungary and his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is a member of AAPG.

    About Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is an international oil & gas company engaged in the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas assets, with the current portfolio focused in Australia. Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited is a c. 98% subsidiary of Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

    For further information on Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. Please visit www.falconoilandgas.com

    About Beetaloo Joint Venture (EP 76, 98 and 117)

    Company Interest
    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia) 22.5%
    Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited 77.5%
    Total 100.0%

    Shenandoah South Pilot Project -2 Drilling Space Units – 46,080 acres1

    Company Interest
    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia) 5.0%
    Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited 95.0%
    Total 100.0%

    1Subject to the completion of the SS2H ST1 and SS4H wells on the Shenandoah South pad 2.

    About Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited
    Tamboran (B1) Pty Limited (“Tamboran B1”) is the 100% holder of Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited, with Tamboran B1 being a 50:50 joint venture between Tamboran Resources Corporation and Daly Waters Energy, LP.

    Tamboran Resources Corporation, is a natural gas company listed on the NYSE (TBN) and ASX (TBN). Tamboran is focused on playing a constructive role in the global energy transition towards a lower carbon future, by developing the significant low CO2 gas resource within the Beetaloo Basin through cutting-edge drilling and completion design technology as well as management’s experience in successfully commercialising unconventional shale in North America.

    Bryan Sheffield of Daly Waters Energy, LP is a highly successful investor and has made significant returns in the US unconventional energy sector in the past. He was Founder of Parsley Energy Inc. (“PE”), an independent unconventional oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin, Texas and previously served as its Chairman and CEO. PE was acquired for over US$7 billion by Pioneer Natural Resources Company.

    Advisory regarding forward-looking statements
    Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “projects”, “dependent”, “consider” “potential”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “outlook”, “budget”, “hope”, “suggest”, “support” “planned”, “approximately”, “potential” or the negative of those terms or similar words suggesting future outcomes. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, information relating to the drilling the SS4H well to a total measured depth of 6,452 metres, the indication of strong gas shows and a continuation of the high-quality shale and rock properties observed in the Shenandoah South 1H and SS2H ST1 locations, stimulation planned to commence in early 1Q 2025 with IP30 flow test from both SS2H ST1 and SS4H expected to be released in 1Q 2025.

    This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. The risks, assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results include risks associated with fluctuations in market prices for shale gas; risks related to the exploration, development and production of shale gas reserves; general economic, market and business conditions; substantial capital requirements; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of reserves and resources; extent of, and cost of compliance with, government laws and regulations and the effect of changes in such laws and regulations; the need to obtain regulatory approvals before development commences; environmental risks and hazards and the cost of compliance with environmental regulations; aboriginal claims; inherent risks and hazards with operations such as mechanical or pipe failure, cratering and other dangerous conditions; potential cost overruns, drilling wells is speculative, often involving significant costs that may be more than estimated and may not result in any discoveries; variations in foreign exchange rates; competition for capital, equipment, new leases, pipeline capacity and skilled personnel; the failure of the holder of licenses, leases and permits to meet requirements of such; changes in royalty regimes; failure to accurately estimate abandonment and reclamation costs; inaccurate estimates and assumptions by management and their joint venture partners; effectiveness of internal controls; the potential lack of available drilling equipment; failure to obtain or keep key personnel; title deficiencies; geo-political risks; and risk of litigation.

    Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive and that these factors and risks are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Falcon assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Falcon. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Falcon’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.com, including under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Information Form.

    Any references in this news release to initial production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons; however, such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will continue production and decline thereafter and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for Falcon. Such rates are based on field estimates and may be based on limited data available at this time.

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From pop songs to baby names: How Simeulue Island’s ‘smong’ narrative evolves post-tsunami

    Source: The Conversation – Indonesia – By Alfi Rahman, Lecturer at Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Director of Research Center for Social and Cultural Studies (PRISB) Universitas Syiah Kuala, and Researcher at Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC), Universitas Syiah Kuala

    Simelulue men gather to perform ‘nandong,’ a traditional local song. (Jihad fii Sabilillah/Youtube), CC BY

    20 years have passed since the Aceh tsunami, leaving deep scars on Indonesia, especially for those directly affected. Aceh was also recovering from a three-decade armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the national government

    Throughout December 2024, The Conversation Indonesia, in collaboration with academics, is publishing a special edition honouring the 20 years of efforts to rebuild Aceh. We hope this series of articles preserves our collective memory while inspiring reflection on the journey of recovery and peace in the land of ‘Serambi Makkah.’

    Off the southern coast of Aceh lies Simeulue, a small island with a powerful story of survival. When the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami killed hundreds of thousands across the region in 2004, only five people died on Simeulue — some say just three.

    This remarkable survival was credited to a local wisdom called smong — their term for tsunamis in the Simeulue language — that taught them to read nature’s warning signs and escape to safety.

    Passed down through generations since a previous tsunami struck in 1907, smong describes the signs of an upcoming ghostly wave: a strong earthquake and the receding of seawater. This knowledge becomes a survival guide that directs them to move away from the coast immediately or head to higher ground.

    Two decades after the 2004 disaster, our research shows that this life-saving knowledge is transforming, reflecting broader social shifts and information and communication technology development. It is no longer told only through nafi-nafi (oral storytelling) but adapting to new channels, from traditional songs to pop music and even into children’s names.

    From tradition to transformation

    Our study – spanning from 2016 to 2023 and involving interviews with 18 participants – captures how smong evolves over time. Smong, for instance, finds its way to nandong, Simeulue’s traditional songs that now incorporate lyrics about the life-saving local wisdom. A local artist said:

    After the 2004 tsunami, we adapted the smong story into nandong. This became a new way to convey the ‘smong’ message, ensuring it remains relevant and easy to remember.

    One popular nandong lyric goes:

    Linon uwak-uwakmo (The earthquake rocks you like a cradle)

    Elaik kedang-kedangmo (Thunder beats like a drum)

    Kilek suluh-suluhmo (Lightning flashes like your lamp)

    Smong dumek-dumekmo (The tsunami is your bathing water).

    Video containing song or ‘nandong’ about ‘smong’

    But even as Simeulue’s younger generation embraced modern influences, smong kept up. Local artists began creating pop songs in Devayan, one of the island’s local languages. The catchy tunes brought smong into classrooms, as a 23-year-old local testified:

    I first heard a ‘smong’ song at school. The lyrics were simple but clear. They told me exactly what to do if a tsunami came.

    A children’s tale telling a stort about ‘smong’

    Smong as a symbol of resilience

    Today, smong is more than a safety warning; it symbolises the island’s strength and identity. In some families, smong even lives on in names.

    One grandmother named her grandson “Putra Smong” (smong’s son) as a tribute, saying

    His name reminds us of the wisdom that saved our lives.

    The challenge of preservation

    Despite its transformation, preserving the smong narrative faces challenges that risk eroding this customary knowledge.

    The biggest challenge is the shift in lifestyle and culture among Simeulue’s youth. Today’s younger generation is more familiar with digital technology than oral traditions. A mother said:

    In the past, our elders would tell ‘smong’ stories every evening after Maghrib (dusk) prayers. Now, children are too busy with their gadgets.

    Globalisation also brings external cultural influences, diverting the attention of Simeulue’s youth from the local heritage. Many young people grow up with limited knowledge of traditions like nafi-nafi.

    Another major challenge is the declining use of local languages such as Devayan, Sigulai, and Lekon in daily conversations. Since smong originates from these languages, preserving it relies on their continued use.

    Our observation concludes that the transmission of smong narratives remains sporadic. Its spread often depends on individual or small group initiatives and sometimes awaits external interventions.

    Without concrete efforts, the smong narrative risks fading and being forgotten by future generations. A local activist stated:

    I once proposed building a ‘smong’ monument to remind the younger generation, but the idea has yet to be realised.

    Hope for continuity: Bridging tradition and modernity

    The elders of Simeulue firmly believe that smong is a heritage that must be safeguarded. An 80-year-old community elder expressed his hope for future generations to keep smong alive.

    As long as the ‘smong’ story exists, we will remain safe. But if this story is lost, we will lose our most precious wisdom and treasure.

    To keep smong alive, educators and community leaders are looking to the future. Some propose integrating smong into school curriculum, ensuring every child knows its lessons. A teacher said.

    ‘Smong’ isn’t just a story. It’s a life-saving guide that must be passed on to every generation.

    Technology can also be an important means of preserving the native understa. Digital videos, disaster simulations, and interactive storytelling could bring smong to a tech-savvy audience, making it relevant today.

    As we hope these approaches will bridge the old tradition with modern needs, smong transformation highlights that it is not just a relic from the past. Its narrative must evolve to adapt to the times, ensuring its treasured knowledge remains alive amid social changes.

    In the face of ongoing disaster threats, particularly in Indonesia’s Ring of Fire, smong offers a valuable lesson on how preserving local wisdom can form the foundation for disaster preparedness.

    Alfi Rahman receives funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of Indonesia for this research (grant number 0168/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2023 and 094/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2024).

    Muzayin Nazaruddin tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.

    – ref. From pop songs to baby names: How Simeulue Island’s ‘smong’ narrative evolves post-tsunami – https://theconversation.com/from-pop-songs-to-baby-names-how-simeulue-islands-smong-narrative-evolves-post-tsunami-246153

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California secures critical funding to address Tijuana River sewage crisis in Imperial Beach and surrounding communities

    Source: US State of California 2

    Dec 21, 2024

    What you need to know: Working alongside federal, state, and local partners, Governor Newsom helped secure an additional $250 million in critical funding to address cross-border pollution from the Tijuana River. This funding allows for the full repair and expansion of the South Bay sewage treatment plant.

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that President Biden has signed a federal funding bill allocating $250 million to fully repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant near the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego.

    This vital investment, secured in partnership with California’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration, will reduce untreated sewage flows into California’s coastal waters and improve public health and environmental conditions in the region. The sewage crisis is not only impacting public health, the local economy, and ecosystems and species in coastal communities but has also led to local beach closures for 1,000 consecutive days. It has significantly impacted the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, border agents and U.S. Navy Seal special operation forces who train in those waters.

    In February, October, and November of this year, the Governor met with White House officials to push for action to address this crisis. Earlier this fall, Governor 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.

    For far too long, communities in the Tijuana River Valley have borne the brunt of this cross-border pollution crisis. Today’s funding marks a long-term turning point — we are delivering the resources needed to protect public health, restore our beaches, and give residents the clean air and water they deserve.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Addressing this decades-long crisis

    Working alongside federal, state, and local partners over years, 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. 

    Securing federal funding: In partnership with California’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration, Governor Newsom has now helped secure $703 million in federal funding — $353 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.

    Governor Newsom meets with Senior Advisor to the President, John Podesta and other top White House officials to advocate for funding to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis. 

    State investments to clean up the area, provide air filters to communities: In October, 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:

    • $1 million to fund Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team projects in the Tijuana River Valley. 
    • $9 million to operate and maintain Goat Canyon sediment and trash basins.
    • $4.7 million to Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Tijuana River Trash Boom pilot Project.
    • $14.25 million for the Smuggler’s Gulch Improvement Project. 
    • $3.3 million for the Tijuana River Valley Habitat and Hydrology Restoration Project. 
    • $3 million to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters and help measure the effectiveness of potential projects in the Tijuana River Valley.

    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, October, and November of this year, the Governor met with White House officials to push for action to address this crisis.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Dec 21, 2024

    News Welcome to The California Weekly, your Saturday morning recap of top stories and announcements you might have missed. News you might have missed1. 📚 SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA STUDENTSBeginning in the upcoming school year, California’s kindergarten, first, and second…

    Dec 20, 2024

    News What you need to know: The federal government adopted a new water management framework that will help the state better manage water supply and protect endangered fish species. SACRAMENTO – Today, California joined the Biden-Harris Administration as it signed off…

    Dec 19, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and the California Museum today inducted the 18th class of the California Hall of Fame in a virtual ceremony. This all-women posthumous class consists of trailblazers in athletics, civil…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New federal actions will help California better manage water supply

    Source: US State of California 2

    Dec 20, 2024

    What you need to know: The federal government adopted a new water management framework that will help the state better manage water supply and protect endangered fish species.

