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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government will allocate almost a quarter of a billion rubles to support fisheries enterprises operating in the Black and Azov Seas

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    In 2024, fisheries organizations operating in the Azov and Black Seas will receive funding to partially cover their operating expenses. The order to allocate 234.1 million rubles for these purposes was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

    Subsidies are intended for fishing organizations and fish farms operating in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Republic of Crimea, Krasnodar Krai, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as the city of Sevastopol.

    With the help of federal funding, companies will be able to cover part of the costs of paying employees and social contributions (insurance contributions for mandatory pension, medical and social insurance). The size of the subsidy will be 20% of the cost of the average annual volume of marine aquaculture products caught by a fishing organization or produced in a fishery over the previous three years. At the same time, companies must retain at least 80% of their employees compared to the previous year’s figures.

    The work is being carried out within the framework of the state program “Development of the fisheries complex”.

    Earlier, in 2022, among the measures to ensure economic stability in the context of external sanctions, the Government provided financial support to fishing enterprises operating in the Sea of Azov. Such enterprises received transfers to support current expenses to maintain financial stability and jobs.

    The document will be published.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/52787/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scottish and UK governments urged to deliver private jet tax

    Source: Scottish Greens

    25 Sep 2024 Climate Climate Breakdown

    Private jets are wasteful and destructive.

    More in Climate

    The Scottish and UK governments must work together to deliver the rollout of Scotland’s Air Departure Tax and drive down aviation, says the Scottish Greens transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP.

    Air Departure Tax was created by the Scottish Parliament in 2017, but has yet to be introduced. The Scottish Government says this is due to the UK Treasury’s refusal to allow an exemption for lifeline island flights, but a recent report from Oxfam has argued that it could be applied now if the UK Government and Scottish Government worked together.

    Mr Ruskell has written to the Scottish Government Minister for Connectivity and Agriculture, Jim Fairlie, and the UK Government’s Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Mike Kane, calling for a meeting to resolve the stalemate and urgently bring in the tax.

    Oxfam has found that since 2019 – the same year the Scottish Government declared a climate emergency – there have been 54,746 recorded private flights in Scotland. They have argued that using Air Departure Tax on private jets could raise over £21 million a year (based on 2023 figures), which could go towards funding public transport investment, such as permanently scrapping peak rail fares.

    Mr Ruskell said: “There are few things in this world as wasteful, needless and destructive as private jets. It is absurd we are allowing multi-millionaires to pollute the world around us at such an obscene rate.

    “Private jets are used as a decadent and extravagant sign of wealth and status, transporting some of the wealthiest people in the world from one destination to the next. There is no justification for them, especially at a time when global temperatures are rising.

    “The truth is that we cannot even begin to tackle the climate crisis without drastically reducing the number of flights that are taking off and landing every day, both here in Scotland and around the world.

    “A private jet tax is long overdue, but it will take political will and our governments working together.

    “For far too long we’ve had a stalemate, with Holyrood blaming Westminster for inaction while UK ministers have refused to engage. We need to get it solved as soon as possible so that we can finally deter flights, permanently end peak rail fares and raise vital funds for public transport.

    “The Scotland I want us to build is one where rail is always an affordable, accessible and reliable option, not one where private jets are flying overhead as the super-rich disregard our climate and pollute our planet.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Joint press conference, Brisbane

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    JIM CHALMERS:

    Thanks, everyone, for coming. I’m going to say a few things about the inflation number. Katy’s going to talk about inflation and the Final Budget Outcome. Then I wanted to preview my trip to China this week, and then obviously happy to take your questions.

    The new inflation numbers for August showed that headline and underlying inflation both went down substantially. Headline inflation went down from 3.5 to 2.7 per cent. This is less than half the 6.1 per cent we inherited, and it’s now less than a third of its peak.

    Trimmed mean inflation went down from 3.8 to 3.4 per cent. That is the lowest in more than 30 months. If you exclude volatile items, it went down from 3.7 to 3. Non‑tradeable inflation, which is what others call homegrown inflation, went down from 4.5 to 3.8 per cent. And services inflation went down as well.

    These are very welcome, very encouraging and very heartening numbers. We expected headline inflation to come down. We’ve also seen underlying inflation come down considerably. That’s a very good thing.

    Our policies are a factor here, but they’re not the only factor. If you look at rents, they went up 6.8 per cent in the year to August, but without our increases to rent assistance, they would have increased by 8.6 per cent. Electricity prices fell 17.9 per cent in the year to August, but without the energy rebates they would have decreased 2.7 per cent.

    But the story here goes beyond the government’s policies, which are helping in the fight against inflation. Whether it’s rent, whether it’s energy rebates, our cost‑of‑living policies are an important part of the story, but they’re not the whole story here. We’re seeing right across a number of measures of inflation, including underlying inflation, that it is has come off considerably in the new numbers that we see today.

