Category: Transport

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 20 persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operations (with photo)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Contribute”, “Greenlane”, and “Twilight”, and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed “Champion” and “Windsand”, for four consecutive days from March 3 to yesterday (March 6). A total of 16 suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested. During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 26 target locations, including industrial buildings, residential buildings, restaurants and shopping malls. Eleven suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised three men and eight women, aged 35 to 59. Among them, one man and one woman were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, two women were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Three men and one woman, aged 35 to 63, were suspected of employing the illegal workers and were also arrested. During operation “Champion”, enforcement officers raided 21 target locations in the Western region. Five suspected illegal workers were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised two men and three women, aged 38 to 55. Among them, one man and one woman were also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.” The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.” The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences. Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attends CISF Raising Day parade in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu as Chief Guest

Source: Government of India

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attends CISF Raising Day parade in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu as Chief Guest

CISF has not only secured country’s development, progress, and movement but also played a crucial role in their smooth operation

Tamil language, culture, and traditions are invaluable jewels of India’s culture

It is a matter of pride to name the CISF Regional Training Center in Thakkolam after the great warrior of the Chola dynasty, Rajaditya Chola

Now, youth can take CAPF recruitment exams in Tamil as well as all the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

Like the Chief Ministers of other states, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should also start medical and engineering courses in the Tamil language as soon as possible, This will benefit Tamil medium students

The security of ports, airports, and important commercial, tourism, and research institutions, as well as key establishments related to the country’s industrial development, cannot be imagined without CISF

Posted On: 07 MAR 2025 3:30PM by PIB Delhi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah attended the 56^th Raising Day Parade of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu, as the chief guest today. On this occasion, Union Minister, Dr. L. Murugan and CISF Director General Shri Rajvinder Singh Bhatti were also present.

In his address, the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah said that in the last 56 years, the CISF has not only ensured the development, progress and mobility of the country, but has also played an important role in their smooth functioning. He said that the security of vital installations associated with the industrial development of the country, including ports, airports, important business, tourism and research institutions cannot be imagined without the CISF. Shri Shah said that it is due to the unwavering loyalty, hard work and dedication of the CISF personnel that the country is moving forward safely in the field of industrial development. He said that CISF personnel have also taken interest in numerous social activities and taken it forward.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set the resolve to make India the third-largest economy in the world by 2027 and to make India the leader in every field by 2047, in front of the country’s 140 crore people. He emphasized that CISF’s contribution will be very important in fulfilling these goals. Union Home Minister said that it was decided in 2019 that instead of celebrating the CISF Raising Day in Delhi, it would be celebrated in different parts of the country. Accordingly, today, the CISF Raising Day event was held at the Regional Training Center in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the culture of Tamil Nadu has played a significant role in strengthening India’s culture in many ways. Whether it is administrative reforms, achieving spiritual heights, setting educational standards, or promoting the message of unity and integrity of the country, Tamil Nadu has greatly strengthened Indian culture in every field. He said that the Tamil language, culture, and traditions are invaluable jewels of India’s culture, and the entire country acknowledges this. Shri Shah mentioned that, in line with this, it has been decided to name the CISF Regional Training Centre in Thakkolam after the great warrior of the Chola dynasty, Rajaditya Chola, which is a matter of pride. He further stated that Rajaditya Chola, on this land, created numerous tales of valor and sacrifice, attaining martyrdom and advancing the glorious traditions of the Chola Empire.

Union Home Minister said that over 14,000 positions were filled in CISF last year. If we consider all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), more than one lakh youth have been provided employment, and the recruitment process for 50,000 more youth is currently underway.

Shri Amit Shah said that until now, there was no provision for recruitment exams for CAPF in regional languages. However, according to the decision of the Modi government, besides Hindi and English, now youth can take the CAPF recruitment exams in Tamil and other languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. He requested the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, like the Chief Ministers of other states, he should also start medical and engineering courses in the Tamil language soon. This will not only strengthen Tamil as a mother tongue but also benefit students studying in Tamil medium. It will not only empower the mother tongue but also provide equal opportunities for children educated in the Tamil medium.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that CISF has always prioritized security. Over the past 56 years, CISF has set golden standards in national security across every sector of the country. He mentioned that CISF personnel work to protect the movement of nearly one crore people at various places, including ports, airports, and metros, ensuring their safety from all threats. The contribution of CISF personnel is crucial for the industrial and educational development of the country and for the smooth functioning of the nation. Under their vigilance, all establishments, including ports, airports, and metros, are secure. It is a matter of pride that CISF personnel are also entrusted with the security of the new Parliament building. Shri Shah mentioned that CISF personnel ensure the safe movement of over 70 lakh passengers daily in the Delhi Metro with discipline and patience, without any lapses. Additionally, they are responsible for the security of 250 ports. He further stated that CISF’s responsibilities for port security are expected to increase in the future.

Union Home Minister said that the government has equipped CISF with state-of-the-art technology and is continuously providing the force with the latest technological advancements. He mentioned that ‘Digi Yatra’ has been implemented at many airports, which has significantly reduced the time required for security checks. CISF has not only adopted international standards in airport security but is also very close to setting records in this regard. He mentioned that an Internal Quality Control Unit has also been established, through which continuous training is ensuring the maintenance of high security standards. CISF has also established a special training center for counter-drone capabilities. Shri Shah mentioned that the Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh and the Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra will soon be included under CISF’s security. For this, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the establishment of three new battalions last year, one of which will be a completely women’s battalion.

Paying tributes to the 127 CISF personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in protecting the country, the Home Minister said that these 127 personnel made their supreme sacrifice while discharging the responsibility of security in different parts. He told the family members of these jawans that it was because of the sacrifice of their family member that the country today stands before the world with a high head.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the CISF’s annual magazine, Sentinel. He also honored 10 personnel with the President’s Police Medal, 2 with the Jeevan Raksha Medal, and 10 with the Gallantry Medal. Shri Shah stated that all these personnel have advanced the excellent traditions of CISF. Union Home Minister laid the foundation stone for six different infrastructure and development projects worth ₹88 crore to improve the health, smooth duty performance, and facilities for CISF personnel. He also inaugurated the newly constructed gym and Pup hall at SSG Noida.

Union Home Minister virtually flagged off the CISF Cyclothon 2025. He said that this cycle rally will cover every coastal village of the country and reach the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari. During this journey, our personnel will not only raise awareness about security in the coastal villages but also inform the villagers about development. Additionally, CISF personnel will collect suggestions related to security and village development. Union Home Minister emphasized that the ‘ground zero inputs’ provided by the personnel will help ensure better facilities and security in these coastal villages.

Shri Amit Shah said that CISF has planted more than five lakh trees in the past five years, and a target of planting over three lakh trees has been set for the next year. He mentioned that under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, every CISF personnel will plant a tree to express gratitude to their mothers. Shri Shah appealed to all CISF personnel to include yoga practice in their daily routine. He mentioned that several steps have been taken for the welfare of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, including the issuance of over 31 lakh cards under the Ayushman CAPF scheme. Additionally, 13,000 homes and 113 barracks have been constructed, and under the e-Housing Portal, it has been ensured that no housing remains vacant. Shri Shah stated that special barracks have been created for female personnel, and the ex-gratia amount has also been increased. He added that the sale of indigenous products in Central Police Welfare Stores is being promoted, and from April 1, 2024, a 50 per cent discount on GST is being offered.

***

RK/ASH/PR/PS

(Release ID: 2109087) Visitor Counter : 56

Read this release in: Hindi

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English rendering of PM’s address at Republic Plenary Summit 2025

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 11:07PM by PIB Delhi

Namaskar!

You all must be tired, your ears must be tired of Arnab’s loud voice, sit down Arnab, it is not the election season yet. First of all, I congratulate Republic TV for this innovative experiment. You people have brought the youth here by involving them at the grassroots level, by organizing such a big competition. When the youth of the country get involved in the national discourse, there is novelty in thoughts, it fills the entire environment with a new energy and we are feeling this energy here at this time. In a way, with the involvement of youth, we are able to break every bond, go beyond limits, yet there is no goal that cannot be achieved. There is no destination that cannot be reached. Republic TV has worked on a new concept for this summit. I congratulate all of you for the success of this summit, I greet you. Well, I also have a little selfishness in this, one, for the last few days I have been thinking that I have to bring one lakh youth into politics and that one lakh are such who are first timers in their families, so in a way, such events are preparing the ground for this aim of mine. Secondly, there is my personal benefit, the personal benefit is that those who will go to vote in 2029 do not know what the headlines of newspapers used to be before 2014, they do not know, there used to be scams of 10-10, 12-12 lakh crores, they do not know and when they will go to vote in 2029, there will be nothing before them for comparison and therefore, I have to pass that test and I have full faith that this ground which is being created will make that work strong.

Friends,

Today the whole world is saying that, it is the century of India, you haven’t heard this. India’s achievements, India’s successes have raised a new hope in the whole world. The India about which it was said that it will sink itself and take us down with it, that India is today driving the growth of the world. What is the direction of India’s future, we come to know this from our work and achievements today. Even 65 years after independence, India was the world’s eleventh largest economy. In the last decade, we have become the world’s fifth largest economy, and now we are going to become the world’s third largest economy at the same speed.

Friends,

Let me also remind you of what happened 18 years ago. The reason for this figure being 18 years is special because those who have turned 18, who are becoming voters for the first time, do not know about the period before 18 years, that is why I have taken that figure. 18 years ago, i.e., in 2007, India’s annual GDP reached one trillion dollars. In simple words, this was the time when economic activity in India was worth one trillion dollars in a year. Now look at what is happening today? Now almost one trillion dollars’ worth of economic activity is happening in a single quarter. What does this mean? The amount of economic activity that was happening in India in a year 18 years ago is now happening in just three months. This shows how fast today’s India is progressing. I will give you some examples, which show how big changes have come in the last decade and how the results have come. In the last 10 years, we have succeeded in bringing 25 crore people out of poverty. This number is more than the total population of many countries. You can also remember the time when the government itself accepted, the Prime Minister himself said that if one rupee was sent, only 15 paise reached to the poor, who used to eat up that 85 paise and then there is today’s era. In the last decade, more than 42 lakh crore rupees have been transferred to the accounts of the poor through DBT, Direct Benefit Transfer, DBT. If you do the calculation of 15 paise out of a rupee, then what will be the calculation of 42 lakh crore? Friends, today when one rupee goes out from Delhi, 100 paise reaches the last place.

Friends,

10 years ago, India was nowhere in the world in terms of solar energy. But today India is among the top-5 countries in the world in terms of solar energy capacity. We have increased the solar energy capacity by 30 times. Solar module manufacturing has also increased by 30 times. 10 years ago, we used to import even Holi pichkaris and children’s toys from abroad. Today our toy exports have tripled. Till 10 years ago, we used to import even rifles for our army from abroad and in the last 10 years, our defence exports have increased 20 times.

Friends,

In these 10 years, we have become the world’s second largest steel producer, the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer and the world’s third largest startup ecosystem. In these 10 years, we have increased our capital expenditure on infrastructure five times. The number of airports in the country has doubled. In these ten years, the number of operational AIIMS in the country has tripled. And in these 10 years, the number of medical colleges and medical seats has also almost doubled.

Friends,

The temperament of today’s India is different. Today’s India thinks big, sets big targets and today’s India shows great results. And this is happening because the thinking of the country has changed, India is moving ahead with big aspirations. Earlier our thinking was like, it’s okay, it happens, let it be, whatever happens, let it be, whoever has to do something will do it, do your own thing. Earlier the thinking had become so narrow, I will give you an example of it. There was a time, if there was a drought somewhere, if it was a drought-affected area, then people used to give memorandums when Congress was in power, so what did the villagers demand, that sir, famines keep happening, so at this time during famine, relief work should start, we will dig pits, take out the soil, fill it in other pits, this is what people used to demand, someone would say what did he demand, that sir, please get a hand pump installed in my area, they used to demand a hand pump for water, sometimes what did the MPs demand, give him a gas cylinder a little early, MPs used to do this work, they used to get 25 coupons and the Member of Parliament used those 25 coupons to oblige for gas cylinders in his entire area. One MP 25 cylinders in a year and all this was happening till 2014. MPs used to demand that Sir, this train that is going, please give it a stoppage in my area, a stoppage was being demanded.

I am saying all these things which were happening before 2014, not very old. Congress had crushed the aspirations of the people of the country. That is why the people of the country had even stopped having hope, they had accepted that nothing will happen from them, what are they doing. People used to say that brother, okay, if you can do only this much, then do only this much. And today you see, how fast the situation and thinking are changing. Now people know who can work, who can bring results, and this is not the common citizen, if you listen to the speeches in the House, then the opposition also gives the same speech, why is Modi ji not doing this, it means they think that this is what will do.

Friends,

The aspiration that we have today is reflected in their words. The way of speaking has changed. What do people demand now? Earlier people used to ask for stoppages, now they come and say, start a Vande Bharat train at my place too. I had gone to Kuwait some time back, so when I normally go out to the labour camp there, I try to go to my countrymen wherever they work. So, when I went to the labour colony there, I was talking to our labourer brothers and sisters who work in Kuwait, some have been working there for 10 years, some for 15 years. Now see, a labourer from a village in Bihar has been working in Kuwait for 9 years and comes here once in a while. When I was talking to him, he said, Sir, I want to ask a question. I said, please ask. He said, Sir, please build an international airport near my village at the district headquarters. I was so glad that a labourer from my country’s village in Bihar who has been working in Kuwait for 9 years also thinks that now an international airport will be built in his district. This is the aspiration of a common citizen of India today, which is driving the whole country towards the goal of developed India.

Friends,

The strength of any society or nation increases only when restrictions are removed from its citizens, obstacles are removed, walls of hindrances fall. Only then the strength of the citizens of that country increases, even the height of the sky becomes small for them. Therefore, we are constantly removing the barriers that previous governments had put before the citizens. Now I give an example of the space sector. Earlier, everything in the space sector was the responsibility of ISRO. ISRO certainly did a great job, but the remaining potential in the country regarding space science and entrepreneurship was not being utilized, everything was confined to ISRO. We courageously opened the space sector for young innovators. And when I made the decision, it did not make the headline of any newspaper, because there is no understanding either. Republic TV viewers will be happy to know that today more than 250 space startups have been formed in the country, this is the wonder of the youth of my country. These startups are today making rockets like Vikram-S and Agnibaan. The same happened in the sector of mapping, there were so many restrictions, you could not make an atlas, technology has changed. Earlier, if you had to make a map in India, you had to make rounds of government offices for years. We removed this restriction as well. Today, data related to geo-spatial mapping is paving the way for new startups.

