NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom issues executive order tackling rising electric bills

    Source: US State of California 2

    Oct 30, 2024

    What you need to know: The Governor signed an executive order to help curb rising electricity costs and provide electric bill relief.

    SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order designed to reduce electric costs for Californians. 

    The Governor’s action encourages electric bill relief while maintaining the state’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and 100% clean electricity by 2045. The action comes as millions of Californians received an average credit of $71 on their October electric bills from the California Climate Credit, provided by the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.

    We’re taking action to address rising electricity costs and save consumers money on their bills. California is proving that we can address affordability concerns as we continue our world-leading efforts to combat the climate crisis.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Tackling rising electricity costs

    While California has been successful in keeping electric bills lower than many other states on average thanks to decades of work advancing energy efficiency standards, Californians have seen their electric bills rising in recent years. A major driver has been critical utility wildfire mitigation efforts that have accelerated to match the pace of the climate crisis, as well as several programs added over time. 

    The Governor’s executive order addresses both of these cost drivers by zeroing in on some programs that could be inflating customer bills and evaluating utility wildfire mitigation expenses for potential administrative savings. 

    The Governor’s executive order:

    • Encourages electric bill relief. The executive order asks the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to identify underperforming programs and return any unused energy program funds back to customers receiving electric and gas service from private utilities as one or more credits on their bills. 
    • Maximizes the California Climate Credit. The executive order directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to work with the CPUC to determine ways to maximize the California Climate Credit, which is a twice annual credit that shows up on many Californians’ electric and gas bills in the spring and fall and is funded by the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.
    • Manages and reduces electric costs for the long-term. The executive order asks the CPUC to evaluate electric ratepayer supported programs and costs of regulations and make recommendations on additional ways to save consumers money. It also asks the CPUC to pursue any federal funding available to help lower electricity costs for Californians. Additionally, the executive order directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) to evaluate electric ratepayer-funded programs and identify any potential changes that could save Californians money on their bills. 
    • Smarter wildfire mitigation investments. The executive order directs the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, and requests the CPUC, to evaluate utility wildfire safety oversight practices and ensure that utility investments and activities are focused on cost-effective wildfire mitigation measures. 

    Text of the executive order is available here.

    In addition to the Governor’s action, earlier this year, the CPUC approved a proposal to reduce the price of residential electricity through a new billing structure authorized by the state Legislature. This follows actions in recent years such as providing direct relief to customers and using state funds, rather than ratepayer monies, to develop a Strategic Reliability Reserve to maintain electric grid reliability during extreme conditions.

    The Governor welcomes partnership with the legislature to further additional actions that will address electric bill affordability.

    “Californians expect us to take a hard look at their monthly energy and electricity bills and deliver reduced costs and savings for the long-term,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). “I support increased oversight efforts, because regulators must ensure energy programs are implemented effectively and responsibly. The Governor’s action today is another step forward to lessen households’ total energy burden and lower the cost of living in our state.”

    “Rising electricity costs are impacting Californians and their quality of life,” said Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast). “The state, including its regulatory agencies, needs to buckle down and blunt the expanding fiscal impacts on ratepayers. This is an important start by Governor Newsom, and the Senate plans to double down on this progress in the months ahead.”

    Press Releases, Recent News

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    Oct 28, 2024

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: TB in Africa: global report shows successes, but Nigeria and DRC remain important hotspots

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tom Nyirenda, Extraordinary Senior Lecture in the Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University

    The World Health Organization’s 2024 Global Tuberculosis report reveals a sobering reality. Formidable challenges remain in the fight against the world’s most infectious disease: persistent poverty in high burden countries; increased rates of infection among vulnerable populations; the inability to find and treat all missing cases; and funding shortfalls.

    The WHO’s report measures progress in two ways: the number of TB-related deaths, and the number of people who become ill. There is still a long battle ahead to eradicate a disease that results in over 10 million patients among those already infected and claims around 1.5 million lives each year. This even though it is preventable and curable.

    The good news is that some countries in Africa have made significant progress in reducing infection rates and TB-related deaths.

    Global health specialist Tom Nyirenda assesses some of the report’s key findings and messages.

    Tackling poverty beats TB

    In 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, including 6.0 million men, 3.6 million women and 1.3 million children. This is slightly more than the 10.6 million people recorded in 2022.

    TB can be defeated because we have good diagnostic tools and effective treatment for the commonest forms of the disease. Global funding, which is critical in fighting TB, is not yet up to the scale that is required to stop the disease. Only 26% of the funding committed by global partners to TB prevention, diagnostic and treatment services has materialised so far.

    Good diagnostic tools and treatment aren’t the panacea. Almost 87% of TB cases are from 30 high burden poor countries of the world. Slow or lack of economic progress of affected populations is one of the greatest challenges the world continues to face.



    Read more:
    New TB skin test could offer cheaper and easier way to detect the disease

    TB-related deaths

    On the positive side, progress has been made in reducing TB related deaths in the Africa region. The continent saw the biggest drop in TB related deaths since 2015 of all six regions – 42%. The European region came next with TB deaths down by 38% in the same period.

    When it comes to TB infections the WHO African and European regions have made the most progress: a reduction of 24% in Africa and 27% in Europe.

    One of the main reasons for the success in Africa has been progress in treating HIV patients. This is because TB is one of the most common opportunistic infections among patients with HIV. (Opportunistic infections occur more often or are more severe in people with weakened immune systems.)

    Before antiretrovirals transformed treatment for HIV patients, the African continent had the highest TB-HIV co-infection rates in the world. High mortality was experienced among co-infected patients.

    At one stage HIV prevalence among TB patients was estimated to be as high as 90% in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

    Treating co-infected patients with antiretrovirals has contributed significantly to the drop in TB-related cases and deaths on the continent.

    Some countries have increased TB screening among vulnerable groups such as children and those who live in confined areas, such as prisoners and displaced people.

    Mixed bag of infection rates

    Successes within the African region vary from country to country.

    For example Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among eight countries that accounted for about two-thirds of the global number of people estimated to have developed TB in 2023. Nigeria has 4.6% of the global new cases and the DRC has 3.1%.

    It’s noteworthy that both countries have high levels of poverty; they are vast, with huge populations; and their health services are limited compared to the scale of disease burdens they face.



    Read more:
    Medical science has made great strides in fighting TB, but reducing poverty is the best way to end this disease

    Sometimes increases in reported cases are not a bad thing. They can be due to improved case finding or better diagnostic procedures. But vigilance is required to maintain the drive towards achievement of global targets.

    Barriers to seeking treatment

    Families of TB sufferers often have to bear costs such as for medications, special foods, transport, and a loss of income.

    Such expenses sometimes discourage TB sufferers from seeking treatment.

    The WHO global report estimates families in many countries in Africa are among those facing “catastrophic total costs” as a result of members becoming ill with TB. This is when direct and indirect costs account for more than 20% of a family’s annual household income. The countries where this is the case include Niger, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and South Africa.

    Vaccine race

    The only vaccine against TB, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine, has been used for more than 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people. And it can’t be used on patients who have certain medical conditions.

    Development of vaccines is a lengthy and costly exercise. Only one-fifth of the finance necessary for research has been forthcoming to date.



    Read more:
    TB: gene editing could add new power to a 100-year-old vaccine

    The good news is that of all infectious diseases TB is probably the one that has the most vaccine candidates in the pipeline (about 17). There are currently six vaccine candidates for adults in phase III trials. They could be available within the next five years.

    Beating the disease will require an effective primary or recurrent TB prevention vaccine or a therapeutic vaccine for those already infected with the TB bacteria but who have not yet developed the disease.

    Future threats

    Climate change will affect food security and nutrition, essential for recovery from TB, and also diverting TB resources to epidemics and pandemics associated with it.

    Human conflict, migration and displacement are other threats that world faces that will hinder TB infection control and treatment.

    There is also the urgent need to tackle drug-resistant tuberculosis.

    These dangers strengthen the case for multi-sectoral collaboration to share rare resources and strive for a meaningful impact. The speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed in the middle of a pandemic and global lockdowns shows this is possible in better and worse times.

    What needs to be done

    Without government support the war against TB will never be won. Every country and every community is different. It is therefore essential that locally relevant economic research is conducted in every situation to guide policies that reduce the economic burden of TB on communities. Generated evidence should guide policy and practice. Above all good financing should be mobilised, with governments leading the course.

    Tom Nyirenda is affiliated with European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership -EDCTP.

    – ref. TB in Africa: global report shows successes, but Nigeria and DRC remain important hotspots – https://theconversation.com/tb-in-africa-global-report-shows-successes-but-nigeria-and-drc-remain-important-hotspots-242489

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Russian Federation: Human rights situation – Special Rapporteur | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Press conference by Ms. Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation.

    ———————————

    Mariana Katzarova, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation said, “the aggressive war, the full-scale invasion against Ukraine” has exacerbated “the repression against civil society, against any antiwar expression inside the Russian Federation.”

    Special Rapporteur spoke to reporters Tuesday (29 Oct) in New York, describing instances of Russian citizens, soldiers, and critics who resist the war facing severe punishment, ranging from beatings to torture.

    Katzarova said, “Russian soldiers who decide, or officers who decide, already in Ukraine, that they don’t want to follow criminal orders, they do not want to participate in the war, they have been subjected to despicable torture in so called “zindans” pits in the ground, or they have been suspended from trees without water, without food while they’ve been severely beaten. Some has been shot in the back while trying to escape the war zone.”

    The clampdown has also extended to Russian journalists covering the conflict, with Katzarova detailing how authorities have detained more than 30 reporters. She said, “there are rules of war, but when the authorities of any country, and here we’re talking about the Russian government, starts hunting down journalists on assignment, this shows a desperation by the authorities to really cover up, to silence the truth about the aggressive war in its third year against Ukraine.”

    Katzarova estimated that over 1,300 people are currently detained as political prisoners, though some NGOs place the number above 1,700. Among these cases, she pointed to a young poet, arrested after reading an anti-war poem publicly in Moscow, who was reportedly gang-raped by police officers in detention. Despite the poet’s request for an investigation, Katzarova said, “the judge turned a blind eye.”

    Other dissenters, including prominent activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, have received lengthy prison terms for speaking out. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years for “publishing three articles and delivering two speeches against the war.” His recent release as part of a prisoner exchange is an exception in Russia, Katzarova emphasized.

    Beyond political repression, Katzarova highlighted the troubling status of marginalized groups in Russia, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, which was labeled “extremist” by Russia’s Supreme Court last year, criminalizing expressions of LGBTQ+ identity and symbols. She said, “if you allow yourself to wear the rainbow flag, you are promoting the symbols of extremist organization.”

    Katzarova also condemned Russia’s tolerance of other severe human rights abuses, including the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in regions like Dagestan, a practice that remains legal in the country. “Russia is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, which mandates torture be criminalized under national law,” she stated, noting that domestic violence and torture remain unaddressed by Russian legislation. “There is no law in Russia outlawing domestic violence, nor any distinct criminal offense of torture in Russian legislation,” said the Special Rapporteur.

    Following her UN briefing, Katzarova joined a meeting with public and grassroots organizations, hosted by the German Mission, where Vladimir Kara-Murza, now free, also addressed attendees. Speaking later with UN News, Kara-Murza said, “I believe it’s vitally important that now, for the first time ever, there is a specific mandate holder within the United Nations system tasked with documenting human rights violations in the Russian Federation. This is the first time ever that such a mandate holder has been appointed with responsibility for a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and that alone speaks volumes about the horrendous state of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS-15OQf-HQ

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Intercepting Narcotics – Operation Apollo Success One Year Later | CBP

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is on the frontline against fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. Utilizing advanced data analytics, strategic intelligence-driven operations, canine detention teams, and non-intrusive technology at all stages of the supply chain, CBP Officers and Agents detect, identify, and seize illicit drugs and materials used in the production of illicit synthetic narcotics that are entering the country. Leveraging information sharing with law enforcement, international, and industry partners, CBP is uniquely positioned to lead the government’s efforts to identify and target networks that produce, traffic, and distribute fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

    Frontline Against Fentanyl ➤
    https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/frontline-against-fentanyl

    Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/CBPgov
    Facebook ➤ https://facebook.com/CBPgov
    Twitter ➤ https://twitter.com/CBP
    Official Website ➤ https://www.cbp.gov

    #cbp
    #fentanyl
    #bordersecurity
    #narcos
    #lawenforcement

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7ZXK3mLdU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ten-year ban for director who promoted tax avoidance scheme costing HMRC more than £2.5m

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Director disqualified for operating tax avoidance scheme without notifying authorities

    • Alastair Lunt was the director of Peak PAYE Ltd which operated a tax avoidance scheme which resulted in more than £2.5 million of unpaid tax 

    • The scheme, which had around 250 users, promised to help its customers avoid paying income tax and National Insurance 

    • Lunt has been disqualified as a company director until September 2034 

    A director who promoted a tax avoidance scheme which deprived HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of more than £2.5 million in unpaid tax has been disqualified. 

    Alastair Lunt was the director of Peak PAYE Ltd when it caused losses of at least £2.64 million to HMRC between October 2020 and February 2022. 

    Lunt had failed to notify HMRC of the scheme, which had around 250 users, as he was required to by law. 

    The 36-year-old, who now lives in southern California, was banned as a company director for 10 years. 

    Claire Entwistle, Assistant Director of Operations at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Tax avoidance schemes are marketed as ways for people to pay less tax but do not always work as advertised, landing customers instead with a big tax bill. 

    Our public services also rely on everyone paying their taxes and schemes such as this deprive the UK of the revenue it needs to invest in our hospitals, schools and roads. 

    Peak PAYE’s director, Alastair Lunt, was required to notify HMRC of the scheme. He failed to do so, causing substantial losses to the public purse. 

    We will continue to work closely with our partners at HMRC to disrupt and clamp down on scheme promoters such as Peak PAYE.

    Peak PAYE operated its tax avoidance scheme by paying contractors the National Minimum Wage, and then paying the remainder of their wages disguised as a financial option or as a salary advance. 

    The company, which had a registered office in Manchester, promised users they could avoid paying National Insurance and income tax as a result. 

    Promoters of tax avoidance schemes are required to inform HMRC. Peak PAYE did not do this between October 2020 and February 2022.

    The company was ordered by HMRC to stop running the scheme in November 2022 and entered liquidation the following month. 

    Lunt moved to his current address of 16th Place, Costa Mesa, Orange County after his involvement with Peak PAYE. 

    The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Lunt, and his ban started on Monday 30 September. 

    It prevents him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. 

    Further information 

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Christine Lagarde: Interview with Le Monde

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, conducted by Eric Albert, Philippe Escande and Béatrice Madeline on 28 October 2024

    31 October 2024

    In September, former ECB President Mario Draghi published an alarming report on how the European economy is falling behind. Do you agree with this assessment?

    Europe is falling behind. It’s true. And so is France. Mario Draghi’s report highlights the productivity gap, which is largely due to the tech sector. Tech players in Europe and the United States believe that the gap first emerged during the digital revolution that began in the mid-1990s.

    The question now is whether the boost that the United States got from the mid-1990s will continue with artificial intelligence, the accumulation of data centres and the exploitation of these data. This is the key issue. In Europe we need to roll up our sleeves and make an effort to keep those companies that start out here and then develop themselves elsewhere. We need to try to make them stay.

    So what is the solution? Do you think the gap will remain?

    We need to look at why Europe is falling behind. The energy component is key, especially as regards data centres. Labour is also important, with mobility being much greater in the United States. And regulation is a crucial issue, too. In overly simple terms, the United States is developing AI very quickly, and already has a number of major players. In the meantime, not only is Europe lacking such big players, but it has also become a pioneer in AI regulation. This causes players in this sector to say “OK, let’s do this elsewhere. It’ll be easier and we’ll have fewer obstacles and fewer restrictions”.

    What about the public funding provided to businesses in the United States?

    The fourth factor that is contributing to Europe falling behind is the “light” industrial policy pursued by the United States. It’s not light in terms of money because the Inflation Reduction Act of August 2022 is very large, but there are relatively few criteria to qualify for funding to start a company on US soil. When I ask manufacturers, they pretty much all agree that in Europe, the process is complicated and unwieldy. And on top of the multi-layered European system, you then have those of the Member States.

    The final factor is private funding. In the United States there are pension fund plans and other financial instruments that make it possible to channel savings and get savers (employees or retirees) interested in the future of the economy or the evolution of the stock market. In many European countries, these plans are still a long way off of those mechanisms, especially share participation and company profit sharing. Hence the need to develop a capital markets union.

    But we have been talking about this project for the past 15 years. And when Mario Draghi’s report was published, Germany immediately opposed common borrowing. Is Europe really capable of reacting?

    You’re right. We have been talking about a capital markets union since the time of Jean-Claude Juncker (President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019), and little progress has been made. The Letta and Draghi reports are a wake-up call for Europeans, a warning. The assessment is severe but fair and provides specific recommendations. It suggests that all Europeans should gear up and be ready to give up a bit of sovereignty to ‘combine the best,’ to paraphrase what Paul Valéry once said. But what gives me hope is the engagement of all European institutions on the capital markets union. The ECB’s Governing Council is firmly engaged as well. We must use this momentum.

    In 2020, the plan for a collective European loan of €750 billion was a major step forward. Four years later, less than half of the loan has been allocated. Should we see this as another example of European slowness?

    We had exactly the same problem during the Greek crisis. The administrations of the different countries are not always able to quickly manage the incoming funds. The finance ministers of countries receiving a lot of funds tell you that they have of course identified what bridge or railway line should be constructed, but that they need to obtain local authorisations as well as permissions to expropriate property, and that environmental organisations are taking court actions. All of this takes a lot of time.

    In this context, what consequences could the US elections on Tuesday 5 November have for Europe?

    I do not want to give an opinion on any particular candidate. But US international trade policy will of course have an impact on economic activity in the rest of the world, and primarily on China. Whoever wins, if trade fragmentation worsens, the effect on global GDP will be negative, with losses reaching 9% in a severe scenario of full decoupling according to ECB simulations. But remember: when Joe Biden was elected, everyone thought that he would remove the customs barriers erected by his predecessor (Donald Trump). Nothing came of that.

    Between China, which is withdrawing towards Asia, and the United States, which is closing up again, isn’t Europe, as a partner to both powers, the big loser?

    That’s why we need to act and roll up our sleeves. Will Europe need to undergo another crisis for it to bring about reforms? It’s always in times of crisis that we are able to make things happen. That may be why Mario Draghi speaks of “agony”, it’s a way of saying “the crisis is here, now, do something!”.

    There is talk of a European decoupling. But isn’t there a French decoupling within Europe?

    If you compare today’s GDP figures with those of 2019, the United States has grown by 10.7%, the European average by 4.8% and France by 3.7%. France is lagging behind the European average.

    What is your view of the surge in the French deficit?

    The prospect of returning in line with European standards by applying European fiscal rules should serve as a binding guideline.

    And are the French promises to restore public finances credible?

    As I said, applying European fiscal rules should serve as a binding guideline.

    Will we be heading towards a recession in Europe in 2025?

    Based on the information now available and our current assessment, we don’t see a recession in 2024, nor in 2025, nor in 2026.

    What will drive this growth, given the weakness in demand?

    The two levers are exports and domestic demand, which is set to pick up. Today, with wages rising and inflation falling, disposable income is increasing. For the moment, this benefits savings more than consumption. But we are convinced, and economic history shows us, that this additional disposable income will ultimately flow towards consumption.

    How do you explain the fact that it is proving so difficult for consumption to recover?

    We can indeed ask why households are choosing to save their money instead of spending it. It could be that people are reluctant to make major purchases owing to geopolitical uncertainty. A second explanation could be related to the return on their savings, which is still fairly high in the euro area. A third could be that people are deciding it’s better to save rather than spend when they expect their taxes or other contributions to go up.

    Euro area inflation was at 1.7% in September, below your 2% target. Is it now under control?

    The target is in sight but I’m not going to tell you that inflation is defeated yet. Inflation stood at 1.7% in September. Excluding energy and food, it was still at 2.7%. We are pleased about the 1.7% figure, but we also know that inflation is going to rise again in the coming months simply because of base effects. In September energy prices were 6.1% lower than a year earlier, bringing down the cost of the consumption basket. Besides, inflation in the services sector – which is highly dependent on wages – is still at 3.9%. So, prudence is warranted.

    How do you respond to those who say the ECB was too late in reacting to the rise in inflation?

