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Category: Statistics

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Land Registry releases statistics for October

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Land Registry today (November 4) released its statistics for October 2024.
     
    Land registration    
    ——————- 
    *   The number of sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in October was 5 857 (+52.4 per cent compared with September 2024 and +99.4 per cent compared with October 2023)
     
    *   The 12-month moving average for October was 5 173 (4.9 per cent above the 12-month moving average for September 2024 and 7.0 per cent above that for October 2023)
     
    *   The total consideration for sale and purchase agreements of building units in October was $41.7 billion (+50.6 per cent compared with September 2024 and +43.6 per cent compared with October 2023)
     
    *   Among the sale and purchase agreements, 4 697 were for residential units (+64.9 per cent compared with September 2024 and +121.2 per cent compared with October 2023)
     
    *   The total consideration for sale and purchase agreements in respect of residential units was $37.3 billion (+78.9 per cent compared with September 2024 and +52.2 per cent compared with October 2023)
     
         Statistics on sales of residential units do not include sale and purchase agreements relating to sales of units under the Home Ownership Scheme, the Private Sector Participation Scheme, the Tenants Purchase Scheme, etc, unless the premium of the unit concerned has been paid after the sale restriction period.
          
         Figures on sale and purchase agreements received for the past 12 months, the year-on-year rate of change and breakdown figures on residential sales have also been released.
          
         As deeds may not be lodged with the Land Registry until up to 30 days after the transaction, these statistics generally relate to land transactions in the previous month.
     
    Land search    
    ————– 
    *   The number of searches of land registers made by the public in October was 394 484 (+11.1 per cent compared with September 2024 and +7.9 per cent compared with October 2023)
     
         The statistics cover searches made at the counter, through the self-service terminals and via the Integrated Registration Information System Online Services.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Provisional statistics of restaurant receipts and purchases for third quarter of 2024

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest provisional figures on restaurant receipts and purchases today (November 4).
     
         The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector in the third quarter of 2024, provisionally estimated at $26.7 billion, decreased by 1.3% over a year earlier. Over the same period, the provisional estimate of the value of total purchases by restaurants decreased by 0.1% to $8.8 billion.
     
         After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 3.3% in the third quarter of 2024 compared with a year earlier.
     
         Analysed by type of restaurant and comparing the third quarter of 2024 with the third quarter of 2023, total receipts of Chinese restaurants decreased by 7.7% in value and 9.8% in volume. Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 0.6% in value and 1.5% in volume. Total receipts of fast food shops increased by 8.5% in value and 5.7% in volume. Total receipts of bars decreased by 6.3% in value and 10.1% in volume. As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts increased by 0.3% in value, but decreased by 2.8% in volume.
     
         Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of total restaurant receipts increased by 2.0% in value, but decreased by 3.3% in volume in the third quarter of 2024 compared with the preceding quarter.
     
         Comparing the first three quarters of 2024 with the same period in 2023, total restaurant receipts decreased by 0.3% in value and 2.9% in volume.
     
         To facilitate further understanding of the short-term business performance of the restaurants sector, statistics in respect of the restaurant receipts and purchases in individual months of the reference quarter are also compiled.
     
         Analysed by month, it was provisionally estimated that the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector decreased by 4.2%, decreased by 2.3% and increased by 2.8% respectively in July, August and September 2024, compared with the corresponding months in 2023.
     
         After discounting the effect of price changes, it was provisionally estimated that the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 6.4%, decreased by 4.3% and increased by 1.1% respectively in July, August and September 2024, compared with the corresponding months in 2023.
     
    Commentary
     
         A Government spokesman said that the value of total restaurant receipts recorded a narrowed year-on-year decline of 1.3% in the third quarter of 2024. The business performance of restaurants improved through the quarter, with their total receipts resuming a year-on-year increase of 2.8% in September. Compared with the preceding quarter, the value of total restaurant receipts increased by 2.0% in the third quarter after adjusting for seasonal factors.
     
         Looking ahead, the changing consumption patterns of visitors and residents will continue to affect the business performance of restaurants. Nevertheless, an improved outlook for the Mainland economy following the recent introduction of a wide range of stimulus measures, and the commencement of the US interest rate cut, would render support to catering spending. The SAR Government’s various initiatives to boost market sentiment and increasing employment earnings would also benefit the sector.
     
    Further information
     
         Table 1 presents the revised figures of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant and total purchases by the restaurants sector for the second quarter of 2024 as well as the provisional figures for the third quarter of 2024.
     
         Table 2 and Table 3 present the revised value and volume indices respectively of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant for the second quarter of 2024 and the provisional indices for the third quarter of 2024.
     
         Table 4 presents the year-on-year rate of change in total restaurant receipts in value and volume terms based on the original quarterly series, as well as the quarter-to-quarter rate of change based on the seasonally adjusted series.
     
         The revised figures on restaurant receipts and purchases for the third quarter of 2024 (with breakdown by month) will be released through the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode540.html) and relevant publications of the Department from December 20, 2024.
     
         The classification of restaurants follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.
     
         More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080002&scode=540).
     
         Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of C&SD (Tel: 3903 7401; e-mail: qsr@censtatd.gov.hk).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Australia: Parliament moves one step closer to deliver pay rise for early educators

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    Every day, parents trust early educators with the most important people in their world, and every day Australia asks early educators to do one of the most important jobs imaginable.

    Today the Albanese Government has passed legislation through the House of Representatives to make sure those educators are fairly paid.

    Once it passes through Parliament, the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) Bill 2024 will deliver a 15 per cent wage increase for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workers.
    This wage increase will be tied to a commitment from Child Care Centres to limit fee increases. We want to make sure workers can be fairly paid without the costs being passed on to families.

    Since coming to Government, the number of ECEC workers has grown by more than 30,000, but we need more.

    This $3.6 billion investment will help retain our existing early childhood educators, who are predominately women, and attract new employees.
    By improving access to quality early childhood education and care we can also boost productivity and workforce participation in the short and long-term. Significantly, the wage increase also applies to workers in outside school hours care services – creating benefits for the parents of school aged children too.
    This wage increase is an important next step in the Government’s reforms to the sector, building on the successful Cheaper Child Care changes.  

    The wage increase will be phased in over two years, and include a 10 per cent increase from December 2024, and a further 5 per cent increase from December 2025.
    This means a typical ECEC educator who is paid at the award rate will receive a pay rise of at least $103 per week, increasing to at least $155 per week from December 2025.

    For a typical early childhood teacher, they’ll receive an additional $166 a week from December this year, increasing to $249 from December of next year.
    To be eligible to receive funding for the wage increase, ECEC services won’t be able to increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent over the next 12 months from August 2024.

    There will also be a limit on fee growth in the second year of the wage subsidy. The percentage limit on fee growth that will apply from August 2025 will be determined by a new ECEC cost index being developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

    Early learning providers can now apply for Commonwealth Government funding to deliver the pay rise.

    This is a win for workers, a win for families and will help ease cost of living pressures.
    Combined with the Government’s Cheaper Child Care initiative, this wage increase will help support the availability of early education and care for families and is a crucial step in charting the course to a truly universal early education system.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, Jason Clare:
    “The child care debate is over. It’s not babysitting. It’s early education and it’s critical to preparing children for school.
    “They lift our kids up and now we are lifting their pay.
    “This means wages up for workers and keeping prices down for families.
    “A pay rise for every early childhood educator is good for our workforce, good for families and good our economy.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly:
    “This is a wonderful outcome for a highly feminised workforce that has for far too long been neglected and taken for granted.
    “We’re boosting the wages of early childhood education workers, while relieving cost of living pressures on Australian families.
    “Properly valuing the early childhood education and care workforce is crucial to attracting and retaining workers and vital to achieving the quality universal early learning sector Australian families deserve.
    “A quality early childhood education sector is necessary to support children’s learning and development as well as workforce participation in the broader economy.”

    MIL OSI News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: Caroline Abel: Opening remarks – Central Bank of Seychelles’ Board Retreat

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Fellow Board Directors,
    Consultant from ‘It’s A Learning Curve’
    CBS Colleagues,

    Good morning.

    It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this year’s CBS Board Retreat.

    Before I proceed further, I would like us to acknowledge one of our own, who unfortunately left us unexpectedly yesterday. Graham Adeline was a vibrant young man with a promising future in the Research and Statistics Division. He will surely leave a void in the lives of all of us who have known and interacted with him. My heart is heavy, and I would like us to observe a minute of silence to honour his memory.

    Since our last retreat held in November of last year, we have seen some changes in the composition of our Board. We bade farewell to three Board Directors – two having arrived at the end of their tenure, and one following amendments to the CBS Act; I was re-appointed in the post of Governor and Chairperson of the Board; and we welcomed two new members amongst our ranks, notably Second Deputy Governor Mike Tirant and Board Director Jean-Paul Barbier, both formerly members of the CBS team.

    Our deliberations over the next two days will provide a unique opportunity for us to step back from our routine responsibilities, reflect on our strategic direction, and engage in thoughtful discussions that will shape the future of our institution.

    We find ourselves in a world where uncertainty is not just a phase but a constant. Being a forward-looking institution, it is essential that the Central Bank adopts a long-term view in navigating this evolving environment with a sense of purpose and resilience. Managing through uncertainty requires us to anticipate changes, both seen and unforeseen, and prepare to respond swiftly and effectively.

    Our people, our human capital, remain our most valuable asset. We acknowledge the key role that our employees play in upholding the vision and achieving the mission of CBS, ensuring that, as an institution, we maintain a leading role in the economy and the country as a whole. With the move towards implementing a ‘People Function’ approach, we’re putting each and every individual at the core of what we do and ensuring that we have policies in place that recognise the value that they bring to the organisation, celebrate their achievements and support their wellbeing.

    As we continue to invest in our teams, we must also recognise that technological advancement is accelerating rapidly. It is crucial that we embrace these advancements not just as enhancements to our operations but as tools to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness across the Bank. From artificial intelligence to digital transformation, we will continue to harness technology to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that our workforce is empowered, skilled, and adaptable.

    In addition to our focus on technology, we must also reflect on the strategic positioning of our institution as we face new realities in central banking. Issues like sustainability and climate change are not just peripheral concerns – they are becoming central to our mission. As you are aware, we are currently undergoing an exercise to integrate sustainability-related risks and opportunities into our decision-making framework, ensuring that our strategies are aligned with global trends and regulatory expectations.

    The landscape of payments is also shifting beneath our feet. From sunsetting legacy systems to the rise of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, the infrastructure challenges we face are complex but surmountable. We must be prepared to lead in this area, ensuring that our payment systems remain secure, resilient, and future-proof. Furthermore, with our ongoing building projects, business continuity will be a central theme, ensuring that we remain operationally sound as we modernise our physical and technological infrastructure.

    At the core of these discussions is the need to bring more efficiency into our operations and streamline our decision-making processes. Efficiency will not only improve our internal performance, but also enable us to respond to external pressures with greater agility and foresight.

    Over the course of this retreat, we will dive into several key areas that are critical to the Bank’s success. First, we will review our organisational performance, assessing where we stand today and identifying areas for improvement. Second, succession planning will take centre stage. As we move forward, ensuring a smooth and thoughtful leadership transition is essential for maintaining stability and continuity within the Bank.

    In closing, I encourage each of you to participate openly and candidly. This retreat is not only about the challenges we face, but also about envisioning a future where we continue to thrive as an institution.

    Thank you, and I look forward to our discussions.

    Thank You.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: As the stars of hip-hop’s golden age approach their golden years, some confront questions about whether old blood can make new music

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia

    52-year-old rapper Common performs on Sept. 11, 2024, in Atlanta. Paras Griffin/Getty Images

    It’s always awkward telling people what I do for a living. I’m a rapper. I also work as a professor of hip-hop.

    I work at the intersection of artmaking and academic research. I write music as part of a greater effort to challenge antiquated ideas about learning, teaching and expertise.

    But I assume the awkwardness in conversations about work is related to stereotypes of hip-hop culture. Among many, one of those assumptions is that hip-hop is only made for and by young people.

    It’s no surprise that ageism exists in and about hip-hop culture; in the U.S., ageism is everywhere. But I would argue that ageism in hip-hop is especially strong because the first generation of rappers is only now reaching their golden years.

    New rap categories

    In August 2024, music producer 9th Wonder proposed a new “Adult Contemporary” category for rap music. A month prior, 52-year-old Common and 54-year-old producer Pete Rock had released “The Auditorium, Vol. 1.”

    In response to 9th Wonder, legendary hip-hop artist Q-Tip warned on the social platform X that hip-hop fans might be turned off by a category with “adult” in the name. He suggested “Traditional Hip-Hop” instead, arguing that the music should all appear in “one pot,” lest it turn off younger listeners.

    Whether it’s called Adult Contemporary or Traditional Hip-Hop, several hip-hop legends have recently released new music that could fit into this category. In July 2024, the legendary lyricist Rakim, who’s 56 years old, released “G.O.D.’S NETWORK (REB7RTH),” his first album in 15 years. Two months later, 54-year-old MC Lyte released “1 of 1,” her ninth studio album, and 56-year-old LL Cool J released “The Force,” his 14th studio album and his first in 11 years.

    Growing pains

    Since hip-hop emerged as a cultural force more than 50 years ago, people still seem to pigeonhole rap as music made by and for young people.

    And it’s true that in hip-hop’s early days, teenagers were at the forefront of the fledgling movement.

    A 1973 back-to-school party organized by a 15-year-old girl from the Bronx named Cindy Campbell is often credited with birthing hip-hop. Grand Wizzard Theodore was just 12 years old when he invented record scratching in 1977. The hip-hop careers of artists like Roxanne Shanté, Run-DMC and Ice Cube all began when they were teens.

    Being closely intertwined with the perception of youth culture isn’t necessarily a good thing. It can compel critics to treat the music and its practitioners less seriously.

    Rappers, no matter their age, can be dismissed or treated as childish or immature.

    Call it growing pains: Unlike, say, classical or country, 50 years is a blip in the history of music. And for much of that time, critics regarded hip-hop as a passing fad. Then it was seen as an emergent subculture.

    It’s only been a category at the Grammys since 1989, and only recently has it been recognized as a commercial and cultural force with a global reach.

    Nowadays, equating hip-hop with youth culture confines it to an arena it has long outgrown.

    Imposter syndrome grows

    Nonetheless, as rappers age, some can seem uncomfortable about participating in a form that can be so easily dismissed.

    In 2015, filmmaker Paul Iannacchino Jr. released a documentary, “Adult Rappers,” about working-class rap artists.

    All the people interviewed for the film rap professionally but aren’t famous. They are mostly men. Most of them admit that they sidestep questions about what they do for a living. One unshakable takeaway is the embarrassment about their age.

    Even famous rappers aren’t immune to this feeling. Before his move to instrumental flute music, André 3000, one of the greatest rappers of all time, lamented becoming the old rapper still making music beyond his prime.

    “I remember, at like 25, saying, ‘I don’t want to be a 40-year-old rapper,’” he told The New York Times in 2014. “I’m 39 now, and I’m still standing by that. I’m such a fan that I don’t want to infiltrate it with old blood.”

    André 3000 has been a gifted lyricist for decades, and remains so. If he feels this way, I can imagine that many other artists might feel that, at a certain age, they don’t belong to the culture anymore.

    Or the culture no longer belongs to them.

    Andre 3000, who’s 49 years old, has worried that his ‘old blood’ wouldn’t jibe with rap culture.
    Per Ole Hagen/Redferns via Getty Images

    Forever young?

    Despite the fact that audiences have aged alongside the artists, it can still feel like there’s pressure to stay tapped in to youth culture, lest they create music that, to quote André 3000 more recently, lacks “fresh ingredients.”

    This might encourage some aging artists to attempt to maintain a youthful sheen that will resonate with young audiences. Think of it as a pop culture version of Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

    In the novel, a man sells his soul for youth. Rather than physically aging, a painting of him ages instead, taking on the physical signs of his transgressions and pleasures.

    It’s still easy to think of hip-hop as confined to a frame that bears all the marks of youthful longings, rebellion and sins: juvenile vitality, sprightly beauty and vigorous hedonism.

    The expectations lead audiences to assume all artists have similar youthful aims and concerns. They can also lead artists to perform like they’re young and write about the concerns they had as youngsters, despite their respective ages. The hip-hop artists who can’t or choose not to pretend to be “forever young” are expected to “evolve” into moguls, actors, podcasters or reality TV personalities.

    Of course, those assumptions only end up limiting what artists of all ages can accomplish.

    Rappers at whatever level of celebrity you observe, famous and not famous, continue to create while embracing the inevitability of age. Nas, whose debut album, “Illmatic,” was released in 1994, has had an outstanding run of albums in the 2020s.