Friends,

Nuclear energy, the sector related to nuclear energy was also kept under government control earlier. There were restrictions, constraints, walls were erected. Now in this year’s budget, the government has announced to open it for the private sector. And this has strengthened the path to add 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047.

Friends,

You will be surprised to know that there is an untapped economic potential of Rs 100 lakh crore, even more than that, lying in our villages. I am repeating this figure before you again – Rs 100 lakh crore, this is not a small figure, this economic potential is present in the form of houses in the villages. Let me explain it to you in a simpler way. Now here in a city like Delhi, if your house is worth 50 lakhs, one crore, 2 crores, you also get a bank loan on the value of your property. If you have a house in Delhi, then you can take a loan of crores of rupees from the bank. Now the question is, houses are not only in Delhi, there are houses in villages too, there are owners of houses there too, why does it not happen there? Loans are not available on houses in villages because in India there were no legal documents for houses in villages, proper mapping could not be done. Therefore, the country and its citizens could not get the proper benefit of this power of the villages. And it is not just India’s problem, people in the big countries of the world do not have property rights. Big international organizations say that the country which gives property rights to its people, its GDP increases.

Friends,

To give property rights to the houses in villages in India we have started a Swamitva scheme. For this, we are conducting drone surveys in every village and mapping every house in the village. Today, property cards of village houses are being given to people across the country. The government has distributed more than two crore property cards and this work is going on continuously. Earlier, due to the absence of property cards, there were many disputes in the villages, people had to go to courts, all this has ended now. Now the villagers are getting loans from banks on these property cards, due to this the villagers are starting their own business, doing self-employment. Just the other day I was talking to the beneficiaries of this Swamitva Yojana on video conference. I met a sister from Rajasthan. She said that after getting my property card, I took a loan of Rs. 9 lakhs in the village and said that I started a business and I have repaid half the loan and now it will not take me much time to repay the entire loan and there is a possibility of getting more loans, what a confidence level.

Friends,

The biggest beneficiary of all the examples I have given is the youth of my country. The youth, who are the biggest stakeholders of developed India. The youth, who are the X-Factor of today’s India. This X means Experimentation Excellence and Expansion, Experimentation, that is, our youth have moved beyond the old ways and created new paths. Excellence means that the youth have set global benchmarks. And expansion means that innovation has been scaled up by our youth for 140 crore countrymen. Our youth can provide solutions to the country’s major problems, but this capability has not been utilized properly earlier. Earlier governments did not even think that youth can also provide solutions to the country’s problems through hackathons. Today we organize the Smart India Hackathon every year. So far 10 lakh youth have become a part of it. Many ministries and departments of the government have put forward many problems related to governance before them, told them to tell us what could be the solution. In the hackathon, our youth have developed about two and a half thousand solutions and given them to the country. I am happy that you have also taken this culture of hackathon forward. And I congratulate the youth who have won and I am happy that I got a chance to meet those young people.

Friends,

In the last 10 years, the country has experienced a new age of governance. In the last decade, we have transformed the impact less administration into impactful Governance. When you go to the field, people often say that they have received the benefit of a particular government scheme for the first time. It is not that those government schemes did not exist earlier. Schemes existed earlier as well, but last mile delivery at this level is being ensured for the first time. You often conduct interviews of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Earlier, houses for the poor were sanctioned on paper. Today, we build houses for the poor on the ground. Earlier, the entire process of building a house was government driven. The type of house to be built, what materials would be used, was decided by the government. We have made it owner driven. The government puts money in the beneficiary’s account, the beneficiary himself decides what kind of house will be built. And we also held a country-wide competition for house design, put forward models of houses, involved people for designing, and decided things with public participation. Due to this, the quality of houses has also improved and houses are also getting completed at a faster speed. Earlier, half-constructed houses were built by joining bricks and stones, we have built the house of the poor’s dreams. These houses have tap water, gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme, electricity connection under the Saubhagya scheme, we have not just built four walls, we have built life in those houses.

Friends,

National security is a very important aspect for the development of any country. In the last decade, we have worked a lot on security. You remember, earlier, breaking news of serial bomb blasts used to be shown on TV, there used to be special programmes on the network of sleeper cells. Today, all this has disappeared from both the TV screen and the Indian soil. Otherwise, earlier when you used to travel by train or go to the airport, you used to get warnings like, if there is an unclaimed bag lying there, do not touch it, today these 18-20 year old young people may not have heard that news. Today, Naxalism is also counting its last breaths in the country. Earlier, more than a hundred districts were in the grip of Naxalism, but today it is limited to less than two dozen districts. This was possible only when we worked with the spirit of nation first. We brought governance to the grassroot level in these areas. Within no time, thousands of kilometers long roads were built in these districts, schools and hospitals were built, 4G mobile network reached and the country is seeing the results today.

Friends,

Today, Naxalism is being cleared from the jungles due to the decisive decisions of the government, but now it is spreading its roots in the urban centers. Urban Naxals have spread their network so fast that the political parties which were opposed to urban Naxals, whose ideology was once inspired by Gandhiji and which was connected to the roots of India, today Naxals have made inroads in such political parties. Today, the voice of Urban Naxals and their own language is heard there. From this, we can understand how deep their roots are. We have to remember that Urban Naxals are staunch opponents of both India’s development and our heritage. By the way, Arnab has also taken up the responsibility of exposing Urban Naxals. Development is necessary for a developed India and strengthening the heritage is also necessary. And that is why we have to be cautious of Urban Naxals.

Friends,

Today’s India is touching new heights while facing every challenge. I am confident that all of you at Republic TV Network will always give a new dimension to journalism with the spirit of Nation First. With this belief that you should continue to catalyze the aspiration of a developed India through your journalism, I thank you very much and wish you all the best. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at the inaugural ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogues’ (Excerpts)

Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi

We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.

His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.

I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.

We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.

We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands

Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.

I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.

Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees

Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.

He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.

Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.

I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’  the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.

Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.

As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.

Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.

Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.

This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.

The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.

A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.

‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.

Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.

We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.

Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.

No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.

Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional

prescriptions.

We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.

Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.

Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.

We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.

The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.

“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”

“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”

This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.

But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.

I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”

This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.

Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.

These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.

Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach.  The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.

Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.

There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.

I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.

Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.

India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.

India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.

Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.

There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries

Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.

Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.

And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.

We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.

And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.

I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.

There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.

There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.

Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.

Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.

From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.

Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”

Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.

“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.

****

JK/RC/SM

(Release ID: 2108969) Visitor Counter : 146

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogue’ (Excerpts)

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi

We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.

His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.

I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.

We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.

We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands

Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.

I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.

Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees

Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.

He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.

Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.

I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’  the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.

Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.

As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.

Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.

Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.

This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.

The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.

A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.

‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.

Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.

We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.

Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.

No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.

Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional

prescriptions.

We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.

Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.

Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.

We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.

The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.

“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”

“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”

This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.

But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.

I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”

This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.

Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.

These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.

Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach.  The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.

Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.

There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.

I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.

Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.

India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.

India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.

Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.

There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries

Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.

Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.

And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.

We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.

And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.

I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.

There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.

There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.

Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.

Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.

From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.

Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”

Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.

“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.

****

JK/RC/SM

(Release ID: 2108969) Visitor Counter : 27

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: What they’re saying: Governor Newsom’s state of emergency to fast-track wildfire prevention projects

Source: US State of California 2

Mar 6, 2025

SACRAMENTO – Foresters, firefighters, community leaders and wildfire experts are applauding Governor Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation to remove red tape and increase the pace and scale of forest management in California.

Following the devastation of the Los Angeles firestorms and with the risk of wildfire increasing statewide, Governor Newsom over the weekend proclaimed a state of emergency to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season.

Here is a snapshot of what leaders are saying across the state:

Doug Teeter, Butte County Supervisor: “Devastating wildfires unfortunately have greatly affected our State’s citizens and environment. I applaud the Governor’s commitment to reduce the bureaucratic bottleneck CEQA has become.”

Graham Knaus, Chief Executive Officer, California State Association of Counties: “This is absolutely the right move from Governor Newsom. Counties are ready to move quickly to address wildfire risks. The next step in recognizing that fire season is now year-round is to codify these orders in state law.”

Brian K. Rice, President, California Professional Firefighters: “Governor Newsom’s actions demonstrate a meaningful commitment to safeguarding our communities from the escalating threat of wildfires. By streamlining essential forest management projects and cutting through delays, this decisive action not only enhances public safety but also ensures that our firefighters can operate under safer conditions when responding to future incidents. Such proactive measures are crucial in mitigating the severity of wildfires and protecting both lives and property across California.”

Patrick Blacklock, Chief Executive Officer, Rural County Representatives of California: “Federal and State policy backed by the preponderance of science is clear that we need to accelerate the pace and scale of forest treatments if we are to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve the health of our forests. This EO is a significant step forward and we stand ready to collaborate with the Governor’s Administration to implement it.”

Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno): “I’ll be the first to give credit where it’s due—thank you Governor Newsom for suspending CEQA as our communities face the threat of massive wildfires. Now, we must act fast to create buffer zones between urban, wild lands and critical infrastructure. We don’t have any time to waste!”

Michael Wara, Senior Research Scholar, Stanford University: “Newsom trying to get more wildfire safety work done this year, addressing a critical issue for California.”

Pete Jackson, VP/GM, Green Diamond Resource Company: “As a Registered Professional Forester, a forest landowner, and the Vice President/General Manager of Green Diamond Resource Company’s California Timberlands, I support Governor Newsom’s proclamation of a state emergency to remove barriers to increasing the pace and scale of fuels treatment projects. Fire touches the lives of all Californians. This unprecedented emergency necessitates immediate action to protect communities and their homes, businesses, working forests, watersheds, and wildlife. We can solve this problem together. Let’s get to work.”

Matt Dias, President and CEO, CalForests: “The Governor’s Proclamation of Emergency supporting prevention activities is one of the critical and necessary actions to protect lives, communities and forests in an era of increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across California.”

Paul Mason, VP Policy and Incentives, Pacific Forest Trust: “To prevent destructive wildfires California needs to increase the use of prescribed fire by at least an order of magnitude. We’re excited to help rethink how California can improve the permitting for prescribed fire. Fire is both natural and inevitable, and when we are proactive we can have more fire under conditions that give good outcomes rather than always fighting fire under the worst conditions.”

Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity: “The Governor’s order is strategic.”

J. Lopez, Member of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection: “The Governor’s proclamation underscores the paramount importance of expediting the implementation of science-based resource management practices that safeguard and preserve natural and cultural resources, protect our towns and cities, and restore the traditional way of life for Californians.”

Seth Schalet, CEO, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: “Governor Newsom’s recent Executive Order is intended to fast-track fuel reduction projects across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a non-state entity covered in the EO, this allows us to accelerate shovel ready projects that normally would go through the lengthy CEQA process, so more fuel treatments and escape routes can be started before this year’s fire weather kicks in. One project we lead in Santa Clara County, the 110,000-acre West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project will leverage Governor Newsom’s EO by utilizing the California Vegetation Treatment Plan to implement ecologically restorative fuel reduction treatments across more than 110,000 acres in western Santa Clara County. These strategically placed treatments will focus on the Wildland Urban Interface and areas where high fuel loads are impacting the health of ecosystems.”

Christopher Anthony, former Chief Deputy Director of CAL FIRE & Wildfire Advisor: “I applaud Governor Newsom’s efforts to accelerate forest health and community risk reduction efforts to address the increasing size and severity of wildfires. Streamlining regulatory barriers will protect lives, property and the unique natural resources of the State. This effort will also guard against the downstream economic impacts wildfire can have on local communities. The Emergency Proclamation clears hurdles allowing the return of low-intensity, beneficial fire to fire adapted ecosystems across California, ensures community wildfire mitigation efforts can be implemented quickly, and expedites the reduction of hazardous vegetation from within and around communities. We have no other choice than to move forward with a sense of urgency to stabilize property loss and create a future where beneficial fire, not destructive fire, is the dominant contributor to annual area burned.”

California Biomass Energy Alliance: “CBEA applauds the Governor Newsom’s call for a state of emergency to expedite forest management projects in order to protect lives. CBEA is prepared to work with the state on removal of that wood waste and converting some of it to renewable energy.”

Joe Smailes and Lawrence Camp, Forest Landowners of California: “Forest Landowners of California (FLC) represents the nonindustrial forest landowners of the state of California. These landowners, estimated to be approximately 100,000 individuals, own and manage approximately 20 percent of California’s forested landscape. Historically, administrative burden and costs have slowed the pace and scale of vegetation management to reduce the risk of wildfire, maintain water quality, preserve wildlife habitat and store carbon. We strongly endorse the Governor’s proposals as set forth in his Executive Order issued on March 1, 2025.”

Press Releases, Recent News

Recent news

Mar 5, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Newsom has directed his Office of Emergency Services to coordinate with key partners during this next round of winter weather to strategically preposition critical resources to protect the public. Los Angeles, California – As…

Mar 4, 2025

News What you need to know: California enforcement officials have seized an estimated retail value of $534 million of unlicensed cannabis in 2024. Since 2019, officials have seized approximately $2.8 billion in illegal cannabis. Sacramento, California – Reinforcing…

Mar 1, 2025

News What you need to know: Governor Newsom is proclaiming a state of emergency to fast-track critical forest management projects – part of the state’s ongoing efforts to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire. SACRAMENTO – Following the devastation of the Los…

MIL OSI USA News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Lithium Carbonate Futures Now Live for Trading on Abaxx Exchange

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abaxx Technologies Inc. (CBOE:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) (“Abaxx” or the “Company”), a financial software and market infrastructure company, indirect majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd. (“Abaxx Singapore”), the owner of Abaxx Commodity Exchange and Clearinghouse (individually, “Abaxx Exchange” and “Abaxx Clearing”), and producer of the SmarterMarkets™ Podcast, today announced that its three regional, physically-deliverable Lithium Carbonate futures contracts are now live for trading.

The energy transition is driving demand for battery metals to unprecedented levels, while countries race to secure critical supply chains — yet commodity futures markets have not kept pace with these new realities. Globally, lithium carbonate demand is projected to grow by 16% per year through 2030, according to the IEA¹, reinforcing the need for transparent price benchmarks and effective risk management tools. Abaxx’s Lithium Carbonate futures establish the first USD-denominated, physically-deliverable benchmark for lithium carbonate outside of China, offering transparent price discovery, precise hedging, and supply chain optimization in a market shaped by geopolitical shifts and evolving trade flows.

Each regional contract is US dollar-denominated, physically deliverable DAP (Delivered at Place, as defined by Incoterms 2020), representing 1 tonne of lithium carbonate, with delivery locations at ports in Singapore, Rotterdam, and Baltimore.