    SACRAMENTO – Today, California joined the Biden-Harris Administration as it signed off on a new framework key to moving and supplying water for tens of millions of Californians. Adoption of this framework is an important step for integrating future water projects vital to maintaining the state’s water supply, including the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Project.

    Combined, the new framework covering the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project provides a more balanced approach to water management that will allow water managers greater flexibility when responding to extreme swings between drought and flood brought on by a changing climate. 

    The framework also benefits California’s endangered fish species through habitat restoration, improved flow measures, monitoring and hatchery production. The federal government’s adoption of this framework follows the approval of a new operating permit for the State Water Project system in November.

    We know what the future has in store for our state: hotter hots and drier dries. That means we have to do everything we can now to prepare and ensure our water infrastructure can handle these extremes. Thanks to the support of the Biden-Harris Administration, California is taking action to make our water systems more resilient and lay the groundwork for new capacity in the future.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    This week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation signed a Record of Decision for new documents known as “biological opinions,” which address the water projects’ ecological impacts – shaping how water can be pumped and moved through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

    “The new framework supercharges our adaptive management and enables project operators to work with water users and the broader public to better manage the system to benefit millions of Californians and endangered fish species,” said California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Karla Nemeth. “Extreme storms and extended droughts mean we need to be as nimble as possible in operating our water infrastructure. DWR remains committed to working with our federal and state partners and using the best available science to support the water supply needs of California’s communities while protecting fish and wildlife.”

    In November, the state received a new operating permit for the State Water Project (SWP). The permit, known as an Incidental Take Permit, was issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) following the certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report for long-term operations of the SWP. 

    Building up California’s water supply

    Other actions the state has taken recently:

    • Nearly 400 communities across California have received support to bolster their drinking water and wastewater systems, securing clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people. 
    • California is forging ahead with major water projects, including the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Project, that promise to provide water supply for millions of Californians once completed.
    • California recently marked the first decade of protecting and sustaining our critical groundwater supplies through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which empowers local agencies to tackle overpumping that endangers water supplies for communities, agriculture and ecosystems. 
    • California has increased its groundwater reserves, investing in projects that recharge groundwater basins, including capturing excess stormwater.
    • Governor Newsom unveiled an update to the California Water Plan, outlining comprehensive solutions to enhance the state’s ability to capture and store more water, especially during extreme weather events like floods. 
    • The state distributed $880 million to eliminate water utility debts for 4 million Californians, alleviating financial burdens on residents and businesses and ensuring continued access to water services during challenging economic times.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Dec 19, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and the California Museum today inducted the 18th class of the California Hall of Fame in a virtual ceremony. This all-women posthumous class consists of trailblazers in athletics, civil…

    Dec 19, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a new plan to reduce reliance on the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility in Southern California. Aliso Canyon must be closed for…

    Dec 19, 2024

    News What you need to know: California supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s new greenhouse gas reduction target announced today as part of America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement after…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: China: Five years on, activists jailed in ‘cruel’ 2019 crackdown must be released

    Source: Amnesty International –

    It is time to step up demands for the Chinese government to release human rights defenders detained after attending a social gathering five years ago, Amnesty International said today.

    In December 2019, a number of human rights activists met in the southeastern city of Xiamen for a dinner and discussion of social issues. From the 26th of that month, and over the weeks that followed, Chinese authorities forcibly disappeared human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi and legal scholar Xu Zhiyong until they re-surfaced in government detention.

    Amnesty International considers both men prisoners of conscience and has consistently advocated for their immediate and unconditional release.

    “The Xiamen crackdown epitomizes the Chinese authorities’ all-out assault on civil society and the cruelty with which they treat peaceful rights advocates,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China Director.

    At least five other activists were also targeted, and detained, for their affiliation with the gathering. In the months that followed, all seven activists were reportedly held in “residential surveillance at a designated location” (RSDL), a form of secret incommunicado detention that places detainees at increased risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

    “Over the past five years, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi – along with several of their companions – have endured arbitrary detention, torture and unfair trials, merely because they attended a private gathering and discussed the civil society situation and current affairs in China.”

    Following closed-door trials, on 10 April 2023 Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi were sentenced to 14 and 12 years in prison respectively for “subverting state power”. In October 2024, Xu Zhiyong began a hunger strike to protest his treatment in prison, which included being harassed by fellow cellmates, apparently at the behest of prison officials.

    “The continued imprisonment of Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi is an outrage, and the international community must ramp up pressure on the Chinese government to address this injustice and secure their release,” Sarah Brooks said.

    The Chinese authorities must immediately release Ding and Xu and stop punishing all those who participated in the Xiamen gathering.

    Both Ding and Xu have been the subject of recommendations to Chinese authorities by multiple governments and by UN officials, including High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Yet concrete actions to demand access to these individuals or to increase the consequences to Chinese authorities for their crackdown on human rights defenders have not materialized.

    “The harsh sentences meted out to Xu and Ding are meant to send a message: that to fight to defend one’s rights is unacceptable to the Chinese government. Yet they persisted, and now their family members carry on advocating for their release with that same conviction.”

    Ding Jiaxi’s wife, Sophie Luo, told Amnesty International ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Xiamen gathering: “I know that attending a private gathering does not violate any laws, and these citizens should not be imprisoned for even a day. Therefore, I will fight tirelessly for the dismissal of this case.”

    A support group active online coordinated by activists in and outside of China is collecting messages and prayers to share with Xu, despite censorship and the risk of government retaliation.

    “The Chinese authorities must immediately release Ding and Xu and stop punishing all those who participated in the Xiamen gathering. The grim picture painted by their continued imprisonment should galvanize international condemnation for China’s crackdown on civil society,” Sarah Brooks said.

    Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi were prominent members of the New Citizens’ Movement, a loose network of activists founded by Xu in 2012 to promote government transparency and expose corruption. Both had been jailed previously due to their advocacy; Ding served three and a half years and was released in October 2016, while Xu – whose sentence was slightly longer – was released in 2017. 

    Xu and Ding appealed their 2023 convictions, but in November 2023, the Shandong Provincial High Court upheld the verdict and sentence against them. Both have now requested a second appeal.

    In jail, Ding and Xu have been deprived of fundamental rights, including access to reading and writing materials; have severe restrictions on their right to communicate with family and friends; and have reported challenges seeking medical care. Possibly in response to his hunger strike, the Chinese authorities allowed Xu to meet with his lawyer on 26 November 2024. It appears that Xu has since stopped his hunger strike.

    Human rights defenders in China continue to face intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention, as well as torture and other ill-treatment for defending human rights and exercising their freedoms of expression and association. Such retaliation often also extends to their family members and colleagues.

    As in many cases of Chinese activists, friends and family of Xu and Ding have faced threats and harassment for speaking out. For years, Xu was not only prevented from seeing his family but lacked legal counsel of his choosing; three lawyers appointed by his family withdrew from representing Xu, reportedly due to threats and intimidation from Chinese authorities.

    Other human rights activists targeted in connection with the Xiamen gathering include:

    • Chang Weiping was sentenced to three and a half years in prison; he has served his sentence and was released in July 2024 but remains subject to a travel ban
    • Li Qiaochu received a sentence of three years and eight months; she has served her sentence and was released in August 2024 but remains subject to a travel ban plus two years of deprivation of political rights
    • Zhang Zhongshun was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in November 2024
    • Dai Zhenya and Li Yingjun were released on bail after spending time in RSDL, and they are also subject to a travel ban.

    Amnesty International considers a prisoner of conscience to be any person imprisoned solely because of their political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs, their ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, socio-economic status, birth, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or other status, and who has not used violence or advocated violence or hatred in the circumstances leading to their detention.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: El Salvador: A thousand days into the state of emergency. “Security” at the expense of human rights.  

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Grave human rights violations under El Salvador’s state of emergency point to a systematic, widespread pattern of state abuse that has seen thousands of arbitrary detentions, the adoption of a policy of torture in detention centres and hundreds of deaths under state custody.

    Since the state of emergency first began on 27 March 2022, Amnesty International has kept track of events, deploying five missions to the country to document the patterns of grave human rights violations. After each trip, the organisation has testified to the gradually deteriorating circumstances of the victims and their families, throwing human rights in the country into ever deeper crisis. Allegations by human rights organisations, protests by victims, concerns expressed by regional bodies and appeals from the international community have all been met by the Salvadoran government with silence, indifference and a lack of transparency, further cementing a model of repression and impunity.

    Increased militarisation, above all in marginalised, impoverished communities, has brought back memories of past horrors, when the armed forces were used to repress the population. This approach, combined with efforts by state agents to stigmatise human rights organisations and the free press and to thwart their efforts, has fostered a climate of fear and intimidation that stifles civil society and spurs self-censorship.

    “What the government calls ‘peace’ is actually an illusion intended to hide a repressive system, a structure of control and oppression that abuses its power and disregards the rights of those who were already invisible—people living in poverty, under state stigma, and marginalization—all in the name of a supposed security defined in a very narrow way”, said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

    What the government calls ‘peace’ is in fact a mirage that pretends to conceal a repressive system, a structure of control and oppression that abuses its power and disregards the rights of those who were already invisible—people living in poverty, under state stigma, and marginalization—all in the name of a supposed security defined in a very narrow way.

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SUM – a platform for dialogue: the first Congress of the Student Council was held at the university

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    From December 16 to 18, the 1st Congress of the Council of Student Universities and Scientific Organizations under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation was held within the walls of the State University of Management, where our university acted as the operator.

    The congress was held to build effective activities of the new Council. More than 100 representatives of universities from all over the country gathered to jointly develop an action plan for the next year.

    On the first day of the congress, the participants were greeted by the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova and the Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Pavel Pavlovsky.

    As part of the project, activists and leaders of Russia developed a roadmap for the Council, exchanged experiences, improved their skills, listened to lectures and attended master classes.

    The participants were able to listen to a lecture on legislation in the field of youth policy and student self-government, discuss the possibilities of cooperation between the Council and the All-Russian public-state movement of children and youth “Movement of the First”, meet with a representative of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and the Presidium of the Council of Vice-Rectors for Youth Policy and Educational Activities under the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia at the site of the National Center “Russia” and discuss the possibilities of joint work.

    On the final day of the congress, the election of the Council’s leadership took place and a meeting was held with the leadership of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and honorary guests.

    It should be noted that the Student Council is an advisory and consultative body that takes into account the opinions of representatives of universities and scientific organizations from all over the country. The Council was selected from September 20 to November 1 by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Russian Union of Youth, and the Student Coordination Council of the All-Russian Trade Union of Education from more than 700 competitive applications.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 23.12.2024

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Experts analyze China’s economic development potential

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Attendees take part in the Caijing Annual Dialogue 2024 in Beijing, Dec. 20, 2024. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn]

    The Caijing Annual Dialogue 2024, organized by Caijing Magazine, was held in Beijing on Dec. 20. Themed “The Power of Navigating Changes,” the event focused on topics such as expanding domestic demand and boosting China’s capital markets. 

    In the current international context, the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains unresolved, and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. Notably, the re-election of Donald Trump has introduced new uncertainties to the global political and economic landscape, as well as to China-U.S. relations.

    Numerous experts gathered at the dialogue to analyze the opportunities present in the current economic climate. 

    Yao Jingyuan, a researcher at the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, emphasized the critical importance of expanding domestic demand and leveraging China’s vast domestic market for economic development. He elaborated, “China possesses the world’s largest domestic demand market, which lays a solid foundation for sustained economic growth and strong support in addressing external challenges.”

    Zhang Bin, deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, highlighted the importance of comprehensively expanding domestic demand. He noted the enormous potential for investments aimed at improving people’s livelihoods and enhancing their quality of life.

    The current overcapacity in manufacturing reflects a need for quality improvement rather than just surplus quantity, Zhang said, and therefore public investment should be focused more toward public service projects. For instance, there are substantial gaps in infrastructure related to culture, entertainment, health care services and sports facilities, which are critical to people’s quality of life, he said. Meanwhile, although the financial sector holds a significant share of GDP, it still falls short in supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises and high-risk services, which are areas that require improvements in service supply.