    Jay-Z’s “4:44” showcased the rapper’s changing sensibilities that have seemingly evolved as he has aged.

    North Carolina duo Little Brother’s entire catalog displays awareness of the absurdity of avoiding adulthood – outstandingly so, I might add, on their 2019 album, “May the Lord Watch.”

    Even emerging rappers like Conway the Machine and 7xvethegenius seem to be able to balance burgeoning careers without caving to youth-obsessed pretenses.

    Creating new, cleverly named musical categories to sidestep biases against aging probably won’t solve the issue. In hip-hop, as in so many American industries, ageism isn’t going away.

    For that reason, my embrace of being an adult rapper will probably continue to make for awkward introductions.

    But I’d rather have that conversation than pretend I’m something I’m not.

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

    – ref. As the stars of hip-hop’s golden age approach their golden years, some confront questions about whether old blood can make new music – https://theconversation.com/as-the-stars-of-hip-hops-golden-age-approach-their-golden-years-some-confront-questions-about-whether-old-blood-can-make-new-music-240077

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: Osteoporosis, the silent disease, can shorten your life − here’s how to prevent fractures and keep bones healthy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ting Zhang, Research Scholar of Orthopedics, University of Pittsburgh

    With some simple lifestyle changes, you can lower your risk of osteoporosis. Capifrutta/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Because there are typically no symptoms until the first fracture occurs, osteoporosis is considered a silent disease. Some call it a silent killer.

    Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by decreased bone density and strength, leading to fragile, brittle bones that increase the risk of fractures, especially in the spine, hips and wrists.

    The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that more than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Another 43 million have low bone mass, which is the precursor to osteoporosis. By 2030, the number of adults with osteoporosis or low bone mass is estimated to increase by more than 30%, to 71 million.

    The reasons for the increase include lifestyle issues, particularly smoking, lack of physical activity and alcohol abuse. Our aging population, along with the insufficient attention paid to this disease, are also why osteoporosis is on the rise.

    An illustration of osteoporosis of the spine. Note the sponge-like tissue, which is partially destroyed.
    BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    If you are older, it may be discouraging to read those statistics. But as orthopedic specialists who have studied this disease, we know that osteoporosis is not inevitable. The key to having healthy bones for a lifetime is to take some simple preventive measures – and the earlier, the better.

    Although the symptoms are not obvious early on, certain signs will indicate your bones are becoming weaker. The most serious complications of osteoporosis are fractures, which can lead to chronic pain, hospitalization, disability, depression, reduced quality of life and increased mortality. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes nearly 9 million fractures annually. That’s one osteoporotic fracture every three seconds.

    Height loss, back pain

    Minor bumps or falls may lead to fractures, especially in the hip, wrist or spine. These types of fractures are often the first sign of the disease.

    If you notice that you’re getting shorter, the cause could be compression fractures in the spine; this too is a common symptom of osteoporosis.

    Although it’s typical for most people to lose height as they age – about 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to 3.8 centimeters) over a lifetime – those with osteoporosis who have multiple spinal fractures could lose 2 to 3 inches or more in a relatively rapid time frame.

    Curved posture, or noticeable changes in posture, may lead to a hunched back, which could be a sign that your spine is weakening and losing density.

    Persistent back pain is another indicator – this too is the result of tiny fractures or compression of the spine.

    A healthy diet and exercise are two ways to build up bone density.

    Calcium and vitamin D

    Osteoporosis cannot be completely cured, but certain lifestyle and dietary factors can lower your risk.

    Calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health. Calcium helps maintain strong bones, while vitamin D assists in calcium absorption. Women over age 50 and men over 70 should consume at least 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily from food and, if necessary, supplements.

    The easy way to get calcium is through dairy products. Milk, yogurt and cheese are among the richest sources. One cup of milk provides about 300 milligrams of calcium, one-fourth of the daily requirement. If you are vegan, calcium is in many plant-based foods, including soy, beans, peas, lentils, oranges, almonds and dark leafy greens.

    Adults should aim for two to three servings of calcium-rich foods daily. Consuming them throughout the day with meals helps improve absorption.

    Vitamin D is obtained mostly from supplements and sunlight, which is the easiest way to get the recommended dose. Your body will produce enough vitamin D if you expose your arms, legs and face to direct sunlight for 10 to 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., two to three times a week.

    Although it’s best to wear short-sleeve shirts and shorts during this brief period, it’s okay to wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen to your face. Sunlight through a window won’t have the same effect – glass reduces absorption of the UV rays needed for vitamin D production. People with darker skin, or those living in less sunny regions, may need more sunlight to get the same effect.

    If a doctor has given you a diagnosis of osteoporosis, it’s possible the calcium and vitamin D that you’re getting through food and sun exposure alone is not enough; you should ask your doctor if you need medication.

    Chickpeas, sesame seeds and dark green vegetables, such as kale, arugula and broccoli, are good sources of calcium.

    Dance, jog, lift weights and avoid alcohol

    Regular exercise is an excellent activity that can help stave off osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises, such as brisk walking, jogging and dancing, are great for increasing bone density. Strength training, such as lifting weights, helps with stability and flexibility, which reduces the risk of falling.

    Aim for 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise at least four days a week, combined with muscle-strengthening exercises at least twice a week.

    Particularly for women, who lose bone density during and after menopause, regular exercise is critical. Working out prior to menopause will reduce the risk of osteoporosis in your later years.

    And avoid harmful habits – smoking and heavy alcohol consumption can weaken bone density and increase the risk of fractures.

    Fall prevention strategies and balance training are crucial and can help reduce the risk of fractures.

    Screening and treatment

    Women should start osteoporosis screening at age 65, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Men should consider screening if they have risk factors for osteoporosis, which include smoking, alcohol use disorder, some chronic diseases such as diabetes, and age. Men over 70 are at higher risk.

    Medical imaging such as a bone density scan and spinal X-rays can help confirm osteoporosis and detect compression fractures. These basic tests, combined with age and medical history, are enough to make a clear diagnosis.

    Managing osteoporosis is a long-term process that requires ongoing commitment to lifestyle changes. Recognizing the early warning signs and making these proactive lifestyle changes is the first step to prevent the disease and keep your bones healthy.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Osteoporosis, the silent disease, can shorten your life − here’s how to prevent fractures and keep bones healthy – https://theconversation.com/osteoporosis-the-silent-disease-can-shorten-your-life-heres-how-to-prevent-fractures-and-keep-bones-healthy-241547

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Hickenlooper Call on Fed to Deliver Bigger Rate Cut to Protect the Economy and Provide Relief for American Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    November 04, 2024
    With new inflation data showing inflation nearly at Fed’s target, Senators call for .5% cut
    “If the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream.” 
    Text of Letter (PDF) 
    Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed; the Board) November Federal Open Market Committee  meeting, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) urged Fed to deliver a 50 basis point (.50%; each basis point is one hundredth of a percent) cut to the federal funds rate. 
    After months of calling on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, the Board finally lowered it by 50 basis points in September, the first cut since 2020. The Fed explained: “[t]he Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance.”
    Recent economic data shows that inflation has fallen to 2.1 percent, the lowest since February of 2021. There is no need for restrictive interest rates given this inflation data.
    Even as the economy remains strong, the demand for workers may be waning due to the Fed’s restrictive monetary policy. New statistics from the Department of Labor indicate that unemployment claims fell while the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose, suggesting unemployed people are having a more difficult time landing jobs. 
    The Senators noted that borrowing costs, and in turn housing costs, are still too high. Lowering interest rates is key to unlocking more supply: rate cuts will lower the cost of capital, which would help tackle inflation by spurring more housing construction and consequently lowering housing prices. However, the Fed’s high interest rates have suppressed housing construction for years. 
    “If the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream,” wrote the senators. 
    Senator Warren has been ringing the alarm bells about the serious dangers of Chair Powell’s failure to lower interest rates: 
    In September 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, currently at a two decade-high of 5.3 percent, by 75 basis points at the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting. 
    In July 2024, Senators Warren, Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell, cut to interest rates at the Fed’s July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, in light of economic data showing that inflation was decreasing and very close to the Fed’s target. 
    In June 2024, Senators Warren, Rosen (D-Nev.), and Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) wrote to the Federal Reserve (the Fed), urging Chair Jerome Powell to cut the federal funds interest rates from the two-decade-high of 5.5 percent.
    In March 2024, Senators Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sent a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concerns about the damaging impact of the Fed’s extreme 2022 and 2023 interest rate hikes, which have halted deployment of clean energy technologies and have undermined the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate and consumer benefits. The senators called on the Fed to cut interest rates to allow for continued progress on clean energy projects and the climate and economic benefits they provide. 
    In January 2024, Senators Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Whitehouse sent a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to reverse its troubling interest rate hikes that have driven mortgage rates to 20-year highs and have put affordable housing out of reach for too many Americans. 
    In July 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Chair Powell, raising concerns about the disproportionate impact of the Fed’s monetary policy amid rising unemployment for Black workers. 
    In May 2023, Senator Warren led lawmakers in a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to pause interest rate hikes and respect its dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability, particularly in the wake of recent turmoil in the banking system following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank. The lawmakers expressed serious concerns that the Fed’s monetary policy strategy of more rate hikes could trigger a recession, throw millions out of work, and crush small businesses. 
    In March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren questioned Chair Powell on the Fed’s monetary policy plan and its projection that the unemployment rate will rise sharply to 4.6% by the end of the year if the Fed continues to raise interest rates. Senator Warren highlighted that the Fed’s projections suggest that nearly 2 million people will lose their jobs, and that history shows that the Fed has a poor track record of containing moderate increases in unemployment.
    In November 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concern and seeking answers about the Fed’s most recent economic projections, its intentions to continue to raise interest rates at a rapid pace, and its disturbing warning to American families that they should expect “pain” in the coming months. 
    In July 2022, Senator Warren published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning that the Fed’s decision to aggressively raise interest rates risks triggering a devastating recession.
    In June 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren called out Chair Powell for the Fed’s announced interest rate increases that wouldn’t address the key drivers of inflation. Chair Powell confirmed that the Fed’s interest rate increases will not bring down gas and food prices, two of the biggest drivers of inflation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Higher education reform to back opportunity and protect students

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Tuition fees to rise in line with inflation, helping put universities on a secure footing alongside inflation-linked lift to maintenance loans.

    The government has today (4 November 2024) unveiled a significant package of measures to support students and stabilise the university sector.  

    Students facing cost of living pressures will be supported with an inflation-linked increase to maintenance loans, alongside new steps to boost access for disadvantaged learners.    

    The increase in cash-in-hand support of 3.1% will provide as much as £414 extra per year, to help students from the lowest income families.   

    Higher education providers’ financial sustainability will also be bolstered, after seven years of no increases to domestic tuition fee caps – meaning fees have not kept pace with inflation.   

    These changes will take effect at the start of the 2025 to 2026 academic year, with maximum fees rising by 3.1% to £9,535. After leaving study, student loan borrowers will not see their monthly student loan repayments increase as a result of these changes.   

    If a borrower’s income is below the repayment threshold, they aren’t required to make any repayments. And after 40 years any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be written off.   

    Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:   

    This government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, which is why we are doing more to support students struggling with the cost of living despite the fiscal challenges our country faces.

    The situation we have inherited means this government must take the tough decisions needed to put universities on a firmer financial footing so they can deliver more opportunity for students and growth for our economy.

    Universities must deliver better value for money for students and taxpayers: that is why this investment must come with a major package of reforms so they can drive growth around the country and serve the communities they are rooted in.

    In exchange for this additional investment students are being asked to make, the government is calling on universities to significantly step up work to boost access for disadvantaged students and break down barriers to opportunity.   

    Providers will be expected to play a stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students, and the department for Education will announce a package of reforms in the coming months.  

    Recent data shows that the gap between disadvantaged students and their peers in progression to university by age 19 is the highest on record, and the Education Secretary has called on universities to do more to address this.    

    Graduates earn an average of £100,000 more over their lifetime than non-graduates, underlining the continued value of a university degree to employers and learners alike. But these statistics have shown that that too often background and personal circumstances are barriers to people getting on in life.   

    The increase in fees will mean providers can start to address systemic problems, with 40% forecasted to be in budget deficits, and help ease pressure on their finances. It also means providers can continue to deliver high quality education that boosts the life chances of those who choose this path, as well as protecting their status as engines of economic growth.   

    The move follows the Education Secretary’s immediate action this summer to refocus the Office for Students’ role, and ensure it more closely monitors financial sustainability to safeguard the future of higher education.    

    The Education Secretary has also announced today that maximum tuition fees for classroom-based foundation years courses will be reduced to £5,760 from the start of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. This will ensure that courses are delivered more efficiently and at lower costs to students.

    The announcement follows last week’s update to plans for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), a transformation of the student finance system which will expand access to high-quality, flexible education and training for adults throughout their working lives.  

    After careful consideration the LLE will now launch in academic year 2026 to 2027, to ensure it meets the government’s ambitions to fill skill gaps and kickstart economic growth.   

    This will enable plans to be refined, help collaboration with Skills England to support the government’s industrial strategy, and give education providers the necessary time to prepare for this new system.

    Further information on fees

    The latest Q1 2026 RPIX forecast of 3.1% gives the following uplifts to fees and maintenance loans for 2025 to 2026.

    Type Fees 2024 to 2025 Fees for 2025 to 2026 Uplift
    Full-time £9,250 £9,535 £285   
    Part-time £6,935 £7,145 £210   
    Accelerated £11,100 £11,440 £340   

    Note: Figures rounded down to the nearest £5 – figures are higher amounts.

    Student Maintenance loans 2024 to 2025 Maintenance loans 2025 to 2026 Uplift
    Home  £8,610 £8,877 £267   
    London £13,348 £13,762 £414   
    Elsewhere £10,227 £10,544 £317   
    Overseas £11,713 £12,076 £363

    Note: Figures for full-time students not eligible for benefits and part-time students (100% FTE). Figures rounded to nearest £1.   

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

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    Published 4 November 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada releases draft regulations to cap pollution, drive innovation, and create jobs in the oil and gas industry

    Source: Government of Canada News

    After years of steady progress, Canada’s climate plan is working to deliver greenhouse gas pollution reductions for Canadians

    November 4, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

    After years of steady progress, Canada’s climate plan is working to deliver greenhouse gas pollution reductions for Canadians. Across the economy, Canadian workers and businesses are innovating to reduce greenhouse gas pollution while creating good jobs and cleaner air.

    Canadians and their communities bear the brunt and pay the costs from increased extreme weather events due to climate change—costs that are reflected in the price of groceries, insurance, and local taxes. They understand that all sectors must do their fair share to decrease pollution and address climate change. The oil and gas sector is Canada’s largest source of greenhouse gas pollution, and emissions from part of the sector continue to grow. As an important part of the Canadian economy supporting 400,000 jobs, the oil and gas sector is well positioned to reinvest record profits into projects that drive cleaner production that will help create and sustain good jobs for generations.

    Today, the Government of Canada introduced draft regulations to put a clear limit on greenhouse gas pollution from oil and gas production. The proposed regulations work by setting a cap on greenhouse gas pollution within the sector, equivalent to 35 percent below 2019 levels. They would create a cap-and-trade system designed to recognize better-performing companies and incentivize those that are higher polluting to invest in making their production processes cleaner.

    The proposed regulations put a limit on pollution, not production, and have been informed by extensive engagement with industry, Indigenous groups, provinces and territories, and other stakeholders. The proposed regulations are carefully designed around what is technically achievable within the sector, while allowing continued production growth. Many oil and gas producers share our commitment to a strong, low-carbon economy, and some have already committed to significant methane emissions reductions and the implementation of carbon capture technology to reduce greenhouse gases.

    Canada is the world’s fourth-largest producer of oil and the fifth-largest producer of gas. As demand for oil and gas peaks in the coming decade and begins to decline, the fuels extracted with the least amount of pollution will be in highest demand. The oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap will help the sector remain competitive as the global economy continues to decarbonize and allow Canada to quickly and effectively respond to shifting global demand.

    The oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap is part of a suite of measures to cut pollution, including significant financial supports for carbon capture and storage and other clean technologies that also support workers, namely through the federal Canada Growth Fund and new investment tax credits.

    The climate decisions we make today will help contribute directly to a cleaner, safer environment and good jobs for future generations. The oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap will stimulate the investment needed to innovate and build a thriving economy that works for everyone. Canada has a historic opportunity to act to combat the climate crisis and create a strong 21st century economy where we continue to be an energy supplier for the world.

    The Government will continue to consult to inform the final regulations, which will be published in 2025.

    • The Government of Canada will continue to consult to inform the final regulations, which it plans to publish next year. Written comments in response to the proposed regulations can be submitted during the formal consultation period from November 9, 2024, to January 8, 2025.  

