Foreign Minister Winston Peters wrapped up a successful programme of engagements in Bangkok today, where he met with Thai political and business leaders.
“Thailand is an important economic and security partner for New Zealand. We are seriously focused on achieving our joint ambition of lifting our relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ by 2026,” Mr Peters says.
“High-level contact between our two countries is key to taking our relationship to the next level. That is why we have agreed to re-establish regular and substantial Foreign Minister consultations.
“We look forward to hosting Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa in New Zealand for the first of these consultations in the coming months.”
While in Thailand, Mr Peters also met with Deputy Prime Minister, and Interior Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, Thai political and business leaders, and New Zealand alumni. He also witnessed the signing of three Memorandums of Understanding between New Zealand and Thai businesses.
Thailand is the seventh member of ASEAN that Mr Peters has visited this year.
Mr Peters travels to Jakarta today to represent New Zealand at the inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto.
China will strengthen regulation of government-funded projects to address payment arrears to enterprises, according to a new official guideline.
Relevant authorities should regularly verify the availability of government funds, intensify oversight of government procurement payments, and urge state-owned enterprises to standardize and optimize their payment management systems, said the guideline issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council.
Efforts should be made to establish a national platform for small and medium-sized enterprises to report related complaints, and optimize the punishment mechanism for acts of bad faith, said the guideline.
Addressing payment arrears to enterprises is vital to protecting businesses’ rights and interests and boosting their confidence, according to the guideline. It urged all local governments to implement tailored measures based on their conditions and fulfill their responsibilities.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
An additional 3.2 billion rubles will be allocated to implement social development plans for economic growth centers in regions that are part of the Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD). The orders to this effect were signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Subsidies allocated on a co-financing basis are intended, among other things, for Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai and Magadan Oblast.
Thus, Primorsky Krai will receive 462.7 million rubles for the modernization of the Mine Town Park in Vladivostok. More than 1.4 billion rubles are intended for Khabarovsk Krai, where it is planned to implement more than 20 different events for the repair, equipment and improvement of social facilities.
In Magadan Oblast, it is planned to reconstruct the building of the regional center for advanced professional training using federal funds. In addition, funding will be used to improve courtyard areas. A total of 303.8 million rubles will be allocated for these purposes.
Commenting on the decision takenGovernment meeting on October 17, Mikhail Mishustin recalled that issues of repairing hospitals, schools, cultural facilities, and improving walking, children’s, and sports grounds were discussed during his working visit to the Far Eastern Federal District in July 2024.
The Government has been supporting the implementation of social development plans for the economic growth centers of the Far East regions on a regular basis since 2018. The program of such support was launched at the initiative of the President. Its main goal is to make the cities and towns of the macroregion modern and attractive. Thanks to federal funding, hundreds of social, engineering, urban, and transport infrastructure facilities have been built and repaired in the Far Eastern regions over the past six years, including kindergartens, schools, hospitals, clinics, sports facilities, roads, and boiler houses.
The documents will be published.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
RAF pilots are one step closer to being equipped with a cutting-edge air-protection laser self-protection system, following 100% successful live-fire trials.
Air protection laser defeats 100% of targets in live firing trial.
Equipment being fitted to UK military aircraft to defeat missile threats.
Collaboration between Dstl scientists and UK industry partners help support 1950 jobs across Scotland.
RAF pilots are one step closer to being equipped with a cutting-edge laser self-protection system, following 100% successful live-fire trials.
The laser is being designed to be fitted to a range of RAF aircraft including the intelligence gathering Shadow R2 and A400M transporter, ready to rapidly detect and defeat threats such as missiles.
During the trial at the Vidsel Test Range in Sweden, the operational system defeated a range of infrared heat-seeking missiles being fired simultaneously.
100% of threats were quickly defeated using a laser with pinpoint accuracy, which has been designed and developed by the Team Pellonia partnership between Leonardo UK, Thales UK, and the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.
Defence Secretary, John Healey said:
Identifying, tracking and defeating threats from the air in seconds is crucial to having the edge over those who try to do us harm.
We’re equipping our Armed Forces with the very latest technology to keep them safe and give them the advantage on operations.
This high-tech laser is another excellent example of joint working between our Dstl experts and the UK’s defence industry.
The system works by Thales’s Elix-IR threat warning system quickly detecting and identifying the launch of missiles, using a series of algorithms to filter out background clutter so that only valid threats are tracked, classified and declared.
Once the threat(s) has been classified, an alert is sent to the Leonardo’s Miysis directed infrared countermeasure which moves to track the incoming missile and directs a jamming laser onto the missile with ultimate precision.
Threats are defeated faster than the time it takes to read this sentence. This UK engineered capability gives the MOD the latest generation best-in-class protection, whilst enjoying full operational independence, and offering the same freedoms to export customers.
The live tests were witnessed by senior military officers from a number of NATO nations.
Dstl’s Chief for Air Survivability, Mark Elson, said:
The UK defensive aids system is the culmination of MOD’s detailed understanding of changing threats alongside years of sustained defence investment in science and technology nurtured within Dstl. This has been aligned with the development capabilities of our commercial partners through Team Pellonia.
The design of the system has the agility to protect platforms now and into the future, providing long-term operational advantage to the UK and our allies. This is enabled through Spiral Development which provides capabilities such as the Dstl developed jamming waveform that defeats the guidance of the missile threat.
Dstl’s research programme and partnerships like Team Pellonia help boost UK economic growth, sustaining 700 jobs at Thales in Glasgow and 1,250 specialist roles at Leonardo in Edinburgh, supporting both the local as well as national economies.
Leonardo’s Senior Vice-President of Radar and Advanced Targeting, Mark Stead, said:
The results of these latest trials speak for themselves, and are a testament to the skills and experience within Leonardo as a global leader in directed infrared countermeasures. Miysis DIRCM has again proven itself as a reliable, effective protection system and is flying operationally on many platforms today.
My thanks go to the Miysis team who demonstrated superb leadership and technical prowess during the trials at Vidsel, working alongside our partners in Defence and Industry to prove our capabilities which help to protect our Armed Forces.
Thales’s Managing Director of Optronics & Missile Electronics UK, Stephen McCann, said:
Once again, as previously witnessed during SALT 3 in 2018, Elix-IR has proved its world leading capabilities as the latest generation multi-function infrared threat warning system during what was a comprehensive and complicated multi-faceted trial.
I am extremely proud of our entire team that supported both the UK, under Team Pellonia, and other NATO member teams in the preparation and execution of this event. UK MOD has adopted Elix-IR as its core reference capability threat warner of choice, based on its maturity and proven capability.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Today’s announcement marks the latest step in the Transport Secretary’s mission to overhaul the railways, ensuring infrastructure works for the whole country.
Transport Secretary announces tough measures to bring the cost and delivery of HS2 back under control
follows the launch of an independent review into the oversight of HS2
forms part of the government’s mission to rebuild Britain and deliver infrastructure that works for the whole country
Action to control the cost of HS2 and bring the project back on track has been announced by the Transport Secretary today (20 October 2024) after years of failed delivery.
Just months into the role, Louise Haigh has warned the extent of the challenge inherited on HS2 has become clear, with costs being allowed to spiral out of control and failure to deliver to budget.
Over the years, the cost of Phase One has soared, due to poor project management, inflation and poor performance from the supply chain, without sufficient explanation of what is to be done to deliver to budget.
In response, the Secretary of State has launched an independent review to ensure lessons are learned to support action and to ensure that the costs for HS2 are brought under control.
The government has been clear it is not resurrecting Phase 2 of HS2, which was cancelled under the previous administration. The government recognises concerns about connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester, but its primary focus now is the safe delivery of HS2 between Birmingham and London at the lowest reasonable cost, and the Secretary of State has made this objective clear to HS2 Ltd.
To achieve this, the government is also reinstating ministerial oversight of the project to ensure greater accountability. This will see regular meetings starting immediately, where both the Transport Secretary and Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, alongside the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will challenge delivery and remove obstacles to securing the full benefits of the railway more cost effectively.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said:
One of my first jobs as Transport Secretary has been to urgently review the position I have inherited on HS2.
It has long been clear that the costs of HS2 have been allowed to spiral out of control, but since becoming Transport Secretary I have seen up close the scale of failure in project delivery – and it’s dire.
Taxpayers have a right to expect HS2 is delivered efficiently and I won’t stand for anything less.
I have promised to work fast and fix things and that’s exactly why I have announced urgent measures to get a grip on HS2’s costs and ensure taxpayers’ money is put to good use. It’s high time we make sure lessons are learnt and the mistakes of HS2 are never repeated again.
The Major Transport Projects Governance and Assurance Review will be led by senior infrastructure delivery adviser, James Stewart, and will present recommendations back to the government this winter.
It will investigate the oversight of major transport infrastructure projects, including the effectiveness of forecasting and reporting of cost, schedule and benefits, as well as actions to deliver cost efficiencies. The review will primarily draw on experiences of HS2 to date to ensure recommendations and learnings are applied to its delivery as well as to future projects.
Separately, the incentives of the main HS2 contractors are also being reviewed, which could lead to some contracts being renegotiated or amended.
Today’s announcement comes as the Transport Secretary writes to the Chair of HS2 Ltd, recognising the collective responsibility in reaching the current position, stressing the need to focus immediately on action to turn things around and bring costs back under control.
As part of this effort to get a grip on costs, the management of HS2 Ltd will shortly be taken over by a new Chief Executive, Mark Wild, who has an extensive background in delivering transport projects and will be responsible for resetting the project.
On his arrival, the Transport Secretary will task him with assessing the current position on cost, schedule and culture, and providing an action plan to deliver the remaining work as cost effectively as possible, including at a realistic budget and schedule.
The government will also continue to publish 6-monthly reports on the progress of HS2, ensuring complete accountability and transparency on the project’s progress.
Today’s announcement marks the latest step in the Transport Secretary’s mission to overhaul the railways, ensuring infrastructure works for the whole country.
Football is a game of passion, and passions can become particularly inflamed when the sport represents larger political struggles. In Nigeria in 1977, an Africa-wide football contest fuelled the ethnic rivalry between the Yoruba and the Igbo people to the point that the military had to intervene. The game was to be played as a semi-final in the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup, the club football tournament that would go on to become the Caf Confederation Cup.
As scholars of sports communication, we recently published a research paper about that 1977 confrontation between Shooting Stars of Ibadan (Ibadan is home to a Yoruba majority in the south-west) and Enugu Rangers (Enugu is an Igbo state).
Our study adds to a history of football and politics that is not well documented in Africa. In the process it shows that football represents more than just sport, but can also be a way of understanding cultural and political issues.
Yoruba vs Igbo
The rivalry between the Igbos and Yorubas is almost as old as the formation of Nigeria in 1914. Both groups vie politically and for jobs. Each forms roughly a fifth of the Nigerian population. The Igbo had lost political power after the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970.