“Lithium carbonate sits at a critical point in the supply chain — between spodumene and hydroxide — where a benchmark price is most needed,” said Sacha Lifschitz, Head of Battery Materials at Abaxx Exchange. “By introducing a physically-deliverable contract with a direct delivery mechanism, we’re ensuring alignment with real-world trade flows. With contracts for lithium carbonate deliverable in Singapore, Rotterdam, and Baltimore, market participants now have access to pricing that reflects the market conditions specific to each region, creating a more transparent and effective pricing tool for the industry.”

Abaxx’s suite of futures contracts for energy, environmental markets and battery metals is open for trading 14 hours a day, Monday through Friday. Visit abaxx.exchange/resources-clearing-members-brokers for a full list of clearing firms and execution brokers.

About Abaxx Technologies
Abaxx is building Smarter Markets — markets empowered by better financial technology and market infrastructure to address our biggest challenges, including the energy transition. In addition to developing and deploying financial technologies that make communication, trade, and transactions easier and more secure, Abaxx is an indirect majority-owner of subsidiaries Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing, recognized by MAS as a “recognised market operator” (RMO) and “approved clearing house” (ACH), respectively.

Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing are a Singapore-based commodity futures exchange and clearinghouse, introducing centrally cleared, physically deliverable commodities futures and derivatives to provide better price discovery and risk management tools for the commodities critical to our transition to a lower-carbon economy.

For more information please visit abaxx.tech, abaxx.exchange and smartermarkets.media.

For more information about this press release, please contact:

Steve Fray, CFO
Tel: +1 647-490-1590

Media and investor inquiries:

Abaxx Technologies Inc.
Investor Relations Team
Tel: +1 246 271 0082
E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech

¹ International Energy Agency (IEA), Critical Minerals Data Explorer, Stated Policies Scenario. Available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/critical-minerals-data-explorer.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx’s future plans, objectives, or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “seeking”, “should”, “intend”, “predict”, “potential”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, “continue”, “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Since forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet respective management expectations. Risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information related to Abaxx in this press release includes, but is not limited to: Abaxx’s objectives, goals or future plans, benefits of the introduction of its Lithium Carbonate contracts; introduction of new battery materials products; the delivery of commodities subject to futures contracts; expectations related to the global energy transition; and positive impacts from the growth of global battery metal demand. Such factors impacting forward-looking information include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; Abaxx’s limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; acquiring and maintaining regulatory approvals for Abaxx’s products and operations; the ability to list Abaxx’s securities on stock exchanges in a timely fashion or at all; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third-party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third- party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure; and changes in the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labor and international travel and supply chains, and the risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx’s normal course of business.

Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. When relying on forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraphs will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Abaxx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and information. Cboe Canada does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

The MIL Network –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Isabel Schnabel: Interview with wochentaz

Source: European Central Bank

Interview with Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, conducted by Patricia Hecht and Beate Willms on 5 February 2025

7 March 2025

Ms Schnabel, do you remember the first time you held money in your hand?

That must have been during primary school. I often used my pocket money to buy sweets or an ice lolly.

So money was just a means of payment for you, something that let you buy things?

Exactly. However, my father placed great importance on me understanding how to deal with money early on – even though as a teenager I wasn’t that interested. He later recommended an apprenticeship at a bank to me when I wasn’t sure what to do after I had finished school. And one of his arguments was that I should learn how to manage money.

Did you have the impression he was particularly concerned because you were a girl?

Well, he didn’t make the same suggestion to my brother. That bothered me a little. It was just taken for granted that my brother could deal with money. But, at the end of the day, my father’s recommendation may have been one of the reasons why I ended up in a male-dominated field.

Is it true that women engage too little with money?

I do think so. On average, women have a lower level of financial literacy than men. That’s a problem. It can lead to them making suboptimal financial decisions and possibly ending up in financial difficulties. For example, women are more at risk of poverty in old age. So financial planning is particularly important for women.

Are women themselves to blame for being financially worse off?

There are many structural reasons, for example interrupted career paths due to becoming a mother or caring for elderly relatives. In addition, women are significantly more likely to work part-time. These factors contribute to women having lower incomes and smaller pensions. The insufficient engagement with financial matters is also linked to traditional gender roles. However, there’s also an element of individual responsibility. Just as one needs to think about one’s health, one needs to also deal with finances. Today, there are plenty of ways to get informed, for example, through podcasts or YouTube channels, to name just a few.

Today you are one of the people responsible for deciding on the financing conditions for 350 million people in the euro area, because it’s the ECB’s task to keep inflation in check. Out of the 26 members of the Governing Council, only two are women – Christine Lagarde and you. Is the monetary policy that you pursue different from that of the men?

Research shows that men and women do behave differently when it comes to economic issues. So it is possible that monetary policy may change when more women join the decision-making bodies. What is key here is diversity – also in terms of views and experiences. That’s what makes decision-making more robust.

How do financial decisions made by men and women differ?

Women tend to be more risk-averse in their financial decisions and they are more afraid of losses. This, for example, leads them to invest less in the stock market and thus achieve lower returns. Women also have less confidence in their financial decision-making. So improving financial literacy would be particularly important for women.

Is there a feminist monetary policy?

To be honest, I haven’t really thought about this. Monetary policy used to focus primarily on the economy as a whole, for instance on aggregate economic activity or consumption. Meanwhile, research has evolved and is now looking more into the underlying heterogeneity. We know, for instance, that poorer people are particularly affected by rising energy and food prices. There are likely also noticeable differences across genders.

What are you doing to attract more women to the ECB?

As an institution, we have a keen interest in equal opportunities. This does not always mean a fifty-fifty distribution, but we aim to represent the society for which we make our decisions and to use the entire talent pool available. This is why we have set targets at all levels of hierarchy. In order to achieve those, around half of all new hires and promotions should be women, as long as we are below our targets.

What else are you doing?

We try to remove barriers. Often this concerns obstacles like a lack of childcare. The ECB offers good childcare facilities, starting at infancy, and we also have a European School. Additionally, we noticed that women applied for promotions less frequently than men. When reading a vacancy notice, women have more doubts than men whether they fulfill all the criteria perfectly. We are now more explicitly encouraging women to apply. This strategy has proven to be very successful.

Are salary differences transparent at the ECB?

We are part of the public service, which means that we follow a clear salary structure that depends on qualifications and tasks. Then there are various allowances, which depend on things like staff members’ family situation but not on their gender.

How do you deal with the responsibility for decisions that affect the lives of so many people?

When I learnt in 2019 that I would be nominated for the ECB’s Executive Board, I had just arrived by train at Bonn’s main station. I saw the people on the platform and thought – in the future, I will have to make decisions affecting all these people! That’s a completely different role from that of a researcher, and one that carries a lot of responsibility. I take my job extremely seriously and try to take all decisions to the very best of my knowledge.

You worked at different universities in Germany and the United States for 15 years, became a professor in 2007, and you were also a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. Throughout your career, you were always one of few women – often the only one, as in the case of the ”wise (wo)men”.

The higher you go, the fewer women there are. That is still the case. And it shapes the style of communication. An example was the research seminars at university, where all the professors were men and the tone was often very harsh and aggressive. As a young researcher, that bothered me, and I know my female colleagues felt the same.

How did you deal with it?

I simply accepted it at the time, but it made me feel insecure. You need to have confidence in your career potential. Some women are better at handling a male-dominated environment than others. But there are also women who have a different type of personality. Some of my female colleagues left the university back then.

Does the tone change when there is another woman in the room?

Yes, it changes the entire tone of the conversation. This is especially true when an institution or committee is led by a woman, as is the ECB. Christine Lagarde can set the tone here. I am really impressed by how she manages to create such an inclusive and friendly climate.

Is there something like female solidarity between the two of you?

Absolutely. We have a close personal relationship. We also talk about private matters and we trust each other. She listens to my concerns. I can always approach her and she finds time for me even though she is extremely busy.

Is it different with your male colleagues?

There are a number of male colleagues with whom I have a similarly trusting relationship, but it is indeed different. There is greater emotional closeness among women.

How important are women’s networks in your field?

Very important. It took me a long time to understand that. Today, I am part of many informal women’s networks. It is particularly important to invite younger women and to support each other. Former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, once said there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women. We must support each other rather than seeing each other primarily as competitors. I myself benefited from having a female mentor who later became a colleague at the University of Mainz.

You do that too. During the pandemic, your colleague Isabella Weber – a left-leaning economist from the University of Massachusetts who was then in her mid-30s – suggested tackling inflation with strategic price controls. As this contradicted the textbooks, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, among others, publicly dismissed her idea as “truly stupid”.

I found this treatment of Isabella Weber intolerable. And I had the impression that a man would have been treated differently. That simply shouldn’t be the case. Although I didn’t share the view on price controls, we must be open to consider unconventional ideas. It was probably also about maintaining power and thought leadership. In general, I would find it disastrous if women were discouraged from challenging the mainstream because of this.

Have you yourself ever felt that people were treating you differently because you are a woman?

I experience this constantly on social media. I am sometimes besieged with sexist comments and I then mute those people. But I don’t experience this in my immediate professional environment.

But did you suffer from any disadvantages because of being a woman?

At the beginning of my career, during my studies, I was firmly convinced that it didn’t matter whether one was a man or a woman. I thought I just had to be good enough, and then I would make it. At that time, I wasn’t particularly positive about the promotion of women. It took a while before I realised that there were a number of gender-specific barriers. For example, during my entire university studies in Germany, I didn’t have a single female professor. So I had no role models. These issues became more obvious when I had children. I have three daughters, which means that I was either pregnant or breastfeeding for around six years. The time between the ages of 32 and 38 were very exhausting for me. And that was precisely the critical phase for progressing in an academic career. When I arrived at the office completely rushed in the morning, I already had my first major task behind me. I sometimes struggled with that. Travelling also wasn’t easy when the children were small. I wasn’t very keen on it either, as I wanted to be with my family.

How did you manage it nonetheless?

My doctoral advisor Martin Hellwig played a major role in this. He had helped me to build up networks already during my doctoral studies – before I had children. At the time, I hadn’t yet realised how important that was. When the children came, he gave me complete flexibility.

How soon did you return to work?

Very quickly. With the first child, I was back at my computer right away. With the second, I took my daughter to the office in the beginning. By the time of the third child, I was already a professor, so I brought her with me when commuting by train from Bonn to Mainz during the breastfeeding period. Just getting the stroller into those old trains was a real challenge. All of the commuters knew me – the woman with the baby! At university, I had many people to support me. I sometimes recruited students to look after my baby while I was teaching. I even breastfed during office hours.

Did your husband bring the children to work too?

No, because I was breastfeeding. But it wouldn’t have been possible without him. My husband has always been very involved in our family work, even more so than me in recent years. I now work in Frankfurt, but our family is still in Bonn. Besides, we have had a wonderful nanny for over 20 years, who has been with us every day and helped us tremendously.

Not everyone can afford a nanny.

At the beginning, almost an entire salary went to that. But it’s sometimes overlooked that paid childcare is also an investment. It allows you to stay on your career path. And I always knew that my children were very well taken care of. That’s why I rarely had a guilty conscience.

Did you have to make compromises because of your dual role as a mother and as an economist?

Constantly. One must not have the expectation of being absolutely perfect in each role at all times. Otherwise, you will fail to live up to your own standards. But that wasn’t always easy for me.

What did you have to compromise on?

Mostly on my personal needs – I didn’t have much time for myself. And the same was true for my husband. But we also learned to be efficient. In the evenings, we would sometimes put our children to bed with their tights on to speed things up in the morning.

Have you ever been accused of being a “raven mother” (bad mother)?

Subtly, yes. But I didn’t take on that role. The paediatrician and author Remo Largo once said, in essence, that the most important thing was to be happy as a parent and a good role model. Children imitate what they see. And I believe I am a good mother to my daughters.

It took you a few years to call yourself a feminist. Where do your daughters stand on that today?

My daughters grew up knowing that women can achieve anything they want. Of course they complained from time to time that I wasn’t at home as much as other mothers. But they really like what I do and take it as motivation. My daughters are true feminists who will speak up when they are disadvantaged. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do that at their age, but of course the world has also changed in that regard.

And how do you introduce them to the topic of money?

My husband and I are both economists and we have often talked about how to deal with money. But they tended to find financial investment rather tedious. Today, two of my daughters are studying economics, so they have automatically come closer to these topics.

Mark Zuckerberg recently said that companies needed more “masculine energy”. Do you find that worrying, also in relation to your daughters?

That worries me a lot. There’s a risk that society will go backwards, even though we are far from where we want to be. In the United States, this is currently more pronounced than it is here. But it’s spilling over. For the ECB, I can say that we stand firmly behind our diversity and inclusion strategy.

MIL OSI Economics –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Zimbabwe: Ten years without answers since journalist and activist Itai Dzamara’s enforced disappearance

Source: Amnesty International –

Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Zimbabwean journalist and pro-democracy activist Itai Peace Dzamara, Amnesty International calls on authorities to urgently establish an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into his whereabouts.

On the morning of 9 March 2015, five men abducted Dzamara from a barber shop in the capital Harare’s Glen View suburb. The men accused him of stealing cattle before handcuffing him and driving off with him in a white truck with concealed number plates. All attempts by relatives and human rights lawyers to establish his whereabouts have been unsuccessful.

“Itai Dzamara’s family and loved ones have endured ten years without answers. The authorities have ignored calls for information and investigation, including from his wife Sheffra Dzamara,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “Zimbabwean authorities must urgently carry out an effective investigation into what happened to Itai Dzamara and end their official silence on his case.”

Dzamara was a leader of the Occupy Africa Unity Square, a pro-democracy protest group. Two days before his enforced disappearance, Dzamara addressed an opposition rally where he called for mass action against Zimbabwe’s deteriorating economic conditions.

“Itai Dzamara’s family and loved ones have endured ten years without answers. The authorities have ignored calls for information and investigation, including from his wife Sheffra Dzamara,”

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

Immediately after Dzamara’s abduction, his wife filed a missing person report at Glen Norah Police Station in Harare. The next day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights approached the High Court to try to force the state to expend all available resources to investigate and locate Dzamara.

The High Court of Zimbabwe ordered police and state security agents to search for Dzamara and report on their progress every two weeks. However, according to his lawyer, none of the security services have fully complied with the order. Police have reportedly not given any substantial information on the details of their supposed investigation when they submitted reports to the court, and have stopped submitting reports.

“Authorities have yet to conduct any credible inquiry into Itai Dzamara’s fate or whereabouts,” said Tigere Chagutah. “It is time for the authorities to stop pretending and get serious about finding Itai Dzamara and holding accountable whoever is suspected of responsibility for his enforced disappearance.”