    I tell them we should look at the facts. Don’t forget that inflation was at 10.6% two years ago. It has fallen back to 1.7%. Perhaps we could have started a few months earlier. But we raised rates at the fastest pace ever and we managed to bring down inflation considerably in a short period of time. I now want to see inflation reach the 2% target on a sustained and durable basis. Unless there is a major shock, this will happen during the course of 2025.

    And what do you say to those who now accuse you of cutting rates too late and not quickly enough?

    The pace at which interest rates are cut will be determined by the economic data we receive in the coming weeks and months – based on our updated assessment of the inflation outlook, the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission. And to revitalise growth, urgent action is needed in the area of structural reforms.

    The spread between France and Germany has increased from 0.5% to 0.8% since the French National Assembly was dissolved. The ECB has an instrument that it can use to intervene and calm the markets. Are you ready to use it?

    We have clearly outlined the conditions under which we will use this instrument. And that is not an issue today.

    A number of emerging countries brought together by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are thinking about a payments system to circumvent the dollar. Is dedollarisation happening?

    That would require another country to be able to take on the role of reserve currency. China is preparing for that, but it isn’t ready yet. I won’t see the renminbi take the place of the dollar in my lifetime.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Christmas and New Year courts and tribunals opening times 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Details of courts and tribunals opening times over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.

    Our courts and tribunals will temporarily close on various dates over the Christmas period.

    The closure dates for this year are:

    • Wednesday 25 December 2024
    • Thursday 26 December 2024
    • Friday 27 December 2024
    • Wednesday 1 January 2025

    Some magistrates’ courts will be open on 26 December 2024 and 1 January 2025, but for remand hearings only.

    On Friday 27 December 2024, only County and Family Courts, Crown Courts, the High Court, Court of Appeal (Royal Courts of Justice and Rolls Building) and some tribunals will be closed. Magistrates’ courts and our Scotland tribunal offices will open on this day. In Scotland, our tribunal offices will also be closed on Thursday 2 January 2025.

    Hearings that take place over the Christmas period may take place in person, or via video or telephone. Your hearing notice will confirm this.

    Some smaller satellite courts/hearing venues may also be closed outside of these arrangements. To check or for more information, please contact the relevant court or tribunal directly.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Budget marks first step in plan to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Millions of people, including families, pensioners, carers and those struggling to find work are set to benefit from Autumn Budget reforms to boost work and tackle poverty.

    • Welfare safety net will be strengthened with a new Fair Repayment Rate, an increase to benefits and an extension of vital crisis support.

    • Carers will also see a boost to the amount they can earn whilst retaining their entitlement to Carer’s Allowance.
    • A £240 million package for the Get Britain Working White Paper will shift department’s focus from welfare to work.

    The first steps in the Work and Pensions Secretary’s plan to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty across the UK were unveiled in the Government Budget yesterday (Wednesday 30 October).  

    As the department shifts its focus from welfare to work, a £240 million package will open up opportunities to millions of people left behind and denied the opportunity to get into work and get on at work.

    These major changes will address spiralling economic inactivity and a record 2.8 million people locked out of work due to long term sickness and are part of the Government’s ambition to reach an 80% employment rate. 

    The Get Britain Working White Paper will develop:

    • A new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, and get on in their work, by linking jobseekers with employers, with an increased focus on skills and careers;
    • Joined-up work, health and skills plans to tackle economic inactivity and boost employment, led by Mayors and local areas;
    • A new Youth Guarantee so that every young person is given the opportunity to earn or learn.

    Those with caring responsibilities will able to earn more without losing government support, with the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold boosted by £45 a week to £196, benefitting more than 60,000 carers by 2029/30. This is the biggest ever cash increase in the earnings threshold for Carer’s Allowance. This is alongside an independent review into Carer’s Allowance Overpayments led by Liz Sayce OBE.

    As well as boosting pensions and benefits through annual uprating, a new Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced, reducing Universal Credit deductions. This will mean 1.2 million of the poorest households will benefit by an average of £420 a year.

    £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales. This will help struggling families and pensioners facing the greatest financial hardship.   

    Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall said:

    We promised change, and that is what we will deliver. 

    For too long, millions of people have been denied opportunities to work and build a better life, and too many children are growing up in poverty, harming their life chances and our country’s future.

    This Budget shows the first steps in our plan to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty in every corner of the country.

    There is still much more to do, but this Budget has shown change has begun.

    Measures announced today will also improve how the department detects and prevents fraud and error, so support is targeted where it is needed most and taxpayers know every pound is spent wisely. These changes are expected to save £7.6 billion by 2029/30.

    The Secretary of State has also concluded her annual review of the State Pension and benefit rates, which will see:

    • A 4.1 percent increase to the basic and new State Pensions due to the Triple Lock commitment – meaning those on the full rate of the new State Pension will now see an increase of over £470 per year.
    • A 1.7 percent increase to Universal Credit and other working-age benefits – worth an average £12.50 per month for a family on Universal Credit.

    Further Information

    • The Get Britain Working White Paper will be published in Autumn and will set out the government’s plans to reform employment support and tackle the root causes of record-high inactivity.
    • Welfare reforms announced at Autumn Budget include:
    • A new Fair Repayment Rate to reduce Universal Credit deductions from 25% to 15%.
    • A £240 million Get Britain Working package
    • An extension of the Household Support Fund
    • Maintaining Discretionary Housing Payments funding.
    • Raising the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold by £45 a week
    • Uprating disability benefits and working age benefits including Universal Credit by 1.7% in line with the year to September 2024 Consumer Prices Index figure.
    • Uprating basic and new State Pensions and the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1% in line with the average weekly earnings figure for the year to May to July 2024.
    • Improving fraud, error and debt detection and prevention.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Receives $500,000 from Travelers to Support Housing Stipends for UConn Hartford Students

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The UConn Foundation today announced that it will receive $500,000 from Travelers spread over the next five years to help cover the cost of room and board for qualified UConn students at the new, 200-bed residence hall on Pratt Street in Hartford.

    This marks a pivotal moment for the UConn Hartford campus, which will offer student housing for the first time when the apartment-style units open in fall 2026. The project involves transforming a former law office into a vibrant, residential community, part of the university’s broader strategy to elevate student education and experiences.

    “Thanks to this generous gift from Travelers, more students will have access to our new residence hall, which will have a transformative impact on their education and lives,” says Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, campus dean and chief administrative officer at UConn Hartford. “The residence hall will serve as a catalyst for learning as well as connecting students to the rich historical, cultural, political, and business resources of our capital city.”

    In a 2023 survey, about 70% of UConn Hartford undergraduates expressed interest in nearby student housing. Many students noted that affordability is crucial, given that most currently reside with parents.

    The new housing initiative aligns with UConn’s vision, alongside state and local leaders, to establish Hartford as a “college town” where students play an integral role in the city’s cultural landscape.

    “Our relationship with UConn spans decades, and we are proud to be a part of the university’s efforts in expanding its presence in downtown Hartford,” says Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Travelers. “UConn’s dedication to excellence in education is why it was one of our inaugural partners when we started our school-to-career pipeline program, Travelers EDGE, 17 years ago. Together, we are helping to build a brighter future for our city and state.”

    Travelers EDGE, a program that aims to give students increased access to higher education and career preparation, has supported 133 UConn scholars since its inception, with 93 interning at Travelers and 35 graduates accepting full-time jobs at the company.

    “We are thrilled that Travelers is making this transformational investment in UConn, our students, and the city of Hartford through this $500,000 donation,” says Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s vice president for student life and enrollment.

    “This visionary gift ensures the success of UConn’s expanded footprint in Hartford and helps alleviate the financial barriers facing many students who choose to live downtown. It also brings more scholars to downtown, where many will stay and establish deep roots,” Fuerst says.

    The new residence hall is one of many initiatives UConn has underway to deepen its ties with the capital city. The University recently opened its new Community Intersections & Innovation Space for research and academic use near the XL Center and is opening a café for students next fall in the Hartford Times main campus building.

    The UConn Foundation also recently launched the Hartford Residential Scholars Enhancement Fund to raise additional funds to support qualifying UConn Hartford students. Find more information about supporting the Hartford Residential Scholars Enhancement Fund [here].

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘It’s Alive!’ (and Guilty?): Student Considers Whether Frankenstein’s Monster Could Be Held Liable in Court of Law

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    For 10 weeks this summer, Gianna Socci worked hard for a sole purpose.

    As if her gift was the plunder of information from the stacks of libraries in southwestern Connecticut, piece by piece she stitched together thoughts, contentions, and beliefs, her own cheeks pale with study, as she infused life into the inanimate body that’s become her very own creation.

    “I’d never taken on a beast this size before,” Socci ’25 (CLAS) says. “I would get very stressed out that I wasn’t going to be able to finish this. I wasn’t going to be able to write something that made sense. I wasn’t going to be able to bring this all together and I feared I bit off more than I could chew.”

    Clinging to the hope the next day or the next would bring success, Socci labored to coax to life the 62 pages that have become her greatest academic triumph to date: “Monstrosity on Trial: Claiming Legal Personhood for Frankenstein’s Monster.”

    This is a project Socci conceived nearly two years ago, when as a sophomore she sought to convert her Introduction to Literary Studies course into an honors credit, which requires a larger research project, namely a more in-depth look at one of the books read that semester.

    “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health.” – Victor Frankenstein in describing his work in Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”

    As an English and political science double major who expects one day to take up the study of law, Socci heeded the advice of associate professor Dwight Codr and looked at Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” through a legal lens.

    What started as an honors conversion paper became a much larger Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) grant proposal, replete with a reading plan of an admittedly ambitious 37 works, including dense legal case studies, she says. The funding allowed her the space in June, July, and August to focus on her work, without worrying about money.

    “Research in the humanities is very rare to begin with,” she says, “and I don’t think a lot of people understand what it entails. When you’re a STEM major, you can lay out lab steps, you can show people graphs, diagrams, and lab methods. It’s very quantitative, whereas humanities research is reading, taking notes, thinking, and writing.”

    It’s nonetheless important, she argues.

    Not the Frankenstein you might imagine

    One of the first things Socci says she was shocked to learn when reading “Frankenstein” the first time two years ago was that the character of Frankenstein, contrary to popular belief, is not the monster depicted in the story.

    Gianna Socci ’25 (CLAS) (Contributed photo)

    Victor Frankenstein is the young doctor who brings to life an 8-foot-tall monster – born of inanimate body parts he stole from graves and mortuaries. Most contemporary depictions of Frankenstein wrongly show him as the flat-headed, green, almost zombie-like monster with bolts in his neck.

    That is, in fact, Frankenstein’s “creature,” who in Shelley’s book is never given a name, referred to only by such descriptors as “devil,” “thing,” and “ogre.”

    “The other thing that struck me – and this might just be my poli-sci brain at work – was that she included three legal proceedings in the novel, three specific examples of courtroom trials, and that’s not something that’s talked about. You typically think of ‘Frankenstein’ as a very science-fiction text,” Socci says.

    Those trials, in which the defendants aren’t in fact guilty of the crimes they’re accused, got Socci thinking about how the law weaves itself through the novel and found herself wondering: What if Frankenstein’s monster was granted legal personhood and able to stand trial for his wrongdoings?

    Before she could answer, she needed to tackle the idea of what it means to be a legal person and how that idea has been used over time. She turned to legal theory, philosophy, history, and Shelley’s text for answers.

    “Legal personhood is a status, which means someone has rights and privileges but can also be held responsible for their actions,” she explains. “It’s twofold and it’s been expanded and contracted over time to include and exclude so many different things and people.

    “Slaves had a very limited form of personhood. Women had a very limited form of personhood. Animals at one time were granted legal personhood and could be put on trial, which is completely absurd,” she continues. “The law is flexible and almost subject to the politics of the time. That reminded me, as a citizen, as a woman in contemporary times, the importance of paying attention to that.”

    “My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. Sometimes, on the very brink of certainty, I failed; yet still I clung to the hope which the next day or the next hour might realise.” – Victor Frankenstein in describing his work in Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”

    Things like cognition and competency are used in helping distinguish personhood, even intent and mental capacity. And when Socci looked to the novel for these characteristics as they relate to the monster, her conclusion was clear.

    “He is a completely cognizant being who acted with intent,” she says. “He was very aware of what he was doing. He could express himself. He was extremely human in every way but his physical appearance. Violence is never the answer, and his reasoning for violence is flawed, but it’s reasoning, nonetheless. He’s angry, and he’s acting in a very methodical way. He is totally eligible to stand trial.”

    ‘Abstractions rule our lives’

    Socci says that at the outset of her research, when telling people how she was spending her summer, she started to wonder why she was even bothering. Arguing about whether Frankenstein’s monster could be held criminally liable for his actions is an exercise in the abstract.

    Except it is relevant, she was reminded.

    In an interview with an Australian professor who’d written about personhood, she asked why any of this mattered.

    “He said abstractions rule our lives. These legal definitions, these philosophical foundations are what govern our whole being,” she says. “We don’t really think of ourselves in legal terms that often, so it can seem unimportant. But it’s how we have the right to vote. It’s how we have the right to express ourselves. It’s how we’re seen by the government.”

    Suddenly, what once was hypothetical was much more concrete.

    The European Union this year adopted the AI Act, Socci notes, which, in part, rates various artificial intelligence technologies on their risk level – high-risk AI is more autonomous and can operate with minimal human intervention, for example. The AI Act seeks to regulate high-risk artificial intelligence.

    Consider Hollywood movies like “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” in which the artificial life form, Ultron, seeks to destroy. Technology advances rapidly and might not be that far off from the movies.

    “If an AI is a sentient being and it decides to act out on its own will and is harming someone, we’re going to have to start thinking about liability,” Socci says. “My theory holds the monster accountable and therefore would hold the AI accountable. Then, if you can hold the AI accountable, shouldn’t they also have rights and be able to vote if we’re talking about the dual edge of legal personhood.”

    Illustration from Frankenstein (Adobe stock)

    Socci surmises that humans will be unlikely to put robots and technology on the same level as themselves, but that conversation may very well need to be had, which means the hypothetical turns real.

    In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that gave corporations the right to make political donations, the reasoning, Socci says, is that businesses have a right to free speech, in this case through their dollar, and that can’t be infringed upon.

    “Legal personhood is not the reason for that decision, but if you go through the legal text, the chief justice uses very personifying language when talking about corporations, saying they can bring a good perspective into the democratic dialogue. And suddenly, corporations can talk like people. This tendency to personify the inanimate is where we see legal personhood bleeding into our contemporary scheme,” she says.

    A story about injustice

    In a planned career as a lawyer, Socci says she’ll take many of the things she’s learned from this project and apply them to work with abused and neglected children, who oftentimes need an advocate to protect their rights.

    And in a way, children are a little like the monster – seeking to belong, looking to be molded, hungry for learning. Victor Frankenstein’s rejection of the monster, in the same way a parent might reject a child, results in lifelong ramifications.

    “You might feel sad for the monster because all he really wants is to be part of the human community,” Socci says. “There’s a whole segment of the book in which he is watching the DeLacey family from far away in his hovel. He realizes they’re poor, so he starts leaving food on their steps. He shovels their driveway. He helps them out despite the fact he’s been rejected by his creator.”

    Socci says that while there are dozens of ways one could analyze the story, for her, “Frankenstein” boils down to a tale of injustice.

    “We hear the word ‘monster,’ and we think ‘beast.’ We’re scared. Something’s uncivilized. Something is rowdy. Something is dangerous. But the monster, in the beginning, is anything but that,” she says. “He’s a very rational individual who just wants to be close to someone. I think Shelley is asking us to think about the definitions we’ve applied to others.”

    And that interpretation may become part three of “Monstrosity on Trial” – the honors conversion project turned SURF grant award, yet-to-become English honors thesis.

    “I don’t think there’s going to be another time in my life, unless I become an author, when I’ll have dedicated hours for researching and writing, not worrying about the income I’m missing out on,” Socci says of the SURF grant. “It was honestly a privilege to have this experience.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: The future of finance

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    The title of this panel is “The Future of Finance”. I know this is an issue you have thought a lot about and one that has been a key focus area for the BIS throughout your tenure as General Manager. Why is the topic so important? How should the financial system change?

    Financial innovation is important because finance is important – it is the bloodstream of the real economy.

    Today’s financial system falls short in many dimensions: many financial transactions are too slow; many are too costly; for these reasons, useful transactions don’t take place. And in too many countries, too few people are able to access financial services. Improving the functioning of the financial system could make everyone better off.

    It is appropriate for the private sector to take the lead in financial innovation. But the public sector has a role as a catalyst for innovation, for instance, by providing the pipes and rails on which finance runs.

    Many public institutions – including central banks – are not natural innovators. They may lack experience, expertise and budgets.

    Moreover, many countries face similar challenges.

    For this reason, there can be great value in working together. 

    That is why we at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) established the BIS Innovation Hub as a mechanism for collaboration among central banks to develop technological public goods.

    When we first came up with this concept, the idea was to have a small unit of four staff members, based in Basel. It quickly became apparent that the appetite among our member central banks to work together and innovate went far beyond that.

    Today we have more than 100 staff working in our seven Innovation Hub centres in eight locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia, as well as a strategic partnership with the Innovation Centre of the New York Federal Reserve.

    The Innovation Hub undertakes projects across six broad themes: (i) suptech and regtech, (ii) next generation financial market infrastructures, (iii) open finance, (iv) cyber security, (v) green finance and (vi) central bank digital currency, or CBDC. Our CBDC work accounts for a large part of the Innovation Hub’s project portfolio and certainly accounts for much of the public attention. But we have made important contributions in each theme.

    Since establishing the Innovation Hub, we have completed 28 projects, with another 27 currently under way. Central banks, of course, are doing their own innovations, and there are many other initiatives under way by both the public sector and the private sector.

    While all of the technological innovation has been important, it would be fair to say that it has had modest real-world impact to date. If you compare the degree of progress in the application of digital technologies in, say, the communications industry to that in the financial industry, I am sure you will agree.

    The issue is not the technology itself. As I mentioned, there have been great advances there.

    What has been lacking is a vision of how the various initiatives should fit together, and of what the financial system of the future should look like and how it should function.

    Together with Nandan Nilekani – Chairman of Infosys and the driving force behind India’s digital public infrastructure initiatives – I wrote a paper earlier this year that laid out such a vision. We call it the “Finternet”. The aim of the Finternet is to use technology to make the financial system much more user-centric and to eliminate many of the frictions that add cost and complexity to today’s financial system. It does not advocate for a specific technology, but instead aims to add some guidance about what we want to achieve.

    Let me delve more deeply into the Finternet. What does it involve, concretely?

    The Finternet rests on three broad pillars. The first is a robust economic and financial architecture. The second is the application of advanced technology. The third is a sound legal and regulatory basis. Let me address each in turn.

    The basic economic and financial architecture would resemble that of today’s financial system. As is the case today, there would be a two-tier banking system. Central bank money would be at the core, with commercial bank money accounting for the bulk of the money used day to day. This money, however, would have a more advanced digital representation. We would have tokenised central bank money, which could exist in wholesale form – the digital equivalent of central bank reserves – or retail form – the equivalent of digital banknotes. And we would have tokenised commercial bank deposits.

    But tokenising money is just the first step. To get the real benefits of tokenisation you need to combine money with other financial assets, ideally residing on the same ledger.

    Government bonds strike me as a natural starting point. These are incredibly important assets in today’s financial system. They serve as the basis for pricing all other financial assets.

    Once you have money and government bonds residing on the same platform, you essentially have the basis of the current financial system. Adding other assets to the platform would naturally follow.

    Tokenising financial assets would bring many benefits. In particular, if the assets were on a common ledger, there would be much less need for complex messaging and clearing, which are the source of so much cost and delays in today’s financial system. Tokenised assets can settle atomically, helping to further reduce the time needed for financial transactions. And tokenised assets can be programmed. This could open up a huge array of financial transactions that are not possible today.

    Of course, not all assets will be tokenised and not all tokenised assets will reside on the same ledger. So we need some way of moving assets across ledgers and from the tokenised to the non-tokenised world. Technology can also help achieve this.

    Other technologies can also help to turn the Finternet into reality. For example, compliance with anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regulations – which I would emphasise is hugely important – can also be extremely costly. Technology should allow us to automate such checks, allowing for greater reliability, lower costs and faster processing speeds. Data governance and privacy would draw on the latest privacy-preserving technology. There are many related topics we explore through our projects. One good example is Project Mandala, which has shown how to embed regulatory compliance in cross-border transaction protocols. Beyond economics and technology, the Finternet will also rest on a sound legal and regulatory basis. At a minimum, this should respect all existing laws and governance measures. Privacy, cyber security and related concerns will also need to be addressed. However, technology should also allow us to achieve greater security in the financial system.