This rivalry became particularly visible in Nigerian football from the 1950s when ethnic groups contested annually for the Alex Oni Cup. The Yorubas often won, the Igbos a close second but the tournament was eventually discontinued because of fights between players and spectators.
After this, Igbos did not have a representative club team in national competitions until after the war ended in 1970. Top Igbo footballers were employed at various clubs across the country, particularly in Lagos. Yorubas played for various clubs in their home region. One such club was the Shooting Stars. They made up the bulk of the Ibadan Lions team that won the national Challenge Cup four times from 1959 to 1969.
After the civil war, most Igbo footballers – who had fought unsuccessfully for the secession of Biafra state – were afraid to live in other parts of the country. Enugu Rangers was formed and the club dominated Nigerian football in the 1970s and 1980s.
Shooting Stars had become the beacon club of the Yorubas and quickly developed a rivalry with Enugu Rangers.
The semi-final that caused all the trouble
This ongoing rivalry escalated when the two clubs beat off opposition from across the continent to meet in the two legs of the semi-final of the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977. Shooting Stars were defending the title. Rangers chose not to take part in the more prestigious Africa Champions Club’s Cup – instead they sought to equal Shooting Stars’ feat of winning the Cup Winners Cup.
To add to the tension, Nigeria’s national team was made up of mainly by players from these two clubs – and the national team was competing in the last stage of the qualifiers for the 1978 men’s football World Cup. It was feared that the rivalry would affect its chances. Almost daily, the newspapers reported on accusations levelled by officials of the two teams at each other and the Nigerian Football Association (today the Nigeria Football Federation).
The association had to find solutions – fast. Both teams had played their home matches in their own cities so far. The association decided that their two semi-final games should be played in a “neutral” location: Lagos.
But after the first leg, a designated “home game” for Shooting Stars, ended 0-0, controversy erupted. Lagos is in the west of the country, home of the Yorubas. This was seen to give the Shooting Stars an advantage. There was also controversy about whether the teams could call up some or all of their players in the national team. The association’s authority to re-schedule the second leg was then called into question. These issues were argued at fever pitch and publicly by fans and in the media, with threats and ethnic undertones.
The association wanted to bar both Rangers and Shooting Stars from using their national team players, but was eventually forced to agree on the release of all players to play in the final leg of the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final. But not before making a very late request that the Confederation of African Football put off the game until after the national team’s World Cup qualifying games.
Shooting Stars, frustrated by the postponement, lashed out publicly and in the media. They accused Nigeria’s federal sports commissioner, Dandeson Isokrari, of ethnocentrism and favouritism. Isokrari was an easterner, from Enugu Rangers territory.
With tension boiling over and threats issued from both sides, the second-in-command of the Nigeria state, Major General Musa Yar’ Adua, stepped in to avoid ethnic strife and possible violence. He instructed the match to move to Kaduna, a northern city, away from the homes of the clubs. This decision by the country’s military leadership calmed nerves.
An overflowing crowd packed the Kaduna venue from the early morning. In the early minutes of the game, Shooting Stars mounted a siege in the Rangers’ goal area. It was so tense that journalists and photographers converged behind the Rangers goal. Angry Rangers supporters claimed they were not journalists and photographers, but disguised juju men concocting mystical incantations that kept the ball rooted in the Rangers goal area.
The match ended in another 0-0 tie but Rangers advanced when goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala helped to turn the penalty kick tiebreaker in the club’s favour, 4-2. Despite the tensions, there were no reported incidents of violence during the match.
This epic contest between two clubs during a continental cup contest in 1977 reminds us of the rivalry that persists even today among ethnic groups across the continent. Football often represents such ethnic rivalries beyond the field of play – and in the case of Enugu Rangers and Shooting Stars it reached a dangerous level that forced the state to step in.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
I’d like to begin this morning by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Kaurna (Gaa-nuh) peoples, and pay my respects to elders past and present.
I extend that acknowledgement to all First Nations peoples joining us today.
I would also like to acknowledge:
Hamilton Calder – CEO Volunteering SA&NT
Louise Miller-Frost MP – Member for Boothby
Jacob Dommerson – Campaign ambassador and volunteer at St John Ambulance NSW
Allira Potter – First Nations campaign ambassador and life coach
It’s so great to be with you all here today.
Volunteers are the backbone of our communities.
Every time you patrol the beach here in Glenelg to keep swimmers safe.
Every time someone cooks the sausages to feed hungry athletes and raise money for their local sports team.
Every time someone visits a local retirement village to have a cuppa and a chat with someone who might be experiencing loneliness.
Every time a volunteer gives up their time to help another Aussie be happy, or safe – you make Australian society richer.
But I have not always had the best relationship with volunteering.
I say this because as a child, I was very close to my grandmother, and I got a bit jealous when I wasn’t able to see her because she was such a dedicated volunteer.
Tuesday was Meals on Wheels. Thursday afternoon she was volunteering at Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia. Every second Friday she was at Probus and she was involved with the local Lions group as well.
I felt more than a little resentful that I wasn’t getting to see my grandmother but as I became an adult, it really instilled in me the importance of volunteering.
To see the pride that she took in the help she gave and the connections she made.
And of course, it didn’t take long until I found myself being a Seacliff Surf Lifesaver volunteer. It really was passed on from generation to generation.
I am proud to support volunteering in Australia on both a personal level and as a representative of the Albanese Government.
Volunteering builds communities. And if you think about connections in the community, those are often built by lending a hand and helping others out.
But COVID interrupted that connection, and we have not seen volunteer numbers return to what they were pre-pandemic.
Many dedicated volunteers have returned, but we are yet to see young people volunteering at that pre-pandemic rate. That’s a real challenge that we need to address.
We had 1.86 million fewer formal volunteers at the start of 2022 compared to pre-pandemic. And while the demand for the help and support volunteers provide remains high, for some volunteering organisations there are not enough new volunteers to fill the gap. 83 per cent of volunteer involving organisations say they are in need of more volunteers.
Decreased volunteering creates significant challenges for volunteer organisations and Australia’s communities. We know that with fewer volunteers, it means that organisations are limited in delivering the amount of work in community than they would like to. Or, existing volunteers are expected to take on more.
There is a clear need for more volunteers across Australia right now.
Our National Strategy gives us the framework to boost volunteering supports nationwide. Of course, this is just one part of our investments.
We are working towards increasing the numbers of young people getting into volunteer roles. Because we know that young Australians have plenty to benefit from when volunteering, and we want young people to be supported to volunteer to the pre-pandemic participation levels.
Though we saw a small uptick in participation in 2023, only 29.7 per cent of young people were participating in formal volunteering, which was still far shy of pre-pandemic levels of 36.5 per cent.
There are many reasons for this drop, including the extra challenges faced by many Australians due to the impacts of the pandemic, and the day to day pressures of balancing school and work.
But recent research has shown that for young people between 15 and 18 years old, a big barrier is as simple as a low awareness about the need for young volunteers, the flexibility and variety of volunteering opportunities available to them, and the personal benefits that volunteering can bring.
Many young people that took part in the research looked on volunteering positively but didn’t think it was something for them.
They were uncertain about what a volunteer actually does, and saw it more as an activity for older people, something that would be onerous and difficult to fit into their lives.
While volunteering offers opportunities to people of all ages, as our National Strategy for Volunteering makes clear, young people are the future of volunteering in Australia.
Which makes it vital for us to reach out to show them what volunteering can be and what it can bring into their lives, and how easy it can be to make it a part of their day-to-day.
We know young people who engage in volunteering prior to entering the workforce are more likely to have a lifelong connection to volunteering.
This is why today we are launching the Hanging out to help out volunteering awareness campaign.
The campaign shows young people that volunteering is something enjoyable and rewarding, an opportunity to give back and do good while hanging out with friends.
It will be a chance to demonstrate to young Australians all the personal benefits volunteering can bring, like gaining lifelong skills, meeting new people, connecting with like-minded young people, and boosting their mental and emotional wellbeing.
While I was in high school, I worked in a variety of volunteering roles, including as a surf lifesaver at Seacliff, and I believe that experience when I was younger has helped shape who I am today.
Yes, sometimes patrolling for five hours along the beach felt like a drag and sometimes the water was freezing, but the friends, experiences and skills I gained throughout my volunteering are invaluable.
I know many of you will share this sentiment and know the great benefits volunteering can bring to you as a volunteer as well as to those you help.
The Hanging out to help out campaign will shine a light on the diversity of volunteering opportunities available to young people to suit all different types of interests, circumstances, and time availability.
The campaign will meet young people across Australia where they are, with a focus on digital communications across social media, including Instagram and TikTok, YouTube, streaming services and podcasts.
This will ensure that young Australians, regardless of their background, know what volunteering opportunities are available to them and how they can access them.
It’s as simple as going to volunteering.gov.au to find opportunities nearby, or talking to people around your community who run local volunteering organisations.
Because we know many young people are looking for opportunities to take a gap year before embarking on further education or entering the workforce following their completion of high school, we are also partnering with Year 13, a website for students looking for information about post-school pathway options.
The partnership will be running through to June 2025 and is expected to reach more than a million 15- to 18-year-olds across Australia and open the door for them to a whole new world of volunteering.
Showing them they can contribute their time and skills in a way that suits them and do meaningful work while enjoying themselves and spending time with their friends.
This new awareness campaign is one part of the Government’s broader suite of support for volunteering in Australia.
The campaign directly supports the objectives of the National Strategy for Volunteering to reshape the public perception of volunteering and recognise the inherent value of volunteering.
The National Strategy for Volunteering, funded by the Government and developed by Volunteering Australia, sets out a 10-year blueprint for a brighter future for volunteering, where more people volunteer more often, in a safe, supported and inclusive volunteering environment.
We are proud to have worked with Volunteering Australia to develop the National Strategy, which is being backed in by our investments in volunteering.
These are not just words on a page for us. The Albanese Government is investing in a strong volunteer sector and encouraging more Australians to enrich their lives through volunteering.
In August, I was pleased to join with Volunteering Australia at the Hectorville Community Centre to launch the first Action Plan under the Strategy, outlining how governments and volunteer organisations will work to achieve the goals of the Strategy.
We’ve invested over $83 million committed between July 2022 and June 2026 for our Volunteering and Community Connectedness programs.
Australia’s volunteers are at the heart of our communities and are vital to a vibrant, inclusive Australia.
I thank Volunteering Australia, Volunteering SA & NT, and Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club for all the hard work you and your members do to give back to keep volunteering strong.
With the introduction of the Hanging out to help out campaign I hope many young Australians will be inspired to make their own contributions and discover all the wonderful things that volunteering can bring into their lives.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 15th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinace at the Khalsa Diwan Hong Kong (Sikh Temple) in Wan Chai today (October 20):
Ms Linda Lam (Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)), Mr Akil Khan (President, Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities), Mr Bhagt Singh (President, Sikh Temple), Dr Rizwan Ullah (EOC member), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be joining you today for the opening of the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair co-organised by the EOC and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities (Federation).
Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city with rich tapestry of people connections, vibrant economic activities and a flourishing multi-cultural scene, thanks in no small part to the some 300 000 ethnic minority residents who settled here for generations. It is evident from the latest Census figures (of 2021) that this treasured community continues to play an integral part in strengthening Hong Kong’s workforce and driving our productivity: their labour force participation rate is at 65.5 per cent, which is higher than the 57.7 per cent of the whole population.
Today’s recruitment fair is among the EOC’s celebration events for the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance, a crucial piece of legislation driving Hong Kong’s promotion of racial equality. Following the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day in April this year, I am excited to be here today to witness another milestone. This fair is also held in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. I trust that you have been enjoying the wide arrays of celebrating events and special offers over the past few weeks. With the new card-type Mainland travel permits for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents, it has never been easier for many of you to visit the Mainland for business or pleasure, to see for yourself the spectacular transformation in the Mainland today.
Since its inauguration in 2018, the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities has been uniting and leveraging the support from various ethnic minority communities for greater and wider contributions to the betterment of Hong Kong. We thank the Federation’s support all along in realising our common vision for a harmonious and inclusive society.
The current-term Government places importance on enhancing support and services for ethnic minorities. As just announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government will engage one more “Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities” to provide interpretation and translation services for ethnic minorities next year, so as to reduce language barrier concerns. In terms of education, more resources will also be invested in boosting support for learning Chinese and parental assistance for our non-Chinese speaking students.
Of course, the Government’s support for ethnic minorities does not stop there. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, over 50 civil service grades in the Government have adjusted their Chinese-language proficiency requirements to increase government job opportunities for ethnic minorities. Departments, including the disciplinary forces, are also encouraged to design their own job-oriented language tests suitable for individual grades to provide ethnic minority applicants with an additional avenue for meeting the thresholds. Since 2019, we have been organising an internship programme for non-ethnic Chinese university students and 180 students have since taken part.
In addition, the Racial Diversity Employment Programme launched by the Labour Department has been regularised in 2023 to step up employment support for ethnic minorities. To date, the Programme has provided employment support services to over 400 ethnic minority job-seekers.
Today’s recruitment fair features prominent private enterprises in addition to a number of government departments, offering over 500 employment opportunities, including a wide range of skilled and professional positions, as well as on-the-spot career and employment counselling services. These job opportunities span across eleven signatories of the EOC’s Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers from different industries, including aviation, hospitality, education, transportation, and five government departments including our disciplinary forces.
In closing, my great thanks go to the EOC and the Federation for organising this meaningful recruitment fair, the Sikh Temple for the support rendered, and the representatives from different sectors who are here with us today, for your wholehearted efforts in creating opportunities for our ethnic minority community. I wish this recruitment fair great success and all of you an enjoyable weekend. Thank you very much.
Released by: Minister for Energy and Climate Change
Power supplies have been restored to communities in the Far West region of NSW using a large-scale back-up generator, but households and businesses are being urged to reduce their usage this evening to minimise demand.
The Far West region is relying on the generator while Transgrid constructs temporary towers to replace those damaged by a serious storm. This could take a number of weeks.
The large-scale back-up generator is not adequate to meet consumer demand at all times of the day, in particular during the evening peak from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight time).
During this time, Essential Energy may need to rotate power between different areas for around two hours at a time. Essential Energy will prioritise Life Support Customers and priority loads such as Broken Hill Base Hospital.
The community in the impacted area can help by taking simple steps to minimise power use between 5:30pm and 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight Time):
Turn off any non-essential appliances.
Use lights only in occupied rooms.
If you are using air conditioning, consider raising the set point temperature to about 26 degrees and close all blinds, windows and doors.
Outside these times, the community should continue to use electricity as they normally would.
The impacted area incudes Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Wilcannia, Menindee, White Cliffs and several other surrounding communities.
The NSW Government has activated an emergency response and is coordinating assistance across a number of emergency services and government agencies, and is working with Transgrid and Essential Energy.
A NSW Rural Fire Service b-double truck which set off from Sydney loaded with supplies has now arrived in the Far West. The supplies include generators, fuel pods, cool rooms, lighting towers and Starlinks (satellite connections).
The NSW Government encourages community members to follow the guidance of emergency service crews and asks travellers to the Far West of NSW avoid the area surrounding Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee and White Cliffs unless absolutely necessary.
“It’s positive news that power supplies have been restored to Broken Hill and nearby communities via a large-scale back-up generator. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to replace the transmission towers and repair the electricity network.
“I want to thank the Essential Energy and Transgrid workers who have worked tirelessly over the past two days to restore power.
“I also want to thank Perilya Mine for supplying load to the large-scale backup generator, which in turn, has provided security and stability to the Broken Hill grid and helped restore power to communities across the Far West.”
Member for Barwon Roy Butler said:
“We are focused on restoring power to all homes and businesses in Broken Hill and towns across the region.
“We welcome the arrival of supplies including generators to support those on the ground.
“I encourage everyone in our community to please check in on your neighbours and relatives, especially those who are vulnerable, as we work through this situation.”
New Zealand has a widely acknowledged infrastructure deficit, which is holding us back socially, economically and environmentally, Land Information Minister Chris Penk says.
“If we want to improve our productivity and lift our standard of living, we need to fix our pipes, increase the capacity of our schools and hospitals and build more houses, roads and renewable energy sources.
“To help achieve this we are reviewing the Public Works Act, which is a fundamental piece of legislation that allows the Government to acquire land for critical public infrastructure.
“Having not been substantially amended since 1988, the Act is no longer fit-for-purpose, and it is time to make changes to improve its fairness and efficiency.
“An independent expert advisory panel has carried out a targeted review and identified instances where the Act lacks clarity and commonsense.
“For example, all infrastructure projects that use the Act must meet a high threshold of being of ‘nationalandregional significance’. While a high threshold is important for protecting private property rights, there are many worthy and necessary projects that are vital for a particular region or community but may not be nationally significant.
“Similarly, building large-scale modern infrastructure often creates a knock-on effect where existing infrastructure must be upgraded or moved to accommodate the new project. For example, a new state highway often requires new regional roads to connect to it. Or widening a road may mean moving power pylons.
“This necessitates working across government agencies at both a central and regional level and acquiring land for direct and indirect purposes, which the current Act poorly enables.
“If we can make it simpler to acquire land for critical projects, then we reduce the likelihood of budget blow-outs and delays and can get on with growing our economy and delivering the public services Kiwis deserve.
“I’m looking forward to considering the review’s findings and recommendations in more detail and expect to announce policy decisions about changes to the Act by the end of the year, with a view of the Public Works Act Amendment Bill being introduced to Parliament in mid-2025.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-HI-01) today announced that a $40 million grant funded by the landmark 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will develop a back-up power source for O‘ahu’s electric grid, providing resiliency to both military and civilian communities in the event of disruptions from various sources.
The federal grant award will fund the Pu‘uloa Microgrid and Backbone Project, a partnership between the U.S. Navy, Hawaiian Electric and Ameresco, Inc.
“I strongly advocated for this project with the U.S. Department of Energy when the partnership applied for funding under the Department’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program,” said Case.
“Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) plays a critical role in promoting national security throughout the Pacific theater. Especially given its importance, the Department of the Navy has identified energy resilience gaps that could significantly impact JBPHH’s ability to respond to and recover from grid outages. Further, new state and federal policy directives have required the Department of the Navy to improve resilience and reduce carbon emissions from the installation.
“As the U.S. Congressman in whose district JBPHH is located and a member of the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, I have focused on the installation’s grid challenges and the potential for disruption of service to our civilian communities as well, and on assuring available funding to address these issues. This GRIP funding is critical to enabling this project to succeed.”
“We are thrilled to be chosen for the Department of Energy’s GRIP program,” said Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President at Ameresco. “Partnering with the U.S. Navy and Hawaiian Electric Company on the groundbreaking Pu`uloa Microgrid project will not only enhance energy resilience and reliability for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but also provide significant benefits to the broader O‘ahu community. This project exemplifies our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community engagement.”
According to the project description, the Pu`uloa Microgrid will detect the loss of power during grid outages, disconnect from the broader grid and direct power from Pu`uloa Energy to support JBPHH’s national security needs while maintaining civilian community service. During a full island outage, the system will provide black start capabilities. The project will also improve power quality to JBPHH and the local grid through ancillary services such as frequency response and voltage support.
Pu`uloa Microgrid is designed to strengthen the grid and improve resilience by increasing or establishing interconnections between Hawaiian Electric substations at JBPHH with new 46 kV transmission infrastructure that will be integrated into the microgrid control system and utilize state of the art smart grid technologies.
“Since 2021 I have been working hard to ensure that my government and community partners throughout Hawai‘i are aware of project and funding availability from both the $1.2 trillion BIL, as well as from the $500 billion Inflation Reduction Act (which Congress passed in August 2022). Together these two landmark measures are addressing our country’s most pressing infrastructure needs including those arising from climate change,” said Case.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Orders from October 17, 2024 No. 2884-r, No. 2885-r
Documents
Order dated October 17, 2024 No. 2884-r
Order dated October 17, 2024 No. 2885-r
On the instructions of the President, the Government will allocate additional funding for the socio-economic development of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Karelia, Chechnya, as well as the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Orders to this effect have been signed.
Announcing this decision atGovernment meeting on October 17, Mikhail Mishustin reported that the total amount of funds allocated to the six regions will amount to more than 9.2 billion rubles.
“They will be able to use resources to ensure the balance of their budgets in order to solve a number of important problems for the lives of citizens. Including helping local healthcare, housing and utilities, the agro-industrial complex and other areas,” the Prime Minister specified.
The funds will be used, in particular, for activities within the framework of the state program for the restoration and socio-economic development of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. More than 3.4 billion rubles will be allocated for these purposes. Federal funding is intended to support the operation of boiler houses and water supply systems, as well as to implement other popular measures in this sector so that local residents are provided with all basic utilities without interruptions.
In addition, more than 993 million rubles will be allocated to maintain the stable operation of the healthcare system in the Kherson region.
A total of 3.5 billion rubles will be allocated from the Government’s reserve fund to Karelia and Chechnya for socially significant expenses.
The remaining documents will be published.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the Choices for Increased Mobility Act to increase access to wheelchairs made with advanced materials by allowing Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to lighter, more functional wheelchairs without bearing the entire upfront cost. These manual wheelchairs help prevent shoulder injuries, enhance maneuverability, and reduce overall pain and fatigue for users.
“Too many Americans with disabilities face unnecessary barriers to obtaining the best mobility equipment to meet their needs,” said Senator Blackburn. “By making it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to wheelchairs made with advanced, lighter materials like carbon fiber and titanium, this bipartisan bill would help improve the quality of life for countless individuals. I’m pleased to work with Senator Duckworth to reduce financial burdens on those who rely on these essential devices and ensure that more people have access to the mobility solutions they deserve.”