    Professor Li Daokui, dean of the Academic Center for Chinese Economic Practice and Thinking at Tsinghua University, made an optimistic forecast of an “economic temperature rise” for China’s economy in 2025. He pointed out three main aspects where China’s economy holds immense potential. First, the country’s demographic advantage brings enormous market potential. Second, the national savings rate at 40% is among the highest globally, providing a stable source of funding for the investments needed for economic growth, making it one of the key drivers of sustained economic development. Third, the research and development capabilities in applied research are robust. 

    Although some countries have advantages in original achievements, Li explained that China, with its substantial number of engineering and technical graduates — 4.4 million annually, more than the total of similar talent in other countries — demonstrates strong competitiveness in the application and transformation of technological innovations, driving high-quality economic development.

    Li also emphasized that China’s economic policy will clearly focus on restoring growth rates and initiating a new growth cycle in 2025. He said, “We scholars should take on the responsibility to collaboratively strive in 2025 to promote stronger, faster and more effective policy adjustments, enabling the economic climate to swiftly shift from cold to warm, with expectations for continuous economic growth in 2026 and 2027.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China provides emergency assistance to quake-hit Vanuatu

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, Dec. 23 — The Chinese government has provided 1 million U.S. dollars in emergency assistance to the quake-hit Vanuatu to support the country’s response to the disaster and reconstruction efforts, said Li Ming, spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency on Monday.

    At the request of Vanuatu, the Chinese side has coordinated experts from Chinese enterprises based in the country to conduct a preliminary disaster assessment, and the Chinese medical team in Vanuatu has actively participated in the treatment, rescue and operation of injured individuals, said Li.

    The Red Cross Society of China has also provided 100,000 U.S. dollars in emergency cash assistance to Vanuatu, Li added.

    The spokesperson said that China is willing to continue to provide follow-up assistance according to the needs of Vanuatu and help the country overcome difficulties and rebuild homes as soon as possible.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for in-kind sponsorship for a Cyber Event in Tokyo

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The British Embassy Tokyo is looking for in-kind sponsorship to help deliver a Cyber Event in February.

    The British Embassy Tokyo is looking for in-kind sponsorship to help deliver a Cyber Event in February.

    The Cyber Event will be held on 26 February. Any company wishing to register an expression of interest for sponsorship should make contact with the Embassy as below by 17:00 JST on Wednesday 8 January 2025.

    In-kind sponsorship: Chris.Capper@fco.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: “Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics” shows continued increase in Hong Kong’s gross expenditure on research and development in 2023

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    “Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics” shows continued increase in Hong Kong’s gross expenditure on research and development in 2023
    “Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics” shows continued increase in Hong Kong’s gross expenditure on research and development in 2023
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         According to the report “Hong Kong Innovation Activities Statistics 2023” released today (December 23) by the Census and Statistics Department, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in Hong Kong has been on the rise and reached $33,006 million in 2023, representing an increase of about 10 per cent compared with the corresponding figure in 2022 ($30,138 million). The GERD as a ratio to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also further increased to 1.11 per cent in 2023. In addition, the number of research and development (R&D) personnel showed a steady increase over the years and reached 43,403 in 2023 (compared with 39,710 in 2022).     A government spokesman said, “The country indicates clear support in the National 14th Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong to develop into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre. Promoting I&T development has always been one of the key policy areas of the current-term Government. In recent years, the Government has been focusing on encouraging innovation activities, developing I&T infrastructure, strengthening basic research and promoting commercialisation of R&D outcomes, attracting and nurturing talent, supporting start-ups, etc. Moreover, since taking office, the current-term Government has been actively enhancing the local I&T ecosystem by consolidating our strengths in upstream basic research, accelerating the midstream transformation and realisation of scientific research outcomes, and supporting industry development in the downstream. Various initiatives have achieved good progress. It is encouraging to see that the GERD and the GERD as a ratio of the GDP have recorded satisfactory growth in 2023. We will continue to promote I&T development in Hong Kong at full steam following the development directions and major strategies as set out in the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint.”     The spokesman also stated that a series of measures have been announced in the 2024 Policy Address, including promoting the development of new industrialisation, preparing for the establishment of the third InnoHK research cluster, launching the Pilot I&T Accelerator Scheme, setting up a $10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, etc., to achieve high-quality economic development through technological empowerment. In addition, the Government promulgated the Development Outline for the Hong Kong Park (the Park) of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone in November this year to foster the development of the Park.     “The Government will continue to take forward various policy measures to create favourable conditions for Hong Kong’s I&T development, with a view to further promoting the development of I&T and new quality productive forces in Hong Kong, and realising the vision of developing Hong Kong into an international I&T centre,” the spokesman added.

     
    Ends/Monday, December 23, 2024Issued at HKT 16:35

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DH reminds public that online registration system for dental general public session launches next week

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    DH reminds public that online registration system for dental general public session launches next week
    DH reminds public that online registration system for dental general public session launches next week
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Department of Health (DH) today (December 23) reminded the public that an online registration system for dental general public session (ORDGP) will come into operation next Monday (December 30) and that the existing preliminary registration arrangements for dental general public sessions will cease from the same day. Members of the public will no longer need to queue in person at the relevant dental clinic to obtain a disc quota.      “The ORDGP will come into operation on December 30. The starting time for the online registration for balloting will be advanced from the originally proposed 9.30am to 6am, while the closing time will remain unchanged, i.e. 11.30am, to make it easier for members of the public in need of emergency public dental services to register for public dental services at designated dental clinics on the next working day,” said a spokesman for the DH.      He added that the DH has long been providing free emergency dental treatments to the public, through designated sessions in 11 government dental clinics on a quota basis, to deal with prescriptions for pain relief, tooth extraction or other emergencies such as an oral abscess.      Following the launch of the ORDGP, members of the public in need of emergency public dental services can access the ORDGP via the eHealth mobile application or the DH’s Dental Public Session website to register under their real name for public dental services at designated dental clinics on the next working day. Each person can only register once per day during the above-mentioned registration period. Quotas will be allocated by computer ballot. If the following day is a Saturday or a public holiday, ORDGP will not accept registrations.      The system will conduct balloting immediately after the online registration is closed. People who are successfully allocated a quota will receive a confirmation notification via SMS with the ID “#DH-DENT GP”. They can also log into the ORDGP to check the ballot result after 12.30pm on the same day, or call the hotline on 2892 2111 to check from 9am to 5pm during office hours.      “To cater for the needs of the elderly, half of the quotas will be allocated on a priority basis to elderly people aged 65 or above. Elderly people, who are not allocated a priority quota in the first round, will join other registered persons for the allocation of the remaining quotas by ballot,” the spokesman said.      To allow members of the public to understand more about the online registration process, the DH has uploaded the relevant introduction and demonstration videos to the Dental Public Session website today for public viewing.      Anyone who needs assistance registering may visit any dental clinics with dental general public session between 8.30am and 11.30am to register with the assistance of on-site staff, without using their own personal mobile phone or computer.      Members of the public who are allocated a quota must bring the originals of their identity documents used for registration to the designated dental clinics on the specified date and time to receive dental services. Citizens registered with eHealth and their family members/carers can also view their relevant attendance records on the eHealth app.      If any quota remains unallocated after balloting, the ORDGP will provide the public with a list of relevant dental clinics. Members of the public can make appointments on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the remaining quota registration hotline (tel: 2892 2577) between 2pm and 5pm on the same day, or between 7.45am and 9.15am on the service day of the general public session for the remaining quotas (if available).      The DH has established an extensive district network to assist those in need, including District Health Centres, District Health Centre Expresses, Neighbourhood Elderly Centres and the District Elderly Community Centres under the Social Welfare Department, District Councillors’ offices, Community Care Teams and dental clinics run by 15 social welfare institutions or non-governmental organisations. The DH has completed a number of online briefing sessions this month to introduce and demonstrate the relevant registration steps and process to the staff members of the above district networks.      During the initial period of commissioning the ORDGP, apart from operating an enquiry hotline (tel: 2892 2111) from 9am to 5pm on weekdays during office hours, the DH will also provide additional enquiry hotline service hours from 9am to 1pm on five public holidays (including January 1, 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2025) for answering enquiries from members of the public.      The spokesman emphasised that the public dental services are dedicated for those in need of emergency dental treatments only. Given the limited quotas, it is hoped that the service will not be abused. The DH will closely monitor the operation and the effectiveness of the ORDGP.      Separately, the service hours of general public session for Mona Fong Dental Clinic will be changed from Thursday afternoons to Thursday mornings with effect from January 2, 2025, which will be the same as the other 10 clinics with general public sessions. Please visit the website for addresses and service hours of the 11 dental clinics under the DH with general public sessions. 

     
    Ends/Monday, December 23, 2024Issued at HKT 16:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DBS Christmas and New Year Opening Times 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    DBS’ Contact Centre will operate under reduced hours over the Christmas and New Year period.

    Our Contact Centre will be operating under reduced hours over the Christmas and New Year period. Core DBS services and turnaround times for DBS checks and barring decisions will not be affected, and employers and customers should continue to access our services as normal.  

    Online services such as the Update Service and online tracking  will also available as usual over Christmas.

    Date Opening hours
    23rd December 9am to 5pm
    24th December 9am to 3pm
    Christmas Day Closed
    Boxing Day Closed
    27th December 9am to 5pm
    30th December 9am to 5pm
    31st December 9am to 3pm
    New Year’s Day Closed
    2nd January 9am to 5pm
    3rd January 9am to 5pm

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to govt setting out plans for a complete ban of neonicotinoids

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Experts commented on the Government’s plans to completely ban neonicotinoids. 

    Dr Philip Donkersley, Senior Researcher in Ecology and Evolution at Lancaster University, said:

    Is this evidence-based?

    “The hazards posed by neonicotinoid pesticides to pollinators have been established by a number of high impact research articles for nearly a decade. There is no question that restricting their use can have significant benefits to both domesticated and wild pollinators.”

    How significant a change is this to the rules we have currently?

    “There are no significant changes to current policy, which will be of benefit to farmers, giving them at least the entirety of 2025 to change their pest management plans accordingly is a good thing for farmers. Current policy in the UK to allow neonic use under specific conditions has arguably failed, given that the conditions have been consistently met since the policy was adopted (i.e. It was entirely legislative, not functional). Going forward, a policy of absolute moratorium brings us closer in line with European standards.”

    Why are neonics still used, and what will farmers need to use instead? 

    “Neonics are used because of their ease of application, high efficacy and availability from suppliers. Some farmers may argue a moratorium will drive them to using more hazardous pesticides, like the pyrethroids, however with proper government guidance, a policy basis and direct financial support, a drive towards regenerative agricultural methods, combined with natural enemy protections and integrated pest management practices will be as good, if not better for the farm finances, productivity, and environmental sustainability. We know this works from both European and global farming communities – massively reducing pesticide use brings back natural enemies like spiders, parasitoid wasps, lacewings etc, which in turn kill off pest species.”

    What will be the effect on pollinators and crops? 

    “With any restriction of pesticide use, there will be a lag period, where the environment on the farm needs to recover, the farm productivity will be damaged due to sudden increases in pest abundance. However, over the long term, we see a gradual increase in pollinator health and farm finances. Governments should direct support farms during this period in order to safely permit them and their business to make the transition towards a more regenerative farming practice.”

    Prof Giles Budge, Modelling Evidence and Policy Research Group, Newcastle University, said:

    “I would welcome any legislation that protects our managed and unmanaged pollinator communities. However, as a society we must always consider the costs and benefits of any policy change. Sometimes new policies that are well meaning may have unintended consequences to the sustainability of our food production system, as well as our insect communities. Oilseed rape is a great example. Seed-coated neonicotinoids were banned from use on oilseed rape without time to formulate a clear plan for what alternatives might be available to manage both aphid and cabbage stem flea beetle pests.

