NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: $35 Million in Covid-Related Rent Relief

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $35 million in State funding is being distributed by the New York City Housing Authority to help address COVID-related rental arrears for NYCHA residents. This funding secured by the Governor and State Legislature will provide up to 12 months of unpaid rent for NYCHA tenants and ensure these families maintain stable, affordable housing during recovery from the pandemic.

    “We’re continuing to support vulnerable New Yorkers who were hit hard by the pandemic and helping to ensure families remain in their homes,” Governor Hochul said. “This funding builds on our efforts to provide meaningful assistance to NYCHA tenants with COVID-related rental arrears, while also furthering our commitment to helping NYCHA make vital repairs and improvements.”

    New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is expected to use these funds to address rental arrears accrued by NYCHA tenants. Qualifying households could be covered for up to 12 months of past due rent accumulated during the period of March 2020 – May 11, 2023.

    This commitment builds on Governor Hochul’s previous efforts to help ensure that tenants throughout New York adversely affected by the pandemic could remain stably housed, including NYCHA and other public housing residents and recipients of federal Section 8 vouchers.

    Separate from the $35 million highlighted today, New York State has delivered payments totaling approximately $159 million to date on behalf of more than 27,000 NYCHA households through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).

    The Governor and the Legislature secured more than $1 billion in State funding to supplement federal ERAP funding in the FY 2023 and 2024 Enacted Budgets, including the $35 million targeted for NYCHA and more than $350 million in the FY 2024 budget to ensure there were sufficient funds in New York State’s ERAP for public and subsidized housing residents, including NYCHA tenants, Section 8 tenants and other subsidized housing residents across the state.

    Previously, the Governor signed legislation creating the New York Public Housing Preservation Trust, to address overdue repairs, rehabilitation, and modernization of 25,000 NYCHA apartments.

    New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “The uncertainty and instability caused by the pandemic was especially hard for those already struggling to make ends meet, including many NYCHA residents who fell behind on their rent. Thanks to Governor Hochul and the Legislature, this funding will eliminate a significant debt for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers while enabling them to remain stably housed in their homes.”

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “All New Yorkers deserve safe and stable housing. This $35 million investment is just one example of our State’s commitment to NYCHA residents. We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership on ensuring housing stability and dedication to New Yorkers still affected by the COVID pandemic.”

    NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt said, “We have fought tirelessly for COVID-related rental relief for NYCHA residents, and I am delighted that this additional $35 million will supplement the aid that came through ERAP. We’re so thankful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for providing support that will bring both financial relief and stability to NYCHA residents.”

    Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “Many of New York’s families have yet to recover from the devastating economic impact of the pandemic. By paying back up to 12 months of their past-due rent, we’re helping NYCHA families find their footing again and shift their money toward other goods necessary to support their families. The Assembly Majority remains committed to ensuring New York’s families have the resources they need to thrive and this announcement is a step towards that direction.”

    Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, “Protecting New Yorkers from eviction during an affordability crisis must be a priority for New York State. That is why I proudly advocated for the inclusion of an extra $35 million in last year’s state budget to help struggling New York City Housing Authority residents pay their rental arrears. Every NYCHA resident deserves a second chance at becoming financially whole after surviving the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Equally important, all levels of government must also provide NYCHA, one of the greatest sources of affordable housing in New York, with the resources it desperately needs to keep the lights on in developments across the city. I look forward to working with partners on the federal and local levels to fund our public housing authorities next session.”

    Assemblymember Grace Lee said, “I’ve seen firsthand the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on NYCHA residents in my district. This additional funding is crucial to helping New Yorkers hardest hit by the pandemic recover and ensuring families can stay in their homes. It will provide direct relief to thousands of families across the city, including many in my district. I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and providing much-needed support to our most vulnerable residents.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nobel peace prize was another win for anti-nuclear activists, but much work remains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Elizabeth Chappell, Researcher Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The Open University

    The 2024 Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organisation created by survivors of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Nihon Hidankyo has provided thousands of witness accounts and public appeals by survivors, who are known as hibakusha, and has sent annual delegations to the UN.

    Their work was commended by the Nobel committee, who decided to award the prize to Nihon Hidankyo “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating that nuclear weapons must never be used again”.

    Nihon Hidankyo’s co-chair, Toshiyuki Mimaki, said: “I never expected we would win the Nobel peace prize. Now we want to go further and appeal to the world to achieve lasting peace. We are old, but we never give up.”

    There are an estimated 106,000 hibakusha still living in Japan, with many more alive around the world. There are also survivors – and their descendants – of the more than 2,000 nuclear tests that have taken place worldwide since 1945. Some of these people use the term hibakusha to describe themselves.

    This was not the first time the prize had been awarded to a nominee for their efforts towards nuclear disarmament. And it probably won’t be the last.

    In 1985, the prize was awarded to an organisation called the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. And then, in 1995, the prize was won by Joseph Rotblat, the only scientist to have left the Manhattan Project – the US government’s research project to produce the first atomic bomb – on moral grounds.

    Barack Obama was next in 2009, for his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons”. His administration made efforts to renew the strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia, and Obama became the first US president to visit one of the atomic bombed cities when he made a special trip to Hiroshima in 2016.

    The following year, the prize was won by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its “groundbreaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of nuclear weapons”. This was a reference to the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, which from 2017 has outlawed states from participating in any nuclear weapon activities.

    Nihon Hidankyo may not be a household name, but two of its former co-chairs are quite well known internationally. Hiroshima-born Sunao Tsuboi was photographed in one of the few known images to be taken on the day of the bombing.

    Tsuboi and fellow survivor Shigeaki Mori also spoke with Obama on his visit to the city. It is said that Obama’s visit was, in part, triggered by Mori’s research. He had spent 40 years searching for the identities of 12 US prisoners of war who had been killed in the bombing of Hiroshima.

    Another of Nihon Hidankyo’s former co-chairs, Nagasaki-born Sumiteru Taniguchi, spent three-and-a-half years in hospital after the bombing of his city and never fully recovered from his wounds.

    Taniguchi’s story became famous after the publication of his 1984 memoir, The Postman of Nagasaki. The book’s author, Peter Townsend, was a Royal Air Force pilot in the second world war and is known in the UK for his affair with Princess Margaret, sister of the late Queen. The memoir was made into a film in 2022.

    The logic of nuclear deterrence

    We are currently at a time where the threat of nuclear weapons is growing. This was reflected by the committee who, when awarding Nihon Hidankyo with the prize, noted that the “taboo” against their use was “under pressure”.

    Nuclear deterrence relies on the logic of the threat to inflict “unacceptable damage” on the enemy. But nuclear deterrence is not foolproof. What is unacceptable to one adversary may be acceptable to another, depending on the circumstances.

    It’s worth remembering that the 1945 atomic bombings were not, as is commonly believed, the only reason the Japanese surrendered the following week and brought the war to an end. Various factions in the war council had been attempting to find ways to surrender for over a year, and the bombs offered Japan’s Emperor Hirohito a way to save face.

    As M.G. Sheftall, the author of the 2024 book, Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses, has noted:

    The bombs didn’t force the Japanese to surrender, they gave Hirohito the opportunity to surrender … News of the Nagasaki bomb came as they were having a meeting of the imperial war council about what to do about the Soviets coming into the war. It should be known that there was never any special imperial war council meeting after the Hiroshima bomb. That wasn’t considered weighty enough to make everyone drop what they were doing and head to the Imperial Palace.

    The ruins of Nagasaki, Japan, after the atomic bombing of August 9 1945.
    Everett Collection / Shutterstock

    The effects of radiation on the human body were little known in 1945, due to censorship both by the Japanese military and the US occupation that followed. As I was told in an interview with a hibakusha called Keiko Ogura, who was eight when the first bomb was dropped: “No one understood why people were still dying days, weeks, months and years after the attacks – they thought the atomic bomb was poison gas.”

    We now know much more about the devastating consequences of radiation for humans, animals and the environment across generations. However, research is still not widely publicised, with ICAN taking the lead as an international forum for important new findings to be shared and known.

    Let’s hope this year’s award will help inform the world once and for all of the nature of these weapons. As former US president, John F. Kennedy, said in a speech to the UN in 1961: “A nuclear disaster, spread by wind and water and fear, could well engulf the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the committed and the uncommitted alike.”

    Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. This prize should help ban what Kennedy described as the “sword of Damocles” that still threatens life on earth.

    Elizabeth Chappell does not work for or receive funding from any external organisation.

    – ref. Nobel peace prize was another win for anti-nuclear activists, but much work remains – https://theconversation.com/nobel-peace-prize-was-another-win-for-anti-nuclear-activists-but-much-work-remains-241160

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Dietary restriction or good genes: new study tries to unpick which has a greater impact on lifespan

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Bradley Elliott, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, University of Westminster

    As people who research ageing like to quip: the best thing you can do to increase how long you live is to pick good parents. After all, it has long been recognised that longer-lived people tend to have longer-lived parents and grandparents, suggesting that genetics influence longevity.

    Complicating the picture, however, is that we know that the sum of your lifestyle, specifically diet and exercise, also significantly influences your health into older age and how long you live. What contribution lifestyle versus genetics makes is an open question that a recent study in Nature has shed new light on.

    Scientists have long known that reducing calorie intake can make animals live longer. In the 1930s, it was noted that rats fed reduced calories lived longer than rats who could eat as much as they wanted. Similarly, people who are more physically active tend to live longer. But specifically linking single genes to longevity was until recently a controversial one.

    While studying the lifespan of the tiny worm C elegans at the University of California, San Francisco, Cynthia Kenyon found that small changes to the gene that controls the way that cells detect and respond to nutrients around them led to the worms doubling their lifespan. This raises new questions: if we know that genetics and lifestyle affect how long you live, which one is more important? And how do they interact?

    To try to tease out the effects of genetics versus lifestyle, the new study in Nature examined different models of caloric restriction in 960 mice. The researchers specifically looked at classical experimental models of caloric restriction (either 20% or 40% fewer calories than control mice), or intermittent fasting of one or two days without food (as intermittent fasting is popular in people looking to see the positive benefits of caloric restriction).

    Because we now know that small genetic variations affect ageing, the researchers specifically used genetically diverse mice. This is important for two reasons. First, as laboratory studies on mice are normally performed on genetically very (very!) similar mice, this allowed the researchers to tease out the effects of both diet and genetic variables would have on longevity.

    Second, humans are highly diverse, meaning that studies on genetically near-identical mice don’t often translate into humanity’s high genetic diversity.

    The headline finding was that genetics appeared to play a larger role in lifespan than any of the dietary restriction interventions. Long-lived types of mice were still longer lived despite dietary changes.

    Diet counts, but genes count more

    And while shorter-lived mice did show improvements as a result of dietary restrictions, they didn’t catch up to their longer-lived peers. This suggests that there’s truth to the “pick good parents” joke.

    Caloric restriction models still increased lifespans across all the types of mice, with the 40% restriction group having improved average and maximum lifespans compared with the 20% group.

    And the 20% group showed improvements in both group average and maximum length of lives compared with the control group. It’s just the effects of genetics were larger than the effect of the dietary interventions.

    While all the caloric restriction models resulted in increased lifespan in the mice on average, in the most extreme caloric restriction model tested (40% less group) changes that could be seen as physical harms were observed. These included reduced immune function and losses in muscle mass, which outside of a predator- and germ-free laboratory environment could affect health and longevity.

    There are some important caveats in studies like this. First, it’s not known if these results apply to humans.

    As with most caloric restriction research in mice, the restricted feeding groups were fed 20% or 40% less than a control group who ate as much as they wanted. In humans, that’d be like assuming people eating every meal every day at a bottomless buffet is “normal”. And people who do not eat from limitless trays of food are “restricted feeding”. That’s not an exact parallel to how humans live and eat.

    Second, although exercise wasn’t controlled in any way in this study, most groups did similar amounts of running in their in-cage running wheels except the 40% caloric restriction group who ran significantly more.

    The researchers suggested that this extra exercise in the 40% group was the mice constantly hunting for more food. But as this group did so much more exercise than the others, it could also mean that positive effects of increased exercise were also seen in this group alongside their caloric restriction.

    So, while we can’t pick our parents or change the genes we inherit from them, it is interesting to know that specific genetic variations play a significant role in the maximum age we can aspire to.

    The genetic cards we’re dealt dictate how long we can expect to live. Just as important in this study, however, lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise that aim to improve lifespan should be effective regardless of the genes we have.

    Bradley Elliott receives funding from the Physiological Society, the British Society for Research on Ageing, the Altitude Centre, and private philanthropic individuals, and has consulted for industry and government on longevity research. He is on the Board of Trustees of the British Society for Research on Ageing.

    – ref. Dietary restriction or good genes: new study tries to unpick which has a greater impact on lifespan – https://theconversation.com/dietary-restriction-or-good-genes-new-study-tries-to-unpick-which-has-a-greater-impact-on-lifespan-241050

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A new generation of telescopes will probe the ‘unknown unknowns’ that could transform our knowledge of the universe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Massey, Professor of extragalactic astrophysics (dark matter and cosmology), Durham University

    Illustration of the Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama desert. ESO, CC BY

    In recent decades, we’ve learnt huge amounts about the universe and its history. The rapidly developing technology of telescopes – both on Earth and in space – has been a key part of this process, and those that are due to start operating over the next two decades should push the boundaries of our understanding of cosmology much further.

    All observatories have a list of science objectives before they switch on, but it is their unexpected discoveries that can have the biggest impact. Many surprise advances in cosmology were driven by new technology, and the next telescopes have powerful capabilities.

    Still, there are gaps, such as a lack of upcoming space telescopes for ultraviolet and visible light astronomy. Politics and national interests have slowed scientific progress. Financial belts are tightening at even the most famous observatories.

    This is article is part of our series Cosmology in crisis? which uncovers the greatest problems facing cosmologists today – and discusses the implications of solving them.

    The biggest new telescopes are being built in the mountains of Chile. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will house a mirror the size of four tennis courts, under a huge dome in the Atacama desert.

    Reflecting telescopes like ELT work by using a primary mirror to collect light from the night sky, then reflecting it off other mirrors to a camera. Larger mirrors collect more light and see fainter objects.

    The Extremely Large Telescope under construction atop the Cerro Amazones peak in northern Chile.

    Another ground-based telescope under construction in Chile is the Vera C. Rubin telescope. Rubin’s camera is the largest ever built: the size of a small car and weighing about three tonnes. Its 3,200 megapixels will photograph the whole sky every three days to spot moving objects. Over the course of 10 years, these photographs will be combined to form a massive time-lapse video of the universe.

    Astronomy used to be a physically demanding job, requiring travel to remote telescopes in dark sites –- but many astronomers began working from home long before COVID. In the late 20th century, major ground observatories started to put in place technology to allow astronomers to control telescopes for observations at night, even when they were not there in person. Remote observing is now commonplace, carried out via the internet.

    Expect the unexpected

    The view of any telescope on the ground is limited, though, even if it’s on top of a mountain. Launching telescopes into space can get around these limitations.

    The Hubble Space Telescope’s operational history began when the space shuttle lifted it above the atmosphere on April 25 1990. Hubble got the full 1960s sci-fi treatment: a rocket to launch it, gyroscopes to point it, and electronic cameras instead of photographic film. But one plan fell through: for Hubble to host a commuting astronaut-astronomer, working decidedly away from home.

    Hubble was designed to take a census of the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxies. Its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, would study even more distant galaxies.

    Both telescopes have revolutionised our understanding of the universe, but in ways nobody foresaw. Hubble’s original plans mention none of the discoveries now seen as its greatest hits: plumes of water erupting from Jupiter’s moon Europa, the vortex around black holes, invisible dark matter that holds the universe together, and the dark energy that is pulling it apart.

    The Hubble Space Telescope being deployed from the space shuttle in April 1990.
    Nasa/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation

    Webb, launched on December 25 2021, now spends a third of its time looking at planets around other stars that weren’t even known about when it was designed.

    The stated goal of an expensive telescope is usually just a sales pitch to space agencies, governments and (shhh…) taxpayers. The Webb telescope should achieve its original science goals, but astronomers have always known that seeing further, finer or in more colours can achieve so much more. The unexpected discoveries by telescopes are often more significant than the science objectives stated at the outset.

    Taking the long view

    For scientists, it’s a relief that telescopes go beyond their brief, because Hubble and Webb both took more than 25 years from napkin to launch. In that time, new scientific questions arise.

    Building a large space telescope typically takes about two decades. The Chandra and XMM-Newton space telescopes took 23 years and 15 years to build, respectively. They were designed to observe X-rays coming from hot gas around black holes and galaxy clusters, and were launched very close together in 1999.

    They were followed by Japan’s Hitomi X-ray satellite, which took 18 years to build, and the German eRosita instrument on Russia’s Spektr-RG space observatory, which took 20 years.

    Similar timescales apply to the European Space Agency’s Hipparcos and Gaia space telescopes, which have mapped all the stars in the Milky Way. The Cobe and Planck missions to study the microwave-light afterglow of the Big Bang also took two decades. Precise dates depend how you count, and a few exceptions have been “faster, better, cheaper”, but national space agencies are generally risk averse and slow when developing these projects.

    Chandra and XMM-Newton were launched to study X-rays from hot gas around black holes.
    ESO, Esa/Hubble, M. Kornmesser, CC BY

    The latest space telescopes are therefore millennials. They were designed at a time when astronomers had measured the universe’s newborn expansion following the Big Bang, and also its old-age, accelerating expansion. Their main goal now is to fill the gap –- because, surprisingly, interpolations from early times to late times don’t meet in the middle.

    The measured rates for the expansion of the universe are inconsistent, as are results for the clumpiness of matter in the cosmos. Both measurements create challenges for our theories of how the universe evolved.

    Observing the middle age of the universe requires telescopes operating at long wavelengths, because light from distant galaxies is stretched by the time it reaches us. So, Webb has infrared zoom cameras, while the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope, launched in 2023, and Nasa’s Nancy Grace Roman telescope, which is set to launch in 2026, both have infrared wide-angle views.

    Three buses come along at once

    Most stars shine in ultraviolet and infrared colours that are blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as the colours our eyes evolved to see.

    Extra colours are useful. For example, we can weigh stars on the other side of our galaxy because massive stars are bright in infrared, while smaller ones are faint – and they stay that way throughout their lifetimes. However, we know where stars are being born because only young stars emit ultraviolet light.

    In addition, independent measurements of the same thing are vital for rigorous science. Infrared telescopes, for example, can work together and have already made surprising discoveries. But it’s not great for diversity that the Webb, Euclid and Roman space telescopes all see infrared colours.

    Hubble’s visible light camera has just been switched off due to budget cuts. Nasa will not swing back to ultraviolet wavelengths until the 2030s, with the Ultraviolet Explorer and Habitable Worlds Observatory.

    Earthly politics gets in the way, too. Data from China’s Hubble-class space telescope, Xuntian, is unlikely to be shared internationally. And in protest at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022 Germany switched off its eRosita X-ray instrument that had been operating perfectly, in collaboration with Russia, a million miles from Earth.

    Cheap commercial launches may save the day. Euclid was to have lifted off on a Russian Soyuz rocket from a European Space Agency spaceport in French Guiana. When Russia ended operations there in tit-for-tat reprisals, Euclid’s launch was successfully switched at the last minute to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

    If large telescopes can also be folded inside shoebox-size “cubesat” satellites, the lower cost would make it viable for them to fail. Tolerating risk creates a virtuous circle that makes missions even cheaper.

    Telescopes are also being tried in innovative locations such as giant helium balloons and aeroplanes. One day, they might also be deployed on the Moon, where the environment is advantageous for certain types of astronomy.

    But perhaps the most unusual telescope technology, which may bring the most unexpected discoveries, is gravitational wave detectors. Gravitational waves are not part of the electromagnetic spectrum, so we can’t see them. They are distortions, or “ripples”, in spacetime caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe. These might include a collision between two neutron stars (dense objects formed when massive stars run out of fuel), or a neutron star merging with a black hole.

    If telescopes are our eyes, gravitational wave detectors are our ears. But again, current gravitational wave detectors on Earth are mere dry runs for the ones astronomers will ultimately deploy in space.

    Asked what the next generation of observatories will discover, I have no idea. And that’s a good thing. The best science experiments shouldn’t just tell us about the things we expect to find, but also about the unknown unknowns.

    Richard Massey receives funding from the UK Space Agency to support Euclid, and leads UK involvement in the SuperBIT balloon-born telescope.

    – ref. A new generation of telescopes will probe the ‘unknown unknowns’ that could transform our knowledge of the universe – https://theconversation.com/a-new-generation-of-telescopes-will-probe-the-unknown-unknowns-that-could-transform-our-knowledge-of-the-universe-240078

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Apprentice: released so close to the polls, this Trump biopic is inevitably political

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle Bentley, Professor of International Relations, Royal Holloway University of London

    The Apprentice – a new film dramatising Donald Trump’s business career during the 1970s and 80s – is the latest in a presidential election full of controversy.