    These are heartening numbers, encouraging numbers, they’re welcome numbers. But we’re not getting carried away because we know that the monthly numbers can be volatile. We know that inflation doesn’t always moderate in a straight line and we know that people are still under pressure. That’s why our cost‑of‑living help is so important, and it’s also why our responsible economic management is so important, and Katy’s going to say a few things about that.

    KATY GALLAGHER:

    Thanks, very much, Jim. It’s lovely to be here in your home city today.

    CHALMERS:

    You’re always welcome, Katy.

    GALLAGHER:

    It’s glorious to be here. Thanks, Jim.

    What we’re seeing is our responsible economic management is helping in the fight against inflation, and you’re seeing that in those numbers today.

    That budget management, particularly our returning revenue to the budget, findings savings in the budget and reprioritising spending, has helped us with our budget improvements that we’re seeing.

    On Monday we’ll be releasing the Final Budget Outcome. That will show our second surplus and it will be an improvement on the number that we released during the Budget. That improvement in the budget outcome is not related to increased revenue but is related to less spending on the spending side of the budget. We know from the comments that the RBA Governor has made in the past that surplus budgeting is helping in the fight against inflation. You’ll see that reflected in the FBO that we do on Monday.

    That’s really our approach to budgeting, Jim and mine – find savings, return revenue, deliver budget surpluses when the inflation challenge has been what it has. That’s helping overall in that fight against inflation.

    CHALMERS:

    I’ll just say a few things to preview meetings in China, and then we’re happy to take some questions.

    The key influences on our economy right now are the inflation that we’ve been talking about today combined with global economic uncertainty and the impact of the rate rises which are already in the system. Those 3 things are combining to slow our economy substantially.

    Particularly when it comes to the Chinese economy, we’ve seen a weakness in the Chinese economy which obviously has consequences for us. We’re not immune from weakness in the Chinese economy. That’s why it’s so important that over the next 2 days I’ll be meeting with key Chinese counterparts in Beijing.

    This is another really important step towards stabilising our economic relationship with China. This will be the first visit to China by an Australian Treasurer in 7 years. It will be part of the Albanese Government’s methodical and coordinated efforts to re‑establish dialogue with China, Australia’s largest trading partner.

    The main purpose of this visit is to co‑chair the Australian‑China Strategic Economic Dialogue with the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. That will happen tomorrow.

    Our relationship with China is full of complexity and it’s full of opportunity. We recognise that a more stable economic relationship between Australia and China is a good thing for Australian workers and businesses, investors and our country more broadly. That’s why just in the last week in the context of these meetings in China I’ve consulted directly with the chairs, CEOs and senior executives of major China‑facing Australian employers, including Rio Tinto, Wesfarmers, BHP, Woodside, Fortescue, Macquarie, BlueScope, HSBC, King & Wood Mallesons, Port of Newcastle, Sydney Airport, Cochlear, University of NSW and GrainCorp, and I’ve also been consulting with the Business Council of Australia.

    We believe that dialogue and engagement give us the best chance to properly manage and maximise these really important links.

    Our approach to China has been to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but always engage in Australia’s national interest.

    The Strategic Economic Dialogue hasn’t been convened since 2017, but our government has agreed with Chinese counterparts to restart it, and I’ll be meeting with other counterparts from the Chinese government during my 2 days of engagements as well.

    We recognise that there’s a lot at stake and a lot to gain from a more stable economic relationship with China.

    We’ve got a big opportunity to make sure that both countries benefit from the complementarity of our economies while always advancing and protecting Australia’s national interests.

    With that, I’m happy to take some questions.

    JOURNALIST:

    Will the Treasury be looking at negative gearing and capital gains tax?

    CHALMERS:

    First of all, the real story today is inflation. The story today is about a substantial moderation in headline and underlying inflation in our economy. We’ve got a housing policy, and that’s not in it. We’ve made that clear today.

    JOURNALIST:

    Did you direct Treasury, though, to look into negative gearing policy changes, perhaps to take to the election?

    CHALMERS:

    Treasury looks at all kinds of policy options all of the time. It’s not unusual for the public service – and in my case, my department, and I’m sure Katy’s department is the same – to examine issues that are being speculated about in the public or in the parliament. That’s how a good public service operates.

    JOURNALIST:

    But you’ve basically agreed with the argument that reining in negative gearing will have a negative impact on rental supplies?

    CHALMERS:

    I’m not going to engage in hypothetical impacts of hypothetical policies when we’ve already got a housing policy. We’ve got a housing policy which is about building more homes for Australians. It’s about making it easier to rent and to buy.

    We know from today’s inflation figures that we’ve taken some of the sting out of rents. But rents are still too high, and that’s because we don’t have enough homes. Our motivation throughout this has been to build more homes for Australians. That’s what our $32 billion of investment, including $6 billion in the last Budget, is all about.

    If our political opponents cared about housing, they would vote for our policies in the Senate. Instead, in their usual, characteristically destructive way, both the Greens and the Coalition are teaming up to prevent more homes being built. Building more homes is the best way to ensure that people can find a home to rent or buy.