    “The story has positive and negative outcomes. First, the abruptness of the ban led to disruptive innovation in the industry, and seed companies were quick to produce cultivated varieties of oilseed rape which are resistant to turnip yellows virus, the main reason for controlling the aphid. However, many farmers switched to using multiple pyrethroid sprays to save their oilseed rape crops from damage by cabbage stem flea beetles. Pyrethroid sprays were ineffective against cabbage stem flea beetles, which were resistant, but highly effective against non-target insects. Crops were lost and the planted area of oilseed rape has dropped. Fewer planted oilseed rape crops has removed an important source of pollen and nectar for our pollinators, and challenged the farming community to find alternative crops and ways of working.

    “The outcome for food production is that we have moved from a net surplus of oilseed rape production, where we exported, to a need to import oilseed rape into the UK in order to meet our needs. Our food security has been compromised, and the irony is that some oilseed rape imports are grown in countries where the use of neonicotinoid seat coatings has continued! A policy that sought to protect our pollinators has seemingly moved the problem abroad, impacted our farming community, and decreased our food security.

    “I reiterate that I would welcome any legislation that protects our managed and unmanaged pollinator communities, but we need to ensure our farmers can continue to grow our food in a sustainable way. We need to take ownership of any issues with the sustainability of our food production, but we also need to ensure that our farmers have access to viable and sustainable solutions.”

    Prof Linda Field, Emeritus Fellow, Protecting Crops and the Environment, Rothamsted Research, said:

    “On the face of it, this would seem to be a measure that will help bees and other pollinators that can potentially be affected by neonicotinoids. However, this effect may be small given that bees do not forage in sugar beet crops, where the previous emergency authorisation has been applied.

    “It should also be borne on mind that if neonicotinoids are not used in sugar beet in the UK, then the aphid that carries virus disease in this crop can’t be controlled, as it is resistant to alternative insecticides. This is very likely to result in reduced production of beet sugar and the need for more imports of cane sugar.

    “The impacts of pesticide and pesticide stewardship requires broad farm-system landscape assessment. A single intervention is inevitably linked to many other factors that ultimately dictate any net gain or loss on biodiversity.”

     

    Prof Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology (Evolution, Behaviour and Environment), University of Sussex, said:

    “It is refreshing to see that the new government is sticking by its commitment to end all use of “bee killing pesticides”, by which it means the three neonicotinoids imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin.

    “These chemicals have been banned from agricultural use in all the EU and the UK since 2018. Until 2023 Europe allowed “emergency authorizations” in special circumstances, but these are now illegal in Europe. However, for the last four years the previous UK government granted emergency authorisation for the use of thiamethoxam on sugar beet. In doing so they ignored the science and went against the clear advice of the Health & Safety Executive and Expert Committee on Pesticides.

    “Farmer across Europe grow sugar beet successfully without neonics. Only the UK has been allowing them, becoming the dirty man of Europe. Let’s hope this is finally coming to an end.

    “By way of background, neonics are highly potent neurotoxins, lethal to bees and all other insects at miniscule doses. They are often used as seed dressing, but only about 5% of the chemical is absorbed by the crop. The rest pollutes the soil and soil water. Neonics are highly persistent, so soils remain contaminated for years. Neonics leach from soil into streams, harming aquatic life. They are also sucked up from the soil by hedgerow wildflowers and farm trees, contaminating all parts of the plant including pollen and nectar, and hence poisoning pollinators. This is why the EU introduced a ban on neonics in 2018, after prolonged evaluation of all the evidence by EFSA.

    “Let’s not forget that sugar is very bad for us (diabetes, obesity etc.). We have been poisoning our soils, streams and bees to grow a product that makes us ill. Healthy crops could be grown on the land used for sugar beet. Government could extend sugar taxes to reduce our consumption.”

    Dr Katie Powell, Butterfly Conservation Postdoctoral Researcher and British Ecological Society English Policy Group committee member, said:

    Is this evidence-based?

    “Yes. There is ample evidence that neonicotinoids have devastating lethal and sub-lethal effects on wildlife, both directly and indirectly through being passed through the food chain. Although the current method of applying neonicotinoids for emergency use is through seed-coatings, which is supposedly directed at target species (namely aphids), ‘beneficial’ insects feed on these target species and so non-target organisms – like ladybirds and hoverflies – are inadvertently exposed to neonicotinoids. Insects feeding on the pest species that are targeted by neonicotinoids include some pollinating insects such as hoverflies. Also, flowering plants grown near to neonicotinoid coated seeds, or subsequently grown in soil used to grow sugar beet where seeds have been treated, can carry through the pesticide to pollinators like bees at a later stage. This can then have population-level consequences and contribute to their decline. As well as this, leaching and accumulation of neonicotinoids from treated seeds into soils and waterways occurs, impacting the development of soil organisms and aquatic wildlife.”

    What will farmers need to use instead?

    “The worry is that farmers will turn to the use of boom spraying using other approved pesticides; this should not be what farmers turn to as an alternative, as this may be equally damaging to insects and other wildlife when applied in a non-targeted way. Approaches like Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the development of genetic approaches to pest resistance and virus forecasting need to be further developed to replace widespread pesticide use. The government should plough research into these approaches to support farmers after the ban.”

    What will be the effect on pollinators?

    “The ban should have a positive effect on pollinators in the long-term, as well as benefits for lots of other insects like pest-controlling ladybirds and parasitic wasps which will have a chance to recover from the toxic effects of neonicotinoids. These beneficial insects naturally keep the pests that neonicotinoids aim to control in check through predating on them. Some of these beneficial predator species are also pollinators. Insect (and pollinator) declines are caused by a range of interacting factors, made worse by unsustainable use of pesticides. To bolster against population crashes and build resilience in populations against other drivers like extreme weather events, it is crucial to remove as many drivers of decline as possible and for habitat to be improved in order to support species of insect, including bees, butterflies and moths.  As populations start to recover from low levels due to their living conditions being improved, there is a greater chance they will be robust against other drivers like climate change.”

     

     

    Declared interests

    Giles Budge: “I declare no personal interest.”

    Katie Powell: “I am involved in a campaign with Butterfly Conservation on this topic.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Serious Fraud Office launches 2025 Trainee Investigator Programme

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has opened applications for its 2025 Trainee Investigators Programme.

    Launched in 2018, the programme has run successfully for over six years, equipping trainees with the core skills necessary for a career investigating major crime.

    Trainees receive hands-on investigation training and gain valuable, first-hand experience working alongside the SFO’s operational teams to tackle the largest and most complex economic crime cases in the UK. Successful applicants will work with and be offered guidance from some of the country’s most experienced investigators and lawyers.

    The programme is open to anyone with an interest in the law, with applications accepted from 20 December 2024 to 12 January 2025. Since its creation, the scheme has welcomed over 100 trainees from all walks of life, including university graduates, career changers and individuals with a long-held interest in the law and criminal justice.

    Serious Fraud Office Chief Investigator Mick Gallagher said: “Our Trainee Investigator Programme offers applicants the chance to work on the largest and most high-profile economic crime cases here in the UK.

    “It allows people from all walks of life the opportunity to immerse themselves in fraud investigation training, equipping them with the core operational skills needed as they’re guided through the stages of an investigation.

    “The feedback we receive from those who have completed the Programme in previous years has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re very proud of our training investigators.”

    Applicants will be notified this Spring if they have been successful applying to the Programme. Graduates who successfully complete the 15-month Programme will be promoted to the role of Investigator.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Eight-year ban for former footballer who ran London sports academy

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Kieron Minto-St.Aimie received a director’s disqualification for claiming a £25,000 Covid loan his company was not entitled to.

    • Kieron Minto-St.Aimie is a former professional footballer who went on to run a sports academy in Brent. 
    • His company received the £25,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan after he overstated its turnover. 
    • He was disqualified as a company director for eight years at London’s Royal Courts of Justice.  

    A former professional footballer has been banned from being a company director for eight years.  

    Kieron Minto-St.Aimie claimed a £25,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan for the St Aimie’s Sports Academy Community Interest Company in Brent, when it was entitled to much less. 

    Elizabeth Pigney, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Kieron Minto-St.Aimie successfully applied for a Covid Bounce Back loan by overstating his company’s turnover. 

    His eight-year disqualification should serve as a warning to others that the justice system will not allow business owners to make false declarations to obtain funds that were so crucially needed by other small and medium-sized businesses during the pandemic.

    The former footballer, aged 35, of Pound Lane in London, began his career at Queens Park Rangers before spells at clubs including Oxford United and Barnet. 

    He opened St.Aimie’s Sports Academy, on Harlesden Road in Brent, as its sole director in 2016.  

    Before its closure in January 2023, the academy was known in the local community for providing football coaching and mentoring to children and young people.  

    In May 2020, Minto-St.Aimie applied for a Covid Bounce Back loan of £25,000.  

    However, in order to obtain the £25,000 he overstated the company’s turnover by £60,000 as it should have only been entitled to around £10,000 under the scheme based on its actual turnover.  

    On 6 December 2024, the judge at London’s Royal Courts of Justice disqualified Minto-St.Aimie as a company director for eight years.

    Further information 

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Should young voters be able to use TfL travelcards for voter ID?

    Source: Mayor of London

    In its wide-ranging review of the 2024 Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections, the London Assembly Elections Review Working Group wants Transport for London (TfL) to provide the Greater London Authority (GLA) with details of how many people hold each of its photo ID cards. As government reviews the list of eligible photo ID, the Working Group has also asked how secure TfL considers the application processes for these cards to be, and the GLA should use this information to advocate for Londoners.

    The Working Group found that while photo ID requirements introduced before the elections did not create a “London-wide problem”:

    • 5,621 voters were recorded by polling station staff in London as being initially turned away due to lack of photo ID. Of these, 4,103 returned to vote and 1,518 did not.
    • Some Londoners believe that the list of acceptable ID is exclusionary for certain demographics, which has the potential to cause damage to people’s engagement in democracy.

    The Group welcomed the Government’s review of the list of eligible photo ID and recommends that this should include consideration of groups particularly impacted – including young people, ethnic minority groups and disabled people – and how this policy will interact with government manifesto commitments, such as lowering the voting age to 16.

    In its report, the Group also noted that the Government’s Devolution White Paper did not give any detail on plans for the future of the Mayoral voting system. The report urges the government to provide clarity on its position before May 2025 to help election planning for 2028, and to ensure that any changes are lasting and take into account the views of Londoners.

    The GLA elections in May 2024 were the first to take place in London since the Elections Act 2022 brought in several changes, including the requirement for voters to bring photo ID to polling stations, the move to a manual count, and introduction of a first past the post system in the Mayoral vote.

    Further recommendations include:

    • The GLA and Metropolitan Police should conduct a review of abuse and intimidation of candidates at the GLA Elections, setting out how these issues were dealt with and what further lessons it can learn from national and local government.
    • The Government should remove the ‘mixing requirement’ for a manual count in GLA Elections legislation to allow for more granular data to be published. 

    Chair of the Elections Review Working Group, Len Duvall OBE AM, said:

    “The GLA elections are of a different magnitude to all other regional elections in the UK in their size and complexity: nearly 7.5 million ballots were counted in the May 2024 elections, with two different voting systems for administrators to manage across all 32 London Boroughs.

    “Considering the extent of the changes made before these elections, it is a huge achievement that they were run as smoothly and as effectively for Londoners as we have found.

    “There remain some issues that must be addressed before the next elections are held. The Working Group is concerned by the evidence that Voter ID requirements are having a disproportionate impact on certain groups, and we urge the government to address this in its upcoming review of acceptable forms of ID.

    “Londoners also need clarity on the voting system to be used for the next Mayoral elections. The government should swiftly set out its intentions and – crucially – ensure that the public’s views on the proposals are taken into account.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Authority committed to ‘Making a Difference’

    Source: Isle of Man

    The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has underlined its commitment to supporting the Island’s reputation as a successful place to do business.

    The Authority’s Annual Report for 2023/24 highlights how the organisation is strengthening its core activities and embracing technology to create the right environment to foster a thriving and sustainable economy.

    The theme of this year’s report is ‘Making a Difference’ and captures the progress that has been made by the regulator in meeting its objectives of protecting consumers, reducing financial crime and maintaining confidence in the finance sector through effective regulation.