    The movie charts Trump’s (Sebastian Stan) professional rise from an awkward nobody to hotshot real-estate tycoon. Trump’s Pygmalion-like transformation is credited to his friendship with Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Cohn was an infamous prosecutor who worked with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Communist and Lavender (homosexual) scares, and as a political fixer for Richard Nixon.

    The key storyline is that Trump becomes Cohn’s apprentice, learning underhanded ways of business and Machiavellian deal-making. Other figures said to have influenced Trump’s career, such as political adviser Roger Stone, get only cameos at best.

    Trump does not look good. He is portrayed as vain, using amphetamines as diet pills and getting plastic surgery including liposuction and a scalp reduction. Trump rejects his alcoholic brother and later Cohn, who dies from AIDS in social disgrace.

    Trump is also shown to rape his then-wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova) – a scene which made headlines after the movie’s Cannes Film Festival premiere earlier this year. The rape claim was made during the couple’s divorce proceedings, although Ivana said afterwards that she did not consider the incident “rape” in a criminal sense.

    Director Ali Abbasi says this depiction isn’t a take-down of the former president but a more nuanced exploration of Trump’s character. Indeed, there is sympathy for Trump – for example, by detailing the emotional pressure from his father.

    The film explores how this experience fuelled Trump’s obsession with winning, which is cultivated by Cohn and his three rules of success: “attack, attack, attack”, “deny everything” and “never admit defeat”. The film seeks to get inside Trump’s mindset, not only as a businessperson, but unpicking what drove him in the White House, as well as the election he’s now fighting.

    Some have criticised this approach for being too soft on Trump. A review in The Guardian called the film “obtuse and irrelevant”. A further concern is that presenting Trump as a “winner” could actually be seen to legitimise amoral business practices as successful, especially given that Trump’s later six bankruptcies are not clearly mentioned.

    The Apprentice is also a deeper commentary on America. Another character comments that Cohn’s three rules also describe US foreign policy. The film raises big questions about the US, not least where Cohn repeatedly highlights what he identifies as the country’s virtues, and justifies his (sometimes illegal) actions as upholding these. The audience is left to consider what shapes America and its foreign policy – and what may be toxic about this.

    Will the film influence the upcoming election?

    The Apprentice’s screenwriter, Gabriel Sherman, insists the movie is not designed “to influence people’s minds”. Yet the film’s release so close to the polls means it is inevitably political.

    The Apprentice is unlikely to radically shift the electoral needle. Trump’s negative portrayal may make some voters on the fence question his suitability for high office. But beyond this, the film will reinforce what people already thought.

    Pro-Trumpers won’t like the movie, but this upset will likely just give oxygen to their support. Those against Trump will also be able to feel their opinion has been affirmed, even by those who would have wanted the film to take a harder line. Although it’s perhaps uncertain whether anyone who dislikes Trump will want to spend two hours watching even more of him than they already have in this election.

    While the film likely won’t influence the final outcome, it is still a major marker in this election thanks to the huge controversy around it. Concern over its divisive portrait of Trump meant the movie took five years to reach production. Clint Eastwood turned down the option to direct due to the perceived business risk involved. Distribution also took time to secure – a situation Abbasi describes as a “boycott or censorship”.

    Distribution problems were also exacerbated by legal threats. After Cannes (where the film received an eight-minute ovation), Trump’s legal team issued a cease-and-desist letter. Communications Director for the Trump election campaign, Steven Cheung, said the film was “garbage” and “pure fiction”, constituting election interference.

    Strong resistance also came from billionaire and close Trump associate, Dan Snyder, who was involved in the film’s financing, thinking it would paint a positive picture of the presidential hopeful. Snyder later sought to block the film’s release after seeing a preview.

    Controversy has only raised the movie’s profile. And while people will watch it for very different political reasons, some will buy a ticket purely because this film is now a standout event in one of the most contentious US elections in history.


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

    – ref. The Apprentice: released so close to the polls, this Trump biopic is inevitably political – https://theconversation.com/the-apprentice-released-so-close-to-the-polls-this-trump-biopic-is-inevitably-political-241077

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why America is buying up the Premier League – and what it means for the future of football

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kieran Maguire, Senior Teacher in Accountancy and member of Football Industries Group, University of Liverpool

    When the Premier League broke away from the rest of English football in 1992, its 22 clubs generated £205 million in its debut season, and the average player earned £2,050 a week. Thirty years later, despite having two fewer clubs, the league’s revenue had increased by 2,850% to £6.1 billion and the average player earned £93,000 a week.

    At the heart of this extraordinary growth is an American revolution. In the Premier League’s inaugural season, football was still in recovery from the horrors of the stadium disasters at Hillsborough and Heysel. Owners tended to be from the local area and with a business background. The only foreign owner was Sam Hamman at Wimbledon, a Lebanese millionaire who bought the club on a whim having reportedly been much more interested in tennis. The season ended with Manchester United (under Alex Ferguson) winning the English game’s top league for the first time in 26 years.

    Now, if the bid for Everton by the Friedkin Group (TFG) is ratified, 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs will be controlled or part-owned by American investors. The US – long seen as football’s final frontier when it comes to the men’s game – suddenly can’t get enough of English “soccer”.

    Four of the Premier League’s “big six” are American-owned – Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea – while a fifth, Manchester City, has a significant US minority shareholding. Aston Villa, Fulham, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Ipswich Town also have varying degrees of American ownership.

    And it’s not even just the glamour clubs at the top of the tree. American investment has also been significant lower down the football pyramid, led by the high-profile acquisition of then non-league Wrexham by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, and Birmingham City’s purchase by US investors including seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady. American investment in football has reached places as geographically diverse as Carlisle and Crawley in England, and Aberdeen and Edinburgh in Scotland.

    So why the American obsession with English football? And how real are concerns that these US owners could collude to “Americanise” the traditions of the Premier League – whether by reducing the risk of relegation, introducing some form of “draft pick” system, or moving matches and even clubs to other cities?

    The Premier League’s first US owner

    Manchester United was the first Premier League club to come under American ownership – after a row about a horse.

    In 2005, United was owned by a variety of investors including Irish businessmen and racehorse owners John Magnier and J.P. McManus. Their erstwhile friend Ferguson, the United manager, thought he co-owned the champion racehorse Rock of Gibraltar with them – a stallion worth millions in stud rights. They disagreed – and their bitter dispute was such that Magnier and McManus decided to sell their shares in the football club.

    The Miami-based Glazer family – already involved in sport as owners of NFL franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – had already been buying up small tranches of shares in United, but the sudden availability of the Irish shares allowed Malcolm Glazer to acquire a controlling stake for £790 million (around £1.5 billion at today’s prices).

    The fact Glazer did not actually have sufficient funds to pay for these shares was a solvable problem. In the some-might-say commercially naive world of top-flight English football before the Premier League, Manchester United was a club without debt, paying its way without leveraging its position as one of the world’s most famous football clubs. Glazer saw the opportunity this presented and arranged a leveraged buy-out (LBO), whereby the football club borrowed more than £600 million secured on its own assets to, in effect, “buy itself” in 2005.

    Despite the need to meet the high interest costs to fund the LBO, United continued winning trophies under Ferguson – including three Premier League titles in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as a Champions League victory in 2008. Amid this success, the club felt that ticket prices were too low and set about increasing them, with matchday revenue increasing from £66 million in 2004/05 to over £101 million by 2007/08.

    Commercial income was another area the Glazers were keen to increase. United set up offices in London and adopted a global approach to finding new official branding deals ranging from snacks to tractor and tyre suppliers – doubling revenues from this income source too.

    But in this new, more aggressive world of “sweating the asset”, the debts lingered – and most United fans remained deeply suspicious of their American owners. (Following their father’s death in 2014, the club was co-owned by his six children, with brothers Avram and Joel Glazer becoming co-chairmen.)

    Today, despite its partial listing on the New York Stock Exchange and the February 2024 sale of 27.7% of the club to British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe for a reputed £1.25 billion, United still has borrowings of more than £546 million, having paid cumulative interest costs of £969 million since the takeover in 2005. But with the club now valued at US$6.55 billion (around £5bn), it represents a very smart investment for the Glazer family.

    Indeed, while the prices being paid for football clubs across Europe have reached record levels, they are still seen as cheap investments compared with US sports’ leading franchises. Forbes’s annual list of the world’s most valuable sports teams has American football (NFL), baseball (MLB) and basketball (NBA) teams occupying the top ten positions, with only three Premier League clubs – Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City – in the top 50.

    With NFL teams having an average franchise value of US$5.1 billion and NBA $3.9 billion, many English football clubs still look like a bargain from the other side of the pond.

    The risk of relegation

    The latest to join this US bandwagon, TFG – a Texas-based portfolio of companies run by American businessman and film producer Dan Friedkin – is reported to have offered £400m to buy Everton, despite the club’s poor financial state.

    “The Toffees” have been hit by loss of sponsorships as well as two sets of points deductions for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, leading to revenue losses from lower league positions. While the new stadium being built at Liverpool’s Bramley-Moore dock has been yet another financial constraint, it will at least increase matchday income from the start of next season.

    Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock will open in time for the start of the 2025-26 season.
    Phil Silverman / Shutterstock

    A wider reason for the relative bargain in valuations of European football clubs is the risk of relegation – something that is not part of the closed leagues of most US sports. While the threat of relegation (and promise of promotion) has always been an integral part of English and European football, the jeopardy this brings for supporters – and a club’s finances – does not exist in the NFL, NBA, Major League Soccer and similar competitions.

    The Premier League, with its three relegation spots at the end of each season, has featured 51 different clubs since it launched in 1992. Only six clubs – Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton – have been ever present, with Arsenal now approaching 100 years of consecutive top-flight football.

    Other Premier League clubs have experienced the dramatic cost-benefit of relegation and promotion. Oldham Athletic, who were in the Premier League for its first two seasons, now languish in the fifth tier of the game, outside the English Football League (EFL). In contrast, Luton Town, who were in the fifth tier as recently as 2014, were promoted to the Premier League in 2023 – only to be relegated at the end of last season.

    While it is difficult to compare football clubs with basketball and American football teams, the financial difference between having an open league, with relegation, and a closed league becomes apparent when you look at women’s football on both sides of the Atlantic.

    Angel City, a women’s soccer team based in Los Angeles, only entered the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in 2022 and is yet to win an NWSL trophy. But last month, the club was sold for US$250 million (£188m) to Disney’s CEO Bob Iger and TV journalist Willow Bay – the most expensive takeover in the history of women’s professional sport.

    In comparison, Chelsea – seven-time winners of the English Women’s Super League and one of the most successful sides in Europe – valued its women’s team at £150 million ($US196m) earlier this summer. While there are a number of factors to this price differential, the confidence that Angel City will always be a member of the big league of US soccer clubs – and share very equally in its revenue – will have made its new owners very confident in the long-term soundness of their deal.

    The story of Angel City FC, the most expensive team in women’s sport.

    A further attraction for American investors is the potential to enter two markets – one mature (men’s football) and one effectively a start-up (the women’s game) – in a single purchase. In the US, the top men’s and women’s clubs are completely separate. But in Europe, most top-flight women’s teams are affiliated to men’s clubs – with the exception of eight-time Women’s Champions League winners Olympique Lyonnais Feminin, which split from the French men’s club when Korean-American businesswoman Michele Kang bought a majority stake in the women’s team in February 2024).

    While interest in, and hence value of, the WSL is now growing fast, the women’s game in England is dwarfed by viewer ratings for the Premier League – the most watched sporting league in the world, viewed by an estimated 1.87 billion people every week across 189 countries.

    These figures dwarf even the NFL which, while currently still the most valuable of all sporting leagues in terms of its broadcasting deals, must be looking at the growth of the Premier League with some jealousy. This may explain why some US franchise owners, such as Stan Kroenke, the Glazer family, Fenway Sports Group and Billy Foley, have subsequently purchased Premier League football clubs.

    Ironically, for many spectators around the world, it is the intensity and competitiveness of most Premier League matches – brought on in part by the threat of relegation and prize of European qualification – that makes it so captivating. However, billionaire investors like guaranteed numbers and dislike risk – especially the degree of financial risk that exists in the Premier League and English Football League.

    European not-so-Super League

    In April 2021, 12 leading European clubs (six from England plus three each from Spain and Italy) announced the creation of the European Super League (ESL). This new mid-week competition was to be a high-revenue generating, closed competition with (eventually) 15 permanent teams and five annual additions qualifying from Europe. According to one of the driving forces behind the plan, Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer:

    By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.

    The problem facing the Premier League’s “big six” clubs – and their ambitious owners – is there are currently only four slots available to play in the Champions League. So, their thinking went, why not take away the risk of not qualifying? However, the proposal was swiftly condemned by fans around Europe, together with football’s governing bodies and leagues – all of whom saw the ESL proposal as a threat to the quality and integrity of their domestic leagues. Following some large fan protests, including at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, Manchester City was the first club to withdraw – followed, within a couple of days, by the rest of the English clubs.

    Under the terms of the ESL proposals, founding member clubs would have been guaranteed participation in the competition forever. Guaranteed participation means guaranteed revenues. The current financial gap between the “big six” and the other members of the Premier League, which in 2022/23 averaged £396 million, would have widened rapidly.

    For example, these clubs would have been able to sell the broadcast rights for some of their ESL home fixtures direct to fans, instead of via a broadcaster. All of a sudden, that database of fans who have downloaded the official club app, or are on a mailing list, becomes far more valuable. These are the people most willing to watch their favourite team on a pay-per-view basis, further increasing revenues.

    At the same time, a planned ESL wage cap would have stopped players taking all these increased revenues in the form of higher wages, allowing these clubs to become more profitable and their ownership even more lucrative.

    American-owned Manchester United and Liverpool had previously tried to enhance the value of their investments during the COVID lockdowns era via ProjectBig Picture – proposals to reduce the size of the Premier League and scrap one of the two domestic cup competitions, thus freeing up time for the bigger clubs to arrange more lucrative tours and European matches against high-profile opposition.

    Most importantly, Project Big Picture would have resulted in changing the governance of the domestic game. Under its proposals, the “big six” clubs would have enjoyed enhanced voting rights, and therefore been able to significantly influence how the domestic game was governed.

    Any attempt to increase the concentration of power raises concerns of lower competitive balance, whereby fewer teams are in the running to win the title and fewer games are meaningful. This is a problem facing some other major European football leagues including France’s Ligue 1, where interest among broadcasters has dwindled amid the perceived dominance of Paris St-Germain.

    So while to date, American-led attempts to change the structure of the Premier League have been foiled, it’s unlikely such ideas have gone away for good. The near-universal fear of fans – even those who welcome an injection of extra cash from a new billionaire owner – is that the spectacle of the league will only be diminished if such plans ever succeed.

    And there is evidence from the women’s game that the US closed league format is coming under more pressure from football’s global forces. The NWSL recently announced it is removing the draft system that is designed (as with the NFL and NBA) to build in jeopardy and competitive balance when there is no risk of relegation.

    Top US women’s football clubs are losing some of their leading players to other leagues, in part because European clubs are not bound by the same artificial rules of employment. In a truly global professional sport such as football, international competition will always tend to destabilise closed leagues.

    Why do they keep buying these clubs?

    Does this mean that American and other wealthy owners of Premier League clubs seeking to reduce their risks are ultimately fighting a losing battle? And if so, given the potential risks involved in owning a football club – both financial and even personal – why do they keep buying them?

    The motivations are part-financial, part technological and, as has always been the case with sports ownership, part-vanity.

    The American economy has grown far faster than that of the EU or UK in recent years. Consequently, there are many beneficiaries of this growth who have surplus cash, and here football becomes an attractive proposition. In fact, football clubs are more resilient to recessions than other industries, holding their value better as they are effectively monopoly suppliers for their fans who have brand loyalty that exists in few other industries.

    From 1993 to 2018, a period during which the UK economy more than doubled, the total value of Premier League clubs grew 30 times larger. And many fans are tied to supporting one club, helping to make the biggest clubs more resilient to economic changes than other industries. While football, like many parts of the entertainment industry, was hit by lockdown during Covid, no clubs went out of business, despite the challenges of matches being played in empty stadiums.

    Added to this, the exchange rates for US dollars have been very favourable until recently, making US investments in the UK and Europe cheaper for American investors.


    This article is part of Conversation Insights.

    Our co-editors commission long-form journalism, working with academics from many different backgrounds who are engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges.

    So, while Manchester United fans would argue that the Glazer family have not been good for the club, United has been good for the Glazers. And Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who bought Liverpool for £300 million in 2010, have recouped almost all of that money in smaller share sales while remaining majority owners of Liverpool.

    Despite this, the £2.5 billion price paid for Chelsea by the US Clearlake-Todd Boehly consortium in May 2022 took markets by surprise.

    The sale – which came after the UK government froze the assets of the club’s Russian oligarch owner, Roman Abramovich, following the invasion of Ukraine – went through less than a year after Newcastle United had been sold by Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund for £305 million – approximately twice that club’s annual revenues. Yet Clearlake-Boehly were willing to pay over five times Chelsea’s annual revenues to acquire the club, even though it was in a precarious financial position.

    Clearlake is a private equity group whose main aim is to make profits for their investors. But unlike most such investors, who tend to focus on cost-cutting, the Chelsea ownership came in with a high-spending strategy using new financial structuring ideas, such as offering longer player contracts to avoid falling foul of football’s profitability and sustainability rules (although this loophole has since been closed with Uefa, European football’s governing body, limiting contract lengths for financial regulation purposes to five years).

    Chelsea’s location in the one of the most expensive areas of London, combined with its on-field success under Abramovich, all added to the attraction, of course. But there are other reasons why Clearlake, along with billionaire businessman Boehly, were willing to stump up so much for the club.

    From Hollywood to the metaverse

    While some British football fans may have viewed the Ted Lasso TV show as an enjoyable if slightly twee fictional account of American involvement in English soccer, it has enhanced the attraction of the sport in the US. So too Welcome To Wrexham – the fly-on-the-wall series covering the (to date) two promotions of Wales’s oldest football club under the unlikely Hollywood stewardship of Reynolds and McElhenney.

    Welcome To Wrexham, season one trailer.

    The growth in US interest in English football is reflected in the record-breaking Premier League media rights deal in 2022, with NBC Sports reportedly paying $2.7 billion (£2.06bn) for its latest six-year deal.

    But as well as football offering one of increasingly few “live shared TV experiences” that carry lucrative advertising slots, there may also be more opportunity for more behind-the-scenes coverage of the Premier League – as has long been seen in US coverage of NBA games, for example, where players are interviewed in the locker room straight after games.

    According to Manchester United’s latest annual report, the club now has a “global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers”. Such numbers mean its owners, and many others, are bullish about the potential of the metaverse in terms of offering a matchday experience that could be similar to attending a match, without physically travelling to Manchester.

    Their neighbours Manchester City, part-owned by American private equity company Silverlake, broke new (virtual) ground by signing a metaverse deal with Sony in 2022. Virtual reality could give fans around the world the feeling of attending a live match, sitting next to their friends and singing along with the rest of the crowd (for a pay-per-view fee).

    Some investors are even confident that advancements in Abba-style avatar technology could one day allow fans to watch live 3D simulations of Premier League matches in stadiums all over the world. Having first-mover advantage by being in the elite club of owners who can make use of such technology could prove ever more rewarding.

    More immediately, there are some indications that competitive matches involving England’s top men’s football teams could soon take place in US or other venues. Boehly, Chelsea’s co-owner, has already suggested adopting some US sports staples such as an All-Star match to further boost revenues. Indeed, back in 2008, the Premier League tentatively discussed a “39th game” taking place overseas, but that idea was quickly shelved.

    The American owners of Birmingham City were keen to play this season’s EFL League One match against Wrexham in the US, but again this proposal did not get far. Liverpool’s chairman Tom Werner says he is determined to see matches take place overseas, and recent changes to world governing body Fifa’s rulebook could make it easier for this proposal to succeed.

    The potential benefits of hosting games overseas include higher matchday revenues, increased brand awareness, and enhanced broadcast rights. While there is likely to be significant opposition from local fans, at least American owners know they would not face the same hostility about rising matchday prices in the US as they have encountered in England.

    When the Argentinian legend Lionel Messi signed for new MLS franchise Inter Miami in 2023, season ticket prices nearly doubled on his account. And while there is vocal opposition to higher ticket prices in England, this is not borne out in terms of lower attendances for matches against high-calibre opposition – as evidenced by Aston Villa charging up to £97 for last week’s Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich.

    Villa’s director of operations, Chris Heck, defended the prices by saying that difficult decisions had to be made if the club was to be competitive.