MIL OSI NGO –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £7 million pilot now underway across all ten local authorities to help residents stay in work
Source: City of Salford
Greater Manchester is one of 15 areas selected to pilot the WorkWell service, running until 31st March 2026.

Awarded £7million in Government funding to offer tailored support for people struggling to stay in work due to health issues or disabilities, as well as for those who have recently left work due to poor health, helping them return to employment.

Part of the city-region Live Well initiative, WorkWell ensures access to health and wellbeing support across every neighbourhood in Greater Manchester.

If you’re struggling to stay in work due to health issues, contact WorkWell today. Visit your local council website or call for more information and support.

The pilot aims to help around 8,000 local people.
How WorkWell works?

The WorkWell service takes a personalised approach by matching individuals with a dedicated work and health coach. These coaches help people access the right services to improve their wellbeing and job prospects. They offer guidance on overcoming barriers to work and can refer individuals to healthcare professionals for support with physical and mental health needs, including musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) and anxiety. By offering early support, such as physiotherapy, talking therapies, and lifestyle advice, WorkWell helps people stay well and prevent their health needs from getting worse.

Additionally, coaches support individuals in building skills, finding suitable job opportunities, and creating tailored CVs and cover letters. They guide participants through interview preparation, offering practical advice to build confidence. Coaches also explore flexible work options that meet personal needs and connect individuals to local community groups for extra resources and support. These services are available both by phone and in person, providing flexible access to support.

WorkWell is delivered in partnership by NHS Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), local authorities, health organisations, and community groups. It forms part of a £64 million national programme from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to improve health and employment outcomes across the country.

A key part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well commitment

The WorkWell pilot is an essential part of Greater Manchester’s broader Live Well commitment, which aims to tackle health, social, and economic inequalities by transforming how public services are delivered. Live Well is focused on ensuring that everyone has access to the right support, resources, and opportunities to lead a healthy, fulfilling life.

Through combining personalised job and health support within local communities, WorkWell builds on the success of Greater Manchester’s flagship Working Well programme, which has already supported over 80,000 residents and helped nearly 30,000 people into employment.

Greater Manchester’s Live Well Plan has also been awarded a £10 million funding boost to tackle inequalities, improve health, and support people in returning to work. This investment is part of the city-region’s ongoing commitment to helping those facing employment barriers due to health challenges. Funded through the “Get Britain Working White Paper”, the boost will build on initiatives like WorkWell, offering tailored support to individuals with health-related barriers to employment.

Providing early support to prevent long-term unemployment

Early intervention is key. Findings from the Working Well: Work and Health Programme show that people unemployed for up to six months have the highest chance of finding a job (49.7%). However, this likelihood decreases the longer someone is out of work, dropping to just 13.6% after ten years. By acting early, WorkWell aims to prevent long-term job losses due to health conditions.

Who can access WorkWell?
- WorkWell is available to anyone aged 16 or older, who is eligible to work in the UK.
- Open to self-referrals or referrals via GPs and pharmacists, employers, or community organisations.
- Available to Greater Manchester residents or anyone registered with a GP or JobCentre Plus in the area.
NHS Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are encouraging local employers to learn more about WorkWell and how they can support employees with health conditions to remain in work. Employers can access guidance on workplace adjustments and additional resources.

Mark Fisher, Chief Executive of NHS Greater Manchester, said:
“This is really welcome news for Greater Manchester and the people who live here. Unfortunately, too many people in our city-region are unable to work due to poor health, and this has a profound impact on their lives and wellbeing.

“The longer people are out of work, the harder it is to get back into employment. That’s why being part of the WorkWell pilot is so important. Over the next two years, we will support at least 8,000 local people to remain in or return to work – something we know is truly life-changing.

“This is not something we can do alone. To reach as many people as possible, we will build upon existing support services and work closely with our ten local authorities, the GMCA, and Greater Manchester’s vibrant voluntary sector. Most importantly, we will do this in partnership with local people to make a positive impact on their health and lives.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester and Co-Chair of Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, Andy Burnham said:
“WorkWell is already improving people’s lives and is a key part of our effort to better connect health and employment support. By bringing these services together, we’re helping residents find work and build a better future.

“The early success stories from WorkWell show what’s possible when we bring together our brilliant community groups, voluntary organisations, and the NHS. This is about removing barriers people face and making sure everyone in Greater Manchester gets the right support at the right time to improve their health and find good jobs. I’m proud that Greater Manchester is leading the way with this initiative.

Mayor Burnham added, “The extra £10 million funding for Live Well, as part of the ‘Get Britain Working White Paper’ initiative, highlights our commitment to making Greater Manchester a city-region where everyone has access to the support needed to lead healthier lives and succeed in the workplace. This investment will have a real impact for those facing health challenges”.

Accessing WorkWell

If you or someone you know is facing health challenges that make it difficult to stay in work, don’t wait – reach out to WorkWell today! Visit your local council website and search for ‘WorkWell’, or head to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority website for more information on available services. You can also call your local council on their usual contact numbers. They will help you access the support you need.

Share this

Date published

Friday 7 March 2025

Press and media enquiries
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Communities at the heart of Local Government Reorganisation proposals

Source: City of Derby

Plans which put communities at the heart of council changes in Derbyshire – keeping local services close to local people, while protecting the county’s historic boundaries – have been outlined.

The leaders of the eight borough and district councils in Derbyshire, together with the leader of Derby City Council, have set out their initial plans to create two unitary councils to cover the county – one in the north, and one in the south.

The plans will be presented to the council’s respective decision-making bodies (where required) to approve the submission of interim proposals to Government by 21 March. Public consultation will be held before any final proposals are drawn up.

This initial work has established two options of equal merit that meet the Government’s requirements.

In the first option, Amber Valley Borough Council would be part of a northern unitary council, alongside High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, and Bolsover District Council.

A separate southern unitary council would be formed by Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council, and Erewash Borough Council.

In the second option, the structure remains the same, except Amber Valley Borough Council would move from the northern unitary council to join the southern unitary council instead.

Both options maintain the integrity of the historic county of Derbyshire and reflect the existing boundaries of the borough, district and city councils.

There will be a consultation process in the spring / summer seeking the views of residents, businesses, community representations and public sector partners to develop and shape proposals further. This will include specific consultation with the residents, businesses and other stakeholders in Amber Valley, to seek views on the borough’s placement in either the northern or southern unitary council.

The conclusion of this initial phase of activity represents the leaders’ response to the publication of the Government’s English Devolution White Paper which requires all councils in ‘two-tier’ areas like Derbyshire to submit proposals to reorganise into unitary authorities, with outline plans to be submitted to Government by 21 March, and final plans to be submitted in November 2025.

In a joint statement, the leaders said:

Local councils provide a vast range of services that impact on everyone’s daily lives – supporting communities and neighbourhoods to thrive and grow, and creating opportunity for our people and places.

As local leaders we take very seriously this responsibility, and in considering the very complex issues presented by Government’s call to restructure councils we are committed to working together with the shared goal of putting our communities first.

We have explored a range of options that ensure that Derbyshire’s historic boundaries remain intact, while also creating new unitary councils of the right scale to deliver the best possible services for our communities.

Our preferred option that meets government criteria involves the creation of two new unitary councils based on the existing geographies of the eight district and borough councils as the key building blocks, alongside the geography of Derby City Council.

There is also the opportunity for the two new unitary councils to work in genuine partnership and collaborate on the delivery of all local government services, in turn ensuring the best possible value for money to local taxpayers. Most importantly, we believe these authorities would be of the appropriate size – the two councils would serve similarly sized populations of around 500,000 residents – to strike the right balance between retaining the strong local connections we already have with our communities and being financially sustainable.

Our proposals also result in unitary councils of the right size and blend to engage fully and ensure our voice is heard at the East Midlands Combined County Authority and on key strategic issues close to our borders, whether that be our TransPennine and city links to Manchester and Sheffield in the north or our links to the East Midlands Freeport and Airport in the south.

We don’t believe Derbyshire County Council’s plans for a single unitary council covering the whole of Derbyshire, excluding Derby, and serving a population of over 800,000 residents is the right approach. The organisation would be too large, and too far removed from the diverse communities that we serve.

The county council’s plans would create a ‘doughnut effect’ around the city – leading to inefficient delivery of services and stifling economic and housing growth. It would also create significant disparity between the two unitary councils, in terms of both population and taxbase, and would therefore not meet the criteria the Government has set out.

If local government must change, we want to make sure it does so in a way that keeps local services connected to the people who rely on them – creating councils which are big enough to deliver, and small enough to care.

We have invited the Leader of Derbyshire County Council to be part of our joint discussions, but this has been declined. As the other local authorities in Derbyshire we have therefore moved quickly to draw up our own plans, which we believe clearly meet the Government’s criteria.

To guide our final decisions, our proposals will be subject to extensive and meaningful consultation with residents, businesses, our workforces, partner public bodies, and the voluntary sector; ensuring all voices are captured and heard collectively.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Triple combination medicine deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor approved for cystic fibrosis
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Triple combination medicine deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor approved for cystic fibrosis

In two randomised phase 3 studies involving 480 participants aged 12 years and over, ivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor was found to be as effective at improving lung function as a currently approved triple combination therapy, and more effective at reducing sweat chloride levels.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the triple combination medicine deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor (brand name Alyftrek) to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) in people aged six years and older who have specific mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that have been shown in trials to respond to the therapy. This includes F508del, which is the most common cystic fibrosis causing mutation.  

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition caused by a faulty CTFR gene, which helps regulate the flow of water and chloride in and out of the lungs and other organs. This causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system, which can lead to lung infections and problems with digesting food.

Deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor is a CFTR “modulator”, meaning it is designed to correct the malfunctioning protein made by the CTFR gene in people with cystic fibrosis.

Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access, said:

“Keeping patients safe and enabling their access to high quality, safe and effective medical products are key priorities for us.

“We confirm that the appropriate regulatory standards for the approval of this medicine have been met.

“As with all products, we will keep its safety under close review.”

David Ramsden, Cystic Fibrosis Trust Chief Executive, said:

“Today’s MHRA approval is another important step in making sure as many people with CF as possible can benefit from the best available treatments.

“We now hope that NICE will move quickly to complete its assessment of the medicine to enable it to be prescribed on the NHS.

“Today is good news, but we never forget that these medicines are not a cure, and do not work for some people. Cystic Fibrosis Trust will not stop until everyone with CF can live a life that’s not limited by their condition.”

Deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor is administered as a tablet once a day.

Food or drink containing grapefruit should be avoided during treatment.

In two randomised phase 3 studies involving 480 participants aged 12 years and over (studies 121-102 and 121-103), ivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor was found to be as effective at improving lung function as ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor (Kaftrio), a currently approved triple combination therapy, and more effective at reducing sweat chloride levels. These findings are supported by additional data from an open‑label, phase 3 study (study 121-105, Cohort B1).

The most common side effects in the clinical trials were headache (15.8%) and diarrhoea (12.1%). For the full list of all side effects reported with this medicine, see Section 4 of the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) or the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) available on the MHRA website. 

As with any medicine, the MHRA will keep the safety and effectiveness of deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor under close review. Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the Yellow Card scheme, either through the website (https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/) or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.

Notes to editors 

The new marketing authorisation was granted via a national route on 7 March 2025 to Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Limited.

More information can be found in the PIL and SmPC which will be published on the MHRA Products website within 7 days of approval.

For more information about cystic fibrosis, visit here.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks. 

The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. 

For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 7 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU develops cooperation with educational organizations of Krasnodar Krai and Adygea

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Olga Tatarinova, Elena Abashina and Arina Sukhacheva at Lyceum No. 8 named after Zhenya Popov (Maikop)

A career guidance trip of the SPbGASU Admissions Committee staff to Krasnodar Krai and the Republic of Adygea took place. From February 26 to March 5, they visited Novorossiysk, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Maykop and the village of Giaginskaya. Regional representatives of our university, Olga Novikova in Krasnodar Krai and Sofya Pavlova in Adygea, took part in organizing the trip.

Deputy responsible secretary of the admissions committee of SPbGASU Olga Tatarinova, specialist Elena Abashina and third-year student of the architecture faculty Arina Sukhacheva held career guidance meetings with high school students, where they introduced future applicants to educational programs and conditions of study at the university. Particular attention was paid to the admission rules, the possibility of admission through targeted recruitment, SPbGASU Olympiads and living conditions in the dormitory.

Cooperation agreements were concluded between educational organizations of the Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Adygea and SPbGASU.

“The value of such trips is in personal communication and the opportunity to directly tell schoolchildren from other regions about the university, the high quality of education, and the prospects that open up for graduates. An important issue for out-of-town schoolchildren is the issue of living in another city, so our stories about a guaranteed place in a dormitory and the conditions in it also contribute to the decision to enter SPbGASU,” Olga Tatarinova noted.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration over Mass Firings of Federal Workers

Source: US State of New York

EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general today filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for illegally firing thousands of probationary federal workers, including hundreds in New York. The administration is required to provide advance notice of mass layoffs to employees and states so that states can mobilize resources needed to process unemployment claims and care for unemployed workers. However, as Attorney General James and the coalition argue in their lawsuit, the administration has directed federal agencies to conduct immediate mass terminations of probationary employees without following the law. The resulting unlawful layoffs have upended workers’ lives, disrupted essential services, and forced states to scramble to provide resources for recently fired workers.

“Whether it’s providing health care to our veterans, keeping our communities safe, or ensuring our children get a quality education, federal employees provide essential services every day,” said Attorney General James. “The Trump administration’s illegal mass firings of federal workers are a slap in the face to those who have spent their careers serving our country. Thousands of workers across New York and the nation are now struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and care for their loved ones. Today, I am joining my fellow attorneys general in defending the rights of workers who serve our communities and stopping the chaos and confusion this unjust policy is causing.”

In New York, these illegal layoffs have impacted workers throughout the state. In the last week of February, 372 federal workers had filed for unemployment in New York. More than 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees nationwide were fired in February, including workers at VA medical centers in New York. Workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who were fired included seven staffers assigned to New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In Buffalo and Syracuse, more than 100 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees have been fired, leaving New Yorkers without a critical resource for assistance with their tax returns at the height of tax season. The regional office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Buffalo also saw major staffing cuts, jeopardizing the rights of workers across Western New York.

The probationary employees that the Trump administration has targeted are workers who have either been newly hired or have recently been promoted or changed offices. They are generally subject to a probationary period of one or two years.

In their lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Trump administration has violated the law by implementing mass layoffs, or Reductions in Force (RIF), without providing states and employees proper advance notice. Federal agencies are required by law to provide at least 60 days of prior written notice before they release any federal civil service employee under a RIF. These notices help states assemble job training programs, staff to process unemployment claims, and other resources to minimize the harm to affected workers and their communities.