    JOURNALIST:

    On the Stage 3 tax cuts you argued several times that the circumstances have changed and that the government has formed a different view. Can voters expect you to make that same argument on negative gearing in the lead‑up to the next federal election?

    CHALMERS:

    I’m very proud of the changes that we made to the Stage 3 tax cuts because it meant that every Australian taxpayer gets a tax cut, not just some. We explained our rationale and our reasoning for that at the time, and you referenced that in your question. The changes to Stage 3 at the beginning of this year meant that more people got a bigger tax cut to help with the cost of living. We’re proud of what we did. We were upfront and we explained that changes that we made. I think the public has recognised that we’re trying to do the right thing.

    JOURNALIST:

    Would your government consider a legitimate use of tax laws and not [indistinct] current negative gearing figures?

    CHALMERS:

    We’ve made it clear that our housing policy is all about building more homes. More homes for Australians, making it easier to rent or buy a home at a time when there aren’t enough homes. That’s what’s pushing rents up, even with our efforts, with Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

    When it comes to tax changes, our priorities have been the PRRT, the biggest balances in superannuation, tax incentives for build‑to‑rent and other tax policies that we’ve already announced.

    JOURNALIST:

    Polling does show the public is open to negative gearing changes, so why not do that?

    CHALMERS:

    We’ve got a housing policy and that’s not in it.

    Our housing policy, I’ve explained answering some of these other questions, is to build more homes for Australians – $32 billion across 20 different policies now. We’ve made it clear what our housing policy is, and we want to see it pass through the Senate. If our political opponents to the left of us and to the right of us really cared about housing, they’d support our policies in the Senate.

    JOURNALIST:

    But I guess policy‑making is dynamic, right? Why not look at negative gearing? Are you insisting that – was it either you or Minister Gallagher that asked Treasury to have a specific [indistinct] negative gearing?

    CHALMERS:

    Treasury looks at all kinds of different policies from time to time. It’s not unusual for us to get advice from departments on issues that are being speculated about in the public or in the Parliament. That’s not an especially unusual thing.

    I couldn’t haven clearer today – we’ve got a housing policy. It’s costing the budget $32 billion. We’ve found room for that even in the context of turning 2 big Liberal deficits into 2 big Labor surpluses for the reasons that Katy outlined a moment ago. We’ve got a housing policy and that’s not in it.

    It’s not unusual for governments to get advice from time to time from departments on issues which are in the public domain.

    JOURNALIST:

    Just going back to inflation, looking at that 3.4 per cent rate, do you think Michelle Bullock needs to look at cuts a bit sooner?

    CHALMERS:

    I’m not going to give free advice to the Governor of the Reserve Bank. I don’t tell Michelle Bullock how to do her job and she doesn’t tell me how to do my job, and that suits us both just fine.

    Underlying inflation has come off substantially in these new numbers today – from 3.8 to 3.4 is very encouraging, very welcome, very heartening when it comes to underlying inflation.

    I refer you back to our political opponents and critics who said that today’s numbers would only reflect the energy bill rebates, which we are proud to be delivering for every Australian household. I wanted to make a couple of points about that.

    They say that that is artificially lowering inflation. There is nothing artificial about helping people with their power bills. We know that the Liberals and Nationals don’t support that, but we’re proud to be helping people with their power bills because we know that people are under pressure. Same when it comes to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, cheaper medicines, getting wages moving again and the tax cuts.

    The other point that I would make about headline versus underlying is you may recall a couple of years ago in the former government’s last Budget they had changes to the fuel excise which had the same impact when it comes to temporarily modifying the headline inflation rate. I don’t remember them making these points then.

    We’re proud to be helping people with the cost of living. We’re proud to be doing that in the context of a responsible budget and a couple of surpluses, which our opponents were incapable of delivering after 9 attempts. We’ve gone 2 from 2.

    So we’re providing cost‑of‑living help. We’re not just seeing headline inflation coming off, we’re seeing underlying inflation coming off as well. Not just the main measure of underlying inflation, headline is down, trimmed mean is down, excluding volatile items is down, non‑tradables is down and services is down as well.

    Across the board, across the main measures, in this data today we’re seeing very welcome, very encouraging progress. We’re not getting carried away because we know that people are still under pressure. That’s why our cost‑of‑living help is so important.

    JOURNALIST:

    When do you expect to receive the Treasury advice on that negative gearing policy?

    CHALMERS:

    As I said a couple of different ways now, we get advice all of the time on different kinds of issues which are in the public domain and before the Parliament. It’s not especially unusual for the public service to be doing that. We’re not expecting one piece of work, which is implied in your question. We get briefed regularly on all sorts of policies and all kinds of issues, and that’s as it should be.

    JOURNALIST:

    I’ll just try one more time: when will Australians know if your government is going to make changes to negative gearing or capital gains reductions?

    CHALMERS:

    I’ll say the same thing I said in response to all of the other questions – and I understand why you’re asking it, I’ve got no problem with you asking these questions – but we’ve got a housing policy and that’s not in it.