    Manchester United’s matchday revenue per EPL season (£m)


    Kieran Maguire/Christina Philippou, CC BY

    For much of the 2010s, with broadcast revenues increasing rapidly, many Premier League owners made little effort to stoke hostilities with their loyal fan bases by putting up ticket prices. Indeed, Manchester United generated little more from matchday income in the 2021-22 season, as football emerged from the pandemic, than the club had in 2010-11 (see chart above).

    However, this uneasy truce between fans and owners has ceased. The relative flatlining of broadcast revenues since 2017, along with cost control rules that are starting to affect clubs’ ability to spend money on player signings and wages, has changed club appetites for dampened ticket prices. This has resulted in noticeable rises in individual ticket and season ticket prices by some clubs.

    However, season ticket and other local “legacy” fans generate little money compared with the more lucrative overseas and tourist fans. They may only watch their favourite team live once a season, but when they visit, they are far more likely not only to pay higher matchday prices, but to spend more on merchandise, catering and other offerings from the club.

    Today’s breed of commercially aware, profit-seeking US Premier League owners – pioneered by the Glazer family, who saw that “sweating the asset” meant more than watching football players sprinting hard – understand there is a lot more value to come from English football teams. The clubs’ loyal local supporters may not like it, but English football’s American-led revolution is not done yet.


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    Kieran Maguire has taught courses and presented on football finance for the Professional Footballers Association, League Managers Association, FIFA and national football associations in Europe.

    Christina Philippou is affiliated with the RAF FA, and Premier League education programs.

    – ref. Why America is buying up the Premier League – and what it means for the future of football – https://theconversation.com/why-america-is-buying-up-the-premier-league-and-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-football-240695

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp Announces 107 Appointments to Boards, Authorities, and Commissions

    Source: US State of Georgia

    For Immediate Release

    Friday, October 11, 2024

    Gov. Kemp Announces 107 Appointments to Boards, Authorities, and Commissions

    Atlanta, GA – Today, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced 107 appointments and reappointments to various state boards, authorities, and commissions.

     

    Georgia Maternal and Infant Health Advisory Commission 

    Keisha Callins is an accomplished obstetrician-gynecologist and public health expert with extensive experience in clinical practice, academic leadership, research, and community service. She holds a Doctor of Medicine from Morehouse School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama. Currently, she serves as an OB-GYN at Community Health Care Systems in Georgia and holds multiple faculty appointments, including a professorship at Mercer University School of Medicine. Callins has held various leadership roles, including serving as the Chair of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps. Callins has received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions, including the 2024 Ruth Hartley Mosely “Pioneer of Community Advancement” Award and the 2024 Macon Volunteer Clinic Healthcare Hero award. She is actively involved in various professional organizations and community initiatives, advocating for maternal and women’s health, rural healthcare, and medical education. Additionally, she has published various research articles and contributed to discussions on healthcare policies, particularly in underserved communities.

    Amanda “Shea” Evans is a board-certified neonatologist. She is a partner in Marietta Neonatology and currently serves as the Wellstar Health System Medical Director of Neonatal Intensive Care Services and the medical director of the Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Hospital. Evans completed her medical degree at Mercer University School of Medicine and went on to complete her residency in Pediatrics and Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. Throughout her career, Evans has been dedicated to advancing the care of high-risk infants in community-based hospitals. In addition to her clinical work, Evans is actively involved in hospital committees and initiatives. Evans has received several accolades, including the March of Dimes Heroes in Action Award. She is a proud member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is committed to the advancement of neonatal care.

    Shannon Mayfield is a nurse midwife at Advanced Women’s Care Center, where she provides comprehensive care to women across various socioeconomic backgrounds. She specializes in cost-effective, patient-centered care; emphasizes education on maternal health; and collaborates with perinatology for high-risk cases. Mayfield received her education from Gordon State College, Clayton State College and University, and Frontier Nursing Academy. Previously, she worked as a Registered Nurse at Piedmont Henry. Her earlier roles include serving as a Certified Nurse Midwife at New Beginnings Comprehensive Women’s Healthcare and Life Cycle OB/GYN.

    Monica Newton began her education at Auburn University studying pre-med psychology followed by medical school at Midwestern University in Chicago. While in Family Medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she obtained a Master of Public Health in International Health. After residency, she began teaching at UAB-Selma Family Medicine Residency Program while completing a fellowship in obstetrics. Recognizing the overwhelming needs in her community, she completed a faculty fellowship in underserved medicine through the University of California-San Diego. Moved to action, she started a free clinic called “Family Doc in a Bus” with grant funding from the Alabama Department of Public Health and FEMA. She was elected by the community to serve on the Selma City Council and the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians as a regional vice president. After serving 11 years as an associate professor of family medicine, Newton moved with her family to Gainesville, Georgia, and joined the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group. To meet the current challenges in health care, Newton completed a master’s in population health from Thomas Jefferson University in 2016.

    Marlo Vernon is an associate professor at the Georgia Prevention Institute, with an appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, and memberships with the Georgia Cancer Center, the Institute for Public and Preventive Health, and the Georgia Prevention Institute. She is the Principal Investigator and developer of VidaRPM – a remote self-monitoring application for blood pressure and mental health. Additionally, Vernon is the Project Director of Mothers Informed Lactation Knowledge and Support (MILKS) and the Co-Project Director for Access to Services for Pregnant and Postpartum Persons in Northeast Georgia (ASPiriNG).

    Padmashree “Champa” Woodham is a professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, MFM Fellowship Program Director at the Medical College of Georgia, and Director of the Regional Perinatal Center at Wellstar MCG Health. She received her bachelor’s degree from Emory University in 2001. She attended Emory University School of Medicine to complete her MD and remained at Emory to finish her Internship and Residency in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2009. Woodham went on to complete a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Woodham joined the faculty of Mercer School of Medicine at the Medical Center Atrium Health Navicent in Macon as the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in August 2012, where she spent the first 10 years of her career. During that time, Woodham served numerous leadership roles, including Director of the Regional Perinatal Center, Chair of the Finance Council, and Vice Chair of the Atrium Health Navicent Leadership Council. Among her various honors and achievements, she received the ACOG/CREOG National Faculty Award. Woodham was the 2022-2023 President of the Georgia OBGYN Society. She provides high-risk obstetric care to patients with a range of complex maternal and fetal conditions. Her research involves predictive markers for preeclampsia and techniques to better predict growth restriction on fetal ultrasound.

     

     

    Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board 

    Woodrow W. Blue, Jr is the Chief of Police for the City of Forsyth. He has over 44 years of law enforcement experience and over 40 years as a Chief of Police. Blue began his career in law enforcement with the Hahira Police Department, where he was appointed Chief of Police at the age of 26. In September of 2000, he accepted the position of Deputy Police Chief of the City of Milledgeville and, in 2002, he was appointed Police Chief. He has also served as Chief of Police for the City of Eastpoint and for the City of Donaldsonville. Blue graduated from Valdosta State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and earned a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. He is a 2003 graduate of the Georgia Command College, Class 8, and a 2004 graduate of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Program. Blue has served as president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, is a former member of the Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies, and has served on the Peace Officer Standard and Training Board as the Georgia Association Chief of Police representative. Blue and his wife, Elese, have two kids and three grandchildren.  

    Derick Corbett is the senior vice president of external affairs at Pull-A-Part, where he oversees all government and regulatory affairs, compliance, and community relations work for Pull-A-Part’s 37 facilities in the 16 states it serves. Upon graduating from the University of Georgia with degrees in political science and economics, Corbett began what would become a 20 year career in public service. Corbett served with Congressman John Linder from October 2000 to December 2010, holding various positions on his Congressional staff and campaign staff, including communications director, deputy chief of staff, and chief of staff. In 2010, he served as campaign manager for Rob Woodall and went on to become Congressman Woodall’s chief of staff and campaign manager until 2020. He currently serves as a board member for the Georgia Recycling Association, the State Recycling Association of Alabama, and the Recycling Association of North Carolina. Corbett also serves as Chairman of the Automotive Recycling Committee for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the largest international recycling trade association in the world. Corbett is a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Energy and Natural Resources and Government Affairs Committees.

    John “Herb” Cranford, Jr. is the District Attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, comprised of Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup Counties. Cranford was born and raised in Coweta County and is a third generation prosecutor. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. During law school, Cranford worked as a judicial clerk for the Honorable W. Homer Drake, Jr. of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia and then as an intern for the Coweta Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Upon graduating law school, he was hired as an Assistant District Attorney in the same office, working in Carroll County and Coweta County. In February 2018, Governor Nathan Deal appointed him as District Attorney to fill the remainder of his predecessor’s term and he has since been re-elected twice. Cranford has received recognition for his focus on prosecuting criminal street gangs, including obtaining the first guilty verdict in a gang trial in the Coweta Judicial Circuit. In 2021, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia to serve on the State Bar’s Disciplinary Board and he was elected by his fellow Georgia District Attorneys to serve as Treasurer for the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia and the Georgia representative to the National District Attorneys Association.

    Harshida Davis is the group risk manager-Atlanta for Enterprise Holdings Inc., which does business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Truck Rental, and Commute with Enterprise. In her role, she oversees the Risk Management Department. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a major in sociology and psychology, she started with Enterprise in 2001 as a rental management trainee and was promoted to the risk management department in 2002. Before joining the Atlanta group in 2019, Davis managed risk programs for Enterprise Truck Rental in North Carolina; Enterprise on the southside of Chicago and northwest Indiana; Enterprise, Alamo, and National at O’Hare and Midway; and all divisions in southwest Florida. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Davis is also a member of the Georgia Auto Theft Intelligence Council and most recently spearheaded the addition of the Top Investigator of the Year-Crimes against property and Top Investigator of the Year-Crimes against persons awards at the annual ASIS Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Dedicated to her community, Davis has sat on the board of the Literacy Council of the Gulf Coast and was a leader on the Go Red for Women Committee for the American Heart Association – Gulf Coast. Davis and her husband, Jon, have two children and reside in Atlanta.  

    Scott Goss is a senior manager of Geico’s Special Investigation Unit. He attended Georgia State University and studied criminal justice. Later, he attended Reinhardt College and studied business administration. He lives in Carnesville with his wife and family.

    Stacey Ellis Hodges takes an active role in Jim Ellis Automotive. Hodges has been working in the dealership in a full-time capacity since graduating with a bachelor’s in marketing from Georgia Southern University in 1999. Initially, her summer jobs involved administrative positions from accounting to cashiering. Once she returned from college in Statesboro, her full-time career began as a service advisor for the Audi and Porsche brands. Hodges soon moved into Audi sales, then transitioned into management. She has been a general manager for Saab, Mazda, and Maserati brands at Jim Ellis, becoming a vice president of Audi Atlanta in 2015. Today, Ellis oversees the automotive group’s directors, keeping her close to the operations as a whole and up to date on technologies and processes for the dealership group. She also serves as a corporate officer over the Company’s associated business entities. Hodges and her husband, Greg, reside in Cumming. She is actively involved in her children’s schools, recreational activities, their local church, and various charities.

    Chip Koplin has over 35 years of experience in the scrap recycling and used auto parts industries. He is the government and public affairs manager for the southeast region of Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries), focusing on metals recycling, steel manufacturing, and auto parts recovery. Previously, he served as Vice President of External Affairs at Pull-A-Part, LLC and worked for 23 years at Macon Iron & Paper Stock, a multi-generation family business before its sale to Schnitzer Steel Industries. Koplin has also co-owned General Steel Company and Commercial Doors and Associates. He is deeply involved in trade associations, including the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, where he serves as chair of the Material Theft Subcommittee and has held various leadership roles. Koplin is also a past president and founding board member of the Georgia Recyclers Association. His extensive board involvement includes the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Stonecrest Industrial Council, and various other organizations. He is a 2009 Graduate of Leadership Georgia, a 2012 program chair, and a member of the Georgia Professional Lobbyists Association. Koplin attended Georgia State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in real estate.  He and his two children reside in Atlanta.  

    Josh Lamb serves as the director of administrative services of the Department of Public Safety. In his role, he oversees the Office of Professional Standards, the Human Resources Division, the Public Information Office, and Legislative Affairs. Previously, he served as the chief of staff. Lamb began his law enforcement career as a Special Agent with the Tri-Circuit Drug Task Force in 1996. In 1999, he joined the Georgia State Patrol after he graduated from the 74th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School. Throughout his career, he has served as Corporal at Post 11 – Hinesville; Sergeant in Post 45 – Statesboro; and Sergeant First Class at Post 45, Post 16 – Helena and Post 18 – Reidsville. Lamb also spent eight years as a member of the State of Georgia SWAT team.  He served as lieutenant in the Planning and Research Unit where he created departmental policy, assisted in planning special events such as the 2018 National College Championship Game and Super Bowl LIII, and worked on legislative affairs such as the distracted driving law. Lamb has been the Director of Training, SWAT Team Commander, Executive Officer to the Deputy Commissioner, and Chief of Staff. Lamb holds a bachelor’s degree in justice studies from Georgia Southern University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. He also attended the 259th Session of the FBI National Academy. Lt. Colonel Lamb and his wife, Alison, have two daughters.

    Scott Poole earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Berry College in 1994 before attending Georgia State University College of Law. While in law school, he completed internships with Superior Court Judge Stanley Gault and Fulton Senior Superior Court Judge William Daniel. After graduating, Scott served as an Assistant District Attorney in Cherokee County from 1997 to 2008, handling a range of cases from theft to murder and successfully prosecuting the county’s first racketeering case under the Georgia RICO statute. In 2008, he joined the Appalachian Judicial Circuit as Senior Assistant District Attorney in Pickens County, managing the office and focusing on severe cases like violent offenses and drug trafficking. Scott built a reputation as an effective litigator and teacher, instructing drug prosecutors through the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia and being certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. In January 2013, he transitioned to private practice, co-founding Grisham & Poole, P.C. Recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2021, he was appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Ball Ground in 2022. He and his wife, Jennifer, have one daughter and reside in Ball Ground.

    Rick Redd has been employed with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB) as a special agent since 2018, where he covers the State of Georgia. Prior to working for the NICB, Redd retired as Detective Sergeant of the Marietta Police Department after 30 years of service, mostly spent in the Investigative Services Division. He is currently the president of the Georgia Auto Theft Intelligence Council, past president of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (southeast chapter), and a board member of the International Association of Special Investigation Units. Redd resides with his wife of 40 years in Canton.

    Matthew Rollins serves on the Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit, appointed by Governor Kemp in March 2024. He previously served as the District Attorney of the Paulding Judicial Circuit and as an Assistant District Attorney in the same office. Rollins served four years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he attended Kennesaw State University, where he received his bachelor’s in political science, and Mercer Law School, where he received his J.D. An active member of his community, Rollins is a member of the Dallas Lodge, the Paulding Rotary Club, and the Paulding Bar Association. Rollins and his wife, Minna, have one child and live in Acworth

    Lori Silverman attended Tulane University in New Orleans LA where she majored in Spanish. Upon graduating from Tulane, Silverman received her J.D.  from Emory University. After graduating from Emory, she began working for the Fulton County Public Defender. She then worked in private practice for many years. Silverman volunteered with the Consumer Action Center for five years before becoming the director in 2013.

    Lenn Wood is the Sheriff of Coweta County. He has dedicated over 40 years to law enforcement, starting with the Newnan Police Department before joining the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. His extensive career includes roles in Patrol, Investigations, School Resource, Training, Jail, and Court Services. His transparency initiatives include working with international broadcast projects like Investigative ID and “On Patrol Live” to build trust with the community. He has also led efforts against human trafficking, improving victim recognition and collaborating with state and federal agencies. His emphasis on comprehensive training—requiring officers to complete at least forty hours of continuing education annually—demonstrates his dedication to maintaining high-performance standards.

     

    State Board of Occupational Therapy 

    Betsy McDaniel is the Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Fitness at Middle Georgia State University. McDaniel holds a master’s degree in health & human performance from Georgia College and State University, along with dual associate degrees and a bachelor’s degree from Middle Georgia State University. At Middle Georgia State University, she has served as Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program Director and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, where she has been instrumental in overseeing curriculum development, faculty management, and maintaining program accreditation. McDaniel has developed and enhanced various OTA courses. She is actively involved in university committees and professional associations, including the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association. Additionally, McDaniel maintains her clinical skills as a PRN Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant at Southwest Georgia Rehab.

     

    State Workforce Development Board 

    Lindsay Hill serves as the senior vice president of human resources at Georgia Power, where she spearheads initiatives in talent management; diversity, equity and inclusion; labor relations; safety; facilities; and HR delivery. Hill is a member of Georgia Power’s Management Council. Since joining Georgia Power in 2001, she has served as vice president of human resources at Southern Company Gas and HR director at Georgia Power. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Hill is active in the community. She is the president and CEO of the board for Bright Generations Childcare Centers and serves on the boards of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and the Atlanta Ballet. Hill earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on marketing from Valdosta State University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Troy University. She was named a 2023 Valdosta State University Distinguished Alumni recipient, and she is a 2024 participant in Leadership Georgia.

    Amy Jordon is the chief nursing officer currently overseeing Advent Health Redmond and the southeast region. In this role, Jordon manages care integration, performance improvement, and nursing education while collaborating on regional and system-wide initiatives. She is focused on clinical workforce planning and academic partnerships to enhance the clinician pipeline and improve care delivery across the network. Since 2005, she has held CNO roles at Advent Health Gordon and Advent Health Murray, showcasing a deep expertise in nursing leadership and patient care. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing from the University of West Georgia.

     

    State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors 

    Omar Ali was reappointed.

     

    State Commission on Family Violence 

    Michael Moore is the Madison County Sheriff. Moore began his law enforcement career at the Clarke County Jail. In 2003, he graduated from the Northeast Georgia Police Academy as a certified peace officer and began as a deputy sheriff with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office until he was elected sheriff in 2016. Moore has earned more than 1400 total law enforcement training hours throughout his career. He became a member of the Neese Sanford Volunteer Fire Department at age 18 and then transferred to the Colbert Volunteer Fire Department where he worked to the rank of Captain. Moore is a member of the Madison County Rotary Club and the Madison County Board of Education Governance Committee for Madison County Middle School. A Madison County business owner, Moore owned and operated Moore’s Trucking and Moore Tire in Colbert.  He and his wife, Toni, reside in Colbert and have four children.

     

    Board of Directors of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority 

    Sam Couvillon is the Mayor of Gainesville, Georgia and a partner with Norton Insurance. At Norton, he is the area president of the Benefits Department. Couvillon began his insurance career in 2002 with New England Financial as both a financial planner and employee benefits agent.  Holding true to the values of Norton, he is very involved in the community. In addition to serving as mayor, Couvillon serves on numerous boards in the community. He previously served on the city council serving Ward 1 from 2014-2021. Couvillon received his bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Margie, have two children.  

    Michael Persley is the Chief of Police for the City of Albany. He was promoted to Chief on May 23, 2015. Persley has been employed with the Albany Police Department for 30 years and has held numerous positions within the department. He was previously the gang unit commander, east district police commander, and assistant commander of the Albany-Dougherty Metro SWAT Team where he has served as an entry team member, assistant team leader, team leader, and negotiations commander. His other assignments have included working in narcotics, general, and gang investigations. Persley has a master’s degree in administration/justice and security from the University of Phoenix, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Troy University. Persley has over 2800 hours of basic and advanced police training. He is a graduate of the IACP Leadership in Police Organization and the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command. Persely is a member of the Georgia Association Chiefs of Police, where he serves as a district representative, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where he serves on the board of directors. He serves on several community boards and committees, including Stop the Violence and the Dougherty County Rotary Club. Persley is retired from the Georgia Army National Guard after serving for over 22 years. He served on deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

    Mikki Quinones serves as the division commander for Houston County E-911, with a distinguished career spanning over three decades in public safety communications. She began her career in 1991 as one of the first civilian personnel at Houston County E-911 and, by 1994, she had advanced to shift supervisor. In 2000, Quinones became the 911 operations coordinator, where she spearheaded the implementation of a countywide CAD system and an 800MHz radio system. Quinones is a certified peace officer and has led multi-million-dollar projects, including the redesign of the 911 center and the upgrade of the 800MHz system. She was instrumental in achieving CALEA accreditation for Houston County E-911, which has since earned four reaccreditations. In 2021, she was promoted to captain and completed NENA’s Center Manager Certification Program and the Georgia 911 Director’s Academy. She is a certified instructor with Peace Officer Standards and Training and also serves as an emergency medical dispatch instructor. Beyond her professional work, she is a member of the Houston County Department of Family and Children Services Board. She and her husband, Manny, have three children and two grandchildren.

     

    State Rehabilitation Council 

    Juliet Hardeman, Jerry Haywood, Kathryn Hearn, and Joy Norman were reappointed.