With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court order to stop further mass layoffs without notice and the reinstatement of all illegally fired federal workers who have been laid off since January 20, 2025.

“Federal employees are the backbone of our nation’s operations, and their work is absolutely vital to the safety and well-being of every American,” said Congressman Dan Goldman. “The illegal mass firing of probationary employees is an unjust and reckless attack on the very workers who ensure our government functions. The federal workforce deserves our deepest respect, and the targeted layoffs of probationary employees will have a cascading effect, leading to a catastrophic loss of institutional knowledge that will be felt for generations. I applaud New York Attorney General James and the 16 other attorneys general for their bold and decisive action in filing this lawsuit to protect our dedicated federal workers, and, by extension, the integrity of our government.”

“President Trump and Elon Musk have attacked our dedicated federal workforce, who process benefits for seniors and veterans, protect our natural resources, keep our skies safe, and so much more,” said Congressman Tim Kennedy. “No one is above the law, and today’s lawsuit will help ensure the President is held accountable for disrupting the lives of our civil servants and the hardworking families they serve in Western New York and across the country. I stand by Attorney General James as we come together to combat the Trump Administration’s reckless mass firings.”

“Workers have rights in the United States, and it’s against the law – and against the interests of the American people who depend on critical services like Social Security – to indiscriminately fire dedicated public workers, including here in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley,” said Congressman John W. Mannion. “Trump and Musk’s efforts to illegally erase a century of hard-fought workplace protections must be stopped. On behalf of every worker in NY-22 – and every senior, veteran, farmer, and constituent who deserves a functioning and responsive government – I wholeheartedly support this legal action by Attorney General James and her counterparts. We’ll see you in court, Mr. President.”

“Instead of taking real action to lower costs or keep our communities safe, the Trump administration is gutting the workforce of those who provide care to our veterans, retirement for our seniors, and healthcare to our communities,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “It’s shameful. I’m proud to support Attorney General James in her efforts to fight back and hold the President accountable.”

“The Trump-Musk administration’s reckless and unlawful mass firings have been nothing short of a catastrophe—not just for the dedicated federal workers whose livelihoods have been upended, but for the millions of New Yorkers who rely on the essential services they provide,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “If left unchallenged, these firings will undermine the very programs that working families, seniors, and people with disabilities in New York depend on every day. I am grateful that New York Attorney General James has taken swift action to challenge these illegal firings, and I am proud to stand with her and my fellow Congressional Democrats to send a clear message to our federal workers in New York: We stand with you, and we will not stop fighting until these outrageous and harmful actions are fully reversed.”

Joining Attorney General James in filing today’s lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Isabel Schnabel: Interview with wochentaz

Source: European Central Bank

Interview with Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, conducted by Patricia Hecht and Beate Willms on 5 February 2025

7 March 2025

Ms Schnabel, do you remember the first time you held money in your hand?

That must have been during primary school. I often used my pocket money to buy sweets or an ice lolly.

So money was just a means of payment for you, something that let you buy things?

Exactly. However, my father placed great importance on me understanding how to deal with money early on – even though as a teenager I wasn’t that interested. He later recommended an apprenticeship at a bank to me when I wasn’t sure what to do after I had finished school. And one of his arguments was that I should learn how to manage money.

Did you have the impression he was particularly concerned because you were a girl?

Well, he didn’t make the same suggestion to my brother. That bothered me a little. It was just taken for granted that my brother could deal with money. But, at the end of the day, my father’s recommendation may have been one of the reasons why I ended up in a male-dominated field.

Is it true that women engage too little with money?

I do think so. On average, women have a lower level of financial literacy than men. That’s a problem. It can lead to them making suboptimal financial decisions and possibly ending up in financial difficulties. For example, women are more at risk of poverty in old age. So financial planning is particularly important for women.

Are women themselves to blame for being financially worse off?

There are many structural reasons, for example interrupted career paths due to becoming a mother or caring for elderly relatives. In addition, women are significantly more likely to work part-time. These factors contribute to women having lower incomes and smaller pensions. The insufficient engagement with financial matters is also linked to traditional gender roles. However, there’s also an element of individual responsibility. Just as one needs to think about one’s health, one needs to also deal with finances. Today, there are plenty of ways to get informed, for example, through podcasts or YouTube channels, to name just a few.

Today you are one of the people responsible for deciding on the financing conditions for 350 million people in the euro area, because it’s the ECB’s task to keep inflation in check. Out of the 26 members of the Governing Council, only two are women – Christine Lagarde and you. Is the monetary policy that you pursue different from that of the men?

Research shows that men and women do behave differently when it comes to economic issues. So it is possible that monetary policy may change when more women join the decision-making bodies. What is key here is diversity – also in terms of views and experiences. That’s what makes decision-making more robust.

How do financial decisions made by men and women differ?

Women tend to be more risk-averse in their financial decisions and they are more afraid of losses. This, for example, leads them to invest less in the stock market and thus achieve lower returns. Women also have less confidence in their financial decision-making. So improving financial literacy would be particularly important for women.

Is there a feminist monetary policy?

To be honest, I haven’t really thought about this. Monetary policy used to focus primarily on the economy as a whole, for instance on aggregate economic activity or consumption. Meanwhile, research has evolved and is now looking more into the underlying heterogeneity. We know, for instance, that poorer people are particularly affected by rising energy and food prices. There are likely also noticeable differences across genders.

What are you doing to attract more women to the ECB?

As an institution, we have a keen interest in equal opportunities. This does not always mean a fifty-fifty distribution, but we aim to represent the society for which we make our decisions and to use the entire talent pool available. This is why we have set targets at all levels of hierarchy. In order to achieve those, around half of all new hires and promotions should be women, as long as we are below our targets.

What else are you doing?

We try to remove barriers. Often this concerns obstacles like a lack of childcare. The ECB offers good childcare facilities, starting at infancy, and we also have a European School. Additionally, we noticed that women applied for promotions less frequently than men. When reading a vacancy notice, women have more doubts than men whether they fulfill all the criteria perfectly. We are now more explicitly encouraging women to apply. This strategy has proven to be very successful.

Are salary differences transparent at the ECB?

We are part of the public service, which means that we follow a clear salary structure that depends on qualifications and tasks. Then there are various allowances, which depend on things like staff members’ family situation but not on their gender.

How do you deal with the responsibility for decisions that affect the lives of so many people?

When I learnt in 2019 that I would be nominated for the ECB’s Executive Board, I had just arrived by train at Bonn’s main station. I saw the people on the platform and thought – in the future, I will have to make decisions affecting all these people! That’s a completely different role from that of a researcher, and one that carries a lot of responsibility. I take my job extremely seriously and try to take all decisions to the very best of my knowledge.

You worked at different universities in Germany and the United States for 15 years, became a professor in 2007, and you were also a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. Throughout your career, you were always one of few women – often the only one, as in the case of the ”wise (wo)men”.

The higher you go, the fewer women there are. That is still the case. And it shapes the style of communication. An example was the research seminars at university, where all the professors were men and the tone was often very harsh and aggressive. As a young researcher, that bothered me, and I know my female colleagues felt the same.

How did you deal with it?

I simply accepted it at the time, but it made me feel insecure. You need to have confidence in your career potential. Some women are better at handling a male-dominated environment than others. But there are also women who have a different type of personality. Some of my female colleagues left the university back then.

Does the tone change when there is another woman in the room?

Yes, it changes the entire tone of the conversation. This is especially true when an institution or committee is led by a woman, as is the ECB. Christine Lagarde can set the tone here. I am really impressed by how she manages to create such an inclusive and friendly climate.

Is there something like female solidarity between the two of you?

Absolutely. We have a close personal relationship. We also talk about private matters and we trust each other. She listens to my concerns. I can always approach her and she finds time for me even though she is extremely busy.

Is it different with your male colleagues?

There are a number of male colleagues with whom I have a similarly trusting relationship, but it is indeed different. There is greater emotional closeness among women.

How important are women’s networks in your field?

Very important. It took me a long time to understand that. Today, I am part of many informal women’s networks. It is particularly important to invite younger women and to support each other. Former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, once said there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women. We must support each other rather than seeing each other primarily as competitors. I myself benefited from having a female mentor who later became a colleague at the University of Mainz.

You do that too. During the pandemic, your colleague Isabella Weber – a left-leaning economist from the University of Massachusetts who was then in her mid-30s – suggested tackling inflation with strategic price controls. As this contradicted the textbooks, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, among others, publicly dismissed her idea as “truly stupid”.

I found this treatment of Isabella Weber intolerable. And I had the impression that a man would have been treated differently. That simply shouldn’t be the case. Although I didn’t share the view on price controls, we must be open to consider unconventional ideas. It was probably also about maintaining power and thought leadership. In general, I would find it disastrous if women were discouraged from challenging the mainstream because of this.

Have you yourself ever felt that people were treating you differently because you are a woman?

I experience this constantly on social media. I am sometimes besieged with sexist comments and I then mute those people. But I don’t experience this in my immediate professional environment.

But did you suffer from any disadvantages because of being a woman?

At the beginning of my career, during my studies, I was firmly convinced that it didn’t matter whether one was a man or a woman. I thought I just had to be good enough, and then I would make it. At that time, I wasn’t particularly positive about the promotion of women. It took a while before I realised that there were a number of gender-specific barriers. For example, during my entire university studies in Germany, I didn’t have a single female professor. So I had no role models. These issues became more obvious when I had children. I have three daughters, which means that I was either pregnant or breastfeeding for around six years. The time between the ages of 32 and 38 were very exhausting for me. And that was precisely the critical phase for progressing in an academic career. When I arrived at the office completely rushed in the morning, I already had my first major task behind me. I sometimes struggled with that. Travelling also wasn’t easy when the children were small. I wasn’t very keen on it either, as I wanted to be with my family.

How did you manage it nonetheless?

My doctoral advisor Martin Hellwig played a major role in this. He had helped me to build up networks already during my doctoral studies – before I had children. At the time, I hadn’t yet realised how important that was. When the children came, he gave me complete flexibility.

How soon did you return to work?

Very quickly. With the first child, I was back at my computer right away. With the second, I took my daughter to the office in the beginning. By the time of the third child, I was already a professor, so I brought her with me when commuting by train from Bonn to Mainz during the breastfeeding period. Just getting the stroller into those old trains was a real challenge. All of the commuters knew me – the woman with the baby! At university, I had many people to support me. I sometimes recruited students to look after my baby while I was teaching. I even breastfed during office hours.

Did your husband bring the children to work too?

No, because I was breastfeeding. But it wouldn’t have been possible without him. My husband has always been very involved in our family work, even more so than me in recent years. I now work in Frankfurt, but our family is still in Bonn. Besides, we have had a wonderful nanny for over 20 years, who has been with us every day and helped us tremendously.

Not everyone can afford a nanny.

At the beginning, almost an entire salary went to that. But it’s sometimes overlooked that paid childcare is also an investment. It allows you to stay on your career path. And I always knew that my children were very well taken care of. That’s why I rarely had a guilty conscience.

Did you have to make compromises because of your dual role as a mother and as an economist?

Constantly. One must not have the expectation of being absolutely perfect in each role at all times. Otherwise, you will fail to live up to your own standards. But that wasn’t always easy for me.

What did you have to compromise on?

Mostly on my personal needs – I didn’t have much time for myself. And the same was true for my husband. But we also learned to be efficient. In the evenings, we would sometimes put our children to bed with their tights on to speed things up in the morning.

Have you ever been accused of being a “raven mother” (bad mother)?

Subtly, yes. But I didn’t take on that role. The paediatrician and author Remo Largo once said, in essence, that the most important thing was to be happy as a parent and a good role model. Children imitate what they see. And I believe I am a good mother to my daughters.

It took you a few years to call yourself a feminist. Where do your daughters stand on that today?

My daughters grew up knowing that women can achieve anything they want. Of course they complained from time to time that I wasn’t at home as much as other mothers. But they really like what I do and take it as motivation. My daughters are true feminists who will speak up when they are disadvantaged. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do that at their age, but of course the world has also changed in that regard.

And how do you introduce them to the topic of money?

My husband and I are both economists and we have often talked about how to deal with money. But they tended to find financial investment rather tedious. Today, two of my daughters are studying economics, so they have automatically come closer to these topics.

Mark Zuckerberg recently said that companies needed more “masculine energy”. Do you find that worrying, also in relation to your daughters?

That worries me a lot. There’s a risk that society will go backwards, even though we are far from where we want to be. In the United States, this is currently more pronounced than it is here. But it’s spilling over. For the ECB, I can say that we stand firmly behind our diversity and inclusion strategy.

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Socio-economic consequences of the new ‘EU ETS 2’ emissions-trading system – E-000578/2025
Source: European Parliament

Question for written answer E-000578/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE), Ondřej Knotek (PfE), Jaroslav Bžoch (PfE), Branko Grims (PPE), Kateřina Konečná (NI), Anna Bryłka (PfE), Dominik Tarczyński (ECR), Julie Rechagneux (PfE), Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik (ESN), Filip Turek (PfE), Barbara Bonte (PfE), Philippe Olivier (PfE), Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE), Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă (NI), Gilles Pennelle (PfE), Roman Haider (PfE), Valérie Deloge (PfE), Malika Sorel (PfE), Angéline Furet (PfE), Nikola Bartůšek (PfE), Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR)

On 22 January 2025, Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, presented his government’s priorities to MEPs in Strasbourg. He expressed concern at the introduction of a new carbon-trading system, EU ETS 2, which will apply to emissions from road transport and heating. In his words: ‘[h]igh energy prices might bring the downfall of many democratic governments’ in the EU.

Several Member States, including France, have already criticised the viability of this measure, risking as it does driving up energy bills of businesses and households in this difficult socio-economic climate, when the Green Deal is being criticised from all sides owing to its detrimental effects on growth and prosperity and the lack of true safeguards.

In response to Mr Tusk’s comments, can the Commission therefore say:
- 1.whether it is considering, under the aegis of the Polish Presidency, reviewing or even repealing the regulation on this new emissions-trading system?
- 2.whether it has conducted a detailed impact assessment of its socio-economic consequences and the expected effects of its ‘Social Climate Fund’, which is intended to compensate for the increases in future bills?
Supporter[1]

Submitted: 7.2.2025
- [1] This question is supported by a Member other than the authors: Julien Leonardelli (PfE)
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Croatian businesses to get financing boost as EIB Group provides €132 million backing to Erste Bank
Source: European Investment Bank
- EIB Group offers €132 million in guarantees to Croatia-based Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. to expand financing for range of businesses in the country
- Package includes guarantees of €100 million from EIB and €32 million from EIF
- Operation to bolster Croatian Mid-Caps, micro-entrepreneurs and social enterprises
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is providing Croatia-based Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (ESB) with €132 million in support to expand lending to a range of businesses in the country. The backing is in the form of a €100 million guarantee from the EIB and two portfolio guarantees totalling €32 million from the European Investment Fund (EIF).