    This all sounds very promising in principle. But can it be delivered? How could one turn the Finternet vision into a reality?

    Absolutely. Indeed, we are already taking active steps to turn it into reality, including through our Innovation Hub projects.

    Let me give you a concrete example of one such project, called Project Agorá.

    This is probably our largest Innovation Hub Project to date. We have teamed up with six central banks and more than 40 private sector institutions, coordinated by the Institute for International Finance. I should mention that Santander is one of the participants.

    The specific aim of Project Agorá is to look at whether, using tokenised deposits integrated with tokenised wholesale central bank money, we can streamline cross-border payments.

    This is an area ripe with inefficiencies, and where services in some jurisdictions have actually worsened in recent years due to the shrinkage of the correspondent banking system. One important reason is that the system, by and large, rests on legacy systems. This implies long sequences of messages being sent back and forth, across national borders, using systems that do not necessary communicate with each other very well. The various regulatory compliance measures – which are particularly important in cross-border transactions – often require manual processes, which add delays and lead to errors.

    In principle, using tokenised assets residing on unified ledgers could ease many of these burdens. Transactions using tokenised assets can settle atomically – that is immediately – with all parts of the transaction settling at once. Compliance with regulatory norms can be embedded programmatically inside the tokens. So they will be adhered to with certainty and without the need for manual intervention.

    So this is a big project, with big potential gains.

    But even more than the specific application, what really excites me about Project Agorá is that it has central banks and commercial banks working together to craft a structure that could form the basis for a future financial system.

    I mentioned before the useful catalytic role for central banks in initiating technological innovation. But central banks cannot do it alone. The two-tier banking system lies at the heart of today’s financial system. The system needs money. But very little money comes from the central bank. Commercial bank money provides the bulk of it.

    The two-tier banking system helps deliver two foundational principles. The first is the singleness of money. This ensures that a euro is a euro, whether it is the banknote in my pocket or in my deposit at Santander or any other bank. The second is settlement finality, which comes about through the final settlement of all transactions on the balance sheet of the central bank.

    We do not know what the financial system of the future will look like. But it is hard for me to imagine that it will not require a two-tier banking system. This means that as well as tokenised central bank money – particularly in wholesale form – it will require banks to provide their customers with tokenised deposits. Project Agorá provides a powerful use case, and I hope that it will spur further innovation.

    At the same time, cross-border payments can be a controversial topic. For example, I have noted media speculation recently that one of your projects – Project mBridge – could provide the basis for a BRICS initiative to circumvent sanctions. Is that plausible? Can you comment on this?

    In the Innovation Hub we try to be a catalyst for innovation. The way it works is that we talk with the community of central banks, identify their needs and then develop projects. And we do them in partnership with central banks.

    MBridge has been a project we have been involved with for four years. We have several central bank partners and many, many observers. I think the project has been a big success. It’s a payment system where through wholesale CBDCs you could facilitate tremendously cross-border transactions.

    I would say that the project has been so successful that we can declare that we have graduated out. The BIS is leaving that project, not because it was a failure and not because of political considerations but instead because we have been involved for four years and it is at a level where the partners can carry it on by themselves. That has happened already with other projects.

    At the same time, I have to say that mBridge is not mature enough to start operating; it is many years away from that.

    With respect to political aspects, the noise out there, mBridge is not the “BRICs bridge” – I have to say that categorically. mBridge was not created to cater to the needs of the BRICs. It was put together to satisfy broad central bank necessities. 

    We at the BIS – I think this is an opportunity to set record straight – we always try to be good global citizen. And the BIS does not operate with any countries, nor can its products be used by any countries that are subject to sanctions. This will continue to be the case. And all central bank members are in this mindset that we need to be observant of sanctions and whatever products we put together should not be a conduit to violate sanctions. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government takes first steps to fix the foundations and save the NHS

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    More than £3 billion has been set aside to mend crumbling wards and bring NHS technology into the 21st century.

    • Concrete steps to fix the foundations and rebuild Britain’s public services to make them fit for generations to come.
    • More than £2 billion to upgrade NHS technology and £1 billion to deal with massive NHS maintenance backlog.
    • NHS will deliver 2% productivity growth in new commitment.

    New technology and functioning hospitals will be the first priority in the Government’s ambition to modernise the NHS and make it fit for the future. 

    More than £3 billion has been set aside to mend the crumbling wards and bring healthcare tech into the 21st century – to give patients the right care, in the right location, with the right technology. 

    It’s only with this new technology and functioning hospitals that the NHS can begin to reform in earnest – and create a health service that can thrive for generations to come. 

    This is part of the Chancellor’s record-breaking £22.6 billion increase in day-to-day spending and £3.1 billion capital boost for the Department for Health and Social Care from 2023/24 to 2025/26, which will reduce waiting times and rebuild the NHS. 

    Paired with reforms set out in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, this overdue injection of capital spending will fix the foundations and make the delivery of healthcare more efficient for generations to come. It will move us from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. 

    It comes alongside a commitment to deliver 2% productivity growth to the nation’s healthcare system.

    Prime Minister, Rt Hon Keir Starmer, said:

    We’re fixing the foundations to deliver change – by fixing the NHS and rebuilding Britain, while ensuring working people don’t face higher taxes in their payslips.

    Yesterday’s budget marks a huge step towards that – setting us on the path to make our public services fit for the future.

    This new settlement follows a shocking report by Lord Darzi earlier this year, which laid bare the chronic underinvestment in both facilities and technology that has been stunting the NHS.  

    He concluded the last decade was a “missed opportunity” to prepare the NHS for the future and embrace the technologies that would enable a shift in the model from ‘diagnose and treat’ to ‘predict and prevent’— something he warned about 15 years ago. 

    Yesterday’s budget puts an end to that – with £2 billion set aside to tilt the NHS towards technology and £1 billion to deal with the bulging backlog of maintenance work that has left hospitals on their knees. 

    The investment of more than £2 billion will transform the way NHS staff work as the service looks to harness new technologies to free up their time so they can focus on the care and treatment of patients. 

    The £1 billion will tackle critical repairs and the NHS maintenance backlog which has built up since 2010; something highlighted by Lord Darzi, which has meant the NHS has been left in a ‘critical condition’.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves, said: 

    This was a Budget to fix the foundations and deliver change – starting by fixing the NHS.   

    It’s a service that matters to so many of us and this is us delivering on our promise of change.

    Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: 

    We’re on a mission to fix our broken NHS by driving fundamental reform, to bring our analogue health service into the digital age. We will put the latest kit in the hands of NHS staff and use modern technology to give patients real control over their own healthcare. 

    Through our 10-Year Health Plan we will cut waiting lists, reduce waiting times and get the health service delivering for patients and staff once again.

    Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS National Director for Transformation, said:

    The NHS has already made £2 billion of efficiency savings so far this financial year, and the Chancellor’s confirmation of funding for next year will allow us to continue to roll out technology to improve productivity and switch services from analogue to digital.  

    Whether it is critical estates maintenance, cyber security or digitising patient records, the NHS is committed to working with the Government in the coming months to fix the foundations of the health service, while also transforming for the future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Allister savages Government assault on farming families

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement, following the Budget, by TUV MP Jim Allister:-

    “The Labour Government proved, what I suspected, it has no feel or empathy with farmers. Else, it would not have dealt such a brutal blow to the future of family farming through its inheritance tax extinction policy.

    “Farmers are asset rich, because of their land, but, often, cash poor, with it being a struggle to meet the constant monthly bills from fluctuating income. The fact they own 50 or 100 acres isn’t something they can draw on for day-to-day needs. Yet, retaining that 50 or 100 acres for farming into the future is key to the generational survival of the farm.

    “Hence, the reason and logic for the historic agricultural exemption from inheritance tax.

    “Now, alas, this Government is set to raid farming assets by a whacking on inheritance tax upon the death of the current farmer. With limited cash reserves, most family farms, when that point comes, will have no alternative but to sell off land and thereby diminish the viability and productivity of the farm. Food production and security will suffer knock-on effects.

    “The threshold of £1m is of little help at today’s land prices. Acreage as low as 50 or 60 will frequently be caught for inheritance tax.

    “The farmers in North Antrim, as elsewhere, have devoted their lives to building up their farms with the driving motivation to see the land handed on to the next generation. Now this kick in the teeth from uncaring government has rightly left many angry and betrayed.

    “I will, of course, vote against this madness and join vigorously in the campaign to rescue the situation.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Abortion service protection zones in place in England and Wales

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Safe access zones are now in force around abortion clinics in England and Wales to protect women accessing these services.

    Women accessing abortion services will be better protected from harassment or distress as protection zones come into force around abortion clinics, the government has confirmed.

    From today, a 150-metre boundary will be in place around all clinics and hospitals offering abortion services known as a ‘safe access zone’.

    Within these boundaries it is now a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly:

    • influence any person’s decision to access or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic
    • obstruct any person from accessing or facilitating abortion services at an abortion clinic
    • cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person in connection with a decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion services at an abortion clinic

    Police and prosecutors will consider each case individually based on the evidence. However, this could include:

    • handing out anti-abortion leaflets
    • protesting against abortion rights
    • shouting at individuals attempting to access abortion services

    This could also cover prayer, including:

    • silent prayer
    • holding vigils
    • any behaviour where someone is intentionally trying to – or recklessly acting in a way that might – influence a person accessing the service

    Anyone found guilty of breaking the new laws will face an unlimited fine.

    The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance today, alongside further information from the College of Policing, setting out how the police and prosecutors should approach enforcing the new offence. While operational decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, this new guidance will ensure there is clarity and consistency across the country.  

    Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said:

    Access to healthcare is a fundamental right. Access to abortion services is a matter of healthcare. I’m confident that the safeguards we have put in place today will have a genuine impact in helping women feel safer and empowered to access the vital services they need.

    Safeguarding Minister, Jess Phillips said:

    Getting this measure up and running as soon as possible has been one of our priorities and I am proud of everyone involved in getting us here. The idea that any woman is made to feel unsafe or harassed for accessing health services, including abortion clinics, is sickening. This stops today.

    The measure applies to any clinics and private hospitals that are approved under the Abortion Act 1967, and for any NHS hospital that has given notification in the current or previous calendar year that it has carried out abortions. 

    Safe access zones were introduced through the Public Order Act 2023, following a free vote in Parliament that received cross-party support.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Academic Council discussed the problems of education and the tasks of the Institute of Physics and Mathematics

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    The next meeting of the Polytechnic University Academic Council was marked presentation of the mantle of the Honorary Doctor of SPbPU to the head of the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, Lieutenant General, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Evgeny Kryukov.

    In addition, the ceremonial part of the meeting, as usual, included the presentation of certificates of academic titles to university employees and the honoring of the best polytechnicians who have earned awards in science, education, social and cultural life and sports.

    Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy congratulated the director of the Higher School of Sports Pedagogy Vladislav Bakayev and professor of the Higher School of Service and Trade Sergey Barykin on being awarded the title of “professor”. The certificate of assignment of the academic title of associate professor was received by the leading research fellow of the laboratory “Synthesis of New Materials and Structures” Vadim Sufiyarov.

    The company “Kodeks” received a commemorative medal and gratitude from the university, represented by its CEO andgraduate of the Physics and Mechanics Department of the Polytechnic University Sergei Tikhomirov. “Kodeks” made a significant contribution to the development of the SPbPU Endowment Fund and the formation of the endowment “Development of scientific, educational, youth and educational projects of PhysMech”. Also, for assistance in the formation of the endowment capital of PhysMech, its graduates, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Mechanics and Control Processes Natalia Ermakova and Professor of the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics, received awards. Maxim Frolov.

    The Polytechnic University fruitfully cooperates with the Kalininsky District in many areas. The honorary badge “For services to the Kalininsky District” was awarded to the director of the Higher School of Engineering and Economics Dmitry Rodionov.

    From October 14 to 17, the super final of the Open International Student Internet Olympiad in Mathematics was held. In the individual standings, the silver medal was won by PhysMech student Chinh Thi Thu Hoai, and the bronze medal was won by IMMiT student Phan Mau Dat. The Polytechnic team included another PhysMech student, Ilya Grishchenko, and the guys also took bronze in the team standings. The scientific supervisor was Maria Bortkovskaya, associate professor of the Department of Higher Mathematics.

    The gold medal of the IV International Construction Championship in the individual nomination “Information Modeling” was won by the student of the Civil Engineering Institute Serafim Zagorodniy. In the team standings, the gold of the championship was won by the students of the ICI: Dmitry Zharkov, Alexandra Kulakova, Ulyana Popova, Mikhail Safoshkin and Alina Doroshenko. The expert of the championship, assistant of the Civil Engineering Institute Alexander Mitin received a letter of gratitude from the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation Irek Faizullin and the General Director of the ANO “Russia – Country of Opportunities” Alexey Komissarov.

    The next series of congratulations concerned the athletes.

    The Polytechnic University team won first place in the overall team standings at the student orienteering competitions within the first stage of the IX All-Russian Summer Universiade and third place in the overall team standings of the Universiade. Pavel Ivanov (IEIT) also won the Universiade in the sprint discipline, and together with Alexander Gumennikov (PhysMech) won silver medals in the men’s relay.

    The Polytechnic team won 1st place in the student volleyball competitions as part of the first stage of the Universiade. The Academic Council honored players Egor Tretyakov (IMMiT) and Ilya Smirnov (IE). At the Universiade, our Polytechnic team entered the top 10 best student teams in the country.

    Ivan Sokolov, a student at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport, won first place in the qualifying tournament for the World Championship in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) “Steel Lion JFC” among juniors and became a Master of Sports of Russia in this sport.

    Vice-Rector for Educational Activities Lyudmila Pankova spoke on the meeting agenda. She spoke about the results of work in the 2023–2024 academic year and the tasks for the 2024–2025 academic year.

    The number of students as of October 1, 2024 was 33,818. Of these, 30,870 are studying in higher education programs (21,810 in bachelor’s programs, 2,124 in specialist programs, 6,936 in master’s programs), and 2,948 in secondary specialized programs. There are 121 people studying in the specialist program at the branch in Sosnovy Bor. There are 156 people in the general education Natural Science Lyceum.

    There are 357 main educational programs at the Polytechnic University, including 142 bachelor’s programs, 15 specialist programs, and 200 master’s programs. There are 22 programs at the college.

    In the 2023–2024 academic year, 23 new basic educational programs were launched. For 2024–2025, 19 new basic educational programs were developed: two for bachelor’s degrees, one for specialist degrees, and 16 for master’s degrees.

    51 basic educational programs are being implemented under network agreements, including 13 with Slavic universities.

    A system of individual achievements has been developed and implemented as a pilot project, allowing teachers to create different trajectories for assessing students, taking into account their individual capabilities, and to conduct interim assessments based on the results of ongoing monitoring of academic performance outside of the examination session.

    A project-based approach has been introduced into the state final certification, and defenses of final qualification works have been organized in new formats — as a project and as a startup. 48 students successfully defended their collective final works as a project (21 projects were completed), and 52 people (26 startups) successfully defended their final qualification works as a startup.

    A policy in the field of formation has been developed and introduced career trajectories for professional development of teachers. Starting from the 2024–2025 academic year, there will be four career paths: research teacher, mentor teacher, practicing teacher, and intern. The transition to them occurs through a competitive selection of faculty members.

    A project to support fundamental training in engineering fields has been launched. A program to improve the quality of teaching fundamental disciplines by reducing the teaching load and providing additional payments has been approved. 181 teachers are participating in the project.

    Entrance testing of first-year engineering students in mathematics and physics was conducted to organize in-depth fundamental training for gifted children and remedial training for those who are lagging behind. A pilot program for in-depth study of mathematics and physics for talented students was launched at IMMiT and IKNK.

    The second issue on the agenda was also related to fundamental disciplines. To ensure advanced training of students in physics and mathematics, taking into account engineering specifics, the Institute of Physics and Mathematics was created at the Polytechnic. Its director Pavel Zakharov spoke about the IFiM development program.

    Also at the meeting, members of the Academic Council voted to award further academic titles to Polytechnic employees. SPbPU Academic Secretary Dmitry Karpov reported on monitoring the implementation of the Academic Council’s decisions.

    Photo archive

    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: Q3 2024: Bojoko Celebrates Best Results in Company History

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NAXXAR, Malta, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bojoko.com is proud to announce that the third quarter of 2024 has been the most successful in the company’s history, with record-breaking growth across all key performance metrics.

    During this period, Bojoko saw an increase in commissions of 56.1% from the previous quarter and an extraordinary rise of 67% compared to the third quarter of 2023. Player engagement also reached new heights this quarter, with new registrations and first-time depositors (FTDs) increasing by 109.9% and 102.8%, respectively.

    This surge highlights Bojoko’s ability to effectively connect players with trusted online casino, betting, and bingo partners, demonstrating the quality of the relationships built within the gaming sector.

    Joonas Karhu, CEO of Bojoko.com, attributed this outstanding quarter to the unwavering dedication of the Bojoko team in prioritising a player-first approach. “This quarter has truly been a landmark moment for Bojoko,” Karhu stated. “Our growth reflects our ongoing efforts to create a user-centred experience that empowers players. The significant rise in new registrations and first-time deposits shows that we are providing real value to players who trust us to guide their gaming choices and to our partners who benefit from a committed audience.”

    Bojoko further believes this quarter’s success resulted from a steady focus on quality content, expert insights, and a platform designed to offer a fair and informative casino selection process. This commitment has strengthened Bojoko’s position as a leading guide in the online gambling sector. The growth in commissions further demonstrates the value delivered not only to players but also to affiliate partners, who have benefited from increased player engagement and conversions.

    “We are building the best environment for gambling enthusiasts,” Karhu continued. “It’s gratifying to see the impact of our efforts, with more players than ever choosing Bojoko to guide them in their first steps within the iGaming space. Our mission remains clear: to provide players with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions while giving our partners access to a highly engaged and informed audience.”

    The success of Q3 lays a strong foundation for even greater achievements as Bojoko continues to support players in having a safe, enjoyable, and well-informed online gaming journey.

    Contact:

    Christoffer Ødegården
    Head of Marketing
    christoffer.odegarden@bojoko.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Azure at GitHub Universe: New tools to help simplify AI app development

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Azure at GitHub Universe: New tools to help simplify AI app development

    With seamless integration among VS Code, GitHub, and Azure, we provide an AI-powered, end-to-end development platform to transform your apps with AI.

    AI has reset our expectations of what technology can achieve. From transforming how we explore the cosmos to enabling doctors to provide personalized care and making business functions operate more intelligently, it all comes down to you—the developer—to turn this potential into reality. As developers, you’re experiencing a dramatic shift in what you build and how you build it. And the tools you use should seamlessly fit into your workflow, solve real problems quickly, and keep you in the flow of development.

    As a company of developers who builds for other developers, we’re excited to be part of this change and many of us will be at GitHub Universe to share our experience and learn from others about how AI is reshaping how we work. We’re not coming empty handed. I’m excited to announce new capabilities and tools that further integrate Microsoft Azure AI services directly in your favorite dev tools.

    With seamless integration among Visual Studio (VS) Code, GitHub, and Azure, we provide an AI-powered, end-to-end development platform building on strong community support to help you transform your apps with AI. Read on for the details and be sure to catch up on all the GitHub news this week.

    Now in preview: GitHub Copilot for Azure, your personal expert

    By integrating with tools you already use, like GitHub and Visual Studio Code, GitHub Copilot for Azure builds upon the Copilot Chat capabilities in VS Code to help you manage resources and deploy applications. Using “@ azure,” you can get personalized guidance to learn about services and tools without leaving your code. This can accelerate and streamline development by provisioning and deploying Azure resources through Azure Developer CLI (azd) templates. GitHub Copilot for Azure also helps you diagnose issues and answer questions about resources and costs, freeing your time to focus on whatever you prefer while GitHub Copilot for Azure takes care of the rest. Get started today.