     

    Georgia Driver’s Education Commission 

    Andrea Daniel currently serves as the president of Athens Technical College. She has served the College for over 27 years. Daniel began her career working in the office of Senator Sam Nunn and supported the work of the Armed Services Committee. She went on to work as a senior planning analyst for the Atlanta Regional Commission on projects such as the Outer Loop Study, Vision 2020 Education Stakeholder Committee, planning and zoning studies, and Olympic Transportation Planning. Daniel has completed the Executive Leadership Academy of the Technical College System of Georgia and she is a graduate of L.E.A.D. Athens Class of 2008. She has also completed the Georgia Tech Annual Basic Economic Development Course, and the Georgia Regional Academy for Economic Development Essentials of Economic Development course. In January 2020, Daniel was elected and nominated by a group of her peers to serve on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees. For her efforts in demonstrating excellence, creativity and success in business and furthering the goals or other professional women, Daniel was presented the Athena Award in February 2020. In November 2020, she received the Elbert County Native Citizen Award during the annual meeting of the Elbert County Chamber of Commerce. Daniel has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lander University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia, and a PhD in business administration specializing in organizational leadership from Northcentral University. She and her husband, Sterling, have one daughter.

     

    Sexual Offender Risk Review Board 

    Mindy Ackerman, Jerry Bruce, J. Robert Frederick, Katie Gropper, James Morton and Bert Reeves were reappointed. 

    Elizabeth Bigham has been a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for 17 years. Currently, she works in GBI’s Office of Special Investigations in the Cold Case Unit. For most of her career with the GBI, she was assigned to the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), conducting over 600 criminal investigations involving child exploitation. Bigham received a bachelor’s in criminology from Florida State University and has used her degree to instruct others at conferences in Georgia and around the world. Bingham has also provided expert testimony to General Assembly study committees and Georgia state courts.

    Meghan Thurmond serves as a victim advocate at the Paulding County District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she has supported victims and witnesses, managed crime victim compensation referrals, and worked towards becoming a nationally certified advocate. She is passionate about advocating on behalf of victims, especially those unable to voice their needs. She began her career in 2007 at the Cobb County Solicitor General’s Office as a traffic secretary, where she supported staff in a 100 person office to ensure traffic compliance. In 2017, she became a judicial administrative assistant at the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, providing her with extensive experience in case management and fostering professional relationships.

     

    Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities 

    Wesley Ford, Lisa Newbern, and Sharia Stripling were reappointed.

    Jessica Cowell is from Columbus, Georgia. She earned her G.E.D. after attending Central High School. She went to Columbus State University to study theatre.

    Dayna Holbel is an educational consultant and member of the Education Transition Team at the Emory Autism Center. In her role, she works closely with students, parents, and school personnel to support successful post-secondary outcomes for autistic students through the Individual Transition to Adulthood (ITAP) project. Holbel received her bachelor’s in English and history from the University of Michigan, and her master’s degree in education in transition specialist and special education from Wayne State University. She also has experience working in Fulton County Schools as a transition services teacher and currently operates a tutoring company called Wonder Tree Tutoring.

    Tais Keyser is a stay-at-home mom and advocate for disability rights and awareness. Two of her children are differently abled. She has worked with Unlock GA, a broad-based coalition whose mission is to expand and enhance home and community-based services to support Georgians with developmental disabilities.

    Brook Kubik is a part-time instructor at the University of North Georgia, teaching primarily chemistry, biology, and environmental science to undergraduate students through the online eCore platform.  Previously, she was an analytical research chemist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of West Georgia, a master’s in chemistry and a C.P.H. in Epidemiology from Georgia State University, and an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Lincoln Memorial University. Kubik is a mother of five children ages 18 and under, three of whom are differently abled. After having children with various intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, and experiencing first-hand the lack of services and needs that we have in our communities, her passion has turned to providing support and education to disability families within her community and state.  Currently, Kubik is a parent advisory board member at the Marcus Autism Center and works with Georgia Swimming LSC/USA Swimming to bring inclusive competitive and learning opportunities to athletes of all abilities across the State of Georgia.

    Crystal St. Pierre-Stackpole is a dedicated special education teacher and community volunteer in Lafayette, Georgia. St. Pierre-Stackpole is committed to serving her local community, particularly those with special needs. Her career spans a variety of roles in education, including teaching nature-based pre-K, middle school resource classes, and high school vocational instruction. Currently, she works with elementary students with autism. Before she began teaching, St. Pierre-Stackpole worked in Chattanooga, Tennessee with local nonprofits as a volunteer coordinator, event planner, and outdoor educator. She has also worked as a CNA and home health worker while pursuing her education at Dalton State College. Inspired by her personal experiences supporting her brother, who has Down syndrome, she passionately advocates for families navigating special education and state services. St. Pierre-Stackpole actively participates in advocacy events, helping families understand their rights and connect with necessary resources. Her commitment to service and advocacy reflects her belief in the power of every individual’s voice and the need for collective advocacy.

    Jennifer Snyder is an outreach and advocacy coordinator for Living Independence for Everyone (LIFE ). In her role, she works to help people with significant disabilities transition from nursing homes and other institutions to home and community-based residences. She resides in Chatham County.

    Leslie Kate Thornton advocates for the human and civil rights of all people and equality for people with disabilities, especially in employment. She has spent several years working as a social media content developer. Thornton is passionate about community engagement and empowering individuals to make a positive impact. She resides in St. Mary’s, Georgia. 

    Dave Ward is the president & CEO of Tommy Nobis Center, bringing over 30 years of nonprofit experience. He previously served as executive vice president at the Wounded Warrior Project, executive director at Big Brothers Big Sisters, and regional director at Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also held a role at Best Buddies International and was a licensed psychotherapist. Ward is a Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020 graduate and a Governor-appointed member of the Georgia Employment First Council. He served as president of the Georgia Association of Training, Employment and Supports (GATES) from 2019-2023 and was nominated for the Turknett Leadership Group’s 2018 Leadership Character Award. He holds a bachelor’s in sociology and criminal justice and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling. Ward resides in Kennesaw with his family.

     

    State Water Well Standards Advisory Council 

    Clayton Wayne McKinnon, Sr. was reappointed.

     

    Board of Human Services

    Douglas Aldridge, Jr., David Barbee, Monica Walters, and Rochard White were reappointed.

     

    Board of Control for Southern Regional Education

    Greg Dozier and Matthew Dubnik were reappointed.

     

    Board of Early Care and Learning 

    Kristin Morrissey and Cristina Washell were reappointed.

    Kristy Beam will now serve as the Fourth Congressional District Representative.

    Jennifer Bennecke will now serve as the Sixth Congressional District Representative.

    Karla Zisook will now serve as the Fifth Congressional District Representative.

    Maria Franklin is a board-certified behavior analyst with a strong educational background and work experience in behavior analysis and support. She earned a graduate certificate in behavior analysis from Florida Institute of Technology in May 2023 and holds a master’s in applied psychology (developmental psychology) and a bachelor’s in psychology from Liberty University. Currently, Franklin works as a board-certified behavior analyst at North Georgia Autism Center, where she develops individualized therapeutic plans and conducts initial client assessments. Her previous roles include registered behavior technician at the same center providing one-on-one ABA therapy and various positions such as behavior support clinician and field trip coordinator. Franklin also served as a motor transport operator in the U.S. Army Reserve.

    Joyce Freeman is the early childhood care and education program chair and a full-time ECCE instructor at West Georgia Technical College(WGTC). In 2016, Freeman began her career at WGTC as an early childhood care and education adjunct instructor. Previously, she was a lead teacher, trainer, and supervisor at Western Arkansas Child Development and served as a lead teacher and assistant director at Early Head Start Child and Family Services. Freeman holds a Master of Arts in teaching early childhood from Arkansas Tech University, a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, and an Associate of Arts in early childhood education from Carl Albert University. Some of her notable accomplishments include serving on a workgroup writing team to revise the workforce knowledge competencies for program administrators and education leaders, implementing the federal work-study program at WGTC, and serving as a certified trainer in first aid/CPR and child protection. She is an active member of the Southern Early Childhood Association.

    Karen Jones has been an educator for 27 years and is currently employed with Houston County School District as a program specialist. A graduate of Georgia Southern University, she holds advanced degrees from Valdosta State University and Columbus State University. She has worked as a preschool teacher, elementary school teacher, and district-level administrator. She worked in New York, Germany, South Carolina, and Nebraska before arriving back home in Georgia. She has a wealth of knowledge in the field of early childhood education, special education, educational leadership, and curriculum. Jones has served as a member on the Middle Georgia Community Action Agency (MGCCA) Health Advisory team, Middle Georgia RESA Preschool Consortium Lead, and an instructor for MGRESA Dyslexia Endorsement Cohort. She is passionate about improving the outcomes of young children and supporting their families with early intervention resources.

    Sylvia Washington is a pediatrician with a background in clinical practice, academia, and community service. Board-certified in general pediatrics since 2011, she completed her Pediatric Residency at Mercer University Medical Center in 2010 and holds a Doctor of Medicine from New Jersey Medical School.  Washington graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Howard University. She has served as a general pediatrician at Atrium Health Floyd Pediatrics since 2013, where she also chaired the Department of Pediatrics and directed the Reach Out and Read Program. Her previous roles include similar positions at East Albany Pediatric and Adolescent Center. Washington contributes to medical education as a preceptor for various institutions and has been involved in significant publications and research. Active in community service, she holds leadership roles with the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and engages in medical missions and youth outreach programs.

     

    State Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology 

    Douglas Mattox was reappointed.

     

    Council on American Indian Concerns 

    Heidi Altman, Paul Brannen, Nealie McCormick, and Royce McCrary were reappointed.

    Maureen Meyers is a senior archaeologist with New South Associates, Inc. in Stone Mountain. She is an expert on pre-contact Native Americans of the southeast and has researched extensively on Native American settlement, households, ceramics, and fiber production. She is also an expert on archaeological field safety, sexual harassment and assault, and disability in archaeology. She received her bachelor’s from Radford University in Virginia, her master’s from the University of Georgia, and a Ph. D from the University of Kentucky. Meyers has over two dozen publications, many focused on her work on Mississippian period Native American mound sites in southwestern Virginia and north Georgia. She is the past president of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, where she created partnerships with public outreach groups, scholarships for tribal and HBCU students, instituted organizational policy for addressing sexual harassment, and helped create and pass an image policy regarding Native American burial remains and associated objects.  

    Frank Williams is a full professor with tenure at Georgia State University, specializing in biological anthropology. He received his bachelor’s from the University of Florida and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to coming to Georgia State University, he was a postdoctoral research assistant at Pennsylvania State University. Williams teaches courses in forensic anthropology, human paleontology, human osteology, statistical methods, and primate behavioral ecology. In 2020, he was the recipient of the University Faculty Award for Undergraduate Mentored Research in Policy, Entrepreneurship, Education, and Social Sciences. Williams has published extensively on reconstructing Neandertal diets using dental microwear, vertebral osteoarthritis, paleopathology, fossil primates, and dental morphology. He has received two U.S. Fulbright awards, a Fulbright Specialist Award to the University of Calgary, Canada (2014), and a Fulbright Core Scholars Award to the Royal Museum of Central Africa, Belgium (2016). He has previously served as director of undergraduate studies, department chair of anthropology, NAGRA coordinator, and faculty associate for tenure-track faculty development and review for the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University.

     

    Georgia Real Estate Commission 

    Edward Lee Dollar was reappointed.

     

    Georgia Board of Dentistry 

    Glenn Maron was reappointed.

     

    Georgia Joint Defense Commission 

    Henry Childs, John L. Eunice, III, Peter Jones, and Al Konetzni were reappointed.

     

    Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission 

    Kevin Tanner was reappointed as chairman.

    Karen Bailey, Jason Downey, Nora Haynes, Miriam Shook, Sarah Vinson, DeJuan White, and Michael Yochelson were reappointed.

    Melanie Dallas is the CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health and a licensed professional counselor with 35 years of experience in behavioral health. Throughout her career she has held roles in crisis stabilization, mobile crisis assessment, and in-home care, working with children, families, and adults in both the public and private sectors. Dallas specializes in trauma and attachment issues. In 2019, she served on the Appalachian Regional Commission Substance Abuse Advisory Council and is currently the chair of the Policy Committee for the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards. Dallas holds a bachelor’s in marketing from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in counseling from Georgia State University. She has worked as a military family life consultant with the Department of Defense and helped develop a network of clinicians for the Georgia Army National Guard and Georgia State Defense Force. She has contributed to Georgia co-response programs, is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), and leads a CISM team within her agency.

     

    Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Advisory Council 

    Walker Dalton is the executive director of the Savannah Regional Film Commission. Previously, he served as the Savannah College of Art and Design’s director of content, where he led a team of creatives that produced art, fashion, and documentary films. Before moving to Savannah, he was a producer for 10 years on Jay Leno’s Garage and, for five years, served in NBC Universal’s digital marketing department. In 2017, Dalton earned an Emmy nomination for Jay Leno’s Garage. His leadership as the film commissioner for the region around Savannah, Georgia is reinforced by his 25 years of entertainment industry experience.

    Maria Guerra-Stoll is the president and CEO of PAM Studios and founder of GSB Architects + Interiors Inc. She began her career in film studio design working at Tyler Perry Studios in 2007 and has since overseen projects for major clients including Netflix and AT&T. Guerra-Stoll’s firm has extensive experience in designing entertainment facilities across the U.S. and internationally. She founded PAM Studios LLC, focused on fostering local talent and providing production facilities in Rome, Georgia. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, she graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor of Architecture. She has also completed two MBE programs at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Guerra-Stoll serves as an executive board member of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. She served as chairman of the Board of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Guerra-Stoll is a former board member of the Georgia Latino Film Festival, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, and the YWCA.

    Pamela Thompson has been the owner-operator of Dillard House Stables since 1989. Along with her crew of experienced trail guides, she strives to keep the horseback riding tradition alive. Thompson’s lifetime of experience with horses and 25 years in the “trail riding” business allows her the opportunity to offer a safe and enjoyable horseback ride for every level rider. Additionally, she serves as president of the Dillard Tourism Association and as a camera-ready liaison for Rabun County to the Georgia film industry.

    Scott Votaw is the Assistant Vice Chancellor of the Georgia Film Academy. With over 25 years of experience working for production companies including Saban, Fox, Lucasfilm Ltd., and others, Votaw has a deep knowledge base of film production, 2D/3D animation, special FX, motion capture, and post-production. With a decade of experience in education, he also holds expertise in current and trending production needs, training educational circular creation, and workforce development. As an international consultant with CSV-Consulting, Votaw worked for studio infrastructure providers, workforce development, and emerging technology companies within the film and entertainment production sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to this, Votaw supported efforts to grow the film and TV production industry in Georgia by maintaining a highly trained and industry-standard workforce by creating/advising some of the most successful educational programs globally.

     

    State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers 

    Azfar Haque, Jimmy Lydon, and Tyler Wood were reappointed. 

     

    Division on Family and Children Services State Advisory Board  

    Pam Clayton is the vice president of Quality Advancement & Regulatory Affairs at the Georgia Health Care Association. In her role, Clayton supports members in regulatory compliance and quality improvement, building strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels. She previously held various leadership roles at Ethica Health and Retirement Communities, where she developed and implemented strategic initiatives in skilled nursing and ancillary services. She holds a Bachelor of Science in organizational management from Covenant College and an Associate of Science in nursing from Dalton College. An active member of several professional organizations, Clayton serves on the American Health Care Association’s Quality Cabinet and co-chairs the AHCA/NCAL Quality Committee.

    Belinda Davis is the senior field operations manager of the southeast area at the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). Davis began her career with the GDC in 1991 as an accounting technician at Burruss Correctional Training Center (CTC). In 1997, Davis was promoted to business manager of Burruss CTC, and, later that year, she was promoted to deputy warden of administration at Metro State Prison. In 2003, Davis transferred to Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison to serve as the deputy warden of administration. In 2005, Davis was promoted to superintendent at McEver Probation Detention Center. In 2008, she was promoted to warden of Dooly State Prison. Before its closure, Davis was the warden of Metro State Prison and subsequently became the warden of Pulaski State Prison. Davis earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Mercer University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbus State University. She has completed basic correctional officer training, basic management training, Corrections Leadership Institute, Warden’s Pre-Command, and Georgia Law Enforcement Command College. Davis is the chair of the Butts County DFACS Board.

    Lesli Reece is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience. While she is retired now, she serves as the director of Fostering Together, a part of North Point Ministries that she has been involved in since 2011. She has also owned L & R Real Estate Services since 2009. Prior to her current endeavors, Reece spent 11 years at the Coca-Cola Company where she served in various roles, including corporate business development and director of US & Global Staffing. Based in Alpharetta, she is passionate about making a positive impact in her community and leveraging her extensive background in business and leadership to help people.

     

    Georgie Behavior Analyst Licensing Board 

    Brandy Locchetta is an Assistant Professor and Applied Behavior Analysis Program Coordinator at the University of West Georgia. She holds a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and Applied Behavior Analysis from Vanderbilt University, a master’s in early childhood special education from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s in early childhood education from Georgia State University. Locchetta’s recent roles include serving as an editorial board member on topics in early childhood special education. Previously, she was adjunct faculty at York College of Pennsylvania and held leadership positions at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. She has received notable awards such as the Leading the Pack Focused on the Future Award from the University of West Georgia and the Shores Award for Excellence in Teacher Education from Vanderbilt University.

     

    Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce

    Steven Gautney was reappointed.

     

    Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists

    Brent Herrin and Bridget Knowles were reappointed.

     

    Georgia Commission on Civics Education

    Wes Cantrell, Kurt Doehrman, Judy Teasley, and Randy Trammell were reappointed

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Joint Statement on Arctic Security and Defence 

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Under the auspice of the Northern Defence Dialogue meeting held on the margins of the NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 17 October 2024…

    October 17, 2024 – Brussels, Belgium – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

    Under the auspice of the Northern Defence Dialogue meeting held on the margins of the NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 17 October 2024, the defence ministers of Canada, Denmark together with the Foreign Minister of the Faroe Islands and a representative from Greenland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and representatives from Iceland and the United States reaffirm their shared commitment to enhanced collaboration on security and defence in the Arctic.

    In a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape marked by new challenges, the region has become a growing global point of focus. Climate change is having profound effects on the strategic and operational environment and growing access to the Arctic’s resource potential is enticing new non-Arctic actors to the region. Potential adversaries are rapidly developing their militaries’ ability to operate both in the High North and the circumpolar Arctic region. Among its many negative consequences, Russia’s illegal and unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine has caused grave impediments to international cooperation and degraded the Euro-Atlantic security environment.

    These unprecedented challenges underline the need to foster deepened collaboration among the like-minded Arctic states. The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO significantly strengthens NATO’s collective defence posture and capabilities in the region. As all like-minded Arctic states now belong to the Alliance, we affirm our leading role in NATO’s work relating to the region and stress the importance of maintaining a credible deterrence and defence in the entire Euro-Atlantic area—including our northern regions—as well as cooperation with our other NATO Allies to this end.

    At this Northern Defence Dialogue meeting, building on the work of and aiming to also strengthen NATO, we discussed:

    • Our situational awareness of the threat environment in the Arctic, and opportunities to enhance information and intelligence sharing in order to establish a common operating picture;
    • Emerging threats, risks, and geopolitical challenges from potential adversaries at both the national and international level;
    • Our capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defend against threats posed by our potential adversaries in the region, and our commitment to mutual participation in joint operations and exercises to enhance interoperability; and,
    • Ways to increase collaboration to address common threats and challenges posed to the region.

    Our countries’ common ambition to maintain low tension in the region has served as the foundation of our multilateral Arctic relations and will continue to guide our cooperation in the future. Guided by the core principles of multilateral cooperation, territorial integrity, and maintaining the rules-based international order, we are committed to strengthening our collaboration to address complex global challenges and maintain the Arctic as a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: The Government of Canada supports the renovation of Le Pantoum

    Source: Government of Canada News

    News release

    QUÉBEC CITY, October 17, 2024

    Investing in cultural and creative spaces helps enrich our communities by providing them with spaces that bring people together and are accessible to everyone.

    Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Quebec Lieutenant and Member of Parliament (Québec), announced $962,105 in financial support for Création Le Pantoum. Minister Duclos made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, and the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities.

    Canadian Heritage provided $604,960 through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. Part of that funding was used to acquire the building. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) provided a non-repayable contribution of $285,000 under the Canada Community Revitalization Fund. Finally, Employment and Social Development Canada provided $72,145 under the Small Projects Component of the Enabling Accessibility Fund. These contributions will allow Création Le Pantoum to welcome its audiences in accessible and safe spaces and improve the environment for emerging artists to create and share their work.