ESB expects to use the EIB guarantee to generate as much as €280 million in new financing for Croatian Mid-Caps. The terms will include lower interest rates for loan recipients and higher risk-taking opportunities for ESB.

“Ensuring businesses of all sizes have access to financing is fundamental to driving economic growth and stability,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “With this guarantee, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting Croatian Mid-Caps, helping them seize new opportunities for expansion and innovation.”

The EIF support totalling €32 million aims to bolster ESB lending to Croatian micro-entrepreneurs and social enterprises. It includes guarantees of €19.2 million for micro-entrepreneurs and €12.8 million for social enterprises including non-governmental organisations.

This part of the package expands EIF-ESB cooperation under the InvestEU programme to bolster financial inclusion, facilitate entrepreneurship and drive sustainable social impact across Croatia. The expanded framework is focused particularly on start-ups and first-time borrowers and allows for favourable loan terms including reduced collateral requirements.

“Access to finance remains one of the biggest challenges for start-ups and social enterprises,” said EIF Chief Executive Marjut Falkstedt. “On the back of strong demand in the Croatian market, we are renewing our partnership with ESB, increasing financial opportunities for these organisations and ultimately enabling them to contribute to financial and social inclusion in Croatia.”

The new EIF guarantee for micro-entrepreneurs will enable total ESB lending to them of as much as €24 million. The guarantee for social enterprises will pave the way for total ESB financing to them of up to €16 million.

“We are very pleased to continue and further deepen our long-standing successful cooperation with EIB Group. So far, in partnership with the EIB and EIF we have provided a total of €926 million in loans to our clients supported by the EIB funding and EIF guarantee instruments. Support for micro-entrepreneurs and social enterprises, as well as medium-sized enterprises, as important drivers of growth and economic development, is one of our key strategic pillars. With this package, we have additional financing instruments which will support client growth, contribute to job creation in our communities and result in realisation of numerous successful projects.” said Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. Member of the Management Board, Mr Hannes Frotzbacher.

Background information

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. It supports Europe’s SMEs by improving their access to finance through a wide range of selected financial intermediaries, such as banks, guarantee and leasing companies, micro-credit providers and private equity funds. The EIF designs and offers equity and debt financing instruments fostering EU objectives in support of entrepreneurship, growth, innovation, research and development, the green and digital transitions, and employment.

High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

Erste & Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (ESB) Erste&Steiermarkische Bank d.d. originates from the former strong regional banks – Riječka, Bjelovarska, Trgovačka and Čakovečka banka – and has been operating under this name since 1 August 2003. Today it is a modern bank, ranked No3 on the Croatian market by total assets, and a part of the international Erste Group, one of the leading financial service providers in CEE. What makes Erste Bank different is its employees, their approach to work, innovation, and care for the clients. The Bank has been posting great business results for years, continuously investing in digital development that facilitates innovation and creativity in customer service. By supporting the financial needs of the citizens and financing sound and profitable projects implemented by entrepreneurs and companies contributing to employment growth in the real sector, the Bank adequately supports the development of the entire economy.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery and growth. It also helps mobilise private investments for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that will invest in projects using EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. That guarantee will back investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Study – Research for TRAN Committee Transport and tourism in outermost regions: assessing mobility poverty and the effects of new climate policies. – 07-03-2025

Source: European Parliament

Using an own, newly elaborated functional definition of mobility poverty, this study first estimates mobility poverty in the nine EU outermost regions and assesses its effects on their transport and tourism sectors. It then reviews the Fit for 55 transport-related legislation and analyses its implications for these remote territories. It also outlines the main EU, national and regional measures tackling the adverse effects of both mobility poverty and the new climate legislation, and finally concludes with policy recommendations.

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 8, 2025

MIL-OSI: Man Group PLC : Form 8.3 – Dalata Hotel Group plc

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Ap27

FORM 8.3

IRISH TAKEOVER PANEL

OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE UNDER RULE 8.3 OF THE IRISH TAKEOVER PANEL ACT, 1997, TAKEOVER
RULES, 2022 BY PERSONS WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser	Man Group PLC
(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a) The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.
(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree	Dalata Hotel Group plc
(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree (Note 1)
(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure	06/03/2025
(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser also making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”	N/A

2. INTERESTS AND SHORT POSITIONS

If there are interests and short positions to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2 for each additional class of relevant security.

Ap28

Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
(Note 2)

Class of relevant security (Note 3)	€0.01 ordinary shares
	Interests		Short positions
	Number	%	Number	%
(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled	5,885,316.00	2.78
(2) Cash-settled derivatives	2,421,461.00	1.14
(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/ sell
Total	8,306,77.00	3.93

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of options including rights to subscribe for new securities and any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8.

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE (Note 4)

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security	Purchase/sale	Number of securities	Price per unit (Note 5)
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	134,010	5.557
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	1,108	5.650
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	12,828	5.517
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	1,667	5.627
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	82,088	5.532
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	127,431	5.552
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	5,705	5.539
€0.01 ordinary shares	Sale	12,828	5.517

Ap29

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security	Product description e.g. CFD	Nature of dealing e.g. opening/ closing a long/ short position, increasing/ reducing a long/ short position	Number of reference securities (Note 6)	Price per unit (Note 5)
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	11,113	5.552
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	7,159	5.532
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	497	5.539
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	1,118	5.517
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	145	5.627
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	11,687	5.557
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	96	5.650
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	135	5.532
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	21	5.517
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	221	5.557
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	1	5.650
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	2	5.627
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	210	5.552
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	9	5.539
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	800	5.404
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	39,358	5.552
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	1,763	5.539
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	25,353	5.532
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	3,963	5.517
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	516	5.627
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	41,389	5.557
€0.01 ordinary shares	Equity Swap	Reducing a long position	344	5.650

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of
relevant
security

Product
description e.g. call
option

Writing, purchasing, selling, varying
etc.

Number
of
securities
to which
option
relates
(Note 6)

Exercise
price per
unit

Type
e.g.
American,
European
etc.

Expiry
date

Option
money
paid/
received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of
relevant
security

Product
description
e.g. call
option

Exercising/
exercised
against

Number of
securities

Exercise
price per
unit
(Note 5)

(d) Other dealings (including transactions in respect of new securities) (Note 3)

Class of
relevant
security

Nature of dealing
e.g. subscription,
conversion, exercise

Details

Price per unit (if
applicable)
(Note 5)

Ap30

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer.

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

None

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Full details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding between the person disclosing and any other person relating to the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option referred to on this form or relating to the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative referred to on this form is referenced. If none, this should be stated.

None

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 attached?

Date of disclosure	07/03/2025
Contact name	Mackenzie Terry
Telephone number	+442071441555

Public disclosures under Rule 8.3 of the Rules must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

Ap31

NOTES ON FORM 8.3

1. See the definition of “connected fund manager” in Rule 2.2 of Part A of the Rules.

2. See the definition of “interest in a relevant security” in Rule 2.5 of Part A of the Rules and see Rule 8.6(a) and (b) of Part B of the Rules.

3. See the definition of “relevant securities” in Rule 2.1 of Part A of the Rules.

4. See the definition of “dealing” in Rule 2.1 of Part A of the Rules.

5. If the economic exposure to changes in the price of securities is limited, for example, by virtue of a stop loss arrangement relating to a spread bet, full details must be given.

6. See Rule 2.5(d) of Part A of the Rules.

7. If details included in a disclosure under Rule 8 are incorrect, they should be corrected as soon as practicable in a subsequent disclosure. Such disclosure should state clearly that it corrects details disclosed previously, identify the disclosure or disclosures being corrected, and provide sufficient detail for the reader to understand the nature of the corrections. In the case of any doubt, the Panel should be consulted.

For full details of disclosure requirements, see Rule 8 of the Rules. If in doubt, consult the Panel.

References in these notes to “the Rules” are to the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules, 2022.

The MIL Network –

March 8, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government appointed
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

New Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government appointed

Joe Griffin has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government.
Joe Griffin has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. Joe, who is currently Director General, Strategy & External Affairs in the Scottish Government, was chosen following an open and fair competition chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner. The appointment has been made by the First Minister of Scotland in agreement with the UK Cabinet Secretary. Joe will take up the post on 7 April 2025.

First Minister John Swinney said:

My thanks go to JP Marks for his devoted public service and leadership of the Civil Service. My Cabinet and I are grateful for the invaluable advice he has provided during his time at the Scottish Government. I join with so many across the Scottish public sector and beyond in wishing JP every success in his new role at HMRC.

I welcome Joe Griffin’s appointment as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. He brings a wealth of experience to this role from his distinguished career in the Civil Service. I know from his record of delivery, not least on the massive expansion of early learning and childcare which he led, that Joe will deliver an unyielding focus on delivering for the people of Scotland.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald said:

I would like to congratulate Joe on his appointment. He brings extensive experience from his roles at Scottish Government, including as Director General for Strategy and External Affairs and previously Director General for Education and Justice. Joe is well placed to lead the organisation and provide excellent support to Ministers.

I would like to thank JP Marks for his leadership of the Scottish Government over the last three years.

Joe Griffin said:

It is a privilege to be appointed Permanent Secretary and lead the Civil Service in the Scottish Government. I am grateful to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for this opportunity.

My focus will be on working with colleagues and partners to drive progress and deliver the government’s four priorities; eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services. I look forward to leading the organisation as we deliver in the service of Scotland.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 7 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 8, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Network testing of Moscow Exchange backup data center

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

Moscow Exchange PJSC reminds about the planned move of the Moscow Exchange backup data center from the M1 data center (Moscow, Varshavskoe shosse, 125, building 1) to the NORD 6 data center (Moscow, Korovinskoe shosse, 37) and notifies about the start of network testing.

The relocation of the backup data center will not affect customers who have connections to the Moscow Exchange under the “Universal Scheme” in the M1 data center. All work on organizing the channel in the NORD data center is carried out by the accredited telecom operator whose services you use and through which your connection is organized. The list of accredited telecom operators is provided at the link: HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.MO/A388. For clients connected to the Moscow Exchange under the Universal Scheme, the technical connection to the NORD Data Center will remain unchanged, and the IP addressing will not change.

Clients who have connections to the Moscow Exchange under the “ConnectME” scheme in the M1 data center need to clarify the need to renew the agreement for organizing a channel in the NORD data center with the telecom operator providing you with the “ConnectME” service and represented in the NORD data center. You can see the list of current providers represented in the NORD data center at the link:HTTPS: //ftp.moex.kom/pub/onnectivotoids/ru/fak_ transfer_ -ram_moskovskaya_Birzhi.PDF

Until March 31, 2025, all clients have the opportunity to test network connections to the TCS gateways of the Stock, Currency and Derivatives markets, located in the NORD data center using MOEX Trade series terminals or ASTSBridge and PlazaII gateways. Testing using FIX and TWIME gateways is not carried out.

As part of the testing, you need to:

1. Submit a request for access in free form to Connect@moex.Kom
indicating the combat identifier (login) with which the connection is planned.

2. Configure your MOEX Trade series terminals or ASTSBridge and PlazaII gateways through which your VPTS (system) operates, depending on the market you plan to connect to:

For Stock and Forex Markets:

To connect to the ASTS TCS gateway of the Currency and Stock Markets, located in the NORD data center, you need to use the following parameters in the terminal settings or VPTS connected via ASTS Bridge:

	SERVER	Address	Port
Stock market	Nord_Ek_Gatvay	10.61.1.155	8011/tcp 8012/udp
Foreign exchange market	Nord_So_Gatvay	10.61.1.156	8111/tcp 8112/udp

For the Urgent Market:

To connect to the SPECTRA TCS gateway of the Urgent Market, located in the NORD data center, you need to use the following parameters in the terminal or VPTS settings operating on the Plaza II protocol:

	Address	Functional
Futures and Options	Direct = 91.203.254.38:4000	giving commands
	Default = 91.203.254.38:4001	auxiliary flows
	Direct = 91.203.254.38:4003	main trade flows
	Direct = 91.203.254.38:4004	obtaining historical data

3. Try to connect to the system.

4. In case of successful connection to the system, send information to the address Connect@moex.Kom.

5. In case of unsuccessful connection, contact Connect@moex.Kom to find out the reasons for the unsuccessful connection and to fix the problems. In the letter, please indicate:

Name of the organization; Date/time of the test; Login from which the connection was made; Test result in the form of a log or screenshot of the connection.

For all questions related to testing, you can contact Connect@moex.Kom.

Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232Pr@moex.kom

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

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.Mom/N78301

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 8, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Man jailed for raping two girls he met online

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man who raped two teenage girls he met on Snapchat has been jailed for nine years, following an investigation by specialist detectives at the Metropolitan Police Service.

On Thursday, 6 March, 2025, Himanshu Makwana, 42 (04.04.1982), of Thurlby Road, Wembley, was jailed at Harrow Crown Court after being convicted on two counts of rape. He will serve an additional four years on extended licence, and will be made to register as a sex offender for life.

The two offences were carried out on separate occasions, four years apart, but both with strikingly similar circumstances.

Detective Constable Lewis Jelley, who led the investigation, said:

“Makwana posed as a young man on social media in order to prey on young girls. He carried out a horrific attack on one woman, and then did the same thing again a few years later. He was brought to justice following a painstaking investigation.

“I want to thank the two brave young women who came forward and reported the offences to us. Without their courage, we would not be in the position we are today.”

In 2019, Makwana used a Snapchat account to communicate with his first victim, who was aged 18. After speaking for a few months, they decided to meet. He drove her to an empty office block, and once inside of the building, he raped her.

The offence was reported to police at the time and no suspect was identified.

In April 2023, Makwana again posed as a 19-year-old man on Snapchat and started speaking to his second victim, who had only recently turned 16.

Shortly afterwards, he parked on a street close to the victim’s school and waited for her, before asking for her help.

The victim agreed and helped Makwana carry some books. He then locked her in his car and identified himself as ‘Samir,’ which was the fake identity he had used on Snapchat. He then drove her to an empty commercial premises and raped her.

Makwana was arrested on Monday, 27 November, 2023 – the day after the second victim reported the incident – thanks to an image captured by a witness which showed the car used in the incident. This enabled officers to locate the vehicle, and arrest Makwana.