“For too long, Medicare recipients have struggled to access lighter, more functional wheelchairs that would help them get around more easily while putting significantly less strain on their bodies,” said Senator Duckworth. “Our bipartisan legislation would help ensure Medicare recipients are better able to access the wheelchairs they need to live healthier, more independent lives—with minimal cost to the federal government. It’s a win-win.”
BACKGROUND
Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) is a specialized subset of the Durable Medical Equipment benefit, which includes highly configurable manual and power wheelchairs, adaptive seating, and positioning systems. Among these, manual wheelchairs constructed from advanced materials like carbon fiber and titanium are significantly stronger and lighter than standard aluminum wheelchairs.
When the Medicare billing code for ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs was established in 1993, materials like titanium and carbon fiber were not considered, as they were not yet in use for wheelchairs. As a result, CRT providers have struggled to supply wheelchairs with these advanced materials at the fee schedule amounts set by Medicare.
Historically, Medicare allowed beneficiaries who met medical necessity requirements to upgrade their equipment by paying the difference between standard and upgraded materials. However, a policy change in 2016 removed this option, requiring beneficiaries to prepay the entire cost of the wheelchair out-of-pocket and await reimbursement for the standard portion, significantly limiting access to these advanced wheelchairs.
CHOICES FOR INCREASED MOBILITY ACT
The Choices for Increased Mobility Act would create two new billing codes for ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs: one for base models and another for those constructed with titanium or carbon fiber. This change would allow Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to lighter, more functional wheelchairs without bearing the entire upfront cost. Instead, beneficiaries would only pay for the cost of the specialized materials, significantly reducing their financial burden.
This bill aims to restore the option for beneficiaries to choose and pay for advanced materials for their wheelchairs without removing medical necessity requirements. It would ensure that Medicare covers the standard portion of the wheelchair cost, with beneficiaries responsible only for the upgraded materials.
ENDORSEMENTS
This legislation is supported by the American Association for Homecare, Permobil Americas, National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology, National Registry for Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers, Clinical Task Force, The VGM Group, U.S. Rehab, Association for Tennessee Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Services, Great Lakes Home Medical Services Association, Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services, Southwest Medical Equipment Suppliers Association, Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association, Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association, Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers, Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers, Texas Medical Equipment Providers Association, Home Medical Equipment and Services Association of New England, Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers, Florida Alliance of Home Care Services, Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Services Association, Northeast Medical Equipment Providers Association, Nevada Association of Medical Product Suppliers, Big Sky Association of Home Medical Equipment Suppliers, Pacific Association for Medical Equipment Services, Colorado Association for Medical Equipment Services, California Association of Medical Product Suppliers, Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services, and Arkansas Medical Equipment Providers.
“We are so fortunate to be able to work with leaders like Senator Blackburn and Senator Duckworth who share our passion for supporting people with disabilities,” said Tom Ryan, President & CEO of the American Association for Homecare. “Their work to improve access to lightweight wheelchairs is the latest example of their commitment to ensuring people with mobility challenges can remain actively engaged in their communities.”
“Our mission will always be to enable those with disabilities to live life with independence by providing aides of the same technical standards that we all use in our daily lives. S. 5154 is a common sense, budget neutral solution that empowers individuals with the choice to access to the many benefits of titanium or carbon fiber wheelchair frames,” said Chuck Witkowski, President of Permobil Americas. “We are immensely grateful to Senators Blackburn and Duckworth and thank them for their continued leadership and support of this community.”
Click here for bill text.
Indonesia’s former army general, Prabowo Subianto, was sworn in as the country’s eighth president on Sunday morning at the parliament building, succeeding Joko Widodo, who led the world’s fourth most populous nation for the past decade.
Prabowo, who had been serving as defense minister, and his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo’s eldest son and former mayor of Surakarta, won the 2024 presidential election held on Feb. 14.
In his inauguration speech, Prabowo pledged to serve all Indonesians. “We will prioritize the interests of the nation and state above all else,” he stated in his address to the nation.
Following the ceremony, 73-year-old Prabowo and 37-year-old Gibran, Indonesia’s youngest-ever vice president, will be greeted by cheering crowds as they make their way to the state palace.
Having surged to the forefront of the global new energy vehicle (NEV) market with their outstanding performance, Chinese automakers are exploring strategies to gain an advantage over their competitors in the more challenging latter phase of the market race, which is increasingly driven by intelligent development and artificial intelligence.
One of the latest efforts in this push is the 2024 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV), held from Oct. 17 to 19 in Beijing.
The WICV attracted over 250 auto firms and institutions from home and abroad, with more than 200 new technologies and products making their debut.
“Intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) have become a focus of industry innovation, and Chinese automobiles are accelerating into a new stage with intelligence as their core competitiveness,” said Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, at the event.
Seizing the opportunities presented by intelligent technology and promoting China’s transformation into an automotive powerhouse is a challenge the entire Chinese auto industry must address, he added.
Like many of China’s leading car companies, Geely has made significant strides in intelligent innovation, driving advancements in areas such as automobile safety, human-machine interaction, intelligent driving, onboard chips and low-orbit satellites. The company is also committed to creating an integrated space-ground smart network.
According to Zhu Huarong, chairman of Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd, China’s ICVs saw rapid growth this year, with sales projected to reach 17 million and a penetration rate surpassing 63 percent.
Stefan Mecha, CEO of the Volkswagen China Passenger Cars Brand, said that China actively fosters innovation opportunities through consistent government plans for ICV and NEV development, a tech-savvy consumer base, and an openness to technology within an advanced tech ecosystem.
A comprehensive industrial system for China’s ICV sector has basically taken shape, covering products and technologies such as basic chips, sensors, computing platforms and chassis control, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong said Thursday during the opening ceremony of WICV.
China leads the world in human-machine interaction and is rapidly advancing toward breakthroughs in technologies like steer-by-wire and active suspension technologies, among others, the minister noted.
According to Jin, the country’s ICV sector currently boasts nearly 400 “little giant” firms, or novel elites of small and medium-sized enterprises that are engaged in manufacturing, specialize in a niche market and hold cutting-edge technologies. Five Chinese lidar companies have ranked among the global top 10 in sales, while nine automotive manufacturers are piloting conditional automated driving models.
Lei Jun, founder and CEO of tech giant Xiaomi, revealed at the WICV that the company is expected to deliver more than 20,000 units of its first self-developed NEV model SU7 this month, and achieve its annual delivery target of 100,000 vehicles in November.
The new model was released by the market newcomer in late March, and technological breakthroughs in key fields have been achieved, such as modeling design, batteries, intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits.
“In the next five years, the structure of the entire automotive industry will be reconstructed on a large scale,” Lei said.
The CEO noted that the entire industry should engage in benign competition and work together to explore the international market. He also urged Chinese automakers to avoid redundant investments and focus on creating a smart automotive ecosystem.
Global players like Volkswagen are also speeding up their intelligent transformation in a bid to expand their presence in the Chinese market.
“We will invest consequently into the localization of our R&D activities to integrate ourselves much more strongly into the rapidly growing ecosystem for electric vehicles in China,” said Ralf Brandstaetter, chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.
In addition to building its largest development center outside Germany in the city of Hefei in east China, Volkswagen is also strengthening cooperation with local manufacturers like Xpeng and high-tech companies such as Horizon Robotics, Thundersoft and Gotion.
“This deep integration into the world’s leading development network for ICVs will further expand our local innovative strength, but also provides us with a strategic advantage on the global markets in the mid-term,” Brandstaetter said.
“China is driving the future of the automotive industry, and we are committed to being part of this journey in the era of ICVs,” he added.
To support such rapid industrial development in China, more than 50 cities have designated over 32,000 kilometers of test routes for ICVs and upgraded about 10,000 kilometers of roads with smart technologies, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Chuka Onwumechili, Professor of Communications, Howard University
Football is a game of passion, and passions can become particularly inflamed when the sport represents larger political struggles. In Nigeria in 1977, an Africa-wide football contest fuelled the ethnic rivalry between the Yoruba and the Igbo people to the point that the military had to intervene. The game was to be played as a semi-final in the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup, the club football tournament that would go on to become the Caf Confederation Cup.
As scholars of sports communication, we recently published a research paper about that 1977 confrontation between Shooting Stars of Ibadan (Ibadan is home to a Yoruba majority in the south-west) and Enugu Rangers (Enugu is an Igbo state).
Our study adds to a history of football and politics that is not well documented in Africa. In the process it shows that football represents more than just sport, but can also be a way of understanding cultural and political issues.
Yoruba vs Igbo
The rivalry between the Igbos and Yorubas is almost as old as the formation of Nigeria in 1914. Both groups vie politically and for jobs. Each forms roughly a fifth of the Nigerian population. The Igbo had lost political power after the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970.
This rivalry became particularly visible in Nigerian football from the 1950s when ethnic groups contested annually for the Alex Oni Cup. The Yorubas often won, the Igbos a close second but the tournament was eventually discontinued because of fights between players and spectators.
After this, Igbos did not have a representative club team in national competitions until after the war ended in 1970. Top Igbo footballers were employed at various clubs across the country, particularly in Lagos. Yorubas played for various clubs in their home region. One such club was the Shooting Stars. They made up the bulk of the Ibadan Lions team that won the national Challenge Cup four times from 1959 to 1969.
After the civil war, most Igbo footballers – who had fought unsuccessfully for the secession of Biafra state – were afraid to live in other parts of the country. Enugu Rangers was formed and the club dominated Nigerian football in the 1970s and 1980s.
Shooting Stars had become the beacon club of the Yorubas and quickly developed a rivalry with Enugu Rangers.
The semi-final that caused all the trouble
This ongoing rivalry escalated when the two clubs beat off opposition from across the continent to meet in the two legs of the semi-final of the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977. Shooting Stars were defending the title. Rangers chose not to take part in the more prestigious Africa Champions Club’s Cup – instead they sought to equal Shooting Stars’ feat of winning the Cup Winners Cup.
To add to the tension, Nigeria’s national team was made up of mainly by players from these two clubs – and the national team was competing in the last stage of the qualifiers for the 1978 men’s football World Cup. It was feared that the rivalry would affect its chances. Almost daily, the newspapers reported on accusations levelled by officials of the two teams at each other and the Nigerian Football Association (today the Nigeria Football Federation).
The association had to find solutions – fast. Both teams had played their home matches in their own cities so far. The association decided that their two semi-final games should be played in a “neutral” location: Lagos.
But after the first leg, a designated “home game” for Shooting Stars, ended 0-0, controversy erupted. Lagos is in the west of the country, home of the Yorubas. This was seen to give the Shooting Stars an advantage. There was also controversy about whether the teams could call up some or all of their players in the national team. The association’s authority to re-schedule the second leg was then called into question. These issues were argued at fever pitch and publicly by fans and in the media, with threats and ethnic undertones.