    Quotes

    “By supporting the development of the Canadian arts scene, our government is helping to enrich a space where creativity and talent meet. After major renovations, Création Le Pantoum now has redesigned spaces for artists and the public. Thanks to the team for showcasing local talent and promoting the next generation.”

    – The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage

    “Our government is committed to the vitality of our communities. Community organizations like Création Le Pantoum are driving initiatives that support their communities and contribute to cultural development both in Québec and across the country. Supported by CED through the Canadian Community Revitalization Fund, this project promotes social inclusion by improving accessibility in the organization’s facilities. Congratulations to everyone on this visionary project for the development of culture and diversity in Québec!”

    – The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

    “Music and the arts give people a sense of belonging and unity and have been bringing people together for generations. We are working to remove barriers, improve accessibility and inclusion and support Quebec artists by investing in organizations like Création Le Pantoum through programs such as the Enabling Accessibility Fund. By working together, one project at a time, we can make Canada a place that is truly accessible for everyone.”

    – The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

    “We believe in supporting cultural spaces such as Le Pantoum, which is essential to the creation of music in the City of Québec. This investment will strengthen our support for emerging artists and cultural communities. Le Pantoum is managed by passionate artists and workers who will continue to innovate and showcase our city’s artistic heritage.”

    – The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Quebec Lieutenant and Member of Parliament (Québec)

    “Over the past 12 years, Création le Pantoum has established itself as the main centre for producing and promoting emerging music in the City of Québec. With the federal government’s help, we can carry out our organization’s most ambitious project: guaranteeing its sustainability for years to come.”

    – Émilie Tremblay, Executive Director of Création Le Pantoum

    Quick facts

    • Founded in 2012, Le Pantoum is a music creation centre run by a community of cultural workers in Québec City. Le Pantoum’s mission is to strengthen the arts community and promote its work using alternative and innovative means.

    • The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund helps improve the physical conditions to support innovation in the arts, heritage and creative fields. The Fund supports renovation projects as well as the acquisition of specialized equipment and the planning, design and execution of feasibility studies for arts and heritage cultural spaces.

    • The Canadian Community Revitalization Fund was created by Canada’s regional development agencies in June 2021 to help communities across Canada carry out community infrastructure projects and improve existing infrastructure with the goal of reestablishing momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • The Enabling Accessibility Fund is a federal grants and contributions program. It supports infrastructure projects across Canada aimed at increasing accessibility, safety and inclusion for people with disabilities in communities and in the workplace. The fund has supported more than 7,700 projects since its inception, which has helped thousands of Canadians access programs, services and jobs in their communities.

    Associated links

    Contacts

    For more information (media only), please contact:

    Charles Thibault-Béland
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
    charles.thibault-beland@pch.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Canadian Heritage
    1-819-994-9101
    1-866-569-6155
    media@pch.gc.ca

    Waleed Saleem
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
    waleed.saleem@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

    Media Relations Office
    Employment and Social Development Canada
    (819) 994-5559
    media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

    Marie-Justine Torres
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
    (613) 327-5918
    marie-justine.torresames@ised-isde.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
    media@dec-ced.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HKETO Jakarta promotes latest initiatives of Policy Address in Indonesia (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta (HKETO Jakarta) supported the inaugural Hong Kong – Indonesia Digital Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia, today (October 17). The Summit was jointly organised by the Indonesia Hong Kong Business Association and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

         The Director-General of the HKETO Jakarta, Miss Libera Cheng, shared with Summit participants during the gala dinner the latest initiatives related to the development of new quality productive forces and the promotion of Hong Kong’s digital economy as announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” delivered by the Chief Executive yesterday (October 16), with a view to publicising the city’s latest developments and opportunities.

         Addressing the event, Miss Cheng stressed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre by promoting the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries while diligently nurturing emerging ones. The measures include increasing investment and guiding market capital to invest in I&T industries, while an HK$10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund will be set up to guide more market capital to invest in specified emerging and future industries of strategic importance, including life and health technology and artificial intelligence.

         She added, “The HKSAR Government will press ahead with the development of a digital economy. We will also expedite the integrated development of the digital economy and the real economy, which includes accelerating the digital transformation of industries, strengthening digital infrastructure, and exploring development of a data trading ecosystem.

         “In the digital world, data is king. Under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, Hong Kong enjoys unique advantages in cross-boundary data flow. The HKSAR Government is exploring on a pilot basis facilitation arrangements for cross boundary data flow within the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. Such co-operation would bring enormous opportunities for research and development work.”
         
         The gala dinner was attended by over 150 participants including senior representatives from government and business circles, as well as I&T companies.      

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China unveils new measures to stabilize housing market

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

    BEIJING, Oct. 17 — Chinese officials announced new measures on Thursday to cement signs of stabilization in the property sector, after a bundle of pro-housing policies rolled out last month brought about “positive changes in the market.”

    Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong and other officials unveiled the fresh stimulus package and assessed the effects of previously announced policies at a press conference, after China’s leadership pledged last month to reverse the downturn of the property market and stabilize it.

    NEW PRO-HOUSING POLICIES

    The government will step up support for urban village and dilapidated housing renovation projects, Ni said, adding that China will renovate an additional 1 million such housing units with measures such as providing monetary compensation to residents.

    The minister stressed that all eligible real estate projects will be included in the “white list” mechanism and that their reasonable financing needs will be met through loans.

    Under the “white list” mechanism launched in January, local authorities are recommending that financial institutions provide financial support to eligible real estate projects.

    As of Oct. 16, loans approved for “white list” real estate projects had reached 2.23 trillion yuan (about 313 billion U.S. dollars), Xiao Yuanqi, deputy head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, said at the press conference.

    It is expected that by the end of this year, the approved loan amount for the “white list” projects will surpass 4 trillion yuan, Xiao said.

    Last week, the Ministry of Finance announced a plan to allow local governments to issue special-purpose bonds to acquire commercial properties for use as affordable housing and to purchase idle land. Song Qichao, assistant minister of finance, told reporters that the ministry will work with other departments to formulate detailed regulations so that this policy will be implemented as soon as possible.

    Meanwhile, Ni urged local authorities to increase the provision of affordable housing. Official data showed that the number of affordable apartments nationwide grew to 1.48 million in the first nine months of this year.

    “By the end of the year, we aim to provide affordable housing to 4.5 million new urban residents and young people,” Ni said.

    EFFECTS OF PREVIOUS MEASURES

    A raft of pro-housing policies, which were released at the end of September, are kicking in, as evidenced by narrowing declines in property development investment and in sales of new commercial housing, Ni noted.

    “Particularly, since the end of September, there has been a significant increase in the number of visits to new property projects and in the number of sale contracts. Transactions on pre-owned homes have also gone up. There have been positive changes in the market,” he said.

    “Regulated by a series of policies, China’s real estate market has started bottoming out after three years of adjustment,” Ni stressed.

    To ease the financial burden on homeowners, China’s central bank has requested commercial banks lower interest rates for outstanding mortgage loans. The reduction will save borrowers 150 billion yuan, benefiting 50 million households, said Tao Ling, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, at the press conference.

    A key task for China’s policymakers in the housing sector is to ensure the delivery of homes under construction. Since China’s central government launched a campaign to this purpose in May, 2.46 million homes have been delivered to buyers, according to Ni.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Forum on promoting talent exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe held in Beijing

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The 2024 China-Europe Talent Forum is held in Beijing on Oct. 15

    Over 40 politicians, experts, scholars and youth representatives from China and Europe attended the cultural sub-forum of the 2024 China-Europe Talent Forum themed Cultural Integration: A Bridge to Promote Talent Exchange and Cooperation Between China and Europe. Held in Beijing on Oct. 15, the event was co-hosted by the Beijing Talent Work Bureau and Switzerland’s Adecco Group, and organized by CICG Center for Europe and Africa, with guidance from China International Communications Group (CICG). 

    Liu Dawei, vice president of the CICG, and Antonio Miguel Carmona, president of Spain’s Friends of China Association, delivered keynote speeches at the forum. The forum was moderated by Zhao Lijun, president of the CICG Center for Europe and Africa (China Today).  

    Liu Dawei, vice president of the CICG, delivers a speech at the forum 

    In his speech, Liu pointed out that cultural integration serves a unique role in promoting talent exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe. Exchanges and mutual learning between cultures help broaden the perspectives of talents; cooperative innovation helps cultivate versatile talents; and strengthening alignment in talent-related policies helps optimize the environment for talent mobility between China and Europe. As a comprehensive international communications institution, CICG has always been committed to promoting Chinese culture and facilitating exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign cultures. CICG will further expand cooperation on cultural exchanges with European countries with an aim to enhance mutual understanding and collaboration among the younger generation on both sides.  

    Antonio Miguel Carmona, president of Spain’s Friends of China Association, delivers a speech at the forum 

    Carmona stated that President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative has provided a platform for equal dialogue and communication for countries and different civilizations. In recent years, a series of protectionist measures taken by some Western countries against Chinese products have been false decisions that go against the current tide. Only by promoting exchanges and communication between regions and countries can we achieve common development.  

    The forum witnessed in-depth discussions among Chinese and foreign participants, including Wang Daquan, director-general of Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education; Fan Daqi, vice president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies; Joël Ruet; chairman of the Bridge Tank in France; Robert Walker, professor at the Beijing Normal University and fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK; Zhang Jinling, fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Fang Youzhong, deputy dean of the School of European Studies at Beijing International Studies University; Barbara Dietrich, CEO and editor-in-chief of “Diplomatic World”; David Bartosch, fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing Normal University; Jia Jianxin, former cultural counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Austria; Zhao Yongsheng, fellow at the Academy of Global Innovation and Governance at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing; Gilbert Van Kerckhove, rotating chairman of the Foreign Experts Committee of the BRITF Fund of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology; and Nils Bergemann, teacher at the University of International Business and Economics.  

    The discussion focused on three key topics: the overall situation and problems in today’s cross-cultural talent cultivation, the significance of cross-cultural competence in cultural integration, and how to improve cross-cultural management and governance capabilities. The participants provided valuable insights for promoting talent exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe.  

    Wang Daquan, director-general of Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange under the Ministry of Education, delivers a speech at the forum

    Wang Daquan said that international talents serve as a bridge for fostering understanding between different cultures and promoting connections between peoples. The Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange has been promoting the going out and coming in of talents, expanding international platforms for educational exchange and cooperation to support cross-cultural talent cultivation. In the future, the center will collaborate with partner universities and institutions in both China and Europe to jointly build a high-quality, trusted, and secure ecosystem for sustainable development in international education, supporting the cross-cultural exchange and talent development. 

    Fan Daqi noted that as China-Europe relations continue to deepen, considerable progress has been made in the cultivation of cross-cultural talents on both sides, but challenges remain due to cultural differences, technological changes, and a complex international environment. He emphasized that China-Europe cross-cultural talents must enhance their knowledge reserves, engage in practical cross-cultural exchanges, and foster inclusive understanding across cultures, thereby improving their international insight, global competence, and collaborative abilities. 

    In his video speech, Walker stated that global geopolitical issues are becoming increasingly prominent, leading to divisions in the world and regional instability. There is now a vast literature that stresses that China is “different,” which is heavily influenced by Western-centered thinking patterns and biases. He emphasized that cross-cultural exchange is the glue that binds the world together. Countries should strengthen the cultivation of cross-cultural talents to promote exchange and cooperation, and work together to establish a global trade system that aligns with the interests of the vast majority of nations. 

    Zhang Jinling stated that the significance of cross-cultural integration lies in the fact that civilizations can appreciate each other’s beauty while valuing their own. China and Europe should, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, appreciate and support each other, discover the beauty in each other’s cultures, and deepen the exchange and mutual learning between their civilizations to achieve common progress. 

    Dietrich emphasized that open and collaborative innovation is a prerequisite for sustainable growth of the cultural and creative industries and of a prosperous creative economy. Hence, long-term prosperity can only be realised if continents work together. We must build bridges between China and Europe, not tariff walls. Collaboration in trade, science, technology, culture, and education between the two regions can be promoted through talent exchanges. 

    In his video address, Zhao Yongsheng noted that current exchanges between China and France, and China and Europe in general, especially in the fields of humanities and education, are facing numerous challenges. He cautioned against the gradual “instrumentalization” of these exchanges. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, he called for greater interaction between young students from both sides and the strengthening of cultural cooperation in various fields. 

    Bergemann highlighted the difference between the education systems of China and Europe. He said every education system has its strengths and weaknesses, noting that we should use the best of both: China’s efficiency and technological progress and Europe’s emphasis on creativity, collaboration, and personal development. This way, we can create an education system that prepares young people for the challenges of the future. 

    CICG and the Leading Group for Talent Work of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee sign a strategic cooperation agreement 

    During the forum, Yang Jianping, director of the Personnel Department of the CICG, and He Yongjiang, deputy director of the Beijing Talent Work Bureau, signed a strategic cooperation agreement on talent exchange and collaboration on behalf of CICG and the Leading Group for Talent Work of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee. This agreement aims to further expand areas of cooperation, deepen collaborative measures, and consolidate practical results, all in order to promote the high-quality development of international communication and enhance the development of high-level talents in Beijing. Liu from CICG, and Zhang Ruobing, director of the Beijing Talent Work Bureau, witnessed the signing.  

    In her concluding remarks, Zhao Lijun, president of the CICG Center for Europe and Africa (China Today), stated that after in-depth discussions, participants reached a broad consensus: the cultivation of cross-cultural talents is a key driving force for China-Europe relations and global development. Cross-cultural competence plays an irreplaceable role in cultural integration, and education, training, and practice are effective ways to improve cross-cultural management and governance capabilities. These shared insights will provide a solid foundation and important guidance for further deepening China-Europe talent exchanges and cooperation. 

    Participants pose for a group photo during the forum

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China-Europe Talent Forum held in Beijing

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Venue of the 2024 China-Europe Talent Forum.  

    The 2024 China-Europe Talent Forum was held in Beijing on October 15. With the theme of Sharing Together, Growing Together, Winning Together – Bridging Continents: Fostering Future-Fit Talent Development, the forum invited more than 240 Chinese and foreign guests to participate in in-depth exchanges and dialogues and promote cooperation between China and Europe in talent innovation. 

    The event, which consisted of one main forum and six sub-forums, was co-hosted by the Beijing Talent Work Bureau and Switzerland’s Adecco Group. During the main forum, renowned Chinese and European scholars, representatives of international organizations, Nobel laureates, academicians and experts, heads of well-known think tanks, executives of multinational enterprises, and other guests conducted in-depth exchanges and dialogues to discuss China-Europe talent cooperation and innovation within the context of globalization. The sub-forums focused on the themes of youth, education, scientific and technological talents, culture, economy and trade, and international sports. Attendees had in-depth discussions on the key role of talents in the development of China-Europe relations, and further promoted practical ways for cooperation. 

    Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group, presenting a keynote speech.

    Yin Li, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech, and former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin delivered a video speech. Yin Yong, mayor of Beijing, presided over the opening ceremony. Deng Li, vice foreign minister of China, Jürg Burri, Swiss ambassador to China, Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), Gong Qihuang, president of Peking University, and Jean-Christophe Deslarzes, chair of Adecco Group, each delivered keynote speeches.  

    During the forum, a number of talent cooperation projects were launched or unveiled. A Memorandum of Understanding in support of the operations of international science and technology organizations in Beijing was signed by the China Center for International Science and Technology Exchange, Beijing Talent Work Bureau, and Beijing Association for Science and Technology. It is part of Beijing’s efforts to build itself into an international hub of scientific and technological innovation. The GNIS China-Europe Innovation Center was launced by Beijing Overseas Talents Center and the government of  Xicheng District to build a broad stage for the innovation and entrepreneurship of young talents from both China and Europe. The Internship Base between Peking University and Adecco Group was unveiled. It provides internship opportunities, professional internship advice, and career consultation to achieve positive interaction between unviersities and enterprises and strive to improve the global career development ability of outstanding young students. 

    The 2024 Global City Talent Retention Index was released at the forum.

    During the section of publicizing research results, Adecco Group released the 2024 Global Workforce of the Future Report, which delved into a wide range of key topics concerning enterprises and workers worldwide, including employability skills, work practice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), employee welfare, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market.  With up-to-date opinions on the trend of workforce, this report provides employers with insights into future strategic planning.  

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Multiple entry visa allowed for expats from HK, Macao

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Starting Wednesday, foreign residents living in Hong Kong and Macao can apply for multiple-entry visas to the Chinese mainland with a validity period of up to five years by following a simplified procedure, according to the central government.

    The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on Wednesday that non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents and non-Chinese Hong Kong residents who are traveling to the mainland for tourism, business, family visits or cultural and academic exchanges can apply for a visa valid for up to five years, which will allow them to stay on the mainland for up to 180 days.

    Under the new arrangement, applicants are not required to provide proof of round-trip tickets or hotel reservations when applying for visas, the office said.

    Those who successfully applied for visas from overseas Chinese visa-issuing authorities and had their fingerprints collected during the process will be exempted from fingerprint collection when applying from Hong Kong, the office added.

    The office stressed that the validity of the visa and duration of stay will be decided case by case, and applicants may also be asked to submit additional documents or attend interviews.

    The visa policy does not apply to foreign domestic helpers, the office noted.

    Also on Wednesday, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR announced a similar optimization for permanent and temporary foreign residents of the city.

    People who apply from Macao for short-term activities such as tourism, trade and family visits can get visas with a validity period of five years and a stay for no more than 180 days, the office said, adding that proof of outbound transportation and hotel bookings are no longer required under the new arrangement.

    Starting July 10, non-Chinese permanent residents of both Hong Kong and Macao can apply for a new mainland travel permit, which allows multiple entries into the mainland within a five-year validity period, with each stay capped at 90 days.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Commercial Drone Industry Has Expanded Significantly as Billion Dollar Market is Awarding Lucrative Opportunities for Manufacturers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The business use cases of commercial drones have expanded significantly over the past few years and the commercial drone market is growing to interior uses in warehouses/facilities in additions to all of the well know exterior used. They are also being increasingly adopted in the construction and real estate sectors due to their ability to survey the property, offer constant and exact project alerts, increase safety, and prevent harmful accidents on construction sites. Moreover, their conventional applications, such as monitoring, surveillance, and security, have instigated the product demand for search and rescue operations, identifying unstable roofs in dangerous and inaccessible positions, tracking out elevated infrastructure that might have damaged electrical cables, etc. A recent report issued by Grand View Research, discussed the segments on the market, saying: “Product Insights: The rotary blade segment held the largest revenue share of over 78.9% in 2024. The demand for rotary blade drones is anticipated to surge for inspection activities owing to its ability to hover and execute agile maneuvering while maintaining a visual on a particular target for prolonged periods. These drones are often seen as a suitable alternative for various business applications such as surveillance, filmmaking, photography, and monitoring. In addition, they are easier to control than hybrid and fixed-wing counterparts. The hybrid segment is expected to attain a CAGR of over 18% over the forecast period owing to the advantages associated with these commercial drones. These drones enhance their efficiency and power by integrating the capabilities of batteries and fuel. Moreover, these drones can fly for long periods with heavier payloads, even in severe weather conditions. Tech giants like Facebook and Amazon use hybrid drones to transport packages effectively and quickly while enabling internet access in remote locations.” Active Tech Companies in the markets today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV).

    Grand View Research continued: “Application Insights: The commercial application segment accounted for a revenue share of over 74.02% in 2024. – End Use Insights; The media & entertainment segment accounted for a revenue share of over 21.4% in 2024 and is expected to record a notable growth from 2025 to 2030. – Range Insights: The visual line of sight (VLOS) segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 69% in 2024 and the beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of over 11.2% over the forecast period. – Operating Mode Insights: The remotely piloted segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 59% in 2024 and the fully autonomous segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 12.4% over the forecast period. The electric propulsion type segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 72% in 2024. The segment dominance is attributed to the popularity of electric drones using rechargeable batteries. These drones have gained widespread adoption due to numerous advantages such as quiet operations, flight efficiency, longer flight times, and easy maintenance, among others. This, in turn, is expected further to drive the segment demand over the forecast period.”

    ZenaTech Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ZENA) ZenaDrone Team Begins US Flight Testing of ZenaDrone 1000 Drone in the Arizona Desert – ZenaTech, Inc. (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone solutions and enterprise SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions, announced today that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has begun the first US flight testing of the ZenaDrone 1000 drone, including new hardware and software configurations, in the desert near Phoenix, Arizona. The company has also been concurrently working towards setting up offices, operations and partnerships in the state.

    “After years of development work and recently achieving US FAA approval, it is gratifying to be able to conduct live test flights and further build our company base in Arizona. This is the first of many test flights and demonstrations that will help us refine and build the reliability of the ZenaDrone 1000 solutions for agriculture, defense, security, land surveying and other applications where we see demand,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D. One of the company’s longstanding collaboration partners is the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the State of Arizona’s economic development organization.