    For all of the reasons I’ve gone through a few times today, we think that the highest priority needs to be building more homes. Housing supply is our big priority as a government. It’s not easy to find $32 billion in one policy area, but the fact that we’ve done that, working closely with Julie Collins and now Clare O’Neil, that demonstrates to Australians how serious we are about fixing the issue that we have with housing supply.

    You can’t click your fingers and overnight build the 1.2 million homes that we need over the next 5 years. You need to come at it in a responsible way, a considered, methodical way across a range of different policies.

    We’ve announced our policies on housing. We want to see them pass through the Parliament. We want to see the money flowing, and we want to see the houses being built, because that’s the best way we can make housing more affordable for more Australians.

    JOURNALIST:

    Is it still frustrating to see that the RBA is not taking into account the fact that electricity and fuel is coming down, but they are not enforcing these rate cuts?

    CHALMERS:

    I don’t see it that way, and for the same reasons as in my answer to your earlier question.

    I don’t second guess the decisions taken by the independent Reserve Bank or the commentary that they make about those decisions.

    It’s a good thing that Governor Bullock makes herself available and senior officials make themselves available to talk with the Australian public about how they’re seeing the economy and what that means for inflation and interest rates. That’s a good thing that they take those opportunities to do that. I don’t second guess that. I don’t parse every word that the governor says.

    We’re focused on our, and our job has been to deliver 2 big Labor surpluses, to roll out cost‑of‑living help, to be helpful in the fight against inflation.

    What we see in these numbers today – in these very welcome and encouraging numbers today – is that our policies are helping in the fight against inflation.

    That is a big part of the story but it’s not the only story. That’s why underlying inflation is coming off as well. We’re managing the economy responsibly. The Governor of the Reserve Bank has her own job to do, and it is good and welcome that Governor Bullock takes the opportunity to explain her part of it in the same way that we’ve been explaining our part of it here today.

    Thanks very much.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: New “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” functions of eHealth to be extended to three additional medical institutions under Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme starting next Monday

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Health Bureau (HHB) announced today (September 25) that the new functions of the “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” in the eHealth mobile application (eHealth App) will be extended to the Nansha Division of The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-NS), Dongguan Tungwah Hospital (Tungwah Hospital) and Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital (NFUFH) under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme (Pilot Scheme) starting from next Monday (September 30) to enhance the continuity of medical care for Hong Kong citizens through facilitating their secure use of electronic health records (eHRs) across the boundary.
     
         Starting from next Monday, eligible elderly persons who use Elderly Health Care Vouchers at the three aforementioned hospitals can apply for their eHRs deposited in eHealth over the past three years through the “Cross-boundary Health Record” function in advance. Upon verification of an elderly person’s authorisation, a “File QR Code” and “Password QR Code” will be sent to the elderly person via the eHealth App. Healthcare professionals can then access and browse the relevant eHRs by scanning the two QR codes presented by the elderly person at the time of consultation at designated medical institutions to assist in diagnoses and treatment. Following system enhancements, the time required for verification of applications and preparation for eHRs has already been reduced to no more than 24 hours. Elderly persons should submit their applications one day prior to their consultations at the designated medical institutions to ensure that their eHRs will be ready for use at the time of the consultations.
     
         Moreover, elderly persons can deposit medical-related records obtained during consultations received in medical institutions outside Hong Kong into their eHealth personal accounts through the “Personal Folder” function to facilitate storage and use of personal medical-related records obtained in and outside Hong Kong, including access by authorised healthcare providers in Hong Kong through eHealth during follow-up consultations.
     
         The HHB has already set up support stations at the FAH-NS, Tungwah Hospital and NFUFH to assist Hong Kong citizens to get a better grasp of how to use the relevant functions. Citizens may visit the eHealth thematic website for more information.
     
         The Government piloted the new “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” functions of the eHealth App at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in July this year and extended the functions to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University and Zhongshan Chen Xinghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine under the Pilot Scheme on September 6. The feedback has been positive. Taking into account the implementation experience, the Government will further streamline the workflow and enhance the user experience in a bid to better support citizens’ cross-boundary healthcare needs.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU postgraduate student develops catalyst for converting diesel fuel into synthesis gas

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    4th year postgraduate student Faculty of Natural Sciences of NSU Vladislav Shilov has developed a structured catalyst for converting diesel fuel into synthesis gas, which currently has no industrial analogues. In 2023, the results of his work on this topic were awarded a scholarship from the Novosibirsk Region government. The researcher developed this device as part of his dissertation work under the scientific supervision of the head of the heterogeneous analysis department of the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences Pavel Valerievich Snytnikov.

    This year, the department’s research team, with the participation of Vladislav Shilov, is creating a fuel processor for obtaining synthesis gas that runs on commercial diesel fuel. It integrates the developed catalyst for converting diesel fuel to obtain synthesis gas from diesel. In the future, in cooperation with consortium members within the framework of the NTI project “Hydrogen as the Basis of a Low-Carbon Economy”, it is planned to create a power plant based on planar solid oxide fuel cells, combined with a diesel fuel processor for generating electricity.