The association wanted to bar both Rangers and Shooting Stars from using their national team players, but was eventually forced to agree on the release of all players to play in the final leg of the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final. But not before making a very late request that the Confederation of African Football put off the game until after the national team’s World Cup qualifying games.
Shooting Stars, frustrated by the postponement, lashed out publicly and in the media. They accused Nigeria’s federal sports commissioner, Dandeson Isokrari, of ethnocentrism and favouritism. Isokrari was an easterner, from Enugu Rangers territory.
With tension boiling over and threats issued from both sides, the second-in-command of the Nigeria state, Major General Musa Yar’ Adua, stepped in to avoid ethnic strife and possible violence. He instructed the match to move to Kaduna, a northern city, away from the homes of the clubs. This decision by the country’s military leadership calmed nerves.
An overflowing crowd packed the Kaduna venue from the early morning. In the early minutes of the game, Shooting Stars mounted a siege in the Rangers’ goal area. It was so tense that journalists and photographers converged behind the Rangers goal. Angry Rangers supporters claimed they were not journalists and photographers, but disguised juju men concocting mystical incantations that kept the ball rooted in the Rangers goal area.
The match ended in another 0-0 tie but Rangers advanced when goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala helped to turn the penalty kick tiebreaker in the club’s favour, 4-2. Despite the tensions, there were no reported incidents of violence during the match.
This epic contest between two clubs during a continental cup contest in 1977 reminds us of the rivalry that persists even today among ethnic groups across the continent. Football often represents such ethnic rivalries beyond the field of play – and in the case of Enugu Rangers and Shooting Stars it reached a dangerous level that forced the state to step in.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Denis Manturov with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
The First Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, headed the Russian delegation at the inauguration of the country’s elected President Prabowo Subianto. Denis Manturov was received by the President of Indonesia and also held talks with the Minister and Coordinator for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Airlangga Hartarto.
Trade and economic relations between Russia and Indonesia are showing positive dynamics. “Over the past three years, mutual trade turnover has grown by three quarters and by the end of 2023 amounted to 4.1 billion dollars. This year, despite unfavorable external factors, we have generally managed to maintain a stable level of trade turnover,” Denis Manturov noted.
The First Deputy Prime Minister discussed bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres with his Indonesian colleagues. The conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between Indonesia and the EAEU is of great importance for strengthening trade and economic cooperation. Work on the draft agreement is at an advanced stage. Speaking about specific industry areas of cooperation, Denis Manturov singled out the agro-industrial complex. “We have restored supplies of Russian wheat to Indonesia and see preconditions for increasing supplies, given Russia’s leading position in the global grain market. Russia is also ready to increase exports of mineral fertilizers in demand in Indonesia, and to meet the needs of Indonesian partners for fuel, including oil and LNG,” he emphasized. Promising areas of cooperation that were also discussed during the working visit were the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the space sector.
Next year, Russia and Indonesia are preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Soviet Union was one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia’s sovereignty and independence from the Netherlands in 1950. A plan of joint events dedicated to the landmark date has already been prepared. An extensive business and cultural program will be provided for as part of the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indonesian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will take place in March 2025.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Later this week the government will receive the report of the year-long independent inquiry into its handling of the COVID pandemic.
Among the issues it will have to contend with is air quality, in particular the air quality in high occupancy public buildings such as schools, aged-care facilities, shops, pubs and clubs.
Many already have high quality air. High-fitration air conditioning (so-called mechanical ventilation) is standard in offices, hospitals and shopping centres.
But not in schools. Almost all of our schools (98% in NSW) use windows.
In Australia’s national construction code, this is called “natural ventilation” and it is allowed so long as the window, opening or door has a ventilating area of not less than 5% of the floor area, a requirement research suggests is insufficient.
Windows, but no requirement to keep them open
There’s no requirement to actually open the windows. School windows are often shut to keep in the heat in (or to keep out the heat in summer).
The result can be very, very stuffy classrooms, far stuffier than we would tolerate in shopping centres. This matters for learning. Study after study has found that when air circulation gets low, people can’t concentrate well or learn well.
And they get sick. Diseases such as flu, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spread when viruses get recirculated instead of diluted with fresh air.
The costs of the resulting sickness are borne by students, parents, teachers and education systems that need to find replacement staff to cover for teachers who are sick and parents who need to look after sick children at home.
A pilot study prepared for the Australian Research Council Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection (known as “Thrive”), suggests the entire cost of installing high-filtration air conditioning in every Australian school would be offset by the savings in reduced sickness.
What classroom air is like
The study carried out by the education architecture firm ARINA compared the ventilation of 60 so-called naturally ventilated schools in southern NSW and the Australian Capital Territory to that of a school in Sydney that happened to have been fitted with a Standards Australia-compliant air conditioning system to control aircraft noise.
It used carbon dioxide levels to measure ventilation. Carbon dioxide is a good proxy for ventilation because its levels are determined by both the number of people breathing out concentrated carbon dioxide and the clean air available to dilute it.
Under a normal load, defined as 26 students, one teacher and one assistant, measured levels of carbon dioxide in the air-conditioned school stayed below 750 parts per million (ppm) and were typically between 500 and 600 ppm.
A reading of 700 ppm is particularly good. It means the people in the room breathe in less than 0.5% of air breathed out by others.
But in “naturally ventilated” classrooms the reading often climbed to 2,500 ppm and sometimes more, within an hour of a class commencing.
At 2,500 parts per million, people in the room are breathing in 5.5% of the air breathed out by others. This is also high enough to affect cognition, learning and behaviour, something that begins when carbon dioxide climbs above 1,200 ppm.
Research suggests using ventilation to cut carbon dioxide to 700 ppm can cut the risk of airborne transmission of disease by a factor of two and up to five.
The economic case for healthy air
In 2023, Australia had 9,629 schools with 4,086,998 students.
ARINA has previously estimated the cost of ensuring all of these schools are mechanically ventilated at A$2 billion per year over five years.
Offsetting that cost would be less sickness. Documents released under freedom of information laws show Victoria spent $360.8 million on casual relief teachers between May 2023 and May 2024, 54% more than before COVID in 2019.
The figures for other states are harder to get, but if Victoria (with 26% of Australia’s population) is spending $234 million more per year on casual relief teachers than before COVID, it is likely that Australia is spending $900 million per year more.
Add in the teachers in non-government schools (37% of Australia’s total) and the potential saving from air conditioning schools exceeds $1 billion per year.
Add in the other non-COVID viruses that would no longer be concentrated and circulated in classrooms and the potential savings grow higher still.
Worth more than $1 billion per year
And, in any event, the cost of replacement teachers is a woefully incomplete measure of the cost of illness in schools. Many ill teachers can’t be replaced because replacements aren’t available, making schools cancel lessons and combine classes, costing days, weeks and sometimes months of lost education.
Also, the bacteria and viruses spread by recirculated air infect students as well as teachers, keeping students (and often their parents) at home as well.
This suggests the costs per year of not air conditioning schools exceed $1 billion and may well approach or exceed $2 billion, which is the estimated cost per year over five years of air conditioning every Australian school.
Natural ventilation was never a good idea for classrooms: it was cheap at the time, but not cheap at all when the costs are considered. Those costs happen to extend beyond disease to thermal comfort, energy use and the ability of students to concentrate.
It’s time we gave students and teachers the kind of protections we demand for ourselves in our offices, our shopping centres and often our homes. It would soon pay for itself.
Geoff Hanmer is a member of the executive of the Industry Training and Transformation Centre for Advanced Building Systems against Airborne Infection Transmission (known as Thrive) which receives funding from the Australian Research Council, QUT, the University of Melbourne and industry partners in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He is a director of the health expert body OzSAGE and the managing director of ARINA, an architectural consultancy.
As the summer boating season begins, Maritime New Zealand and the Safer Boating Forum are urging all boaties and watercraft users to prioritise safety.
Safer Boating Week, starting Monday, 21 October, highlights the importance of safety as recreational boaties, and craft users (whether in a power boat, waka ama, kayak, canoe or paddle board) return to the water. For many, this will be the first time since last summer they venture out, making this year’s theme, ‘Come Home Safe’, more relevant than ever. It builds on last year’s theme and reinforces the need for safe boating practices and encourages everyone to make safety a priority to ensure they return home.
Maritime NZ’s Director, Kirstie Hewlett, highlighted the ongoing importance of Safer Boating Week in promoting safety messages year-round. “This is our 11th Safer Boating Week, and it’s as important as ever. Over the past decade, more than 170 people have lost their lives in recreational craft incidents.
“These figures are deeply concerning, and the Safer Boating Forum is committed to reducing the number of deaths on the water,” she says.
The Safer Boating Forum represents a wide range of recreational craft activities, and this year’s launch event will focus on paddle craft safety.
Paddle craft users accounted for a significant portion of last year’s fatalities, with 5 out of 11 fatal incidents involving paddle craft.
At the launch event, we’ll hear from newly crowned Paris Olympic champions Tara Vaughan and Olivia Brett (members of the women’s K4 team with Lisa Carrington), and five-time NZ surf lifesaving Ironwoman champion Danielle Mackenzie. They will share their journeys to becoming elite athletes and how they want to encourage others to take up their sports -safely. Coming from surf lifesaving backgrounds, they know how crucial it is to stay safe around water.
Maritime NZ’s Harm Prevention Lead for Recreational Craft, Victoria Slade, says paddle craft are particularly vulnerable due to their design and the environments in which they operate.
“Paddle craft are more likely to capsize than non-paddle craft, and most incidents occurred within one nautical mile of shore or on inland waterways like lakes and rivers. This highlights that danger isn’t just far out at sea,” she says.
New Zealand’s waters can turn rough quickly, especially for paddle craft users. A calm day can become dangerous within minutes, with strong winds and waves easily overwhelming smaller vessels.
“If you’re planning to head out on the water, check the marine weather forecast, take two forms of waterproof communication to call for help, and always wear a properly fitting lifejacket,” Ms. Slade says.
As of 15 October this year, 14 people in recreational craft have died or gone missing after heading out on the water. These tragic incidents occurred in 10 separate incidents.
Therefore, to help reduce the number of these fatalities, this year’s launch event will also feature a safety campaign calledCome Home Safe Deals.
Research conducted for Maritime NZ about how diverse communities engage with recreational craft safety shows that whānau, family, and friends want to support each other in being safe on the water. These groups are key sources of information and strength.
Ms. Slade explains, “This safety campaign taps into the importance of these connections, encouraging children, partners, whānau, and friends to influence our target audience and promote safe behaviour.”
Come Home Safe Deals involves individuals pledging to take certain actions if people they care about follow key safety rules. For example, “If you promise to always wear a lifejacket, I’ll promise to clean my room,” or “If you check the marine weather forecast, I’ll cook your favourite dinner.”
As part of this initiative, a dedicated web app allows participants to enter into these agreements.