    “We are thrilled that ZenaDrone has further grown and strengthened its Arizona presence by choosing Arizona as its base of U.S. operations. And we are now delighted that they have chosen Arizona’s skies to begin live testing of the ZenaDrone 1000 product. We look forward to continued work with ZenaDrone to grow their business in Arizona and throughout the world, including via participation at international trade shows and on international trade missions,” said Kevin O’Shea, Senior Vice President of International Trade for the ACA. Read the full press release and more for ZenaTech at:  https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Additional Groundbreaking ZenaTech Inc. Developments include:

    ZenaTech recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has begun the first US trial of the IQ Nano product solution for inventory management, beginning with a multinational auto part and components customer. The drone will be reading the bar codes and collecting inventory information as part of a paid trial. The IQ Nano indoor drone is designed for customers with warehouse, logistics and distribution operations to help them save costs and improve productivity by managing various tasks such as taking inventory, turning a weeklong activity into one day.

    “After two years of product development work, the initiation of the first IQ Nano drone trial inside a customer’s warehouse is an important milestone. We believe the technology will help innovate and improve their inventory management process. Further, receiving feedback from our first paying customer will be extremely valuable as we continue to fine tune our IQ series solutions, enabling us to expand our offerings with this and additional new customers,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    ZenaTech also recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, is launching its IQ Nano product, part of the IQ series of indoor/outdoor drones. The IQ Nano is designed for customers in sectors such as warehousing and logistics to save costs and improve productivity while performing indoor inspection, monitoring and tracking processes including inventory management.

    The ZenaDrone IQ Nano is a 10×10-inch drone designed to perform regular and frequent inspections for applications such as bar code or RFID scanning, facility maintenance inspections, security monitoring, and 3D mapping specific to the needs of companies with warehouse, distribution, plants and industrial facilities. It is designed for autonomous use featuring integrated sensors, high-quality cameras and data collection. Weighing 1.5kg and with a flight time of up to 20 minutes before utilizing the automatic battery charging station, it is designed for hovering stability and for safety with obstacle avoidance capabilities.

    And finally, ZenaTech recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has commenced aerial operations to launch commercial drone services in the US. This was made possible due to recently achieving Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) exemption approval.

    Other recent developments in the Drone and/or Technology industry include:

    Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT) recently announced it secured a $1 million contract for its Edge 130 Blue drones from the United States Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM). The contract was secured through Noble, a leading provider of global sustainment and operations support for the U.S. Military and civilian government agencies, and was coordinated for procurement by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) on behalf of CECOM.

    FlightWave, an industry-leading provider of VTOL drone, sensor and software solutions was acquired by Red Cat in September 2024. The acquisition brings FlightWave’s flagship drone, the Edge 130 Blue into its family of low-cost, portable unmanned reconnaissance and precision lethal strike systems. FlightWave’s size, weight and vertical take off capabilities makes it ideal for maritime operations and littoral environments. FlightWave’s recent TACFI award will accelerate advanced enhancements to the Edge 130 Blue.

    Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) and Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, recently announced that Toyota will invest an additional $500 million to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi, with the aim of realizing the two companies’ shared vision of air mobility.

    The investment, which will be made in two equal tranches, is subject to standard regulatory approvals and certain other conditions, finalization of collaborative and commercial agreements and, with respect to the second tranche, the finalization of terms related to a strategic alliance focused on commercial manufacturing and certain other conditions. The investment, which will bring Toyota Motor Corporation’s total investment in Joby to $894 million, will be made in the form of cash for common stock, with the first tranche targeted to close later this year and the second in 2025. Further details of the investment are available via the companies’ regulatory filings with the SEC.

    EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: EH), the world’s leading Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) technology platform company, recently announced a major milestone with the successful completion of the first flight of its EH216-S pilotless eVTOL in Brazil.

    EHang’s first trial flight in Brazil took place in Quadra, located in the São Paulo region, in partnership with its local operator, Gohobby Future Technologies (“Gohobby). This achievement holds significant importance for the future development of UAM solutions in Brazil, a country known as the birthplace of Latin American aviation, home of one of the world’s leading aeronautical industries, and one of the world’s largest eVTOL markets. As for now, EHang and its local partners have carried out over 50,000 safe flights in 17 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America.

    AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) recently showcased the maritime prowess of its combat-proven JUMP® 20 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) during the NATO REPMUS 2024 (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) exercise off the coast of Portugal. This dynamic demonstration reinforced JUMP 20’s advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, autonomously launching and landing on a moving vessel in rough seas, with conditions reaching sea state level 5 and winds over 20 kts.

    The JUMP 20 also highlighted its multi-sensor mission versatility, seamlessly executing wide-area search and detection tasks. Its advanced Electro Optical and Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) turret automatically slewed to investigate identified targets without repositioning the platform, ensuring constant operational focus. Full-motion video was captured and later analyzed using AV’s cutting-edge computer vision technology, SPOTR-Edge™, enabling perception analysis using its robust library of object classifications, including persons, vehicles, and maritime vessels. Additionally, video from this event will further enhance the solution, making the JUMP 20 even more capable for future deployments by refining its object recognition and situational response capabilities.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Statement from Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on the Independent Review Panel Report of the July 13, 2024 Assassination Attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas issued the following statement on the Independent Review Panel report released today regarding the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt against former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

    “We are grateful to the members of the bipartisan Independent Review Panel and their staff for their in-depth examination of the security failures that led to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt on the former President and the loss of life and casualties suffered.  The members of the Independent Review Panel are highly accomplished individuals with extensive security and law enforcement backgrounds, and the U.S. Secret Service’s protection mission will benefit greatly from their recommendations.

    “I have reviewed the Independent Review Panel’s report and have met with the Panel members. We will fully consider the Panel’s recommendations and are taking the actions needed to advance the Secret Service’s protection mission.  These actions will be responsive not only to the security failures that led to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, but, importantly, to what the Independent Review Panel describes as systemic and foundational issues that underlie those failures.  I commend Acting Director Rowe for his leadership and for proactively undertaking security enhancements, including those informed by the Secret Service’s internal Mission Assurance Review.

    “I have the utmost confidence in the men and women of the United States Secret Service.  We are operating in a heightened and dynamic threat environment, and it is their talent, unwavering dedication, and tireless service that ensures the safety and security of their protectees and our nation.”

    Following the events of July 13 President Joe Biden directed DHS to conduct an independent security review. On July 21, 2024 Secretary Mayorkas named a bipartisan panel with extensive law enforcement and security experience to conduct a 45-day independent review. The independent review panel of experts from outside of government was comprised of former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; the Hon. Mark Filip, a former federal judge and Deputy Attorney General to President George W. Bush; Ms. Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush; and Chief David Mitchell, the former superintendent of Maryland State Police and former Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the State of Delaware.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: Bashkortostan has passed the baton of the International Sports Forum “Russia – a Sports Power” to the Samara Region

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko: Bashkortostan has passed the baton of the International Sports Forum “Russia – a Sports Power” to the Samara Region

    October 17, 2024

    The launch of the sports project “The Path of the Future Games 2.0 Trophy”. In the center are Dmitry Chernyshenko, Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev and bloggers Mahyoub Haitham from Yemen and Han Xueying from China

    October 17, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko and Mikhail Degtyarev inspected the stand of the State Sports Museum

    October 17, 2024

    Acting Prime Minister of Bashkortostan Andrey Nazarov solemnly handed over to the Governor of the Samara Region Vyacheslav Fedorishchev a symbolic baton – the right to host the forum “Russia – a Sports Power” in 2025

    October 17, 2024

    Launch of the sports project “The Path of the Future Games Trophy 2.0”

    October 17, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko and Mikhail Degtyarev at the exhibition of the forum “Russia – a Sports Power”

    October 17, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko and Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev inspected the exposition of the international forum “Russia – a Sports Power” and launched the sports project “The Path of the Future Games Trophy 2.0”. Ceremony of handing over the symbol of the forum and the right to host the event in 2025 to Samara

    October 17, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Dmitry Chernyshenko: Bashkortostan has passed the baton of the International Sports Forum “Russia – a Sports Power” to the Samara Region

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev inspected the exposition of the international forum “Russia – a Sports Power” and launched the sports project “The Path of the Future Games Trophy 2.0”. During the inspection, a ceremony was held to transfer the forum symbol and the right to host the event in 2025 to Samara.

    “It is extremely important that the forum “Russia – a Sports Power” will host panel discussions on issues that are relevant to everyone, related to the development and future of international sports. Such sports that are not subject to political circumstances and are not used as a weapon against other countries. The attempts of the unfriendly West to ban everything Russian, including our culture, language and sports, have truly failed. This year we held the largest international, open competitions – the Games of the Future, “Children of Asia”, the BRICS Games. And their number will only increase. Russia is open to the whole world, and this is being stated today from the rostrum of the forum “Russia – a Sports Power”, – the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko drew attention to the symbolism of holding the forum in the year of the 450th anniversary of Ufa and spoke about the region’s achievements in the field of sports development: Bashkortostan has one of the highest levels of provision of sports infrastructure and involvement of residents in regular sports.

    The Deputy Prime Minister noted that in the conditions in which our country finds itself, its unification around President Vladimir Putin is especially noticeable, including in the field of sports. The head of state set the task of increasing the number of people systematically involved in sports to 70% by 2030. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Republic of Bashkortostan is an excellent platform and example.

    “We plan that the goal of 70% of citizens regularly involved in sports will be achieved by 2030. Today, about 60% of Russians are actively involved in sports. The components of success here are our coaches, athletes, infrastructure, which, by decision of the President, has been developing at a very rapid pace in recent years. The head of state instructed us to additionally introduce 350 sports facilities per year. Money has been allocated for these purposes,” said Mikhail Degtyarev.

    The Minister of Sports also noted the joint work with the Government: “We take into account all the instructions of the President, federal programs, process events and work with the regions. Plus the comprehensive state program, which President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin supported at the suggestion of Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko. We are currently working on it. It will take into account the federal budget, and regional funds that go to sports, and extra-budgetary sources. Large companies spend a lot on sports, we thank them for this. Now these funds will be taken into account when planning expenses.”

    Dmitry Chernyshenko, together with Mikhail Degtyarev and Acting Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan Andrey Nazarov, visited the stands of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the State Sports Museum, SMP Racing, the Republic of Belarus, the Samara, Sakhalin and Tula regions, and Bashkortostan.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia presented developments of domestic manufacturers and showed their products. A unique collection of Olympic torches from different years was presented at the stand of the State Sports Museum.

    At the Samara Region stand, Acting Prime Minister of Bashkortostan Andrey Nazarov solemnly handed over a symbolic baton to the Governor of the Samara Region Vyacheslav Fedorishchev – the right to host the Russia – Sports Power forum in 2025.

    “We are grateful to President Vladimir Putin for the trust he has shown in holding the international forum in the capital of our republic. We approached this issue with special responsibility. We have done truly large-scale work. We are handing over the symbol of the country’s main sporting event to our esteemed neighbors – the Samara Region,” Andrey Nazarov emphasized.

    Also, Dmitry Chernyshenko, together with Mikhail Degtyarev, the President of the Russian Phygital Sports Federation Nikita Nagorny and the head of the Future Games project Igor Stolyarov, launched the sports project “The Path of the Future Games Trophy 2.0” – an international motor rally with the main trophy of the Games.

    The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that in February of this year, at the initiative of President Vladimir Putin, the Games of the Future were held for the first time in human history. They were a huge success: 116 countries, 2,000 athletes, more than 3.5 billion views.

    The International Phygital Sports Federation has already been organized. The next Games will be held in 2025 in the United Arab Emirates, and the third in Kazakhstan.

    “The trophy’s route will pass through eight countries, including the countries that will host the Games of the future. The importance of this journey is difficult to overestimate, as it will popularize the phygital movement – a sports movement that unites science, technology and sports, creating new stars who are equally developed in both the virtual and physical worlds. It is they who are the effective future of our world. We are very pleased that our partners continue to support this format,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    Mikhail Degtyarev noted that the Games trophy even went to space, and spoke about the creation of phygital centers: “Also, on the instructions of Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko, with the support of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we will build at least 300 phygital centers across the country by 2030. The funds are included in our budget, and are currently being approved. We have done this work, and this is the future – physical activity plus eSports give a healthy modern person of the future.”

    The international Future Games Trophy Route 2.0 rally aims to take phygital to an even bigger scale. It will run from October 17 to November 22, 2024, through Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Qatar.

    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.

    http://government.ru/nevs/53028/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: International appeal for humanitarian demining in Ukraine adopted in Lausanne

    Source: Switzerland – Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport

    Bern, 17.10.2024 – The first day of the Ukraine Mine Action Conference 2024 ended today with the presentation of the Lausanne Call for Action, which reaffirms the support of the majority of the countries present for humanitarian demining in Ukraine and around the world. The appeal calls for the needs of victims and disabled people to be addressed and promoting partnership and innovation to increase effectiveness in mine action. The conference, held in Lausanne at the EHL Hospitality Business School, brings together representatives of states, international organisations and partners in humanitarian demining.

    61 delegations met on 17 and 18 October 2024 in Lausanne for the Ukraine Mine Action Conference 2024 (UMAC2024). At the end of the first high-level day, the Lausanne Call for Action was adopted, calling for concrete action by states on humanitarian demining in Ukraine. This includes, for example, the swift and safe rehabilitation of agricultural areas, the economic and social reintegration of victims with disabilities, the promotion of international cooperation between the various partners active on the ground, and the exchange of experience and knowledge to foster innovative methods and technologies that increase the effectiveness of mine action at a global level. The text was presented by Switzerland and Ukraine, together with Croatia, which hosted the last mine action conference, and Japan, which will host the 2025 edition.

    Civil population, partnerships and innovation at centre of debate

    The event, hosted jointly by Switzerland and Ukraine, features debates and discussions based on three pillars – people, partners and progress – with the aim of highlighting the crucial importance of humanitarian demining as an integral part of the country’s economic and social reconstruction. The conference was opened by the Swiss president, Viola Amherd and the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal. The Swiss president emphasised in her speech that humanitarian demining is a priority for Switzerland: “Humanitarian demining is not only a security issue, but also a prerequisite for recovery, especially for the restoration of agricultural production and children’s education.”

    Also speaking at UMAC2024 will be figures from the scientific community and civil society, such as British photographer Giles Duley, a landmine survivor and UN Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict situations and peacebuilding situations, and philanthropist Howard G. Buffett, chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett foundation.

    Switzerland’s concrete support for humanitarian demining

    During the conference, the head of the FDFA, Ignazio Cassis, reiterated the importance of international cooperation in humanitarian demining and reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to the reconstruction of Ukraine, based on the Lugano Principles adopted in 2022. He also pointed out that the Federal Council decided last week to grant an additional CHF 30 million to the Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD) to extend its activities in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions until 2027. “Thanks to partners such as FSD and the International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, Switzerland is providing direct, effective support in Ukraine,” said Cassis. Since February 2022, the Swiss federal government has implemented various measures to support those affected by the war and allocated around CHF 3.7 billion. Last year the Federal Council approved CHF 100 million in support over four years, earmarked exclusively for mine action in Ukraine.

    Switzerland reiterates solidarity with Ukraine

    At the UMAC2024, a delegation from the Federal Council, led by President Viola Amherd, met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The meeting was dedicated to possible steps towards peace, reconstruction and solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the energy shortage in the upcoming winter months. The Swiss delegation, which included Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, emphasised Switzerland’s continued and long-term solidarity with Ukraine.

    Following the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort in June, the two sides discussed further possible substantive steps towards a lasting and just peace in Ukraine. For Switzerland, it is clear that any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter. Switzerland remains ready to offer its good offices with the aim of supporting firm steps towards the inclusion of both parties. The thematic follow-up conference scheduled to be held in Montreal at the end of October on the human dimension, the fate of prisoners of war, arbitrarily detained civilians and abducted children was also discussed. A further important topic of discussion was Switzerland’s support for Ukraine and the reconstruction effort, to which the Federal Council attaches strategic importance.

    The Vaud cantonal police are implementing the necessary security measures for the UMAC2024, adapted to the assessment of the situation and in close cooperation with the Federal Office of Police (fedpol). The Swiss Armed Forces provide them with support, in particular in the areas of personnel transport, logistics, air surveillance and air transport.

    Address for enquiries

    FDFA Communication
    Federal Palace West Wing
    CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
    Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
    E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
    Twitter: @SwissMFA

    Publisher

    Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
    https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Report of the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo: UK statement, October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Ambassador Holland welcomes the Report by the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, and underlines appreciation for the Mission’s work on monitoring and early warning functions in light of continued tensions in the north of Kosovo.

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

    Thank you, Madam Chair.

    Firstly, I would like to welcome the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo to the Permanent Council for the first time. Thank you for the written report on the activities of the Mission over the last six months, and for the comprehensive presentation this morning.

    Madam Chair, the United Kingdom shares the assessment in the Report of the concerning lack of progress towards Kosovo-Serbia normalisation, which continues to have negative implications for the daily lives of ordinary citizens and for wider stability in the Western Balkans. In this context we welcome the Government of Kosovo’s recent decision to lift its ban on access for Serbian goods as a positive step towards enabling free trade across the Western Balkans, and giving citizens across the region the opportunity to reap the economic benefit of closer alignment with their European neighbours.

    We continue to call on both Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and to deliver on their respective obligations, including establishing an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

    The UK will continue to encourage Kosovo to ensure that non-majority communities can play a full and equal role in the country’s future. We have been clear with all interlocutors that any actions which impact the wellbeing of Kosovo-Serbs and other non-majority communities require careful consultation with Kosovo’s friends and security partners, to avoid fuelling tensions and disadvantaging the most vulnerable. All non-majority communities should be free to exercise their democratic rights and further integrate into Kosovan society. We continue to encourage Kosovo Serbs to participate in the democratic process, take up roles in the public service and serve their communities.

    The UK reiterates the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for all acts of violence. We continue to call on Serbia to co-operate fully with efforts to hold to account those responsible for the shocking attack in Banjska in September 2023, and on NATO KFOR troops in May 2023, and to act to tackle cross-border arms smuggling.

    The UK commends the work of the OSCE Mission during the last six months across the three core pillars of its mandate. In particular, we appreciate the Mission’s continued prioritisation of monitoring and early warning functions in light of continuing tensions in the north of Kosovo.

    We value the Mission’s ongoing support to government institutions on human rights and inter-community relations, including addressing concerns about the property rights of non-majority communities. We welcome the Mission’s continued work to address challenges to the right to freedom of religion or belief and the preservation of cultural heritage. We also appreciate the Mission’s support to the Central Election Commission in modernising Kosovo’s electoral processes, which will be particularly important ahead of the February 2025 Assembly elections.

    Madam Chair, the United Kingdom remains a long-standing and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. We are committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo, and its full participation in the international system.

    As we mark the 25th anniversary of the OSCE Mission’s mandate and constructive engagement in Kosovo, I wanted to again thank you, Acting Head of Mission, for taking on the leadership of the Mission at this critical time. I also want to thank your team for their continued expertise, engagement and hard work under pressure and uncertainty – it really is much appreciated.

    Thank you, Madam Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Brighton soldier killed at Passendale finally laid to rest

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A World War One soldier who was injured and sent home, but then returned to the front where he was killed, has finally been buried close to where he fell.

    Rifleman Callum Phillips plays the Last Post in honour of Rifleman Adams.

    A World War One soldier who was injured and sent home, but then returned to the front where he was killed, has finally been buried close to where he fell; just weeks before Remembrance Sunday.

    The burial service for Rifleman (Rfn) Frederick Thomas Adams which was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) , also known as the War Detectives, took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Passchendaele New British Cemetery, in Belgium yesterday (Wednesday 16 October 24).

    Bob Adams, Rfn Adams’ first cousin twice removed, who aided JCCC by providing the DNA sample used to identify him was there.  

    Bob said: 

    I was intrigued to receive an e-mail last year asking me to carry out DNA testing in connection with Frederick, and once a positive result had been established, I had no hesitation in accepting the invitation to attend the burial service. 

    We are very proud to be related to someone with such a distinguished service record, and we want to give him the respect that he truly deserves. We are honoured to be invited to attend the burial service today, to commemorate his life that was sacrificed in the service of his country.

    Bob Adams, the first cousin twice removed of Rifleman Adams, with the party from 3rd Battalion The Rifles.

    Rfn Adams, who hailed from Brighton, was a career soldier who arrived on the Western Front immediately after the outbreak of hostilities. Having been wounded near Armentieres, on 25 October 1914, he was sent home and did not return to the fighting until 1917, when he was sent back into action as part of a citizen Army. He was killed in Passendale on 19 November 1917. As he was missing Rfn Adams was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. 