    — We were the first to achieve complete conversion of commercial diesel fuel into hydrogen-containing gas suitable for fuel cells. When creating the catalyst, we encountered a serious difficulty: the conversion of diesel fuel into synthesis gas is a high-temperature process (about 700 – 1000 °C), as a result of which the active component of the catalyst quickly sinters. Therefore, for these applications, we were the first to use a metal substrate made of FeCrAl alloy as a structured carrier, which has good heat and mass transfer properties. This is what makes the system we developed unique. The method of applying layers of catalytic coating to a metal mesh is quite complex and was developed over several years. This was not an easy task — the coating of the active component peeled off or cracked. We needed to increase the adhesive (i.e., “bonding”) properties of the substrate surface so that each layer of the catalytic coating would reliably adhere to it. We found a technological solution to this problem. Now we have reached the level where we can carry out small-scale production of structured catalysts for various catalytic applications, said Vladislav Shilov.

    When creating the diesel fuel conversion catalyst, experiments were conducted in a laboratory setup. Now the researchers are faced with the task of creating a model of the fuel processor into which it will be integrated. Diesel fuel, water and air will enter the system, which as a result of the catalytic reaction will be converted into synthesis gas suitable for use in solid oxide fuel cells. Now this work is in the active stage and is nearing completion. Next, scientists will have to evaluate the operation of the entire power plant in order to begin industrial implementation.

    — The structured catalyst we developed also turned out to be highly active in converting light hydrocarbon fuels into synthesis gas, which interested our industrial partner, the InEnergy group of companies, which is engaged in the creation of power plants based on fuel cells. This year, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with InEnergy, launched small-scale production (about 600 units) of compact power plants TOPAZ-GAMMA M, operating on natural gas and propane-butane, where our development was used. One such power plant was presented by our research group at the International Forum of Technological Development “Technoprom”, where it aroused great interest, — said Vladislav Shilov.

    Electrochemical generators running on diesel fuel can be used as a stationary, backup or auxiliary source of electric power, since it is a more convenient carrier of hydrogen. Compared to other alternative carriers, diesel fuel has the largest amount of hydrogen per unit volume, and its long-term storage is carried out at ambient temperature and pressure. In this regard, natural gas transported through gas pipelines and propane-butane are significantly inferior to this type of fuel. Electrochemical generators running on diesel fuel can be used as a stationary, backup or auxiliary source of electric power.

    According to Vladislav Shilov, this technology will find application in remote northern regions, in the conditions of the Far North and in the development of the Arctic, as well as at other sites where diesel fuel is the main energy source. It is possible that this development will be of interest to the Russian Ministry of Defense, where most of the equipment also runs on this type of fuel. But in order to launch small-scale production of diesel electrochemical generators, it is necessary to complete work on creating a prototype in laboratory conditions and contact companies interested in launching these devices into small-scale production. The developers have no doubt that such investors will certainly be found.

    — Such devices have a much higher efficiency compared to internal combustion engines. They are environmentally friendly — their emissions are carbon dioxide and water vapor. They are distinguished by silent operation, a long service life and do not require frequent maintenance. And the use of fuel cells to generate electricity allows it to be extracted from energy sources by directly converting the energy of chemical bonds into electrical energy. The efficiency of this process is higher than when using standard diesel generators, in which the energy of chemical bonds is first converted into heat, then into mechanical energy and only then into electrical energy. Increasing the efficiency of power plants will reduce the volume of resource-intensive delivery of diesel fuel to remote, Arctic regions. In addition, the use of the developed power plants will be more environmentally friendly due to the reduction in the volume of diesel fuel consumption, — explained Vladislav Shilov.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/science/postgraduate-student-nnsu-developed-a-catalyst-for-conversion-of-diesel-fuel-into-synthesis-gas/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [KEYWORDS STUDIOS PLC – 24 09 2024] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (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.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 KEYWORDS STUDIOS PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 24 SEPTEMBER 2024
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser 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.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

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

    Class of relevant security: 1p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 1,386,045 1.7216    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 1,386,045 1.7216    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of 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 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

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

    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
    1p ORDINARY SALE 2,124 2430.0002p

    (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 Price per unit
    NONE        

    (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 Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    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

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 25 SEPTEMBER 2024
    Contact name: PHIL HULME
    Telephone number: 01253 376551

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Business confidence ahead of economic shifts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Higher confidence will translate into faster economic growth over time.

    How the index is compiled

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Business confidence ahead of economic shifts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Higher confidence will translate into faster economic growth over time.

    How the index is compiled

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 316 stolen vehicles recovered in intensification week

    Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

    Recovered vehicles valued at over £4m in total with 180 arrests made

    • Partnership working to tackle vehicle crime
    • 180 arrests made relating to vehicle crime, including burglary
    • NaVCIS-led operations at ports recovered stolen vehicles destined for overseas

    The first intensification week as part of national policing’s Operation Alliances to tackle serious organised vehicle crime has concluded with 316 stolen vehicles recovered with an estimated value of over £4m.