“Our safety campaign efforts will target this broader audience, guiding them to the Come Home Safe Deals webpage, where they can enter for a chance to win prizes by setting up their deal online,” Ms. Slade says.
The website,comehomesafe.nz, goes live on October 21 and will run for one month.
For more safety advice, visithttp://www.saferboating.org.nz, where recreational craft users can find guidance on planning their trips, staying safe on the water, maintaining their boats, and using different types of recreational crafts safely.
– The research was conducted by Litmus, a social research and evaluation agency with specialist multi-disciplinary teams. Maritime NZ commissioned Litmus to conduct a qualitative study on how different communities in Aotearoa New Zealand use craft in interactions with marine environments, how they kept themselves safe while doing so and what ideas they had for how safety could be improved.
For anyone who has been online in Australia longer than a decade or so, the discussion around current proposals to set a minimum age for social media use might trigger a touch of déjà vu.
Between 2007 and 2012, the Rudd–Gillard government’s efforts to implement a “Clean Feed” internet filter sparked very similar debates.
Beset by technical problems and facing fierce opposition, the Clean Feed was eventually abandoned in favour of laws that already existed. Will the proposed social media ban face a similar fate?
How to regulate cyberspace
The question of how to regulate a cyberspace occupied by both adults and children has puzzled governments for a long time. Traditional controls on physical media are difficult to apply to online spaces, particularly when so much online media comes from overseas.
As early as 1998, an Australian Broadcasting Authority report noted a key difficulty in online regulation. Namely, balancing adults’ access to legal online spaces and content with restrictions on childrens’ access to age-inappropriate material and bans on illegal content.
The Clean Feed proposal attempted to address parental concerns about age-inappropriate websites. First raised in 2006 by Labor in opposition, it became a campaign promise at the 2007 election.
The proposal aimed to solve the issue of overseas content. Australian authorities could already require website owners in Australia to take down illegal content, but they had no power over international sites.
To address this, the Clean Feed would require internet service providers to run a government-created filter blocking all material given a “Refused” classification by the Australian Classification Board, which meant it was illegal. Labor argued the filter would protect children from “harmful and inappropriate” content, including child pornography and X-rated media. The Australian Communications and Media Authority created a “blacklist” of websites that the filter would block.
Technical trouble
The Clean Feed was plagued by technical issues. Trials in 2008 revealed it might slow internet speeds by up to 87%, block access to legal websites, and wouldn’t block all illegal content.
While the effect on speeds was improved, the 2008 trials and others in 2009 revealed another problem: determined users could bypass the filter.
There were also fears the blacklist would be used to block legal websites. While the government maintained the filter would only target illegal content, some questioned whether this was true.
Internet service providers were already required to prevent access to content that had been given a Refused classification. This, along with unclear government statements about removing age-inappropriate material, led many to believe the blacklist could be more far-reaching.
The government also planned to keep the list secret, on the grounds that a published list could become a guide for finding illegal material.
The blacklist
In 2009, the whistleblowing website Wikileaks published a list of sites blacklisted in Denmark. The government banned those pages of Wikileaks, and in response Wikileaks published what it said was the Australian government blacklist. (The government denied it was the actual blacklist.)
Newspapers noted that around half the websites on the published list were not related to child pornography.
Wikileaks published what it claimed was the government’s planned ‘blacklist’ of websites, along with a rationale for publishing the list. Wikileaks
The alleged blacklist also contained legal content, including Wikipedia pages, YouTube links, and even the website of a Queensland dentist. This lent weight to fears the filter would block more than just illegal websites.
More debates emerged surrounding how the Refused classification category was applied offline as well as on the internet.
In January 2010, the Australian Sex Party reported claims from pornography studios that customs officials had confiscated material featuring female ejaculation (as an “abhorrent depiction” or form of urination) and small-breasted adult women (who might appear to be minors). Many questioned whether these should be banned, and if such depictions would be added to the blacklist – including members of hacker-activist group Anonymous.
On February 10 2010, activists targeted several government websites. The Australian Parliament site was down for three days. Protesters also mass-emailed politicians and their staff the kinds of pornography set to be blocked by the filter.
While Operation Titstorm gained media attention, other digital activists (such as Electronic Frontiers Australia and other members of Anonymous) criticised its illegal tactics. Many dismissed the protest as juvenile.
In February 2010, hacker-activists from Anonymous launched denial-of-service attacks and email campaigns in protest of proposed internet filters. WIkipedia
However, one participant argued that many protesters were children, who had used these methods because “kids and teenagers don’t really get the chance to voice their opinions”. The protesters may have been the very people the Clean Feed was supposed to protect.
The government abandoned the Clean Feed in 2012 and used existing legislation to require internet service providers to block INTERPOL’s “worst of” child abuse list. It remains to be seen whether the social media minimum age will similarly crumble under the weight of controversy and be rendered redundant by existing legislation.
The same, but different
The Clean Feed tried to balance the rights of adults to access legal material with protecting children from age-inappropriate content and making cyberspace safer for them. In a sense, it did this by regulating adults.
The filter limited the material adults could access. Given it was government-created and mandatory, it also decided for parents what content was age-appropriate for their children.
The current proposal to set a minimum age for social media flips this solution by determining what online spaces children can occupy. Similar to the filter, it also makes this decision on parents’ behalf.
The Clean Feed saga reveals some of the difficulties of policing the internet. It also reminds us that anxiety about what Australian youth can interact with online is nothing new – and is unlikely to go away.
Rebecca Houlihan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Guastella, Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, University of Sydney
Neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism affect about one in ten children. These conditions impact learning, behaviour and development.
Executive function delays are core to challenges people with neurodevelopmental conditions experience. This includes skills such as paying attention, switching attention, controlling impulses, planning, organising and problem-solving.
These skills are important for learning and long-term development. They have been linked with future occupational, social, academic and mental health outcomes. Children with improved executive function skills and supports for these skills do better long term.
Decades of studies have described how difficulties in attention and impulse control underpin ADHD. Meanwhile, difficulties with switching attention and flexibility of thinking have been proposed to underpin autism.
As a result, different supports and interventions developed for different neurodevelopmental conditions target these skills. It sets up a system where a diagnosis is made first, then a set of supports is provided based on that diagnosis.
But our recent study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, shows executive function problems are similar across all neurodevelopmental conditions. Understanding these common needs could lead to better access to supports before waiting for a specific diagnosis.
Our study found more similarities than differences
We looked at 180 studies, over 45 years, that compared executive function skills across two or more neurodevelopmental conditions.
We brought the research together for all neurodevelopmental conditions that have been defined by diagnostic manuals, including ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, communication disorders and intellectual disabilities.
Surprisingly, we found most neurodevelopmental conditions showed very similar delays in their executive skills.
Children with ADHD showed difficulties with attention and impulse control, for example, but so did children with autism, communication and specific learning conditions.
There were very few differences between each neurodevelopmental condition and the type of executive function delay.
This suggests executive function delay is best considered as a common difficulty for all children with neurodevelopmental conditions. All of these children could benefit from similar supports to improve executive skills.
But supports have become siloed
For decades, research has failed to integrate findings across conditions. This has led to siloed research and practices across the education, health and disability sectors.
Our data showed a gradual shift in the type of conditions that have been studied since 1980. In the earlier days, as a percentage, there were a far greater proportion of studies conducted on tic disorders, such as Tourette’s syndrome. In the past ten years, autism has been of greater focus.
This means research and practice is also siloed, based on the focus on funding and interest in the community. Some groups miss out from good science and practice when they become less visible in the political landscape.
This has led to a skewed support system where only children with a specific diagnosis can be offered certain interventions. It also reduces access to supports if families can’t access diagnostic services, which can be particularly difficult in regional and rural communities.
Due to these diagnosis-driven research practices, there are now assessment services, guidelines and treatments that are recommended for autism. These are usually independent from and not offered to children with ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, communication disorders or intellectual disabilities despite a significant overlap in children’s needs.
How does this affect access to support
Families often find it hard to get the help they need. They often describe the assessment and support process as confusing, with long wait times and lots of barriers.
We have previously shown caregivers often attend assessment and support services with a broad range of needs, but leave with many needs unaddressed.
Recent national child mental health, autism and ADHD guidelines call for more integrated supports for children. But most services are not well set up to do this. It will take time to drive such system change if this is to be achieved.
Why we need integrated research
More integrated research will lead to more cohesive support systems across education, health and disability for all children in need.
Studies show, for example, that many risk factors (genetic and environmental) are common to all neurodevelopmental conditions. These include a broad overlap of risk genes that are the same between conditions, and common environmental factors that influence development in the womb, such as the use of certain drugs, stress and a significant immune response.
Other studies show how most children diagnosed with one neurodevelopmental condition will also be diagnosed with others.
But gaps remain. While we know certain stimulant medications can work well for ADHD, for example, we have less information about how they might help children with other neurodevelopmental conditions who have attention difficulties.
Unlike our knowledge about social supports for children with autism, we don’t have much research on how we can help children with ADHD with their social needs.
We should take a wider view of children’s needs
It’s important for families to be aware that if their child meets criteria for one neurodevelopmental condition, it is very likely that they will meet criteria for other neurodvelopmental conditions. They will likely have many needs relevant to other conditions.
It is worth asking clinical services about broader needs beyond a diagnosis. This should include developmental, mental and physical health needs.
It is also important to consider that many common interventions may have potential to support all children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
This is an important issue for government. Reviews are under way for supporting the needs of people with autism, intellectual disability and ADHD.
It’s time to establish more integrated systems, supports and strategies for all people with neurodevelopmental conditions for their home, school, play and work.
Adam Guastella receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Research Council for research into neurodevelopmental conditions. He is director of the Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research and scientific chair of Neurodevelopment Australia, a scientific group seeking to improve the knowledge and supports for all people with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Kelsie Boulton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A Queensland tribunal has ruled it is not discriminatory for a school to require girls to wear a skirt at formal events.
The private high school said girls needed to wear skirts for occasions including excursions, ceremonies and class photographs.
A female student had complained to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal about different treatment for boys and girls.
While the tribunal acknowledged there was “different treatment between the sexes”, it found there was not enough evidence to show this was “unfavourable”.
Why are female students still made to wear skirts and dresses? And why is this a problem?
Who decides?
In Australia, uniform rules are largely determined by individual schools.
Schools have some obligations to their communities, governing bodies (such as state education departments and independent school peak bodies) and anti-discrimination legislation.
But ultimately, it’s up to the school to decide how their uniform looks, who can access different items, where and when items may be worn, and what non-uniform items are regulated.
Pants occupy an odd space here. For public schools, most state education departments require girls to have the option of pants (which can include shorts or trousers), for both sport and regular uniforms.
But private schools do not have the same obligations. Some are starting to update their policies and allow girls to wear shorts or pants if they choose.
Girls’ access to pants is not as straightforward as a school including them within the uniform policy.
As researchers note, simply allowing girls to wear pants may not be enough. If school cultures are not welcoming, or if the design is uncomfortable, girls may still avoid them.