    Deploy in as little as five minutes with AI App Templates

    AI App Templates accelerate your development by helping you get started faster and simplifying evaluation and the path to production. You can use AI App Templates directly in your preferred development environment such as GitHub Codespaces, VS Code, and Visual Studio. You can even get recommendations for specific templates right from GitHub Copilot for Azure based on your AI use case or scenario. Most importantly, the templates provide flexibility and choice, offering a variety of models, frameworks, programming languages, and solutions from popular AI toolchain vendors such as Arize, LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Pinecone. You can deploy full apps at once or start with app components, provisioning resources across Azure and partner services. The templates also include recommendations for added security, like using Managed Identity and keyless authentication flows. Get started.

    Customize and scale your AI apps

    To empower you to quickly discover, learn, and experiment with a range of the latest, most advanced AI models, GitHub announced today that GitHub Models is now in preview, bringing you Azure AI’s leading model selection direct to GitHub. Building on that theme, the Azure AI model inference API now enables you to explore and access Azure AI models directly through GitHub Marketplace. Compare model performance, experiment, and mix-and-match a variety of models, including advanced proprietary and open models that support a broad range of tasks, for free (usage limits apply).

    Once you’ve selected your model and are ready to customize and deploy, you can seamlessly setup and login to your Azure account to scale from free token usage to paid endpoints with enterprise-level security and monitoring in production. Learn more.

    Simplify Java Runtime updates with GitHub Copilot upgrade assistant for Java

    Keeping your Java apps up to date can be a time-consuming task. GitHub Copilot upgrade assistant for Java offers an approach using AI to simplify this process and allowing you to upgrade your Java applications with minimal manual effort. Integrated into popular tools like Visual Studio Code, the GitHub Copilot upgrade assistant for Java generates an upgrade plan and guides you through a step-by-step process to transition from an older Java runtime to a newer version with optional dependencies and frameworks such as Spring Boot and JUnit. During the upgrade, the assistant automatically fixes issues through a dynamic build or fix loop and uses a human-in-the-loop approach for you to address other errors and make fixes if necessary. It ensures transparency by providing access to logs, code changes, outputs, and details at every step, giving you full control while benefiting from enhanced AI automation throughout the process. Once the upgrade is complete, you can easily review the detailed summary, and inspect all code modifications, making the entire upgrade process smooth and efficient, allowing you to focus on innovation instead of manual maintenance.

    Scale AI applications with Azure AI evaluation and online A/B experimentation using CI/CD workflows 

    Given trade-offs between business impact, risk and cost, you need to be able to continuously evaluate your AI applications and run A/B experiments at scale. We are significantly simplifying this process with GitHub Actions that can be integrated seamlessly into existing CI/CD workflows in GitHub. In your CI workflows, you will be able to run automated evaluation after changes are committed leveraging the Azure AI Evaluation SDK to compute metrics such as coherence and fluency. Following successful deployment, A/B experiments are automatically created and analyzed using out of the box AI model metrics and custom metrics as part of CD workflows. Along the way you can also engage with a GitHub Copilot for Azure plugin that assists with experimentation, creates metrics, powers decisions and more. Stay tuned for more details at Microsoft Ignite and sign up for our private preview to learn more! 

    We trust our business with Azure, you can trust it with yours 

    As you explore new AI capabilities for your organization, the platform you choose matters. Today, 95% of Fortune 500 companies trust their operations on Azure. Our business, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Bing, Copilots, etc., also runs on Azure. The same tools and services we use to build and run Microsoft are available for you. Our integration with GitHub and Visual Studio Code simplifies building with AI on Azure. And with more than 60 data center regions globally and a dedicated security team, Azure offers a reliable and secure foundation for your AI projects. All great reasons to build your next AI app with GitHub and Azure. 

    Innovate with Azure AI

    And, if you’re at GitHub Universe this week, stop by and say hello to the Azure team.

    About Jessica

    Jessica leads data, AI, and digital application product marketing at Microsoft. Find Jessica’s blog posts here and be sure to follow Jessica on LinkedIn. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Europe should consider putting boots on the ground in Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Viktoriia Lapa, Lecturer, Institute for European Policymaking, Bocconi University

    The mantra “as long as it takes” has become the European Union’s rallying cry in support of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. Initially, some experts predicted that Ukraine would fall within three days – yet nearly three years have passed, and Ukraine is still standing. This prolonged struggle has come at an immense human cost.

    It’s clear that the decision to resist was made by the Ukrainian population, and they are grateful to the EU for its support. However, hopes that Ukraine can repel the invaders are fading, and there is no clear end in sight. “As long as it takes” for the EU translates, for Ukrainian ears, to “as many of your lives as we can afford to sacrifice”. Ukrainians are weary, even as they hold the front line, but the west has not communicated a commitment to fully engage in stopping Russian aggression and deterring future threats. Instead, it seems focused on a policy of “de-escalation management”. This only emboldens Russia and its allies.

    What is even more concerning is the absence of a coherent strategy for managing Russia. What would the EU do in the event that the war were to magically end tomorrow? Is there a plan in place, or will EU leaders simply offer Russia a reset?

    The EU has excelled in rhetoric when it comes to Ukraine but has fallen short in delivering military support. It remains reluctant to draw firm red lines for Russia as a response to attacks on European soil or to adopt a more assertive stance.

    The supply of shells to Ukraine is a case in point. The EU pledged to supply 1 million rounds of ammunition by March 2024, but by January, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, admitted that the bloc would only deliver half of that on time while committing to send 1.1 million shells by the year’s end. To address this shortfall, Czech president Petr Pavel proposed an initiative at the Munich Security Conference in February, aiming to provide 800,000 shells to Ukraine by the year’s end, sourcing ammunition globally instead of solely from EU manufacturers. By August 2024, the EU had sent Ukraine only 650,000 shells out of the promised 1 million.

    Various news outlets have reported that the result is a grim picture on the front line, where for every shell fired by Ukraine, Russian forces are firing ten or more.

    Additionally, the EU has been reluctant to take decisive action, even in response to Russian attacks on its territory. Recent incidents, such as a narrowly avoided plane crash in Germany attributed to suspected sabotage, reflect a troubling increase in aggressive behaviour from Russian saboteurs. The only response so far has been a relatively weak sanctions framework to be used on those involved in such attacks.

    A strategy for the future

    The EU must adopt a proactive approach to securing peace in Ukraine, recognising that Russia is currently unwilling to negotiate – but would also never negotiate from a position of weakness.

    A clear strategy – including security guarantees for Ukraine, preferably through a pathway to Nato membership – could help put pressure on Russia and facilitate negotiations. It’s clear that bringing Ukraine into Nato might take years, but in the meantime, European countries should consider deploying troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee for this interim period.

    As the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, rightly said: “At the beginning of the year, Emmanuel Macron hinted at putting boots on the ground. At the end of the year, North Korea had actually done so. We are still on the back foot, reacting to escalation instead of reversing it. Macron’s ideas should now be revisited – better late than never.”

    Security agreements do of course exist between Ukraine and its EU and G7 partners, but not a single country has hinted at a possibility of providing, as a guarantee for peace, such a security guarantee as “troops on the ground”. EU countries must consider this seriously.

    And with a view to what happens after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the EU needs at least the beginnings of an idea about what its terms would be for re-engaging with Russia. Otherwise it risks enabling Russia to set its own terms.

    The situation on the ground is dire. While the west boasts economic strength, it lacks visionary leadership and political will. It should not allow Russia to take the lead and must adopt a clear strategy for Ukraine’s victory. Otherwise, we are heading toward the scenario described by Timothy Garton Ash in his Financial Times article advocating for Ukraine’s accession to Nato:

    Consider the alternative. A defeated, divided, demoralized, depopulated Ukraine, pulsating with anger against the West and – as Zelenskyy hinted last week – probably seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Moscow triumphant. The rest of the world concluding that the West is a paper tiger. Xi Jinping encouraged to have a go at Taiwan. Biden and Harris going down in history as the leaders who ‘lost Ukraine’.

    One could add: the EU faces disintegration, regressing to its pre-union state. Ursula von der Leyen is remembered as the leader whose “as long as it takes” policy resulted in an epic failure to secure a safer future for Europe and Ukraine. Does the west want to see itself in this way?

    Viktoriia Lapa is an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development, a research partnership between the School of Law of the University of Bologna and the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy (SAIS Europe).

    – ref. Why Europe should consider putting boots on the ground in Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/why-europe-should-consider-putting-boots-on-the-ground-in-ukraine-242279

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Myanmar fighters battle to hold prized city – AFP

    Source: United States Institute of Peace

    Red flags flutter over bullet-scarred buildings in the strategic Myanmar city of Lashio, which an ethnic minority armed group linked to China seized from the military in its biggest defeat for decades.

    Lashio is the largest urban centre to fall to any of Myanmar’s myriad ethnic minority armed groups — who have been fighting the central authorities on and off for decades — since the military first seized power in 1962. 

    But analysts say the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) will struggle to govern Lashio, which straddles a key trade route to China and normally has a population of 150,000.

    Most fled the weeks of fighting that culminated in the city’s capture last month, and those who remain fear a return to the bloody violence.

    Residents and rescue groups say dozens of civilians were killed or wounded as the military pounded the town with air strikes and both sides launched rockets and shells at each other.

    While the fighting has eased since August, junta planes are still flying sorties and conducting air strikes, including on Monday and Tuesday night. 

    “We cannot say Lashio is back to normal but everyone is trying to act like it’s normal,” real estate agent Soe Soe, 30, told AFP.

    She fled in July but returned after the MNDAA took over and said she will stay, even as smaller clashes continue in the vicinity. 

    “The situation is uncertain right now,” she added. “Everyone is afraid.”

    – ‘No experience’ –

    The MNDAA was part of a trio of ethnic armed groups that launched a coordinated offensive against the junta — which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021 — a year ago, taking it by surprise and seizing swathes of Shan state.

    Junta jets are still pounding the city and targets have included hospitals and administrative buildings, according to the US Institute of Peace’s Myanmar programme chief Jason Tower.

    They “seem to be focused on preventing the MNDAA from advancing post-conflict reconstruction and returning the city to normal under its governance”, he said.

    Running Lashio will stretch the MNDAA’s manpower and capacity, he told AFP.

    “It is now trying to govern a much larger territory and faces a wide range of challenges it has no experience dealing with.”

    – ‘Everyone is afraid’ –

    Lucrative lead, silver and zinc mines lie near Lashio, while hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of trade passes along the highway that snakes northeast to China through the jungle-clad Shan hills each year, according to the junta’s commerce ministry.

    Reaching the city is difficult due to fighting along the road.

    Within it, rifle-toting MNDAA policemen in black uniforms patrol the streets as the group — which analysts say maintains close ties with Beijing — works to convince former residents and businesses to return.

    Vendors marked out new plots at a market damaged during the fighting, but schools were shuttered and traffic was thin on the usually busy highway.

    As the group tries to restore normality, MNDAA-affiliated media have released regular updates about new administrative measures, from reorganising the main market to distributing rice and supplies to needly families.

    But many who fled the fighting are yet to return. 

    “Everyone is afraid because the fighting only just finished,” said Mae Gyi, 28, a vendor.

    Junta air strikes have killed and wounded several civilians, according to the MNDAA.

    And the ethnically Chinese MNDAA are an unknown quantity for Lashio’s diverse population of Bamar, Shan, and other groups.

    In areas controlled by the group in its Kokang homeland along the border with China’s Yunnan province, the language of administration, the currency and internet providers are all Chinese.

    It has other echoes with the People’s Republic: in April the MNDAA executed three of its members in the border city of Laukkai for murder and selling stolen weapons, following a public trial in which each of the accused wore a placard detailing their crimes in Chinese. 

    – Nowhere to go –

    The approach has alarmed some Lashio residents, with one former inhabitant — speaking on condition of anonymity — telling AFP they would not return until the MNDAA left.

    “Only our parents went back to Lashio,” the former resident said.

    But others have welcomed the tough approach.

    “The MNDAA has cleaned the town, and they have been helping the people… They helped to prevent prices from becoming too high,” said another former resident, whose family have returned.

    AFP has contacted the group on its plans for administering Lashio but received no response.

    Only “around 20-30 percent” of the town’s population had returned, said Soe Soe, but she was determined not to flee again despite the continuing low-level fighting.

    “We don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said. “So I came back to Lashio and am trying my best to stay here.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sectors strengthen ties for expanded Basilan peace works – The Philippine Star

    Source: United States Institute of Peace

    John Unson – Philstar.com

    September 22, 2024 | 4:18pm

    Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon of the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade huddles with Haroro Ingram, Philippine country director of the United States Institute of Peace at the sideline of the multi-sector peace dialogue in Lamitan City, Basilan on Sept. 20, 2024.

    Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson

    COTABATO CITY — The military, police, the United States Institute of Peace and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Basilan have strengthened ties to keep the tranquility now felt in the island province.

    All of the 11 towns and the Lamitan City in Basilan, scenes of bloody clashes between Moro secessionist groups and government forces in decades past, had all been cleared from presence of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group via joint peacebuilding programs of local government units, the police and the military’s Western Mindanao Command.

    Radio reports in Cotabato City on Sunday, September 22, stated that officials of the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, the Basilan Provincial Police Office and representatives of the joint Government-MILF Coordinating Committee agreed to continue cooperating on programs complementing the Mindanao peace process during a dialogue in Barangay Matatag in Lamitan City on Friday, September 20.

    Haroro Ingram, the Philippine country director of the United States Institute of Peace, or USIP, was present in the peace and security conference, where cooperation among key players in keeping the peace now in Basilan was discussed by participants, among them the commander of the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, Brig Gen. Alvin Luzon, and Basilan provincial police director, Police Colonel Cerrazid Umabong.

    Local officials were quoted in Sunday’s radio reports in Cotabato as saying that the visit to Basilan on Friday of Haroro and in recent months by representatives of different foreign humanitarian entities and peace advocacy organizations, is essential to their efforts of enticing investors from other regions and from abroad to venture into viable agricultural projects in the province.

    Friday’s peace and security conference in Lamitan City reportedly delved partly on the need to maintain cohesion in peacebuilding activities of all sectors in Basilan, including the Government-MILF Coordinating Committee, the 101st Infantry Brigade, the provincial police and its component municipal police stations.

    The 101st Infantry Brigade, units in Basilan of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and local officials were credited then for the peace and calm now spreading around the four corners of the province. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Joint Statement of the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office on a Multilateral Meeting to Address State-Sponsored High-Harm Physical Threats and Other Forms of Transnational Repression

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    On Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office convened a multilateral meeting at the U.S. Embassy in London to address the urgent challenge of state-sponsored high-harm physical threats and other forms of transnational repression. The meeting was co-chaired by Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security from the U.S. Department of Justice, and Chloe Squires, Director General for Homeland Security from the U.K. Home Office.

    The meeting brought together senior government officials from partner nations that are confronting increasing levels of transnational violence perpetrated by state actors, particularly authoritarian regimes, and their proxies. This meeting included representatives from intelligence, law enforcement, prosecutorial, and policy organizations to share disruption strategies for countering the alarming rise in transnational assassination plots, kidnappings, and other acts of violence and repression.

    The engagement was designed to achieve a common understanding of the threat landscape, share operational and strategic approaches to counter the threat, and identify opportunities for ongoing collaboration and partnership. At the conclusion, participants agreed to establish a regular working group to maintain shared visibility into the threat in member countries and to review and develop strategies to increase the capacity of the partner nations to deter and disrupt state-sponsored violence and repression.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN, GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL, AND MAYOR YVONNE FLOWERS ANNOUNCE LANDMARK FUNDING TO TACKLE CITY’S LEAD PIPE CRISIS

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pat Ryan (New York 18th)

    Congressman Pat Ryan, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Yvonne Flowers Announce Landmark Funding to Tackle City’s Lead Pipe Crisis

    Lead pipes can leach the toxin into drinking water, exposing families to the extreme health hazard; Nearly $12M will help Poughkeepsie remove the toxic pipes from the city’s drinking water infrastructure

    Announcement builds on Ryan’s record of fighting for clean water for Hudson Valley families and his commitment to eliminating sources of lead exposure from NY-18 communities

    POUGHKEEPSIE, NY  –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Yvonne Flowers announced $11,869,472 in funding to tackle Poughkeepsie’s lead pipe crisis and remove the toxic service lines from the city’s drinking water system. The funding from New York State will help the city identify the locations of lead service lines, inventory the extent of the city’s lead pipe crisis, and fund the beginning of lead pipe removal projects. Congressman Ryan has fought for federal resources to help Poughkeepsie address its lead pipe crisis, including bringing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leadership to the city last year. 

    “Freedom means every American has the right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and that’s why I’m pushing relentlessly to remove every last toxic lead pipe from the Hudson Valley,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Today’s funding is a huge step towards ensuring that parents in Poughkeepsie never have to worry if the water coming out of the faucet is safe for their kids. I’m proud to work alongside Governor Hochul and Mayor Flowers in this fight – we will not rest until our communities are free from toxic lead pipes for good.”

    “When it comes to New York’s water infrastructure, we’re getting the lead out,” Governor Hochul said. “We’re continuing to give municipalities the resources and support they need to replace lead water pipes and protect public drinking water.”

    “I thank Governor Hochul and Congressman Ryan for their tremendous efforts on this critically important public health issue,” said City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers. “The city recognizes it cannot complete this work without strong state and federal partners. We need their financial resources to address the significant costs it will take to replace thousands of lead pipes throughout our city to reduce our residents’ risk of lead poisoning. The city intends to methodically move forward with the allotted money and will continue to aggressively seek more funds.”

    There is no safe blood lead level for children. The corrosion of aging and outdated lead water pipes can cause toxic lead to leach into the drinking water supply, which is linked to significant adverse health effects including permanent neurological damage and impaired cognitive abilities, especially in children, as well as fertility and renal issues in adults.

    Today’s announcement comes only weeks after the Biden-Harris Administration announced that all lead pipes in drinking water systems across the country must be removed within the next ten years. Ryan applauded the announcement as a major step towards his goal of removing all lead pipes in Hudson Valley communities. The Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will deliver $15 billion towards these efforts.

    The $11,869,472 announced today comes from state funding designated to help cover the costs of lead service line replacement projects that received financing through the federal BIL but whose costs were not fully covered by BIL grants. This funding comes in addition to the funding already allocated through the BIL and the State’s Water Infrastructure grant program. This unprecedented move takes the fiscal pressure off communities, allowing them to replace more lead service lines without incurring additional costs. The State’s comprehensive approach continues to provide communities with the resources they need to improve their water infrastructure. Last year, the City of Poughkeepsie was deemed eligible to receive $3.2 million in BIL funding to identify and inventory the locations of lead service lines and begin replacement projects. 

    Ryan has built a record of fighting for clean water for Hudson Valley families and has prioritized removing sources of toxic lead exposure from Hudson Valley communities. Ryan has especially targeted his efforts to addressing the City of Poughkeepsie’s lead pipe crisis and delivering the federal resources needed to eliminate all lead pipes from the city’s drinking water system. On August 1, 2023, Ryan brought EPA leadership to Poughkeepsie to assist the city in securing resources for lead pipe removal projects. Ryan had pressed the EPA to commit to visiting the city in a July 13, 2023 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing and for it to work closely with the city to usher in the federal resources needed to protect Poughkeepsie families from lead exposures. On July 14, 2023, Ryan also announced his plan to remove all lead pipes in Poughkeepsie. Ryan and his team have worked closely with the city and the EPA to provide technical guidance in helping the city apply for federal funds for lead service line replacements, resulting in the city announcing in April of 2024 that it was eligible for millions in federal funding and assistance for projects.

    Ryan has been at the forefront of combatting the lead contamination crisis in the Hudson Valley, immediately sounding the alarm when the Wall Street Journal reported that major telecommunications companies are allowing a network of decrepit, lead-sheathed aerial cables to shed the toxin into the environment, including at a playground in Wappingers Falls. He has repeatedly demanded that multi-billion dollar telecommunications companies Verizon and AT&T take responsibility and pay for the cleanup of their cables. Earlier this year, Ryan brought together local officials and community advocates to call on the corporations to publicly disclose the locations of the cables after Hudson Valley families reported finding them discarded across the region.

    Ryan has amassed a record of taking on big corporations that pollute Hudson Valley water, air, and soil. He spoke at the Save the River Rally, demanding that Holtec halt its plan to dump radioactive waste into the River and introduced legislation banning additional barges, carrying toxic materials like asphalt, from anchoring on the Hudson. Earlier this year, the bill was passed in the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support. Last fall, Ryan organized a coalition of local government officials, community leaders, and organizations to temporarily halt the Coast Guard’s plan to begin allowing barges to anchor on the Hudson River.