    After a period of significant change, the current focus is on embedding the updated supervisory approach and organisational structure, as well as enhancing data collection and analysis.

    The report explains how the Authority is targeting resources in line with a firm’s size, the type of activities it conducts and its potential to disrupt the Island’s financial system. The aim is to deliver better outcomes by driving a consistent and proactive programme of supervisory engagement.

    Work is being underpinned by the increased use of data and innovative ways of working, with a view to achieving greater automation, straight-through processing and exception reporting.

    A firm focus is placed on working collaboratively with industry and Government in the best interests of the Island. This includes efforts to demonstrate the long-term effectiveness of the Island’s anti-money laundering and countering financial crime (AML/CFT) regime ahead of its next MONEYVAL evaluation.

    The annual report, which covers the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, also sets out the Authority’s financial statements, in addition to providing updates on priority workstreams and an insight into future plans.

    Lillian Boyle, Chair of the Authority’s Board, said: ‘As a forward-looking regulator, we acknowledge the need to recognise and prepare for emerging risks and new opportunities. We take account of the likely direction of international standards, the potential impacts of geopolitical changes in the markets where our firms operate and the pace of change in technology and innovation. This influences our strategic approach and helps the Authority to make a positive difference to the Island’s position as a well-regulated and successful jurisdiction.’

    Bettina Roth, Chief Executive Officer, added: ‘We are embedding a programme of transformational change at the Authority to ensure we operate as effectively as possible into the future. We are committed to continuous improvement and instilling a culture of high performance. Collaboration remains central to our ambitions, and it is essential for the regulator, industry and Government to work together on behalf of the Island, particularly during such unpredictable times.’

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: How to have a pet-safe Christmas

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Chief Veterinary Officer shares advice on helping pets stay safe over Christmas

    The Chief Veterinary Officer has reminded families of some of the ways to exercise caution with their pets around Christmas to ensure a safe festive period for the whole family.

    It is particularly important to remain vigilant about what your pet is consuming as harmful foods can often be more accessible around the house during this time of year.

    It is best to check with your vet regarding any specific diets, but here are some general reminders which can help:

    • Chocolate is poisonous for dogs and if consumed requires urgent vet attention, so be wary about leaving boxes of chocolates exposed to dogs.
    • If you are sharing your Christmas dinners with pets, certain elements should not under any circumstances be given to them: Turkey bones can cause blockages in their airways, while onions, garlic, shallots and leeks should also not be shared with dogs as these ingredients are all toxic to them.
    • Sweet items should also be shared with caution as mincemeat, currants, raisins and sultanas are also toxic. Vets will be best placed to advise on the entire list, as diets can also vary depending on the pets.

    Pets should also be supervised around Christmas decorations: keep tinsel and decorations such as Christmas lights at a safe distance to avoid animals eating or chewing them, and regularly hoover to avoid pets eating fallen pine needles. Be mindful of other festive hazards including poinsettias, holly berries and mistletoe which can also be harmful if eaten.

    Keep your pets safe in the cold weather by making sure their bedding is kept away from cold draughts and keep dogs away from frozen ponds and lakes when out on a walk.

    UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:

    Whilst Christmas is not the best time to introduce a new pet to your household, there are precautions you can take over the festive period to make sure you are taking steps to keep them safe and happy.

    There are some increased risks around this time – from potential hazards such as toxic foods to making sure your animals are kept warm – and being aware of these will help you and your pets have a safe and enjoyable Christmas.

    If you are buying a new dog for Christmas, make sure you check the animal is microchipped and that the keeper’s details are registered to a compliant database. Deceitful pet sellers use a range of tactics to ‘Petfish’ unsuspecting buyers. These unscrupulous sellers pretend that the puppy or kitten they’re selling you comes from a happy home. In reality, the animal may have been bred or kept in poor conditions.

    Bringing pets to the UK from overseas has increased animal health and welfare risks. If rescuing a pet from abroad, families should check who the rescue organisation is, that the pet will be transported by an authorised transporter and that the animal has received a vet check before travel. Prospective owners should also check that the pet has been tested for any relevant disease before moving them to the UK. 

    It’s important to do your research so you know your new pet has come from a responsible seller.

    If you have any concerns or queries regarding your pets over Christmas, it is best to get in touch with your vet. Further information on our Petfished campaign is available on GOV.UK.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Report 13/2024: Collision between a passenger train and a fallen tree at Broughty Ferry

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    RAIB has today released its report into a collision between a passenger train and a fallen tree at Broughty Ferry, Dundee, 27 December 2023.

    Damage to the driving cab sustained in the collision (images courtesy of ScotRail).

    R132024_241223_Broughty Ferry

    PDF, 12.4 MB, 49 pages

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    Summary

    At around 13:09 on 27 December 2023, the 10:46 Perth to Aberdeen passenger service collided with a fallen tree approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The train was travelling at around 84 mph (135 km/h) when the collision occurred. The train suffered significant damage to the leading driving cab. There were no physical injuries to the 37 passengers and three staff members on board the train.

    The tree had fallen from Barnhill Rock Gardens, a public park owned by Dundee City Council, and was brought down by winds during Storm Gerrit. This storm had been subjecting the area to high winds and heavy rain for several hours preceding the accident. RAIB’s investigation found that the soil in which the tree was rooted had characteristics which limited the tree’s ability to resist the wind forces acting on it. In addition, three other trees at this location had been felled before May 2023, increasing the exposure of the tree which fell to winds from the Firth of Tay.

    Around 12 minutes before the collision, a member of the public became aware that a tree had fallen across the railway and contacted Network Rail using the public helpline. The helpline call handler attempted to pass this information on to Network Rail’s Scotland route control on a number of occasions, but the call from the helpline call handler was not answered until after the accident. This meant that a warning about the fallen tree did not reach the driver of the train in time to prevent the accident.

    The risk of trees in Barnhill Rock Gardens falling onto the railway not being effectively controlled was the factor underlying the accident. Network Rail is reliant on neighbouring landowners controlling the risk associated with visually healthy trees falling onto the railway lines from outside of the railway boundary. However, Dundee City Council did not effectively manage the risk of trees falling from its land onto the adjacent railway lines.

    As a consequence of the accident, the survival space in the cab was considerably reduced. The driver only escaped serious injury by crouching behind the driving seat once they had made an emergency brake application on realising the collision was inevitable. RAIB also observed that the telephone equipment used at Scotland integrated control centre did not display missed call information.

    Since this accident, Network Rail has provided helpline staff with an additional contact telephone number for use in emergencies.

    Recommendations

    RAIB has made three recommendations as a result of its investigation. The first of these is to Network Rail to consider how technology could assist in the detection of trees subject to altered exposure, including those trees on third-party land. The second recommendation is that Dundee City Council should review its management of the trees for which it is responsible to ensure that it is effectively controlling the risk of them falling onto the railway.

    RAIB has also recommended that the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Carmont recommendations steering group should review its response to recommendation 19 made within RAIB report 02/2022, following the investigation into the derailment of a passenger train at Carmont, Aberdeenshire on 12 August 2020.

    Notes to editors

    1. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.

    2. RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.

    3. For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.

    Newsdate: 23 December 2024

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Scientific Library of the State University of Management: Review of the Results of the “Department Weeks”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    Last year, on the initiative of the rector’s advisor Sergey Chuev, for the 105th anniversary of the State University of Management, the Scientific Library of the State University of Management launched the project “Department Weeks in the Scientific Library”. Every two weeks, the departments, replacing each other, organized conferences, round tables, discussions, quests, book presentations in their areas of activity and other events.

    “Department Weeks” attracted the attention of both the staff and students of the State University of Management, as well as guests of the Scientific Library, creating an atmosphere of lively exchange of knowledge and ideas. This happened, among other things, thanks to the work of the head of the information and bibliographic department Olga Fomakina and the chief bibliographer Olga Korshunova, who with special attention and care selected literature for exhibitions of the works of the department scientists. Their professionalism and creative approach made the project not only popular, but also a real scientific event. In total, 1,180 books were presented at the exhibitions. Each exhibit was not just a book, but a window into the world of scientific discoveries and achievements, arousing genuine interest and inspiration in all visitors.

    This academic year, the following departments presented their achievements:

    Department of Philosophy (September 9–22); Department of Mathematical Methods in Economics and Management (September 23–October 6); Department of Economics and Management in Construction (October 7–20); Department of Physical Education (October 21–November 3); Department of Public and Municipal Administration (November 4–17); Department of Environmental Management (November 18–December 1); Department of Management in International Business and Tourism Industry (December 2–15).

    The Department of Philosophy participated in the project twice. In September, a tour of the Scientific Library was organized for students of the Institute of Personnel Management, Social and Business Communications. Candidate of Cultural Studies, senior lecturer of the department Liana Popova introduced them to the teaching aids, monographs and other publications of the department.

    The Department of Mathematical Methods in Economics and Management held a tour for first-year students of the educational program “Business Mathematics and Data Analysis”. Deputy Head of the Department, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor Inna Kramarenko introduced them to the works of the department’s scientists, including the works of the head of the department Olga Pisareva and the founder of the department Vasily Dudorin.

    The Department of Economics and Management in Construction organized a round table for its employees and students studying in the educational programs implemented by the department, “Scientific and educational potential of the department as a basis for developing competencies.” The head of the department, candidate of economic sciences, associate professor, corresponding member of the REA Olga Astafieva gave a welcoming speech, outlining the development trajectories of the implemented educational programs in the bachelor’s and master’s programs. Senior lecturer Yuri Tikhonov introduced the participants to the history of the department, famous scientists and important textbooks that have become the main ones in their disciplines. Professor of the department, candidate of economic sciences, professor Tatyana Shemyakina discussed with students the importance of books in the modern educational process.

    Teachers of the Department of Physical Education Ekaterina Gracheva, Denis Kokorev and Dmitry Savchenko organized a lecture for first-year students on the topic of “Physical Activity in a Student’s Life”, discussed in detail the basics of a healthy lifestyle and its components and talked about the physiological processes that occur in the human body under the influence of various types of physical activity. The participants of the event talked about why physical activity is important, how it affects a person’s mental health and mental performance and what consequences a sedentary lifestyle leads to. For students of the 1st-3rd years, a lecture “Stress and Health” was held on the possible consequences of stress on human health and the necessary skills to increase stress resistance in a student’s daily routine. The lecture was given by Associate Professor of the Department, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Irina Merkulova. The event was prepared and organized by Associate Professor of the Department, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Tatyana Siverkina and Senior Lecturer Tatyana Vedishcheva.

    The Department of Public and Municipal Administration participated in the project for the third time. As part of the “Department Weeks” in November, senior lecturer of the department Elena Yamchuk held a round table on the specifics of managing joint-stock companies with state participation. An open lesson with 2nd-year students of the “Public and Municipal Administration” program on working with the “ConsultantPlus” system as part of studying the discipline “State Regulation of the Economy” was held with the participation of professor of the department, doctor of economic sciences, associate professor Nadezhda Matveeva. The head of the department, adviser to the rector’s office, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor Sergey Chuev and deputy head of the department, associate professor of the department, candidate of economic sciences Mikhail Polyakov organized an open assessment of the knowledge of 4th-year students of the “Public and Municipal Administration” program, accompanied by experts from the National Accreditation Council for Business and Management Education. Mikhail Polyakov also held a foresight session with 4th year students on the topic: “Increasing the level of investment attractiveness of small towns” and a strategic session on the topic: “The role of public organizations in the interaction of civil society and politics in the social sphere”.

    The Department of Nature Management, with the active participation of Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor Ekaterina Shamaeva, enthusiastically prepared an exhibition of scientific works of its employees and books devoted to issues of nature management. Of particular interest was the series of publications on national security issues “Russia’s Security. Legal, Socio-Economic and Scientific-Technical Aspects”, presented by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation Yakov Vishnyakov.

    The project ended with events of the Department of Management in International Business and Tourism Industry.