    In 2018, the remains of a soldier of The Rifle Brigade were discovered during roadworks in Passendale. He was found with two chevrons, indicating that he may have either have held the rank of corporal or that he may have been wearing or in possession of two Good Conduct Stripes. After extensive research and DNA testing, the soldier was identified as Rfn Adams.  

    JCCC Caseworker, Rosie Barron said: 

    It has been an honour to work with The Rifles to give Rfn Adams the full military funeral that he deserves and to have conducted the research which led to his identification. It has also been a priviledge to meet Bob and to have shared this experience with him and his family. Rfn Adams was a career soldier, and I am sure when he returned to the Western Front in 1917, his knowledge and experience would have been invaluable to the men around him. May he now rest in peace alongside his comrades.

    Lieutenant Henry Waterson gives a reading at Rifleman Adams’ graveside.

    The service was conducted by the Reverend Huw Ryden CF, Chaplain to 3rd Battalion The Rifles and was supported by a bearer party from that battalion. 

    Reverend Ryden said: 

    As we preside at the burial service of Rifleman Adams who had been missing for so long; we, by proxy, represent the generations who so deeply wanted to be here. Those past generations are the loved ones who hoped and prayed for the miracle of a safe return. If not a safe a return, then a funeral service to afford some closure and an opportunity to say their last goodbyes. We now stand for those loved ones, and with such a realisation, we stand here deeply moved by the weight and depth of meaning that this service carries.

    The coffin of Rifleman Adams is carried to his grave by serving soldiers of 3rd Battalion The Rifles.

    The graves will now be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC. 

     Director for Central and Southern Europe at the CWGC, Geert Bekaert, said:  

    As we move closer to the period of Remembrance, we are honoured to be able to commemorate Rifleman Adams from Brighton, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. 

    We will care for his grave, and those of his comrades, in perpetuity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Apple celebrates 10 years of Apple Pay

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple celebrates 10 years of Apple Pay

    October 17, 2024

    UPDATE

    Apple celebrates 10 years of Apple Pay

    Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, reflects on a decade of Apple Pay enriching users’ lives, and shares new ways to pay with Apple Pay, including rewards and installments

    When we started our journey with Apple Pay 10 years ago, we saw a unique opportunity to leverage Apple’s hardware and software to make a meaningful impact on the financial health and lives of our customers. From the outset, we envisioned a world where you could use your iPhone to seamlessly pay for everything — from groceries to train tickets, in person and online, across the globe — all while keeping your personal and financial information safe and private.

    Today, Apple Pay is used by hundreds of millions of consumers in 78 markets, at checkout on millions of websites and apps, in tens of millions of stores worldwide, and is supported by more than 11,000 bank and network partners. We hear from customers every day about how much they love the ease, security, and privacy protections Apple Pay provides in their daily lives, and how much they enjoy using it across their devices — including iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac.

    One of my earliest memories of realizing how Apple Pay was positively impacting consumers’ lives was when we rolled out Apple Pay for transit in Tokyo, which is used by millions of travelers every day. I watched in awe as people quickly tapped their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay while passing through the turnstiles — no need to fish out any cash, cards, or coins from their wallets, or even unlock or wake their device. It’s a great example of how Apple Pay’s seamless and secure customer experience delivers convenience and peace of mind to consumers around the world, whether they’re commuting to work, shopping online, or picking up their morning coffee.

    We know how important it is for customers to feel secure and trust that their financial transactions are private when making a payment. That’s why we’re always working to safeguard consumers, while also enabling banks to have industry-low levels of fraud for Apple Pay transactions. And it’s also why Apple Pay was designed to protect users’ highly sensitive personal and financial information, like their card number, which is never shared with merchants. Our customers trust that when they use Apple Pay anywhere, they can have the peace of mind that their payments are protected.

    Looking ahead at what’s next for Apple Pay, we are excited to now bring our users more ways to pay, including the option to redeem rewards and access installment loans from Apple Pay-enabled issuers and lenders right at checkout with Apple Pay online and in-app on iPhone and iPad. This gives consumers greater flexibility in how they pay with the easy and trusted Apple Pay experience they already know and love. It also provides Apple Pay-enabled issuers and lenders with new ways to connect with their customers, and make their rewards and installment offerings even more accessible.

    Beyond payments, we’re also advancing our broader vision of replacing users’ physical wallets with an easy, secure, and private digital wallet — Apple Wallet. Today, users can seamlessly and securely add and access eligible event tickets, transit cards, keys, government IDs, and more all from Apple Wallet. And we’re always looking for new ways to make using Apple Wallet convenient while delivering unparalleled security and peace of mind.

    The last decade was an incredible journey, and we’re thrilled that so many people around the world are enjoying the experience that Apple Pay and Apple Wallet provide. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years have in store.

    — Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet

    More Ways to Pay with Apple Pay

    With iOS 18, eligible users can now access installment loan options from Affirm in the U.S. and from Monzo Flex in the U.K. when checking out with Apple Pay online and in-app on iPhone and iPad.1 And starting today, eligible users in the U.S. and U.K. will also have the option to access Klarna’s flexible payment options right at checkout online and in-app with Apple Pay on iPhone and iPad.

    In the future, users will also be able to access installment payment options from eligible credit or debit cards when making online purchases with Apple Pay in the U.S. with Citi, Synchrony, and across eligible, participating Apple Pay issuers with Fiserv; in Australia with ANZ; in Singapore with DBS; in Spain with CaixaBank; and in the U.K. with HSBC, NewDay, and Zilch, with more issuers to follow. Users in Canada will also have access to Klarna’s flexible payment options at checkout with Apple Pay online and in-app on iPhone and iPad in the future.

    Additionally, with iOS 18, Apple Pay users in the U.S. can now redeem rewards with eligible Discover credit cards2 when they check out with Apple Pay online and in-app on iPhone and iPad. In the future, users will also be able to redeem rewards for purchases with Apple Pay in the U.S. with Synchrony and across eligible, participating Apple Pay issuers with Fiserv and FIS, and in Singapore with DBS, with more issuers to follow.

    Users can now also access Apple Pay on third-party web browsers and computers.3 At checkout, users will be prompted to use their iPhone or iPad to scan a code, and will then be able to securely complete the payment with Apple Pay on iPhone or iPad. And with Tap to Provision, it’s even easier for users to add a credit or debit card to Apple Wallet by simply tapping their eligible card to the back of their iPhone.4

    Next year, customers in the U.S. will also be able to see their PayPal balance when using their PayPal debit card in Apple Wallet, giving them greater visibility and confidence when shopping.

    1. This feature is offered by a card’s issuer, and is subject to issuer eligibility requirements and other issuer terms. This feature is not available in all markets, and may not be available for all types of purchases, such as subscriptions and recurring transactions. The full amount of the transaction will be charged to the user’s card at the time of their purchase, and a statement credit for the redeemed reward amount will be applied to the user’s account.
    2. Redemptions used with Discover credit cards will be reflected as a statement credit on a customer’s account.
    3. iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later required. Available with participating merchants on compatible browsers. Compatible browsers require WebSocket support. This feature is not available in all markets.
    4. Must have an eligible and supported card. Not available in all markets. To use this feature, a card’s NFC technology must be activated, and the user may need to enter their card’s security code during setup. Software requirements apply. To ensure a user has all features of this product, their iPhone must be updated to the latest software version.

    In the U.S., Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. In other countries and regions, Apple Pay is a service provided by certain Apple affiliates, as designated by the Apple Pay privacy notice. Neither Apple Inc., nor Apple Payments Services LLC, nor its affiliates are a bank. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

    The survey was commissioned by Apple and conducted by Morning Consult between September 10-13, 2024, among a sample of 3,014 adults in the U.S. ages 18-64.

    Press Contacts

    Heather Norton

    Apple

    heather_norton@apple.com

    Kimberly Mai

    Apple

    k_mai@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Commercial Drone Market Size Estimated at $30 Billion as Technological Advancements are Booming

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Experts and investors see continued growth in the global commercial drone market size. The market growth is attributed to the increasing enterprise application of drones across various industry verticals. Several drone manufacturers are continually testing, inventing, and upgrading solutions for diverse markets used for various applications, including filming and emergency response. Besides, the integration of modern technologies in commercial drones to deliver enhanced solutions is opening new growth opportunities for the commercial drone market. According to a report from Grand View Research said that the global commercial drone market size, which was estimated at USD 30.02 billion in 2024 is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.6% from 2025 to 2030. The report said: “Technological advances allow companies to design and construct measurement and annotation tools for estimating area, volume, and distance. As a result, organizations are constantly adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions to retrieve accurate findings from large volumes of data. Integration of these modern technologies provides the industry with ample opportunities as they facilitate real-time, data-driven decision-making through high-speed data capture, processing, and transfer. AI-powered drones also allow users to interact and observe footage captured by other drones in real-time and track their flight paths.” Active Tech Companies in the markets today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS), RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX), Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS).

    Grand View Research continued: “The delivery & logistics segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 14.3% from 2025 to 2030 with the expansion of the e-commerce sector across the globe. With the increased demand for quick delivery of goods, drones are being increasingly used in e-commerce warehouses for product warehousing and delivery. Warehouses worldwide are making significant investments to enhance the level of automation. In this regard, drones find an important usage in operations, such as barcode scanning, that require more person-hours. The U.S. commercial drone market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of above 8% from 2025 to 2030. The region is expected to witness steady growth considering the developments in UAV technology, favorable government initiatives, and growing demand from enterprises across industries. Furthermore, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued new regulations to facilitate more coherent and consistent standards for the legal and safe operation of UAVs in commercial spaces. These rules and regulations are anticipated to mitigate entry barriers and encourage product usage.”

    ZenaTech Inc.’s (NASDAQ: ZENA) ZenaDrone Team Begins US Flight Testing of ZenaDrone 1000 Drone in the Arizona Desert – ZenaTech, Inc. (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone solutions and enterprise SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions, announced today that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has begun the first US flight testing of the ZenaDrone 1000 drone, including new hardware and software configurations, in the desert near Phoenix, Arizona. The company has also been concurrently working towards setting up offices, operations and partnerships in the state.

    “After years of development work and recently achieving US FAA approval, it is gratifying to be able to conduct live test flights and further build our company base in Arizona. This is the first of many test flights and demonstrations that will help us refine and build the reliability of the ZenaDrone 1000 solutions for agriculture, defense, security, land surveying and other applications where we see demand,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D. One of the company’s longstanding collaboration partners is the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), the State of Arizona’s economic development organization.

    “We are thrilled that ZenaDrone has further grown and strengthened its Arizona presence by choosing Arizona as its base of U.S. operations. And we are now delighted that they have chosen Arizona’s skies to begin live testing of the ZenaDrone 1000 product. We look forward to continued work with ZenaDrone to grow their business in Arizona and throughout the world, including via participation at international trade shows and on international trade missions,” said Kevin O’Shea, Senior Vice President of International Trade for the ACA. Read the full press release and more for ZenaTech at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Additional Groundbreaking ZenaTech Inc. Developments include:

    ZenaTech recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has begun the first US trial of the IQ Nano product solution for inventory management, beginning with a multinational auto part and components customer. The drone will be reading the bar codes and collecting inventory information as part of a paid trial. The IQ Nano indoor drone is designed for customers with warehouse, logistics and distribution operations to help them save costs and improve productivity by managing various tasks such as taking inventory, turning a week-long activity into one day.

    “After two years of product development work, the initiation of the first IQ Nano drone trial inside a customer’s warehouse is an important milestone. We believe the technology will help innovate and improve their inventory management process. Further, receiving feedback from our first paying customer will be extremely valuable as we continue to fine tune our IQ series solutions, enabling us to expand our offerings with this and additional new customers,” said CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D.

    ZenaTech also recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, is launching its IQ Nano product, part of the IQ series of indoor/outdoor drones. The IQ Nano is designed for customers in sectors such as warehousing and logistics to save costs and improve productivity while performing indoor inspection, monitoring and tracking processes including inventory management.

    The ZenaDrone IQ Nano is a 10×10-inch drone designed to perform regular and frequent inspections for applications such as bar code or RFID scanning, facility maintenance inspections, security monitoring, and 3D mapping specific to the needs of companies with warehouse, distribution, plants and industrial facilities. It is designed for autonomous use featuring integrated sensors, high-quality cameras and data collection. Weighing 1.5kg and with a flight time of up to 20 minutes before utilizing the automatic battery charging station, it is designed for hovering stability and for safety with obstacle avoidance capabilities.

    And finally, ZenaTech recently announced that its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, has commenced aerial operations to launch commercial drone services in the US. This was made possible due to recently achieving Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) exemption approval.

    Other recent developments in the technology industry include:

    AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE: UAVS) recently announced the Company was selected to participate in the REPMUS 2024 Exercise co-hosted by NATO. Exercises and demonstrations took place September 9-27, 2024 in Troia, Portugal.

    REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems) is an annual Portuguese Navy (PN)-led, NATO co-hosted exercise, focusing on maritime unmanned system (MUS) capability development. The objective of REPMUS 2024 is to conduct large-scale operational experimentation. The exercise facilitated the engagement of operational communities with the industry and academia, integrating the latest commercial off-the-shelf systems for trials. It also focused on validating experimental tactics, upgraded vehicles, software updates, integrated payloads, and command and control on Maritime Unmanned Systems (MUS) to address key operational issues. The last REPMUS exercise, which took place in September 2023, was attended by more than 25 Navies, 8 NATO entities and more than 30 companies and universities dedicated to research and development in this area.

    Raytheon, an RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX) business, recently announced that it has entered full-rate production for Standard Missile-3 Block IIA, validating the program’s design maturity amid increased demand for the product from the United States and allied partners. The SM-3 Block IIA production milestone cleared the way for a $1.9 billion award from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency in July 2024 to produce rounds for both the U.S. government and Japan Ministry of Defense.

    Full-rate production signals that there is no elevated design or manufacturing risk in the missile and validates its reliability and performance.  “SM-3 Block IIA is a testament to the continuing partnership with Japanese industry to mature ballistic missile defense capabilities for the defense of our nation and our allies around the globe,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “This milestone indicates that the team has achieved full maturity in the missile’s design which leads to greater efficiencies throughout the program.”

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions and systems developer, recently announced updates to its Board of Directors and Advisory Board. Olen Aasen is stepping down from the Draganfly Board, and Kim Moody has been appointed as the new Audit Chair. Additionally, Draganfly is welcoming back Andy Card, former White House Chief of Staff, to the Advisory Board.

    Andy Card, who previously served on Draganfly’s Board of Directors, is rejoining the Company as a member of its Advisory Board, brings decades of leadership experience. He served as White House Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush from 2000 to 2006, managing the Executive Office of the President and shaping U.S. policy during critical moments, including the September 11th attacks. Andy’s career also includes roles as U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Vice President of Government Relations for General Motors.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Andy back to the Draganfly team in this advisory capacity,” commented Cameron Chell, Draganfly CEO. “His leadership experience and trusted counsel have been critical to the Company’s growth, and we look forward to his continued insights as we drive innovation and expand our presence in the UAV industry.”

    Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) recently announced that it has recently received a new, sole source, approximate $45 million single award contract related to a new satellite system. Work under this new satellite system contract award will be performed at secure Kratos engineering, production and integration facilities. Due to customer related, competitive and other considerations, no additional information will be provided regarding the new contract award at this time.

    Phil Carrai, President of Kratos Satellite Business Unit, said, “The Kratos team is laser focused on rapidly developing and delivering leading technology products, software and systems to our National Security related customers in support of Mission Critical Space and Satellite system requirements. We are excited about this new space system program opportunity.”

    About FN Media Group:

    At FN Media Group, via our top-rated online news portal at http://www.financialnewsmedia.com, we are one of the very few select firms providing top tier one syndicated news distribution, targeted ticker tag press releases and stock market news coverage for today’s emerging companies. #tickertagpressreleases #pressreleases

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    DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers.  Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated forty nine hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by ZenaTech, Inc. by the Company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected”, “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

    Contact Information:

    Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com – +1(561)325-8757

    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Beijing’s 12345 hotline: Helping citizens and businesses

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The Beijing 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Center, Oct.11, 2024. [Photo by Liao Jiaxin/China.org.cn]
    On Oct. 11, the Beijing 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Center was buzzing with energy. The rhythmic tapping of keyboards echoed through the room, as hundreds of operators were focused on addressing callers’ concerns and crafting tailored solutions for a wide range of needs.
    Each operator works with a “dual-screen” setup: one screen displaying the call management system, the other featuring a knowledge base search interface. “The knowledge base now contains tens of thousands of policies covering all aspects of daily life,” operator Yang Junyao explained.

    The dual-screen setup for operators in the Beijing 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Center, Oct.11, 2024. [Photo by Liao Jiaxin/China.org.cn]
    The center is equipped with a sophisticated real-time data analytics system, presented on a large screen that visually highlights the most common issues reported by the public. Official data reveals that over the past five years, the hotline has processed over 140 million inquiries from citizens and businesses, with a resolution rate of 96.5% and a satisfaction rate of 96.9%.
    In 2019, multiple departmental hotlines in Beijing were streamlined into the unified 12345 service hotline, significantly enhancing the city’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively to the concerns of both citizens and businesses. This initiative is part of a broader effort to refine Beijing’s urban management system in response to the city’s rapid socioeconomic development, incorporating advanced urban management and emergency service practices from around the world.

    A screen presents real-time analytics data at the Beijing 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Center, Oct.11, 2024. [Photo by Liao Jiaxin/China.org.cn]
    Liu Huan, a hotline supervisor with a decade of experience, has observed a shift in the types of issues being reported. “In the past, most calls were about individual problems like power outages or leaks. Nowadays, people also bring up public concerns, such as the need for timely garbage removal in residential compounds,” she said. This shift reflects the growing public expectations for higher standards in urban management and governance.
    Moreover, the 12345 hotline offers streamlined and specialized support services for businesses, such as one-touch direct calling and professional online consultations.
    To enhance its international service capabilities, the hotline began offering support in eight languages in 2008, meeting the diverse needs of the community and better assisting foreign residents, according to Yang.
    The Beijing 12345 service hotline has become a vital conduit for efficient communication between citizens, businesses and the government. The saying, “When in doubt, call 12345 — it works!” has become a common expression among Beijing’s residents, cementing the hotline’s status as a prestigious emblem of the city.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 15 jailed for building collapse in central China

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    A total of 15 people were sentenced to prison in central China’s Hunan Province on Thursday for their roles in a deadly building collapse that claimed 54 lives in 2022.
    The defendants, including the owner of the illegally built and extended building and officials who were found of dereliction of duty, received jail terms ranging from two years and nine months to 12 years, according to their first-instance verdicts by local courts.
    The incident occurred in Wangcheng District in the provincial capital of Changsha on April 29, 2022, leaving 54 dead and nine wounded. The State Council set up an investigation team to look into the incident shortly after it occurred.
    Wu Zhiyong, the owner of the building, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for negligence leading to the incident. He had hired unqualified construction workers to illegally construct and extend the building, which he then leased as an accommodation and catering venue, according to the verdict.
    Despite clear signs of the building’s imminent collapse, Wu failed to organize emergency evacuations, resulting in heavy casualties. He was also convicted of conspiring with others to repeatedly destroy other people’s property, the verdict showed.
    Zhou Zhengmao, former deputy head of Wangcheng District, was handed a jail term of 12 years for dereliction of duty and accepting bribes.
    Others convicted include inspectors from urban management and market regulation departments, as well as shareholders and testing personnel from a company that issued fake documents for the building project.
    The company, Hunan Xiangda Engineering Testing Co., Ltd., was fined 1 million yuan (about $140,400).
    Lawmakers, political advisors and relatives of the victims and defendants attended the sentencing.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Check Your Voting Status, IAM!

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    We’re less than three weeks away from Election Day!

    Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to cast your vote this November and connect with your friends, family, IAM siblings and neighbors to ensure they are prepared to participate in the democratic process. 

    Check your voting status today!

    Knowing your status is an important step in making your voice heard in local and national elections. You can find more information about your state’s voting laws and deadlines through Ballot Ready.

    And don’t forget, early voting has already started in some states. Click here to find the early voting schedule in your state.

    Let’s make sure we’re well prepared this election cycle to cast our votes!

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government will finance the implementation of priority investment projects in the Far East and support transportation along the Northern Sea Route

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Order dated October 17, 2024 No. 2883-r

    Document

    Order dated October 17, 2024 No. 2883-r

    More than 14.3 billion rubles will be allocated for the implementation of priority investment projects in the Far Eastern Federal District, as well as for subsidizing transportation along the Northern Sea Route. The order to this effect was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

    Of the total amount, over 14 billion rubles will go towards launching priority projects, including the implementation of master plans for Far Eastern cities, including Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Birobidzhan, Magadan, and Svobodny.