Or, as can be the case with private schools, a school may offer pants on a limited basis, such as only during winter. Alternatively, there may be a special order process for pants, making them difficult to obtain.
Or schools may permit their use, except on special occasions such as photo days or excursions, like the Queensland case.
Why does it matter?
The skirt itself isn’t the issue. The element of choice is.
As researchers note, skirts and dresses are linked to outdated expectations of modesty and femininity. They can be targets of fetish and harassment, and entrench binary ideals of gender.
The longer gender-normativity is baked into school policies, the longer students are denied their right to equitable education. And the longer that schools promote the idea of “girl” and “boy” as opposite and concrete categories, the harder it will be to combat schoolyard misogyny and queerphobia.
Kayla Mildren does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 20, 2024 — Today, local Textron IAM members voted to accept the latest contract offer, which covers nearly 5,000 members across three campuses in Wichita. They will return to work beginning Wednesday, Oct. 23.
IAM Local 774 (District 70) members voted down the companies’ last, best, and final offer in September, citing concerns over wages and healthcare as some of the top issues they felt Textron Aviation did not address.
Read: Together We are Unstoppable: IAM Leadership Gives Boost to Local 774 Textron Strike Lines
“Our skilled members in Wichita know what it takes to make Textron Aviation products just like they know how to stick together for what’s right,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “The dedication it takes to stand up with your Brothers and Sisters to fight for what you deserve is admirable, and the entire IAM is beyond proud of Local 774.”
Read: IAM Local 774 Members at Textron Aviation Vote to Reject Contract, Strike for Fairness
The offer extended across the table in September was not enough for many workers at one of Wichita’s largest aircraft producers. Keeping Textron Aviation as a strong player in a competitive market, these essential workers toiled during the worst pandemic in recent history. With wages 7% below the national average for aerospace members at Local 774, they fought hard to bring their wages up and over flatline.
Healthcare was another top concern for many families employed by Textron Aviation. With a deeply flawed healthcare system, many of the industry’s top savings measures include passing these costs onto hardworking families for Local 774.
Read: IAM Local 774 Members Demand More for Families, Wichita Community as Textron Aviation Strike Enters Second Wee
The new offer that Local 774 members voted on over the weekend includes a fifth year, as several members were adamant about not having a contract expire in an election year. There is also a 5% wage increase and an additional $3,000 directable bonus.
Some of the other highlights include:
31% overall increase in wages throughout the five-year agreement
$3,000 directable lump sum to use how the member sees fit
Longevity bonuses
New technical and license holder premium pays
Automatic Quarterly Increases raised to 30 cents per hour
COLA cap increased from $700 to $1,500
Define Benefit plan negotiated new rate increases
New Insurance premium increase caps at 3%
Insurance premium rates will remain at 2025 rates for the No Deductible plan for the life of the agreement
Improvements earned time off with improved accrual time
“Our members know what matters to them and used their voices as the essential tool to gain more,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “Textron Aviation is a powerhouse in today’s market and needed to offer more. I am proud of our members in Wichita – they stood strong and won for their families and communities.”
At a time when unions are flexing their power, there appear to be small glimpses of hope when it comes to business leadership—or at least an understanding that you have to treat your employees respectfully and listen. For those businesses that don’t, the members of the IAM have no problem giving a little push.
“We know aircraft in Wichita,” said IAM District 70 Business Representative for Local 774 Clint Shockley. “We also know family, survival, and our members’ rooted values here. Local 774 members have shown that through collective action and won.”
The new offer will be backdated to Sept. 23 and will remain in effect until September 2029.
The latest snapshot report from New Zealand Infrastructure Commission shows that the value of infrastructure projects in the National Infrastructure Pipeline totalled $147.6 billion in June, an increase of more than 20% since March, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says.
The pipeline is managed by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission and provides a national view of current or planned infrastructure projects, from roads, to water infrastructure, to schools, and more.
“The pipeline includes projects currently in construction through to those being scoped and planned over the next 10 years. Almost 60 per cent ($87.7 billion) of this value comes from projects that are funded, part-funded, or have a funding source confirmed,” Mr Bishop says.
“The Infrastructure Commission has worked with infrastructure providers to improve transparency and quality of information and available to the sector. In their June pipeline release, the total value of infrastructure projects has increased 20.7 per cent since March 2024.
“Insights from the pipeline show that projects currently in construction at varying stages of completion have a total expected value of $48 billion. Active and planned projects from central government infrastructure providers account for $89.5 billion of value in the pipeline and $51.3 billion of those projects are funded, part funded or have a funding source confirmed.
“The Commission’s projections show that more than $16 billion is expected to be spent across all infrastructure sectors in 2024. This spend is equivalent to around four per cent of our GDP and highlights the significance of our infrastructure sectors to the New Zealand economy. Transport accounts for the biggest spend with more than $7 billion, followed by the social sector at $3.9 billion and water at $2.1 billion.
“The estimated value of projects in the pipeline changes over time as infrastructure providers update their project planning, improve the scope and quality of the information they submit, and as more organisations contribute their project information. Eighty-five organisations from across central government, local government, and the private sector now contribute project information to the Pipeline, an increase of 21.4 per cent over the last 12 months.
“As the number of contributors and information in the pipeline grows so does the effectiveness and value from this tool. This quarter the Commission saw the highest number of contributors to the pipeline. A more robust and transparent pipeline is good for New Zealand. It can help us understand where there are pressures and opportunities for the construction sector.
“I look forward to local authorities adding their infrastructure projects to the pipeline from their recently released Long Term Plans, and encourage all infrastructure providers to contribute and maintain the information on their projects and investment intentions in the pipeline”.
The British Columbia election has turned out to be a nail-biter. Throughout the four-week campaign, the polls predicted a very close race between the incumbent NDP led by David Eby and a newly rejuvenated Conservative Party under the leadership of John Rustad. Those polls turned out to be accurate as no clear winner has emerged in the hours after British Columbians cast their ballots.
The B.C. Liberal Party, a right-of-centre amalgam of Liberal and Conservative voters federally that had ruled the province between 2001-2017, disappeared from the scene, resulting in a political realignment — New Democrats vs. Conservatives — and matching what has become the norm in Canada’s three other western provinces.
In one way, the 2024 election is a repeat of the 2017 vote, when the B.C. Liberals and the NDP were just two seats apart. The Greens threw their three seats behind the NDP to pave the way for an NDP government. The same may well prove to be the case this time around once the dust has settled.
In another way, this election is reminiscent of 1952, when a newly led Social Credit party under W.A.C. Bennett came out of nowhere to topple the old-line Liberal and Conservative parties, edge out the CCF (the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation) — predecessor to today’s NDP — by a single seat and go on to rule the province for a full 20 years.
In 1951, Bennett had broken with his party, the Conservatives, to sit as an Independent MLA. Rustad had been turfed out of his party, the B.C. Liberals, to sit as an Independent MLA, before assuming the leadership of a B.C.’s dormant Conservative Party. The Conservatives had not held a seat in the provincial legislature for almost 50 years, and had last won a provincial election in 1928.
Yet in 2024, with 43.5 per cent of the popular vote compared to the NDP’s 44.5 per cent, Rustad’s party is a major contender for power.
Geographical and ideological divides
What the election results ultimately show is that there are two British Columbias. The NDP tends to dominate on the coast, with a clear majority of the seats in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. The Conservatives dominate the B.C. Interior of the province, with a fair sprinkling of suburban seats in the Lower Mainland as well.
Beyond the geographical divide lies a deeper ideological one. In some ways it parallels the old divide between a more free-enterprise oriented party and one with a stronger commitment to the welfare state. Rustad said as much in his speech on election night. But there is more to the story than that.
The NDP, after all, has become much more of a centrist party than it was previously, in particular when it governed the province under Dave Barrett between 1972 and 1975.
It’s no accident that in the 2024 election, no small number of federal Liberal supporters voiced their support for the NDP rather than the Conservatives. With respect to issues like gun control, protection of the environment, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples or vaccine mandates during pandemics, their views align more closely with the NDP than the Conservatives.
British Columbia is clearly polarized politically, a phenomenon we’re seeing even more distinctly south of the border and in various European countries.
The task of governing from the centre — on the assumption that the NDP and Greens reach a confidence-and-supply agreement — may therefore prove a more challenging one than before due to a much empowered Conservative opposition.
But had the Conservatives won a clear mandate to govern, they would have faced significant opposition from the more liberal-minded sections of the population given some of the party’s hard-line positions on unabashed resource development, Indigenous reconciliation and the role of private versus public providers in the health-care system.
Such is the state of play in Canada’s westernmost province.
Philip Resnick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Foreign Secretary David Lammy visits Indonesia and South Korea.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy meets with President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto on his visit to Indonesia. Picture by Ben Dance / FCDO
UK will put green growth and security at the centre of our relationships across the region.
Government will step up efforts towards a new, deeper Strategic Partnership with crucial G20 partner Indonesia to support green innovation and accelerate the clean energy transition.
Driving forward further security collaboration, the Foreign Secretary will visit South Korea to galvanise work on defence, clean energy and growth.
A new chapter in the relationship between the UK and Indonesia, a vital Indo-pacific and G20 partner, begins with the Foreign Secretary arriving in Jakarta today (20th October).
The Foreign Secretary will attend the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto, as the UK and Indonesia celebrate seventy five years of diplomatic relations this year. With new governments in the UK and Indonesia, both countries will work together to build a deeper Strategic Partnership that delivers growth and security while ensuring a sustainable future for our planet.
Reinforcing the UK and South Korea’s shared global values, David Lammy will travel onwards to Seoul where he will visit the Demilitarized Zone and underline our geopolitical collaboration on security, climate and growth with another G20 power in the Indo-Pacific.
In South Korea the Foreign Secretary will witness first-hand the geopolitical reality and immediacy of the divided Korean peninsula and the ongoing threat posed by North Korea.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:
Our South Korean partners have stood side-by-side with us in defence of Ukraine whilst also working to preserve regional stability here on the Korean peninsula.
It is a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of conflict, with North Korea supporting Russia and prolonging conflict on Europe’s borders whilst their illegal weapons of mass destruction programme threatens regional security. That is why it is so important for the UK to engage globally over conflict on our continent and security beyond it.
Indonesia is a key player in our fight to tackle the climate crisis – and our new governments are working together to build a strategic partnership that delivers green growth, deepens our cooperation on security and ensures a sustainable future for our planet.
Right across this region, we are working to further unlock growth, trade and green innovation.
Underlining the UK and South Korea’s joint commitment to upholding peace both on the Korean Peninsula and across the globe, the Foreign Secretary will announce the first UK and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministerial 2 + 2 Dialogue. This set-piece consultation will provide a formalised space to further enhance cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges to peace and security.
The Ministerial 2 + 2 will sit alongside an Inaugural UK-Korea Hybrid Threats Dialogue, which will enable discussion on issues of shared national interest and identification of new opportunities to tackle shared threats together – jointly improving our resilience.