    The stolen vehicles included cars, motorcycles, lorries, scrap vehicles and various vehicle parts linked to thefts were also recovered.

    Op Alliances is delivered by Opal, policing’s national intelligence team for serious organised acquisitive crime, and brought together a number of organisations working in partnership with policing to stem the flow of stolen vehicles leaving the UK and support enforcement action at ports.

    Vehicle crime is on the increase, with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) recording a 29 per cent increase in vehicles identified at ports in the second quarter of 2024. There’s evidence from Opal’s analysis that vehicle crime forms a large part of serious organised acquisitive crime, presenting a significant risk which damages communities and industry.

    Op Alliances is policing’s targeted approach to tackling this criminality with partners including NaVCIS, the Ports Police, Home Office, Border Force, manufacturers, Europol, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and many others (see full list in notes to editors).

    Activity took place across nine different ports, acting on intelligence to locate stolen vehicles and parts destined for overseas markets.

    Police forces across England and Wales took part in the week, engaging with local communities to offer crime prevention advice and initiatives to support vehicle owners in keeping their vehicles safe, as well as encouraging reporting of thefts. 180 arrests were made across the country for vehicle crime-related offences, including burglary and theft of car keys which is an increasingly common tactic used by criminals.

    Forces conducted multiple search warrants, locating and closing down a number of ‘chop shops’, (locations where stolen vehicles are broken down into parts) as well as engaging with scrap metal and motor salvage businesses around enforcement and guidance.

    Many seizures were also made of offensive weapons, theft devices, thousands of pounds in cash, suspected stolen tools, suspected stolen plant and agricultural equipment and a large quantity of drugs.

    Assistant Chief Constable, Jenny Sims is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime. She said:

    “This intensification week has seen policing, local enforcement, partners and the industry coming together in a targeted effort to tackle some of the highest harm offenders in vehicle crime and the results speak for themselves.

    “We know that organised crime groups are responsible for a significant proportion of vehicle thefts, whether to export high-end vehicles overseas or to break them up for parts. We also know that stolen vehicles are used in poly-criminality, for example in other areas of acquisitive crime but also drug offending and modern slavery, so tackling these groups can be extremely impactful.

    “I’m grateful to all of our partner agencies and organisations who are instrumental in this fight against vehicle crime. The intensification activity this week has supported us in driving intelligence gathering and sharing, as well as our operational work together and I look forward to seeing the results continue.”

    Sharon Naughton is Head of NaVCIS. She said:

    “The Port of Felixstowe handles more than four million shipping containers per year. The challenge of locating stolen cars in shipping containers can seem like a needle in a haystack. NaVCIS intelligence and analysis helps to make the needle bigger and the haystack smaller when disrupting this type of criminality.

    “NaVCIS bridge the gap between policing and industry. The vehicle crime intensification week has been a huge success, particularly at ports, where NaVCIS officers work hard every day of the year to intercept and seize stolen vehicles before they are exported overseas. Through our well-established and positive relationships with industry partners and law enforcement colleagues, we proactively investigate this type of serious and organised acquisitive crime to develop intelligence to increase opportunities to bring offenders to justice.

    “Our port operations are vital to tackle vehicle crime, deprive criminals of assets and return cars to their rightful owners.”

    DCI Lee Newman-West is Head of Operations at Opal, the team which coordinated the national activity. He said:

    “Opal is committed to tackling serious organised acquisitive crime (SOAC) and the team work tirelessly with law enforcement agencies and a host of key partners and industry colleagues within the UK and overseas to enhance our intelligence flows and understanding of key threats.

    “We continue to champion and drive multi-agency responses to support collaboration and operational activity, tackling vehicle crime and wider SOAC threats in partnership. We will do all we can to disrupt this criminality and protect our communities.”

    Key partners involved in delivering the intensification activity to date: (not exhaustive):

    • Opal- National Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime (SOAC)
    • NaVCIS- National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service
    • NCA- National Crime Agency
    • JICC- Joint International Crime Centre
    • FLEC- Foreign Law Enforcement Community
    • Europol
    • Interpol
    • Home office intelligence
    • Port of Dover Police
    • UK Police forces
    • Vehicle examiners
    • UKBF- Border Force
    • MACC- Multi Agency cash cell
    • FTT- Federated Tasking team
    • National APMIS team
    • NICRP- National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership
    • BTP- British Transport Police
    • Environment Agency
    • Crime Prevention Initiatives
    • National vehicle crime tactical lead
    • ROCU disruptions teams- Regional Organised Crime Units
    • GAIN- Government Agency Intelligence Network
    • NCATT- National Construction Agricultural Theft Team
    • ANPR specialists
    • Tracker companies including Tracker and W4G
    • MPS Organised vehicle team
    • Essex Stolen vehicle unit
    • Industry partners/ manufacturers
    • Jaguar Land Rover
    • Toyota Lexus
    • Finance companies
    • Association of British Insurers (ABI)
    • US Homeland Security
    • Cargo Secure, Suffolk Police.
    • Home Office
    • Recovery agents and VRS teams

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Concrete action needed in fight against antimicrobial resistance

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • Governments must take bold action to make meaningful progress against drug resistance worldwide.
    • Drawing on our years of experience tackling drug resistance, we urge governments to build on their commitments at the second-ever United Nations High Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance.