    On December 6, in the Scientific Library, Associate Professor of the Department, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor Svetlana Grishaeva held a Discussion Club “Doing Russian Business with Chinese Partners” with 3rd-year students of the Management program of the International Business educational program. The participants discussed effective communication strategies with partners and China, including existing barriers and stereotypes about the specifics of working with Chinese businessmen, worked out cases of various situations of interaction between Chinese and Russian partners and considered typical mistakes in building Russian-Chinese business.

    On December 7, at the Boiling Point of the State University of Management, senior lecturer of the department Anna Firsova organized a business game “Creating Inclusive Tourist Routes” for 4th-year students majoring in “Hotel Business” of the educational program “Hotel and Restaurant Business”. Students, divided into teams, developed a tourist route for a certain category of tourists (for example, for people with limited mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive impairment) based on a study of the needs of the selected category of tourists and determining the main points of the route that should be accessible and interesting for them. As a result of the presentation of the developed routes, student teams selected the best tourist routes that can be implemented in real inclusive tourism projects.

    On December 11, in the Scientific Library, senior lecturer of the department Anna Zbarskaya held a seminar in English “Cross-cultural aspects in the hospitality industry”, which was dedicated to the importance of studying the cultures of different countries and the formation of cultural intelligence for successful business communications. Third-year students of the “Hotel Business” program of the “Hotel and Restaurant Business” discussed the main theoretical issues related to cross-cultural communications, including such concepts as culture, models and types of cultures, culture shock, etc., presented their results of the analysis of different countries and their cultures, considered strategies for effective intercultural communication and ways to overcome cross-cultural problems during negotiations and doing business in the hotel industry.

    The Scientific Library of the State University of Management congratulates everyone on the upcoming holidays and looks forward to seeing everyone at its events in the New Year!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 23.12.2024

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: House of the Dragon and families fighting for power – it can happen in business too

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Bingbing Ge, Lecturer in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Lancaster University

    While most agree that HBO’s hit fantasy show House of the Dragon (HotD) might be an interesting dive into the chaos of the Middle Ages, less has been said about its lessons for the contemporary business world.

    Though modern laws make sibling rivalries much more civilised (siblings don’t usually kill each other, nor do they have dragons), there are still many similarities between throne-claiming and today’s family battles over business leadership – especially when multiple siblings are involved.

    As a lecturer in entrepreneurship and strategy, I use the show – a prequel to Game of Thrones that sees siblings fighting to inherit their father’s throne – to illustrate the complications in family business succession.

    When succession of leadership in a business becomes an issue, it is important for the family to be clear about their direction. Important, and often difficult, conversations around which legacy, as well as the methods to achieve it, need to be agreed by all family members.

    The issue of succession is known to contribute to tension in famous family businesses, as seen with the Murdoch family. As one of the most prevalent forms of business worldwide, family businesses could certainly try to avoid conflict – and, in HotD’s case, a kingdom dispute – if successions were handled more carefully.

    In the show, King Viserys I Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine, is not a bad ruler, but when it came to succession planning there was so much more he could have done. By the time he had announced his daughter Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) as heir, it was perceived that this decision was taken out of desperation, due to there being no male heir.

    Succession planning.

    Family business leaders typically have a stronger sense of ownership of the firm than non-family employees, which sometimes leads them to keep hold of leadership. While this is human nature, it is important for family business leaders, like kings are to their kingdoms, to remember their responsibility to the businesses’ prosperity and stability and to have a clear Plan B.

    The accession of an heir in a family business often sparks wide discussions, like in the case of Alexandre Arnault of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. He was recently appointed at just 32 years old as deputy CEO of the group’s wines and spirits business Moët Hennessy. In the case of the heir Rhaenyra in HotD, her half-brother challenged her legitimacy to the throne, with strong support from stakeholders, (that is to say, the lords in the show) who believed that a son would make a more legitimate heir.

    In a family business, successors often need to legitimise their position and get the senior managers (like the lords in HotD), employees, and other stakeholders like customers (the “smallfolk” in the show), to accept the transition.

    While there are different stages of succession, research has shown that it extends far beyond the business arena to affect the lives of family members, with conflict spilling into other areas.

    In a family where everyone gets on, a succession can bind the next generations together – to the point where they might even quit jobs with other companies to carry on the family dream. But HotD portrays a dysfunctional family and intense sibling rivalry, as is also the case in another TV show, Succession.

    In HotD, the king’s first son Aegon (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) was groomed to be fearful and even hateful of his half-sister Rhaenyra and her children. The dysfunctional family life went on to haunt the children when succession discussions arose.

    The Targaryen family in HotD was divided by goals – with Viserys’ and Rheanyra’s side aiming to continue the Targaryen reign, and the king’s second wife Alicent (played by Olivia Cooke) and Aegon’s side trying to maintain primogeniture (where succession goes to the first-born child) and purity in the bloodline. Competing goals are often paradoxical and can be unsettling for stakeholders in family businesses.

    The role of women

    In the show, there are instances where the roles and desires of female characters are marginalised. The role of women in family businesses has also traditionally been overlooked.

    But female family business members are often more important than their titles in the business suggest, where their role in the family in maintaining traditions, values and harmony are sometimes more central.

    HotD demonstrates how the sometimes quieter female voices can influence the succession through the use of a variety of strong female characters. This is a helpful resource to illustrate how females might influence strategic decisions in family businesses.

    Women’s influence in the family and its business can sometimes go unrecognised. This could be particularly tricky in situations where multiple siblings (and even wives) are in competition, like the Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) retail and leisure empire, where ten family members had claims on the estate.

    Sibling rivalries and the challenge of female legitimacy in family business succession take centre-stage in HotD. The complex dynamics between heirs vying for power and the struggles faced by women in leadership roles echo the real-world tensions that often unfold in family-owned businesses.

    Viewers may be immersed in the sweeping political dramas of Westeros, but at the same time the series offers important contemporary lessons in managing family legacies, power struggles and succession planning.

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

    – ref. House of the Dragon and families fighting for power – it can happen in business too – https://theconversation.com/house-of-the-dragon-and-families-fighting-for-power-it-can-happen-in-business-too-237377

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 4B: how South Korean women are leading a radical movement against misogyny

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Youngmi Kim, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies, University of Edinburgh

    Tanawat Chantradilokrat / Shutterstock

    Donald Trump’s return to the White House has sparked fears about the future for women’s rights in the US. Trump has a long history of misogyny and has boasted about his role in shaping the court that overturned women’s constitutional right to an abortion in 2022. His victory thus, unsurprisingly, sparked a reaction.

    Following November’s election, some American women encouraged each other to delete dating apps, sign up for self-defence classes, and get on birth control. Others drew attention to 4B, a radical feminist movement founded in South Korea that has seen some women refuse to marry, have children, engage in romance, or participate in sexual relationships with men.

    The movement, which first came about in the 2010s as a response to the misogyny that is pervasive across South Korean society, went viral on social media in the aftermath of Trump’s election, especially in the US. It takes its name from its four defining tenets: bihon (no marriage), bichulsan (no childbirth), biyeonae (no dating), and bisex (no sex).

    Feminist activism in South Korea is not new, but it only gained wide popularity and support over the past decade. In 2016, a woman was killed at a public toilet near the Gangnam subway station in the country’s capital, Seoul, by a stranger who told the police he committed the crime because he had been “belittled by women” many times in the past. The tragic event sparked mass public mourning and prompted backlash against misogyny across the nation.

    The #MeToo movement, which has highlighted sexual harassment and abuse around the world, took hold in South Korea the following year. This started with allegations of rape, assault and sexually predatory behaviour against renowned Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk and actor Cho Jae-hyeon.

    Kim responded to South Korea’s state broadcaster MBC, where the accusations were first made, by saying, “I never tried to satisfy my personal desires using my status as a film director,” and claimed that he only engaged in “consensual sexual relationships”. Cho pledged his innocence, saying: “The things I see in news are so different from truth.” And, in January 2021, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in his favour.

    But allegations quickly spread to the political arena. Ahn Hee-jung, the governor of the western province of South Chungcheong resigned in 2018 after his secretary publicly accused him of repeatedly raping her. Ahn was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for sexual assault.

    The former mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, was then found dead in 2020 after an apparent suicide one day after his secretary filed a complaint against him with the police over sexual harassment. More than 500,000 people signed a petition calling on the government not to use public money for Park’s five-day state funeral.

    Sexual violence in South Korea is not exclusive to influential figures. Thousands of people in South Korea – the vast majority of whom are female – have fallen victim to illicit filming in public places over the past decade. Between 2011 and 2017, there was a fivefold increase in the number of people identified by the police for illicit filming, from 1,300 to 5,300. South Korea’s former president, Moon Jae-in, said in May 2024 that spy cams had become a “part of daily life”.

    Many of these clips are subsequently shared on adult websites. A report by international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch in 2021 found that the anguish caused by this crime was so severe that it led to depression and suicidal thoughts among the affected women and girls. It was out of this deep-seated misogyny that South Korea’s 4B movement was born.

    #MeToo protest march in Seoul, South Korea in August 2018.
    Socialtruant / Shutterstock

    From hopelessness to resentment

    The 4B movement took root at a time when South Korea was undergoing its own reckoning with gender violence and inequality. But, in my position as a researcher of online political participation and activism, I see it as also entwined in a broader societal movement in which a generation of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s have given up on numerous things. This includes not only dating, marriage and childbearing, but also employment, home ownership, and, in general, hope for their future.

    This sense of hopelessness can be traced to the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis in 1997, when economic reforms were implemented to increase the flexibility of the labour market. Since then, a growing number of South Korean citizens have found themselves unable to find secure employment, which has led a growing number of young people to give up entirely on searching for a job.

    These feelings of hopelessness have manifested in gender conflict online. Many young men see themselves as victims of the achievements of South Korea’s feminist movements over the past two decades, particularly the abolition of the country’s military service bonus point system in 1999. This system granted men who had completed their mandatory military service an additional 3% to 5% in public official recruitment exams.

    South Korean politicians have weaponised this growing resentment, and have used sexism and misogyny for electoral gain. South Korea’s now suspended current president, Yoon Suk Yeol, won the presidential election in 2022, in part thanks to his efforts to consolidate the support of aggrieved young male voters. During his campaign, Yoon promised to abolish the ministry of gender equality and family, accusing it of treating men like “potential sex criminals”.

    There are certainly aspects of this trend of giving up that are specific to South Korea. But it also resonates across many advanced industrialised societies that are becoming increasingly unequal. Societal conflicts are being compounded by growing economic divides in an increasingly polarised world.

    Youngmi Kim receives funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (‘Arts and culture-led mobilization in Leith and Gamcheon’) and the Academy of Korean Studies (‘Consolidating the Scottish Centre for Korean Studies at the University of Edinburgh’).

    – ref. 4B: how South Korean women are leading a radical movement against misogyny – https://theconversation.com/4b-how-south-korean-women-are-leading-a-radical-movement-against-misogyny-243296

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Repression of climate and environmental protest is intensifying across the world

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oscar Berglund, Senior Lecturer in International Public and Social Policy, University of Bristol

    Climate and environmental protest is being criminalised and repressed around the world. The criminalisation of such protest has received a lot of attention in certain countries, including the UK and Australia. But there have not been any attempts to capture the global trend – until now.

    We recently published a report, with three University of Bristol colleagues, which shows this repression is indeed a global trend – and that it is becoming more difficult around the world to stand up for climate justice.

    This criminalisation and repression spans the global north and south, and includes more and less democratic countries. It does, however, take different forms.

    Our report distinguishes between climate and environmental protest. The latter are campaigns against specific environmentally destructive projects – most commonly oil and gas extraction and pipelines, deforestation, dam building and mining. They take place all around the world.

    Climate protests are aimed at mitigating climate change by decreasing carbon emissions, and tend to make bigger policy or political demands (“cut global emissions now” rather than “don’t build this power plant”). They often take place in urban areas and are more common in the global north.

    Four ways to repress activism

    The intensifying criminalisation and repression is taking four main forms.

    1. Anti-protest laws are introduced

    Anti-protest laws may give the police more powers to stop protest, introduce new criminal offences, increase sentence lengths for existing offences, or give policy impunity when harming protesters. In the 14 countries we looked at, we found 22 such pieces of legislation introduced since 2019.