    • According to Statistics Canada’s latest figures, operating profits in the oil and gas sector increased tenfold after the pandemic, from $6.6 billion in 2019 to $66.6 billion in 2022. Profits have remained strong with consecutive record years, and capital expenditures have been targeting new production rather than decarbonization. The draft regulation will encourage the sector to redirect these record profits into decarbonization.

    • The Canadian Climate Institute estimates that by 2025, Canada will experience annual losses in economic growth of $25 billion as a result of climate change, underlining the need to take urgent action for the sake of our economy, our environment, and our future.

    • According to the most recent National Inventory Report, Canada’s oil and gas sector accounted for 31 percent of national emissions in 2022, making it the largest contributor to Canada’s emissions.

    • Capping the greenhouse gas pollution from the oil and gas sector is one of the key measures outlined in Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, a sector-by-sector roadmap to reduce Canada’s overall emissions to 40–45 percent below our 2005 pollution levels in the most cost-effective way possible while building a stronger economy for the 21st century.

    • The Government of Canada has supported carbon capture projects such as Strathcona Resources, an oil sands company that has a $2 billion project with agreements to store up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The federal government also recently supported Entropy, an Alberta-based company, to scale up its carbon capture and sequestration technology at a natural gas facility, which will reduce emissions by 2.8 million tonnes over 15 years and support more than 1,200 good jobs for Albertans.

    • Early estimates from the Canadian Climate Institute show that Canada’s emissions have started to decline in 2023, the first year since the pandemic when the economy was back in full operation.

    • Environment and Climate Change Canada analysis shows that, with the oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap, oil and gas production is projected to grow by 16 percent by 2030–2032 from 2019 levels, provided the sector implements technically achievable decarbonization measures.

    • The oil and gas greenhouse gas pollution cap would regulate upstream oil and gas facilities, including offshore facilities, and would also apply to liquefied natural gas production facilities. These subsectors represent the majority of emissions from the oil and gas sector, with the upstream subsector representing about 85 percent of sector emissions in 2022. The emissions cap will cover activities such as oil sands extraction and upgrading, conventional oil production, natural gas production and processing, and production of liquified natural gas.

    • The latest analysis from the International Energy Agency shows that global demand for fossil fuels, including oil, will peak by 2030 without any more policy action to reduce emissions. With further policy action, oil demand would peak even sooner.

    Hermine Landry
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    873-455-3714
    Hermine.Landry@ec.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Environment and Climate Change Canada
    819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free)
    media@ec.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: What happens if you have a HELP debt and kids? The missed opportunity in Labor’s plan to fix student loans

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Warburton, Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne

    Rogut/Pexels , CC BY

    The Albanese government has announced several significant changes to student loans to start in mid-2025.

    These include wiping 20% off debts, increasing the income threshold for compulsory repayments, and changing the amounts people have to repay.

    As well as encouraging Australians to study, the changes aim to provide cost-of-living relief – or, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday:

    putting more dollars in the pockets of people who feel, justifiably, that they’re getting the rough end of the pineapple.

    The changes are certainly an improvement. Unfortunately, they are not as good as they should be – particularly if you have a HELP debt and a family to support.

    What is the point of HELP?

    My analysis of the most recently released tax statistics indicates more than 70% of those required to make a HELP repayment in 2021–22 earned between A$60,000 and A$120,000. Only 20% earned more than $120,000 and less than 10% earned less than $60,000.

    The HECS (now HELP) system was conceived in the 1980s as a way to generate revenue to help the government pay for an expansion of university places.

    It doesn’t matter if people do not repay all of their loans. The primary purpose is to have students who have benefited, and can afford to contribute to the cost of their education, give something back.

    While fairness has always been a key plank of HECS/HELP, there are some major problems with the system. And the changes announced over the weekend continue to ignore them.

    The HECS/HELP system was designed so students would only repay loans if they had the capacity to do so.
    Enrico Della Pietra/ Shutterstock

    What about families?

    Student loan arrangements have never taken account of other government payments and obligations such as social security, taxation rates, taxation rebates and Medicare levies.

    As I have shown in this analysis, for some family types, HELP repayments combine to produce ridiculous effective tax rates.

    Imagine the following scenarios for someone with a HELP debt, earning between $60,000 and $100,000 and who had a pay increase in this income range.

    In 2022-23, if you were single with no kids, the average effective tax rate on the extra earnings was 51%.

    If you were single with two kids aged four and seven, the average effective tax rate on the extra earnings was 77%. If those children were ten and 13, it was 73%.

    The situation is similar in a couple family with two children where only one parent is able to work. The working parent has little incentive to increase their earned income and this won’t change much under the new proposals.

    The reason people in these situations keep so little of their extra earnings is because as family incomes increase, they lose family tax benefits, they pay more tax and their Medicare levy increases.

    There is not enough attention paid to how all these arrangements interact and how they affect people overall.

    We need to know many families are paying HELP

    The government’s plan to increase the HELP repayment threshold to those with an annual income of $67,000 is a welcome improvement. The system was never intended to take money off people with virtually no capacity to pay.

    The government’s plan to simplify the repayment arrangements is also a positive step. The current system has 18 different repayment rates applied to total income, which means people are repeatedly going backwards when they earn extra money. The new plan to only calculate repayments on dollars over the threshold (the marginal rate approach) stops this from happening.

    But the system continues to disregard how people with HELP debts can be in different family circumstances.

    In my work on HELP, I often get asked how many HELP debtors have dependent children. The answer is I do not know and neither does the government.

    None of the data which the government releases provides any information on family circumstances, despite the fact around $4.6 billion was collected from 1.2 million individuals in 2021-22 (the most recent year we have for this data).

    This is vital information to make good policy and fair decisions but we do not have it.

    Could these problems be fixed?

    We could reduce many of the worst impacts here with a single marginal rate for calculating HELP repayments and thresholds which varied depending on the number of children and partner’s income.

    The repayment rate and thresholds could be adjusted to deliver an acceptable repayment level for individuals and sufficient revenue for government to support university funding.

    There is no point in pretending the current system is one in which people have an insignificant level of debt that is repaid quickly after university.

    Typical students today are finishing their degrees owing around $60,000 and many have debts much larger than this. They will continue to make repayments well into their thirties when they have families.

    It is time we had a system that truly recognised this.

    Mark Warburton is a member of the Australian Labor Party and occasional provider of consultancy services to groups such as Universities Australia and the Australian Technology Network.

    – ref. What happens if you have a HELP debt and kids? The missed opportunity in Labor’s plan to fix student loans – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-if-you-have-a-help-debt-and-kids-the-missed-opportunity-in-labors-plan-to-fix-student-loans-242758

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Rubio Calls Out PwC for Appeasing Communist China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to increase scrutiny of Western auditing and consulting firms, including global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

    Instead of distancing itself from Communist China, PwC has opted to strengthen its relationship with the regime. Notably, PwC’s China division has consulted for government officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where Beijing is committing genocide against Uyghurs and other groups, appointed an apparent CCP member to the head of its China operations, and aligned itself with Beijing’s strategic goals by openly supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

    U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to PwC Global Chairman Mohamed Khande expressing concern over the company’s ties to the CCP and demanding answers on the threat those ties pose to U.S. interests.  

    • “Simultaneous engagements with foreign adversaries are unacceptable. PwC’s apparent deep connections with CCP-controlled entities raise questions about conflicts of interest that could preclude PwC from executing any contract for U.S. federal and state government agencies with fidelity.
    • “Global firms, such as PwC, who have grown prosperous from a free and democratic order governed by American values, can no longer seek to cater to, and profit from, both sides of this conflict.”

    The full text of the letter is below.

    Dear Mr. Khande:

    I write with regard to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government, including Chinese provincial and local government entities, and state-owned companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Recently, media outlets have offered noteworthy coverage of the $62 million fine levied on PwC by China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF). While PwC’s questionable auditing work for Evergrande certainly deserves heightened scrutiny, reports have not adequately grappled with conflicts of interest seemingly rising from PwC’s deep entanglements with CCP-controlled and – affiliated entities, and, potentially, the Chinese government.

    PwC and its U.S. subsidiaries have a history of providing consulting services for U.S. federal agencies. Yet, mounting evidence suggests that PwC’s East Asia and China division (PwC China) has consulted government officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where Beijing is engaged in an active genocide against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, contracted for numerous state-owned enterprises in China, and openly supported CCP efforts to undermine U.S. economic interests through support for in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    It is no secret that Chinese regulatory authorities have heightened scrutiny around PwC in the wake of its failure to identify $78 billion in misreported revenues by Evergrande. Key decisions made by PwC’s global leadership during this time suggest a pattern of catering to CCP goals when met with regulatory hostility. Until recently, PwC China boasted dozens of the largest Chinese state-owned enterprises on its list of auditing clients, including the Bank of China, China Railway Group Ltd., PetroChina Co. Ltd., People’s Insurance Company of China, and many others. PwC has lost many of these contracts in recent months, as Chinese regulators have discouraged China-based companies from contracting with PwC for auditing services amid the Evergrande fallout. Yet, to my surprise, as Chinese regulators have taken an increasingly hostile posture toward your firm—and sought to wrest control over Western auditors’ operations in mainland China—PwC has responded with attempts to appease the CCP, rather than decouple and de-risk from communist influence.

    In July 2024, amidst the height of Chinese regulatory scrutiny over PwC’s flawed Evergrande audits, PwC leadership appointed Daniel Li as Chairman of its China and East Asia practice. Li appears to be a member of the CCP and serves on the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The CPPCC is a political instrument that serves atop the CCP’s “united front” system—which is designed to cultivate ties with the entities the Party views as friendly—and steers the CCP’s policy aims. As such, Li’s appointment was a clear effort by PwC to win the trust of CCP authorities amid heightening tension by placing an individual with deep ties to the CCP at the helm of your firm’s China operations. While Hemione Hudson was selected to replace Li at the helm of PwC China last month, Li retains a significant role for PwC China—overseeing your firm’s auditing efforts in China.

    PwC’s deepening ties with the CCP are also evident in your firm’s consulting client selection. The Wall Street Journal reports that, last month, as PwC China’s auditing practice faced hostile regulatory actions over its Evergrande audits, your firm’s consulting unit signed a $200,000 contract with local government authorities in the XUAR. As you know, Beijing is actively committing genocide against Uyghurs and other predominately Muslim ethnic groups in the region. China’s abhorrent oppression of Uyghurs includes modern-day concentration camps, cultural reprogramming efforts, forced labor, and physical torture. Years of mounting evidence now places the reality of these atrocities beyond a shadow of doubt.

    Perhaps most concerning, PwC appears to have acted to publicly align its client engagements with CCP ambitions. PwC’s website openly boasts of the firm’s “Belt and Road United” project, started by your firm in 2017, with the expressed purpose of supporting China’s BRI. A document describing the initiative plainly states, “PwC aligns with the strategy through ongoing support for the Belt & Road Initiative.” In the same document, PwC further claims to be an “enabling influence,” and declares that PwC will “assist government departments and regulators in constructing and improving financial markets and regulatory systems in favor of the B&R Initiative.” The document also openly references the global reach of PwC’s client base, professing that “PwC is dedicated to sharing the full range of resources and practical experience sourced from across our expansive global network” to support BRI.

    PwC’s “Belt and Road United” project appears to have generated several spin-off initiatives in other PwC offices across the globe. For example, PwC Italy’s webpage advertises your firm’s “China Business Group”—a division of PwC with the self-described aim to “support Chinese companies doing business in Italy and successfully develop their external growth strategy in the Italian market.” The document claims that PwC stands at the ready to “support Chinese/Italian government organisations” and “introduce investment opportunities in Italy for potential Chinese clients.” This language appears to be a thinly-veiled attempt of PwC to court the favor of the CCP and secure contracts with Chinese state-owned enterprises by working to expand the influence and reach of Communist China around the globe.

    As noted, PwC and its U.S. subsidiaries consult for many leading U.S. industries, and the company has received substantial revenue from contracts with the U.S. government. When U.S. federal agencies hire private entities for consultation, it is an expectation that contractors will prioritize the best interests of the United States above all others. Simultaneous engagements with foreign adversaries are unacceptable. PwC’s apparent deep connections with CCP-controlled entities raise questions about conflicts of interest that could preclude PwC from executing any contract for U.S. federal and state government agencies with fidelity.

    Accordingly, I ask that you provide responses, along with supporting documentation, to the following questions no later than November 15, 2024:

    1. Please describe the extent of any existing contracts retained by PwC, or its U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates, to provide consulting services for U.S. state and federal government agencies.
    2. Do PwC, or any of its U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates, intend to pursue contracts with U.S. federal agencies in the future?
    3. Has the CCP, or any direct subdivision of the CCP, ever been a client of PwC or any of its subsidiaries?
    4. Has PwC ever provided consulting services for a China-based client that has concurrently been included on the U.S. Department of Defense’s 1260H List, the Department of Treasury’s Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List, or the Department of Commerce’s Entity List? If so, please provide the following information for each client:
      • Name of the company
      • Nature of the company’s work
      • Nature of company’s relationship with the PRC and CCP
      • Duration of PwC’s consulting relationship with the company
      • Nature of PwC’s work on behalf of the company
    5. Do any of PwC’s current or past China-based clients work in the following sectors: military and civil defense, aerospace and aviation, energy and power generation, critical mineral mining and refining, steel and aluminum, new materials, shipbuilding, electric or gas combustion vehicle production, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, microelectronics, telecommunications, biotechnology, or high-speed rail? If so, please provide the following information for each client:
      • Name of the company
      • Nature of the company’s work
      • Nature of company’s relationship with the PRC and CCP
      • Duration of PwC’s consulting relationship with the company
      • Nature of PwC’s work on behalf of the company
    6. As noted above, brochures and materials on PwC’s website openly boast about the firm’s support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and its work advancing BRI goals in its consulting engagements abroad. Has PwC ever modified or intentionally crafted its consulting recommendations to U.S. clients, including U.S. federal agencies, in order to recommend cooperation with the BRI or portray the PRC’s BRI in a positive light?
    1. PwC performs hundreds of millions of dollars of work each year on behalf of the U.S.
      Government and American taxpayers. Please describe in detail all policies and safeguards PwC has implemented to ensure that work done on behalf of the United States government does not inform the work that your firm does for Chinese government entities and state-owned enterprises.
    2. PwC’s website lists statistics describing the firm’s work in the “Taiwan region.” Does PwC recognize Taiwan as a free and independent nation state?

    The United States of America, our allies, and Western businesses like PwC, face a fundamental threat. As my office has documented, for more than ten years, the CCP has acted on a concerted plan to supplant the United States as the ascendant global economic power, dominating global trade in the industries that will define the 21st century economy.6 This is not just a conflict over size of economies alone, it is also about which values will define our world. The CCP has been all too willing to commit genocide, oppress and censor citizens, and violate economic norms in its pursuit of power. Yet, it seeks to replace American values for the dignity of the human person and representative government with a global system that reflects its own character. Global firms, such as PwC, who have grown prosperous from a free and democratic order governed by American values, can no longer seek to cater to, and profit from, both sides of this conflict.

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. 

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Growing Gaelic in the Highlands

    Source: Scottish Government

    Funding for cultural centre project.

    A new centre to promote Gaelic language and culture in Inverness is to receive a significant funding boost from the Scottish Government.

    Cultarlann Inbhir Nis will receive £370,000 to develop a space for Gaelic gatherings, ceilidhs and exhibitions in the centre of the city.

    The Cultarlann is based in what was the East Church building. The new funding is a crucial step in developing the property, which will also feature meeting rooms for language courses, a café and shop. 

    The investment forms part of a £4 million package to promote Gaelic initiatives across Scotland.

    The centre will be the first dedicated Gaelic cultural centre in the Highlands and is also intended to be a tourist attraction where visitors can meet Gaelic-speaking staff and learn more about the language and its history.

    Cultarlann Inbhir Nis’s expansion will meet a growing demand for a dedicated space for Gaelic speakers in Inverness. Census figures published earlier this year show a 12% increase in the number of people with some Gaelic skills in Inverness compared to 2011.

    Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes said:

    “To strengthen Gaelic, we are supporting projects like Cultarlann which will enable more people to use the language in their day-to-day life.

    “Gaelic is a unique selling point for Scotland, which is why promoting the language goes hand-in-hand with attracting visitors and growing the economy.

    “The Scottish Government is also supporting the language’s continued growth in the Highlands by working collaboratively to progress the Scottish Languages Bill. The Bill will create a system to enable all parents to apply for Gaelic early learning and childcare services and introduce measures to strengthen Gaelic education in secondary school.”

    Margaret Mulholland, Chair of Cultarlann, Inbhir Nis, said:

    “We are hugely grateful for this fantastic funding offer.  It will enable our plans for a Gaelic Cultural Centre to take a major step forward.  This is a wonderful, iconic building and this funding will enable us to ensure it is properly watertight and to deal with all external essential repairs.

    “We are delighted to welcome Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, to the Cultarlann. Kate is a great enthusiast for Gaelic and she can see the exciting future the Cultarlann will have in promoting and building Gaelic culture in Inverness and the wider Highlands.”

    Background

    Census statistics show that 3,411 people in Inverness had some Gaelic skills 2022, an increase of 369 people from 2011.

    A’ Toirt Piseach air Cor na Gàidhlig air a’ Ghàidhealtachd

    Maoineachadh airson ionad cultarach.

    Tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba air taic-airgid nach beag a thoirt seachad airson ionad ùr ann an Inbhir Nis gus Gàidhlig agus cultar na Gàidhlig a chur air adhart.

    Gheibh Cultarlann Inbhir Nis £370,000 gus goireas a chruthachadh ann am meadhan a’ bhaile airson chruinneachaidhean, cèilidhean agus taisbeanaidhean Gàidhlig.

    Tha an Cultarlann stèidhichte anns togalach far an robh an Eaglais an Ear. Leis a’ mhaoineachadh ùr seo, ’s urrainnear ceum cudromach a ghabhail ann a bhith a’ toirt leasachadh air an togalach, far am bi seòmraichean-coinneachaidh airson chùrsaichean cànain, cafaidh agus bùth.

    Tha an t-airgead mar phàirt de mhaoineachadh luach £4m airson iomairtean Gàidhlig a chur air adhart air feadh na h-Alba.

    Leis an ionad ùr seo, bithear a’ stèidheachadh a’ chiad ionaid chultaraich Ghàidhlig air a’ Ghàidhealtachd agus thathar an dùil cuideachd gum bi e a’ tarraing luchd-turais a gheibh cothrom coinneachadh ri luchd-obrach le Gàidhlig agus ionnsachadh mun chànan agus eachdraidh nan Gàidheal.

    Leis an leasachadh seo airson Cultarlann Inbhir Nis, bithear a’ frithealadh air an iarrtas a th’ ann airson àite cruinneachaidh sònraichte do luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig sa bhaile. Sheall àireamhan bhon chunntas-shluaigh a chaidh fhoillseachadh am-bliadhna gun deach an àireamh de dhaoine le sgilean Gàidhlig ann an Inbhir Nis an àird 12% an coimeas ri àireamhan 2011.

    Thuirt an Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear is Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson na h-Eaconamaidh is Gàidhlig, Ceit Fhoirbeis:

    “Airson cor na Gàidhlig a neartachadh, tha sinn a’ cur taic ri pròiseactan leithid Cultarlann Inbhir Nis far am faigh barrachd dhaoine cothrom gus an cànan a chleachdadh nam beatha làitheil.

    “Tha a’ Ghàidhlig mar phàirt prìseil is sònraichte de chultar na h-Alba, agus sin carson tha adhartachadh a’ chànain cuideachd a’ cuideachadh le bhith a’ tàladh luchd-turais agus a’ cur ris an eaconamaidh.

    “Tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba cuideachd a’ cur taic ri adhartas leantainneach dhan chànan air a’ Ghàidhealtachd le bhith ag obair còmhla ri càch gus Bile nan Cànan Albannach a thoirt air adhart. Bidh am Bile a’ stèidheachadh siostam tron urrainn do gach pàrant cur a-staigh airson tràth-ionnsachadh Gàidhlig agus seirbheisean cùraim-chloinne dhan chloinn aca agus tha cumhachan sa Bhile cuideachd gus foghlam Gàidhlig ann an àrd-sgoiltean a neartachadh.”

    Thuirt Mairead Mulholland, Cathraiche Cultarlann Inbhir Nis:

    “Tha sinn air leth taingeil airson a’ mhaoineachaidh fhialaidh seo. Tha e a’ ciallachadh gun urrainn dhuinn adhartas mòr a dhèanamh leis na planaichean againn airson Ionad Cultarach Gàidhlig. ’S e togalach iongantach is ainmeil a tha seo agus leis a’ mhaoineachadh seo ’s urrainn dhuinn dèanamh cinnteach gum bi e gu tur dìonach agus ’s urrainn dhuinn an obair chàraidh a tha a dhìth air an taobh a-muigh dheth a dhèanamh.

    “Tha e a’ toirt toileachas mòr dhuinn fàilte a chur air an Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear, Ceit Fhoirbeis, chun a’ Chultarlainn. Tha Ceit air leth taiceil dhan Ghàidhlig agus tha i a’ tuigsinn mar as urrainn dhan Chultarlann feum mòr a dhèanamh ann a bhith a’ cur cultar na Gàidhlig air adhart, agus ann a bhith a’ neartachadh a’ chultair, ann an Inbhir Nis agus air a’ Ghàidhealtachd air fad.”

    Bun-fhiosrachadh

    Tha àireamhan a’ Chunntais-shluaigh a’ sealltainn gun robh sgilean Gàidhlig aig 3,411 daoine ann an Inbhir Nis ann an 2022, sin àrdachadh de 369 bho 2011.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: Sustained drive set to boost spending

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A consumer shops at a supermarket in Tengzhou, east China’s Shandong Province, April 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China will ramp up efforts to reinvigorate consumer spending and drive domestic demand across various sectors, to give a much-needed fillip to the country’s economic growth momentum in the final stretch of the year, officials and analysts said.

    Consumption vouchers in the service sector and new incentives for businesses, among others, will be rolled out to facilitate the transition of the world’s second-largest economy toward a more consumption-led model, they added.

    China’s retail sales growth accelerated by 1.1 percentage points in September compared to the previous month, indicating a positive shift in the country’s consumer market. The country will better harness the power of consumption to propel its development, Vice-Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping said on Friday.

    By launching the consumption promotion campaign in November, the country will further unleash the potential of consumption and strongly underpin the year-end economic performance, Sheng said at a news conference.

    The initiative will guide offline businesses to actively engage in promotional activities, while fostering synergies with the ongoing Double Eleven shopping festival, Sheng added. Double Eleven is an e-commerce shopping fiesta that culminates on Nov 11 each year.

    In the month ahead, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing will distribute consumption vouchers specifically for catering, cultural tourism, and sports services, according to Sheng.

    China’s service consumption demand has remained robust, with the retail sales of services growing 6.7% year-on-year in the first three quarters of this year, outpacing the growth in goods retail by 3.7 percentage points, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

    By encouraging consumption in the service industries, China can better capitalize on the growing middle-income group and their increasing preference for experiential and lifestyle-oriented spending, said Chen Lifen, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council.

    Meanwhile, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, will offer support and incentives to businesses that introduce new offerings, such as launching first stores, products or exhibitions.

    That is the debut economy in action. It covers everything from the unveiling of a product for the first time, the opening of flagship stores, and the launch of new services, to the creation of new business models and technologies, said Chen Wenling, chief economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

    These activities are often characterized by their trendiness, cutting-edge features, and high-quality attributes, effectively aligning with consumers’ growing demand for diverse and premium experiences, Chen added.

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: BRICS representatives discussed the development of statistics in the countries of the association

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    The importance of statistics in the digital age is reaching a new level. Most decisions at the state level and in business are made based on data analysis. However, the attitude towards official statistics is ambiguous, and this negatively affects the level of trust in government policy. How to change this was discussed by the heads of statistical agencies of the BRICS countries in Kazan. A representative of the Higher School of Economics also took part in the forum.

    The 16th meeting of heads of national statistical services of the BRICS countries was held in Kazan on October 28–29 as part of the BRICS Summit. Representatives of various government agencies and experts from Russia, South Africa, the UAE, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, India, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Azerbaijan participated in it.

    The special session “Development of the statistical community in Russia and the BRICS countries” was organized at the initiative of the Russian delegation. The experts discussed issues of cooperation between statistical professional and expert communities, modernization of statistical production, interaction of state statistical services with the public and increasing statistical literacy of the population.

    Professor of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Association of Statisticians Alexey Ponomarenko said that in Russia, starting in 2023, the subject “Probability Theory and Statistics” has become a mandatory part of the school curriculum. In grades 7–11, there is at least one lesson on statistics per week. Thus, about 6 million schoolchildren receive knowledge and skills in statistical thinking. They will be able to understand and competently apply information containing statistical data.

    Meanwhile, today school teachers need the help of professional statisticians. Moreover, targeted efforts are needed to develop literacy and education in this area. One of the centers of such work could be the National Research University Higher School of Economics, where a team of statisticians with extensive experience in practical work and scientific research has been formed.

    “We are ready to cooperate with both Russian teachers and colleagues from the BRICS countries, especially since the statistical community of many BRICS countries is well developed and there is much to learn from our colleagues,” emphasized Alexey Ponomarenko.

    Teachers and researchers of the Department of Statistics and Data Analysis of the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the National Research University Higher School of Economics fully support the idea of cooperation with statisticians of the BRICS countries, confirmed the Director of Statistical Research at the HSE, Head of the Department of Statistics and Data Analysis of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Department of Statistics and Data Analysis FEN Alexander Surinov. “We have many common problems with such huge BRICS countries as China, India or Brazil. For example, subnational studies of indicators of socio-economic development of regions taking into account local specifics. I think that if such projects are implemented, HSE statisticians will take an active part in them,” he concluded.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: One year into free-trade zone, Xinjiang embraces further opening up

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

    URUMQI, Nov. 2 — Edil Mohammed, who commutes daily for about an hour by bus from Yarkent, Kazakhstan, to Horgos, China, has adapted to the lifestyle of cross-border work.

    As the head of a branch of Kazakhstan’s Bank CenterCredit, which is located in the China-Kazakhstan International Border Cooperation Center in Horgos, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, he is part of a pioneering group of foreign banks that entered Xinjiang following the establishment of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in November 2023.

    The Xinjiang pilot FTZ, which encompasses three iconic areas — Urumqi, Kashgar and Horgos — stands as the first FTZ in China’s northwestern border regions and the 22nd nationwide. As it embraces its first anniversary, the zone has shown promising results.

    As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to forge ahead, Xinjiang has committed to building itself into an important corridor linking Asia and Europe and to serving as a gateway for China’s opening-up efforts in the west.

    “Global investors are seizing opportunities in the pilot FTZ, and many jobseekers have found satisfying positions, such as in cross-border e-commerce, international live-streaming, translation and diverse agents,” said Mohammed, adding that the growth of new business models and expanding trade will attract even more international financial institutions and enterprises.

    SUPPORTIVE POLICIES

    Qin Xiaoyu, a customs declarer at a foreign-trade enterprise specializing in the import and export of daily consumer goods to five Central Asian countries, has benefited from enhanced services following the establishment of a dedicated market procurement window at the FTZ’s Urumqi area.

    “The consultation and whole process only take a few minutes,” said Qin. “The dedicated service window can save both time and costs. Enterprises benefit from policies such as value-added tax exemptions, simplified declaration processes and flexible foreign exchange collection, all of which improve export efficiency.”

    The service window is part of a broader set of measures rolled out by the Xinjiang pilot FTZ to boost foreign trade, providing a low-cost, high-efficiency export channel for small and micro enterprises, as well as individual businesses, according to Ju Ning, an official at the Urumqi Economic & Technological Development Zone.

    “The ‘green channel’ for the rapid customs clearance of agricultural products at the border ports between China-Kazakhstan, China-Tajikistan and China-Kyrgyzstan has been fully implemented, cutting the customs declaration time for agricultural exports from five days to just one day,” said He Yadong, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.

    Statistics show that from January to August, Xinjiang’s import and export volume increased by 30.9 percent to 285.32 billion yuan (about 40.11 billion U.S. dollars).

    “The pilot FTZ prioritizes institutional innovation, actively exploring reforms in government functions, management models, and the facilitation of trade and investment. It effectively plays a leading role in deepening reform and expanding opening up,” said Buvejer Abula, a researcher of economic and social development with the Xinjiang Agricultural University.

    RISING INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS

    In the FTZ’s Horgos area, refrigerated trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables pass through a fast-track customs clearance “green channel” destined for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and beyond.

    Yu Chengzhong’s trade company exports over 500 tonnes of fruit and more than 300 tonnes of vegetables daily. This fresh produce can reach markets in Almaty in Kazakhstan within just a few hours.

    “The establishment of the FTZ has given our company a unique opportunity for growth,” said Yu, adding that the company has established sales networks in the five Central Asian countries, and this year, the company built a 66-hectare warehouse in Kazakhstan to further penetrate local markets.

    In the production workshop of a lithium battery enterprise called Shengyuehengchang, two automated production lines, each capable of producing 200,000 Ah lithium batteries per day, are running smoothly, fulfilling orders for its clients in Kyrgyzstan.

    The company normally manufactures small-capacity batteries but is now transitioning towards high-rate energy storage and power battery production. These batteries are primarily sold to the Central Asian market and are widely used in products such as electric motorcycles, drones, power tools and solar-energy products.

    “Leveraging the FTZ’s geographical advantages and favorable opening up policies, local companies are increasingly eyeing overseas markets for diverse development paths,” said Bo Yinjiang, an official with the Kashgar Economic Development Zone.

    The zone has already attracted 28 enterprises related to lithium batteries, covering the areas of lithium battery materials, manufacturing and supply chains. The annual output value of the enterprises is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan upon full operation, forming a burgeoning lithium battery industry cluster.

    “Since the pilot FTZ’s inception, a number of business associations and companies have visited Xinjiang to seek market opportunities and collaboration. There is also a rise in foreign-invested enterprises,” said Li Xuan, from the regional commerce department.

    “The pilot FTZ offers a significant historical opportunity for pursuing high-level opening up and high-quality development in Xinjiang. It must actively align with high-standard international trade and economic rules, integrate into the dual circulation of domestic and international markets, and support the development of the core region of the BRI,” Li added.

    The Ministry of Commerce will promote the industrial exchange and cooperation between the Xinjiang pilot FTZ and the central and eastern regions of the country, and support the FTZ in prioritizing key industries and fostering integrated innovation throughout the entire value chain, according to He, the ministry spokesperson.

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: 200-tonne pure electric mining dump vehicle put into use

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A 200-tonne pure electric mining dump truck has been put into service in a coal mine in north China’s Shanxi Province to assist with industrial upgrading in this major coal-producing region.

    The vehicle can transport raw coal continuously for six hours on average per charge and is being used in the Anjialing Coal Mine operated by ChinaCoal Pingshuo Group Co., Ltd.

    By replacing traditional vehicles fueled by oil with this electric model, the mining operation can reduce fuel oil consumption by 600 tonnes a year in the open pit mine, while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tonnes annually in the mining area.

    The developer and producer of the truck, the Hunan Xiangdian Green Energy Intelligent Control Co., Ltd., is a manufacturer of electric trucks and electric locomotives used for mining in China.

    Ji Wei, general manager of the company, said that compared with a traditional 220-tonne fuel truck that consumes about 4,000 liters of fuel per day of work, the pure electric vehicle uses about 12,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day — which means a reduction of 40 percent in costs for the mining operator.

    The mining company is intending to purchase more such electric mining vehicles to further reduce energy consumption in its mining activities.

    Coal output in Shanxi, China’s largest coal-producing region, accounted for about 26.9 percent of China’s total output during the January-September period of 2024, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

    Over the years, Shanxi has continued to upgrade its coal industry. In 2023, the province established 118 intelligent coal mines and introduced smart technology to 1,491 mining faces.

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese flags radical changes to student debt – with a 20% overall cut and drop in payment rates

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University

    Taoty/Shutterstock

    Over the weekend, the Albanese government announced radical changes to student loans, which would kick in after the next federal election.

    Three million Australians with student debt could see their balances cut by 20%. The remaining debt would be repaid under a new system, with no compulsory repayments for people earning less than A$67,000 a year. Both changes require parliamentary approval.

    The changes will apply to everyone with a student debt, including all HELP (formerly HECS), vocational education and Australian apprenticeship support loans, as well as other student support loans.

    People with student debt would undoubtedly benefit from the proposed changes. But they come with a hefty price tag and some disadvantages.

    What are the proposed cuts to student debt?

    As of June 30 this year, Australia’s higher education student debt totalled about $75.1 billion – although this is soon set to drop by about $3 billion. Legislation to partially reverse recent indexation to debts will go to the Senate later this month.

    However, staying with the $75 billion, a 20% cut would be about $15 billion.

    Using the government’s figures, someone with the average HELP debt of $27,600 would see around $5,520 cut from their HELP loans next year.

    Vocational education students owed $8.4 billion as of June 30 2024. Their balances would reduce by about $1.7 billion under the changes.

    Based on previous student support loan data, this debt is more than $3 billion. The changes would see it drop by about $600 million.

    These reductions total $17.3 billion compared to the government’s estimate of $16 billion. But the upcoming indexation changes may explain this difference.

    Repayments set to change

    These changes have two important elements: the income at which repayments start and how repayments are calculated.

    These changes come amid a cost-of-living crisis and rising fees for students.

    There was a noted outcry earlier this year when the cost of an arts degree hit $50,000 for 2025.

    No compulsory repayments if you earn under $67,000

    With parliament’s approval, for 2025-26 compulsory repayments on student loans would not start until the debtor was earning $67,000. This is up from about $56,000.

    This would help a significant number of Australians. In 2023-24 more than 400,000 debtors had incomes between $50,000 and $70,000.

    Changes to how repayments are calculated

    Another significant change is to how repayments are calculated. Currently, when a debtor’s income reaches one of 18 income levels they repay a higher percentage, based on all their income.

    This can produce strange results. Take a graduate earning $62,850 a year. They are in the 1% of income repayment rate, so they owe the Australian Taxation Office $628.50 in HELP repayments. But if their income goes up by $1 to $62,851 they enter the 2% repayment bracket, and owe the tax office $1,257. So a $1 pay increase would reduce the graduate’s take home pay by more than $600.

    Under the government’s proposal, repayments would be calculated on income above a threshold, ignoring all income below the first threshold.

    The new system would start with a 15% repayment rate at incomes between $67,000 and $124,999. Income at $125,000 or above would have a 17% repayment rate.

    So, take a graduate on $70,000 a year. Under the current system, they will repay 2.5% of all their income, which is $1,750. Under the proposed system their repayments will be calculated only on the $3,000 difference between $67,000 and $70,000. This means they pay 15% of $3,000 or $450.

    The government says on average, repayments will drop by $680 per individual debtor.

    But those earning $180,000 plus will repay more student debt each year due to the new system. This is not a large group.
    Of the 1.16 million people who made a HELP repayment in 2021-22, all but 16,000 earned less than $180,000.

    The cost of an arts degree is set to reach $50,000 in 2025, amid growing concerns over study costs.
    rongyiquan/Shutterstock

    There are some disadvantages

    The downside of reduced annual repayments is longer repayment periods and more indexation of HELP balances.

    People who want to repay more quickly can make voluntary repayments, which have increased significantly in recent years. But most people take the default option of compulsory repayments only.

    While people who currently hold debt will see their repayment times reduced after the 20% cut to their balance, future borrowers won’t have this benefit.

    Given the pattern of recent announcements, it would not be surprising if the government also announced reduced student contributions for future borrowers.

    But it is also surprising the government has been stalling for two years on the high cost of arts degrees, set to hit almost $17,000 a year next year. These high fees should have been reduced long ago.

    The cost to government

    The 20% reduction in student debt balances will also come at a very significant cost to government and taxpayers.

    This will not be the full $16 billion they have announced, since that includes debt that is not expected to be repaid anyway.

    For higher education debt, the government actuary estimates 24% of the debt outstanding as of June 30 this year will not be repaid. Even so, a 20% cut to the $57.1 billion “good” debt would still cost $11.4 billion.

    Cutting vocational education debt by 20% would add around another $1 billion to the cost, after deducting debt that won’t be repaid. Debts for student income support tend to have high bad debt rates, but the 20% cut for them would also add to the government’s expenditure.

    The government will also incur further costs from slowing down future repayments.

    Is this the best way?

    The last few years have highlighted how stressful and damaging high levels of student debt can be for younger Australians.

    And as Labor looks ahead to the next federal poll, reducing individuals’ debts and repayments could be a useful election selling point.

    However, the Albanese govenrment’s plan comes with a high price tag and the priorities may not be entirely right. Managing future debt, such as by reversing fee hikes under the Job-ready Graduates program, is as important as reducing old debt.

    Andrew Norton 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. Albanese flags radical changes to student debt – with a 20% overall cut and drop in payment rates – https://theconversation.com/albanese-flags-radical-changes-to-student-debt-with-a-20-overall-cut-and-drop-in-payment-rates-242740

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Bitget Wallet Director Emphasizes the Ecosystem’s Growth at TON Gateway in Dubai

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, Nov. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget Wallet, the leading non-custodial Web3 wallet, recently sponsored the TON Gateway event held in Dubai. The ecosystem attributes its widespread adoption to the growing TON community. The Web3 wallet was represented in a panel discussion titled “Perspective Sectors on TON for VC and Exchanges,” by Jamie Elkaleh, Marketing Director at Bitget Wallet, alongside industry leaders from TON Ventures, Binance, KuCoin, Kenetic, and Pantera Capital. In the panel, Elkaleh emphasized the unique opportunities presented by the TON ecosystem and how the newly launched Bitget Wallet Lite, a multi-chain Telegram wallet, addresses existing TON ecosystem and infrastructure challenges which helped them onboard over 6 million users in just three days after its launch.

    Elkaleh highlighted that the integration of TON with Telegram—a platform boasting nearly 1 billion users—provides an expansive user base that can effectively bridge Web2 and Web3. However, he noted significant challenges within the TON ecosystem, particularly the underdeveloped DeFi sector. Compared to leading blockchains, TON’s DeFi projects lag in both quantity and quality, limiting the potential for growth. Although the primary user base is driven by Telegram mini-apps, the lack of a robust DeFi infrastructure restricts the overall development of the TON ecosystem, hindering its growth potential.

    Recently, Bitget Wallet has launched Bitget Wallet Lite, a non-custodial multi-chain wallet integrated within Telegram, that helps tackle TON’s challenges. This innovative wallet allows users to seamlessly purchase, manage, and transfer crypto assets directly within the messaging app, facilitating cross-chain DeFi activities, and will support more activities token swap, staking, and liquidity mining in the future. By enhancing user interactions and transactions, Bitget Wallet Lite promotes ecosystem integration, making crypto operations more efficient and user-friendly directly within Telegram. Furthermore, the wallet empowers developers by providing tools for encrypted payments and trading flows, creating new revenue streams and fostering the development of high-quality mini-game applications within the Telegram ecosystem. Looking ahead, Bitget Wallet Lite is bound to onboard more Web2 users into Web3 seamlessly and contribute to the growth of the TON ecosystem.

    Bitget Wallet has seen remarkable growth this year, now surpassing 40 million users globally and becoming the most downloaded Web3 wallet. Its integration with Telegram and the TON ecosystem has been pivotal to this success, enabling users to manage assets and interact with DApps effortlessly. Recent statistics show a staggering 4886% quarterly growth in TON chain addresses among Bitget Wallet users. The company’s proactive initiatives, including being the first to fully integrate with the TON ecosystem, launching the first MPC wallet supporting TON and partnering with over 40 TON ecosystem projects, have established Bitget Wallet as a leader in driving ecosystem growth and simplifying user access to TON.

    Looking to the future, Elkaleh envisions a bright trajectory for the TON ecosystem. “The growth of the TON ecosystem will continue to be driven by Telegram mini-apps integrating more social, DeFi and gaming activities, simplifying the experience for new users,” he stated. “With the rise of PayFi initiatives and the expansion of the ecosystem, TON is well-positioned to leverage its connection with Telegram for significant user adoption. We estimate that the stablecoin transfers on TON will also continue to grow over the next year, underscoring the vast potential for growth within this dynamic ecosystem.”

    Experience Bitget Wallet Lite: https://t.me/BitgetWallet_TGBot

    About Bitget Wallet

    Bitget Wallet is the home of Web3, uniting endless possibilities in one non-custodial wallet. With over 40 million users, it offers comprehensive on-chain services, including asset management, instant swaps, rewards, staking, trading tools, live market data, a DApp browser, and an NFT marketplace. Designed for everyone from beginners to advanced traders, it supports mnemonic, MPC, and AA wallet options. With connections to over 100 blockchains, 20,000+ DApps, and 500,000+ tokens, Bitget Wallet enables seamless multi-chain trading across hundreds of DEXs and cross-chain bridges, along with a $300 million protection fund for your digital assets.

    Experience Bitget Wallet Lite to start your Web3 journey.

    For more information, visit: Twitter | Telegram | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok | Discord

    For media inquiries, please contact media.web3@bitget.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/220a53bb-0462-484e-95a0-2060ffadf51c

    The MIL Network –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: US presidential election remains a toss-up, and a guide to US election day in Australia

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    The United States presidential election will be held Tuesday, with results coming in from Wednesday morning AEDT. I have a guide to Wednesday below that includes when polls in the key states close and other information.

    In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 48.5–47.8, a gain for Trump since last Thursday, when Harris led by 48.6–47.5. Harris’ national lead peaked on October 2, when she led by 49.4–45.9.

    The US president isn’t elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each state receives electoral votes equal to its federal House seats (population based) and senators (always two). Almost all states award their electoral votes as winner-takes-all, and it takes 270 electoral votes to win (out of 538 total).

    Relative to the national popular vote, the Electoral College is biased to Trump, with Harris needing at least a two-point popular vote win to be the narrow Electoral College favourite in Silver’s model.

    Trump leads by 0.4 points in both Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes) and Nevada (six). He leads by over one point in North Carolina (16) and Georgia (16), and by 2.6 points in Arizona (11). Harris leads by about one point in Michigan (16) and Wisconsin (ten).

    If the current polls are exactly right, Trump wins the Electoral College by 287–251. But either Harris or Trump could outperform their polls and win easily.

    In Silver’s model, Trump has a 53% chance to win the Electoral College, slightly down from 54% on Thursday. There’s a 28% chance that Harris wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College. The FiveThirtyEight forecast gives Trump a 53% win probability.

    Silver is aggregating state polls to produce a popular vote forecast, and this gives Harris a 50.4–48.4 popular vote margin, better for Harris than her 0.7-point lead in national polls.

    Silver said the US pollsters are “herding”, particularly in the key states. This means individual polls are not showing enough variation in their results. If the polls are wrong in these states, herding would be a cause.

    The highly rated Selzer poll had a shock result, giving Harris a three-point lead in Iowa (six electoral votes), a state Trump won by eight points in 2020. However, an Emerson Iowa poll gave Trump a nine-point lead. At least Selzer isn’t herding!

    If Harris loses, a big cause will be the unpopularity of Joe Biden. If Trump loses, I believe his biggest mistake will be agreeing to the June 27 debate with Biden. Biden’s woeful performance persuaded senior Democrats to pressure him into withdrawing.

    Early voting and economic data

    As at Friday, over 70 million Americans had voted early (44% of total 2020 turnout). Many states give data on their early vote, such as the gender composition or the party registration of voters in states that have registration by party. But Silver said on Thursday
    that analysts shouldn’t use early vote data as an alternative to the polls.

    Many people will vote on election day, so the composition of the current early vote may be a skewed representation of the final electorate. Also, we don’t know who early voters voted for. Even in states with party registration, people can register as Other, and Other voters make up a large share of the vote.

    In economic data, US GDP increased 2.7% at an annualised rate in the September quarter (0.7% in quarter on quarter terms). GDP has increased modestly in every quarter since September 2022. In September, the personal savings rate dropped 0.2% since August to 4.6%.

    Just 12,000 jobs were added in October. While the unemployment rate remained unchanged from September at 4.1%, the employment population ratio (the share of eligible Americans employed) dropped 0.2% to 60.0%. The survey fieldwork may have been affected by Hurricane Milton.

    The Silver economic index is at +0.19, indicating an economy just above average. The economy is a key reason why Trump could win.

    Election day guide for Wednesday AEDT

    All times in this section are Wednesday AEDT. US media will often call uncompetitive states for a candidate once all polls in that state are closed, without any votes being counted. Some states are split across time zones, and in this case the part in the western time zone will close an hour after the eastern zone part.

    Early and postal votes are expected to lean to Harris, while election day votes are expected to lean to Trump. So if the early vote is counted first, the state is likely to appear better for Harris than the final result, and the reverse if the election day vote is counted first.

    The Green Papers has a complete list of poll closing times and FiveThirtyEight has details on how each state counts its votes. I will concentrate on the seven key states.

    At 10am, the first polls close in the eastern time zones of Kentucky and Indiana. These states are both expected to be Trump blowout wins.

    At 11am, polls close in Georgia. Early votes will be reported by 12pm, followed by the election day vote. Initial results will probably skew to Harris.

    At 11:30am, polls close in North Carolina. The early vote will be counted first, so the initial results are likely to be relatively good for Harris.

    At 12pm, polls close in Pennsylvania and the large majority of Michigan. Pennsylvania will count their election day votes first, which should be relatively good for Trump. Michigan will count its postal votes with election day votes.

    At 1pm, polls close in Wisconsin, Arizona and the remaining small part of Michigan. In Wisconsin, election day votes will be counted first, with postals not released until late. An hour after polls close, Arizona will release its early vote, which should be relatively good for Harris. Counting of election day votes will continue until the evening AEDT, with more counting in the following days.

    At 2pm, polls close in Nevada. The early vote will be counted first. Results can’t be reported until all voters in line have voted, which will probably be hours after the official close of polls. There will also be late postals to count.

    At 3pm, polls close in the Pacific states of California (54 electoral votes), Washington (12) and Oregon (eight), all expected to be easy wins for Harris. If Harris is doing unexpectedly well in the key states, these three may put her over the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

    At 5pm, the final polls close in Alaska’s western time zone.

    We may know who has won the Electoral College and therefore the presidency by Wednesday afternoon, but counting will continue until well into that evening AEDT. If it’s close, it may take a few more days to resolve the Electoral College.

    Some states, including the populous Democratic strongholds of California and New York, take weeks to count all their votes. So it won’t be until early December that we know the national popular vote totals.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. US presidential election remains a toss-up, and a guide to US election day in Australia – https://theconversation.com/us-presidential-election-remains-a-toss-up-and-a-guide-to-us-election-day-in-australia-242697

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: Expanding charging options power NEVs for Spring Festival travel rush

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

    BEIJING, Jan. 25 — China’s highway network is now brimming with charging options. Alongside regular charging stations, new supercharging hubs, mobile charging piles and remotely operated mobile charging vehicles are making it easier than ever for new energy vehicles (NEVs) to hit the road this Spring Festival.

    Wang Qiang, based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, recently made the long drive home to Wanqiao Village, Chongqing Municipality, in his electric car.

    He was quite surprised by the new supercharging station in the village. With a power output capacity of 480 kilowatts, it can charge his car fully in just 10 minutes.

    “For the first time, I drove my electric car home for Spring Festival celebrations. To my surprise, a charging station was built right near my home, so I no longer have to take the long detour downtown to charge,” Wang said.

    As the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) draws near, an unprecedented 9 billion inter-regional trips are expected during this year’s chunyun, or 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. And many like Wang have chosen to drive their cars, including NEVs, which are gaining popularity in the country.

    By the end of 2024, there were 31.4 million NEVs in China, accounting for 8.9 percent of the country’s vehicles. Last year alone, 11.25 million NEVs were registered, accounting for 41.83 percent of all new vehicle registrations and representing a growth rate of 51.49 percent compared to 2023.

    To cope with the surging demand for NEV charging, the National Energy Administration (NEA) will guide charging operators to enhance the maintenance of charging facilities and improve service quality, ensuring that operators provide safe, reliable, standardized and efficient services in an orderly manner, NEA spokesperson Zhang Xing said on Thursday.

    He added that by the end of 2024, a total of 35,000 charging piles had been installed in 98 percent of highway service areas across the country. The administration will continue to expand the coverage of charging facilities in urban and rural regions, on highways, and in residential communities.

    In Wang’s hometown of Chongqing, the municipal government introduced an action plan for NEV supercharging facilities in April 2024, aiming to build more than 2,000 supercharging stations by 2025.

    To meet the growing demand for NEV services during the Spring Festival, a State Grid branch company is operating supercharging stations in 83 highway service areas in Chongqing. It has also deployed more than 100 mobile charging piles in high-traffic areas, at popular tourist attractions, and within urban public charging stations across the municipality.

    Similar service-improvement measures are being implemented across the country. A charging station on a highway connecting Zhejiang Province with Jiangxi Province added 19 supercharging piles last Friday. During this Spring Festival holiday, the daily traffic on the highway is expected to exceed 95,000 vehicles.

    The new supercharging piles have a significant charging capacity, with a maximum output of 600 kilowatts per charge — 10 times that of conventional fast-charging piles. They can charge an NEV’s range at a rate of 1 kilometer per second, enabling NEVs to run for 400 kilometers after just an eight-minute charge. The new additions have made the station the largest highway supercharging station in Zhejiang, and it is now capable of charging 66 NEVs simultaneously.

    According to a State Grid branch company in Hangzhou, which operates the station, the total charging volume of 45 highway charging stations in Hangzhou increased 71.81 percent year on year in 2024, reaching 20.28 million kilowatt-hours.

    In Beijing, charging operators provide services in expressway service areas and transportation hubs, and at large shopping malls, major tourist attractions, and ice-and-snow cultural tourism venues. A State Grid branch company in the city has, for example, built a total of 108 charging stations with 1,833 charging piles.

    The company has also deployed remote-controlled mobile charging vehicles at highway charging stations. These charging vehicles can provide 60-kilowatt direct current fast-charging services like huge power banks, and are capable of increasing a NEV’s battery volume from 5 percent to roughly 50 percent in about 30 minutes.

    The mobile charging vehicles can be controlled to approach NEVs in need of charging. Once a charging vehicle approaches, an NEV driver can initiate the charging process by scanning a QR code on the charging vehicle.

    According to NEA statistics, there were 12.82 million NEV charging facilities in China by the end of 2024, a 49 percent year-on-year increase. The total charging volume of these facilities exceeded 110 billion kilowatt-hours last year, with a year-on-year growth rate of 38 percent.

    MIL OSI China News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott Statement on the October Jobs Report

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Scott Statement on the October Jobs Report

    As originally released by the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats

    WASHINGTON –Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 12,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent. To date, President Biden is the first President on record without a month of job loss in the seasonally adjusted data. Every other administration has seen at least one month of job loss.

    “Without question, Americans are better off today, then they were four years ago. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 16.1 million jobs, inflation has fallen to 2.4 percent over the year, and wages continue to grow, particularly among low-wage workers. Four years ago, the economy was in freefall, Americans were hoarding toilet paper and standing in line at foodbanks. President Trump was on track to achieve the worst job performance in modern history, and the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent, compared to today’s rate of 4.1 percent.

    “The contrast between the records of this administration and the prior administration could not be starker. For example, President Trump is the first president in nearly 100 years to have lost more jobs than he created during his time in office. During President Trump’s tenure, ten months of which he spent mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy lost 2.7 million jobs. During President Biden’s time in office, nearly two years of which were spent recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy has added 16.1 million jobs. That is more jobs than any President has created in four years.

    “The Biden-Harris Administration’s responsible stewardship of the economy and investment in workers has paid off. In the past four years, Democrats ensured working people were not left behind during this country’s economic recovery. But the work is not over. Despite the resilience of the economy, there is more that can be done to lower costs, whether at the grocery store, the pharmacy counter, or when buying a home. Democrats are offering proposals to end price gouging, lower prescription drug costs, expand homeownership, increase the Pell Grant, and lower the cost of childcare, among many other priorities. Moreover, to help families make ends meet, Democrats are proposing to expand the Child Tax Credit, which would provide as much as $300 per month per child.

    “As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding the rights of workers and fostering an economy that works for everyone. Together with the Biden-Harris Administration and my colleagues in Congress, we will continue to champion policies that empower working families and drive sustainable growth. The path forward is one of opportunity, equity, and shared success for all.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: PIMCO Closed-End Funds Declare Monthly Common Share Distributions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Nov. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Boards of Trustees/Directors of the PIMCO closed-end funds below (each, a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”) have declared a monthly distribution for each Fund’s common shares as summarized below. The distributions are payable on December 2, 2024 to shareholders of record on November 12, 2024, with an ex-dividend date of November 12, 2024.

        Monthly Distribution 
    Per Share
    Fund NYSE Symbol Amount Change From
    Previous
    Month
    Percentage
    Change From
    Previous
    Month
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PCN) $0.112500 – –
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund (NYSE: PTY) $0.118800 – –
    PIMCO Global StocksPLUS® & Income Fund (NYSE: PGP) $0.069000 – –
    PIMCO High Income Fund (NYSE: PHK) $0.048000 – –
    PIMCO Strategic Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: RCS) $0.051000 – –
    PCM Fund, Inc. (NYSE: PCM) $0.080000 – –
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PFL) $0.081400 – –
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II (NYSE: PFN) $0.071800 – –
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (NYSE: PDI) $0.220500 – –
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Opportunities Fund (NYSE: PDO) $0.127900 – –
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PMF) $0.042000 – –
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PCQ) $0.036000 – –
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PNF) $0.033500 – –
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PML) $0.039500 – –
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PCK) $0.021500 – –
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PNI) $0.029500 – –
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PMX) $0.033000 – –
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PZC) $0.029500 – –
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PYN) $0.024800 – –
    PIMCO Access Income Fund (NYSE: PAXS) $0.149400 – –
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PDX) $0.113300 – –
             

    Fund Distribution Information as of September 30, 2024:

    Fund NYSE Symbol Current
    Amount
    Annualized
    current
    distribution
    rate expressed
    as a
    percentage of
    NAV as of
    09/30/2024
    Annualized
    current
    distribution rate
    expressed as a
    percentage of
    Market Price as
    of 09/30/2024
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PCN) $0.112500 11.28% 9.51%
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund (NYSE: PTY) $0.118800 12.15% 9.91%
    PIMCO Global StocksPLUS® & Income Fund (NYSE: PGP) $0.069000 10.26% 9.87%
    PIMCO High Income Fund (NYSE: PHK) $0.048000 12.13% 11.52%
    PIMCO Strategic Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: RCS) $0.051000 13.48% 7.96%
    PCM Fund, Inc. (NYSE: PCM) $0.080000 14.95% 12.02%
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PFL) $0.081400 11.88% 11.40%
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II (NYSE: PFN) $0.071800 11.90% 11.31%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (NYSE: PDI) $0.220500 15.20% 13.05%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Opportunities Fund (NYSE: PDO) $0.127900 11.52% 10.87%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PMF) $0.042000 5.19% 4.88%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PCQ) $0.036000 4.02% 4.34%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PNF) $0.033500 4.50% 4.84%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PML) $0.039500 5.26% 5.05%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PCK) $0.021500 3.74% 4.11%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PNI) $0.029500 4.10% 4.49%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PMX) $0.033000 4.76% 4.79%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PZC) $0.029500 4.45% 4.72%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PYN) $0.024800 4.33% 4.72%
    PIMCO Access Income Fund (NYSE: PAXS) $0.149400 11.48% 10.78%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PDX) $0.113300 5.31% 5.76%
             

    Distribution rates are not performance and are calculated by annualizing the current distribution per share announced in this press release and dividing by the NAV or Market Price, as applicable, as of the reported date. A Fund’s distribution rate may be affected by numerous factors, including changes in realized and projected market returns, Fund performance, and other factors. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in a Fund’s distribution rate at a future time. Distributions may be comprised of ordinary income, net capital gains, and/or a return of capital (“ROC”) of your investment in a Fund. Because the distribution rate may include a ROC, it should not be confused with yield or performance.

    Average Annual Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price (“MKT”) of Common Shares as of
    September 30, 2024:

    Fund NYSE
    Symbol
    Inception
    Date
      1 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since
    Inception
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PCN) 12/21/2001 NAV 23.51% 7.45% 8.44% 10.85%
    MKT 29.84% 4.85% 9.27% 10.72%
    PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund (NYSE: PTY) 12/27/2002 NAV 26.15% 8.88% 9.91% 12.73%
    MKT 22.38% 5.99% 9.70% 12.33%
    PIMCO Global StocksPLUS® & Income Fund (NYSE: PGP) 5/31/2005 NAV 35.45% 7.99% 8.40% 10.74%
    MKT 41.62% 4.07% 1.98% 7.19%
    PIMCO High Income Fund (NYSE: PHK) 4/30/2003 NAV 23.03% 6.67% 8.67% 10.56%
    MKT 28.03% 2.60% 3.68% 7.94%
    PIMCO Strategic Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: RCS) 2/24/1994 NAV 25.91% 3.96% 5.11% 7.70%
    MKT 60.73% 6.94% 8.09% 8.86%
    PCM Fund, Inc. (NYSE: PCM) 9/2/1993 NAV 17.12% 3.21% 6.11% 8.30%
    MKT 1.89% 3.96% 7.48% 8.30%
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PFL) 8/29/2003 NAV 22.55% 6.24% 6.95% 6.86%
    MKT 26.23% 5.41% 7.52% 6.71%
    PIMCO Income Strategy Fund II (NYSE: PFN) 10/29/2004 NAV 22.66% 5.75% 6.94% 6.14%
    MKT 30.66% 5.10% 7.79% 6.12%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (NYSE: PDI) 5/30/2012 NAV 22.25% 4.97% 7.38% 11.00%
    MKT 35.83% 3.89% 9.31% 11.54%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Opportunities Fund (NYSE: PDO) 1/29/2021 NAV 25.12% – – 1.34%
    MKT 34.18% – – 2.67%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PMF) 6/29/2001 NAV 19.11% -1.09% 3.02% 5.32%
    MKT 29.67% -2.20% 2.93% 4.95%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PCQ) 6/29/2001 NAV 19.49% -0.36% 3.28% 5.38%
    MKT 25.03% -8.48% 1.74% 4.43%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: PNF) 6/29/2001 NAV 17.33% -1.72% 2.44% 3.86%
    MKT 21.18% -6.10% 1.74% 3.31%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PML) 6/28/2002 NAV 18.92% -0.82% 3.28% 4.56%
    MKT 29.12% -4.55% 3.84% 4.40%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PCK) 6/28/2002 NAV 20.62% -1.04% 3.17% 3.57%
    MKT 30.76% -3.83% 1.55% 2.60%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE: PNI) 6/28/2002 NAV 17.66% -1.62% 2.65% 3.94%
    MKT 28.89% -3.53% 1.69% 3.25%
    PIMCO Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PMX) 10/31/2002 NAV 19.57% -1.18% 3.35% 4.33%
    MKT 34.49% -3.45% 3.28% 3.91%
    PIMCO California Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PZC) 10/31/2002 NAV 19.28% -0.32% 3.30% 3.76%
    MKT 14.90% -3.22% 2.14% 3.12%
    PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund III (NYSE: PYN) 10/31/2002 NAV 18.13% -1.41% 2.27% 2.65%
    MKT 24.76% -3.61% 1.28% 2.02%
    PIMCO Access Income Fund (NYSE: PAXS) 1/31/2022 NAV 21.95% – – 2.53%
    MKT 34.98% – – 5.21%
    PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund (NYSE: PDX) 02/01/2019 NAV 21.12% 14.33% – 11.89%
    MKT 25.42% 15.21% – 11.52%

    Performance for periods of more than one year is annualized.

    Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results. There can be no assurance that a Fund or any investment strategy will achieve its investment objectives or structure its investment portfolio as anticipated. An investment in a Fund involves risk, including loss of principal. Investment return and the value of shares will fluctuate. Shares may be worth more or less than original purchase price. Due to market volatility, current performance may be lower or higher than average annual returns shown. Returns are calculated by determining the percentage change in net asset value (“NAV”) or market price (as applicable) of the Fund’s common shares in the specific period. The calculation assumes that all dividends and distributions, if any, have been reinvested. NAV and market price returns do not reflect broker sales charges or commissions in connection with the purchase or sales of Fund shares and includes the effect of any expense reductions. Returns for a period of less than one year are not annualized. Returns for a period of more than one year represent the average annual return. Performance at market price will differ from results at NAV. Although market price returns typically reflect investment results over time, during shorter periods returns at market price can also be influenced by factors such as changing views about a Fund, market conditions, supply and demand for a Fund’s shares or changes in Fund dividends and distributions.

    Additional Information

    Distributions from PMF, PML, PMX, PCQ, PCK, PZC, PNF, PNI and PYN are generally exempt from regular federal income taxes (i.e., excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax). In addition, distributions from PCQ, PCK and PZC are also generally exempt from California state income taxes, and distributions from PNF, PNI and PYN are generally exempt from New York State and city income taxes. There can be no assurance that all distributions paid by these Funds will be exempt from federal income taxes or applicable state or local income taxes.

    Distributions may include ordinary income, net capital gains and/or a return of capital. Generally, a return of capital occurs when the amount distributed by a Fund includes a portion of (or is comprised entirely of) your investment in the Fund in addition to (or rather than) your pro-rata portion of the Fund’s net income or capital gains. A Fund’s distributions in any period may be more or less than the net return earned by the Fund on its investments, and therefore should not be used as a measure of performance or confused with “yield” or “income.” A return of capital is not taxable; rather it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her shares of a Fund.

    If a Fund estimates that a portion of a distribution may be comprised of amounts from sources other than net investment income, as determined in accordance with its internal accounting records and related accounting practices, the Fund will notify shareholders of the estimated composition of such distribution through a Section 19 Notice. For these purposes, a Fund estimates the source or sources from which a distribution is paid, to the close of the period as of which it is paid, in reference to its internal accounting records and related accounting practices. If, based on such accounting records and practices, it is estimated that a particular distribution does not include capital gains or paid-in surplus or other capital sources, a Section 19 Notice generally would not be issued. It is important to note that differences exist between a Fund’s daily internal accounting records and practices, the Fund’s financial statements presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and recordkeeping practices under income tax regulations. For instance, a Fund’s internal accounting records and practices may take into account, among other factors, tax-related characteristics of certain sources of distributions that differ from treatment under U.S. GAAP. Examples of such differences may include, among others, the treatment of paydowns on mortgage-backed securities purchased at a discount and periodic payments under interest rate swap contracts. Accordingly, among other consequences, it is possible that a Fund may not issue a Section 19 Notice in situations where the Fund’s financial statements prepared later and in accordance with U.S. GAAP and/or the final tax character of those distributions might later report that the sources of those distributions included capital gains and/or a return of capital. Please visit www.pimco.com for the most recent Section 19 Notice, if applicable, and most recent shareholder reports for additional information regarding the estimated composition of distributions. Final determination of a distribution’s tax character will be provided to shareholders when such information is available.

    The tax treatment and characterization of a Fund’s distributions may vary significantly from time to time because of the varied nature of the Fund’s investments. For example, a Fund may enter into opposite sides of multiple interest rate swaps or other derivatives with respect to the same underlying reference instrument (e.g., a 10-year U.S. treasury) that have different effective dates with respect to interest accrual time periods for the principal purpose of generating distributable gains (characterized as ordinary income for tax purposes) that are not part of the Fund’s duration or yield curve management strategies. In such a “paired swap transaction”, the Fund would generally enter into one or more interest rate swap agreements whereby the Fund agrees to make regular payments starting at the time the Fund enters into the agreements equal to a floating interest rate in return for payments equal to a fixed interest rate (the “initial leg”). The Fund would also enter into one or more interest rate swap agreements on the same underlying instrument, but take the opposite position (i.e., in this example, the Fund would make regular payments equal to a fixed interest rate in return for receiving payments equal to a floating interest rate) with respect to a contract whereby the payment obligations do not commence until a date following the commencement of the initial leg (the “forward leg”).

    A Fund may engage in investment strategies, including those that employ the use of derivatives, to, among other things, seek to generate current, distributable income, even if such strategies could potentially result in declines in the Fund’s NAV. A Fund’s income and gain-generating strategies, including certain derivatives strategies, may generate current income and gains taxable as ordinary income sufficient to support monthly distributions even in situations when the Fund has experienced a decline in net assets due to, for example, adverse changes in the broad U.S. or non-U.S. equity markets or the Fund’s debt investments, or arising from its use of derivatives. Because some or all of these transactions may generate capital losses without corresponding offsetting capital gains, portions of a Fund’s distributions recognized as ordinary income for tax purposes (such as from paired swap transactions) may be economically similar to a taxable return of capital when considered together with such capital losses. The tax treatment of certain derivatives in which a Fund invests may be unclear and thus subject to recharacterization. Any recharacterization of payments made or received by a Fund pursuant to derivatives potentially could affect the amount, timing or character of Fund distributions. In addition, the tax treatment of such investment strategies may be changed by regulation or otherwise.

    The common shares of the Funds trade on the New York Stock Exchange. As with any stock, the price of a Fund’s common shares will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. If you sell your common shares of a Fund, the price received may be more or less than your original investment. Shares of closed-end investment management companies, such as the Funds, frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value and may trade at a price that is less than the initial offering price and/or the net asset value of such shares. Further, if a Fund’s shares trade at a price that is more than the initial offering price and/or the net asset value of such shares, including at a substantial premium and/or for an extended period of time, there is no assurance that any such premium will be sustained for any period of time and will not decrease, or that the shares will not trade at a discount to net asset value thereafter.

    The Funds’ daily New York Stock Exchange closing market prices, net asset values per share, as well as other information, including updated portfolio statistics and performance are available at pimco.com/closedendfunds or by calling the Funds’ shareholder servicing agent at (844) 33-PIMCO. Updated portfolio holdings information about a Fund will be available approximately 15 calendar days after such Fund’s most recent fiscal quarter end, and will remain accessible until such Fund files a shareholder report or a publicly available Form N-PORT for the period that includes the date of the information.

    A Fund’s shares do not represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not insured by the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. You may lose money by investing in a Fund. Certain risks associated with investing in a Fund are summarized below.

    An investor should consider, among other things, a Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. A Fund’s annual report contains (or will contain) this and other information about the Fund.

    A word about risk:
    Investing in the bond market is subject to risks, including market, interest rate, issuer, credit, inflation risk, and liquidity risk. The value of most bonds and bond strategies are impacted by changes in interest rates. Bonds and bond strategies with longer durations tend to be more sensitive and volatile than those with shorter durations; bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise, and low interest rate environments increase this risk. Reductions in bond counterparty capacity may contribute to decreased market liquidity and increased price volatility. Bond investments may be worth more or less than the original cost when redeemed. Mortgage and asset-backed securities may be sensitive to changes in interest rates, subject to early repayment risk, and their value may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of issuer creditworthiness; while generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee there is no assurance that private guarantors will meet their obligations. Investing in foreign-denominated and/or -domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctuations, and economic and political risks, which may be enhanced in emerging markets. Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to factors such as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. Bank loans are often less liquid than other types of debt instruments and general market and financial conditions may affect the prepayment of bank loans, and as such the prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. There is no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral from a secured bank loan would satisfy the borrower’s obligation, or that such collateral could be liquidated. Contingent Convertible (“Coco”) Bonds are bonds that are converted into equity of the issuing company if a pre-specified trigger occurs. Co-cos are subject to a different type of risk from traditional bonds and may result in a partial or total loss of value or may be converted into shares of the issuing company which may also have suffered a loss in value. Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) may involve a high degree of risk and are intended for sale to qualified investors only. Investors may lose some or all of the investment and there may be periods where no cash flow distributions are received. CLOs are exposed to risks such as credit, default, liquidity, management, volatility, interest rate, and credit risk. Convertible securities may be called before intended, which may have an adverse effect on investment objectives. Floating rate loans are not traded on an exchange and are subject to significant credit, valuation and liquidity risk. A Fund may invest without limit in below investment grade debt securities (commonly referred to as “high yield” securities or “junk bonds”), including securities of stressed and distressed issuers. High-yield, lower-rated, securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities; portfolios that invest in them may be subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risk than portfolios that do not. Real estate investment trusts (or REITs) are subject to risk, such as poor performance by the manager, adverse changes to tax laws or failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income. Investments in residential/commercial mortgage loans and commercial real estate debt are subject to risks that include prepayment, delinquency, foreclosure, risks of loss, servicing risks and adverse regulatory developments, which risks may be heightened in the case of non-performing loans. Investing in distressed loans and bankrupt companies is speculative and the repayment of default obligations contains significant uncertainties. Distressed and Defaulted Securities involve substantial risks, including the risk of default. Such investments may be in default at the time of investment. In addition, these securities may fluctuate more in price, and are typically less liquid. Commodities contain heightened risk, including market, political, regulatory and natural conditions, and may not be appropriate for all investors. Many energy sector master limited partnerships (or MLPs) and other companies in which PDX may invest operate natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products, coal, or other facilities within the energy sector and will be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, or regulatory occurrences affecting the sector including sharp decreases in crude oil or natural gas prices. Energy Sector Risk. PDX will be concentrated in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, or regulatory occurrences affecting that sector. Private credit involves an investment in non-publicly traded securities which may be subject to illiquidity risk. Portfolios that invest in private credit may be leveraged and may engage in speculative investment practices that increase the risk of investment loss. A Fund will also have exposure to such risks through its investments in mortgage and asset-backed securities, which are highly complex instruments that may be sensitive to changes in interest rates and subject to early repayment risk. Income from municipal bonds is exempt from federal income tax and may be subject to state and local taxes and at times the alternative minimum tax; a strategy concentrating in a single or limited number of states is subject to greater risk of adverse economic conditions and regulatory changes. Structured products such as collateralized debt obligations are also highly complex instruments, typically involving a high degree of risk; use of these instruments may involve derivative instruments that could lose more than the principal amount invested. Sovereign securities are generally backed by the issuing government, obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees but are generally not backed by the full faith of the U.S. Government; portfolios that invest in such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate in value. Concentration of assets in one or a few sectors may entail greater risk than a fully diversified portfolio and should be considered as only part of a diversified portfolio. Investing in foreign-denominated and/or -domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctuations, and economic and political risks, which may be enhanced in emerging markets. Leveraging transactions, including borrowing, typically will cause a portfolio to be more volatile than if the portfolio had not been leveraged.  Leveraging transactions typically involve expenses, which could exceed the rate of return on investments purchased by a fund with such leverage and reduce fund returns.  The use of leverage may cause a portfolio to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so.  Leveraging transactions may increase a fund’s duration and sensitivity to interest rate movements. Derivatives may involve certain costs and risks, such as liquidity, interest rate, market, credit, management and the risk that a position could not be closed when most advantageous. Investing in derivatives could lose more than the amount invested. Each of PDO, PNF and PYN is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified Fund.

    Limited Term Risk. With respect to PDX, PDO and PAXS (each, for purposes of this paragraph only, a “Limited Term Fund”), unless the limited term provision of a Limited Term Fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) is amended by shareholders in accordance with the Declaration of Trust, or unless a Limited Term Fund completes a tender offer, as of a date within twelve months preceding the Dissolution Date (as defined below), to all common shareholders to purchase 100% of the then outstanding common shares of such Limited Term Fund at a price equal to the NAV per common share on the expiration date of the tender offer (an “Eligible Tender Offer”), and converts to perpetual existence, such Limited Term Fund will terminate. PDX will terminate on or about January 29, 2031; PDO will terminate on or about January 27, 2033; and PAXS will terminate on or about January 27, 2034 (each such termination date, a “Dissolution Date”). No Limited Term Fund is a “target term” fund whose investment objective is to return its original net asset value on the Dissolution Date or in an Eligible Tender Offer. Because the assets of each Limited Term Fund will be liquidated in connection with the dissolution, such Limited Term Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with dispositions of portfolio securities. The Limited Term Funds do not limit their investments to securities having a maturity date prior to the applicable Dissolution Date and may be required to sell portfolio securities when they otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause such Limited Term Fund to lose money. In particular, a Limited Term Fund’s portfolio may still have large exposures to illiquid securities as its Dissolution Date approaches, and losses due to portfolio liquidation may be significant. Beginning one year before the applicable Dissolution Date (the “Wind-Down Period”), a Limited Term Fund may begin liquidating all or a portion of its portfolio, and may deviate from its investment strategy and may not achieve its investment objectives. As a result, during the Wind-Down Period, a Limited Term Fund’s distributions may decrease, and such distributions may include a return of capital. A Limited Term Fund’s investment objectives and policies are not designed to seek to return investors’ original investment upon termination of such Limited Term Fund, and investors may receive more or less than their original investment upon termination of such Limited Term Fund. As the assets of a Limited Term Fund will be liquidated in connection with its termination, such Limited Term Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not, including at times when market conditions are not favorable, which may cause such Limited Term Fund to lose money.

    Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. After the initial public offering, shares are sold on the open market through a stock exchange. Closed-end funds may be leveraged and carry various risks depending upon the underlying assets owned by a fund. Investment policies, management fees and other matters of interest to prospective investors may be found in each closed-end fund annual and semi-annual report. For additional information, please contact your investment professional or call 1-844-337-4626.

    About PIMCO

    PIMCO was founded in 1971 in Newport Beach, California and is one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers. Today we have offices across the globe and 3,000+ professionals united by a single purpose: creating opportunities for investors in every environment. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider.

    Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO’s sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

    This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America LLC in the United States and throughout the world. PIMCO Investments LLC, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a company of PIMCO. ©2024, PIMCO.

    For information on PIMCO Closed-End Funds:
    Financial Advisors: (800) 628-1237
    Shareholders: (844) 337-4626 or (844) 33-PIMCO
    PIMCO Media Relations: (212) 597-1054

    The MIL Network –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: Massachusetts could be the next state to get rid of the ‘subminimum wage’ for tipped workers

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Research Professor, Political Economy Research Institute, UMass Amherst

    A Massachusetts ballot initiative would get rid of the state’s tipped minimum wage. AP Photo/Marta Lavandier

    The federal minimum wage for tipped workers has stood at US$2.13 an hour since 1991. Back then, it amounted to half the $4.25 regular minimum wage. But Congress has failed to increase the tipped minimum while periodically raising the regular wage floor. Today, the tipped rate is less than one-third of the $7.25 federal full minimum wage.

    As of October 2024, 30 states and Washington, D.C., had instituted their own, higher, regular minimum wages. The number of states taking this step keeps rising in part because Congress hasn’t raised the federal minimum wage since 2009. Over the years, many states have also adopted higher wages for tipped workers. Seven states have no tipped minimum wage at all, which means that employers must pay at least the state-mandated minimum wage to all workers, including those who earn tips.

    If Massachusetts voters approve a ballot initiative on Nov. 5, 2024, their state will gradually raise the state’s tipped minimum wage until it matches the state minimum wage. That is, it will rise from $6.75 to $15 per hour by 2029.

    Massachusetts would be joining eight states that require – or are on their way to requiring – the full minimum wage for tipped workers: Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Michigan. Two major cities, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have similar measures on their books, too.

    To inform the debate about tipped wages, we – a labor economist and a sociologist – analyzed the potential impacts of implementing a full minimum wage for workers, businesses and consumers in Massachusetts. We found more evidence of potential upsides than downsides.

    Tipped minimum earners’ demographics

    For our study, we analyzed labor market data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We found that tipped workers are largely waiters, bartenders, hosts and bussers employed in bars and restaurants. They tend to earn low wages. Most are women, and they are disproportionately people of color.

    In Massachusetts, tipped workers typically earn low pay: On average, they take home $20.30 per hour, including what they get in gratuities. That’s about two-thirds of the state average hourly pay of $31.50.

    About 66% of tipped workers are women, compared with 49% in the state’s workforce as a whole. Some 43% are people of color, compared with 29% of all people employed in Massachusetts.

    Teens also make up a disproportionate share of Massachusetts’ tipped workers: 15%, versus 4% for the broader workforce. But the vast majority of tipped workers are at least 20 years old.

    Arguments for and against

    Proponents argue that eliminating the tipped minimum wage would boost pay for tipped workers and better ensure that workers are not subjected to wage theft. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wants the federal government to take this step.

    Opponents argue that scrapping the lower minimum wage could backfire for tipped workers if their customers give smaller tips once they know employers have to pay tipped workers more – or some jobs are eliminated. They also worry that business costs would spike, raising prices. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, opposes the measure.

    In Arizona, voters will cast their ballots on another ballot initiative that calls for a different type of tipped minimum wage reform. It calls for pegging the state’s tipped minimum wage to 25% below the full minimum wage. If approved, Arizona would effectively lower its tipped minimum wage, which currently stands at $11.35 an hour, to $10.76. Today, Arizona’s tipped minimum wage is $3.00 below the state’s full minimum wage of $14.35.

    Prone to wage theft

    When tipped workers’ base wages plus their tips do not add up to at least the state’s minimum wage, employers are supposed to make up the shortfall. This makes these workers particularly vulnerable to being underpaid, a form of wage theft.

    The consequences of this vulnerability are plain to see in restaurants and hotels. The hospitality industry, which employs the highest share of tipped workers, accounts for less than 6% of employed workers in Massachusetts.

    However, it accounts for nearly 14% of all complaints workers lodged with the Massachusetts attorney general’s office in 2023, including disproportionately high levels of complaints about minimum wage violations, the nonpayment of wages and tip violations.

    The hospitality industry also accounts for over 36% of all enforcement actions – investigations that produced evidence of labor violations – found by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office.

    The Massachusetts ballot initiative has stirred controversy in the state.

    Effects on earnings

    Two peer-reviewed economic studies that examined three decades of data found that tipped workers earn measurably more money as subminimum wage rates increase.

    Current wage rates that we observe in Bureau of Labor Statistics data reinforce those findings.

    Consider, for example, the $18.79 average hourly wage of tipped workers in states that treat tipped employees like other workers. This is 21.2% higher than the average $15.50 among tipped workers in states where the federal $2.13 subminimum wage remains in effect.

    Only part of this difference can be explained by the 15.7% difference in average wages for all workers in those different clusters of states.

    What could happen with business costs

    To be sure, more than doubling the $6.75 tipped rate in Massachusetts to $15.00 may sound like it could cause business costs to soar. A couple of factors, however, would soften the blow.

    First, we have calculated that the average tipped worker in Massachusetts restaurants earns about $11.75 an hour, before tips. Raising this rate to $15.00 is equal to a 28% increase – a much smaller lift than increasing the wage from $6.75 to $15.00. In addition, raising a worker’s wage from $11.75 to $15.00 by 2029 is equivalent to raising it to $13.00 in today’s dollars, or a 10% boost, after adjusting for projected inflation.

    Second, as we explained in our study, since tipped workers make up about 30% of Massachusetts restaurant workers, and the payrolls of these businesses typically amount to about 30% of their revenue, these numbers imply that eliminating the tipped minimum wage by 2029 would increase the average Massachusetts restaurant’s costs by 1%.

    Employers may also provide some other workers with raises, although they are not required to do so. That suggests the cost increase is more likely to be about double that, or 2% of sales.

    Expected impact on prices and jobs

    If the average Massachusetts restaurant were to pass its entire labor cost increase onto the consumer through higher prices, this would mean that restaurant prices would rise about 2%.

    This is equal to a $50 restaurant meal instead costing $51 – arguably a small price increase.

    The two studies mentioned above, which reviewed decades of data to see whether tipped workers earned more, also looked at whether businesses in states that increased their tipped minimum wage cut more jobs compared with businesses in states that didn’t.

    Although both research teams looked at basically the same data, one study found evidence of more job losses and the other did not, due to the different statistical choices they made. These studies, that is, produced inconclusive results about what raising the tipped minimum wage does to employment.

    There’s far more research on whether increasing the regular minimum wage has caused significant job losses. Studies have found that when it has gone up, employers have faced cost increases that are similar to what we’ve estimated for Massachusetts employers, if the state were to eliminate its tipped minimum wage. And that evidence points to no significant job losses.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Massachusetts could be the next state to get rid of the ‘subminimum wage’ for tipped workers – https://theconversation.com/massachusetts-could-be-the-next-state-to-get-rid-of-the-subminimum-wage-for-tipped-workers-242097

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on October jobs report

    Source: US Department of Labor

    WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the October 2024 Employment Situation report: 

    “Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 12,000 jobs in October, a month marked by significant impacts from hurricanes and strike activity. Despite these temporary disruptions, our economy continues to be strong. President Biden is the first president since data has been collected who has seen job growth every single month of their presidency. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 percent, labor force participation remains high, and inflation continues to decrease. This jobs report reflects an atypical month rather than a shift in the broader economic outlook. 

    “Strike activity, specifically, reduced employment growth by 41,000, temporarily impacting payrolls in industries like transportation equipment manufacturing. Yet, these events do not signal economic weakness. Instead, striking workers reflect a robust economy where workers have the power to demand better wages and working conditions. 

    “After accounting for revisions, our three-month average for employment gains through September stands at 148,000. This stability, coupled with strong 0.4 percent monthly wage growth in October, a three-month annual wage growth pace of 4.5 percent, and a 2.8 percent annual GDP growth rate in the third quarter, demonstrates the resilience of the American economy. Inflation continues to decrease, while consumer spending grew at an impressive 3.7 percent rate in the third quarter, underscoring a sustainable path forward. 

    “The Biden-Harris administration remains steadfast in its commitment to building a strong economy that benefits all working Americans. Our outlook remains strong, and we are dedicated to ensuring that every worker has the opportunity to thrive in a stable and growing economy.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Landmarks to be Lit Teal for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 14 New York State landmarks will be lit teal on Friday, Nov. 1 to mark the beginning of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

    “Alzheimer’s is a debilitating and brutal disease, and, like many of you, it is one that I have a personal connection with,” Governor Hochul said. “I take Alzheimer’s Awareness Month as the time to reflect on the struggles my fellow New Yorkers have faced when it comes to watching a family member or a loved one battle an incredibly heartbreaking diagnosis. I am remembering my grandfather this month as well as all of the New Yorkers and their families who are currently battling an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.”

    The landmarks that will be lit include:

    • Albany International Airport Gateway
    • Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
    • Empire State Plaza
    • Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
    • Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
    • Kosciuszko Bridge
    • Moynihan Train Hall
    • MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
    • Niagara Falls
    • One World Trade Center
    • State Education Building
    • State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
    • The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
    • The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building

    The Office of the Aging reported — according to New York State data shared by the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters — that more than 426,000 New Yorkers aged 65 or older have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The 2024 New York Alzheimer’s statistics, which includes caregiving, workforce and healthcare data, can be found here.

    New York State is proud to have a network of resources for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and their families. The New York State Department of Health outlines a map of counties across New York State which includes a list of Caregiver Support Programs and Centers for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease in each respective county. This list can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Australia: Volunteer leader awarded AFSM medal

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    CFA volunteer Fiona Burns

    CFA volunteer Fiona Burns was recognised in today’s Australia Day Honours, receiving an Australian Fire Service Medal for her more than 21 years of dedicated service to CFA and her community. 

    Fiona Burns has been an inspirational member of CFA for more than 21 years, serving as a member of two brigades (Launching Place and Hillcrest) and is the current group officer of Yarra Valley Group. 

    She has served with distinction as an officer of her brigade and group for 19 of her 21 years of CFA service.  

    Fiona has distinguished herself through her outstanding ability and reputation as an extremely capable member of incident management teams. As a result, she was chosen to take on Level 3 planning officer role in incident control centres (ICC) at large and prolonged, multi-agency campaign fires in 2013, 2019-20 and again in 2024 in Gippsland and the Grampians.

    In addition, she has represented CFA internationally as a planning officer undertaking two five-week stints to support fire suppression in Canada in 2014 and 2015. She has been a Level 3 accredited planning officer for 10 years. 

    “I love the planning officer role because I can take my fireground skills and use them in ICCs to support our firefighters on the front line,” Fiona said. “It’s a demanding role but I really enjoy the challenges.” 

    Fiona is also an experienced fireground commander where she identifies emerging operational leaders with whom she willingly shares her significant experience.  

    Her extensive fire management experience and analytical ability were influential during the successful transition of the former Launching Place and Woori Yallock brigades into one new brigade – Hillcrest Fire Brigade – in 2007.

    As brigade captain, Fiona was responsible for driving the creation of an emergency services hub with Ambulance Victoria, co-locating an ambulance at Hillcrest Fire Station to allow better medical response for the Yarra Valley and surrounds.   

    Fiona was a foundation mentor in CFA’s statewide Women In Leadership mentoring program, and she is still involved in this important initiative. She is also part of the District 13 Captains’ Leadership Mentoring Program, providing guidance to new captains about leadership and administration. These programs align with Fiona’s leadership philosophy.

    “Throughout my journey, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors and supporters who share their knowledge and experiences with me, and I believe that it’s my responsibility to do the same for emerging leaders.

    ”By sharing my experiences and insights, I hope to inspire others to realise their potential and contribute meaningfully to CFA and beyond.

    “I gain as much from the people I mentor as they get from me. It’s not a one-way street. 

    As a mentor, Fiona encourages diversity and opportunity to the women of CFA and is helping to future-proof CFA by developing a pool of future leaders to replace those currently holding leadership roles.  

    She has been a CFA trainer and assessor since 2013 and continues to combine her practical skills and knowledge to deliver training in District 13 on General Firefighter, Low Structure and Introduction to AIIMS courses, as well as leading skills maintenance and specialised bushfire training for brigades in the group and other local brigades.   

    Fiona has made significant contributions to community safety and education. She is a founding committee member of the Teenage Road Information Program (TRIP) and has been the chair of TRIP for the past six years. TRIP is presented by people who have lived the experience of a road crash. It includes all the emergency services agencies who attend a crash and have to deal with the resulting devastation. It’s a hard-hitting program that’s delivered in a funeral home.  

    “TRIP is my passion. It is primarily aimed at 16 to 25-year-olds because statistics show they have more crashes,” Fiona said. 

    “The program is designed to be thought-provoking and initiate conversations between mates and families about making good decisions while driving. There are consequences to decisions that drivers make. For every road fatality about 800 people are impacted.”   

    Along with TRIP, Fiona is an ongoing advocate of creating links to local Yarra Valley community groups that has ensured the development of more integrated emergency preparedness and response planning processes between Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria State Emergency Service, local government, community groups and the local schools.  

    Post Black Saturday, Fiona recognised that some lives were lost by people who tried to stay to rescue their pets. The Grab and Go Pet Bag concept was developed as a result of a local school art competition. The bags, which are made from reusable calico, include a checklist for pet owners who need to evacuate.

    “It was an absolute delight for me to present a framed Grab and Go Pet Bag to the winning student at their school assembly.

    “I want to take moment to acknowledge those who have played a significant role in shaping my CFA journey. Brian Willians, my first captain, set a strong foundation for me. Graeme Bourne offered unwavering support during my early captaincy days. Lex de Man for his support to establish and develop Hillcrest brigade, whilst Geoff Conway and Graeme Armstrong provided me exceptional leadership and guidance. Locally, Don Bigham and Roly Rak challenged and supported me, pushing me to grow in ways I hadn’t imagined and seek opportunity to enhance our local brigades’ capacity and capability.

    “Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank my mum. None of us can volunteer without the unwavering support of our loved ones, and her encouragement and support has been a cornerstone of my journey.”

    Submitted by CFA media

    MIL OSI News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: Indo-Fijian ‘listen to us’ plea to NZ over Pacific ethnicity classification

    By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/Bulletin editor

    Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian.

    While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under Indian and Asian on the Stats NZ website.

    “The ‘Fijian Indian’ ethnic group is currently classified under ‘Asian,’ in the subcategory ‘Indian’, along with other diasporic Indian ethnic groups,” Stats NZ told RNZ Pacific.

    “This has been the case since 2005 and is in line with an ethnographic profile that includes people with a common language, customs, and traditions.

    “Stats NZ is aware of concerns some have about this classification, and it is an ongoing point of discussion with stakeholders.”

    The Fijian Indian community in Aotearoa has long opposed this and raised the issue again at a community event Rabuka attended in Auckland’s Māngere ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa last month.

    “As far as Fiji is concerned, [Indo-Fijians] are Fijians,” he said.

    ‘A matter of sovereignty’
    When asked what his message to New Zealand on the issue would be, he said: “I cannot; that is a matter of sovereignty, the sovereign decision by the government of New Zealand. What they call people is their sovereign right.

    “As far as we are concerned, we hope that they will be treated as Fijians.”

    More than 60,000 people were transferred from all parts of British India to work in Fiji between 1879 and 1916 as indentured labourers.

    Today, they make up over 32 percent of the total population, according to Fiji Bureau of Statistics’ 2017 Population Census.

    Sangam community NZ leader and former Nadi mayor Salesh Mudaliar . . . “If you do a DNA or do a blood test, we are more of Fijian than anything else. We are not Indian.” Image: RNZ Pacific/Lydia Lewis

    Now many, like Sangam community NZ leader and former Nadi Mayor Salesh Mudaliar, say they are more Fijian than Indian.

    “If you do a DNA or do a blood test, we are more of Fijian than anything else. We are not Indian,” Mudaliar said.

    The indentured labourers, who came to be known as the Girmitiyas, as they were bound by a girmit — a Hindi pronunciation of the English word “agreement”.

    RNZ Pacific had approached the Viti Council e Aotearoa for their views on the issue. However, they refused to comment, saying that its chair “has opted out of this interview.”

    “Topic itself is misleading bordering on disinformation [and] misinformation from an Indigenous Fijian perspective and overly sensitive plus short notice.”

    ‘Struggling for identity’
    “We are Pacific Islanders. If you come from Tonga or Samoa, you are a Pacific Islander,” Mudaliar said.

    “When [Indo-Fijians] come from Fiji, we are not. We are not a migrant to Fiji. We have been there for [over 140] years.”

    “The community is still struggling for its identity here in New Zealand . . . we are still not [looked after].

    He said they had tried to lobby the New Zealand government for their status but without success.

    “Now it is the National government, and no one seems to be listening to us in understanding the situation.

    “If we can have an open discussion on this, coming to the same table, and knowing what our problem is, then it would be really appreciated.”

    Fijians of Indian descent with Prime Minister Rabuka at the community event in Auckland last month. Image: Facebook/Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka

    Lifting quality of data
    Stats NZ said it was aware of the need to lift the quality of ethnicity data  across the government data system.

    “Public consultation in 2019 determined a need for an in-depth review of the Ethnicity Standard,” the data agency said.

    In 2021, Stats NZ undertook a large scoping exercise with government agencies, researchers, iwi Māori, and community groups to help establish the scope of the review.

    Stats NZ subsequently stood up an expert working group to progress the review.

    “This review is still underway, and Stats NZ will be conducting further consultation, so we will have more to say in due course,” it said.

    “Classifying ethnicity and ethnic identity is extremely complex, and it is important Stats NZ takes the time to consult extensively and ensure we get this right,” the agency added.

    This week, Fijians celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali. The nation observes a public holiday to mark the day, and Fijians of all backgrounds get involved.

    Prime Minister Rabuka’s message is for all Fijians to be kind to each other.

    “Act in accordance with the spirit of Diwali and show kindness to those who are going through difficulties,” he told local reporters outside Parliament yesterday.

    “It is a good time for us to abstain from using bad language against each other on social media.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Provisional statistics of retail sales for September 2024

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (November 1).     The value of total retail sales in September 2024, provisionally estimated at $29.6 billion, decreased by 6.9% compared with the same month in 2023. The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in August 2024 decreased by 10.0% compared with a year earlier. For the first 9 months of 2024 taken together, it was provisionally estimated that the value of total retail sales decreased by 7.6% compared with the same period in 2023.     Of the total retail sales value in September 2024, online sales accounted for 10.4%. The value of online retail sales in that month, provisionally estimated at $3.1 billion, decreased by 11.8% compared with the same month in 2023. The revised estimate of online retail sales in August 2024 decreased by 0.7% compared with a year earlier. For the first 9 months of 2024 taken together, it was provisionally estimated that the value of online retail sales decreased by 2.0% compared with the same period in 2023.     After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales in September 2024 decreased by 8.7% compared with a year earlier. The revised estimate of the volume of total retail sales in August 2024 decreased by 11.7% compared with a year earlier. For the first 9 months of 2024 taken together, the provisional estimate of the total retail sales decreased by 9.2% in volume compared with the same period in 2023.     Analysed by broad type of retail outlet in descending order of the provisional estimate of the value of sales and comparing September 2024 with September 2023, the value of sales of commodities in supermarkets decreased by 1.1%. This was followed by sales of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified (-7.6% in value); jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (-17.9%); food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (-3.2%); wearing apparel (-8.7%); medicines and cosmetics (-2.5%); commodities in department stores (-11.4%); motor vehicles and parts (-26.7%); fuels (-8.6%); furniture and fixtures (-14.4%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (-3.8%); Chinese drugs and herbs (-17.7%); and optical shops (-10.6%).     On the other hand, the value of sales of other consumer goods not elsewhere classified increased by 2.9% in September 2024 over a year earlier. This was followed by sales of books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+20.3% in value).     Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of the value of total retail sales decreased by 1.0% in the third quarter of 2024 compared with the preceding quarter, while the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales decreased by 2.0%.Commentary     A government spokesman said that the value of total retail sales continued to decline in September from a year earlier, but the rate of decline narrowed. On a seasonally adjusted month-to-month comparison, the value of total retail sales recorded an increase.     Looking ahead, the spokesman said that the near-term performance of the retail sector would continue to be affected by the change in consumption patterns of residents and visitors. Nevertheless, an improved outlook for the Mainland economy following the recent introduction of a wide range of stimulus measures, and a possible easing of the Hong Kong dollar alongside the US dollar with the commencement of the US interest rate cut, would be conducive to boosting sentiment and supporting spending. In addition, the Central Government’s various measures benefitting Hong Kong, the SAR Government’s various initiatives to boost market sentiment and increasing employment earnings would also benefit the retail sector.     The spokesman added that the Policy Address this year includes various measures that would benefit the retail sector, such as developing new tourist hotspots, relaxing visa application criteria for some ASEAN countries, and boosting “silver consumption”. The Policy Address has also launched a series of measures to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including those in the retail sector, in addressing the challenges encountered in the process of economic restructuring. These include relaunching the principal moratorium under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme to ease the repayment pressure of enterprises, expanding the geographical coverage of E-commerce Easy to the 10 ASEAN countries, and relaunching the Hong Kong Shopping Festival in the next two years to help SMEs develop e-commerce business to expand their markets. These measures would help the retail sector in transitioning through the economic restructuring period and improve its prospects.Further information     Table 1 presents the revised figures on value index and value of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for August 2024 as well as the provisional figures for September 2024. The provisional figures on the value of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet as well as the corresponding year-on-year changes for the first 9 months of 2024 taken together are also shown.     Table 2 presents the revised figures on value of online retail sales for August 2024 as well as the provisional figures for September 2024. The provisional figures on year-on-year changes for the first 9 months of 2024 taken together are also shown.     Table 3 presents the revised figures on volume index of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for August 2024 as well as the provisional figures for September 2024. The provisional figures on year-on-year changes for the first 9 months of 2024 taken together are also shown.     Table 4 shows the movements of the value and volume of total retail sales in terms of the year-on-year rate of change for a month compared with the same month in the preceding year based on the original series, and in terms of the rate of change for a three-month period compared with the preceding three-month period based on the seasonally adjusted series.     The classification of retail establishments follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.     These retail sales statistics measure the sales receipts in respect of goods sold by local retail establishments and are primarily intended for gauging the short-term business performance of the local retail sector. Data on retail sales are collected from local retail establishments through the Monthly Survey of Retail Sales (MRS). Local retail establishments with and without physical shops are covered in MRS and their sales, both through conventional shops and online channels, are included in the retail sales statistics.     The retail sales statistics cover consumer spending on goods but not on services (such as those on housing, catering, medical care and health services, transport and communication, financial services, education and entertainment) which account for over 50% of the overall consumer spending. Moreover, they include spending on goods in Hong Kong by visitors but exclude spending outside Hong Kong by Hong Kong residents. Hence they should not be regarded as indicators for measuring overall consumer spending.     Users interested in the trend of overall consumer spending should refer to the data series of private consumption expenditure (PCE), which is a major component of the Gross Domestic Product published at quarterly intervals. Compiled from a wide range of data sources, PCE covers consumer spending on both goods (including goods purchased from all channels) and services by Hong Kong residents whether locally or abroad. Please refer to the C&SD publication “Gross Domestic Product by Expenditure Component” for more details.     More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey of Retail Sales”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080003&scode=530).     Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of C&SD (Tel. : 3903 7400; E-mail : mrs@censtatd.gov.hk).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Islamophobia Awareness Month challenges stereotypes in 2024

    Source: City of Derby

    Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) returns this November to rally communities across the UK toward meaningful change. This year’s theme, Seeds of Change, invites people from all backgrounds to take small, impactful steps toward combating Islamophobia and promoting unity.

    IAM 2024 raises awareness about Islamophobia, highlights the contributions of Muslims to society, and encourages allyship among communities. Seeds of Change emphasizes how small actions, like starting conversations or challenging stereotypes, can lead to significant transformation. By coming together and understanding each other, we can help reduce violence and hate against Muslims.

    Recent statistics illustrate the challenges facing Muslims in the UK:

    • 38% of all recorded religious hate crimes targeted Muslims in 2024 alone.
    • 70% of young Muslims who face mental health challenges also report being victims of Islamophobia.
    • 42% of Mosques in the UK have experienced religiously motivated attacks in the past three years, with many attacked on a near-annual basis.
    • 59% of media in articles about Muslims associates them with negative behaviour

    Councillor Sarah Chambers, Cabinet Member for Cost of Living, Equalities and Communities, said:

    Islamophobia Awareness Month is a powerful opportunity for all of us to come together in compassion and solidarity. This month is about understanding, learning, and embracing the rich diversity that our Muslim community brings that makes up the UK.

    The statistics are disappointing and saddening.  By taking the time to listen, learn, and stand against stereotypes, each of us can play a role in building a society rooted in respect and unity. I encourage everyone to get involved, spark conversations, and plant those seeds of change that will help create a more inclusive and compassionate future for everyone in Derby.”

    Samantha Dennis, corporate sponsor of the BAESN staff network and Director of Communities at Derby City Council, said:

    Here in Derby, we believe that everyone belongs, and this November, as we observe Islamophobia Awareness Month, we’re reaffirming our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive community for all. Islamophobia has no place here, and together we stand against intolerance and prejudice in all its forms. We acknowledge the challenges felt within our communities and the resilience shown across the city; we are committed to embracing diversity and fostering mutual respect, we’re building a Derby where everyone can feel valued, supported, and proud to call this fabulous city home.”

    You can learn more about IAM by visiting their website. You can learn more about what a hate crime is and how to report it on our webpage. If you have been the victim of hate crime or know someone that has, report it to Derbyshire Constabulary by calling 101 or 999 (in an emergency) or report it online.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 26, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Import of poultry meat and products from Shimane Prefecture in Japan suspended

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 1) that in view of a notification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Shimane Prefecture in Japan, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

         A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 2 000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 227.42 million poultry eggs from Japan in the first nine months of this year.

         “The CFS has contacted the Japanese authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation,” the spokesman said.
     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    January 26, 2025
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