    Geneva/New York – Ahead of the second-ever United Nations (UN) High Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistanceAMR — when microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi evolve and survive despite the antimicrobial medicines, such as antibiotics, used against them — can make medical care less effective and much more difficult, prolonged, and costly for patients and treatment providers. (AMR) tomorrow, where world leaders will come together to agree on commitments to advance the global response to AMR, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on governments to take swift, bold action to translate this political declaration into meaningful progress against drug resistance.

    Headway against AMR since the first declaration nearly a decade ago has been inadequate and inequitable, with low- and middle-income countries – and humanitarian contexts, in particular – least equipped to respond despite bearing the highest burdens of drug-resistant infection. Drawing on years of experience tackling drug resistance around the world, MSF urges governments to build on the commitments made and take an ambitious set of follow-on steps to empower those most affected by AMR to prevent, detect, and respond to it.

    AMR is a leading cause of death worldwide, and contributed to to 4.95 million deaths in 2019 alone, with recent estimates showing the threat is still growing at alarming rates, possibly contributing to 8.2 million deaths annually by 2050.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01867-1/fulltext

    “We are seeing staggering rates of drug-resistant infections in many of the low-resource and humanitarian settings where we work, in large part because healthcare workers don’t have what they need to prevent, detect, and respond to AMR,” says Dr Christos Christou, International President of MSF. “The UN Political Declaration on antimicrobial resistance is a welcome step towards strengthening the global AMR response and expresses important aspirations for global equity and solidarity.” 

    “Considering the magnitude of the challenge of AMR though, and how few of the hardest-hit countries have been able to fund and implement national action plans, the declaration text should have been much more concrete and ambitious,” he says. “The declaration must now go beyond words on paper: governments must not only enact and be accountable to the commitments they’ve made, but they must also build on and refine them to ensure low-resource and humanitarian settings are no longer left behind.”

    People in low- and middle-income countries experience the highest rates of AMR and infectious diseases globally, but are the least likely to have access to healthcare, including the medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics they need. In humanitarian settings, other factors compound the AMR crisis. Conflicts or natural disasters, for example, can result in traumatic injuries that can easily become infected and force people to take refuge in overcrowded settings where resistant bacteria can spread easily.

    In the political declaration, governments acknowledged the importance of addressing AMR in humanitarian settings like those in which MSF works, as well as several issues that MSF has highlighted as key priorities in responding to AMR. However, the commitments made to address these issues should have been bolder and more precisely calibrated to address global inequities. MSF recommends that governments build on and refine these commitments in the following ways:

    • The declaration’s commitment to include affected communities and humanitarian organisations in the governance of platforms and mechanisms to address AMR must now be put into practice. Only by ensuring the inclusive participation of these groups in global AMR initiatives can an effective roadmap for reaching the most underserved settings take shape. For example, if established, the proposed Independent Panel on Evidence for Action Against AMR must adhere to principles of impartiality, transparency, and accountability to all countries, and prioritise research in and for communities most affected by AMR. This is important, because communities in conflict-affected, fragile and humanitarian settings are more vulnerable to AMR, but evidence needed to inform the response in these settings is acutely lacking.
    • The declaration recognizes the need for strengthening laboratory capacity and commits to “improve access to diagnosis and care,” but this broad commitment must be made more specific and precise in follow-on agreements and accountability frameworks to ensure expanded and equitable availability of quality-assured microbiology laboratories. Access to microbiology laboratories is a critical foundation for preventing, detecting and controlling AMR more effectively, but many places with high rates of AMR do not have quality laboratories. 
    • The commitment to increased international financing and technical assistance to enable low- and middle-income countries to implement national action plans to address AMR must result in stronger and more ambitious funding, as the currently proposed US$100 million to see 60 per cent of countries achieve funded plans to tackle AMR by 2030 is not sufficient to address a health issue of this magnitude.
    • The commitment to ensure timely and equitable access to affordable medical tools, including antimicrobials and diagnostic tests, must translate into concrete action. The significant global gaps in access to medical tools must be tracked and quantified to guide efforts to achieve more equitable access, and resources allocated accordingly for both access strategies and antimicrobial stewardship programs. Furthermore, when governments provide funding for research and development for new antimicrobials, they should prioritise public and nonprofit initiatives, as these facilitate access, stewardship, and collaborative approaches to research. Funders must also attach upfront conditions ensuring equitable global access to any resulting medical tools into agreements when providing the “push” and “pull” funding called for in the declaration.