    2. Protest is criminalised through prosecution and courts

    This can mean using laws against climate and environmental activists that were designed to be used against terrorism or organised crime. In Germany, members of Letzte Generation (Last Generation), a direct action group in the mould of Just Stop Oil, were charged in May 2024 with “forming a criminal organisation”. This section of the law is typically used against mafia organisations and had never been applied to a non-violent group.

    In the Philippines, anti-terrorism laws have been used against environmentalists who have found themselves unable to return to their home islands.

    Criminalising protest can also mean lowering the threshold for prosecution, preventing climate activists from mentioning climate change in court, and changing other court processes to make guilty verdicts more likely. Another example is injunctions that can be taken out by corporations against activists who protest against them.

    3. Harsher policing

    This stretches from stopping and searching to surveillance, arrests, violence, infiltration and threatening activists. The policing of activists is carried out not just by state actors like police and armed forces, but also private actors including private security, organised crime and corporations.

    In Germany, regional police have been accused of collaborating with an energy giant (and its private fire brigade) to evict coal mine protesters, while private security was used extensively in policing anti-mining activists in Peru.

    4. Killings and disappearances

    Lastly, in the most extreme cases, environmental activists are murdered. This is an extension of the trend for harsher policing, as it typically follows threats by the same range of actors. We used data from the NGO Global Witness to show this is increasingly common in countries including Brazil, Philippines, Peru and India. In Brazil, most murders are carried out by organised crime groups while in Peru, it is the police force.

    Protests are increasing

    To look more closely at the global picture of climate and environmental protest – and the repression of it – we used the Armed Conflicts Location Event database. This showed us that climate protests increased dramatically in 2018-2019 and have not declined since. They make up on average about 4% of all protest in the 81 countries that had more than 1,000 protests recorded in the 2012-2023 period:

    Climate protests increased sharply in the late 2010s in the 14 countries studied. (Data is smoothed over five months; number of protests is per country per month.)
    Berglund et al; Data: ACLED, CC BY-SA

    This second graph shows that environmental protest has increased more gradually:

    Environmental protests in the same 14 countries.
    Data: ACLED, CC BY-SA

    We used this data to see what kind of repression activists face. By looking for keywords in the reporting of protest events, we found that on average 3% of climate and environmental protests face police violence, and 6.3% involve arrests. But behind these averages are large differences in the nature of protest and its policing.

    A combination of the presence of protest groups like Extinction Rebellion, who often actively seek arrests, and police forces that are more likely to make arrests, mean countries such as Australia and the UK have very high levels of arrest. Some 20% of Australian climate and environmental protests involve arrests, against 17% in the UK – with the highest in the world being Canada on 27%.

    Meanwhile, police violence is high in countries such as Peru (6.5%) and Uganda (4.4%). France stands out as a European country with relatively high levels of police violence (3.2%) and low levels of arrests (also 3.2%).

    In summary, while criminalisation and repression does not look the same across the world, there are remarkable similarities. It is increasing in a lot of countries, it involves both state and corporate actors, and it takes many forms.

    This repression is taking place in a context where states are not taking adequate action on climate change. By criminalising activists, states depoliticise them. This conceals the fact these activists are ultimately right about the state of the climate and environment – and the lack of positive government action in these areas.

    Oscar Berglund is a member of the Green Party. The report this article is based on was written with Christina Pantazis, Chris Rossdale and Roxana Pessoa Cavalcanti.

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

    – ref. Repression of climate and environmental protest is intensifying across the world – https://theconversation.com/repression-of-climate-and-environmental-protest-is-intensifying-across-the-world-246379

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Europe’s microstates: the medieval monarchies that survive in our midst

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elisa Bertolini, Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, Bocconi University

    San Marino is one of four microstates with very distinct constitutional arrangements. Shutterstock/kavalenkava

    Continental Europe is home to four microstates with populations of between 30,000 and 80,000 people: Andorra, on the border between France and Spain; Liechtenstein, nestled between Switzerland and Austria; Monaco, which sits on the French Riviera; and San Marino, which is surrounded by northern Italy.

    These states have existed since the medieval period and their tiny size has enabled them to develop and maintain singular constitutional arrangements. They have all developed original solutions to the problems of state architecture, many of which survive today.

    All four of these microstates participate in the Council of Europe (Europe’s human rights organisation) and have therefore had to modernise to meet international standards of governance. This includes the independence of the judiciary.

    However, all four have also implemented these reforms without altering their institutional identity. Their commitment to preserving their distinctiveness from other countries prevents wider reform to their institutions. For them, the protection of national tradition and identity is a form of self-preservation rather than a mere expression of ideology.

    The distinctiveness of the four microstates lies in the survival of institutional arrangements that can no longer to be found practically anywhere else in the world. In the principalities of Liechtenstein and Monaco, for example, the monarchy still has a central role in the constitution.

    Unlike in most European states with a monarchy, in Liechtenstein and Monaco, the royal head of state continues to exercise meaningful power. Andorra and San Marino, meanwhile, operate under a dual head of state arrangement. They effectively have two monarchs.

    The populations of Europe’s medieval microstates.
    World Bank/ Data Commons, CC BY-ND

    Institutional arrangements in these principalities has been shaped by their diminutive size, both in terms of territory and population, and their geographical location. And these arrangements have survived since the middle ages because they have become their identity. While national tradition is an ideological debate in other nations, in these, preserving the past is a survival mechanism.

    Liechtenstein and Monaco

    Liechtenstein and Monaco are constitutional monarchies of the kind that offer substantial power to the royal family. Everything is organised around a prince, who exercises the executive power. Contemporary monarchies in the western legal tradition generally have a ceremonial king or queen but the executive power is held by an elected government. Liechtenstein and Monaco have maintained their historical organisation of government, centred on a very powerful monarch.

    Although his powers are not unlimited, in Monaco, the prince is not even accountable to the parliament for the powers he does hold. Liechtenstein’s prince enjoys even more powers, including the right to appoint half of the members of the constitutional court.

    However, the prince of Liechtenstein’s sovereign power is held in partnership with the people of Liechtenstein. The institutional architecture is built as to allow a system of checks and balances between the prince and the people.

    Since a 2003 constitutional amendment, for example, the people can table a motion of no-confidence in the prince if more than 1,500 citizens are in agreement to do so, which triggers a referendum on confidence in him. The same number of citizens can mount an initiative to abolish the monarchy entirely, should they choose to do so.

    Andorra and San Marino

    The principality of Andorra should more properly be called co-principality, because of its co-princes arrangement. One of the princes is the bishop of Urgell – from Catalonia – and the other is the president of the French Republic (and previously the French king or emperor). So another Andorran peculiarity is that neither of the princes are Andorran nationals.

    Following a 1993 reform that established a fully fledged constitution, neither prince holds sovereign power. Their present constitutional role is almost entirely ceremonial. However, concerns remain over the fact that they are not nationals of the state and that the heads of state are selected neither by the Andorran people nor by their representatives. The historical reason for a foreign head of state is the geographical location of Andorra – wedged between Catalonia and France. Allowing itself to be put under this double sovereignty was a guarantee of survival.

    San Marino also has a two-headed state but both leaders, called the Captains Regent, are Sammarinese nationals. They are elected by the Grand and General Council (the Sammarinese legislative body) and their distinctive trait is that they serve only a six-month term of office.

    The reason for such a short tenure is that San Marino has a population of just under 34,000 people. Everyone knows everyone else, which is a situation that can be detrimental to the independence of elective offices.

    Captains Regent can’t shore up enough power in their short time in office to be able to overthrow the republic. The Captains Regent were first established in 1243, shortly before a number of Italian republics were overthrown by wealthy families. One of the reasons why San Marino has been able to survive is because it has prevented one family from being more powerful than the others for centuries.

    Microstates are, therefore, not like Europe’s regular-sized states. They have distinctive institutional architectures – and often for understandable reasons.

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

    – ref. Europe’s microstates: the medieval monarchies that survive in our midst – https://theconversation.com/europes-microstates-the-medieval-monarchies-that-survive-in-our-midst-245328

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: President  Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China’s Unfair Trade Practices in the Semiconductor  Sector

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    A resilient and secure supply of foundational semiconductors is critical to U.S. national and economic security.  These semiconductors are essential to key sectors of the U.S. economy, powering cars, medical devices, critical infrastructure, key aerospace and defense systems, and the goods and services we rely on every day.
    The People’s Republic of China (PRC) routinely engages in non-market policies and practices, as well as industrial targeting, of the semiconductor industry that enables PRC companies to significantly harm competition and create dangerous supply chain dependencies in foundational semiconductors.  
    Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking additional action to protect American workers and businesses from the PRC’s unfair trade practices in the semiconductor sector and support a healthy domestic industry for foundational semiconductors. 
    These actions include:
    Launching a Section 301 investigation to examine the PRC’s targeting of foundational semiconductors.
    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is launching a Section 301 investigation to examine the PRC’s targeting of foundational semiconductors (also known as legacy or mature node chips) for dominance and the impact on the U.S. economy.
    In addition, the investigation will initially assess the impact of the PRC’s acts, policies, and practices on the production of silicon carbide substrates or other wafers used as inputs into semiconductor fabrication.
    PRC semiconductors often enter the U.S. market as a component of finished goods. This Section 301 investigation will examine a broad range of the PRC’s non-market acts, policies, and practices with respect to the semiconductor sector, including to the extent these semiconductors are incorporated as components into downstream products for critical industries like defense, automotive, medical devices, aerospace, telecommunications, and power generation and the electrical grid. 
    Awarding and catalyzing billions of dollars in semiconductor manufacturing projects across the country.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has championed efforts to ensure more chips are made in America by American workers, in particular through CHIPS and Science Act funding, which allocates at least $2 billion for mature semiconductors.  This was a key part of President Biden’s vision for renewing American economic leadership and a vibrant American industrial base.
    The United States is investing across the semiconductor supply chain—including the upstream materials critical to chip manufacturing such as silicon carbide and wafers.  To date, the Department of Commerce has catalyzed billions of dollars in private sector investments that will serve the American auto and defense industries, including the Texas Instruments projects in Texas and Utah, the GlobalFoundries projects in Vermont and New York, and the Bosch project in California.  Many of these investments also include supply agreements with customers across critical infrastructure industries to maximize the predictability, volume, and quality of domestically manufactured chips needed to power complex technology.  These investments are compounded and sustained by this Administration’s 48D Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, which will provide up to a 25% tax incentive for the manufacturing of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and wafer production.
    Reducing national security risks in federal supply chains.
    Semiconductors are key components of U.S. critical infrastructure that have many military applications. It is vital that federal agencies procure secure and trusted chips. 
    To clean up federal procurement of semiconductors, the Biden-Harris Administration is:
    Implementing a statutory provision in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023 that prohibits executive agencies from procuring or obtaining products and services that include chips from certain Chinese fabs and other entities of concern.
    Releasing a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge the best ways for government contractors to scale up their use of domestically manufactured chips, particularly for critical infrastructure.  The RFI intends to solicit commercial ideas from industry that may inform future policymaking in support of the government-wide effort to leverage existing manufacturing capacity.
    Issuing guidance to help the Federal Government – the world’s largest buyer – organize its demand for domestic semiconductors so that agencies can mitigate the risk posed by undue dependence on foreign manufacturing, limited competition, and possible higher manufacturing costs.  This effort includes agencies developing strategies to dual or multiple source semiconductors, increasing transparency for critical infrastructure supply chains, and providing the government’s demand for the products and services that use these chips.
    Prioritizing supply chain resilience and bolstering our toolkit to address non-market policies and practices.
    President Biden made supply chain resilience a Day One priority in his Administration.  The first-ever U.S. Government Quadrennial Supply Chain Review, published on December 19, provides an in-depth assessment of the United States’ critical supply chains, actions taken over the last four years to make each supply chain more resilient, and necessary steps to increase U.S. resilience in the future. 
    The Review includes a comprehensive strategy to respond to non-market policies and practices because they pose a significant challenge in critical industries covered in the supply chain report.  The strategy details the types of comprehensive action necessary to combat non-market policies and practices, including procurement policies. 
    Working with our partners around the world to strengthen cooperation on semiconductor supply chains and address shared concerns about China’s unfair practices.
    Semiconductor supply chains are critical not only to the United States but to all of our allies and partners.  The Biden-Harris Administration has closely consulted with allies and partners on promoting economic resilience and addressing the PRC’s non-market practices in the semiconductor supply chain, including through the following efforts:
    The State Department launched the CHIPS and Science Act’s International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund, which has thus far partnered with eight countries – Costa Rica, Panama, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Mexico – to promote semiconductor supply chain development, security, and diversification.
    The Department of Commerce announced the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience with 13 diverse partner countries across the Indo-Pacific, led by the United States, to coordinate more resilient supply chains for semiconductors and other industries.
    Within the G7, the United States has championed efforts to bolster economic resilience and address harmful market distortions and global excess capacity in key sectors resulting from non-market policies and practices.   This led to the establishment of mechanisms to jointly monitor and respond to these detrimental practices, including in the semiconductor sector.  
    President Biden recognizes the benefits for our workers and businesses from strong alliances and a rules-based international trade system based on fair competition.  The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to collaborate with allies and partners on this critical issue in the coming days and weeks.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: In the age of AI, Wallace and Gromit’s claymation style remains a festive favourite