    Congressman Ryan has also spearheaded efforts to combat PFAS “forever chemical” pollution, including introducing the landmark PFAS Action Act and cosponsoring the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act.  The EPA has recently implemented many of the components of the PFAS Action Act, including issuing a national standard for PFAS in drinking water. Ryan has made repeated calls for the Department of Defense (DoD) to hasten its cleanup of PFAS pollution at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Kosovo and Serbia must show their commitment to cooperation and dialogue: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Minister Counsellor, at the UN Security Council meeting on UNMIK.

    Location:
    United Nations, New York
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    Let me begin by thanking the Special Representative for the work she and her team are doing to promote stability and respect for human rights in Kosovo.

    The UK is a long-standing supporter of Kosovo’s sovereignty and independence. We remain committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo.

    We welcome, for example, Kosovo’s efforts to recruit police officers from non-majority communities, and its commitment to tackling Conflict Related Sexual Violence including through its leadership of the International Forum for Women, Peace and Security.

    Yet for many years the absence of a normal relationship between Kosovo and Serbia has negatively impacted the lives of individuals living in both countries and impacted regional stability.

    In recent weeks we’ve seen positive steps towards greater cooperation. This includes easing restrictions on Serbian imports into Kosovo, and the agreement securing Kosovo representation in the Central European Free Trade Agreement. 

    We are, however, concerned that progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue has been faltering. We call upon both parties to reaffirm their commitment to the EU-facilitated dialogue and we echo the Secretary-General’s call for greater participation of women in the process.

    It is important that both sides demonstrate the political will and the courage to fully implement existing agreements under the dialogue, including the establishment of an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

    At the same time, it is important for all sides to avoid actions which could jeopardise such progress. We urge Kosovo to carefully consider the impact of its decisions on all its citizens including those from non-majority communities and to work with its partners.

    And we urge Serbia to play its part in supporting efforts to ensure justice and accountability for the perpetrators of last year’s shocking attack in Banjska and to play a constructive role in reducing tensions and promoting positive relations in the region.

    I would like to end by expressing the UK’s gratitude to the Special Representative and all Mission staff who have contributed to UNMIK’s work over the last 25 years.

    Promoting dialogue and trust-building between Kosovo’s communities is and remains vital.

    However, it has been over sixteen years since Kosovo’s independence and the situation is unrecognisable from 1999. It is therefore time for this Council to review UNMIK’s role to reflect conditions on the ground.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Three ways the Budget will put more money in working people’s pockets

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    We are raising the living wage, expanding the Help to Save scheme and limiting reductions to Universal Credit awards.

    Working people are the lifeblood of our economy. The government is not increasing the basic, higher or additional rates of Income Tax, National Insurance, or VAT.  

    Here are just some of the measures announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 that will help put more money into your pocket.  

    1. Savings boost from the government for low earners 

    The Help to Save scheme has been extended and widened. The scheme offers lower earners a savings account where they can save a maximum of £50 a month for 4 years and receive a 50% government boost at the end of year 2 and year 4. This helps workers kickstart a lifelong savings habit and offers up to £1,200 over the 4 years.  

    The scheme was due to end in April 2025 but has been extended by 2 years until April 2027. Eligibility for the scheme will widen from April 2025. It will be open to all working Universal Credit claimants earning at least £1 a month.   

    2. Increased National Living Wage  

    In her statement, the Chancellor announced that from 1 April 2025, the National Living Wage will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour for employees aged 21 and over. That’s an increase of 6.7% from 2024.  

    For 18 to 20 year olds, it will increase by £1.40 an hour, to £10.00 an hour. This is the first step towards the government’s plan to remove discriminatory age bands and deliver a genuine living wage that all adults can benefit from. 

    3. Capping how much Universal Credit can be taken for debt repayment 

    The government is creating a new Fair Repayment Rate which caps deductions made through Universal Credit at 15% of the standard allowance. Before this Budget, it was 25%.

    This means approximately 1.2 million households will keep more of their Universal Credit payment each month, with households expected to be better off by an average of over £420 a year.   

    Other financial support available 

    These are just some of the ways the government is protecting working people. The Autumn Budget 2024 also includes further support for pensioners, those in crisis and those struggling most with the cost of essentials. Read the Budget in full to find out more.

    Answer a few questions to find out what support you might be able to get to help with living costs. Check benefits and financial support you can get.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Autumn Budget 2024 speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Autumn Budget 2024 speech as delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    Madam Deputy Speaker…

    [redacted political content]

    This government was given a mandate. 

    To restore stability to our economy… 

    … and to begin a decade of national renewal. 

    To fix the foundations… 

    … and deliver change. 

    Through responsible leadership in the national interest.  

    That is our task.  

    And I know that we can achieve it. 

    My belief in Britain burns brighter than ever.  

    And the prize on offer is immense.  

    As my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister said on Monday – change must be felt. 

    More pounds in people’s pockets.  

    An NHS that is there when you need it.  

    An economy that is growing, creating wealth and opportunity for all…  

    … because that is the only way to improve living standards.   

    And the only way to drive economic growth… 

    … is to invest, invest, invest.  

    There are no shortcuts. 

    And to deliver that investment… 

    … we must restore economic stability…

    [redacted political content]

    INHERITANCE

    [redacted political content]

    … it is the first Budget in our country’s history to be delivered by a woman.  

    I am deeply proud to be Britain’s first ever female Chancellor of the Exchequer.  

    To girls and young women everywhere, I say:  

    Let there be no ceiling on your ambition, your hopes and your dreams.  

    And along with the pride that I feel standing here today… 

    … there is also a responsibility… 

    … to pass on a fairer society and a stronger economy to the next  

    generation of women.

    [redacted political content]

    A black hole in the public finances… 

    Public services on their knees…. 

    A decade of low growth. 

    And the worst parliament on record for living standards. 

    Let me begin with the public finances. 

    In July, I exposed a £22bn black hole

    [redacted political content]

    The Treasury’s reserve, set aside for genuine emergencies… 

    … spent three times over… 

    … just three months into the financial year.  

    Today, on top of the detailed document that I have provided to the House in July… 

    … the government is publishing a line by line breakdown of the £22bn black hole that we inherited… 

    It shows hundreds of unfunded pressures on the public finances… 

    … this year, and into the future too.  

    The Office for Budget Responsibility have published their own review of the circumstances around the Spring Budget forecast.  

    They say that the previous government – and I quote – “did not provide the OBR with all the [available] information to them”… 

    … and – had they known about these “undisclosed spending pressures that have since come to light”… 

    … then their Spring Budget forecast for spending would have been, and I quote again: “materially different”.  

    Let me be clear: that means any comparison between today’s forecast and the OBR’s March forecast is false… 

    … because the party opposite hid the reality of their public spending plans. 

    Yet at the very same budget… 

    … they made another ten billion pounds worth of cuts to National Insurance.

    [redacted political content]

    That’s why today, I can confirm that we will implement in full… 

    … the 10 recommendations from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s review. 

    But, the country has inherited not just broken public finances… 

    … but broken public services too. 

    The British people can see and feel that in their everyday lives. 

    NHS waiting lists at record levels. 

    Children in portacabins as school roofs crumble. 

    Trains that do not arrive. 

    Rivers filled with polluted waste.  

    Prisons overflowing. 

    Crimes which are not investigated… 

    … and criminals who are not punished.  

    That is the country’s inheritance

    Since 2021, there had been no detailed plans for departmental spending set out beyond this year.  

    And [redacted political content] plans relied on a baseline for spending this year which we now know was wrong… 

    … because it did not take into account the £22bn black hole.  

    The previous government also failed to budget for costs which they knew would materialise.  

    That includes funding for vital compensation schemes…  

    … for victims of two terrible injustices…

    [redacted political content]

    … the infected blood scandal… 

    … and the Post Office Horizon scandal.  

    The Leader of the Opposition rightly made an unequivocal apology for the injustice of the infected blood scandal on behalf of the British state… 

    … but he did not budget for the costs of compensation.  

    Today, for the very first time, we will provide specific funding to compensate those infected and those affected, in full… 

    … with £11.8bn in this budget. 

    And I am also today setting aside £1.8bn to compensate victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal… 

    … redress that is long overdue for the pain and injustice that they have suffered.

    [redacted political content]

    … and we will restore stability to our country again. 

    The scale and seriousness of the situation that we have inherited cannot be underestimated. 

    Together, the hole in our public finances this year, which recurs every year… 

    … the compensation schemes that they did not fund… 

    … and their failure to assess the scale of the challenges facing our public services… 

    … means this budget raises taxes by £40bn. 

    Any Chancellor standing here today would have to face this reality. 

    And any responsible Chancellor would take action. 

    That is why today, I am restoring stability to our public finances… 

    … and rebuilding our public services.  

    FISCAL RULES / OBR FORECASTS 

    Economy forecast/growth 

    As a former economist at the Bank of England, I know what it means to respect our economic institutions.  

    I want to put on record my thanks to the Governor of the Bank, Andrew Bailey…  

    … and to the independent Monetary Policy Committee. 

    Today, I can confirm that we will maintain the MPC’s target of two per cent inflation, as measured by the 12-month increase in the Consumer Prices Index. 

    I want to thank James Bowler, the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, and my team of officials. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I would also like to thank my predecessors as Chancellor of the Exchequer… 

    … for their wise counsel as I have prepared for this Budget.

    [redacted political content]

    Finally, I want to thank Richard Hughes and his team at the Office for Budget Responsibility for their work in preparing today’s economic and fiscal outlook. 

    Let me now take the House through that forecast. 

    The cost of living crisis under the last government stretched household finances to their limit, with inflation hitting a peak of above 11%.  

    Today, the OBR say that CPI inflation will average 2.5% this year, 2.6% in 2025, then 2.3% in 2026, 2.1% in 2027, 2.1% in 2028 and 2.0% in 2029.  

    Next, I move on to economic growth.  

    Today’s budget marks an end to short-termism.  

    So I am pleased, that for the first time, the OBR have published not only five year growth forecasts… 

    … but a detailed assessment of the growth impacts of our policies over the next decade, too… 

    … and the new Charter for Budget Responsibility, which I am publishing today, confirms that this will become a permanent feature of our framework. 

    The OBR forecast that real GDP growth will be 1.1% in 2024, 2.0% in 2025, 1.8% in 2026, 1.5% in 2027, 1.5% in 2028 and 1.6% in 2029. 

    And the OBR are clear: this Budget will permanently increase the supply capacity of the economy…

    [redacted political content]

    … boosting long-term growth. 

    Every Budget I deliver will be focused on our mission to grow the economy. 

    And underpinning that mission are the seven key pillars of our growth strategy… 

    … developed and delivered alongside business…  

    … all driven forward by our Financial Secretary to the Treasury.   

    First, and most important, is to restore economic stability. That is my focus today. 

    Second, increasing investment and building new infrastructure is vital for productivity, so we are catalysing £70bn of investment through our National Wealth Fund… 

    … and we are transforming our planning rules to get Britain building again. 

    Third, to ensure that all parts of the UK can realise their potential… 

    … we are working with the devolved governments… 

    … and partnering with our Mayors to develop local growth plans.  

    Fourth, to improve employment prospects and skills we are creating Skills England, delivering our plans to Make Work Pay and tackling economic inactivity.  

    Fifth, we are launching our long-term modern industrial strategy and expanding opportunities for our small and medium sized businesses to grow. 

    Sixth, to drive innovation we are protecting record funding for research and development to harness the full potential of the UK’s science base.  

    And finally, to maximise the growth benefits of our clean energy mission, we have confirmed key investments such as Carbon Capture and Storage to create jobs in our industrial heartlands. 

    Our approach is already having an impact. 

    Just two weeks ago – we delivered an International Investment Summit which saw businesses commit £63.5bn of investment into this country… 

    … creating nearly 40,000 jobs across the United Kingdom.

    [redacted political content]

    Economic growth will be our mission for the duration of this parliament.  

    Stability rule 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, in our manifesto, we set out the fiscal rules that would guide this government. 

    I am confirming those today… 

    Our stability rule… 

    And our investment rule… 

    The “stability rule” means that we will bring the current budget into balance… 

    … so that we do not borrow to fund day to day spending. 

    We will meet this rule in 2029-30, until that becomes the third year of the forecast.  

    From then on, we will balance the current budget in the third year of every budget, held annually each autumn. 

    That will provide a tougher constraint on day to day spending… 

    … so difficult decisions cannot be constantly delayed or deferred.  

    The OBR say that the current budget will be in deficit by £26.2bn in 2025-26 and £5.2bn in 2026-27… 

    … before moving into surplus of £10.9bn in 2027-28, £9.3bn in 2028-29 and £9.9bn in 2029-30… 

    … meeting our stability rule… 

    … two years early.  

    Monthly public sector finances data shows that government borrowing in the first six months of this year… 

    … was already running significantly higher than the OBR’s March forecast. 

    And so the OBR confirmed today, that borrowing in this financial year is now £127bn…

    [redacted political content]

    The increase in the net cash requirement in 24-25 is lower than the increase in borrowing, at £22.3bn higher than the spring forecast.  

    Because of the action that we are taking… 

    … borrowing falls from 4.5% of GDP this year to 2.1% of GDP by the end of the forecast. 

    Public sector net borrowing will be £105.6bn in 2025-26, £88.5bn in 2026-27, £72.2bn in 2027-28, £71.9bn in 2028-29 and £70.6bn in 2029-2930. 

    FIXING THE FOUNDATIONS 

    Spending  

    Madam Deputy Speaker, before I come to tax… 

    … it is vital that we are driving efficiency and reducing wasteful spending. 

    In July, to begin delivering, and dealing with our inheritance… 

    … I made £5.5bn of savings this year.  

    Today we are setting a 2% productivity, efficiency and savings target for all departments to meet next year… 

    … by using technology more effectively and joining up services across government 

    As set out in our manifesto, I will shortly be appointing our Covid Corruption Commissioner, they will lead our work to uncover those companies that used a national emergency to line their own pockets. 

    Because that money belongs in our public services. And taxpayers want that money back.  

    And I can confirm today that David Goldstone has been appointed as the Chair of the new Office for Value for Money…  

    … to help us realise the benefits from every pound of public spending. 

    Welfare 

    Today, I am also taking three steps to ensure that welfare spending is more sustainable.  

    First, we inherited [redacted political content] plans to reform the Work Capability Assessment.  

    We will deliver those savings…  

    …as part of our fundamental reforms to the health and disability benefits system that my Right Honourable Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary will bring forward. 

    Second, I can today announce a crackdown on fraud in our welfare system… 

    … often the work of criminal gangs.  

    We will expand DWP’s counter-fraud teams.. 

    … using innovative new methods to prevent illegal activity…  

    … and provide new legal powers to crackdown on fraudsters… 

    … including direct access to bank accounts to recover debt. 

    This package saves £4.3bn a year by the end of the forecast. 

    Third, the government will shortly be publishing the “Get Britain Working” white paper…  

    … tackling the root causes of inactivity with an integrated approach across health, education and welfare.  

    … and we will provide £240m for 16 trailblazer projects… 

    … targeted at those who are economically inactive and most at risk of being out of education, employment or training… 

    … to get people into work and reduce the benefits bill.  

    Tax avoidance 

    Before a government could consider any change to a tax rate or threshold… 

    … it must ensure that people pay what they already owe. 

    So we will invest to modernise HMRC’s systems using the very best technology… 

    … and recruit additional HMRC compliance and debt staff. 

    We will clamp down on those umbrella companies who exploit workers… 

    … increase the interest rate on unpaid tax debt to ensure that people pay on time… 

    … and go after promoters of tax avoidance schemes. 

    These measures to reduce the tax gap raise £6.5bn by the end of the forecast… 

    … and I want to thank the Exchequer Secretary for his outstanding work on this agenda. 

    PROTECTING WORKING PEOPLE 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I know that for working people up and down our country… 

    … family finances are stretched… 

    … and pay checks don’t go as far as they once did. 

    So today, I am taking steps to support people with the cost of living. 

    Cost of living

    [redacted political content]

    As promised in our manifesto, we asked the Low Pay Commission to take account of the cost of living for the first time.  

    I can confirm that we will accept the Low Pay Commission recommendation to increase the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour… 

    … worth up to £1,400 a year for a full-time worker. 

    And for the first time, we will move towards a single adult rate…  

    … phased in over time…  

    … by initially increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds by 16.3% as recommended by the Low Pay Commission… 

    … taking it to £10 an hour.

    [redacted political content]

    Second, I have heard representations from colleagues across this house about the Carer’s Allowance… 

    … and the impact of the current policy on carers looking to increase the hours they work… 

    … including from the Honourable member for Shipley, the Honourable member for Scarborough and Whitby and the Rt Hon Member for Kingston and Surbiton, too. 

    Carer’s allowance currently provides up to £81.90 per week to help those with additional caring responsibilities.  

    Today, I can confirm that we are increasing the weekly earnings limit to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage per week… 

    … the largest increase in Carer’s Allowance since it was introduced in 1976.  

    That means a carer can now earn over £10,000 a year while receiving Carer’s Allowance… 

    … allowing them to increase their hours where they want to… 

    … and keep more of their money. 

    I am also concerned about the cliff-edge in the current system and the issue of overpayments. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary has announced an independent review to look at the issue of overpayments, and we will work across this house to develop the right solutions. 

    Third, we will provide £1bn from next year to extend the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, to help those facing financial hardship with the cost of essentials.  

    Fourth, having heard representations from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Trussell and others… 

    … to reduce the level of debt repayments that can be taken from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month… 

    … by reducing it from 25% to 15% of their standard allowance. 

    This means that 1.2 million of the poorest households will keep more of their award each month… 

    … lifting children out of poverty…  

    … and those who benefit will gain an average of £420 a year. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, our Plan to Make Work Pay will also protect working people.

    [redacted political content]

    It is right that we protect those who have worked their whole lives.  

    In our manifesto, we promised to transfer the Investment Reserve Fund in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to members… 

    … and I have listened closely to my Honourable Friends for Easington, Doncaster Central, Blaenau Gwent, and Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock on this issue. 

    Today we are keeping our promise…  

    … so that working people who powered our country receive the fair pension that they are owed. 

    Our manifesto committed to the Triple Lock… 

    … meaning spending on the State Pension is forecast to rise by over £31bn by 2029-30… 

    … to ensure that our pensioners are protected in their retirement.  

    This commitment means that while working age benefits will be uprated in line with CPI, at 1.7%… 

    … the basic and new State Pension… 

    … will be uprated by 4.1% in 2025-26. 

    This means that over 12 million pensioners will gain up to £470 next year… 

    … up to £275 more than if uprated by inflation.  

    The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will also rise by 4.1%…  

    … from around £11,400 per year to around £11,850 for a single pensioner.  

    Fuel duty 

    While I have sought to protect working people with measures to reduce the cost of living… 

    … I have had to take some very difficult decisions on tax. 

    I want to set out my approach to fuel duty.  

    Baked into the numbers that I inherited from the previous government… 

    … is an assumption that fuel duty will rise by RPI next year… 

    … and that the temporary 5p cut will be reversed.  

    To retain the 5p cut… 

    … and to freeze fuel duty again… 

    … would cost over £3bn next year.  

    At a time when the fiscal position is so difficult…  

    … I have to be frank with the House that this is a substantial commitment to make. 

    I have concluded… 

    … that in these difficult circumstances… 

    … while the cost of living remains high… 

    … and with a backdrop of global uncertainty… 

    … increasing fuel duty next year… 

    … would be the wrong choice for working people. 

    It would mean fuel duty rising by 7p per litre. 

    So, I have today decided to freeze fuel duty next year… 

    … and I will maintain the existing 5p cut for another year, too. 

    There will be no higher taxes at the petrol pumps next year.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the last government made cuts of £20bn to employees’ and self-employed national insurance in their final two budgets.

    [redacted political content]

    Because we now know they were based on a forecast which the OBR say would have been “materially different”… 

    … had they known the true extent of the last government’s cover-up.   

    Since July, I have been urged on multiple occasions to reconsider these cuts.  

    To increase the taxes that working people pay and see in their payslips. 

    But I have made an important choice today: 

    To keep every single commitment that we made on tax in our manifesto.  

    So I say to working people: 

    I will not increase your National Insurance… 

    …I will not increase your VAT… 

    …And I will not increase your income tax. 

    Working people will not see higher taxes in their payslips as a result of the choices I make today. 

    That is a promise made – and a promise fulfilled. 

    TAX 

    But any responsible Chancellor would need to take difficult decisions today. 