Analysis of a DNA sample taken on his arrest identified him as the previously unknown suspect for the offence against the first victim in 2019.

He was then charged with the rapes of both victims on Friday, 22 December, 2023, and remanded in custody ahead of trial.

MIL Security OSI –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Top award for lecturer’s work on access to justice

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Dr Imranali Panjwani, second right, receives his award

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) lecturer Dr Imranali Panjwani has received a national award for his important work helping vulnerable groups, including palliative patients at Farleigh Hospice in Chelmsford.

At a ceremony at Westminster Park Plaza in London this week, Dr Panjwani won the Spirit in the Community category of the prestigious GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, paid tribute to the British Asian community, describing them as “some our greatest Britons” as she congratulated winners at the event, which was attended by more than 700 guests, including politicians, entrepreneurs, celebrities and leaders from ethnic minority communities across the UK.

Dr Panjwani is a Senior Lecturer in Law and works within the Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion (CAJI) at ARU, which undertakes research and works with communities on current issues and challenges facing access to justice and inclusion in contemporary society.

Dr Panjwani also works closely with Chelmsford-based Farleigh Hospice, developing spiritual care for palliative patients from varying religious, non-religious and cultural backgrounds.

His research critically reviews immigration procedures relating to religious, linguistic and cultural evidence, enabling the UK asylum system to assign proper weight to primary source evidence they might otherwise discount.

His work resulted in 91 asylum seekers from the Middle East, North Africa, India and Southeast Asia being granted leave to remain in the UK. In addition to this work, Dr Panjwani trained 70 local nurses in spiritual healthcare as part of the East of England Palliative Care Network.

“I am extremely humbled to receive the GG2 Spirit in the Community award. I thank God, my parents, wife and children for their support and sacrifices that I am able to make to help those who live on the margins of society.

“If we are to forge ahead in these difficult times, we must never forget the golden rule – a rule that transcends religion, race, culture, gender and country, ‘Treat others as you would wish to be treated by them’.”

Dr Imranali Panjwani, Senior Lecturer in Law at ARU

The GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, now in their 26th year, celebrate the best of ethnic minority talent in Britain and are established as the premier awards for diversity and leadership in the UK.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council budget for 2025/26 agreed

Source: City of Liverpool

Councillors have approved Liverpool City Council’s budget for the next year.

It will see an additional £15.3 million invested in the delivery of frontline services for residents.

The budget includes an extra £1.5 million for neighbourhood services to help tackle issues such as flytipping, street cleansing and blight.

The aim is to build on improvements which have seen a 25 per cent drop in complaints about street cleansing and weeding over the last year.

Changes have included regular maintenance, litter picking and cleansing at 58 new locations, including central reservations, roundabouts and traffic islands; additional litter picks in areas including Kirkdale, Anfield, Picton and Dingle; and monthly cleansing of 850 communal bin stations.

There is also £500k for the School Streets programme to improve road safety around primary schools.

An additional £52 million is being set aside to deal with increased demand for adult and children’s social care, temporary housing and home to school transport. The Council has a legal duty to provide adult and children’s services, and they account for 63 per cent of spending.

Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “This is the most positive budget we have been able to present for some time due to the new government giving greater certainty to councils including future multi-year settlements and a bigger share of funding towards cities like Liverpool.

“The budget continues our investment in the issues we know local people care about such as street cleansing, waste management and improving recycling rates, which is why we are bringing these services back in-house.

“Like all councils, we continue to face real pressures in areas such as adult and children’s social care, temporary housing and home to school transport, and will continue to work with sector partners to suggest longer term solutions to the Government.“

Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Transformation, Councillor Ruth Bennett, said: “We are continuing to make great strides in improving our own financial management to drive up income and make the most of every pound. This is helping manage the demand pressures we face in areas such as social care.

“This rigorous approach is increasing Council Tax collection levels, reducing outstanding Business Rates and cutting the amount of outstanding debt we are owed.”

Council Tax bills will rise by 4.99 per cent in Council Tax, including two per cent ringfenced for adult social care. The majority of households in Liverpool – 59 per cent – live in Band A properties, and will see the charge for the council services element of their bill rise by £84.04 per year.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint statement on Local Government Reorganisation in Derbyshire – 7 March

Source: City of Derby

Joint statement from

Amber Valley Borough Council

Bolsover District Council

Chesterfield Borough Council

Derby City Council

Derbyshire Dales District Council

Erewash Borough Council

High Peak Borough Council

North East Derbyshire District Council

South Derbyshire District Council

“Local councils provide a vast range of services that impact on everyone’s daily lives – supporting communities and neighbourhoods to thrive and grow, and creating opportunity for our people and places.

“As local leaders we take very seriously this responsibility, and in considering the very complex issues presented by Government’s call to restructure councils we are committed to working together with the shared goal of putting our communities first.

“We have explored a range of options that ensure that Derbyshire’s historic boundaries remain intact, while also creating new unitary councils of the right scale to deliver the best possible services for our communities.

“Our preferred option that meets government criteria involves the creation of two new unitary councils based on the existing geographies of the eight district and borough councils as the key building blocks, alongside the geography of Derby City Council.

“There is also the opportunity for the two new unitary councils to work in genuine partnership and collaborate on the delivery of all local government services, in turn ensuring the best possible value for money to local taxpayers. Most importantly, we believe these authorities would be of the appropriate size – the two councils would serve similarly sized populations of around 500,000 residents – to strike the right balance between retaining the strong local connections we already have with our communities and being financially sustainable.

“Our proposals also result in unitary councils of the right size and blend to engage fully and ensure our voice is heard at the East Midlands Combined County Authority and on key strategic issues close to our borders, whether that be our TransPennine and city links to Manchester and Sheffield in the north or our links to the East Midlands Freeport and Airport in the south.

“We don’t believe Derbyshire County Council’s plans for a single unitary council covering the whole of Derbyshire, excluding Derby, and serving a population of over 800,000 residents is the right approach. The organisation would be too large, and too far removed from the diverse communities that we serve.

“The county council’s plans would create a ‘doughnut effect’ around the city – leading to inefficient delivery of services and stifling economic and housing growth. It would also create significant disparity between the two unitary councils, in terms of both population and taxbase, and would therefore not meet the criteria the Government has set out.

“If local government must change, we want to make sure it does so in a way that keeps local services connected to the people who rely on them – creating councils which are big enough to deliver, and small enough to care.

“We have invited the Leader of Derbyshire County Council to be part of our joint discussions, but this has been declined. As the other local authorities in Derbyshire we have therefore moved quickly to draw up our own plans, which we believe clearly meet the Government’s criteria.

“To guide our final decisions, our proposals will be subject to extensive and meaningful consultation with residents, businesses, our workforces, partner public bodies, and the voluntary sector; ensuring all voices are captured and heard collectively.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Home Secretary honours police staff heroes

Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

Police staff from across the country were honoured at a special ceremony yesterday held at the Senior Police Staff Network conference.

Over 1,100 nominations were received across seven award categories for the inaugural National Police Staff Awards. These awards have been created to recognise the significant impact that police staff have in policing and celebrate where that work is helping to deliver policing priorities.

Nominations were received from across UK policing, showcasing the expansive roles and work that police staff undertake. Jointly hosted by the NPCC and College of Policing, this event forms part of the Police Staff Week of Celebration and Recognition 2025.

We were honoured to have in attendance the Home Secretary the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, who presented the award for the inaugural Police Staff Team of the Year. This was awarded to the police staff who responded after the tragic events in Southport in July 2024, and who would go on to provide vital support to the community in the days and weeks to follow.

ACO Gemma Stannard, Head of the NPCC’s Strategic Hub, and ACO Alexis Poole of Devon and Cornwall Police are co-founders of the SPSN and were in attendance at today’s ceremony. They said:

“Today’s event was very special, and we feel privileged to have been able to share it with so many wonderful colleagues from across policing.

“The police service created these awards to recognise the members of police staff who have gone above and beyond in support of their communities; to recognise those who have shown immense mental, emotional, and mental bravery whilst undertaking their role; and to celebrate those whose work has contributed to vital organisational change. It is so important that we as a service take the time to appropriately recognise and celebrate these achievements.

“We are sincerely grateful that we were able to have the Home Secretary in attendance presenting the award to Police Staff Team of the Year: these individuals displayed courage, bravery and professionalism of the highest order in unprecedented circumstances and will carry what they saw that day at Southport with them for the rest of their lives.

“In carrying out their actions, they made a huge contribution to the safety and recovery of the survivors of the attack as well as securing a crime scene to ensure best possible evidence was preserved. We know we speak for all in policing when we say they have our gratitude and our respect.

“To all of the award winners today across all categories: thank you for all that you do. We hope today was a truly fulfilling experience, and we wish you all the very best”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

“It has been a privilege to attend the inaugural National Police Staff Recognition Week and honour some truly outstanding people and fantastic achievements.

“From working with our communities to providing compassionate care to those who need it most, the role our police staff and Police Community Support Officers play in keeping our streets safe is invaluable and will have a crucial role to play as we deliver our Safer Streets Mission.

“The skill and dedication the award winners have shown is just a fraction of what every team in every force across the country is delivering every day, often in such pressurised environments, and it is fantastic to see staff and their families celebrated.”

Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said:

“Police staff are too often overlooked, despite providing vital work for their communities every day, often in incredibly challenging circumstances.

“Whether it’s the intelligence from a police analyst who helps identify a criminal, a forensic investigator that provides the key piece of evidence that secures a conviction, or a PCSO who helps keep their community safe, police staff are absolutely integral to the police service, and I’m pleased we were able to acknowledge that today.

“I’m honoured that the College of Policing was able to host the inaugural Police Staff Awards, and I hope we get to see many more police staff being recognised for their brilliant work in the coming years.

Award Winners

Police Staff Team of the Year Award – Merseyside Sefton Area Police Community Support Team’

The winning team represents the Sefton Area Police Community Support Officers [as constituted at July/August 2024] and also the Social Media Officer who supported with critical work following the attack:

PSCO Eve Lancaster

PCSO Brendan Farrell

PCSO Chris Ward

PCSO Pawel Janik

Alexander Pouncey

PCSO Michelle Newman

PCSO Alice Cunningham

PCSO Lucas Cordeiro Reguin Da Silva

PCSO Timothy Parry

PCSO Barry Calder

Natalie Carroll, social media officer

Police Staff Member of the Year Award – Ian Lawrence, Family Liaison Coordinator, Lancashire Constabulary

HIGHLY COMMENDED – Lesley Yule Dunlevy, Public Enquiry and Support Assistant, Police Scotland

Police Staff Bravery Award – Anna Beaudro, Police Contact Enquiry Officer (PCEO), Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

HIGHLY COMMENDED – Ashely Heaton, Metropolitan Police Service Circulations Unit Supervisor, Met Police MO4.

New Police Staff Member (Exceptional Contribution Award) –
Ryan Clatworthy, Incident Risk and Resolution Officer, South Wales Police.
Olivia Prosser, Acting Senior Comms Officer, Cheshire Constabulary.

Police Staff Lifetime Achievement Award – Karen Boyd, Executive Assistant to Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations (ACSO), Metropolitan Police Service.

HIGHLY COMMENDED – David McMahon, Service Delivery Manger, Cheshire Constabulary – Enable Network.

Police Staff Ally of the Year Award – Claire Widdison, Head of Strategic Governance, Thames Valley Police

Police Staff Unsung Hero Award – [Undisclosed winner due to operational sensitivities]

HIGHLY COMMENDED – Hazel Parry, GMP Victims’ Services Coordinator – Bury, Greater Manchester Police.

MIL Security OSI –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study looking at butter or vegetable oils and mortality

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

March 6, 2025

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine looks at butter and plant based oils intake and mortality.

Prof Sarah Berry, Professor of Nutritional Sciences, King’s College London, said:

“The study shows that high butter consumption is linked to increased cancer and total mortality, whereas plant-based oils are linked to a lower risk of overall mortality and death due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

“This research is very timely. Social media is currently awash with influencers promoting butter as a health food and claiming that seed oils are deadly. This large-scale, long-term study finds the reverse. The authors produce further evidence that seed oil consumption is linked to improved health and that butter – delicious as it is – should only be consumed once in a while.

“In a sane world, this study would give the butter bros and anti-seed oil brigade pause for thought, but I’m confident that their brand of nutri-nonsense will continue unabated.”

Dr Louise Flanagan, Head of Research for the Stroke Association, said:

“Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the UK and a leading cause of adult disability – but, fortunately, nine out of 10 strokes can be prevented. High blood pressure is the cause of around half of all strokes.

“This study covered a wider range of plant oils than previous research to find that greater consumption of rapeseed oil, soybean oil or olive oil is associated with an overall lower risk of death. It is positive to see other plant oils being considered in this way as olive oil has been a focus of much research in the past.

“The suggestion to switch from butter to plant oils is achievable for many people. However, it was only olive oil that was associated with a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease, including stroke. Olive oil is typically more expensive than other oils like rapeseed which means that its potential health benefits could be out of financial reach for some.

“The study didn’t consider what eating both butter and plant oils means in terms of health risks, which is likely to be what many people naturally do. This is potentially something which could be considered in future studies.

“The Stroke Association encourages people to maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, not smoke and monitor alcohol intake, which can help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Anyone with concerns should speak to their GP.”

Prof Parveen Yaqoob, professor of nutritional science at the University of Reading, said:

“The link between diets high in saturated fat, particularly animal-based fat such as butter and lard, and higher mortality has been argued for decades. I have seen American adverts from the 1960s extolling the virtues of American housewives “polyunsaturating” their husbands when they come home from work. This is a fun historical reminder of the link between the food industry and dietary health messages, as well as showing how much woman have had to fight for social progress.

“This latest research provides strong additional data to support the ‘healthier fats’ theory. The research followed a large cohort of health workers in America over many years. The use of food frequency questionnaires means that we are relying on the participants to remember what they have eaten and how much, which we know can be an unreliable indicator of actual dietary patterns.

“The scientists for this study highlight that not all vegetable oils are equal. Although butter was being replaced by corn oil and sunflower oil, which are polyunsaturated, in the 1960s and 70s, the oils they are talking about in the research – olive, canola and soybean – are mainly monounsaturated. The researchers suggests that these are more beneficial than the polyunsaturated fats, and refer to the Mediterranean diet, which is higher in monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, for that reason. While many Western diets shifted away from saturated fat to polyunsaturated fat in the 1970s, the oils that we consume more often now contain more monounsaturates, which seem to be more beneficial. Given that there are some plant-based oils that are high in saturates – such as palm oil and coconut oil – it is important to consider them separately.