The Foreign Secretary’s visit to both Indonesia and South Korea will also be underpinned by the UK’s international leadership on the climate crisis, through clean power and green solutions.
In Indonesia, the Foreign Secretary will meet Indonesian companies supported by the UK to spearhead green innovations. He will also see first-hand the UK expertise being deployed to support sustainable infrastructure development in Indonesia.
In the Republic of Korea, Mr Lammy will visit Ewha Women’s University to share expertise and experience on the UK’s and South Korea’s clean energy transition. Focusing on how both countries can deliver female leadership in climate and growth, the Foreign Secretary will meet with the university’s President, Kim Eun Mee, and leaders within the climate sphere.
Press Conference by the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhán Mullally.
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Briefing reporters in New York City, a UN expert highlighted that limited progress has been made to integrate measures to combat trafficking in persons into the Women and Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, nearly 25 years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325.
Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children delivered a report to the 79th session of the General Assembly that “looks at the intersections between trafficking in persons and Gender Peace and Security, extending beyond the attention on Women Peace and Security to include a wider focus on gender and gender equality, recognizing the significance of gender in the realization of justice, peace and security.”
Mullally said, “the achievement of gender equality requires a transformation of gendered relations of power and inequality and a recognition of the indivisibility of economic, social and cultural and civil and political rights.”
In her report to the General Assembly, Mullally called for effective measures to address the gendered impact of trafficking in persons in the WPS agenda and related action plans and programmes. She presents targeted recommendations to strengthen action to combat trafficking in persons in the WPS agenda, prioritising human rights of trafficked persons, effective prevention and accountability measures, including reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence.
While recognition of trafficking in persons for purposes of sexual exploitation, or sexual slavery, as a form of sexual violence in conflict has increased attention to such risks, other forms of trafficking in persons, for purposes of forced labour, forced marriage, or domestic servitude, receive less attention, resulting in failures to identify, assist and protect victims of trafficking, and failures of prevention, the Special Rapporteur’s report noted.
She also raised concerns about limited attention to rights of persons with disabilities in WPS actions, and in peacebuilding measures, despite women and girls with disabilities being disproportionately impacted by armed conflict.
Mullally said racism and racial discrimination play a pivotal role in increasing the risks of trafficking in persons and in limiting the effectiveness of prevention, protection and assistance measures. She said, “in conflict and post conflict situations, discrimination and violence against indigenous peoples, persons of African descent and racialized and minority communities intersect with gender to increase risks of trafficking for all purposes of exploitation, including by armed groups and armed forces and by criminal organizations and networks.”
The expert concluded by saying the best way to prevent trafficking in persons is “ensuring safe migration, planned relocation, for example, in the context of climate displacement, and effective access to asylum resettlement opportunities without discrimination.”
After presenting their annual reports to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteurs on the rights to food, water, and housing – Michael Fakhri, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, and Balakrishnan Rajagopal, respectively, today (18 Oct) discussed how these rights are being violated in Gaza.
Fakhri said his report “answers a very specific question; how was Israel able to starve 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza so quickly and so completely?” and noted that “we have never seen in modern history this speed of starvation ever.”
He explained that “this doesn’t start on October 7th,” and pointed out that “from 2000 to 2023, Israel has a profound degree of control over Gaza.”
Fakhri said, “it’s like a faucet that you tighten and loosen. And they would make sure that the Palestinians in Gaza were just hungry enough to not raise alarms. They were counting calories and measuring what is allowed in to make sure that everyone remained hungry in Gaza, but not so hungry that it raised alarm bells in the international humanitarian world so that on October 6th, 2023, half of people in Gaza were food insecure and 80 percent depended on humanitarian aid.”
The Special Rapporteurs on the Right to Food said, “this is an attempt to use starvation to displace people, to kill people, to annihilate people as an attempt to erase the Palestinians from history and from their land in order for Israel to fully annexe Palestinian territory. And we see that their annexation plan continues now into Lebanon.”
Arrojo-Agudo explained that because of population pressure on the costal aquifer, “the only way of having water for drinking water was the desalination plant. And an amount of water sold by Mekorot, the public owned company, Israeli company, to the Palestinians.”
He said, “with the beginning of the war, this water was cut off at the beginning completely and then, a little bit more or less, but cut it essentially and with a cutting of the energy, the desalination plants collapsed.”
For his part, Rajagopal said, “we need to back up a little bit from October of 2023, because the question of how much of Gaza has been destroyed should not give the mistaken impression of assuming that Gaza was fully built and intact before that. No part of Palestine, whether it’s East Jerusalem or West Bank or Gaza, have been exempt from a gradual and sometimes violent pummelling given by Israel using military force or using home demolitions, which have been a chief tool of occupation and land annexation, including settlement activity in the West Bank over decades.”
Special Rapporteurs are part of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and work on a voluntary basis. They are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Deadly attacks on journalists in Gaza and double standards and discrimination against those advocating for Palestinian rights have created a global crisis of freedom of expression, Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression said.
Presenting her report to the General Assembly, Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, highlighted the widespread violations of freedom of expression arising from the conflict in Gaza, including the killing of journalists in Gaza, the crushing of protests worldwide against the carnage, the muzzling of Palestinian advocacy and the upsurge of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech online and offline.
Speaking to reporters in New York today (18 Oct), Khan said, “The target killings of journalists, arbitrary detention of dozens of them, the extensive destruction of press facilities and equipment in Gaza, the denial of access to international journalists, as you know, I think only one has been permitted to enter by Israel. The banning of Al Jazeera, the tightening of censorship within Israel and in the Occupied Territories, seem to indicate a strategy of the Israeli authorities to silence critical journalism and obstruct documentation of possible international crimes. We all know the deliberate killing of a journalist is a war crime, yet not a single killing of a journalist this past year, or for that matter, in previous years in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has ever been properly investigated, prosecuted or punished. Impunity is total.”
The Special Rapporteur also said, “Bans, including some blanket bans of pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been imposed in many European countries. Campus protests, as you know, in the United States earlier this year, were crushed harshly. Public display of Palestinian national symbols like the flag or the keffiyeh and certain slogans have been prohibited, even criminalized in some countries. Such blanket discriminatory prohibitions of speech, protest and slogans are inherently incompatible with international human rights because they fail to meet the test of necessity, proportionality and the principle of non-discrimination.”
Khan added, “We also see the silencing and sidelining of dissenting voices in academia and in the arts. Some of the best academic institutions in the world, as you know, have failed to ensure equal protection to all members of their academic communities, whether Jewish, Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, Muslim or otherwise, and intellectual intercourse has been diminished. Artistic freedom is being censored in many institutions in Western countries.”
She said, “While Arabs, Jewish Israelis and Palestinians are all targeted online, many companies, most companies, actually have shown a bias in their responses. As far as I could see, all of them were showing a bias in their responses, being more lenient regarding Israel and more restrictive about Palestinian expression. And from what I can see, it seems that inherently biased policies, opaque, inconsistent content moderation and heavy reliance on automated tools have led to this over restrictive, unbalanced content moderation.”
The Special Rapporteur also said, “Online and offline, international legal standards are being distorted and misinterpreted to conflate criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-semitism. Anti-semitism is racial, the worst form of racial and religious hatred of Jews, and must be unequivocally condemned. But conflating protected speech which is political criticism with prohibited speech which is hate speech undermines the fight against anti-semitism, and it also chills freedom of expression.”
Khan added, “The point I want to make is equality is a fundamental principle of human rights, and States, companies and private institutions are obliged uphold that right to equality in the context of the right to freedom of expression of all persons, and any restriction, there are very clear guidelines laid down in international law as how they should be made and those guidelines are not being followed.”
The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Gig economy workers take a break in Chinatow, London. Shutterstock/Grant Rooney
Social class continues to influence British people’s opportunities and the way they think about them, even if the boundaries between those classes have shifted.
In the third part of Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics, a podcast series from The Conversation Documentaries, we explore how class is defined and measured, and how the UK’s changing class identity interacts with identity politics.
Over the course of the last half century, there’s been a big shift in the make up of the labour market, and a decline in what are traditionally considered working class jobs, such as in manufacturing. And yet, data from the annual British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey run by the National Centre for Social Research, found that 52% of people identify as working class compared with 43% who identify as middle class.
According to Oliver Heath, professor of politics at Royal Holloway University of London, who co-authored the chapter on class for the BSA report in 2023, people still think about themselves in class terms to exactly the same degree as they did 40 years ago.
There’s been no decline in terms of whether people think of themselves as identifying with a class, and no decline in whether they identify with being working class or not. So that seems remarkably stable and if anything showed some signs of actually increasing.
The growth of self-employment, and in particular the gig economy, has disrupted the UK’s traditional class structure, according to Daniel Evans, a lecturer of criminology, sociology and social policy at Swansea University.
The size of the formally self-employed has absolutely exploded. It’s close to about 5 million, which is coming very close to the size of the entire public sector. This is absolutely unprecedented. In the early 1970s, it was about 1 million self-employed people.
Evans argues this has also muddled what it means to be part of the petit bourgeoisie, someone who own the means of your own production in a Marxist sense.
So many people are doing almost like bogus forms of self-employment. Whereas in the past, lots and lots of people are doing this voluntarily, a lot of working class people aspired to join the ranks of the self-employed because they wanted to be their own boss … more and more people have been forced, basically, into self-employment.
Education, education, education
Amid these shifts, education has become a dominant force in recent years, overriding class defined by occupation or income as the most influential factor in voter behaviour. According to Paula Surridge, professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol, this was true for the Brexit vote too, she says.
Education is a stronger predictor of Brexit vote than class, with those with degree or higher level education more likely to vote remain than those with lower level qualifications. And the reason for that is the Brexit vote was primarily driven by a set of social values that don’t relate to economics.
Town and gown: Britain’s modern political divide. Shutterstock
This can be a tricky dynamic to talk about. The education divide is not a term intended to deliver a value judgement but describes two distinct experiences of life. The university population in the UK has exploded since the 1990s and going to university has a profound effect on a person’s outlook, according to John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and senior research fellow at Natcen:
The experience of university, where people get mixed with people from diverse backgrounds, they’re encouraged, particularly in the humanities, to be critically reflective about culture, etc. that that seems to create a rather more socially liberal ambience.
For more analysis, listen to the full episode of Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics on The Conversation Documentaries.
A transcript is available on Apple Podcasts.
Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics is produced and mixed by Anouk Millet for The Conversation. It’s supported by the National Centre for Social Research.
Listen to The Conversation Documentaries via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.
John Curtice receives funding from UKRI-ESRC. Tim Bale has previously received funding for research on the Conservative Party and party members from the Leverhulme Trust and from the Economic and Social Research Council. Oliver Heath does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Paula Surridge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Daniel Evans does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics is supported by the National Centre for Social Research.