    To raise the revenues required to fund our public services. 

    And to restore economic stability.  

    So in today’s Budget, I am announcing an increase in Employers’ National Insurance Contributions.  

    We will increase the rate of Employers’ National Insurance by 1.2 percentage points, to 15%, from April 2025.  

    And we will reduce the Secondary Threshold – the level at which employers start paying national insurance on each employee’s salary – from £9,100 per year to £5,000.  

    This will raise £25bn per year by the end of the forecast period.  

    I know that this is a difficult choice. 

    I do not take this decision lightly.  

    We are asking business to contribute more… 

    … and I know that there will be impacts of this measure felt beyond businesses, too… 

    … as the OBR have set out today. 

    But in the circumstances that I have inherited, it is the right choice to make.  

    Successful businesses depend on successful schools. 

    Healthy businesses depend on a healthy NHS.  

    And a strong economy depends on strong public finances.

    [redacted political content]

    That is the choice our country faces too.  

    As I make this choice, I know it is particularly important to protect our smallest companies.  

    So having heard representations from the Federation of Small Businesses and others… 

    … I am today increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. 

    This means 865,000 employers won’t pay any National Insurance at all next year… 

    … and over 1 million will pay the same or less than they did previously. 

    This will allow a small business to employ the equivalent of 4 full time workers on the National Living Wage… 

    … without paying any National Insurance on their wages. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, let me come now to capital gains tax. 

    We need to drive growth, promote entrepreneurship, and support wealth creation… 

    … while raising the revenue required to fund our public services… 

    … and restore our public finances.  

    Today, we will increase the lower rate of Capital Gains Tax from 10% to 18%, and the Higher Rate from 20% to 24%… 

    … while maintaining the rates of capital gains tax on residential property at 18% and 24%, too.  

    This means the UK will still have the lowest Capital Gains Tax rate of any European G7 economy. 

    Alongside these changes to the headline rates of Capital Gains Tax… 

    … we are maintaining the lifetime limit for Business Asset Disposal Relief at £1m… 

    … to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses.   

    Business Asset Disposal Relief will remain at 10% this year… 

    … before rising to 14% in April 2025… 

    … and 18% from 2026-27… 

    … maintaining a significant gap compared to the higher rate of Capital Gains Tax.  

    Together, the OBR say these measures will raise £2.5bn by the end of the forecast. 

    In a sign of this government’s commitment to supporting growth and entrepreneurship… 

    …we have already extended the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035… 

    … and we will continue to work with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms… 

    … to ensure our policies support a positive environment for entrepreneurship in the UK. 

    Next, inheritance tax. 

    Only 6% of estates will pay inheritance tax this year. 

    I understand the strongly held desire to pass down savings to children and grandchildren. 

    So I am taking a balanced approach in my package today. 

    First, the previous government froze inheritance tax thresholds until 2028. I will extend that freeze for a further two years, until 2030. 

    That means the first £325,000 of any estate can be inherited tax-free… 

    … rising to £500,000 if the estate includes a residence passed to direct descendants…. 

    … and £1m when a tax free allowance is passed to a surviving spouse or civil partner. 

    Second, we will close the loophole created by the previous government… 

    … made even bigger when the Lifetime Allowance was abolished… 

    … by bringing inherited pensions into inheritance tax from April 2027. 

    Finally, we will reform Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.  

    From April 2026, the first £1m of combined business and agricultural assets will continue to attract no inheritance tax at all… 

    … but for assets over £1m, inheritance tax will apply with 50% relief, at an effective rate of 20%. 

    This will ensure we continue to protect small family farms… 

    … and three-quarters of claims will be unaffected by these changes. 

    I can also announce that we will apply a 50% relief, in all circumstances, on inheritance tax for shares on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and other similar markets… 

    … setting the effective rate of tax at 20%. 

    Taken together, these measures raise over £2bn in the final year of the forecast. 

    Next, I can confirm that the government will renew the Tobacco Duty escalator for the remainder of this Parliament at RPI+2%… 

    … increase duty by a further 10% on hand-rolling tobacco this year… 

    … introduce a flat rate duty on all vaping liquid from October 2026… 

    … alongside an additional one off- increase in tobacco duty to maintain the incentive to give up smoking. 

    And we will increase the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to account for inflation since it was introduced… 

    …  as well as increasing the duty in line with CPI each year going forward. 

    These measures will raise nearly £1bn per year by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madame Deputy Speaker, we want to support the take-up of electric vehicles. 

    So I will maintain incentives for electric vehicles in Company Car Tax from 2028… 

    … and increase the differential between fully electric and other vehicles in the first year rates of Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2025. 

    These measures will raise around £400m by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker let me update the House on our plans for Air Passenger Duty…

    [redacted political content]

    Air Passenger Duty has not kept up with inflation in recent years… 

    … so we are introducing an adjustment… 

    … meaning an increase of no more than £2 for an economy class short-haul flight.  

    But I am taking a different approach when it comes to private jets…  

    … increasing the rate of Air Passenger Duty by a further 50%.

    [redacted political content]

    These measures will raise over £700m by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, let me turn now to our high street businesses.  

    I know that for them, a major source of concern is business rates.  

    From 2026-27, we intend to introduce two permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties which make up the backbone of high streets across the country… 

    … and it is our intention that is paid for by a higher multiplier for the most valuable properties.

    [redacted political content]

    So I will today provide 40% relief on business rates for the retail, hospitality and leisure industry in 2025-26… 

    … up to a cap of £110,000 per business. 

    Alongside this, the small business tax multiplier will be frozen next year.  

    Next, I can confirm that alcohol duty rates on non-draught products will increase in line with RPI from February next year… 

    … but nearly two-thirds of alcoholic drinks sold in pubs are served on draught. 

    So today, instead of uprating these products in line with inflation… 

    … I am cutting draught duty by 1.7%… 

    … which means a penny off a pint in the pub. 

    Alongside the changes I am making today, I am publishing a Corporate Tax Roadmap.. 

    … providing the business certainty called for by the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute for Directors. 

    This confirms our commitment to cap the rate of Corporation Tax at 25% – the lowest in the G7 –  for the duration of this parliament…. 

    … while maintaining full expensing and the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance… 

    …and keeping the current rates of research and development reliefs, to drive innovation. 

    Manifesto 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, in our manifesto we made a number of commitments to raise funding for our public services.  

    First, I have always said that if you make Britain your home, you should pay your tax here. 

    So today, I can confirm… 

    … we will abolish the non-dom tax regime… 

    … and remove the outdated concept of domicile from the tax system from April 2025. 

    We will introduce a new, residence based scheme… 

    … with internationally competitive arrangements for those coming to the UK on a temporary basis… 

    … while closing the loopholes in the scheme designed by the party opposite. 

    To further encourage investment into the UK, we will also extend the Temporary Repatriation Relief to three years and expand its scope… 

    … bringing billions of pounds of new funds into Britain. 

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility say that this package of measures will raise £12.7bn over the next five years.  

    Next, the fund management industry provides a vital contribution to our economy… 

    …  but as our manifesto set out, there needs to be a fairer approach to the way carried interest is taxed.  

    So we will increase the Capital Gains Tax rates on carried interest to 32% from April 2025… 

    … and – from April 2026 – we will deliver further reforms to ensure that the specific rules for carried interest are simpler, fairer and better targeted. 

    In our manifesto we committed to reforming stamp duty land tax to raise revenue while supporting those buying their first home.  

    We are increasing the stamp-duty land tax surcharge for second-homes… 

    …known as the “Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings”… 

    … by 2 percentage points, to 5%, which will come into effect from tomorrow.  

    This will support over 130,000 additional transactions from people buying their first home, or moving home over, the next five years. 

    Next, we committed to reform the Energy Profits Levy on oil and gas companies. 

    I can confirm today that we will increase the rate of the levy to 38%, which will now expire in March 2030… 

    … and we will remove the 29% investment allowance. 

    To ensure the oil and gas industry can protect jobs and support our energy security… 

    … we will maintain the 100% first year allowances and the decarbonisation allowances too.  

    Finally, 94% of children in the UK attend state schools. 

    To provide the highest quality of support and teaching that they deserve… 

    … we will introduce VAT on private school fees from January 2025… 

    … and we will shortly introduce legislation to remove their business rates relief from April 2025, too.  

    We said in our manifesto that these changes… 

    … alongside our measures to tackle tax avoidance… 

    … would bring in £8.5bn by the final year of the forecast. 

    I can confirm today that they will in fact raise over £9bn… 

    … to support our public services and restore our public finances. 

    That is a promise made – and a promise fulfilled. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I have one final decision to take on tax today. 

    The previous government froze income tax and National Insurance thresholds in 2021… 

    … and then they did so again after the mini-budget. 

    Extending their threshold freeze for a further two years raises billions of pounds.  

    Money to deal with the black hole in our public finances…  

    … and repair our public services.  

    Having considered this issue closely… 

    … I have come to the conclusion… 

    … that extending the threshold freeze… 

    … would hurt working people. 

    It would take more money out of their payslips.

    I am keeping every single promise on tax that I made in our manifesto. 

    So there will be no extension of the freeze in income tax and National Insurance thresholds beyond the decisions of the previous government.  

    From 2028-29, personal tax thresholds will be uprated in line with inflation once again.

    When it comes to choices on tax, this government chooses to protect working people every single time.  

    SPENDING 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, these are the choices I have made. 

    To restore economic stability. 

    And to protect working people.  

    The next choice I make is to begin to repair our public services.  

    In recent months, we have conducted the first phase of the Spending Review… 

    … to set departmental budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26… 

    … and I want to thank my Right Honourable Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for his tireless work with colleagues from across government.  

    Because I have taken difficult decisions on tax today… 

    … I am able to provide an injection of immediate funding over the next two years… 

    … to stabilise and to support our public services.  

    The next phase of the Spending Review will report in late Spring, and I have set the overall envelope today. 

    Day to day spending from 2024-25 onwards will grow by 1.5% in real terms… 

    … and total departmental spending, including capital spending, will grow by 1.7% in real terms. 

    At the election we promised there would be no return to austerity.  

    Today we deliver on that promise. 

    But given the scale of the challenges that are facing our public services… 

    … that means there will still be difficult choices in the next phase of the Spending Review. 

    Just as we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity… 

    … nor can we simply spend our way to better public services.  

    So we will deliver a new approach to public service reform… 

    … using technology to improve public services… 

    … and taking a zero-based approach… 

    … so that taxpayers’ money is spent as effectively as possible…  

    … and so that we focus on delivering our key priorities.  

    Spending Review: Phase 1 

    In the first phase of the Spending Review… 

    … I have prioritised day-to-day funding to deliver on our manifesto commitments. 

    I want every child to have the best start in life… 

    … and the best possible start to the school day, too… 

    … and I know my Right Honourable Friend the Education Secretary shares my ambition.  

    So I am today tripling investment in breakfast clubs to fund them in thousands of schools.  

    I am increasing the core schools budget by £2.3bn next year… 

    … to support our pledge to hire thousands more teachers into key subjects.   

    So that our young people can develop the skills that they need for the future… 

    … I am providing an additional £300m for further education. 

    And finally, this government is committed to reforming special educational needs provision… 

    … to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children and ensure the system is financially sustainable. 

    To support that work, I am today providing a £1bn uplift in funding, a 6% real terms increase from this year.  

    There is no more important job for government than to keep our country safe, and we are conducting a Strategic Defence Review to be published next year. 

    And as set out in our manifesto, we will set a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence at a future fiscal event. 

    Today, I am announcing a total increase to the Ministry of Defence’s Budget of £2.9bn next year… 

    … ensuring the UK comfortably exceeds our NATO commitments…  

    … and providing guaranteed military support to Ukraine of £3bn per year, for as long as it takes. 

    Last week, alongside my Right Honourable Friend the Defence Secretary, I announced, in addition to this, further support to Ukraine – on top of our NATO commitment…  

    … through our £2.26bn contribution to the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration agreement… 

    … repaid using profits from immobilised Russian sovereign assets. 

    And as we approach Remembrance Sunday…  

    … it is vital that we take time to remember those who have served our country so bravely.  

    So I am today announcing funding to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ day next year… 

    … to honour those who have served at home and abroad. 

    We must also remember those who experienced the atrocities of the Nazi regime first hand.  

    I would like to pay tribute to Lily Ebert, the Holocaust Survivor and educator who passed away aged 100 earlier this month.  

    I am today committing a further £2m to holocaust education next year… 

    … so that charities like the Holocaust Educational Trust, can continue their work to ensure these vital testimonies are not lost and are preserved for the future. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to repair our public services we also need to work alongside our mayors and our local leaders. 

    We will deliver a significant real-terms funding increase for local government next year…  

    … including £1.3bn of additional grant funding to deliver essential services… 

    … with at least £600m in grant funding for social care…  

    … and £230m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping 

    We are today confirming that Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will be the first mayoral authorities to receive integrated settlements from next year… 

    … giving Mayors meaningful control of the funding for their local areas. 

    * 

    And to support our local high streets… 

    … we are taking action to deal with the sharp rise in shoplifting we have seen in recent years. 

    We will scrap the effective immunity for low-value shoplifting introduced by the party opposite. 

    And having listened closely to organisations like the British Retail Consortium and USDAW… 

    … I am providing additional funding to crack down on the organised gangs which target retailers… 

     … and to provide more training to our police officers and retailers to help stop shoplifting in its tracks.  

    Finally, I am today providing funding to support public services and drive growth across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  

    Having discussed the matter with the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, and my HFs for Llanelli and Pontypridd… 

    … I am providing a £25m to the Welsh Government next year for the maintenance of coal tips to ensure we keep our communities safe.  

    And to support growth, including in our rural areas, we will proceed with City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland… 

    … in Causeway Coast and Glens; and Mid-South West.

    And we will drive growth in Scotland [redacted political content] including a City and growth Deal in Argyll and Bute.

    This budget provides the devolved governments with the largest real-terms funding settlement since devolution… 

    … delivering an additional £3.4 billion for the Scottish Government through the Barnett formula… 

    … funding which must now be spent effectively to improve public services in Scotland.  

    This budget also provides £1.7 billion to the Welsh Government… 

    …  and £1.5 billion to the Northern Ireland Executive in 2025-26. 

    I said there would be no return to austerity, and that is the choice I have made today.  

    REBUILDING BRITAIN 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to rebuild our country we need to increase investment. 

    The UK lags behind every other G7 country when it comes to business investment as a share of our economy. 

    That matters.  

    It means the UK has fallen behind in the race for new jobs… 

    … new industries… 

    … and new technology.  

    By restoring economic stability… 

    … and by establishing the National Wealth Fund to catalyse private funding… 

    … we have begun to create the conditions that businesses need to invest.  

    But there is also a significant role for public investment.

    Hospitals without the equipment they need.  

    School buildings not fit for our children.  

    A desperate lack of affordable housing. 

    Economic growth held back at every turn.  

    Under the plans I inherited… 

    … public investment was set to fall from 2.5% to 1.7% of GDP.  

    But in Washington last week, the International Monetary Fund were clear:  

    More public investment is badly needed in the UK.  

    So today, having listened to the case made by the former Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney… 

    … former Treasury Minister, Jim O’Neill… 

    … and the former Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell… 

    … among others…  

    … I am confirming our investment rule.  

    As set out in our manifesto, we will target debt falling as a share of the economy. 

    Debt will be defined as Public Sector net Financial Liabilities, or “net financial debt”, for short… 

    … a metric that has been measured by the Office for National Statistics since 2016… 

    … and forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility since that date too. 

    “Net financial debt” recognises that government investment delivers returns for taxpayers…  

    … by counting not just the liabilities on a government’s balance sheet, but the financial assets too. 

    This means that we count the benefits of investment, not just the costs… 

    And we free up our institutions to invest… 

    … just as they do in Germany, France and Japan.  

    Like our stability rule, our investment rule will apply in 2029-2030… 

    … until that becomes the third year of the forecast. 

    From that point onwards, net financial debt will fall in the third year of every forecast. 

    Today, the OBR say that we are already meeting our target two years early… 

    … with “net financial debt” falling by 2027-28…  

    … with £15.7bn of headroom in the final year. 

    So that we drive the right incentives in government investments… 

    … we will introduce four key guardrails to ensure capital spending is good value for money and drives growth in our economy.  

    First, our portfolio of new financial investments will be delivered by expert bodies like the National Wealth Fund which must, by default, earn a rate of return at least as large as that on gilts.  

    Second, we will strengthen the role of institutions to improve infrastructure delivery.  

    Third, we will improve certainty, setting capital budgets for five years and extending them at every spending review every two years. 

    Finally, we will ensure there is greater transparency for capital spending, with robust annual reporting of financial investments… 

    … based on accounts audited by the National Audit Office… 

    … and made available to the Office for Budget Responsibility at every forecast. 

    Taken together with our stability rule… 

    …these fiscal rules will ensure that our public finances are on a firm footing… 

    … while enabling us to invest prudently alongside business. 

    Growth projects  

    The capital plans I now set out… 

    … to drive growth across our country… 

    … and repair the fabric of our nation… 

    … are only possible because of our investment rule.  

    Let me set out those investment plans. 

    Industrial strategy 

    Today we are confirming our plans to capitalise the National Wealth Fund… 

    … to invest in the industries of the future… 

    … from gigafactories, to ports to green hydrogen. 

    Building on these investments, my Right Honourable Friend the Business Secretary is driving forward our modern industrial strategy… 

    … working with businesses and organisations like Make UK… 

    … to set out the sectors with the biggest growth potential. 

    Today, we are confirming multi-year funding commitments for these areas of our economy, including… 

    … nearly £1bn for the aerospace sector to fund vital research and development, building on our industry in the East Midlands, the South-West and Scotland… 

    … over £2 billion for the automotive sector… 

    …  to support our electric vehicle industry and develop our manufacturing base… 

    … building on our strengths in the North East and the West Midlands… 

    And up to £520m for a new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund. 

    For our world-leading creative industries…  

    … we will legislate to provide additional tax relief for visual effect costs in TV and film… 

    .. and we are providing £25m for the North East Combined Authority… 

    … which they plan to use to remediate the Crown Works Studio site in Sunderland… 

    … creating 8,000 new jobs.  

    Research & Development 

    To unlock these growth industries of the future, we will protect government investment in research and development with more than £20bn worth of funding. 

    This includes at least £6.1bn to protect core research funding for areas like engineering, biotechnology and medical science… 

    …through Research England, other research councils, and the National Academies. 

    We will extend the Innovation Accelerators programme in Glasgow, in Manchester and in the West Midlands.  

    And with over £500m of funding next year, my Right Honourable Friend the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretary, will continue to drive progress in improving reliable, fast broadband and mobile coverage across our country, including in rural areas. 

    Housing 

    We committed in our manifesto to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this parliament… 

    … and my Right Honourable Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is driving that work forward across government. 

    Today, I am providing over £5bn of government investment to deliver our plans on housing next year. 

    We will increase the Affordable Homes Programme to £3.1bn…  

    … delivering thousands of new homes.  

    We will provide £3bn of support in guarantees… 

    … to boost the supply of homes and support our small housebuilders. 

    And we will provide investment to renovate sites across our country… 

    … including at Liverpool Central Docks… 

    … where we will deliver 2,000 new homes… 

    … and funding to help Cambridge realise its full growth potential.  

    Alongside this investment, we will put the right policies in place to increase the supply of affordable housing.  

    Having heard representations from local authorities, social housing providers and from Shelter…  

    … I can today confirm that the government will reduce Right to Buy Discounts… 

    … and local authorities will be able to retain the full receipts from any sales of social housing… 

    … to reinvest back into the housing stock, and into new supply.. 

    … so that we give more people a safe, secure and affordable place to live.  

    We will provide stability to social housing providers, with a social housing rent settlement of CPI+1 percent for the next five years.  

    And we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to hire hundreds of new planning officers, to get Britain building again.  

    We will also make progress on our commitment to accelerate the remediation of homes following the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry… 

    … with £1bn of investment to remove dangerous cladding next year.  

    Transport

    Working with my Right Honourable Friend the Transport Secretary, I am changing that.  

    We are today securing the delivery of the Trans-Pennine upgrade to connect York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester…  

    … delivering fully electric local and regional services between Manchester and Stalybridge by the end of this year… 

    … with a further electrification of services between Church Fenton and York by 2026.… 

    … to help grow our economy across the North of England… 

    … with faster and more reliable services.  

    We will deliver East-West Rail to drive growth between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge…  

    … with the first services running between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes next year… 

    … and trains between Oxford and Bedford running from 2030.  

    We are delivering railway schemes which improve journeys for people across our country… 

    … including upgrades at Bradford Forster Square…  

    … improving capacity at Manchester Victoria… 

    … and electrifying the Wigan-Bolton line. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Transport Secretary has also set out a plan for how to get a grip of HS2. 

    Today, we are securing delivery of the project between Old Oak Common and Birmingham… 

    … and we are committing the funding required to begin tunnelling work to London Euston station… 

    … This will catalyse private investment into the local area. 

    I am also funding significant improvements to our roads network.  

    For too long, potholes have been an all too visible reminder of our failure to invest as a nation. 

    Today, that changes… 

    … with a £500m increase in road maintenance budgets next year… 

    … more than delivering on our manifesto commitment to fix an additional one million potholes each year. 

    We will provide over £650m of local transport funding to improve connections across our country… 

    … in our towns like Crewe and Grimsby… 

    … and in our villages and rural areas, from Cornwall to Cumbria.

    … we understand how important bus services are for our communities… 

    …so we will extend the cap for a further year, setting it at £3 until December 2025. 

    Finally we will deliver £1.3bn of funding to improve connectivity in our city regions, funding projects like…  

    … the Brierley Hill Metro extension in the West Midlands… 

    … the renewal of the Sheffield Supertram… 

    … and West Yorkshire Mass Transit, including in Bradford and Leeds.  

    Energy 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to bring new jobs to Britain and drive growth across our country… 

    … we are delivering our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, led by my Right Honourable Friend the Energy Secretary. 

    Earlier this month, we announced a significant multi-year investment between government and business into Carbon Capture and Storage… 

    … creating 4,000 jobs across Merseyside and Teesside. 

    Today, I am providing funding for 11 new green hydrogen projects across England, Scotland and Wales – they will be among the first commercial scale projects anywhere in the world… 

    … including in Bridgend, East Renfrewshire and in Barrow-in-Furness 

    We are kickstarting the Warm Homes Plan by confirming an initial £3.4bn over the next three years… 

    … to transform 350,000 homes… 

    … including a quarter of a million low-income and social homes. 

    And we will establish GB Energy… 

    … providing funding next year to set up GB Energy at its new home in Aberdeen. 

    Overall, we will invest an additional £100bn over the next five years in capital spending… 

    … only possible because of our investment rule.  

    The OBR say today that this will drive growth across our country in the next five years… 

    … and in the longer term increase GDP by up to 1.4%. 

    It will crowd in private investment… 

    … meaning more jobs, and more opportunities… 

    … in every corner of the UK.  

    That is the choice that I have made.  

    To invest in our country… 

    … and to grow our economy. 

    Today, I am setting out two final areas in which investment is so badly needed… 

    … to repair the fabric of our nation. 

    Schools

    [redacted political content]

    … schools roofs are crumbling….  

    … and millions of children are facing the very same backdrop as I did. 

    I will be the Chancellor that changes that.  

    So today, I am providing £6.7bn of capital investment to the Department for Education next year… 

    … a 19% real-terms increase on this year. 

    That includes £1.4bn to rebuild over 500 schools in the greatest need… 

    … including St Helen’s Primary School in Hartlepool, and Mercia Academy in Derby… 

    … and so many more across our country. 

    And we will provide a further £2.1bn to improve school maintenance, £300m more than this year… 

    … ensuring that all our children can learn somewhere safe… 

    … including dealing with RAAC affected schools in the constituencies of my HFs the members for Watford, Stourbridge, Hyndburn, and beyond.   

    Alongside investment in new teachers… 

    … and funding for thousands of new breakfast clubs… 

    … this government is giving our children and young people the opportunities that they deserve.   

    NHS 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I come to our most cherished public service of all: our NHS.

    [redacted political content]

    In our first week in office, he commissioned an independent report into the state of our health service by Lord Darzi.  

    Its conclusions were damning.  

    While our NHS staff do a remarkable job, and we thank them for it… 

    … it is clear that, that in so many areas… 

    … we are moving in the wrong direction.  

    100,000 infants waited over 6 hours in A&E last year.  

    350,000 people are waiting a year for mental health support. 

    Cancer deaths here are higher than in other countries.  

    It is simply unforgiveable. 

    In the Spring, we will publish a 10 year plan for the NHS… 

    … to deliver a shift from hospital to community… 

    … from analogue to digital… 

    … and from sickness to prevention. 

    Today, we are announcing a downpayment on that plan…  

    …  to enable the NHS to deliver 2% productivity growth next year. 

    These reforms are vital.  

    But we should be honest.  

    The state of the NHS we inherited… 

    … after – and I quote Lord Darzi – “the most austere decade since the NHS was founded” –  

    … means reform must come alongside investment. 

    So today… 

    … because of the difficult decision that I have taken on tax, welfare and spending… 

    … I can announce… 

    … that I am providing a £22.6bn increase in the day to-day health budget… 

    … and a £3.1bn increase in the capital budget… 

    … over this year and next year. 

    This is the largest real-terms growth in day to day NHS spending outside of Covid since 2010.  

    Let me set out what this funding is delivering.  

    Many NHS buildings have been left in a state of disrepair. 

    So we will provide £1 billion of health capital investment next year to address the backlog of repairs and upgrades across the NHS.  

    To increase capacity for tens of thousands more procedures next year… 

    … we will provide a further £1.5bn… 

    … for new beds in hospitals across the country…  

    … new capacity for over a million additional diagnostic tests… 

    … and new surgical hubs and diagnostic centres … 

    … so that those people waiting for their treatment can get it as quickly as possible. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Health Secretary will be announcing the details of his review into the New Hospital Programme in the coming weeks… 

    … and publishing in the new year… 

    … but I can tell the House today… 

    … that work will continue at pace to deliver those seven hospitals affected including… 

    … West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds… 

    … and Leighton Hospital in Crewe.  

    And finally… 

    … because of this record injection of funding… 

    … because of the thousands of additional beds that we have secured… 

    … and because of the reforms that we are delivering in our NHS…  

    … we can now begin to bring waiting lists down more quickly… 

    … and move towards our target for waiting times no longer than 18 weeks… 

    … by delivering our manifesto commitment for 40,000 extra hospital appointments a week.

    [redacted political content]

    CLOSING 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the choices that I have made today are the right choices for our country.  

    To restore stability to our public finances. 

    To protect working people. 

    To fix our NHS. 

    And to rebuild Britain.  

    That doesn’t mean these choices are easy. 

    But they are responsible.

    [redacted political content]

    This is a moment of fundamental choice for Britain.  

    I have made my choices.  

    The responsible choices. 

    To restore stability to our country. 

    To protect working people.  

    More teachers in our schools.  

    More appointments in our NHS.  

    More homes being built.  

    Fixing the foundations of our economy. 

    Investing in our future.  

    Delivering change.  

    Rebuilding Britain.

    We on these benches commend those choices… 

    … and I commend this Statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Murphy Joins NJ TRANSIT to Showcase Brand New Multilevel Rail Car

    Source: US State of New Jersey

    174 New Rail Cars Will Help Mechanical Reliability

    Vehicle Maximum Speed Will Increase to 110 Miles Per Hour

    Latest Generation Features New Customer Amenities Such as USB Charging Ports

    KEARNY, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy and NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett today previewed the next generation of multilevel rail cars, modernizing the fleet which will significantly improve reliability, capacity and customer comfort. The latest generation of multilevel rail cars was unveiled at an event at NJ TRANSIT’s Meadows Maintenance Complex (MMC) in Kearny.

    “Providing modern, reliable equipment is a critical component to improving New Jersey’s infrastructure, particularly with regard to public transit,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “These multilevel rail cars are equipped with innovative features that meet the everyday needs of our commuters. Upon their completion, these upgraded rail cars will expand access to reliable and comfortable transportation for NJ TRANSIT riders.”

    “These 174 new multilevel rail cars being unveiled today will enhance the experience for NJ TRANSIT riders by increasing capacity, utilizing cutting-edge technology, and ensuring the safety and reliability of New Jersey’s transportation system,” said Senator Cory Booker. “This investment to modernize our transit system along the busiest rail corridor in the country will encourage more New Jerseyans to opt for public transit over driving, resulting in reduced congestion and lower emissions across our state.” 

    “Since day one of his administration, Governor Murphy has been committed to improving NJ TRANSIT to ensure New Jersey residents have a reliable public transit experience. Today marks another milestone in that mission,” said Senator George Helmy. “These Multilevel III cars propel us into a new generation of NJ TRANSIT. The modern, state-of-the-art fleet will ensure customers who rely on this service daily have a faster, more comfortable, and convenient experience.” 

    “With the purchase of these new multilevel rail cars, we’re taking another step toward a more reliable, efficient, and modernized public transit system,” said Congressman Rob Menendez. “Commuters deserve the best possible experience when traveling through our region, and I’m grateful that our federal and state leaders will continue partnering with NJ Transit to help make that a reality.” 

    “The FTA is proud to support NJ TRANSIT as it introduces 174 new multi-level railcars into service,” said Michael Culotta, Regional Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. “The new fleet, supported by $567.5 million in federal funds, includes state-of-the-art technologies providing improved accessibility, safety, and efficiency, which will leave an indelible mark on riders and align seamlessly with the goals of the FTA and the Biden-Harris Administration.” 
     
    “As we unveil NJ TRANSIT’s new Multilevel III rail cars, we are taking a significant step forward in sustainable transportation and government efficiency,” said Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, Chair of the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee. “These electric, self-propelled vehicles should not only enhance capacity and comfort for commuters but also significantly enhance mechanical reliability. Their energy efficiency and reduced emissions underscore our commitment to sustainability and minimizing environmental impact. By embracing this advanced technology, we are positioning New Jersey as a national leader in clean energy transportation, addressing both the immediate and long-term goals of a greener, more efficient, and more connected state.” 

    “NJ TRANSIT is committed to improving every aspect of the customer journey, and the 174 new multilevel rail cars will help achieve that by significantly improving reliability, increasing capacity and enhancing the onboard experience,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “NJ TRANSIT is grateful to Governor Murphy, the New jersey legislators and our partners at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for delivering the necessary funding to ensure our system continues to meet the growing demands of our region, and the expectations of our customers.” 

    “Alstom is proud to help meet the vision and leadership of Governor Murphy and NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett to provide transit users in New Jersey with a more modern and comfortable ride,” said Alstom Vice President, Head of Rolling Stock David Van der Wee. “Innovative new trains with 21st century amenities will give commuters, students, sports fans, every kind of NJ TRANSIT customer, the high-quality experience they have been demanding and deserve. Our employees in Upstate New York couldn’t be prouder to deliver these new trains.” 

    Governor Murphy and Corbett previewed the first of 174 Multilevel III cars during an event at the agency’s Governor Murphy and Corbett previewed the first of 174 Multilevel III cars during an event at the agency’s MMC in Kearny. They highlighted many of the new car’s amenities, including USB charging ports and onboard information displays. The new cars, manufactured by Alstom Transportation in Plattsburgh, NY, will offer a range of benefits over the older, 40+ year-old single level cars they will replace, including dramatic improvement in mechanical reliability. The vehicle maximum speed will increase to 110 miles per hour. The cars, which will begin entering service mid-next year, will be compliant with the latest federal regulations, including Positive Train Control.

    The Multilevel III Power Cars are Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), meaning they are self-propelled and don’t require a separate locomotive. Electric motors are incorporated within one or a number of the vehicles on the train. They are the first of their kind in North America.

    In December of 2018, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved a rail rolling stock vehicle procurement award to Bombardier Transit Corporation (now Alstom Transportation Inc.) for 113 Multilevel III rail vehicles to replace the single-level, self-propelled Arrow III rail vehicles manufactured more than 40 years ago. In February 2022, the NJ TRANSIT Board approved the purchase of an additional 25 Multilevel III vehicles. In July 2024, the Board approved the purchase of an additional 36 Multilevel III vehicles, bring the total number of new cars to 174 since 2018.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Joint Statement of the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office on a Multilateral Meeting to Address State-Sponsored High-Harm Physical Threats and Other Forms of Transnational Repression

    Source: US State of California

    On Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office convened a multilateral meeting at the U.S. Embassy in London to address the urgent challenge of state-sponsored high-harm physical threats and other forms of transnational repression. The meeting was co-chaired by Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security from the U.S. Department of Justice, and Chloe Squires, Director General for Homeland Security from the U.K. Home Office.

    The meeting brought together senior government officials from partner nations that are confronting increasing levels of transnational violence perpetrated by state actors, particularly authoritarian regimes, and their proxies. This meeting included representatives from intelligence, law enforcement, prosecutorial, and policy organizations to share disruption strategies for countering the alarming rise in transnational assassination plots, kidnappings, and other acts of violence and repression.

    The engagement was designed to achieve a common understanding of the threat landscape, share operational and strategic approaches to counter the threat, and identify opportunities for ongoing collaboration and partnership. At the conclusion, participants agreed to establish a regular working group to maintain shared visibility into the threat in member countries and to review and develop strategies to increase the capacity of the partner nations to deter and disrupt state-sponsored violence and repression.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Releases Information on Efforts to Protect the Right to Vote, Prosecute Election Fraud, and Secure Elections

    Source: US State of California

    Consistent with longstanding Justice Department practices and procedures, the department today is providing information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division (NSD), and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation, or criminal activity in the election process, and to ensure that our elections are secure and free from foreign malign influence and interference.

    Civil Rights Division

    The department’s Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote and with the criminal provisions of federal statutes prohibiting discriminatory interference with that right. This work is often performed in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

    The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of a wide range of federal statutes that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act; National Voter Registration Act; Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; Help America Vote Act; and Civil Rights Acts. Among other things, collectively, these laws:

    • Prohibit election practices that have either a discriminatory purpose or a discriminatory result on account of race, color, or language minority status;
    • Prohibit intimidation of voters;
    • Allow voters who need assistance in voting because of disability or inability to read or write to receive assistance from a person of their choice (other than agents of their employer or union);
    • Require minority language election materials and assistance in certain jurisdictions;
    • Require accessible voting systems for voters with disabilities;
    • Require that provisional ballots be offered to voters who assert they are registered and eligible to vote in the jurisdiction, but whose names do not appear on poll books;
    • Require states to provide for absentee voting for uniformed service members serving away from home, their family members also away from home due to that service, and U.S. citizens living abroad; and
    • Require covered states to offer the opportunity to register to vote through offices that provide driver licenses, public assistance, and disability services, as well as through the mail, and to take steps regarding maintaining voter registration lists.

    The Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination in voting based on disability. The ADA applies to all aspects of voting, including voter registration, selection and accessibility of voting facilities, and the casting of ballots on Election Day or during early voting, whether in-person or absentee.

    The Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter interference based on race, color, national origin, or religion.

    • Throughout the election cycle, Civil Rights Division attorneys in the Voting, Disability Rights, and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive complaints of potential violations of any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. The Civil Rights Division will work closely with counterparts at U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and other department components to review and take appropriate action concerning these complaints.
    • Individuals with complaints related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can call the Justice Department’s toll-free telephone line at 800-253-3931, and can also submit complaints at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
    • Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.

    Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the department after local authorities are contacted.

    Criminal Division and the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices

    The department’s Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws that criminalize certain forms of election fraud and vindicate the integrity of the federal election process.

    The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal laws that prohibit various forms of election crimes, such as destruction of ballots, vote-buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, alteration of votes, and malfeasance by postal or election officials and employees. See Justice Manual 9-85.210 (discussing requirements regarding election crime matters); 9-85.300 (discussing approach to ballot fraud); 9-85.400 (discussing application of 18 U.S.C. § 592); 9-85.500 (discussing timing of actions).

    The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are also responsible for enforcing federal criminal law prohibiting unlawful threats of violence against election workers, and prohibiting voter intimidation and voter suppression for reasons other than race, color, national origin, or religion (as noted above, voter intimidation and voter suppression that has a basis in race, color, national origin, or religion is addressed by the Civil Rights Division often in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices).

    U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country designate Assistant U.S. Attorneys who serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) in their respective districts. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election-crime matters in their districts, and for coordinating with the department’s election-crime experts in Washington, D.C.

    The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices work with specially trained FBI personnel in each district to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible election crimes are handled appropriately. Specifically:

    • In consultation with federal prosecutors at the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., the DEOs in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FBI special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public.
    • Election-crime complaints should be directed to the local U.S. Attorney’s Office or the local FBI field office. A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at www.justice.gov/usao/districts. A list of FBI field offices and accompanying telephone numbers can be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us.
    • Public Integrity Section prosecutors are available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI regarding the handling of election-crime allegations.

    All complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should be reported first to local police authorities by calling 911. After alerting local law enforcement to such emergencies by calling 911, the public should contact the Justice Department.

    National Security Division

    The department’s National Security Division (NSD) supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases affecting or relating to national security, including any cases involving foreign malign influence and interference in elections or violent extremist threats to elections. In this context:

    • NSD oversees matters involving a range of malign influence activities that foreign governments may attempt.
    • NSD’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section oversees matters involving covert information operations (e.g., to promulgate disinformation through social media); covert efforts to support or denigrate political candidates or organizations; and other covert influence operations that might violate various criminal statutes.
    • NSD’s National Security Cyber Section oversees such matters when they are cyber-enabled (i.e., when online platforms, such as social media and other online services, are central to the commission of the offense), as well as those involving computer hacking of election or campaign infrastructure.
    • NSD’s Counterterrorism Section oversees matters involving international and domestic terrorism and supports law enforcement in preventing any acts of terrorism that impact Americans, including any violent extremism that might threaten election security.

    As in past elections, the National Security Division will work closely with counterparts at the FBI and our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to protect our nation’s elections from any national security threats. Attorneys from National Security Division sections will be partnered with FBI Headquarters components to provide support to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI field offices to counter any such threats. The Department of Homeland Security also plays its own important role in safeguarding critical election infrastructure from cyber and other threats.

    Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911 and, after local authorities are contacted, then should be reported also to the department.

    Protecting the right to vote, prosecuting election crimes, and securing our elections are all essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government. The department encourages anyone with information regarding concerns in these subject areas to contact the appropriate authorities.

    For more information about the department’s work to ensure compliance with federal civil and criminal laws related to voting, please visit www.justice.gov/voting and www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-pin/election-crimes-branch.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Two Members of Transnational Money Laundering Organization Plead Guilty to Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds

    Source: US State of California

    A Georgia man pleaded guilty today to his involvement in a conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (the Jalisco Cartel). Earlier this year, on Aug. 5, a foreign national residing in Illinois pleaded guilty for his role in the same money laundering scheme.

    According to court documents, Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, and Chaojie Chen, 41, a Chinese national residing in Chicago, worked for an organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs. They communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds, including through a sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme involving the purchasing of bulk electronics in the United States and the shipping of these electronics to co-conspirators in China.

    On multiple occasions prior to Chen’s May arrest, law enforcement seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in bulk cash drug proceeds from Chen at locations across the United States. Additionally, Tan was intercepted by law enforcement in South Carolina while attempting to transport over $197,000 in drug proceeds.

    According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.

    Tan and Chen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of their pleas, Tan and Chen agreed to forfeit numerous assets to the government, including a residence, a firearm, body armor, and more than $270,000 in seized currency. Additionally, they agreed to the imposition of money judgments totaling over $23 million. Chen is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14 and Tan is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025. Chen and Tan each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement.

    The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina; and the Anderson County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office.

    Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by President Trump During Hurricane Helene Briefing

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    For Immediate Release                           January 24, 2025
    REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMPDURING HURRICANE HELENE BRIEFING Airport Fire and Rescue FacilityFletcher, North Carolina
       11:34 A.M. EST
         THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.  It’s a little cold outside, but you’re getting used to the cold.
    And one of the things that are very important to me and one of the reasons I’m happy that we won so convincingly is to help North Carolina get fixed up.  They supported us in record numbers, and I’m supporting them in record numbers too.
    And they had me set — I wanted to go to Los Angeles and see what was going on with California, why they aren’t releasing the water.  Millions and millions of gallons of water, they’re sending it out to the Pacific.  Someday, somebody’s going — going to explain that one.  In the meantime, they have no water in Los Angeles, where they had the problems. But — so, we’re going there.  But I said, “Well, what about North Carolina?”  “Well, you could do that la-” — “no, I can’t.”  I said, “We’re stopping in North Carolina first, and then we’re going to Los Angeles.” And we just appreciate the outpouring of love that we’ve had here.  Lara was, as you know, very instrumental in the campaign, and she lived here and is loved, and we appreciate it.  And Michael Whatley has been incredible — wherever Michael is — hello, Michael.  Michael Whatley has been great.  And your congressmen have been great.  And what we thought we’d do is take a quick look around.  First, we wanted to do this.  I — I want to say that we’re very disappointed in FEMA.  Your new governor, it’s not his fault.  He’s brand-new to the whole situation.  But we’re going to work together with the governor.  We’re going to work together with the — your senators, but, really, we’re going to work a lot with your congressman, especially the three that are in the area, and Michael Whatley.  And I’d like to put Michael in charge of making sure everything goes well.  And Franklin Graham has been unbelievable.  We’ve made a big contribution to Franklin, and we’ll continue to do so.  But I — I’ve been hearing nothing but praise for the job that Samaritan’s Purse has done with Franklin, and we appreciate it.  Where is Franklin?  He’s around here someplace.  (Laughter.)  And — that good-looking guy.  He’s always been a good-looking guy.  His father was a good-looking guy, too, I’ll tell you.  We loved his father, right?  I saw his father in the latter years, and I said, “Well, he — he doesn’t have long to go.”  He was having a hard time, and he lived about three, four years after that, right?  REVEREND GRAHAM:  That’s right. THE PRESIDENT:  He — he was — they call — they say he was “good stock.”  He had the ultimate good stock.  But I want to thank you, Franklin.  You were — you’ve been fantastic here.  And everywhere he goes, he — he’s always — he’s always the first one I see.  Does — people don’t realize it, how — how good it is.  A lot of people, they go, “Well, maybe it’s for the people that he’s got.”  And you guys know, because you’re here, but the people that he’s got have done amazing work.  So, I just want to thank everybody.  We’re going to get over and take a look.  We’ll say a few words.  I want to just — I do want to introduce some of the people that we have.  And our first lady — we’ll start with our first lady.  She wanted to be here because of North Carolina.  And then I said, “Well, you can do that, but you’re going to have to come to California too.”  (Laughter.)  THE FIRST LADY:  That’s okay. THE PRESIDENT:  And she said, “That’s okay.”  (Laughter.) And we got to fix that one up too.  That’s — who — do you ever see anything like that one?  It’s — who would have — who would have thought that could have happened.  So, Governor Josh Stein, thank you very much.  We appreciate it.  And we’re going to have a — a very long and good relationship.  Representatives — maybe stand up, if you would, so we — the press can see.  Representatives Chuck Edwards — Chuck, thank you.  Thank you, Chuck.  Tim Moore.  Virginia.  You know Virginia Foxx, a legend — she is such a powerful woman.  Pat Harrigan.  Pat, thank you very much.  Your agriculture commissioner, who I hear is excellent, Steve Troxler — Steve, thank you very much.  Good job, Steve.  You’ve got plenty to do, right? MR. TROXLER:  (Inaudible.) THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  More than you ever thought.  North Carolina Speaker Destin Hall.  Thank you, Destin.  Thanks, Destin.  Very good.  House Majority Leader Brenden Jones.  Brenden, thank you very much.  We’re making progress, Brenden.  State Representatives Dudley Greene, Karl Gillespie, thank you very much, fellas.  Good, good.  Thank you very much.  State Senators Kevin Corbin, Warren Daniel, thank you.  Thank you very much, Kevin, Warren.  And County Commissioner Jennifer Best, thank you.  Jennifer, thank you. So, Hurricane Helene was one of the worst natural disasters in American history.  It was far worse than it was even billed.  I have never seen such water damage.  It was largely water damage — wind damage, but water damage nobody has ever seen.  I’ve been here, as you know, numerous times, but now I’m here in a position where we can do something, meaning I’ve been in — in office for four days.  And I wanted to come sooner, but actually, they had a little problem with getting, logistically, in here, but I would have been ev- — here even sooner. One oh four — a hundred and four North Carolinians have — at least — have lost their lives.  Is that now a fairly firm number, or are they still finding people?  You know?  Is — what do you think?  They’re still finding people?  Pretty much, okay?  It’s a lot of people.  A hundred and four people lost their lives.  Seventy-three thousand homes were severely damaged or destroyed.  And I’ll tell you, I’ve been to a lot of them, and this was a — this was like lots of hurricanes in one.  I’ve never seen such damage done by water.  And the — the water came, it was violent, and it left, and there was, like, nothing left.  It’s really pretty amazing.  At one point, half of the emergency calls to FEMA went unanswered.  That’s real bad.  FEMA was not doing their job.  The city of Asheville went without running water for two months.  A whistleblower testified that some FEMA employees refused to help people who displayed Trump signs on their properties.  I think that’s true, isn’t it?  I read that.  That’s not nice.  That’s not too nice, is it? But whoever those property people were, thank you very much.  Michael, is that true? MR. WHATLEY:  (Inaudible.) THE PRESIDENT:  That’s not good — huh? — about the property owners.  You put a Trump sign on it, they wouldn’t help — FEMA.  Earlier this year, FEMA kicked 2,000 North Carolinians out of their temporary housing into below-freezing temperatures.  What was that all about?  Is that — do you know about that?  What happened?  Tell me. STATE SPEAKER HALL:  We had an incompetent administration under Biden.  And we had a disaster, and then we call it “the disaster after the disaster” — that was the FEMA response. THE PRESIDENT:  You had nothing but disaster since then.  I — it doesn’t matter at this point.  Biden did a bad job.  Some residents still don’t have hot water, drinking water, or anything else.  And m- — many of them don’t have quarters.  They don’t have anything.  They got a stipend for what they lost, and we’re going to take care of it.  This is totally unacceptable, and I’ll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild.  We’re working on it very hard. And I think if Michael Whatley does half as good a job for North Carolina as he did for my campaign, we’ll be very happy.  (Laughter.)  Him and Lara were a very powerful team.  So, you think you can handle it, Michael?  I don’t know.  I’m not sure, Michael.  (Laughter.)  I think this is maybe, in many ways, easier.  Okay?  Maybe easier.  But you’re going to lead the team.  Do you want to say who the — who the congressmen are that you want to appoint?  Do you want to introduce them? MR. WHATLEY:  So, we — we have Virginia Foxx and Chuck Edwards and Tim Moore — THE PRESIDENT:  And — MR. WHATLEY:  — whose districts encompass the area (inaudible) — THE PRESIDENT:  And they are the districts that were most severely impacted, right?  You were — you were affected, then, Virginia? REPRESENTATIVE FOXX:  Yes, sir.  Lost my own property. THE PRESIDENT:  Really?  Well, I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA.  I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.  I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go and — whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA.  And then FEMA gets here, and they don’t know the area, they’ve never been to the area, and they want to give you rules that you’ve never heard about, they want to bring people that aren’t as good as the people you already have.  And FEMA has turned out to be a — a disaster.  And you could go back a long way.  You could go back to Louisiana.  You could go back to some of the things that took place in Texas.  It — it turns out to be the state that ends up doing the work.  It just complicates it.  I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state.  But the state should fix this.  If the state did this from the beginning, it would have been a lot better situation.  I think you guys agree with that, right? So, I just want to tell that Ash- — say that Asheville — I know it well.  It’s a great place, and we’re going to have it be a great place again.  That was the one that was most severely affected.  But North Carolina is going to come back bigger, better, stronger than ever before, and you’re going to be very thankful.  And you’ve already seen — I know that it really began four days ago, but you’ve already seen more action than you have in the last three months.  And we’re going to get it together.  We’re informing the Army Corps of Engineers to get going, because you have a lot of river breaks and a lot of areas that you’re going to need some pretty big work.  And they’re on their way.  They’re going to be working very — much harder than they’ve been working in the past.  And we’re going to take care of it.  Any questions from the press of any of the congressmen, governor, anybody? Q    Sir, are you going to sign an executive order on FEMA — getting rid of it?  Can you explain more about signing the executive order to get rid of FEMA, please? THE PRESIDENT:  FEMA has been a very big disappointment.  They cost a tremendous amount of money.  It’s very bureaucratic, and it’s very slow.  Other than that, we’re very happy with them.  Okay?  (Laughter.) And I think it’s — I think when there’s a — when there’s a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state.  That’s what we have states for; they take care of problems.  And a governor can handle something very quickly. You know, one of the things I’ve noticed, because I’ve been doing this for a while, and we had a pretty good FEMA.  But I also noticed that when they come, they end up in arguments of — they’re fighting all the time over who does what.  It’s a — just a — it’s just not a good system. This system is so beautifully designed over 250 years, approximately, you know, and we’ll soon be celebrating the 250th year.  It’s going to be a very big celebration.  But it’s been designed very well, and we’re going to leave it that way. When North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, when — everybody knows the governor of Tennessee, I think — everybody.  Do you — do you know everybody here, pretty much?  He’s o- — GOVERNOR LEE:  I — I’ve introduced myself.   THE PRESIDENT:  I never thought of it, but you’re right over the ridge, right? GOVERNOR LEE:  Right over the hi- — right over the hillside. THE PRESIDENT:  So — so, you’re here to help.  That’s great. GOVERNOR LEE:  These here, thi- — the people in this region, including Tennessee — the people of Appalachia are grateful that you are here and that you haven’t forgotten them.  THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah. GOVERNOR LEE:  And that there are other disasters, but this one was enormous for both North Carolina and Tennessee.  So, thank you. THE PRESIDENT:  You know, I’ve seen a lot of disasters, and this — when I came — I came here right after, the day after.  And when I came here, I couldn’t believe it, actually.  I couldn’t believe the damage.  I — and I’ve seen a lot of them.  This was — this was more like a tornado than it was — what we witnessed.  So, we’re going to get it very much — very much taken care of.  Good job.  That’s nice that you came. GOVERNOR LEE:  Thank you, sir. THE PRESIDENT:  And so, you call it right — you’re right over the ridge, right?  Tennessee. GOVERNOR LEE:  Right over the ridge, yes, sir. THE PRESIDENT:  I like Tennessee, too.  Let’s see.  Where did I get more votes — Tennessee or North Carolina?  I hate — (laughter) — I hate to tell you, North Carolina, it was Tennessee.  GOVERNOR LEE:  There’s one of the counties in this disaster that had 88 percent for you.  So (inaudible) — THE PRESIDENT:  Eighty-eight percent, yeah?  That’s — the people are just incredible people. GOVERNOR LEE:  Yeah. THE PRESIDENT:  So, do you have any questions, press? Q    Yes, Mr. President, you talked about conditions being placed on aid to California — voter ID and the like.  Are there any conditions that you’re going to put on aid to North Carolina? THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, we’re going to do a lot for North Carolina.  You know, they’ve been very slow.  I don’t know why it’s been so bad.  This has been one of the worst I’ve seen.  Katrina, of course, you know, was somebo- — something that — obviously, that was a long time ago — that was not good.  But this has been very slow.  I don’t know if that was for political reasons because they lost the state.  You know, Biden lost the state.  Maybe he felt — he doesn’t care.  Maybe there were other reasons.  I don’t know. But this has been very slow.  By any standard, this has been very slow.  And we’re going to — we’re going to make up for lost time. Q    But no conditions you’re going to push for aid, just full stop? THE PRESIDENT:  Well, in California, I have a condition.  In California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice, because right now, the people don’t have a voice because you don’t know who’s voting and it’s very corrupt.  And we also want them to release the water.  If they release the water, they wouldn’t have had a problem.  If they released the water when I told them to — because I told them to do it seven years ago — if they would have done it, you wouldn’t have had the problem that you had.  You might have — you might not have even had a fire. So — but here, I don’t have that.  It’s a different thing.  You got hit by a storm.  The people are incredible.  They worked really well.  Franklin was fantastic, and other groups — by the way, other groups came in that were also fantastic.  And other states came in; Tennessee and a couple of others came in, and they really helped.  That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No, this is a different kind of a thing. Q    Mr. President, have you decided how much funding you would allocate for disaster relief in North Carolina? THE PRESIDENT:  About what? Q    Have you decided how much funding you would allocate for disaster relief? THE PRESIDENT:  I haven’t de- — I have to see what it is. Q    Mr. President — Q    Are — are — are you disappointed that Senator Schiff hasn’t joined you on this trip?  It’s reported that you invited Senator Schiff to join you on this trip, and he was too busy.  Are you disappointed by that? THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t know, I — I was told that Schiff was going to travel with us to California.  I wasn’t thrilled, to be honest with you.  (Laughter.)  And I saw him last night on television.  It looks like he got hit with a baseball bat or something.  What happened to him?  Something happened to him. Q    Are you still — THE PRESIDENT:  It was a little — it looked like he got hit.  It looked like he got beat around, but — Q    So, did — did you invite him or — THE PRESIDENT:  But I’ll ask Karoline to find out what happened to him.  No, if he wanted to come out, I would have done that.  But I don’t know.  I — somebody said that he wanted to come on the plane, but I think he’s staying back for the votes.  There’s some pretty good votes going on. Yeah. Q    Mr. President, what is your timeline for getting rid of FEMA? THE PRESIDENT:  I — I woul- — for the — for this one?  For this one?  Well — Q    For — you just talked about possibly getting rid of FEMA.  What timeline are you looking at, and how would you do that? THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re looking here — here, you’re talking about.  To start — we’re going to start immediately — timeline.   And to finish, it’s going to be a period of time.  You know, people are also rebuilding their houses.  How long does it take to build a house, right?  It takes a time. And I want them to build houses bigger, better, nicer than they had before, so they can have — at least they get something out of this disaster.  This was a real disaster. No, timeline will be fast.  In terms of infrastructure, I think very fast.  I want to thank Elon, because Elon was able to get us communication systems, as you know — Starlink.  We had no communication.  The first day I got here, I was asked by one of the people, one of the really great representatives, professionals that — “Is there any way you could get Starlink here,” because they had no communication whatsoever.  And I called up Elon Musk, and he had, you know, hundreds of units brought here — like, brought immediately.  And it’s hard to get; they couldn’t get them before.  And that made a lot of difference.  I think it saved a lot of lives, actually. Yeah.  Infrastructure-wise, we’ll do it quickly. Q    Sir, can you just talk about how long you might — do you think it might take to get rid of FEMA?  What’s the timeline on that if you’re going to roll it back? THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  I would say, look, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not really thinking about FEMA right now here.  I’m thinking about Michael Whatley, and I’m thinking about the three congresspeople that you just heard from and also the other people in Congress.  And they’ll be working with the governor.  They’ll be working with the governor.  So, that’s what I see. Q    Change of subject real quickly.  The Laken Riley Act was signed by Mike — Speaker Johnson yesterday.  When do you — THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah. Q    — when do you anticipate to put — to sign that in the Oval Office?
    THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re honored by that.  Laken Riley — I was there at the time, and we had a big meeting with the parents right after that horrible thing took place.  And we have a — an act.  You all know what that act represents.  And it was a bipartisan bill.  Many Democrats signed — signed on to it.  That’s something that is a tribute to Laken, a beautiful young lady who was killed viciously by an illegal alien.  And we passed a very powerful bill, and it was just approved.  And we’ll have a ceremony sometime very shortly. I’ll be signing it.  In other words, if you’re asking, I will definitely be signing it.  Okay? Yeah. Q    Mr. President, the security detail for Anthony Fauci was terminated last night, and I’m wondering if you have any comment on that? THE PRESIDENT:  About what? Q    The security detail for Anthony Fauci was terminated last night, sir.  Do you have a comment? THE PRESIDENT:  No, I think, you know, when you work for govern- — government, at some point, your security detail comes off.  And, you know, you can’t have them forever.  So, I think it’s very standard.  If it would be for somebody else, you wouldn’t be asking the question.  The question is very fair, but, you know, you work for government — we took some off other people too — but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for government. Q    Did you ask for it to be taken off, sir? THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’ll see what happens. Q    Would you feel partially responsible if something were to happen to, say, Dr. Fauci — THE PRESIDENT:  No. Q    — or John Bolton? THE PRESIDENT:  No.  You know, they all made a lot of money.  They can hire their own security too.  All the people you’re talking about, they can go out — I can give them some good numbers of very good security people.  They can hire their own security.  They all made a lot of money.  Fauci made a lot of money.  They all did.  So, if they, you know, felt that strongly, I — I think that — certainly, I would not take responsibility. Q    North Carolina is a state that relies on trade and manufacturing.  Are you going to have an announcement on new tariffs coming soon?  Is there a timeline now? THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, the tariffs are going to make our country rich.  We’re going to be a rich, rich country very soon.  Tariffs are going to make it rich.  And competence — we have common sense, competence, and tariffs.  The word “tariff” is one of the most beautiful words in the dictionary.  Q    Jonathan Reynolds, the — the business secretary of the United Kingdom, said that there’s an even trade between the U.S. and — and the UK, so they shouldn’t have tariffs.  Does trade imbalances or a balanced trade affect tariffs and your decisions? THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, ba- — unbalance and balance, and also deficits, like with Canada.  We lose $200 billion a year with Canada.  That’s because we allow them to make cars.  We allow them to take lumber.  We don’t need their cars.  We don’t need their lumber.  We don’t need their food products because we make the same products right on the other side of the border.  It’s sort of crazy.  So, we’ve just allowed that — you know, bad management has allowed it, over the last four years, in particular, to become very imbalanced.  And I said to — I call him “Governor Trudeau,” but he’s Prime Minister Trudeau — when he was prime minister, I asked him, “Why would we do that?  Why?”  And he was unable to give me an answer.  He said, “I don’t know.”  And I said, “Do you think it’s fair that we’re paying $200 billion to keep Canada going?”  “And what would happen” — I said — I asked him, “What would happen if we didn’t do that, if we didn’t subsidize Canada?”  He said, “We’d be a failed nation.”  And I said, “Then you should be a state,” because why are we paying all of that money to Canada when, you know, we — we could use it ourselves, right? So, we take care of their military.  You know, we ordered — we’re going to order about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers.  Big ones.  And all of a sudden, Canada wants a piece of the deal.  I say, “Why are we doing that?” I mean, I like doing that if they’re a state, but I don’t like doing that if they’re a nation. Also, they’ve been very nasty to us on trade.  Historically, Canada has been very, very bad to us, very unfair to us on trade.  So, we’ll see how it all works out. Q    So, the United Kingdom — THE PRESIDENT:  I would — Q    — might be in a better spot? THE PRESIDENT:  I would love to see Canada be the 51st state.  The Canadian citizens, if that happened, would get a very big tax cut — tremendous tax cut — because they’re very high- — highly taxed.  And you wouldn’t have to worry about military.  You wouldn’t have to worry about many of the things.  You’d have better health coverage.  You’d have much better health coverage.  So, I think the people of Canada would like it, you know, if it’s explained.   But I — just to start off, they’d have a very — they’d have a massive tax cut, and they’d have a lot more business, because then we’d let business go to Canada routinely.  And there’d be no tariffs.  You know, if we did that, there’d be no tariffs. Q    So, the United Kingdom might be in a better spot, then? Q    Can you talk about Samaritan’s Purse?  Reverend Franklin Graham has been a great asset to this state.  Talk a little bit about the way the Samaritan Purse has helped North Carolinians. THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, say it once again.  The first — Q    Reverend Franklin Graham has been a big part of Samaritan Purse and their aid to North Carolina.  I just want to get your thoughts on that.
    THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  Well, Franklin Graham has been a big asset to the state.  His father was a big asset to the state, to the country — both of them.  I just think this: I think Franklin and — and other people that are doing what Franklin have done — but I — you know, I’ve known Franklin so long.  He was at the inauguration.  He made a speech, beautiful speech; beautiful prayer.  He just — he does a great job.  And we gave — we made a big donation, and it was — it was money well spent.  Sometimes you make donations, it’s not well spent.  He’s done a great job here.  He’s done a really great job. So, I want to thank you.  We’re going to the site now, and — one of the sites — and we’ll — I think you’ll — for those that haven’t seen it, you won’t even believe it, but not enough work was done.  We’ll get it done fast.  And I can speak for the Republican congressmen, we’re going to knock it out, right?  We’re going to knock it out.  And I think we take it very personally, because it was — North Carolina was very unfairly treated — very, very unfairly treated.  And it was obvious.  It was too obvious.  And we’re going to make up for lost time.  So, thank you to the people of North Carolina.  
    Thank you, everybody. 
    END                11:57 A.M. EST

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