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christopher Holliday, Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education, Department of Interdisciplinary Humanities, King’s College London

    A new Wallace and Gromit adventure, Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), premieres on BBC One and Netflix this Christmas Day. It’s been nearly 20 years since the last feature film about Yorkshire’s favourite eccentric inventor and his above-intelligent pet dog, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

    Aardman’s latest Christmas instalment marks the reappearance of Feathers McGraw, the mysterious and silent penguin villain from The Wrong Trousers (1993). It also represents the latest outing for the Bristol-based company’s signature stop-motion “claymation” style – which is both a symbol of the studio’s enduring relationship to craft, and a vital element of Aardman’s international identity as an animation powerhouse.

    A new era of artificial intelligence is threatening to transform the boundaries of what we understand as art. So it is significant that one of this year’s most highly anticipated festive films celebrates the skill and spirit of handmade animation.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Aardman was founded in 1972. Over the last 50 years, the studio has cultivated a durable and worldwide reputation as a pioneer of animation as a handmade, craft-based art form.

    Both before and after its feature-film debut, Chicken Run (2000), the studio’s stop-motion approach was refined across an extensive range of animated projects and commissions. These included short films like Creature Comforts (1990), the first Aardman production to win an Academy Award, as well as an array of television idents, music videos and advertising campaigns.

    Such has been Aardman’s longstanding connection to claymation that when the Newplast company shut down in March 2023, sparking rumours of a shortage of its famous modelling clay, the studio issued a statement denying it was running out of materials, while assuring fans it would find a new supplier for future projects.

    The trailer for Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

    Aardman’s animated productions have been a staple of Christmas film and television since Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park’s 30-minute short The Wrong Trousers debuted on Boxing Day 1993.

    So much so, in fact, that Aardman proclaims that it is “proud to be synonymous with Christmas”. The many television specials featuring old and new Aardman characters include the 30-minute Netflix Christmas shorts Shaun The Sheep: A Flight Before Christmas (2021) and Robin Robin (2021), as well as multiple “cracking” Christmas advertising campaigns.

    This Christmas season, that’s included the decorating of London’s Battersea power station with Aardman characters, and a collection of specially commissioned Christmas idents exclusively for the BBC.

    Aardman goes digital

    Despite a defining investment in the creative potential of claymation, the studio has occasionally dipped a toe into the the world of digital technology. A brief foray into computer-animated filmmaking in the early 2000s with Flushed Away (2006) and Arthur Christmas (2011) marked an ultimately short-lived creative partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures.

    While Aardman’s involvement with these renowned Hollywood companies pushed the studio away from its house style and ushered in a new kind of big-screen humour, in design at least, these films retained their quintessential Aardman “look”. But though these characters appeared firmly from the Aardman stable (particularly in their recognisably exaggerated smiles), their animated perfection demonstrated the pristine visuals increasingly afforded by sophisticated computer graphics.

    Clearly, much like Wallace, Aardman animators aren’t immune to the thrill of technological innovation. But they have still largely maintained their claymation methods of production, to instil in audiences the many pleasures of doing things by hand.

    The glimpse of fingerprints accidentally pressed into the modelling clay, coupled with the jerky movements of their plasticine characters, emphasises that Aardman methods remain far removed from modern technology. Craft and the handmade are therefore as much business strategies as they are aesthetic choices, deployed to sell the Aardman brand around the world.

    After a hiatus of almost 20 years, the imminent return of Wallace and Gromit to British screens seems a pointed reflection on the virtues of the handmade, against the acceleration of AI within the film industry.

    With Vengeance Most Fowl telling the story of a rogue automatic garden gnome, Aardman is seemingly questioning a future built from computerised (and potentially dangerous) automation. By preserving the artisanal and anchoring its very British charm once again to the hand-crafted, slightly imperfect models that populate these stop-motion animated worlds, it seems that, for Aardman at least, computers are not always what they are cracked up to be.

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

    – ref. In the age of AI, Wallace and Gromit’s claymation style remains a festive favourite – https://theconversation.com/in-the-age-of-ai-wallace-and-gromits-claymation-style-remains-a-festive-favourite-246070

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Christmas booze ban for record number of offenders

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Around 3,800 offenders either released from prison or serving a community sentence will wear an alcohol tag over Christmas and New Year.

    • Around 3,800 offenders forced to wear alcohol tags to keep streets safe over Christmas and New Year
    • Technology monitors alcohol in their sweat so offenders can’t enjoy a festive tipple
    • Tags help tackle drink-fuelled crime such as domestic abuse and drunken disorder

    A record number of offenders will be forced to stay sober this Christmas as part of the government’s Plan for Change, keeping streets safe and cutting alcohol-fuelled crime.

    Statistics published today (23 December) show around 3,800 offenders either released from prison or serving a community sentence will wear an alcohol tag over Christmas and New Year.

    The tags work around the clock and quickly detect if an offender has been drinking by analysing their sweat, meaning festive favourites such as mulled wine and prosecco will be strictly off the menu.

    If an offender dares to have a drink, an alert is sent to their probation officer who can take action to punish them, such as an order to return to court or even prison.

    Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, said:

    The sad reality is alcohol-fuelled crime such as domestic abuse and public disorder spikes at Christmas and has a devastating impact in our homes and town centres.

    Technology like this is playing a key role in the government’s mission to take back our streets by monitoring offenders and cutting crime.

    The tags are accurate enough to distinguish between foods that contain low-levels of alcohol – such as mince pies or Christmas pudding – and boozier drinks that could lead to offenders getting drunk.

    The technology is playing a significant role in the government’s mission to take back our streets from alcohol-fuelled harm, which costs the taxpayer billions of pounds each year. 

    Offenders who are banned from consuming alcohol by the courts have remained sober for 97% of the days they have been tagged since the technology was first rolled out in 2020.

    They monitor alcohol bans for offenders on community sentences handed down by judges or magistrates and can also be used as a licence condition for prison leavers. Roughly 20% of those supervised by probation are classified as having a drinking problem.

    These statistics come as the government is conducting a landmark review of sentencing, which will further explore the range of tougher punishments that can be served outside of prison. This will explore the technology we can use to limit the liberties of offenders in the community and support the administration of sentences outside of prison.

    Further information

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 December 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Best in Law”: prestigious legal award ceremony held in Moscow

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    On December 19, the award ceremony for the winners of the annual HSE Faculty of Law “Best in Law” competition took place. This year, one of the main events of the country’s legal community was held in an unusual format, combining jurisprudence and art.

    Faculty of Law, National Research University Higher School of Economics

    This year’s winners of the competition include Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Boris Chernyshov (nominated for “Best Strategic Partnership”), writer Alexander Tsypkin (nominated for “Law in Art” – for creating a lyrical female image of a lawyer in the TV series “What Should a Woman Do If…”), First Vice President of Gazprombank Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokova (nominated for “Best in the Alumni Community”), retired Chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation Anton Ivanov, as well as representatives of the teaching staff and students.

    “I have warm student memories of HSE University – it is my alma mater. We all remain a big family, so receiving such an award from the faculty is especially valuable. Developing strategic partnerships with educational institutions continues to be one of the key tasks of the state: in this way, we not only attract the best young personnel, but also strengthen the training of lawyers, and the HSE Law Faculty is the undisputed leader in the quality of education,” said Deputy Speaker of Parliament Boris Chernyshov.

    The winners and guests were treated not only to the ceremony itself, but also to excursions into the history of painting. Paintings from the collection of the Pushkin Museum, a partner of the HSE Faculty of Law, emphasized the theme of each nomination.

    The awards were presented by the Dean of the Faculty of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Vadim Vinogradov, Vice-Rectors of the HSE Irina Martusevich and Alexey Koshel, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Russian Federation Andrey Yatskin, Deputy Chairman of VEB.RF Daniil Algulyan, Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science Sergey Rukavishnikov, Managing Director of the Legal Department of Sberbank PJSC Nadezhda Tretyakova and others.

    “It is always a pleasure to reward the best, especially since the competition for the honorary title of “Best in Law” is high. Over the past few years, we have managed to build strong partnerships with representatives of government institutions, businesses, and cultural institutions at the faculty: this way, we not only enrich our own expertise, but also demonstrate in practice what impressive results can be achieved through joint work,” added Vadim Vinogradov, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Law.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Opening ceremony of reprovisioned Chung Ying Street Checkpoint in Sha Tau Kok held today (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Opening ceremony of reprovisioned Chung Ying Street Checkpoint in Sha Tau Kok held today (with photos/video)
    Opening ceremony of reprovisioned Chung Ying Street Checkpoint in Sha Tau Kok held today (with photos/video)
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         The opening ceremony of the reprovisioned Chung Ying Street Checkpoint in Sha Tau Kok was held today (December 23). A pilot scheme for facial recognition technology has been introduced at the new checkpoint, allowing people living or working at Chung Ying Street to access the area unimpeded through “contactless channels” without having to stop and produce their Closed Area Permit (CAP) or use their fingerprint to verify their identity. The aim is to facilitate the flow of people and enhance the checkpoint’s processing capacity.     Addressing the opening ceremony, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, noted that to facilitate entry to and exit from Chung Ying Street, the Government has replaced the former checkpoint made up of marquees with a permanent structure, and for the first time introduced facial recognition technology. This allows people living and working on Chung Ying Street to be the first to use “contactless channels” for unimpeded access. The Government will continue to explore the application of relevant technology to complement the future opening of Chung Ying Street for tourism. In the future, holders of valid CAPs for access to Chung Ying Street may, upon prior enrolment, pass through the checkpoint via “contactless channels”. In adopting the pilot scheme, the Government hopes to replace the current mode of manual inspections through applying innovative technology to assist users of the checkpoint, enhance the checkpoint’s capacity, and highlight Hong Kong’s high-quality digital technology as an international metropolis.     Mr Chan also expressed his gratitude to the various government departments and organisations for their joint efforts in the successful completion of the reprovision project, thereby providing better facilities for Chung Ying Street, an area rich in unique historical and cultural value.     The checkpoint’s design has integrated historical and modern elements, showcasing the characteristics of Hong Kong’s traditional train stations. Its exterior wall is decorated with copper plate engravings featuring a historical train, preserving the history of the branch line. In addition, multiple energy-saving designs have been incorporated in the checkpoint which combines functionality and aesthetics, creating a cultural landmark for Chung Ying Street.     ???Other officiating guests included the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Permanent Secretary for Security, Mr Patrick Li; the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho; the Director of Immigration, Mr Kwok Joon-fung; the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Deputy Director of Architectural Services, Mr Alan Sin; the Chairman of the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk, Mr Kenneth Lau; and the Chairman of the Sha Tau Kok District Rural Committee, Mr Lee Koon-hung.

     
    Ends/Monday, December 23, 2024Issued at HKT 18:56

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –