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Category: Statistics

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Data User Conference on the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023-24 to be held on September 26, 2024, at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 25 SEP 2024 7:18PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), is pleased to announce a one-day Data User Conference focusing on the results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24. The event will take place on September 26, 2024, at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), Pune. The primary objective of this conference is to enhance stakeholders’ understanding and promote the effective utilization of this valuable data for policymaking and research.

    Since the launch of the PLFS in 2017-18, results have been released in the form of quarterly bulletins for urban areas and annual reports for both urban and rural areas. To date, six Annual Reports covering both rural and urban areas have been released, providing estimates of important parameters of employment and unemployment. Now the seventh Annual Report, based on the survey conducted from July 2023 to June 2024, is being introduced. The latest PLFS report was published on September 23, 2024, and will be a key focus of discussion at the conference. Both the quarterly bulletins and annual reports are accessible on the MoSPI website: http://www.mospi.gov.in.

    The PLFS provides continuous labour market data, replacing earlier Quinquennial surveys. It offers key insights into rural and urban employment, disaggregated by gender and age, helping policymakers design and assesses labour policies, social security measures, and reforms. The survey also tracks trends in workforce participation, educational attainment, and skill levels, providing a comprehensive view of labour dynamics. It highlights gender disparities and informs the need for targeted educational and skill development programs to meet evolving market demands.

    The Chief Guest for the conference will be Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Chairman, Pune International Centre. Notable speakers include Dr. Ajit Ranade, Vice Chancellor of GIPE and Dr. Saurabh Garg, IAS, Secretary, MoSPI. The conference will be attended by stakeholders such as professors and research scholars from renowned institutes, students, officers of MoSPI and other Central Ministries/Departments, officials from various international organisations and Media.

    During the event, various key concepts, definitions, results, techniques to use unit-level data, and methodologies including the use of multipliers and an assessment of data quality of PLFS   will be discussed. This will be followed by panel discussion and an interactive session for open discussions which will contribute to in depth discussions and exchange of ideas. Approximately 150 participants are expected to attend the conference.

    The conference will also be streamed live on YouTube, ensuring broader access for those unable to attend in person. Participants can view the live stream at https://youtube.com/live/O5VfdgNHUnI?feature=share.

    Data users are encouraged to register for the conference through open registration, with confirmations being sent via email to be selected participants.

    For registration, please follow the link:

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvgKyZBZNyzD2CtZS59n26bU0Z3XU-r9t-sMNiCvJ70KpWSw/viewform?usp=sf_link

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    MG/SB/DP

    (Release ID: 2058758) Visitor Counter : 38

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Release of Publication “Payroll Reporting in India: An Employment Perspective –July, 2024”

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 25 SEP 2024 4:55PM by PIB Delhi

    Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation is releasing the employment related statistics in the formal sector covering the period September 2017 onwards, using information on the number of subscribers who have subscribed under three major schemes, namely the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme and the National Pension Scheme (NPS).

    The full report can be accessed at:  Payroll Reporting in India-An Employment Perspective – July, 2024 240924-1.pdf (mospi.gov.in)

    1. Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme:

    The total number of new EPF subscribers during the month of July 2024 is 10,52,143, which was 10,56,867 during the month of June 2024.

      1. Employees’ State Insurance Scheme:
      • The newly registered employees and paying contribution under the ESI scheme during the month of July 2024 is 16,61,836 which was 16,33,848 during the month of June.

    2.3 National Pension Scheme (NPS):

    • The total number of new contributing subscribers under NPS during the month of July 2024 is 62,880 which was 64,799 during the month of June 2024.

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    MG/SB/DP

    (Release ID: 2058650) Visitor Counter : 69

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Plague affecting small ruminants in the Thessaly region – E-001397/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Greek authorities informed the Commission as soon as the first outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) was confirmed and close exchanges continue through the Animal Disease Information System and regular information notes.

    Imports of animals from third countries are strictly regulated and harmonised at EU level and Greece is applying the EU rules in that respect.

    Greece is implementing the control measures set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687[1]. These include the culling and destruction of small ruminants in the affected farms and the establishment of protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, including restrictions in the movements of animals and products, with the primary focus to prevent any further spread of the disease. Dedicated PPR measures at EU level are set out for Greece in Commission Implementing Decision 2024/2132[2].

    In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2021/690[3] and Commission Implementing Decision C(2023) 8926[4], in particular Annex 3[5], control measures implemented by Greece against PPR in its territory, such as culling of animals, compensation to owners for the value of the animals culled, disinfections of holdings, e.t.c., may be eligible for EU co-funding, at a maximum rate of 30%.

    Moreover, through their CAP Strategic Plans and in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, Member States may provide support for investments in preventive actions and for restoration of agricultural potential based on the identified needs and intervention strategy[6].

    Last updated: 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University

    Should Americans be bracing for bloodshed if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election?

    As a political scientist who studies American politics, I can easily imagine a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection – or worse – following this November’s presidential election.

    Flashback to 2020

    Four years ago, in an attempt to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump and his surrogates furiously challenged its results. Lodging 63 lawsuits, Trump and his surrogates tried to discredit or override vote counting, election processes and certification standards in nine states.

    None of these attempts was successful. Many were dismissed as baseless – often by Trump-appointed judges – before they even saw trial. Simply put, there is no evidence of widespread fraud. Even a voter data expert hired by Trump concluded that the 2020 election was not stolen.

    The U.S. legal system agreed, demonstrating that courts remain an important bulwark protecting American democracy. Yet the legal system cannot prevent political violence wrought by election denialism, as the country soon learned.

    On Jan. 6, 2021, over 2,000 people stormed the United States Capitol to forcibly prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election. Four people died and 138 police officers were injured during the riot, which inflicted nearly US$3 million of damage. Four officers who responded to the riot would later kill themselves.

    The mob was spurred, at least in part, by Trump’s rousing speech at a rally in Washington, D.C., earlier that day. There, he reiterated his claims that the 2020 election had been “stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats” and warned the crowd of approximately 53,000 that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

    Many legal scholars considered this to be incitement.

    “He clearly knew there were people in that crowd who were ready to and intended to be violent,” legal scholar Garrett Epps told the BBC. “He not only did nothing to discourage it, he strongly hinted it should happen.”

    Trump: A sore loser … and winner

    Trump has a long history of denying the results of any contest whose outcome he does not like.

    Before entering the political arena, Trump called the 2012 Emmys “dishonest” because his show, “The Apprentice,” did not win. In 2012, he dismissed then-President Barack Obama’s reelection as a “total sham” and questioned the accuracy of vote tallies and voting machines. Unleashing a barrage of tweets, Trump urged citizens to “fight like hell” against a “disgusting injustice.”

    As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the Republican primaries fraudulent after his competitor Sen. Ted Cruz won in Iowa, tweeting that the Texan “stole it.”

    Ultimately, Trump won the Republican primaries and the national presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Nonetheless, he falsely claimed that he only lost the popular vote – Trump fell 2 million short of Clinton’s 65.8 million votes – due to massive voting among illegal immigrants.

    Attacking the 2024 election

    Trump has doubled down on his election denial this election cycle. By May 2024, The New York Times had documented 550 such statements, up from roughly 100 in the entire 2020 campaign.

    Continuing to insist that the 2020 election was “rigged,” Trump predicts a repeat in 2024.

    This narrative of pervasive victimization has been bolstered by a flurry of lawsuits and criminal investigations brought against the former president. Since 2020, state and federal prosecutors have charged Trump with 94 crimes, including business fraud, mishandling classified documents and interfering with the federal election.

    In New York, he was convicted of 34 counts of corporate fraud and found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case filed by author E. Jean Carroll.

    Trump has cast these legal challenges as a deliberate attempt by President Joe Biden to interfere with the 2024 election over 350 times.

    “My legal issues, every one of them, civil and the criminal ones, are all set up by Joe Biden,” Trump told a New York City crowd in January 2024. “They’re doing it for election interference.”

    His surrogates amplify this message. For instance, Mike Howell, director of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, proclaimed on June 6, 2024, at a public Washington event that there is a “0% chance of a free and fair election.”

    From denialism to violence: Warning signs

    Lying about election results is no mere tantrum. It is a cornerstone of Trump’s strategy to paint himself as the victim of an elitist deep state – an image that appeals to his base, particularly among white working-class voters, some of whom feel that they are victims themselves of globalization and shadowy elites.

    This strategy is working.

    A September 2023 survey by the independent pollster PRRI showed that 32% of Americans believe that the 2020 election was stolen. Even though the question has been comprehensively litigated and dismissed in the courts, many American citizens simply do not believe, under any circumstances, that Trump can lose in a fair election.

    That fact, combined with other statistics from the same poll, explains why I believe another Jan. 6 is possible.

    About 23% of Americans and 33% of Republicans believe that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” – a 5% increase among Republicans and 8% among the general public since 2021.

    Meanwhile, 75% of Americans believe that American democracy is at risk in the 2024 election. That, too, may be something worth fighting for – especially when 39% of Trump supporters and 42% of Biden supporters report having no friends who support the opposing candidate. When people do not trust or socialize with people unlike them, violence between groups is more likely.

    I fear little can be done to prevent such violence.

    In 2022, Congress, acting in rare bipartisan fashion, approved the Electoral Count Reform and Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which closed many doors that President Trump attempted to use to thwart the 2020 election. Yet, as history shows, rule of law is not a certain brace against violence.

    Given the perceived stakes of the election for most Americans, along with Trump’s ever-sharpening incendiary rhetoric, it is hard to imagine that Jan. 6, 2021, was an isolated chapter in American history.

    Indeed, it may have been just a prelude.

    Alexander Cohen 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. Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6 – https://theconversation.com/post-election-violence-is-possible-in-us-political-scientist-says-and-it-could-be-worse-than-jan-6-238663

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rodney E. Rohde, Regents’ Professor & Chair, Medical Laboratory Science, Texas State University

    Rabies is a fatal disease for both animals and people. CDC/Barbara Andrews

    Rabies is a deadly disease. Without vaccination, a rabies infection is nearly 100% fatal once someone develops symptoms. Texas has experienced two rabies epidemics in animals since 1988: one involving coyotes and dogs in south Texas, and the other involving gray foxes in west central Texas. Affecting 74 counties, these outbreaks led to thousands of people who could have been exposed, two human deaths and countless animal lives lost.

    In 1994, Gov. Ann Richards declared rabies a state health emergency. The Texas Department of State Health Services responded by launching the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program to control the spread of these wildlife rabies outbreaks.

    Since 1995, the program has distributed over 53 million doses of rabies vaccine over 758,100 square miles (nearly 2 million square kilometers) in Texas by hand or aircraft. Rabies cases in dogs and coyotes went from 141 to 0 by 2005, and rabies cases in foxes went from 101 to 0 by 2014. By 2004, one canine rabies variant was effectively eliminated from Texas, and another variant was substantially controlled.

    We are researchers who began studying wildlife rabies and oral vaccination in the 1980s. From providing a proof of concept in using oral vaccines in raccoons to being among the first to use new rabies vaccines in the 1990s, we were on the ground floor of efforts to contain this deadly virus.

    Decades of vaccine research led to one of the most successful public health projects in Texas. And we’re hopeful it could provide a road map for the use of mass wildlife vaccination to prevent future outbreaks.

    Developing the oral rabies vaccine

    The Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program benefited greatly from the work of multiple researchers over prior decades.

    The mid-20th century saw several major developments in rabies control. With the failure of efforts to poison or trap infected animals, virologist and veterinarian George Baer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized the need for a different strategy to prevent and control wildlife rabies. His and his colleagues’ work in the 1960s led to the concept of oral rabies vaccination. While orally vaccinating wildlife would help combat infection at its source, it was previously thought to be logistically unfeasible given the large range of target animals.

    By the late 1970s, European researchers began the first field trials to orally vaccinate foxes against rabies. Small plastic containers were filled with vaccines and placed into baits, such as chicken heads. Over 50,000 of these vaccine-laden baits were distributed over four years in fox habitats in forests and fields.

    Early vaccine baits were coated with fishmeal crumbles and cod liver oil.
    Maki et al/Veterinary Research, CC BY-ND

    Researchers in Canada also began similar field trials in Ontario. During the 1980s, an average of 235 rabid foxes per year were reported in the area. Baits containing oral rabies vaccine were dropped annually from 1989 to 1995 and successfully eliminated the fox variant of rabies from the whole area.

    Recombinant oral rabies vaccine

    The first generation of these vaccines used live viruses modified in an attempt to not cause severe disease. Although effective and generally safe, the original rabies vaccines had to be kept in cool temperatures and had the rare risk of causing rabies in animals.

    In the early 1980s, scientists developed recombinant rabies vaccines, which use a separate virus to express the genes of the rabies virus. A collaboration between a nonprofit institute, the U.S. government, and the pharmaceutical industry led to the development of a recombinant viral vaccine that produced a rapid immune response against rabies without the possibility of causing rabies.

    In 1984, preliminary work in laboratory animals showed the promise of using an oral form of the recombinant vaccine to vaccinate animals. However, the concept of using genetically modified organisms was in its infancy among both scientists and the general public. While the vaccine was safe and effective in captive raccoons and foxes, major questions loomed over how it might affect other species once released into the environment.

    After years of work improving the vaccine’s design and testing its safety in several nonhuman species, the first European trial was held on a military base in Belgium. With data supporting it could safely and effectively control wildlife in Luxembourg and France, the vaccine was licensed to control fox rabies in 1995.

    In the U.S., similar studies of the oral recombinant rabies vaccine were conducted. The first trial began in 1990 at Parramore Island off the Virginia coast, and a year of intensive monitoring found no significant adverse effects on the environment or any wildlife species. A second yearlong study on the mainland near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, had similarly positive results.

    After the vaccine was successfully used to control raccoon rabies in tests in several other East Coast states, it was approved for use on raccoons in 1997.

    In 1998, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received funding to expand existing oral wildlife vaccination projects to states of strategic importance, to prevent the spread of specific rabies viruses, and to coordinate interstate projects.

    Results in Texas

    In Texas, the oral recombinant vaccine is now primarily distributed by hand and by approximately 75 separate helicopter flights annually.

    The Texas Department of State Health Services rabies laboratory worked alongside the CDC to create the Regional Rabies Virus Reference Typing Laboratory. One of us was recruited to both distribute the vaccine in the field and to develop molecular typing tools to discriminate between different types of rabies virus variants in the lab. These techniques allowed us to identify where different rabies virus variants were emerging at any given moment.

    The Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program continues to monitor and control rabies cases in the state.

    Our lab was also the first in the nation outside of the CDC to assist other U.S. states and countries in testing their specimens for rabies virus variants. These techniques helped researchers monitor where the rabies epizootic was ongoing or retreating due to wildlife vaccination and new forms of spread.

    With the constant threat of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 and influenza, the prospect of mass vaccination of wild animals may be one way to address future pandemics. Though there is much work ahead of us, we have hope that we may one day have the option of using mass wildlife vaccination to reduce or eliminate infectious diseases like rabies.

    Rodney E. Rohde has received funding from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA), and other public and private entities/foundations. Rohde is affiliated with ASCP, ASCLS, ASM, and serves on several scientific advisory boards.

    Charles E. Rupprecht consults for global academic, governmental, industrial and NGO organizations. He receives funding from academic, governmental, industrial, and NGO sources.

    – ref. Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success – https://theconversation.com/airdropping-vaccines-to-eliminate-canine-rabies-in-texas-two-scientists-explain-the-decades-of-research-behind-its-success-238508

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SFST’s speech at Bloomberg Buy-Side Forum Hong Kong (English only) (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is the speech by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, at the Bloomberg Buy-Side Forum Hong Kong today (September 26): Jeffrey (Global Head of Buy-Side Enterprise Sales of Bloomberg, Mr Jeffrey Leckstein), Manju (APAC Head of Buy-Side Product Sales of Bloomberg, Ms Manju Sakhrani), Irene (Head of Sales, Greater China Buy-Side of Bloomberg, Ms Irene Lam), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,     Good morning. I am very delighted to join you all at the Bloomberg Buy-Side Forum Hong Kong. This flagship event brings together influential business leaders and decision makers to explore timely and transformative topics that are reshaping the asset and wealth management industry. And this is very timely. Just last week the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.5 percentage points. Hong Kong quickly followed suit and the news was cheered by investors and financial markets. Also, Hong Kong ranked third globally in the Global Financial Centres Index 36 Report published two days ago, up by one place from the previous issue. Back in April this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Michael Bloomberg in New York to discuss global financial trends. During my visit to the Big Apple, I also spoke about the “ABCs” of Hong Kong’s role as a global financial centre: an “anchor” for financial stability, a “buffer” against risk and a “capstan” with a strategic location in Asia. Today I would like to focus on the “D” word – “dividends”Overview     Today’s agenda explores new prospects for growth and innovation in the Asia Pacific markets, covering key topics including risk management, automation, data and technology, and more. A common factor is that all of these topics are conducive to long-term, sustainable growth and dividends for investors and the industry.     As with our ongoing efforts to boost Hong Kong’s position as the region’s premier international financial centre, Hong Kong offers three distinct types of dividends, namely “diversification”, “succession” and “silver” dividends. These will surely help investors and the industry embrace new opportunities and unleash their potential. Let me tell you how.Diversification dividend     First, Hong Kong is well poised to provide a diversification dividend with our unique geographical, functional, product and service offerings. All this ensures an excellent platform for diversification, supported by our “one country, two systems” advantages and our role as a financial “super connector” linking Mainland China and global markets. We offer abundant investment opportunities, a full suite of professional services and a top-notch regulatory framework.     In terms of investment opportunities, last year the AUM (assets under management) of Hong Kong’s asset and wealth management business reached about US$4 trillion (HK$31.193 trillion). What’s more, over half of the funds were sourced from international investors outside Hong Kong and the Mainland. In fact, in 2023, Hong Kong was the world’s second-largest cross-boundary wealth management centre, after Switzerland. Hong Kong is also Asia’s largest hedge fund hub and our private equity capital under management ranks second in Asia after the Mainland.     As China’s hub for offshore Renminbi (RMB) business, Hong Kong holds about one trillion in RMB deposits, and processes about 80 per cent of the global offshore RMB payments. We will continue to expand our RMB-denominated investment and risk-management products to suit users’ needs. For the wider financial market, we will also continue to diversify and deepen the products and services we offer, ranging from new fund structures to listing platforms.Mutual access     Mutual market access between the Mainland and Hong Kong continues to expand in scope and capacity. Up to August this year, the total turnover (including buy and sell trades) of northbound trading of Stock Connect reached about RMB20,000 billion, while that of southbound trading exceeded HK$5,600 billion. This demonstrates our pivotal role for international and Mainland enterprises as well as investors to raise funds and make investments.     The Hong Kong stock market has also seen many recent achievements. The average daily turnover of ETFs (exchange traded funds) listed in Hong Kong reached HK$11.8 billion in 2023, an increase of 20 per cent compared to 2022 (HK$9.8 billion). The derivatives market also saw the average daily trading volume of futures and options reaching 1.35 million contracts last year, further rising to over 1.5 million contracts in the first half of this year. This showcases Hong Kong’s ongoing development as an international risk management centre.     In April, the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced five new measures to support the development of Hong Kong’s financial sector. These include expanding the scope of ETFs under Stock Connect as implemented in July. The measures would also bring long-term structural enhancements to the Hong Kong market, such as including REITs (real estate investment trusts) under Stock Connect, further enriching the choice of products available.Green and sustainable finance     Meanwhile, sustainable development and technology are the emerging major forces shaping the financial industry. Demand for green finance is growing worldwide, as part of the global green transformation. Statistics show that the Asian region will require some US$66 trillion in climate investment over the next 30 years.     Zooming into Hong Kong’s green and sustainable finance market, the total green and sustainable debt (including both bonds and loans) issued in Hong Kong amounted to US$50 billion. Among which, the volume of green and sustainable bonds arranged in Hong Kong topped the Asian market, accounting for 37 per cent of the total share.        We will continue to develop Hong Kong into an international green technology and green finance centre through five key directions, namely building a green technology ecosystem; green finance application and innovation; green certification and alignment with international standards; training talents; and enhancing exchanges and co-operation with the Greater Bay Area and international markets.Virtual assets and fintech     Hong Kong is a prime destination for the development of digital finance and for fintech companies to establish or expand their business locally, regionally and globally. We are home to eight virtual banks, four virtual insurers and two licensed virtual assets trading platforms. There are also around 1 000 fintech companies operating in Hong Kong. They cover a variety of businesses including mobile payment, cross-border wealth management, AI (artificial intelligence) financial consultancy, wealth and investment management, regulatory technology and many more.     With the rapid development of the virtual asset market, Hong Kong issued the Policy Statement on Development of Virtual Assets in October 2022. We are also among the first jurisdictions to adopt a comprehensive framework to regulate virtual asset activities with robust investor protection.     Premising on a balance between appropriate regulation and market development, we will continue to provide an enabling environment and support measures. This will help to sustain the development of digital and decentralised finance, and facilitate responsible and healthy industry development. For example, we are actively establishing regulatory regimes for both stablecoin issuers and over-the-counter (OTC) trading of virtual assets. We will introduce the bill for regulating stablecoin issuers into the Legislative Council within this year. We are also reviewing the consultation feedback for virtual asset OTC trading to examine ways to improve the proposed regulatory framework.Succession dividend     Moving on to succession dividend, which is growing in prominence here. That’s because Hong Kong is home to over 2 700 single-family offices and 12 500 ultra-high-net-worth individuals. These figures speak of the city’s appeal for family offices and asset owners looking to diversify their asset portfolios and sustain family wealth for future generations.     Last year, we published the Policy Statement on Developing Family Office Businesses in Hong Kong. Since then, a series of measures have been implemented to create a favourable environment for wealth management and succession planning, adding to the already diverse investment opportunities available in the city.     To name a few, the profits tax exemption regime for single family offices’ eligible investments was introduced last year, to provide tax certainty and attract family offices to set up in Hong Kong. We also launched the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) in March this year, offering a clear pathway for asset owners to reside and pursue development in Hong Kong. The new scheme has been well-received by asset owners and talents outside Hong Kong. So far, we have received over 550 applications, potentially bringing HK$16.5 billion of capital to the city.     Besides attracting professionals, we are also committed to nurturing talents for the family office sector. Last year, we established the Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy. The Academy not only provides training but also fosters collaboration, networking and knowledge-sharing between the industry and next-generation asset owners.     This brings me to a fast-emerging category of impact investing. We are working to foster charitable endeavours that would make a positive impact on society. The Academy will launch the “Impact Link” later this year. It will provide a repository platform to connect family offices and asset owners with high-potential and high-social impact charitable programmes. This will further enhance family offices’ engagement in charitable projects to create positive change and realise the full potential of philanthropy.     Art collections and investments are also gaining popularity among family offices, and Hong Kong is an ideal hub for this with our simple tax system and zero tariff on art trading. We are the second-biggest city for contemporary art sales after New York, recording US$414 million in the year 2022-23. By leveraging Hong Kong’s rich art and culture scene, we will continue to consolidate our position as a leading art exhibition and trading centre to create a dynamic ecosystem for art collection and investments for family offices and other investors.     Beyond creating a thriving family office ecosystem, we recognise that each family office has its unique needs and preferences. The dedicated family office team of Invest Hong Kong is here to offer one-stop support services specifically catered to the needs of each family office. Through key events such as the annual Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit, we will continue to deepen our connections with global family offices, supporting their evolving needs and garnering dividends from succession and legacy planning.Silver dividend     My third topic today is the silver dividend. Similar to many developed economies, Hong Kong faces the challenge of a rapidly ageing population. By 2046, over one-third of our population will be aged 65 or above. While this trend poses significant challenges, it also creates opportunities.     Among other things, an ageing population underscores the importance of accumulating sufficient savings to support post-retirement life. With this in mind, the Government launched the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system back in 2000, to help our workforce save up for their retirement. As of June this year, our MPF system was managing a total of HK$1,230 billion of assets, representing an increase of about 126 per cent over the past 10 years. MPF investment with stable returns     Enabling the general public to feel and share the benefits brought about by the development of financial services has always been our goal. In recent years, our society, particularly among those who will soon retire, has clear aspirations for financial products that offer stable returns amid a changing economic environment. This is evident in the overwhelming response to the Silver Bond issuance last year – where the total application amount (around HK$71.7 billion) and the number of applications (323 789 valid applications) were at record highs.     Likewise, our MPF scheme members have similar aspirations. The Government and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) persistently strive to widen the scope of permissible investments to improve risk-adjusted returns. For instance, in June 2022, the Central People’s Government, the People’s Bank of China, and the three Mainland policy banks were added to the list of “exempt authority” to facilitate MPF investment in sovereign bonds. It provides scheme members with greater access to one of the world’s largest bond markets. In June last year, we also put in place a mechanism to earmark a certain proportion of Government green bonds for priority investment by MPF funds.     These measures allow MPF fund managers to consider more investment instruments with stable returns in their portfolio management for the benefit of scheme members. As of June this year, MPF funds invested HK$8.3 billion and HK$600 million in sovereign bonds and government green bonds respectively, representing an increase of 159 per cent and 50 per cent respectively before the facilitative measures were put in place.Diversification and optimisation of MPF investment     We believe that our robust asset and wealth management industry is serving the MPF system well. It offers world-class investment management services along with a diverse range of financial products and innovative market arrangements.     In view of the growing internationalisation of the Mainland’s equity market, back in 2020, we included the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges in the list of “approved stock exchanges”, facilitating MPF investments into Mainland A-shares. Since the inclusion of the two stock exchanges, the exposure of MPF funds to Mainland A-shares has soared by 111 per cent to HK$24 billion as of June this year. Not only has this been welcomed by the market, it also provides more diversified investment opportunities for MPF assets.Fee reduction and eMPF Platform     Apart from offering a more diversified range of investment products for MPF scheme members, the Government and the MPFA are determined to explore and take forward more cost saving initiatives by leveraging innovation and technology. Launched in June this year, the eMPF Platform is a good example of how innovation and technology could resolve long-standing pain points in MPF scheme administration. They also create room for fee reductions for the ultimate benefit of scheme members.     We expect that the eMPF Platform will be fully implemented by end-2025. Through standardising, streamlining and automating different MPF administration processes, this first-of-its-kind centralised platform will significantly reduce the average MPF administration fee. This publicly funded digital infrastructure will also lower the entry barrier for newcomers to the MPF industry.   Closing     Ladies and gentlemen, I know you have a busy day ahead. So let me conclude by stressing the importance of joining hands in building, investing and enjoying the diversification dividend, succession dividend and silver dividend in Hong Kong. This forum is the perfect opportunity to share ideas and strengthen collaboration to achieve a more stable, sustainable and prosperous financial future in Hong Kong and far beyond.     I wish you all a rewarding forum today and the best of health and business. Thank you. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer Delivers Remarks at the 2024 Hate Crimes Grantee Conference

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Thank you, Liz Ryan, for that introduction and thank you also to Director Karhlton Moore and the Bureau of Justice Assistance for putting together this week’s conference. This inaugural conference has brought together grantees of the Justice Department’s hate crime grants, which includes law enforcement agencies, states, community-based organizations, and national civil rights organizations, for important discussions on best practices for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes, supporting victims of hate, and preventing hate crimes and hate incidents.

    I also want to take a moment to thank Houston Police Department Senior Officer Jamie Byrd-Grant, daughter of James Byrd Jr., and Judy and Dennis Shepard, the parents of Matthew Shepard, for being part of this week’s conference and for their strength and advocacy for so many years after the murder of their loved ones.

    I remember vividly when both of those heinous crimes were committed in 1998. I was almost exactly the same age as Matthew and, like him, was a young gay man living in a small college town. So Matthew’s murder in particular struck a fearful chord in me.

    But thanks to the Byrd and Shepard families’ commitment, and the advocacy of many people in this room, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act 15 years ago. That law gave the Justice Department some of the most important tools it has today.

    So we can both acknowledge how far we have come in the last 26 years but also recognize how much more needs to be done to make sure everyone feels safe in this country.

    The latest FBI hate crime statistics released on Monday demonstrate just how much work remains to do. There were a record number of hate crimes in 2023, and we know that hate crimes are underreported. Nearly 30% of all reported hate crimes were anti-Black or African American. Anti-Latino hate crimes increased from 2022, and there was a record number of hate crimes because of the victim’s sexual orientation. There were also a record number of anti-Arab and anti-Jewish hate crimes, with increases of 34% and 63% respectively, and anti-Muslim hate crimes increased by 49%. Yet the numbers alone do not tell the full story. Behind each of the 11,862 hate crimes is a tragic or traumatic story of intimidation and bigotry.

    Hate crimes instill fear in communities and undermine our democracy. The Justice Department has and will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to combat hate in this country.

    That includes prosecuting those who perpetrate these terrible crimes. Earlier this month, for example, the Justice Department charged two leaders of the Terrorgram Collective, a transnational terrorist group that operates on the digital messaging platform Telegram, where they promote a white supremacist ideology. Among other charges, the defendants are charged with soliciting users to commit hate crimes against those in the United States and abroad that they deemed to be enemies of the white race, with the goal of igniting a race war.

    But prosecutions are not the only tool available to us to help promote public safety. We also provide financial support to communities through grants to combat hate. Those grants go to a range of recipients, including state and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies, community-based organizations, and civil rights groups.

    I am thrilled to announce that this year, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs is awarding close to $30 million to law enforcement agencies, states, community-based organizations, and national civil rights organizations to fight the rise in hate and bias crimes and incidents. Over the last four fiscal years, the Department has given over $100 million in anti-hate crime grants, a number that demonstrates our strong commitment to this work.

    Through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Program, we are awarding nearly $12 million to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, as well as to collaborate with community partners on outreach and education to targeted communities.

    For example, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Police Department and Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence will launch a project across the University of Colorado system. That project will educate students, faculty, and community members about hate crime prevention and intervention and train campus officials on strategies for addressing hate crimes and hate-based incidents on campus.

    The 9th Circuit State Attorney’s Office in Orlando, Florida, will use its grant funds to establish an online complaint system for hate crimes to be reported, vetted, and referred to the proper law enforcement agency. It will also provide mediation where appropriate for non-violent hate crimes and provide trauma-informed mental health services to victims of hate crimes.

    Through the Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crime Program, the Department is also awarding more than $7.6 million to 11 different community-based and civil rights organizations. That money will fund projects dedicated to developing and implementing comprehensive hate crimes prevention and response strategies.

    For example, the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization will implement a hate crimes preparedness program for approximately 350,000 religious congregations to better prepare for and mitigate the threat from hate crimes and incidents. The No al Odio (or “No to Hate”) project will work with Hispanic communities in California to understand and report hate crimes through a comprehensive education and outreach strategy. And the Global Peace Foundation will use funds to work with Black and African immigrant populations in Maryland to train participants in conflict resolution and to build trust between diverse community members.

    To improve hate crime reporting and access to services for victims, the Department is awarding $1.1 million under the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act State-Run Hate Crime Reporting Hotlines. That funding, awarded to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, will support the launch of its statewide hate crimes and bias incidents hotline by investing in partnerships with LGBTQI+, Latino, Black, immigrant, and refugee organizations.

    Both California and Illinois received hate crime reporting hotline grants in FY2022, and both states now have active hotlines for victims to report incidents in multiple languages, speak to trained professionals, and seek support and trauma-informed services.

    Also through Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act funding, the Department is providing $2.5 million to its research and analysis project that evaluates FBI crime data and hate crime reporting patterns within and across states, as well the variation among state laws on hate crimes. The Department is also providing $650,000 to its project on NIBRS data and police service calls, with a focus on identifying hate crimes.

    And through the Emmett Till Cold Case Investigation and Prosecution Program, we are awarding $1 million to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office (D.A.’s Office) to continue its work identifying, researching, and cataloguing Jim Crow cold case homicides, as well as unsolved homicides of LGBTQI+ victims, particularly those killed during the late 1970s.

    Through a previous grant under this program, the D.A.’s Office is investigating nearly 175 racial terror homicides in New Orleans and over 300 cases statewide.

    In addition to these grants, the Department is also combating hate by supporting resource centers. This includes the launch of a new Coordinated Hate Crimes Resource Center through a $2.7 million award to RTI and its subrecipients, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The Resource Center will serve as a hub for resources, training, and education, and it will support practitioners who are countering hate crimes and supporting victims in local, state, federal, and Tribal jurisdictions across the nation.

    Additionally, in June, through funding by the Department, the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Training and Technical Assistance Program announced the launch of a website that provides resources for law enforcement, prosecutors, community groups, and the public on how to identify, investigate, prosecute, and prevent hate crimes, as well as on how to address the needs of victims and communities.

    We know that a key tool to combat hate and support victims of hate crimes and incidents is research. To that end, the Department is providing over $2.5 million in funding for three research projects to advance the understanding of law enforcement responses to hate crimes and the needs of survivors and survivor communities. The studies will generate new information to improve specialized law enforcement bias crime units, the use of LGTBQI+ liaison units to respond to anti-transgender hate crimes, and outcomes for survivors of hate crimes and their communities.

    This research will also lead to the development of recommendations and guidance to help practitioners and policymakers improve responses to hate crimes.

    In addition to these new grant awards, I am pleased to announce two new trainings. First, the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is releasing a new Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-Based Bullying Prevention Curriculum, designed for middle and high school-aged youth and the teachers, counselors, and others who work with them.

    The curriculum was informed by 19 roundtable discussions with youth across seven states, along with pilot testing in many communities. It is designed to empower young people to change attitudes and behaviors and make them less likely to engage in or be victimized by hate crimes or bullying.

    The curriculum is also designed to educate adults who work with youth about the potential use of online technologies to break down cultural barriers and bias. The Department is dedicated to continuing to provide more resources to address hate crimes, bias incidents, and bullying among youth. You are going to hear more about the training from Director Ryan momentarily.

    Second, the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (or the COPS Office) is launching a new training on investigating hate crimes. That training was developed in conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and other subject matter experts. It builds on the training the COPS Office released in 2022 on recognizing and reporting hate crimes aimed at line-level officers. Both trainings can be requested at no cost by state and local agencies.

    I have touched on the importance of the Justice Department’s prosecutions, grants, and trainings to combat hate. Another critical pillar to our work is our engagement with the communities we serve. The Department’s Community Relations Service (or CRS) is working with communities across the country who are victimized by hate crimes and hate incidents. Using facilitated dialogues and programs, CRS is in communities responding to threats of violence against community members because of who they are and where they are from.

    CRS is also involved in many of the United Against Hate Programs that the Justice Department launched in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. Those programs connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with communities to increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes, build trust between communities and law enforcement, and create stronger alliances to prevent and combat hate crimes.

    Over the past two years, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, in close partnership with FBI, CRS, and the Civil Rights Division, have held over 550 United Against Hate events nationwide with over 18,500 participants. Just yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama and the FBI Office here in Birmingham hosted a United Against Hate symposium at Alabama A&M University for students and faculty.

    As the many programs and tools I have mentioned today underscore, the Justice Department remains committed to combating and preventing hate crimes and incidents. The partnerships that we have built across the country and continue to build with everyone here this week are indispensable to that work. I am grateful to stand with you as we work together to reject bigotry used to justify hate-fueled threats and violence and attempts to divide us. We are stronger together. Every person deserves to feel safe in their communities, and we will continue to fight back against hate in all its forms.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dartmouth — Nova Scotia RCMP release quarterly provincial impaired statistics for April to June 2024

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    As Nova Scotia’s provincial police, road safety is a top priority for the RCMP. In an effort to keep citizens informed about enforcement on our roadways, Nova Scotia RCMP is releasing statistics for all RCMP detachments in Nova Scotia from April to June 2024 on drivers charged for driving impaired by drugs or alcohol.

    For the months of April, May and June, the Nova Scotia RCMP charged 222 drivers with impaired-related offences.

    • 188 charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance by Alcohol
    • 10 charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance by Drug
    • 24 charged with Refusal of a Demand Made by a Peace Officer

    In addition to investigations that resulted in charges, a further 148 people were issued administrative driving suspensions for Operating a Conveyance While Having Consumed Alcohol.

    Impaired driving investigations can be complex, especially when they involve both alcohol and drugs. This is why Nova Scotia RCMP officers receive a variety of training, and have several tools at their disposal. In Nova Scotia, there are approximately 419 RCMP members with training related to drug-impaired driving, thirty-two of whom are Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). Nova Scotia RCMP also has 427 trained breath technicians who are qualified to operate instruments that determine a driver’s blood alcohol concentration.

    Failure or refusal to comply with a demand made by a peace officer for a sample for testing sobriety can result in criminal charges that have the same penalties as impaired driving. There are range of fines and periods of driving prohibition for those convicted of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

    Citizens are asked to call 911 immediately if you see a driver who is driving erratically or unsafely. Here are some signs of an impaired driver to watch for:

    • Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed
    • Drifting in and out of lanes
    • Tailgating and changing lanes frequently
    • Making exceptionally wide turns
    • Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance
    • Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights
    • Disregarding signals and lights
    • Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly
    • Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on
    • Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather

    Once you call 911, you will be asked to provide the following:

    • Your location
    • A description of the vehicle, including the license plate number, colour, make and model
    • The direction of travel for the vehicle
    • A description of the driver if visible.

    We would like to remind Nova Scotians to plan ahead and drive sober.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Manitoba Government to Extend Gas Tax Holiday to December 31

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    September 25, 2024

    Manitoba Government to Extend Gas Tax Holiday to December 31

    – – –
    Manitobans Will Continue to Save at the Pump Until the End of the Year: Kinew

    The Manitoba government intends to extend the gas tax holiday until the end of the calendar year, Premier Wab Kinew announced today. 

    “Since we cut the gas tax in January, inflation has gone down in Manitoba,” said Kinew. “This is what governments are for. We know Manitobans are still struggling with the impact of interest rates and grocery prices so we’re going to continue to step up and save you 14 cents at the pump.” 

    The current gas tax holiday on gasoline and diesel used to operate motor vehicles will be extended until Dec. 31, noted the premier. 

    The premier noted the people who drive the most popular type of vehicle in the province, a pickup truck, will save around $14 every time they fuel up. The Manitoba Bureau of Statistics estimates the gas tax holiday has directly contributed to a decrease of 0.4 percentage points to inflation. 

    Since the introduction of the gas tax holiday, Manitoba has had the lowest average retail price on gasoline in Canada and inflation has dropped to within the Bank of Canada’s target inflation range of one to three per cent. 

    – 30 –

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller’s Op-Ed: Raising the Corporate Tax Rate Will Hurt American Business, Investment, and Consumers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) penned an op-ed in Fortune on how a higher corporate rate would hurt Americans by driving up prices and reducing wages, as well as affecting America’s standing in the global economy.

    Fortune: Rep. Miller: Raising the corporate tax rate will hurt American business, investment, and consumers

    “For the past three years, politicians, businesses, and families have been grappling with inflation. Pundits across the political spectrum have argued that dramatically raising taxes on American corporations would be a quick fix to this burden on Americans. The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has argued that increasing the corporate rate to 28% ‘is a fiscally responsible way to put money back in the pockets of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.’ However, the clear economic truth is the opposite: Raising taxes on corporations will raise prices for consumers—and inflation will spike yet again.

    The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that passed under President Donald Trump in 2017 changed the trajectory of tax policy in the United States. Finally, a policy was enacted that lowered taxes for all Americans and made the United States more competitive globally.

    Before the TCJA, America’s corporate tax rate was one of the highest in the world, and American businesses were at a competitive disadvantage in the global market. This hurt companies and workers alike. Lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% gave every American more opportunities to succeed in business because they weren’t as burdened by unnecessary taxes. The results proved out: In 2018, 263,000 manufacturing jobs were created and wages increased by 3%, according to a National Association of Manufacturers analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Many economists have credited the TCJA for America’s continued outperformance relative to most of the world’s advanced economies.

    Reducing the corporate tax rate was the cornerstone of the TCJA. Today, some in Congress want to raise it in the name of increasing federal revenue. That would be a catastrophic mistake. Raising the corporate rate doesn’t punish companies—it punishes Americans.

    Multiple studies show that corporate tax increases are directly passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. A higher rate will also make American exports more expensive and companies less competitive in the global market. The result will be slower economic growth, fewer jobs, and less innovation.

    As the Ways and Means Committee prepares for the reauthorization of the TCJA, Chairman Jason Smith created ‘tax teams’ to evaluate which policies worked well and which could use improvement for the 2025 reauthorization. I am the Chairwoman of the Supply Chains Tax Team, which focuses on the corporate rate, energy tax credits, and capital gains tax. We’ve had many meetings with small businesses, Fortune 100 companies, and economists who have all emphasized the importance of maintaining a corporate rate that is pro-growth and pro-American.

    A lower corporate tax rate keeps costs down, leading to lower prices for consumers and more investment in their workers. The reality is that if the corporate rate goes up, the burden will fall on consumers, employees, and retirees. As a small business owner, I know firsthand how important it is to take care of your employees and produce the best possible product. If I suddenly must pay more in taxes, I either have to cut back on investments into the business that create more jobs or pass increased costs onto my customers. This would happen to businesses around the country and would slow economic growth in the U.S. to a grinding halt.

    Another key benefit of a low corporate rate is how much more attractive America becomes to investors. When the U.S. corporate tax rate was 35%, it was one of the highest corporate tax ratesamong developed countries. For any startup or subsidiary company, it made more sense to do business in China, India, or even within the famously high-tax European Union. With the lower rate, the U.S. is more inviting for nearly every industry.

    While some may argue that the federal government is leaving money on the table by maintaining or lowering the corporate rate, the opposite is true. The TCJA grew the American economy to the extent that the significantly lower corporate tax rate was offset by increased tax collections.

    The U.S. government doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Thanks to the TCJA, the 21% corporate rate has kept business taxes low, which softened the blow from the Democrats’ ill-advised (and utterly misnamed) Inflation Reduction Act. Without the TCJA, inflation would have been much higher. This is why even Democrats refused to hike the rate or repeal the TCJA when they had full control of the House of Representatives, Senate, and White House.

    The solution to inflation isn’t to increase taxes on American business, it’s to get federal spending under control and spur economic growth. Keeping the corporate rate low—or better yet, lowering it, as former President Trump has suggested—gives financial freedom to American consumers and businesses. The one-two punch of lower taxes and a lower debt burden will bring back the strong growth we saw in the first three years of the Trump presidency.”

    This article originally appeared on Fortune.com

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASS to publish 2023 Irrigation and Water Management report earlier

    Source: US National Agricultural Statistics Service News

    IIssued Sept. 25, 2024, by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. For more information, contact Lance Honig at Lance.Honig @usda.gov or (202) 690-0912.

    The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has changed the publication date of the 2023 Irrigation and Water Management data report. The data from this 2022 Census of Agriculture Special Study was scheduled to be released Nov. 14, 2024, at noon EDT. The new release date is Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at noon EDT.

    All NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov/Publications.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Andrew Cardno, Dr. Ralph Thomas and Dr. A.K. Singh Release Their 11th Book: “The Math That Gaming Made, Compendium”

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Acclaimed gaming and analytics experts Andrew Cardno and Dr. Ralph Thomas of QCI have proudly released their 11th book, “The Math That Gaming Made, Compendium,” a definitive exploration of the mathematical frameworks and strategies that have shaped the modern gaming industry.

    The book, which serves as a comprehensive guide to the intersection of mathematics and gaming, is a deep dive into how advanced analytics, mathematical modeling, and data science have revolutionized the gaming landscape. Covering decades of research and insights, “The Math That Gaming Made, Compendium” provides a wealth of knowledge for industry professionals, data enthusiasts, and anyone passionate about the intricacies of gaming mathematics.

    A Legacy of Expertise

    Andrew Cardno, a recognized authority in gaming analytics, and Dr. Ralph Thomas, a pioneer in gaming data science, bring together their years of experience and research in this book. Together, they offer readers an unparalleled understanding of how math is used to optimize everything from player experiences to casino operations.

    “This book is a culmination of over 20 years of innovation in the gaming industry,” said Andrew Cardno. “It not only highlights how data and analytics have evolved but also provides the tools and knowledge for others to apply these concepts in real-world gaming environments.”

    A Must-Read for Industry Professionals

    Industry expert Buddy Frank shared his praise for the book: “If there’s one thing the casino gaming industry does not do well, it is sharing. This book breaks that mold as the authors dish some of the best advice on improving your slot mix, gaining market share, understanding databases, and a lot more. They even translate all our obscure acronyms. This new volume is several inches thick, but you’ll find gems on every page. Better yet, follow their advice and your profitability will improve.”

    “The Math That Gaming Made, Compendium” is available now through Amazon.

    About Andrew Cardno

    Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the field of artificial intelligence and data plumbing, with over two decades of experience leading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams. His expertise has made significant contributions to data tooling, including groundbreaking innovations like the deep zoom image format, now a cornerstone in many mapping tools. Andrew’s leadership has earned him two Smithsonian Laureates and garnered 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Co-founding Quick Custom Intelligence with Dr. Ralph Thomas, Andrew holds over 150 patent applications and has made a profound impact across various industries, from telecommunications and retail to the medical sector. He is also a prolific author, contributing to over 100 industry publications and co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas. Andrew advocates for community and diversity and has made a significant impact on over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, reflecting his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.

    About Dr. Ralph Thomas

    Dr. Ralph Thomas is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Custom Intelligence. Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of seven books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.

    About Dr. A.K. Singh

    Chair & Professor, Resorts, Gaming & Golf Management Department at University of Nevada Las Vegas. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Statistics from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, Ashok worked as a Visiting Research Fellow at the NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC, in 1977. He has held academic positions since 1978, including: 1978 to July 1991: Associate Professor of Mathematics at New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM. August 1991 to December 2005: Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNLV. January 2006 to present: Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNLV, serving as Chair of the Resorts, Gaming & Golf Management Department since July 1, 2021. His research interests encompass applications of statistics in engineering, business, and law, as well as machine learning applications in business and medicine, and predictive analytics.

    Contact:

    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence

    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Clark County Landslide Risk To Be Studied Thanks to Federal Grant

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    09.25.24
    Clark County Landslide Risk To Be Studied Thanks to Federal Grant
    Geological Survey awarded $299,250 to survey portions of Clark County for landslide threats; Grant was made possible by the Cantwell-authored National Landslide Preparedness Act
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Washington Geological Survey had been awarded $299,250 to conduct a landslide inventory along State Route 14 in Clark County. The grants were awarded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) under the Cantwell-coauthored National Landslide Preparedness Act.
    Washington is one of the most landslide-prone states in the country, and landslides in the Columbia River Gorge have the potential to block or destroy State Route 14, which runs along the Columbia River and connects communities and businesses in central and eastern Washington to southwest Washington. Landslide inventories are conducted by state and federal agencies to gather data about where landslides have occurred in the past, which can then be used to understand which areas are most susceptible in the future. This knowledge allows planners to avoid activities that can trigger landslides and helps emergency services prepare and better respond to their occurrence.
    The National Landslide Preparedness Act, which directed the USGS to award grants such as the one announced today, was introduced in 2020 by Sen. Cantwell and Representative Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), and became law in 2021. The information collected under the Act helps communities plan for and respond to natural hazards, update the nation’s topographical maps, and inform public safety, national security, planning, infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, and natural resource management.
    Last week, the USGS released a new, highly detailed map which shows that nearly 44% of the country could experience landslide activity.  The map, which USGS creates regularly as a result of the 3D Elevation Program in the National Landslide Preparedness Act, shows that a significant area of Washington state is susceptible to landslide activity.  The new map expands the scope of assessment to include the entire country, using much higher resolution data than was previously available.
    In February, Sen. Cantwell joined U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing a bill to reauthorize and expand the National Landslide Preparedness Act for 10 years, through Fiscal Year 2034.
    Fatal landslides in Washington and Alaska have highlighted the urgent need to better understand and prepare for landslide hazards. The 2014 landslide near Oso, Washington took the lives of 43 people and devastated a community in about two minutes, and a number of recent landslides in Southeast Alaska have killed 12 people – including in Ketchikan last month, in Wrangell in November 2023, and in Haines in December 2020, among others. Landslides kill 25 to 50 people and cause between $1.6 billion and $3.2 billion in damage in the U.S. annually, according to the U.S. Geological Service and National Research Council. These statistics are expected to worsen because of climate change.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer Statement on FBI Release 2023 Hate Crime Statistics

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), author of the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act, today issued the following statement on the FBI’s release of 2023 hate crimes statistics:

    “According to the FBI’s release of 2023 hate crimes statistics, only 16,009 agencies out of out of 18,800 agencies nationwide participated in hate crimes data collection. The 2023 hate crimes statistics illustrate the urgent need to improve hate crimes reporting across the country – in particular, improving accurate hate crimes reporting from law enforcement agencies representing cities with populations of 100,000 or more.

    “At a time when we are seeing the highest number of hate crime incidents against the Jewish community, we need complete and credible reporting. I wrote the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act to do just that. 

    “The lack of credible and complete national hate crimes data collection poses a significant challenge to prevention efforts. Congress must take action to ensure we have accurate hate crimes data by passing the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kugler, How We Got Here: A Perspective on Inflation and the Labor Market

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Thank you, John, and thank you for the opportunity to speak here today.1 It is good to be back at the Kennedy School and in particular at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center, which has a long tradition of engaging on important policy issues.
    In my remarks today, I will provide my outlook for the U.S. economy and the implications for monetary policy. The combination of significant ongoing progress in reducing inflation and a cooling in the labor market means that the time has come to begin easing monetary policy, and I strongly supported the decision last week by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to cut the federal funds rate by 50 basis points. While future actions by the FOMC will depend on data we receive on inflation, employment, and economic activity, if conditions continue to evolve in the direction traveled thus far, then additional cuts will be appropriate.
    I will begin by summarizing where we stand on inflation, including details on how the different components of inflation have changed over time, since these facts form the basis for my judgment on where inflation is headed. I will then talk about the recent cooling in the labor market and the forces driving it as well as how shifts on this other side of our mandate fit into the overall economic outlook for the rest of this year. I will conclude with the implications of all this for appropriate monetary policy and our focus on our dual mandate.
    Inflation based on personal consumption expenditures (PCE) has come down from a peak of 7.1 percent on a year-on-year basis to 2.5 percent in July. Core PCE inflation, which excludes energy and food prices and tends to be less volatile, has come down from a peak of 5.6 percent to now 2.6 percent. Based on consumer and producer price indexes, I estimate headline PCE and core PCE inflation to be at about 2.2 and 2.7 percent, respectively, in August, consistent with ongoing progress toward the FOMC’s 2 percent target. The progress on inflation is good news, but it is important to remember that households and businesses are still dealing with prices for many goods and services that are significantly higher than a couple of years ago. Prices for groceries, for example, are about 20 percent higher than before inflation started rising in 2021, and while earnings have been rising faster than inflation, it may take some time for it to feel as though prices are back to normal.2
    Inflation data are produced by the Labor Department, and when I served as chief economist at Labor, I delved into the differential effects of inflation on various demographic groups. When inflation was at its peak in 2022, it was more than 1 percentage point higher for lower-income households, for those without a college degree, and for those aged 18 to 29—all groups that spend a higher share of income on necessities and have less wealth to draw from.3 Fortunately, research by staff at the Fed shows that disinflation helps close that gap as well, something that only adds to the urgency I feel about returning inflation to the FOMC’s 2 percent goal.
    Research on the causes of inflation and the subsequent disinflation show that both supply and demand forces have played an important role. In the past two years, specifically, improvements in supply, along with moderation in demand in part due to tighter monetary policy, have both played a role in the disinflationary process.4 Supply chain bottlenecks as well as the drastic drop in the labor force due to excess retirements and the withdrawal of prime-age workers contributed to the initial rise in inflation, but the resolution of these disruptions and the return of workers to the labor force have also helped rein in inflation. Early on, consumers shifted spending from services to goods, a development that goods producers struggled to accommodate, putting upward pressure on prices. But as the demand shock to goods unwound and consumer spending shifted back to services, goods inflation fell and has been running below zero in recent months. Also, the increased demand due to the fiscal response to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 has more recently been roughly neutral on growth, as shown by the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy in their measure of fiscal impact. And, of course, as I will discuss in a moment, tight monetary policy has been and continues to be a moderating force on demand, primarily by raising costs for interest-sensitive goods and services.
    As I think about where inflation is headed, I find it helpful to consider how it has evolved over the past several years and in particular how the major components of inflation have behaved, so I want to take a few minutes to walk through those details.
    As I have indicated, the big picture is that goods inflation surged early on in 2020 and 2021, followed by prices for services excluding housing, and then housing, with some overlap in those steps. Disinflation has followed that course in reverse. Core goods inflation rose, after almost a year of social distancing shifted spending from services and after production and delivery of goods was disrupted by the pandemic. This was a big change because over the long expansion leading to the pandemic, core goods prices actually fell, slightly but consistently.5 On a 12-month basis, core PCE goods inflation rose above zero in December 2020, reached a peak of 7.6 percent in February 2022, and fell again below zero at the end of 2023. In July of this year, it was negative 0.5 percent. This recent disinflation offset still-rising prices for services and helped reduce overall inflation. Goods inflation has reverted to its longer-term pattern as demand has moderated and supply chain problems have abated. This is reflected by various indexes of supply chain bottlenecks that showed the supply-side disruptions that contributed early on to surging inflation have now retreated to pre-pandemic levels.6 Other data show that computer chip supply, which fell far short of demand early in the pandemic, is back to normal conditions as well.
    Food and energy prices, always subject to larger ups and downs than other parts of inflation, rose also early on. Food inflation increased in 2020 as shoppers began stockpiling groceries and as warehouses and production facilities had difficulty staffing due to COVID. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy price inflation reached a peak 12-month rate of nearly 45 percent and food inflation reached a peak of 12 percent in mid-2022, highlighting the importance of petroleum and agricultural commodities from that part of the world. Food and energy inflation has moderated over the past two years and are now both running at 12-month rates of 1.4 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively, as supply chain issues have resolved and production in the U.S. and elsewhere has increased. Food and energy expenses represent a sizable share of consumer spending, but the frequent purchase of these goods means that they are highly salient in the public’s views on inflation. Research by Francesco D’Acunto and coauthors has shown that the weights that consumers assign to price changes in forming their inflation expectations are not based on the actual share of their expenditures but instead on the frequency of purchases, which happen to be highest for food and energy goods.7 Thus, the fall in food and energy prices is important because it may feed back into lower inflation in other categories by moderating overall inflation expectations and also real wage expectations in wage bargaining.
    Housing services price increases were the last component of inflation to escalate, rising to a peak 12-month rate of 8.3 percent in April 2023 and moderating to a 5.3 percent pace in July. It took time for housing prices to escalate and has taken longer for them to moderate because of both the nature of the rental market and the data collection method from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as I have discussed at length in other speeches.8 However, new rent increases, which better capture rental price changes in real time, are falling and are the main reason why I expect housing services costs to moderate furt
    her.
    The final component of inflation is services excluding housing, which accounts for 50 percent of PCE inflation and is heavily influenced by labor markets. On a 12-month basis, this component of inflation rose to a peak of 5.3 percent in December 2021, stayed persistently high until February 2023, and has moderated since then to 3.3 percent in July of this year. Its escalation was driven both by the rise in labor costs and by the transition of demand from goods to services following the pandemic. Labor costs are a substantial share of the total costs for services. For example, labor accounts for between 60 percent to 80 percent of costs in construction, education, and health services.
    Among the initial forces driving the escalation in wages were the increase in food and energy prices, as wage demands tend to track closely with the prices of these frequently purchased goods. Data on wage demands from the New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations indeed show a sudden increase early on during the pandemic right after the first bout of food inflation.9 Importantly, worker shortages likely allowed those higher wage demands to be realized, contributing to the rise in wages. Later, as demand for services quickly rose and employers were creating a large number of jobs in several service sectors, workers were able to be more selective, and the ensuing “Great Resignation” took hold, allowing people to choose different careers. The relatively high demand relative to the supply of workers in some service sectors encouraged workers to move from job to job for higher wages, benefits, and other improvements in working conditions. Evidence from the Atlanta Fed’s Wage Growth Tracker suggests that during this period, wages for job switchers grew more than 2 percentage points faster than wages for people staying in the same job, though this wage premium for job switchers disappeared by the second half of last year.
    But now inflation for services excluding housing is declining, after a temporary escalation in the first quarter of this year that was likely partly due to residual seasonality. There had been fears that wage increases would drive a wage–price spiral, as the U.S. experienced in the 1970s, but this did not occur.
    To sum up, inflation has broadly moderated as the supply of goods and services has improved, and as producers and consumers have adjusted to the effects of higher prices. Demand has moderated, in part due to tighter monetary policy. And, as I just noted, changes in the pace of wage growth have also played an important role in the ups and downs of inflation, which points me toward a discussion of labor markets, which has recently become a greater focus of monetary policy.
    As I have noted, there has been a significant moderation in the labor market recently, but I want to start by pointing to what really has been a remarkable performance of the labor market over the past four years. After the unprecedented job losses early in the pandemic, and even accounting for the quick recovery of a large share of those losses, the recovery of the labor market that followed was historically swift. Unemployment was 7.8 percent in September 2020 and 4.7 percent only 12 months later, and it fell to under 4 percent 3 months after that. That is a more rapid recovery than the U.S. has experienced since the 1960’s. What started, at that point, was 30 straight months of unemployment at or below 4 percent, which had not happened during the pre-pandemic period, the boom of the 1990s, or anytime during the 1980s, and it was only exceeded by the strong labor market of the latter half of the 1960s. Something that I think was just as remarkable has been the narrowing of the typical gap between labor market outcomes for less-advantaged groups. For example, there has been a reduction in the unemployment rate between Black and Latino workers, on the one hand, and white workers, on the other hand. There has also been a narrowing of the prime-age labor force participation rate among these groups, and, perhaps most notable of all, wage inequality among them has narrowed, which is not typical during economic expansions, according to research by David Autor and several coauthors.10 They found that one benefit of the unusually tight labor market of the past few years was that the heightened competition for scarce workers produced more rapid wage gains for workers at the bottom of the wage distribution. The real wage gains for those in the lower quartiles of the distribution and with higher propensities to consume, in turn, likely spurred consumption and helped sustain growth after the pandemic.
    After a couple of years in which labor demand exceeded supply, the labor market has come into balance, reflecting an economy that has moderated in part due to tighter monetary policy. On the labor supply side, two forces have contributed to this rebalancing of the labor market. Labor force participation suffered due to the disruptions in work during the pandemic but rebounded strongly in 2022 and 2023 as the labor market tightened and wages rose sharply. The labor force participation rate for prime-age women reached historic highs over the past year and reached yet another historic record high in August. The overall increase in participation among workers aged 25 to 54, in the prime of their working lives, helped offset the loss of many workers aged 55 and over who experienced excess retirements during the pandemic. The second force boosting labor supply has been the large increase in immigration. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that net immigration boosted the U.S. population by close to 6 million people in 2022 and 2023, the majority of them of working age, and, by most accounts, rates of immigration have remained high in 2024.
    As a result of improved supply and easing of demand for workers, the labor market has rebalanced. After running at very low levels, unemployment has edged up this year to 4.2 percent in August, still quite low by historical standards. The slowdown in labor demand is most evident in payroll numbers. Job creation averaged 267,000 a month in the first quarter of the year and now stands at an average of 116,000 in the three months ending in August, which is still a healthy pace of job creation. Yet, given recent revisions in the payroll numbers, it is important to continue monitoring additional labor market indicators. In addition, the fall in diffusion indexes suggests that job creation cooling has been broad based, complementing the payroll data in showing rebalances in demand and supply across sectors. Beyond payroll data, voluntary quits, which tend to reflect the rate at which people find a better job, are now back around where they were before the pandemic. The ratio of job vacancies to the number of people looking for work, the V/U ratio, has also fallen close to its pre-pandemic ratio.11 In summary, after a period of demand exceeding supply, the labor market appears to have rebalanced.
    In tandem with the cooling in the labor market, economic activity has slowed but is still expanding at a solid pace. After adjusting for inflation, gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.5 percent in 2023 and at around a 2 percent annual rate in the first half of 2024. Personal spending, which accounts for the majority of economic activity, has been solid this year, supported by a resilient labor market so far and high levels of household wealth relative to income. But given a rise in credit card and auto delinquencies, a rise in credit card balances, and a cooling labor market, I expect spending to grow at a somewhat more moderate pace moving forward.
    Certainly, tight monetary policy has contributed to cool off aggregate demand and slow the economy. It has done so in large part by slowing spending on interest-sensitive expenditures, such as housing, as well as autos and other durable goods. Other spending typically financed with credit, such as business equipment, has also been slower.
    Another effect of tight monetary policy is to keep expectations of future inflation in check. And, to the extent that ex
    pectations affect decisions by businesses to set prices and by workers to negotiate wages, this has helped put downward pressure on inflation. Survey- and market-based measures of future inflation did increase when inflation surged, but only modestly, and they have moved down in tandem with inflation and have largely returned to their 2019 levels.
    In conclusion, I would say that recent economic developments, against the backdrop of the experience of the past four years, have validated the Federal Reserve’s focus on reducing inflation and set the stage for the shift in monetary policy that occurred last week. The progress in bringing down inflation thus far, coupled with the softening in the labor market that I have described, means that while our focus should remain on continuing to bring inflation to 2 percent, we should now also shift attention to the maximum-employment side of the FOMC’s dual mandate. The labor market remains resilient, but the FOMC now needs to balance its focus so we can continue making progress on disinflation while avoiding unnecessary pain and weakness in the economy as disinflation continues in the right trajectory. I strongly supported last week’s decision and, if progress on inflation continues as I expect, I will support additional cuts in the federal funds rate going forward.
    Thank you.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
    2. Unlike in previous recoveries, those in the lower half of the distribution have benefited more from the real earnings increases during the post-pandemic period. The 12-month change in average hourly earnings and the employment cost index have been rising faster than consumer price index inflation for those in the first and second quartiles since 2019 and since 2022, respectively, and for everyone across the distribution for roughly a year. Return to text
    3. See Xavier Jaravel (2021), “Inflation Inequality: Measurement, Causes, and Policy Implications,” Annual Review of Economics, vol. 13, pp. 599–629. Return to text
    4. Different approaches allow a parsing of the relative contributions of supply and demand, top-down approaches by Bernanke and Blanchard (forthcoming) and Benigno and Eggertson (2023) and bottom-up approaches by Braun, Flaaen, and Hoke (2024) and Shapiro (2022); see Ben Bernanke and Olivier Blanchard (forthcoming), “What Caused the U.S. Pandemic-Era Inflation?” American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics; Pierpaolo Benigno and Gauti B. Eggertsson (2023), “It’s Baaack: The Surge in Inflation in the 2020s and the Return of the Non-Linear Phillips Curve,” NBER Working Paper Series 31197 (Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research, April); Robin Braun, Aaron Flaaen, and Sinem Hacioglu Hoke (2024), “Supply vs Demand Factors Influencing Prices of Manufactured Goods,” FEDS Notes (Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, February 23); and Adam Hale Shapiro (2022), “How Much Do Supply and Demand Drive Inflation?” FRBSF Economic Letter 2022-15 (San Francisco: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, June 21). All of these studies agree that both supply and demand shocks contributed to the surge in inflation as well as its fall. Return to text
    5. The causes most often cited by economists are competition from globalized trade and productivity gains, including from technological advances. Return to text
    6. The most commonly used indicators of supply chain bottlenecks are the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Supplier Deliveries Index from the Institute for Supply Management, and the percent of answers to the question of why production is not at capacity in the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization fielded by the Census Bureau and funded by the Federal Reserve Board. Return to text
    7. See Francesco D’Acunto, Ulrike Malmendier, Juan Ospina, and Michael Weber (2021), “Exposure to Grocery Prices and Inflation Expectations,” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 129 (May), 1615–39. Return to text
    8. Rental prices are the basis for all estimates of housing service costs. Prices tend to change only when rented homes change tenants, which happens relatively infrequently. Prices tend to change more when there are new tenants, while the majority of lease renewals tend to keep the same price-generating persistence. In addition, the Bureau of Economic Analysis samples rents only every six months. As a result, substantial lags are built into the official statistics. See Adriana D. Kugler (2024), “The Outlook for the Economy and Monetary Policy,” speech delivered at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., February 7; Adriana D. Kugler (2024), “Some Reasons for Optimism about Inflation,” speech delivered at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, D.C., June 18. Return to text
    9. The Survey of Consumer Expectations from the New York Fed collects data on “reservation wages,” which are what workers report as being the minimum wage that they would require to accept a job. Return to text
    10. See David Autor, Arindrajit Dube, and Annie McGrew (2024), “The Unexpected Compression: Competition at Work in the Low Wage Labor Market,” NBER Working Paper Series 31010 (Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research, March; revised May 2024). Using Current Population Survey microdata, they show that increased labor market competition for scarce workers produced more rapid real wage gains at the bottom of the wage distribution, reducing wage inequality. Return to text
    11. I consider here a V/U ratio in which the numerator is the ratio of the vacancy rate for the total nonfarm sector computed as job openings over the labor force. Job openings data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey fielded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The denominator is the unemployment rate. The last data point available for job openings is July 2024, while the last data point for the unemployment rate is August. Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chair Bean Holds Hearing on Improving Teacher Preparation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)

    WASHINGTON – Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (FL-04) today chaired a hearing titled, “Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America’s Educators,” and offered the following statement, as prepared for delivery:

    Watch Congressman Bean’s opening remarks HERE.

    “Have you ever been in your car when you get an alert notifying you something is wrong? Let’s face it. There is no such thing as a good time for a warning light to signal a problem. Having your morning commute interrupted by a mechanical failure is an inconvenience at best and a downright emergency at worst. But the warning lights are there to help signal that action should be taken.

    I like to consider myself to be a very optimistic person, but I will say this: When it comes to our K-12 education system, we are facing a giant ‘WARNING!’

    America’s teacher preparation pipeline is struggling.

    And I’ll be blunt: the numbers are alarming. Eighty-six percent of public schools reported difficulties in hiring teachers for the 2023-2024 school year. Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers left their schools. Teachers are feeling disheartened, and only 20 percent say they are very satisfied with their jobs. Just 16 percent would recommend the profession to others. With that said, it should be very apparent that these aren’t just statistics—they’re a flashing red light on the dashboard of our education system.

    Part of the solution is more affordable, accessible pathways into the classroom. Traditional teacher preparation programs can take four to five years to complete and come with a sticker price of up to $100,000. These costs are simply too high for many prospective teachers. The upfront investment is enough to send teachers running for the exits before they even start.

    That’s why alternative certification programs are gaining traction as a more efficient, cost-effective way to get talented individuals into the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in alternative programs increased by 20 percent. These programs offer a faster path to certification for individuals who already have expertise in other fields.

    But it’s not just about getting teachers into the classroom—it’s about keeping them there. The reality is that too many teachers leave the profession because they don’t feel supported and valued. We need to rethink the way we structure the teaching profession. Innovative programs like Arizona State University’s (ASU) Next Education Workforce are doing just that. By reimagining the traditional model of one teacher, one classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and students room to flourish.

    For example, third graders in ASU’s team-based teaching schools experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each year, and Algebra I students pass at rates four to seven percentage points higher than their peers in traditional classrooms. Teacher turnover and satisfaction also greatly improve. These results show that we can’t treat teachers like revolving doors and still expect our schools to thrive.

    Other colleges such as Appalachian State have developed similar models. We must continue to press harder and expand these ideas further. It’s time to think boldly and spotlight changes that will not only bring more people into the teaching profession but will also ensure that they want to stay there.”


    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Spread of ‘peste des petits ruminants’ virus in sheep and goats in Kalampaka – E-001387/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2021/690[1] and Commission Implementing Decision C(2023) 8926[2], in particular Annex 3 thereof[3], certain measures implemented by Greece against the Peste des petits ruminants (culling of animals, compensation to owners for the value of the animals culled, disinfections of holdings, etc.) may be eligible for EU co-funding, up to a maximum rate of 30%.

    Moreover, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/2115[4], depending on the identified needs and intervention strategy, through their Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plans, Member States may provide support for investments in preventive actions and for restoration of agricultural potential following natural disasters, adverse climatic or catastrophic events[5].

    This would also allow to support investments to restore agricultural production potentially damaged by animal diseases or by measures taken to eradicate or contain the disease. The design and implementation of those measures depends on Member States.

    S taffing of veterinary services and related laboratories in Member States, including Greece, is under the responsibility of each Member State, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429[6], in particular Article 13 thereof.

    • [1] http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/690/oj
    • [2] C(2023) 8926 final, Commission Implementing Decision of 21.12.2023 on the financing of the Programme for the internal market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European Statistics and the adoption of the work programme for 2024-2027, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6150e32-3fa5-4276-923b-a36faf4fec1e_en?filename=C_2023_8926_F1_COMMISSION_IMPLEMENTING_DECISION_EN_V3_P1_3119489.PDF
    • [3] Annex 3 to C(2023) 8926 final, Commission Implementing Decision of 21.12.2023, https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/c69d5f53-6966-420f-8628-7ff84bf91646_en?filename=C_2023_8926_F1_ANNEX_EN_V2_P1_3132789.PDF
    • [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj
    • [5] Article 73 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.
    • [6] http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj
    Last updated: 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The government is reviewing negative gearing and capital gains tax, but this won’t be enough to fix our housing shortage

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Cull, Associate professor, Western Sydney University

    Negative gearing and capital gains tax are back on the national agenda as Australians deal with a housing crisis and politicians look for ways to tackle the issue and win voters’ support at the upcoming election.

    The Labor government confirmed this week the tax concessions were being reviewed. Meanwhile, the government is struggling to pass its Help to Buy housing assistance legislation through the Senate.

    The Help to Buy legislation is aimed at helping first home buyers on low and middle incomes purchase their first home. The government would contribute up to 40% of the home purchase price and require only a 2% deposit from buyer. Buyers could eventually buy back the government’s equity share.

    But the legislation has stalled with the Greens wanting more including rent caps and pulling back negative gearing while the Coalition says the government “shouldn’t be in the business of co-owning people’s homes”.

    The review, revealed yesterday, could reportedly include a cap on the number of properties a person could negatively gear. The changes would not affect anyone who is currently negatively geared.

    Negative gearing lets taxpayers claim deductions on their tax for the expenses relating to owning an investment property. They can save on tax as the property potentially rises in value. They can also be eligible for a reduced capital gains tax when they sell the property.

    But any changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax policies could face further opposition – depending on how they are implemented. The crucial issue is whether the changes free up enough housing stock and make it more affordable for buyers and renters.

    Home ownership in Australia

    Based on National Housing Supply and Affordability Council data, home ownership across most age groups has been declining since the 1970s.

    Younger households, aged between 25 and 34 years, are hardest hit, having 34% of household income spent on mortgage costs in 2022–23.

    About 67% of households in Australia are home owners, and the remainder renters. While the proportion of owners with a mortgage has increased since 1994, so too has the proportion of private renters.

    Size of the investment market

    Just under 10% of all taxpayers negatively geared their properties in 2020–21 and more than 70% of property investors have only one investment property.

    While there have been calls for changes to negative gearing policy to cap the number of investment properties at six, this would impact about only 20,000 individual property investors.

    Changes to capital gains tax

    Suggestions to increase capital gains tax (CGT) need to be considered carefully, given that:

    • there is no solid evidence to show that increasing CGT will increase housing supply and in fact, it may have the opposite effect by limiting rental housing available

    • any change to CGT legislation also impacts other investments (such as shares), as the CGT discount also applies to other capital gains

    • multiple investment properties are often held within self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) which are subject to different CGT rules and also benefit from superannuation tax concessions

    • the rapid increase in housing prices over recent years is likely to result in very large amounts of CGT being paid on investment properties, even with the current 50% CGT discount.

    Other ways to improve affordability and availability

    Policy discussions around housing affordability and availability invariably lead to suggestions to change how negative gearing and capital gains tax operate. However, taxation policy is not the only solution available.

    Another suggestion put forward is to allow first home buyers to use their superannuation for deposits.

    Regardless of one’s position on accessing superannuation for something other than retirement, this suggestion is not viable for low to middle income earners. These households are unlikely to have substantial superannuation balances. Also, they don’t have the earning capacity to service a mortgage for the outstanding amount.

    There is currently a push to use self-managed super funds SMSFs to enable home ownership. This would effectively allow individuals to become tenants in homes owned by their super funds.

    However, the complexities of superannuation law mean this could cause big problems for people whose relationships break down.

    Considering the generational wealth that currently exists in property, the government could consider making it easier for parents or grandparents to gift (or sell) property to their children or grandchildren, in certain circumstances.

    This area has not yet been sufficiently explored.

    What needs to change

    The real issue of housing affordability is multifaceted, and any change needs to be done as part of a broader policy.

    It is likely that on its own, changes to negative gearing and/or capital gains tax will not achieve the intended outcome to make housing more accessible and affordable for Australians who want to buy a home.

    While the debate around the best way to achieve housing affordability and accessibility continues, and while there are statistics that tell us about the current housing crisis, one crucial thing that is missing is the voice of the very people that any new housing policy should be designed to assist.

    More consultation is needed with younger age groups and low to middle income earners who are struggling with high rent and unable to purchase their own home.

    Australia desperately needs bold new innovative housing policies that do not rely solely on the taxation system but that consider a raft of measures that meet the housing needs of everyday Australians.

    Michelle Cull is co-founder of the Western Sydney University Tax Clinic which has received funding from the Australian Taxation Office as part of the National Tax Clinic Program. Michelle Cull is a member of CPA Australia and the Financial Advice Association Australia. Michelle is also an academic member of UniSuper’s Consultative Committee and volunteers as Chair of the Macarthur Advisory Council for the Salvation Army Australia.

    – ref. The government is reviewing negative gearing and capital gains tax, but this won’t be enough to fix our housing shortage – https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-reviewing-negative-gearing-and-capital-gains-tax-but-this-wont-be-enough-to-fix-our-housing-shortage-239813

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Business confidence in South Africa: how a 70-year-old survey has given early signals of the economy’s pulse

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research, Stellenbosch University

    Business tendency surveys provide very useful indicators of trends within an economy. The information is available well before the official statistics, such as GDP growth, and provides insights into business dynamics that cannot be found elsewhere.

    For 70 years the Bureau for Economic Research at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University has been conducting business tendency surveys. Indeed, South Africa remains one of the few countries where these surveys are conducted by a non-state agency.

    The surveys cover a range of questions, tracking everything from activity to demand, selling prices to inventories, investment and also the constraints holding back investment. But the most important question is very simple: are you satisfied with prevailing business conditions? Respondents can only respond with a yes or a no. There is no scale, no maybe, no but. It is a pure gut feeling. This is the only true measure of business sentiment in South Africa.

    While it can be argued that at times of fast production growth sentiment is more upbeat (and vice versa during a recession), sentiment typically turns before you see production growth. Respondents to Bureau for Economic Research surveys know their business like the palm of their hand. They sense when something starts changing and know when they can turn cautiously optimistic about conditions even though activity is not there (yet). As illustrated in the figure below, confidence often turns before the business cycle phase changes from an upward to a downward phase (and the other way around).

    Changes in sentiment tell us a lot about investment intentions, as well as the potential for faster economic growth and job creation in the economy. If business people in South Africa are downbeat about business conditions, it is near impossible to see growth accelerate. Why build a new factory or employ workers if you are not, at the very least, satisfied with the environment you have to operate in today?

    While the survey process has changed over the past seven decades, the value of the insights has not. South Africa’s new government of national unity has promised to tackle the country’s structural constraints, with reforms aimed at improving electricity, infrastructure, water and logistics. By providing a reliable measure of sentiment, the survey will go a long way in assessing whether they are successful.

    Business confidence ahead of economic shifts

    While we survey a range of sectors, only the responses of a specific set of sectors are compiled into the so-called composite Business Confidence Index. This index is sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and is known as the RMB/BER BCI.

    The index looks at the responses of manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, new vehicle dealers and main building contractors. These sectors represent the productive sectors of the economy and tend to lead the rest of the economy.

    So, if something changes here, one can be fairly sure that it will soon start changing in the rest of the economy. Manufacturers, for example, have a feel for both domestic and export demand conditions, which later trickle through the rest of the economy. New vehicle dealers will be the first to know when local consumers start holding their purse strings.

    In most sectors the survey also asks respondents about constraints to business conditions. We ask the same set of questions each quarter and have been doing so for decades. This gives us a very powerful, long-term time series of data. For example, over the last ten years, manufacturers have almost consistently seen the general political climate as the most serious constraint on business conditions.

    The Absa Manufacturing Survey shows that it’s a more serious constraint than insufficient demand or the short-term interest rate, despite the latter being at the highest level in 15 years. Interestingly, the political climate constraint fell sharply in the third quarter of 2024, following the formation of the government of national unity. The disruptions at local ports were also picked up by our surveys, with load-shedding top of mind for many respondents in 2023 (and before).

    The graph below shows a long-term series of business confidence. A reading of 100 would signal extreme optimism with every respondent satisfied with business conditions – this has never happened before. A reading of zero means not a single respondent is satisfied with business conditions. This, too, has not happened before, but we did see confidence fall to just 5 index points in the second quarter of 2020, the worst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, with many businesses forced to close temporarily. The BER surveys provided invaluable information about business dynamics in the formal economy during the pandemic and the recovery.

    Figure 1: RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI)

    The RMB/BER BCI edged up by three index points to 38 in the third quarter of 2024. This was the first survey after the formation of the new government, and some may have hoped for a bigger boost to sentiment. Still, underlying results suggest respondents are turning cautiously more optimistic about the future. For the first time since early 2022, most respondents across the different sectors expect business conditions to improve in 12 months’ time, instead of deteriorating (further).

    Current demand conditions, however, remained tough, which held back a bigger recovery in sentiment.

    A firm commitment by the new government of national unity to continue with structural reform aimed at alleviating the constraints on the South African economy and an effort to bring down the cost of doing business (by lowering the administrative burden, for example) would go a long way in supporting a more pronounced recovery in business confidence.

    Higher confidence will translate into faster economic growth over time.

    How the index is compiled

    Taking a step back, in 1954, and for many decades after that, everything at the BER was done by hand. The surveys were sent by post, and indices were painstakingly calculated as the responses trickled in. Some graphs were even drawn up by hand. Over time, more electronics became involved. South African postal services deteriorated to such an extent that relying on them was no longer feasible.

    The little pigeonholes for the postal letters at the BER offices were removed earlier this year and all survey responses are now received via email. Responses are weighted for firm and sector size, and we try to keep the survey as representative of the sectors as possible.

    It is becoming increasingly difficult to expand our panel in a world where inboxes are flooded with fly-by-night surveys and spam. Our close relationship with international bodies such as the Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys and our academic footing as a university research institute ensures that we continue to follow global best practices.

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

    – ref. Business confidence in South Africa: how a 70-year-old survey has given early signals of the economy’s pulse – https://theconversation.com/business-confidence-in-south-africa-how-a-70-year-old-survey-has-given-early-signals-of-the-economys-pulse-237773

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Business confidence in South Africa: how a 70-year-old survey has given early signals of the economy’s pulse

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research, Stellenbosch University

    Business tendency surveys provide very useful indicators of trends within an economy. The information is available well before the official statistics, such as GDP growth, and provides insights into business dynamics that cannot be found elsewhere.

    For 70 years the Bureau for Economic Research at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University has been conducting business tendency surveys. Indeed, South Africa remains one of the few countries where these surveys are conducted by a non-state agency.

    The surveys cover a range of questions, tracking everything from activity to demand, selling prices to inventories, investment and also the constraints holding back investment. But the most important question is very simple: are you satisfied with prevailing business conditions? Respondents can only respond with a yes or a no. There is no scale, no maybe, no but. It is a pure gut feeling. This is the only true measure of business sentiment in South Africa.

    While it can be argued that at times of fast production growth sentiment is more upbeat (and vice versa during a recession), sentiment typically turns before you see production growth. Respondents to Bureau for Economic Research surveys know their business like the palm of their hand. They sense when something starts changing and know when they can turn cautiously optimistic about conditions even though activity is not there (yet). As illustrated in the figure below, confidence often turns before the business cycle phase changes from an upward to a downward phase (and the other way around).

    Changes in sentiment tell us a lot about investment intentions, as well as the potential for faster economic growth and job creation in the economy. If business people in South Africa are downbeat about business conditions, it is near impossible to see growth accelerate. Why build a new factory or employ workers if you are not, at the very least, satisfied with the environment you have to operate in today?

    While the survey process has changed over the past seven decades, the value of the insights has not. South Africa’s new government of national unity has promised to tackle the country’s structural constraints, with reforms aimed at improving electricity, infrastructure, water and logistics. By providing a reliable measure of sentiment, the survey will go a long way in assessing whether they are successful.

    Business confidence ahead of economic shifts

    While we survey a range of sectors, only the responses of a specific set of sectors are compiled into the so-called composite Business Confidence Index. This index is sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and is known as the RMB/BER BCI.

    The index looks at the responses of manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, new vehicle dealers and main building contractors. These sectors represent the productive sectors of the economy and tend to lead the rest of the economy.

    So, if something changes here, one can be fairly sure that it will soon start changing in the rest of the economy. Manufacturers, for example, have a feel for both domestic and export demand conditions, which later trickle through the rest of the economy. New vehicle dealers will be the first to know when local consumers start holding their purse strings.

    In most sectors the survey also asks respondents about constraints to business conditions. We ask the same set of questions each quarter and have been doing so for decades. This gives us a very powerful, long-term time series of data. For example, over the last ten years, manufacturers have almost consistently seen the general political climate as the most serious constraint on business conditions.

    The Absa Manufacturing Survey shows that it’s a more serious constraint than insufficient demand or the short-term interest rate, despite the latter being at the highest level in 15 years. Interestingly, the political climate constraint fell sharply in the third quarter of 2024, following the formation of the government of national unity. The disruptions at local ports were also picked up by our surveys, with load-shedding top of mind for many respondents in 2023 (and before).

    The graph below shows a long-term series of business confidence. A reading of 100 would signal extreme optimism with every respondent satisfied with business conditions – this has never happened before. A reading of zero means not a single respondent is satisfied with business conditions. This, too, has not happened before, but we did see confidence fall to just 5 index points in the second quarter of 2020, the worst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, with many businesses forced to close temporarily. The BER surveys provided invaluable information about business dynamics in the formal economy during the pandemic and the recovery.

    Figure 1: RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI)

    Source: BER. Note, business cycle downswing phases as determined by the South African Reserve Bank are shaded.

    The RMB/BER BCI edged up by three index points to 38 in the third quarter of 2024. This was the first survey after the formation of the new government, and some may have hoped for a bigger boost to sentiment. Still, underlying results suggest respondents are turning cautiously more optimistic about the future. For the first time since early 2022, most respondents across the different sectors expect business conditions to improve in 12 months’ time, instead of deteriorating (further).

    Current demand conditions, however, remained tough, which held back a bigger recovery in sentiment.

    A firm commitment by the new government of national unity to continue with structural reform aimed at alleviating the constraints on the South African economy and an effort to bring down the cost of doing business (by lowering the administrative burden, for example) would go a long way in supporting a more pronounced recovery in business confidence.

    Higher confidence will translate into faster economic growth over time.

    How the index is compiled

    Taking a step back, in 1954, and for many decades after that, everything at the BER was done by hand. The surveys were sent by post, and indices were painstakingly calculated as the responses trickled in. Some graphs were even drawn up by hand. Over time, more electronics became involved. South African postal services deteriorated to such an extent that relying on them was no longer feasible.

    A copy of the 1955 business confidence survey results. Source: Bureau for Economic Research

    The little pigeonholes for the postal letters at the BER offices were removed earlier this year and all survey responses are now received via email. Responses are weighted for firm and sector size, and we try to keep the survey as representative of the sectors as possible.

    It is becoming increasingly difficult to expand our panel in a world where inboxes are flooded with fly-by-night surveys and spam. Our close relationship with international bodies such as the Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys and our academic footing as a university research institute ensures that we continue to follow global best practices.

    – Business confidence in South Africa: how a 70-year-old survey has given early signals of the economy’s pulse
    – https://theconversation.com/business-confidence-in-south-africa-how-a-70-year-old-survey-has-given-early-signals-of-the-economys-pulse-237773

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Monthly GDP Estimates for July

    Source: Scottish Government

    An Official Statistics in Development publication for Scotland.

    Scotland’s onshore GDP grew by 0.3% in July 2024 according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. This follows no growth in June 2024 (revised up from -0.3%).

    In the three months to July, GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.3% compared to the previous three month period. This indicates a slight decrease in growth relative to the increase of 0.6% in 2024 Quarter 2 (April to June).

    The two industries which made the biggest contribution to overall GDP growth in July were Manufacturing and Information and Communications Services, both of which contributed 0.1 percentage points of growth to headline GDP.

    Background

    The monthly statistical publication and data is available from the Scottish Government’s website.

    All results are seasonally adjusted and presented in real terms (adjusted to remove inflation). GDP growth relates to Scotland’s onshore economy, which means it does not include the output of offshore oil and gas extraction.

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the output of the economy in Scotland and monthly data are designated as Official Statistics in Development. This means that they are still in development but have been released to enable their use at an early stage. All results are provisional and subject to relatively high levels of uncertainty.

    Further information on GDP statistics is available from the Scottish Government’s website.

    These estimates are compiled in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics – more information on the standards of official statistics can be accessed from the Statistics Authority’s website.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Population and migration statistics 2023 published25 September 2024 ​​​​Statistics Jersey have today released population and migration statistics including:a provisional estimate of the resident Jersey population at the end of 2023a revision of the estimate of the… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    25 September 2024

    ​​​​

    Statistics Jersey have today released population and migration statistics including:

    • a provisional estimate of the resident Jersey population at the end of 2023

    • a revision of the estimate of the resident Jersey population at the end of 2022

    • new experimental statistics breaking population and migration statistics down by eligibility for Control of Housing and Work Law status (Registered, Licensed, Entitled for Work, Entitled)1

    • new experimental statistics breaking population and migration statistics down by self-declared nationality1

    Summary

    The resident population at the end of 2023 is provisionally estimated to be 103,650, an increase of 350 people from the end of 2022.​

    There were more deaths than births in 2023 for the second year in a row, resulting in a negative natural change of -110. More people inwardly migrated than outwardly migrated during 2023 leading to net migration of +470 people. 

    In the five-year period 2018 to 2023:

    • the number of over 64-year-olds grew by 12%

    • the number of under 16-year-olds fell by 5%

    • the number of working age people (16 to 64 years old) was relatively stable (fell by 1%)

    Although relatively stable in size, this report shows that the working age population would have fallen every year since 2012 by an average of 230 people each ​year without migration.

    ​The report provides detailed experimental statistics by eligibility for Control of Housing and Work Law statuses.1​ Over the five-year period 2018 to 2023:​

    • the number of people with Registered status decreased by 15%

    • the number of people with Licensed status increased by 38%

    • the number of people with Entitled for work status decreased by 4%

    • the number of people with Entitled status increased by 2%

    ​The self-reported nationalities of the resident population are also presented as experimental statistics in the report.1 Over the five-year period from 2018 to 2023:

    • the number of people with a European nationality decreased by 7% from 16,740 to 15,610

    • the number of people with a rest of world nationality (excluding Jersey, British, and European) increased by 150% from 1,720 to 4,300 people

    Statistics Jersey have produced these population and migration statistics using administrative data (data that is already held by government for running public services). See report for detailed data sources and methods, linked below.

    Population and migration statistics 2023​

    ​

    1Experimental statistics are considered to be in the testing phase. The statistics potentially have a wider degree of uncertainty and should be interpreted with care. Publishing experimental statistics gives an opportunity to involve potential users an​d stakeholders in assessing their quality and suitability, while still providing useful information for users. You can read more in the​guidance and interpretation of experimental statistics policy linked below.

    guidance and interpretation of experimental statistics policy

    ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Interaction with Forecasters & Economists on GDP and CPI held on 24th September,2024 in Mumbai

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 25 SEP 2024 9:17AM by PIB Delhi

    Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) organized the interaction with Forecasters & Economists of GDP and CPI on 24th September,2024 in Mumbai. The interaction was attended by Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, Shri Nilesh Shah, Member of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, eminent economists – Shri Ganesh Kumar, Member, National Statistical Commission, Ms. Ila Patnaik, Former Principal Economic Advisor, Shri Deepak Mishra, Director, ICRIER among others. The event was joined by more than 50 forecasters & economists of various Organizations/Institutions such as Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Citibank, ICICI Prudential AMC, Sunidhi Securities & Finance Ltd, Bloomberg Economics, Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities, Nirmal Bang, RBL Bank, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, ICICI Bank, ICICI Bank Ltd, etc.

    While setting the context to the event, Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and      Programme Implementation highlighted various macro-economic indicators released by MoSPI and also updated about the Base Year revision initiated for GDP, CPI and IIP. He also appraised the participants about the newly launched eSankhyiki portal for easy access of time series data on the released indicators. Secretary, MoSPI further informed the participants that MoSPI is planning to launch web-based CAPEX survey to fill the gap in the Private Sector investment.

    This was followed by two subject specific presentation detailing present methodology and updates on base revision exercises undertaken for GDP and CPI. Dr. V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, appreciated the initiative of MoSPI for CAPEX Survey. Shri Nilesh Shah, Member, EAC-PM, MD Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Limited suggested MoSPI to look for avenues of improvement to ensure data accuracy and reduce time lag of release.

    Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India suggested availability of timely and consistent data for better clarity, investing, business and policy decisions. He emphasized use of advanced technologies for better data governance.

    An open house discussion ensued afterwards which witnessed enthusiastic participation from the forecasters and economists. Based on the discussion, the following major suggestions emerged:

    • Frequent Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys may be conducted to ensure frequent base revision of Consumer Price Index and other macro-economic indicators. Availability of old indices for chain linking was also requested by users.
    • Spatial dimension of GDP may also be given adequate emphasis in terms of dis-aggregations like urban /rural, District domestic product etc.
    • Attempts may be made to reduce discrepancy in estimation of GDP from two approaches.
    • Possibility of better coverage of services in the revised series of CPI may be explored. Request for frequent such interactions, to understand the methodologies of data collection of education, health services and data for housing index, was also made.
    • To have a uniform understanding of core inflation, MoSPI may explore compilation of Core inflation
    • Lag for GDP data release may be reduced. Release time of these indices may be changed to provide sufficient time for analysis by the users on the same day.
    • Employer provided dwellings may be excluded from CPI to ensure consistency in the data. The methodology for compilation of Housing index may be re-visited.

    The participants commended the initiative of MoSPI for organizing this interaction which provided greater clarity and better understanding among users and suggested MoSPI to organize frequent interactions.

    ****

    MG/SB/DP

    (Release ID: 2058437) Visitor Counter : 35

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ready for uni life? Use condoms to keep STIs away

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    UKHSA is advising students to use condoms when having sex with new or casual partners

    Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain high among young people. The most recent data from UKHSA shows that in 2023, among people aged 15 to 24, there were:

    • 104,107 cases of chlamydia
    • 4,617 cases of genital warts
    • 29,880 cases of gonorrhoea

    These infections spread easily, and those aged 15 to 24 are especially at risk as they are more likely to have frequent partner changes.

    While many STIs can be treated, untreated infections can lead to serious health issues. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea may cause infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease, while syphilis can result in severe, irreversible problems affecting the brain, heart, or nerves.

    Katy Sinka, Head of Sexually Transmitted Infections at UKHSA, said:

    If you’re having sex with someone new, or someone more casually, don’t forget to use a condom.

    With higher STI rates in young people, having sex without a condom can increase your chances of an infection like chlamydia or gonorrhoea. Getting tested regularly will also help detect any infections quickly and protect your own and your partners health.

    Some people will have symptoms of an infection (such as a discharge, pain while urinating or an unusual rash or blisters) but many people do not show symptoms which means people often pass on STIs without realising it. Regular testing for STIs and HIV  is essential – everyone should have an STI screen, including an HIV test, at least once a year if having condomless sex with new or casual partners.

    Testing is free – including for students who have moved here from another country. It can be accessed through local sexual health clinics, university and college medical centres. Many sexual health services in England now offer free STI self-sampling kits for people who aren’t showing any symptoms or signs of an STI and would prefer a routine check-up in the comfort and privacy of their own home. If you notice any unusual symptoms, make sure to contact your local sexual health service and get tested.

    Laura Domegan, Head of Nursing at Brook, said:

    Freshers is always a good time for young people to consider their sexual health, with many of them moving away from home, meeting new people and taking part in all the fun that comes with starting a new college or university. This year it is particularly important, given the recent increase in diagnoses of several STIs, particularly among young people. Thankfully there are very simple steps everyone can take to look after themselves.

    Using condoms is one of the best ways to enjoy safer sex as they’re the only form of contraception that also protects against STIs. People should also get tested if they’ve had unprotected sex or started seeing a new partner. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had sex or how many sexual partners you’ve had, anyone can catch an STI. Many STIs do not have symptoms either, so testing is the only way to know if you have one or not.

    We would also encourage students to access their local sexual health services. They will be able to provide you with free condoms, contraception, and STI testing and treatment, as well as the confidential, non-judgement support you need to look after your sexual health. To find your nearest sexual health service visit the Brook Sexual Health Clinic Near Me website.

    UKHSA is also reminding students to ensure they are up to date with their free NHS vaccines, including:

    • MMR
    • MenACWY
    • HPV

    The MenACWY jab can be a lifesaver as it protects against some types of meningitis. The HPV vaccine protects against some forms of cancer and reduces the risk of genital warts. Some students will also be eligible for an mpox vaccine, a hepatitis B vaccine and a hepatitis A vaccine.

    UK Health Security Agency press office

    10 South Colonnade
    London
    E14 4PU

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Final elector registers released

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The 2024 final registers of electors for geographical constituencies (GCs), functional constituencies (FCs) and Election Committee subsectors (ECSSs) were released today, the Registration & Electoral Office announced.

    A total of 4,210,384 electors are carried in the final register for GCs, it added.

    The final register for FCs contains 190,016 individual electors and 8,141 corporate electors, comprising a total of 198,157.

    Meanwhile, the final register for ECSSs contains 3,267 individual voters and 5,389 corporate voters, adding up to a total of 8,656.

    Relevant statistics have been uploaded to the voter registration website.

    Notices on the inspection of the final registers of electors were gazetted today.

    According to law, a copy of registers containing entries relating to individuals may only be shown in accordance with the statutory requirements, and made available for inspection by specified persons only. 

    A copy of registers containing entries of corporate electors may be inspected by any member of the public. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. International Investment Position, 2nd Quarter 2024

    Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

    The U.S. net international investment position, the difference between U.S. residents’ foreign financial assets and liabilities, was –$22.52 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2024, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (chart 1). Assets totaled $36.00 trillion, and liabilities were $58.52 trillion (chart 2). At the end of the first quarter, the net investment position was –$21.29 trillion (revised). The net investment position and components of assets and liabilities are presented in table 1.

    The –$1.23 trillion change in the net investment position from the first quarter to the second quarter came from net financial transactions of –$299.8 billion and net other changes in position, such as price and exchange-rate changes, of –$930.5 billion (table 2).

    Price changes of –$616.9 billion reflected U.S. stock price increases that exceeded foreign stock price increases, which raised the market value of U.S. liabilities more than U.S. assets.

    Exchange-rate changes of –$214.8 billion reflected foreign currency depreciation against the U.S. dollar, which lowered the value of U.S. assets more than U.S. liabilities in dollar terms.

    U.S. assets increased by $173.2 billion to a total of $36.00 trillion at the end of the second quarter, mainly attributable to a $112.8 billion increase in financial derivatives (chart 3). The increase in financial derivatives mostly reflected increases in single-currency interest rate contracts.

    Portfolio investment and direct investment assets (the two largest categories of assets) changed little in the second quarter, as financial transactions and foreign stock price increases were mostly offset by foreign currency depreciation against the U.S. dollar that lowered the value of foreign-currency-denominated assets in dollar terms (table 2).

    U.S. liabilities increased by $1.40 trillion to a total of $58.52 trillion at the end of the second quarter, driven mainly by U.S. stock price increases that raised the market value of portfolio investment and direct investment liabilities (chart 4). Financial transactions of $391.1 billion, notably foreign purchases of U.S. stocks and long-term debt securities, also contributed to the overall increase in U.S. liabilities.

    Portfolio investment liabilities increased by $666.4 billion to $30.89 trillion, and direct investment liabilities increased by $568.2 billion to $16.64 trillion, mostly attributable to U.S. stock price increases (table 2).

    Table A. Updates to First-Quarter 2024 International Investment Position Aggregates
    [Trillions of dollars, not seasonally adjusted]

      Preliminary estimates Revised estimates
    U.S. net international investment position –21.28 –21.29
       U.S. assets 35.78 35.83
       U.S. liabilities 57.06 57.12

    U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

    Next release: December 27, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. EST
    U.S. International Investment Position, 3rd Quarter 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US – yet many doctors receive little to no nutrition education in med school

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nathaniel Johnson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Dakota

    Nearly 60% of respondents to one medical school survey said they received no nutritional education at all. Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    On television shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Resident” and “Chicago Med,” physicians seem to always have the right answer.

    But when it comes to nutrition and dietary advice, that may not be the case.

    One of us is an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics; the other is a medical student with a master’s degree in nutrition.

    Both of us understand the powerful effects that food has on your health and longevity. A poor diet may lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and even psychological conditions like depression and anxiety. Diet-related diseases are the leading causes of death in the U.S., and a poor diet is responsible for more deaths than smoking.

    These health problems are not only common and debilitating, but expensive. Treating high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol costs about US$400 billion per year. Within 25 years, those costs are expected to triple, to $1.3 trillion.

    These facts support the need for physicians to give accurate advice about diet to help prevent these diseases. But how much does a typical physician know about nutrition?

    The deficiencies in nutrition education happen at all levels of medical training.

    What doctors don’t know

    In a 2023 survey of more than 1,000 U.S. medical students, about 58% of respondents said they received no formal nutrition education while in medical school for four years. Those who did averaged about three hours of nutrition education per year.

    That is woefully short of the goals set by the U.S. Committee on Nutrition in Medical Education back in 1985: that med students should receive a total of 25 hours of nutrition education while in school – a little more than six hours per year.

    But a 2015 study showed only 29% of medical schools met this goal, and a 2023 study suggests the problem has become even worse – only 7.8% of med students reported 20 or more hours of nutrition education across all four years of med school. If this is representative of medical schools throughout the country, it has happened despite efforts to bolster nutrition education through numerous government initiatives.

    Not surprisingly, the lack of education has had a direct impact on physicians’ nutrition knowledge. In a study of 257 first- and second-year osteopathic medical students taking a nutrition knowledge quiz, more than half flunked the test. Prior to the test, more than half the students – 55% – felt comfortable counseling patients on nutrition.

    Unfortunately, this problem is not limited to U.S. medical schools. A 2018 global study concluded that no matter the country, nutrition education of med students is insufficient throughout the world.

    Bringing nutrition education back

    Even though evidence suggests that nutrition education can be effective, there are many reasons why it’s lacking. Medical students and physicians are some of the busiest people in society. The amount of information taught in medical curricula is often described as overwhelming – like drinking out of a fire hose.

    First- and second-year medical students focus on dense topics, including biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics, while they learn clinical skills such as interviewing patients and understanding heart and lung sounds. Third- and fourth-year students are practicing in clinics and hospitals as they learn from physicians and patients.

    As a result, their schedules are already jammed. There is no room for nutrition. And once they are physicians, it gets no better. Providing preventive care including nutrition counseling to patients would take them more than seven hours per week – and that’s not counting the time they would have to spend on continuing education to keep up with new findings in nutrition science.

    On top of that, the lack of nutrition education in medical schools has been attributed to a dearth of qualified instructors for nutrition courses, as most physicians do not understand nutrition well enough to teach it.

    Ironically, many medical schools are part of universities that have nutrition departments with Ph.D.-trained professors; those academicians could fill this gap by teaching nutrition to medical students. But those classes are often taught by physicians who may not have adequate nutrition training – which means truly qualified instructors, within reach of most medical schools, are left out of the process.

    This doctor said he learned virtually nothing about nutrition in medical school.

    Finding the right advice

    The best source of nutrition information, whether for medical students or the general public, is a registered dietitian, certified nutrition specialist or some other type of nutrition professional with multiple degrees and certification. They study for years and record many practice hours in order to give dietary advice.

    Although anyone can make an appointment with a nutrition professional for dietary counseling, typically a referral from a health care provider like a physician is needed for the appointment to be covered by insurance. So seeing a physician or other primary care provider is often a step before meeting with a nutrition professional.

    This extra step might be one reason why many people look elsewhere, such as on their phones, for nutrition advice. However, the worst place to look for accurate nutrition information is social media. There, about 94% of posts about nutrition and diet are of low value – either inaccurate or lacking adequate data to back up the claim.

    Keep in mind that anyone can post nutrition advice on social media, regardless of their qualifications. Good dietary advice is individualized and takes into account one’s age, sex, goals, body weight, goals and personal preferences. This complexity is tough to capture in a brief social media post.

    The good news is that nutrition education, when it occurs, is effective, and most medical students and physicians acknowledge the critical role nutrition plays in health. In fact, close to 90% of med students say nutrition education should be a mandatory part of medical school.

    We hope that nutrition education, after being devalued or ignored for decades, will soon be an integral part of every medical school’s curriculum. But given its history and current status, this seems unlikely to happen anytime soon.

    In the meantime, those who want to learn more about a healthy diet should meet with a nutrition professional, or at the very least read the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans or the World Health Organization’s healthy diet recommendations.

    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. Diet-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the US – yet many doctors receive little to no nutrition education in med school – https://theconversation.com/diet-related-diseases-are-the-no-1-cause-of-death-in-the-us-yet-many-doctors-receive-little-to-no-nutrition-education-in-med-school-236217

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scottish Secretary reacts to GDP for July 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Ian Murray says difficult short-term decisions must be made for long-term gain

    The latest Scottish GDP stats are published here this morning for the month of July.

    Scottish Secretary Ian Murray says that although the 0.3% growth for the month is encouraging, tough short-term decisions are still required for long-term improvement.

    He said:

    Economic growth is one of the key missions of the UK Government and Scotland is at the heart of that, as the Prime Minister underlined yesterday when he confirmed that GB Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen. Backed by £8.3bn of UK Government investment, it will bring jobs and opportunity for all parts of the UK.

    We inherited a dire fiscal situation from the previous government, as well as an industrial one, and that requires tough decisions that are hard in the short term, but the right thing for the country in the long term.

    Right now, we are making work pay, ensuring the national minimum wage is a true living wage, and we’re ending exploitative zero-hours contracts so workers have increased job security. At next month’s International Investment Summit, we will forge stronger links with our global business partners, all to achieve the growth that’s vital for economic stability.

    Background

    • Scotland’s onshore GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.3% in July. This follows 0.0% change in June (revised up from -0.3%).

    • In the three months to July GDP is estimated to have grown by 0.3%. This is a decrease compared to the Quarter 2 (April to June) growth rate of 0.6%.  

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University

    When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, a primary goal was to grant citizenship rights to all its people, in particular, to give the majority black South Africans rights they had been denied during colonialism and apartheid. This included the right to vote.

    Apartheid segregated the population into ethnic groups. All but people classified as white were stripped of their rights. The 1996 constitution conferred upon citizens civil liberties such as the right to vote, movement, association and free speech as well as substantive rights such as access to land, health, education and employment.

    But, as I argue in the Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Citizenship, full citizenship is about more than a legal status that grants rights. Full citizenship also means being able to fully participate in a society.

    Based on my research into South African politics and gender politics over the past three decades I argue in a recent chapter that women in South Africa don’t enjoy full citizenship because they face endemic gender-based violence.

    Sexual violence against women has become normalised in South Africa. Everyday spaces are filled with violence, as indicated by the South African Police Service’s quarterly crime statistics.

    I conclude in the book chapter that people who feel excluded turn to protest to claim their rights as citizens. In doing so they become activist citizens.

    Acts of citizenship can occur in many different places – on streets, in courts, at borders, or even through media. They can happen on different scales, from local community action to international movements. These acts may involve protests, organising campaigns, or using digital media to spread awareness. People engaging in these acts might demand a wide range of rights, including political, social, sexual, ecological, or cultural rights.

    Read more: Gender apartheid: oppression of women should be made a crime against humanity – feminist academic explains why

    While legal frameworks to enhance citizenship have changed over the past 30 years in South Africa, deep-seated inequalities and exclusions persist. Law reform cannot address high levels of unemployment (that need to be rectified through economic growth), neither can it address poverty that is endemic because of the legacies of apartheid, such as the exclusion from decent education and health care.

    Acts of citizenship – whether through protest (such as service delivery protest), art, or everyday actions – continue to play a crucial role in expanding the boundaries of who is considered a citizen and what rights citizens can claim.

    By understanding citizenship as something that is actively performed and claimed, rather than simply granted, society can better appreciate the ongoing struggles for equality and recognition.

    Acts of citizenship

    Emotions play a significant role in these citizenship actions, a concept known as “affective citizenship”. Expressions of fear, happiness, loneliness, anger, or grief can all be part of how people assert their rights and demand recognition. These emotional displays can be disruptive or more conventional, but they all focus on exclusions from citizenship.

    Some acts of citizenship involve a “politics of refusal” – rejecting unfair conditions or norms. This refusal can expose hidden issues within citizenship, such as specific forms of gendered violence or discrimination. By disrupting “business as usual”, these acts force society to confront uncomfortable truths.

    It’s important to note that acts of citizenship aren’t always large-scale or dramatic. They can also involve everyday actions that challenge norms or assert rights in smaller ways. What matters is that these acts transform the actors from passive subjects into active citizens claiming their rights.

    Examples include the #EndRapeCulture campaign of 2016, when women protested against pervasive sexual violence on university campuses. At the same time, transgender students also protested against marginalisation.

    Both groups of students used naked protests to show their refusal to be treated as though they were not citizens. Through their campaign, the students rejected behaviour and attitudes that normalise sexual violence on campuses.

    Women students disrupted public spaces by protesting topless or in their underwear, sometimes brandishing sjamboks (plastic whips). These actions expressed anger at university authorities’ failure to address sexual violence. The activists were refusing to be treated as though they were not citizens.

    By using their bodies in these acts of citizenship the protesters made visible the rage many South African women feel about sexual violence committed with seeming impunity. They highlighted how women’s bodies are vulnerable to violence due to neglect by authorities in implementing their own laws, such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Domestic Violence Act.

    Read more: Victory for women’s rights in Ghana as affirmative action law is passed – what must happen next

    For its part the Trans Collective, a group of transgender students at the University of Cape Town, used a provocative art intervention to highlight the erasure or the making invisible of transgender experiences within the broader student movement during the same 2016 period.

    They smeared red paint on photographs at an exhibit about student activism and used their naked, paint-covered bodies to block the entrance of the art gallery at the university to force visitors to confront the physical reality of how transgender rights are often “trampled” or ignored, even within progressive movements.

    Impact

    Acts of citizenship – whether through naked protests, art interventions, or other forms of activism – serve multiple purposes:

    • They make visible groups and issues that are overlooked or deliberately ignored.

    • They challenge conventional understandings of how citizens should behave or what citizenship looks like.

    • They create new spaces for political action and discourse.

    • They force society and authorities to confront uncomfortable truths about exclusion and violence.

    • They assert the agency of marginalised groups in defining and claiming their rights.

    – South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back
    – https://theconversation.com/south-african-women-face-exclusion-from-society-due-to-gender-based-violence-how-theyre-fighting-back-237493

    MIL OSI Africa –