“Recent dietary fads have suggested a re-examination of evidence on dietary fat. People who are confused about these conflicting messages about their diet should focus on broader, well-established advice, which can be summarised as: eat more fresh vegetables.”

Prof Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London, said:

“This important study shows that people who chose to eat butter don’t live as long as those who chose to eat vegetable oils. It is a well conducted prospective study of 221,054 health professionals who were in their fifties when enrolled and followed up for 33 years. Dietary intakes were assessed every 4 years. The study reports that those who had the highest intake of butter were 15% more likely to die prematurely (from both cardiovascular disease and cancer). In comparison the opposite was true (a 16 % reduction in relative risk of all-cause mortality), for participants who had the highest intake of vegetable oil. The same relationship was seen for olive oil, soybean oil and canola oil (rapeseed oil).

“The strength of the study is the long period of follow-up, repeated measures of dietary intake and adjustment in the statistical analysis for other factors such as smoking habit and obesity. The findings do not apply to sunflower, palm or coconut oils which were not consumed to any significant extent in this study. The limitations are that this an observational study not a randomised controlled trial. Furthermore, the findings with regard to health professionals may differ from the general population because they are better informed about healthy lifestyle choices.

“Butter is high in saturated fat, contains some trans fatty acids but is very low in polyunsaturated fats. Whereas unhydrogenated soybean, canola and olive oils are low in saturated fatty acids but high in unsaturated fats. Replacement of butter with these vegetable oils is well documented to lower blood cholesterol, particularly that associated with low density lipoprotein (LDL) by about 10%. This change in LDL cholesterol would be predicted to reduce the relative risk of death by about 3% which is much less than what was observed in this study. It remains possible that a higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially linoleic acid) from the vegetable oil may have played a role in reducing risk by a variety of mechanisms. An alternative explanation may be that health professionals who are sensible follow prevailing healthy eating and lifestyle advice compared to those who don’t.

“The take home message is that it is healthier to choose unsaturated vegetable oils rather than butter. This is particularly relevant as there has been much negative publicity about vegetable oils on social media, which are based on unfounded claims of potential harmful effects, rather than deaths as described in the present study.”

Prof George Davey Smith, FRS FMedSci, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, University of Bristol, said:

“Yet again these studies show that the exposure that is accompanied by large differences in other adverse health exposures – e.g. more than double the rate of cigarette smoking in the highest quartile vs lowest quartile of butter consumption is associated with worse health outcomes. That these differences cannot be taken into account by the statistical models the authors use is well known; measurement error and unmeasured factors ensure this. It is now more than 30 years since these authors published two high profile papers back to back in the New England Journal of Medicine claiming that vitamin E supplement use would reduce heart disease risk by 40%. The claims were incorrect, but many people believed them – the story was the headline news in the New York Times – and started taking vitamin E supplements. However randomised trials later showed this was nonsense: there was no benefit. This is documented in the first few minutes of this recent talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IgpTT5ZXXU&t=2s As in the conclusion of my blog¹ on the same authors’ “dark chocolate” paper, the interesting question this paper raises is “why do supposedly legitimate journals keep publishing papers like this?”.”

1 https://ieureka.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2024/12/04/dark-chocolate-diabetes/

‘Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality’ by Yu Zhang et al. was published in JAMA Internal Medicine at 21:00 UK time on Thursday 6 March 2025.

DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0205

Declared interests

Prof Sarah Berry: “Sarah has received funding from the Almond Board of California, Malaysian Palm Oil Board and ZOE (Chief scientist at ZOE Ltd, options and consultancy at ZOE Ltd.).”

Dr Louise Flanagan: “None.”

Prof Parveen Yaqoob: “Professor Parveen Yaqoob is Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) of the University of Reading, and professor of nutritional science in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, which has funding from public bodies, charities and businesses to conduct independent scientific research on food and nutrition.

The Department has done work on dietary fat, including research co-authored by Parveen as part of the DIVAS project: https://research.reading.ac.uk/ifnh/cases/milk-dairy-consumption-risk-cardiovascular-diseases-cause-mortality/ Mostly government or UKRI funded, with industry partners. The papers listed from that project list grant numbers.

Work on reducing saturated fat in dairy was a REF case study, which includes grant numbers from BBSRC and MRC, and had industry partners throughout, which is one of the ways in which the research was considered to have impact.

https://results2021.ref.ac.uk/impact/eefa0a3d-4ba8-4419-8c28-836e06b41eed?page=1.”

Prof Tom Sanders: “I am a member of the Programme Advisory Committee of the Malaysia Palm Oil Board which involves the review of research projects proposed by the Malaysia government.

I also used to be a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Global Dairy Platform up until 2015.

I did do some consultancy work on GRAS affirmation of high oleic palm oil for Archer Daniel Midland more than ten years ago.

My research group received oils and fats free of charge from Unilever and Archer Daniel Midland for our Food Standards Agency Research.

Tom was a member of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee that recommended that trans fatty acids be removed from the human food chain.

Member of the Science Committee British Nutrition Foundation. Honorary Nutritional Director HEART UK.

Before my retirement from King’s College London in 2014, I acted as a consultant to many companies and organisations involved in the manufacture of what are now designated ultraprocessed foods.

I used to be a consultant to the Breakfast Cereals Advisory Board of the Food and Drink Federation.

I used to be a consultant for aspartame more than a decade ago.

When I was doing research at King’ College London, the following applied: Tom does not hold any grants or have any consultancies with companies involved in the production or marketing of sugar-sweetened drinks. In reference to previous funding to Tom’s institution: £4.5 million was donated to King’s College London by Tate & Lyle in 2006; this funding finished in 2011. This money was given to the College and was in recognition of the discovery of the artificial sweetener sucralose by Prof Hough at the Queen Elizabeth College (QEC), which merged with King’s College London. The Tate & Lyle grant paid for the Clinical Research Centre at St Thomas’ that is run by the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Trust, it was not used to fund research on sugar. Tate & Lyle sold their sugar interests to American Sugar so the brand Tate & Lyle still exists but it is no longer linked to the company Tate & Lyle PLC, which gave the money to King’s College London in 2006.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Lecturers from Henan Urban Planning University completed an internship at SPbGASU

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – FIEiGKh teachers and colleagues from China

Teachers from Henan University of Urban Planning (China) completed an internship at the Department of Water Use and Water Disposal of SPbGASU and received certificates.

According to Shuainat Akhmadulaeva, Head of the International Activities Department of SPbGASU, cooperation with Henan University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (HSU) has been developing dynamically since 2017 and includes a wide range of areas, including the implementation of joint educational programs, academic exchange of teachers and students, holding joint summer schools, carrying out scientific and technical developments, holding scientific and practical conferences, expanding the laboratory base, and publishing activities.

“Since 2022, SPbGASU has been participating in the implementation of the educational program for training bachelors in “Water Supply and Sanitation”, financed by the Chinese side. Up to 20 teachers from seven departments of our university took part in this work annually. Now, eight teachers from Henan University of Urban Development have completed an internship at the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Economy,” explained Shuainat Akhmadulaeva.

Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Ecology and Urban Economy for Career Guidance Olesya Samodolova said that the interns also attended a class in the laboratory of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation. SPbGASU teachers Nikolay Ponomarev and Kirill Sukhanov held a laboratory class on a heating device, demonstrated the equipment, talked about virtual laboratory work and stands.

Presenting certificates of completion of the internship to colleagues from China, Dean of the Institute of Economics and Geochemistry Dmitry Ulrikh expressed hope that the experience gained will be useful to them in their professional activities.

“Within the framework of cooperation with Henan University of Urban Development, quite large prospects have emerged. With the management of our university, we discussed the possibility of implementing a double degree program in the specialty of water supply and sanitation with the subsequent expansion of training areas. While cooperating in educational activities, we will be glad to jointly develop the scientific direction as well,” noted Dmitry Ulrikh.

The head of the Chinese delegation, He Yali, associate professor at Henan Urban Development University, confirmed that they had indeed learned a lot of new things during the several days of the internship.

“We attended classes and appreciated the very high level of teaching. We hope to continue cooperation, including within the framework of the double degree program. We will also be glad to see you at our university,” He Yali noted.

Head of the Department of Water Use and Ecology at SPbGASU Svyatoslav Fedorov added that the cooperation continues: next week, SPbGASU teachers will go to Henan University of Urban Development, where they will conduct classes.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Happy International Women’s Day!

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University – Dear colleagues, partners, we sincerely congratulate you on International Women’s Day!

This day reminds us how important women’s talent, wisdom and care are in our lives. We appreciate your efforts, dedication and the incredible atmosphere you create around you.

May every day bring you joy, inspiration and new achievements. We wish you health, happiness, excellent mood and harmony in your soul. May your path be easy and pleasant, and may every day be filled with smiles!

Remember that you make our lives better and we are proud of your achievements, it is an honor for us to collaborate and work with such amazing people!

May all your dreams come true and your successes multiply!

Sincerely, Rector of NSU, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI: Best Automated Email Marketing (2025): Klaviyo Awarded Top Email Marketing Software by Software Experts
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK CITY, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Software Experts has recognized Klaviyo as the top email marketing software for 2025, cementing its position as a leader in automated email marketing solutions. The announcement highlights Klaviyo’s advanced capabilities in automation, segmentation, and analytics, making it an essential tool for businesses aiming to enhance customer engagement and optimize marketing strategies.

Top Automated Email Marketing
- Klaviyo – By combining data integration, automation, and personalization, it becomes an essential tool for marketers seeking to build deeper connections with their audience.
This article is sponsored by Klaviyo. All opinions are solely those of Consumer365. Consumer365 offers news and reviews on consumer products and services and may earn commissions from purchases made through featured links.

The decision to award Klaviyo this distinction was based on its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and ability to deliver measurable results. The platform continues to redefine email marketing by integrating data-driven insights with personalized communication, addressing the evolving needs of businesses in a competitive digital landscape.

Transforming Email Marketing Through Automation

Klaviyo’s automated email marketing platform enables businesses to use real-time data in creating a campaign. By leveraging robust automation workflows, companies can streamline processes, save time, and enhance the relevance of their communications.

Automation in Klaviyo revolves around its “Flows” feature, which allows users to design sequences of emails triggered by specific customer actions. Flows also support branching functionality, enabling businesses to create dynamic pathways that adapt based on customer behavior. Additionally, Klaviyo integrates email flows with other channels like SMS and push notifications, ensuring a seamless, multi-channel marketing approach. Examples include welcome series emails for new subscribers, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. These workflows ensure that customers receive timely and meaningful content, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.

Data-Driven Insights for Better Decision-Making

One of Klaviyo’s standout features is its ability to integrate and analyze customer data from multiple sources, including e-commerce platforms and websites. This capability enables businesses to segment audiences effectively and deliver highly targeted messages.

Segmentation in Klaviyo goes beyond basic demographic filters. It uses behavioral and transactional data to create detailed customer profiles, ensuring that messages resonate with individual preferences and needs. For example, sellers offering different variants of a product can now use a customer’s variant preference for future campaign information or suggestions.

The platform also provides detailed reporting that tracks key performance indicators such as open rates, click-through rates, and revenue attribution. These insights empower businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven adjustments for continuous improvement.

Integration and Scalability for Modern Businesses

Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and Magento or restaurant POS platforms like Toast, Olo, and Square. This interoperability allows businesses to sync customer data effortlessly and maximize the utility of their marketing tools.

The platform’s scalability is another critical factor in its appeal. Klaviyo caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises, by offering flexible pricing plans and customizable solutions. Its adaptability ensures that companies can scale their marketing efforts as they grow, without needing to transition to a different platform.

Addressing Industry Trends and Challenges

Klaviyo has been a leader in email marketing for years, consistently adapting to changes in the digital landscape to remain a top provider. As personalization and automation continue to shape the industry, Klaviyo ensures that businesses can keep up with evolving customer expectations and marketing challenges.

Recent updates from Yahoo and Google have made email deliverability more complex, requiring businesses to adopt best practices to maintain inbox placement. Klaviyo has helped customers navigate these changes by providing advanced deliverability tools, ensuring that messages reach the intended audience. By focusing on real-time customer data and AI-driven personalization, Klaviyo enables businesses to maintain strong engagement while staying compliant with evolving email standards.

Klaviyo’s focus on real-time customer data and AI-driven personalization aligns with industry trends. Its capabilities allow businesses to stay ahead of competitors by meeting customer expectations and enhancing brand loyalty. The platform also addresses the challenge of balancing efficiency with creativity, providing users with intuitive tools to design visually appealing emails without compromising on performance.

The Role of Klaviyo in Supporting Business Growth

By enabling businesses to automate repetitive tasks, Klaviyo helps marketers focus on strategic initiatives that drive growth. Its emphasis on delivering measurable outcomes—such as increased sales, improved customer retention, and higher ROI—makes it a valuable asset for any organization.

The platform’s impact is particularly evident in the e-commerce/B2C sectors, where timely and relevant communications can significantly influence purchasing decisions. Klaviyo’s ability to leverage customer data to craft personalized experiences gives businesses a competitive edge in this dynamic market.

Klaviyo’s recognition as the top email marketing software for 2025 by Software Experts underscores its commitment to innovation and excellence in automated email marketing. By combining advanced automation, robust analytics, and seamless integrations, the platform empowers businesses to create meaningful connections with their customers while achieving their marketing objectives.

As digital marketing continues to evolve, Klaviyo’s focus on data-driven personalization positions it as a key player in the industry. Its tools not only enhance operational efficiency but also enable businesses to deliver value to their customers in a way that fosters loyalty and long-term success.

The full review of Klaviyo’s email marketing platform can be read at the Software Experts website. To know more about signing up with Klaviyo, click here.

About Software Experts: Software Experts provides news and reviews of consumer products and services. As an affiliate, Software Experts may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

The MIL Network –
March 7, 2025

Category: Transport

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attends CISF Raising Day parade in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu as Chief GuestCISF has not only secured country’s development, progress, and movement but also played a crucial role in their smooth operation

Recent news

Interview with Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, conducted by Patricia Hecht and Beate Willms on 5 February 2025

How WorkWell works?

A key part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well commitment

Providing early support to prevent long-term unemployment

Who can access WorkWell?

Accessing WorkWell

Share this

Triple combination medicine deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor approved for cystic fibrosis

Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access, said:

David Ramsden, Cystic Fibrosis Trust Chief Executive, said:

Notes to editors

Share this page

Updates to this page

Interview with Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, conducted by Patricia Hecht and Beate Willms on 5 February 2025

New Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government appointed

Share this page

Updates to this page

March 6, 2025

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attends CISF Raising Day parade in Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu as Chief Guest

CISF has not only secured country’s development, progress, and movement but also played a crucial role in their smooth operation

Notes to editors 