    Announcing this decision atGovernment meeting on October 17, Mikhail Mishustin noted that the Government, on the instructions of the President, continues to rapidly develop social and industrial infrastructure in the Far East and the Arctic, create new points of economic growth, and improve the quality of life of people.

    In addition, federal funds will be used to subsidize regular transportation along the Northern Sea Route. 300 million rubles will be allocated for these purposes. They will be sent to shipping companies to compensate for lost income due to preferential tariffs, as well as expenses related to ship calls at ports.

    The work is being carried out within the framework of the federal projects “New Opportunities for the Far East” and “Development of the Northern Sea Route”.

    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.

    http://government.ru/nevs/53029/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister for Development speech at Chatham House

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    UK Minister for Development outlines a new “modern approach to development” in first major speech at Chatham House today

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

    It is an immense honour and privilege to be here today for the first time as Minister for Development and for Women and Equalities.

    Chatham House of course has a long history of being at the cutting edge of foreign policy and development thinking. It is the perfect place to share my vision for a modern approach to international development. I am delighted to see so many of you here, including so many of our partners – from Gates, to Gavi, to the Global Fund.

    I am proud to be able to say to you all – Britain is back on the world stage, with a minister at the top table, advocating for projects and assistance to advance that goal just mentioned of a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.

    [political content redacted]

    Today is the ‘International Day for the Eradication of Poverty’. Between the late 1990s and the early2020s, the world did make headway in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Lives saved and lives changed.

    Many of these gains can never be undone. But as was mentioned the geopolitical challenges now are stark – and progress against the Sustainable Development Goals is stalling.

    We do live in a multipolar world with intense competition. We need to adapt and respond to to that world. The world is different – first – because over the last four years, the number of people in humanitarian need has doubled. A vicious cycle of an unprecedented profusion of conflicts and the climate crisis, which is now compounding the suffering of some of the most vulnerable people in the world. And many women, girls, and marginalised people are experiencing a devastating roll-back of hard-won rights, services, and democratic freedoms.

    I saw this first-hand during my recent trip to South Sudan. In the horrendous conditions of the camp in Bentiu for internally displaced people, I heard heart-breaking accounts from those who were forced to flee the brutal civil war in Sudan, as well as meeting people suffering from South Sudan’s own humanitarian emergency, caused by the legacy of civil war and the climate crisis.

    The conflict in Sudan has now forced more people from their homes than any other conflict – some ten million people. It has pushed nearly nine million people into emergency or famine levels of food insecurity, and as I raised at the UN last month – there is a real risk that without global action to prevent it, the worst famine in several generations could happen on the world’s watch.

    Around the globe, millions of people, who long to return home are beginning to despair that they ever will – including the Syrian refugees I met in Jordan, still there over a decade after they fled the conflict, and so many communities enduring such suffering – from the DRC, to Yemen, Ukraine, and Myanmar, to Gaza and the wider Middle East.

    In all this, political efforts have been vital to get aid in – including our reinstatement of £21m of UK funding to UNRWA, as the only Agency able to deliver at scale in Gaza, and the further £10-million of wider humanitarian support for Lebanon we announced earlier this month.

    By the end of this decade, unless more action is taken, some two-thirds of those living in extreme poverty will be living in fragile and conflict-affected states. At the same time courageous humanitarian aid workers on the front lines of getting help to them around the globe are under attack.

    We have a moral imperative to help turn things around. People everywhere – including the British people – understand instinctively that this is the right thing to do, Compassion, fairness, and refusing to look the other way when someone is in need are all British values. And action is in all our interests as well.

    The new government’s commitment to tackle irregular migration at source is important for those who would otherwise be forced to leave their homes, and important for people in the UK too. That is why, during the European Political Community meeting, the Prime Minister announced up to £84 million for projects across Africa and the Middle East – to address the factors that end up pushing people into small boats.

    The world is also changing because we see new leadership from the likes of President Lula of Brazil, and Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, on everything from reforming the global financial system, to tackling hunger and poverty around the world – through the emerging G20 Global Alliance for which I was so proud to announce UK support in Brazil.

    I have seen leadership among the women forest rangers who I met in Sulawesi in September. Visiting them gave me an inspiring reminder of the difference we can make to our planet and to peoples’ lives, when we work together as genuine partners – where action to preserve forests also promotes sustainable livelihoods, and where economic development goes hand in hand with combatting climate disaster.

    Today’s world is very different. But as our Foreign Secretary set out, our progressive, realistic approach draws on the same spirit that Ernest Bevin and Robin Cook animated and energised. For our country to once again lead on development, we will need a new, modern approach, based on genuine partnership, trust, and respect.

    It will mean recognising that for our partners, tackling the climate and nature crises is not separate from promoting economic growth and meeting humanitarian need, but intrinsic to both. And it will mean making good on our word, not leaving our partners high and dry and making the most of British talent and expertise to improve peoples’ lives, now and in the future.

    [political content redacted]

    We have to turn the page, if we are genuinely to work in partnership again. Consider that asylum costs, which have spiralled in recent years, at present account for almost 30% of our development spending while the backlog has soared, with people waiting years to receive a decision – which the Home Secretary is now taking action to rectify.

    Consider too that so much of our country’s current international climate finance commitment was backloaded into these final two years – but we are now committed to make good on the promise that the UK will get help to those who need it.

    [political content redacted]

    While we do not underestimate the significance or the complexity of these challenges in the shorter term. Neither should we underestimate our ability to respond under pressure in the long term. The UK has been ambitious on international development before. I am determined it will be again. Of course, that starts with boosting the effectiveness of our efforts.

    I want to thank everyone from the sector who fed into the White Paper, and the civil servants who worked so hard – and I want to reassure you that I value it, as a diagnosis of the problems we face and how UK development can help meet them.

    But I must be clear that we must now prioritise, and provide the strategy and the plan that has been lacking – and that is what I am now building. A core element of this is increasing our capability and capacity.

    The Development Review, led by Baroness Minouche Shafik, is about building on the breadth and depth of development experience, expertise, and innovation represented here today. In addition, we will work closely with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact – making sure our official development assistance reaches those who need it most, and where and when it is most effective.

    [political content redacted]

    Yet we must go further still if we are to shift our approach, quite determinedly – so it is truly modern. First and foremost – that means genuine partnership. Britain is back. Back in business. Back on the world stage.

    And back pursuing our mission of a world free from poverty, on a liveable planet. And my message is that we will work with others, in good faith, to build genuine partnership, underpinned by our respect for other governments, organisations, communities, and individuals.

    That means building shared plans for the future – not imposing our own, and – to quote the Prime Minister – listening a lot more, speaking a bit less.

    This is exactly the approach the Foreign Secretary is taking – as he recently set out so movingly in his speech at Kew Gardens, to friends from across the Commonwealth, and at the United Nations in New York.

    Currently, we are seeing those nations which were unable to industrialise bearing the brunt of the climate crisis – with a terrible cycle of floods, droughts, and hurricanes. Because climate and development are interlinked and interdependent, we will put tackling the climate and nature crisis at the heart of everything we do. Domestically, this government has an ambitious climate policy.

    The drive for cheaper, cleaner power, being led by Ed Miliband, will not only bring down bills here, help us achieve energy security, and meet our goals to decarbonise – it also gives us credibility and expertise abroad, as we lead the response to the climate and nature crisis both bilaterally and through multilateral organisations.

    Secondly – we will champion reform for a global, multilateral system that includes everyone, works for everyone, and is fit for the future.

    [political content redacted]

    That means not just listening to our partners, as a priority – but making sure we take action together. When it comes to the humanitarian and development system that is so stretched, we look forward to seeing Tom Fletcher making the most of his new role as UN Relief Chief, and to working with our partners to take a less siloed, more joined up approach – across everything from climate, to the needs of women and girls, to humanitarian relief.

    And when it comes to finance, time and again, we have heard from small islands and other vulnerable states, how difficult it is to access what they need to pursue their ambitions and priorities, escape the trap of unsustainable debt, and get on a sustainable footing.

    That is why, in his speech to the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister set out the case for accelerating reform of the multilateral development banks, including shouldering more risk so they can unlock hundreds of billions of dollars so they can do more to unlock hundreds of billions of dollars and do more to build a more sustainable economy and help the poorest.

    Next week I will go to the World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington so they to press them to shoulder more risk so they can unlock the money that is so desperately needed. We will work with our partners – including fragile and climate vulnerable states to help them access more, better-quality, well-targeted, multiannual finance, including for adaptation, through a global financial system that is reformed and ready for the future, and through wider global forums where they have greater representation in the bodies that help shape our shared future – including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

    We will champion financial innovation – from the insurance and guarantees our partners are seeking, to the Climate Resilient Debt Clauses promoted by the UK, that we are calling on all creditors to offer in their current and future lending.

    Both within government and working with the financial services industry, we will make sure there is more to come – including helping countries tackle the barriers to investment that choke off the flow of private finance.

    On so many fronts, from trade to taxation – globally, momentum is now building for the sort of change we need to see, and we are committed to making the most of every opportunity to urge it ahead.

    That is why at the UN, the Prime Minister called on all donors to make the most of the International Development Association replenishment, as a critical milestone in the fight against poverty.

    It can be bigger, better, and help more people, especially those in fragile states and conflict zones. So, on that basis, under this new government, the UK will be ambitious too – increasing our pledge, and encouraging others to play their part. And as the Prime Minister highlighted at the UN in recent weeks, there are measures that we can crack on with right now, to unlock further resources for sustainability, resilience, and renewal – like a new levy on global shipping that takes account of the true cost of emissions, and puts the proceeds cutting them even further, and helping communities cope with their impacts.

    Third – we will make sure the UK’s expertise and ideas are at the heart of reliable development partnerships. When we work together across development and diplomacy, we maximise our impact – in everything from helping countries harness the opportunities of renewable energy, to reversing the vicious cycle of conflict, to empowering women and girls. This government will be proactive about all that the UK has to offer the world. Our country is brimming with talent and brilliance.

    We are home to research and innovation on everything from nutritious and resilient crops, to new medicines and vaccines, cleaner mining, and emerging technologies. We have world-class universities, finance institutions, and expertise in leveraging private capital into low-income emerging countries – including through BII.

    Both within government and in the City of London, we will make sure there is more to come, Including helping countries tackle the barriers that choke off the flow of private finance.

    We also of course harbour top-tier businesses ready to share their insights and innovation with peers around the world. And we harbour dedicated volunteers in everything from health to education, to search and rescue, to the protection of nature – and so much more.

    We are determined to put this talent and commitment to work, making sure we can connect British expertise and British solutions with international partners, in the spirit of collaboration and partnership.

    And as the Member of Parliament representing a large part of Oxford, a city full of people who have dedicated their entire working lives to serving others in need, this is personal priority for me.

    Fourthly – in doing all of this, the new government will be confident in publicly championing the power of international development – so we all feel the benefits of working together to make headway.

    At a time when the Prime Minister and Chancellor have set us all a challenge to grow our economy and bring opportunity to people across our country, we know our partners around the world share these goals for their countries and their people as well – from clean energy, to protecting and restoring nature – land and sea – and from trade, to tackling illicit finance.

    So that means no more apologising for making progress where we can, and more recognition that putting our best foot forward, in all we do at home and around the world, is in everyone’s best interests.

    Finally – I want to emphasise how much I look forward to working with all of you in the months and years ahead. In the last fourteen weeks, I have seen what development can achieve. From promoting green growth in Indonesia to helping keeping Syrian girls in school in Jordan, to promoting a literal life-line in South Sudan.

    I have seen how the UK can promote modern partnerships – at big global meetings from Rio to New York to Hamburg. And time and again, I have been reminded that as Mandela said, our human compassion binds us to one another, not in pity or paternalism, but in pursuit of our common purpose – of relieving suffering, and reinvigorating hope for our shared future by working towards it together.

    Mandela also said that together, as you all know, we could make poverty history. Well, much has changed since that time, twenty years ago, under a Labour government – for good and for bad.

    But it remains the case that the only way we can tackle shared challenges – from getting help to those in need, to preventing global health crises –i s by working towards it together.

    That is the only way we can make the most of shared opportunities – from reforming the global financial system, to healing the natural world. And that is the only way we can make good on the promises we have made at home as well – from the first duty of government to keep our nation safe, to our mission to grow our economy, so we bring opportunity to all.

    Sadly, there are forces hell-bent on setting the Global North in opposition to the Global South. Yet partnership is part and parcel of how we overcome them, and make sure that those of us who care about our shared future are able to work towards it together – ministers and civil servants, everyone here today, medics, firefighters, teachers volunteering their services, brave journalists, and people up and down our country – including our proud diasporas doing so much for our communities here and their families overseas.

    The British people understand this deeply, and it is extraordinary that even in such challenging times, people find a way to help – I have no doubt that the compassion of the British people will shine through once again now.

    Today, I am delighted to announce that the government will match public donations to a new Disaster Emergency Committee appeal, to help charities do more to get life-saving help to civilians caught up in the conflict in the Middle East, across Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, people who find themselves in desperate need of humanitarian relief. This support builds on the humanitarian aid this government has announced for Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, since July. We will match public donations to the new appeal up to £10 million – and together, we will make a difference.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: “We must show up for Black children in the youth justice system”

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Jacob Sakil, YJB Board Member and race champion reflects on Black History Month, identity, and how he’s showing up for Black children in youth justice.

    Jacob Sakil, YJB Board Member

    I moved from Brooklyn New York when I was 11 years old to Lewisham in South London. My mum was British and after she had my youngest brother decided she wanted us to move back to the UK. The first things I noticed were the differences in language, customs, and culture. My mother’s family heritage is from Jamaica and Cuba, and I was beginning to recognise the links between my identity and my Caribbean roots.  

    I wanted to understand the history of the UK and how it’s applied to my identity. What was interesting, is that Black British history was not covered in school in the same way I learnt about Black American history during my time at elementary school in the US. Some people don’t realise that Black British history is British history – it’s for everyone. It helps us to understand our past and recognise the impact of inequality and inequity, and to understand that children and young adults should be able to show up as their best selves without discrimination. 

    At home, my family would often watch the news together and we would discuss our opinions on things that were happening in the world and what needed to change to make things better and fairer. I loved this because when adults where exchanging ideas, my siblings and I were included. I suppose this is where my interest in social action and community stems from. Recognising that our ideas and dreams were just a valid as any adult’s. These interests led to me campaigning to become elected as the Young Mayor of Lewisham at just 16, and taking a greater role and a greater stake in my community. 

    As an adult, I enjoyed youth work; in fact, it became my passion. I was so motivated by how you could bring change for children and young adults. I wanted to inspire them to better understand their heritage and get a real sense of who they are. As a Black man, the importance of role models is important to me. For professionals in youth justice, those of us from Black communities, it’s vital to show up and show who we are and show our heritage, so children feel represented. It is also about occupying space and giving back to a society which at times may not have always been inclusive but has benefited from the duty and determination of people like the Windrush generation.  

    Becoming a YJB Board member

    This is what brought me to the Youth Justice Board. I wanted to be in spaces and places where decisions are being made and to use my identity and lived experiences to bring a greater impact and influence system change. I use my position on the Board as an opportunity to be reflective and demonstrate how we as professionals must show up for children. This coupled with still being an active Youth Worker is one way of staying grounded and remembering the best solutions come from collective and informed decision making. 

    Just last week I recorded a podcast for the YJB with Ricky Otto from Walsall. He works with children in custody and spoke at the Youth Justice Leaders’ Summit earlier this year. That conversation with him about his journey showed me the richness and importance of telling our stories, and reflected how through telling our stories we can create change within the youth justice system. Speaking to Ricky, I was inspired by his pride and his sense of purpose. The importance to him of fatherhood, and what this means to boys in custody was inspirational. He represents the impact and meaning of showing up in the lives of these children. If you get time, please do listen to the podcast.

    Jacob Sakil and Ricky Otto recording a podcast

    The statistics on overrepresentation of Black and Mixed heritage boys tell me that they are not being seen and not being supported. It is so important to allow the conversation of custody to widen and include a renewed focus on rehabilitation and prevention. We need to look towards their futures, their opportunities and at their potential. These boys are more than just numbers.  

    Black History Month, of all the months, is a great chance to reignite the conversation about what change looks like in the UK. It serves as an annual opportunity to deepen the impact of reflection and inform how we go forward. 

    I am proud to be a Black man. I am proud to work with children and young adults, and I am proud to be a YJB Board member. As part of my role on the Board, I am the lead for Equity Diversity and Inclusion. I am showing up for Black and Mixed heritage boys and girls who are overrepresented in the justice system and working to bring change. I am proud to do this because who we are, our identity and our heritage should and does reflect the richness and diversity of the communities we serve.

    Listen to Jacob’s conversation with Ricky Otto on creating change in youth justice

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transport Minister celebrates community transport in West London

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Government is committed to improving local transport networks and making them more inclusive to enable vulnerable people to travel safely and confidently.

    • Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, visited Westway Community Transport in West London to celebrate the work of operators across the country
    • Minister heard first-hand how services help passengers to reach hospital appointments on time, shop and socialise
    • follows government commitment to hand bus powers back to local authorities to support the sector

    Elderly and vulnerable passengers that benefit from on-demand bus and taxi services met with Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, in West London today (17 October 2024) to mark Community Transport Week.

    The Local Transport Minister celebrated the work of operators as he visited Westway community transport in Westbourne Park.

    The minister heard first-hand how services step in to fill the gap where users might not be able to use conventional public transport or drive. This provides a lifeline, allowing users to attend vital hospital appointments, undertake important tasks like food shopping and ensure users can see friends and family.

    To support services, the government currently makes up to £3.8 million available annually to community transport operators. As plans to hand back control of bus services to local authorities gather pace, the government is exploring how this initiative can incorporate the community transport sector.

    Under these plans to deliver the biggest overhaul to bus services in a generation, this government wants to grow passenger numbers and offer more frequent, widespread services, with scope for local authorities and community transport providers to work together to achieve this.

    Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, said:

    Community transport services are a lifeline for so many people, which is why I was delighted to visit Westway today to celebrate the incredible work of operators up and down the country.

    We’re committed to improving our local networks, to make them more inclusive and enable vulnerable people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

    Community transport plays a vital role in providing these services, so we are working to ensure they are part of the solution.

    At the visit, the Minister also spoke to Westway Deputy CEO, Ryan Price, about ways that the government can further support the great work of operators.

    For 30 years, Westway has played a vital role in connecting communities and improving lives across Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham, serving passengers who struggle to use the tube, buses and other public transport.

    Westway Community Transport CEO, Kathleen Lyons, said:

    We were delighted to welcome Simon Lightwood to Westway Community Transport.

    It’s never been more important to showcase the work of community transport. We’re an essential part of the local transport mix – particularly for those who find public transport difficult to use – and a key component in any plan to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

    Community Transport Association (CTA) CEO, Victoria Armstrong, said:

    CTA are delighted that the Local Transport Minister recognises the importance of CTWeek24 by visiting one of our members.

    Community transport is vital to so many people across the UK and this week we celebrate the range of community solutions to transport barriers across the country.

    I am pleased that the minister was able to celebrate with us and to support what community transport is all about.

    The government is ensuring community transport operators, accessibility groups and professionals in the bus industry are in the driving seat as these plans progress.

    Last week marked another step towards handing control back to local authorities, as a consultation on updating guidance to reduce barriers to franchising closed, with over 70 responses from industry.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Black History Month 2024 – a message from Christine Jardine MP

    Source: Liberal Democrats UK

    October is Black History Month – a chance to celebrate the Black British community, acknowledge their contributions and discover their stories.

    It feels particularly timely given this year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, which encourages us to challenge how we perceive history and the world around us. We owe an enormous amount to the Black British community for their contributions to our society – not least the Windrush generation’s key role in building the NHS.

    But here in the UK, far too many people’s lives are still blighted by prejudice, discrimination, and inequality. As we saw in the riots this summer, racism is still far too prevalent in our society. We all have a responsibility to recognise this reality – but also the role that we can play in challenging this injustice.

    I’m proud that Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting for racial equality. That means unequivocally condemning racism in all its forms and tackling injustice wherever we see it.

    Take the Windrush scandal, for example. The previous Conservative government utterly failed to deliver the justice that Windrush victims so deeply deserve. They dithered and delayed with implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learned review, and just last month the Parliamentary Ombudsman found that the Home Office was wrongly denying compensation payments to victims.

    Liberal Democrats will keep pushing to right these wrongs – including by urgently implementing the Lessons Learned review in full, and making the compensation scheme independent from the Home Office.

    And we will strive to put racial equality at the heart of everything we do. Whether that’s bringing forward a specific plan to reduce the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates for Black women, or improving diversity in the workplace and public life.

    As we honour the stories of so many Black pioneers this month, we owe it to them to stand up to hate and injustice wherever we see it.

    Christine Jardine MP

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