    “To effectively combat AMR globally, governments must address the significant discrepancies in the amount of evidence for action available in high-income and low-resource settings,” said Dušan Jasovský, Antimicrobial Resistance Pharmacist with the MSF Access Campaign. “This means that the Independent Panel on Evidence for Action Against AMR proposed in the declaration must prioritise research in communities most affected by AMR, which are often in humanitarian or low-resource settings where there is currently the least evidence to guide action.”

    “This panel is in a great position to inform a response to drug resistance in the hardest-hit areas based on interventions that work, but to do so it must operate with transparency, accountability, and impartiality, backed by ambitious financial means of implementation, and in close collaboration with affected communities,” says Jasovský.

    MSF is a leading actor in preventing, detecting, and responding to AMR in humanitarian settings, with infection prevention and control, and stewardship initiatives across multiple contexts and 50 sites with planned or existing access to diagnostic microbiology in 20 countries worldwide. MSF has developed an interdisciplinary approach to addressing AMR which includes targeted training and support for infection prevention and control, and antimicrobial stewardship, and in some cases also efforts to provide access to microbiology lab-based diagnosis.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Serious crash, Depot Road, View Hill

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Emergency services are responding to a serious crash on Depot Road, View Hill, in Waimakariri District.

    The single vehicle crash occurred near Eyre River and was reported to Police at 8pm. 

    The road is closed between Woodstock Road and Woodside Road.

    At this stage there is no confirmed information regarding injuries.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Time for fair work in the hospitality sector

    Source: Scottish Greens

    25 Sep 2024 Economy

    Every worker deserves a real living wage and protections.

    More in Economy

    Every worker deserves a real living wage and protections, says Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman, who has called on the Scottish Government to support and impelment recommendations from the Fair Work Convention’s Fair Work Hospitality Inquiry Report. 

    The report, launched yesterday, made 12 recommendations, including the creation of tax incentives for businesses who pay the Real Living Wage, developing accredited training for managers to champion fair work practices, and creating a single Fair Work Charter under which hospitality businesses can operate. 

    Speaking after the launch, Maggie Chapman said “The hospitality sector is a vibrant and essential part of our culture and economy, and those working in it deserve clear protections.  

    “The Fair Work Convention has shown what many already know about the hospitality sector: it is plagued by precarity, built into its structures, with a clear lack of collective bargaining and a low expectation for what is considered ‘fair’ in work. 

    “Hospitality workers come from such a diverse range of backgrounds in Scotland, from the small independent coffee shops to the big city centre bars and restaurants.  

    “The Scottish Greens look forward to working further with the Convention as well as trade unions, to ensure that the report’s recommendations are taken forward as quickly as possible.” 

    The recommendations are a response to significant reports of accidents, bullying, and job insecurity, due to a lack of clarity on the protections which hospitality workers are owed. 

    The Convention is also working directly with Unite Hospitality’s ‘Get Me Home Safely’ campaign, which is pushing for employers to ensure their workers can get home safely after late night shifts. This campaign was established after a Unite member was sexually assaulted while walking home from a late-night shift, having been refused a taxi by her employer. 

    Following the report’s launch, Inquiry member from Unite Hospitality, Bryan Simpson added: “This inquiry set a really important precedent, giving workers in the sector the voice they deserve.  

    “Unite Hospitality workers have been working hard to deliver better conditions for their colleagues, and it is high time these voices were heard at the same table as government ministers and industry leaders. For Scotland’s lowest-paid sector, it is vital that these workers are properly recognised. 

    “If the recommendations are accepted and rolled out, it will be transformational for the sector. Workers’ lives will improve. And the industry as a whole will be better for it.” 

    Ms Chapman has also submitted a parliamentary motion recognising the work of the Convention and its report.  

    Text of Maggie Chapman’s Motion 

    Title: Fair Work Hospitality Industry Inquiry 

    That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the important activities of the Fair Work Convention; notes that the Convention undertook an inquiry into fair work in the hospitality industry and how this could be improved for the benefit of both employers and workers; understands that the inquiry recommends the establishment of a voluntary Fair Work Charter for Hospitality that stipulates a range of workers’ protections, from payment of the Real Living Wage and recognition of Real Living Hours to effective voice through trade union access and recognition, robust anti-bullying procedures and “safe home” policies for all workers asked to travel to or from work after 11pm; further understands that Unite Hospitality’s Get Me Home Safe campaign has, and continues to promote, the adoption of “safe home” policies associated with the charter; believes that there is a continued requirement to raise awareness of the Fair Work Convention, its work and the Fair Work Charter for Hospitality, and commends and congratulates the Fair Work Convention on its ongoing work. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regulator of Social Housing publishes regulatory judgements for ten landlords

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    As part of a set of judgements published today, RSH found that Harlow District Council failed to meet the new consumer standards.

    As a result, RSH has given the landlord a C3 grade, which means there are serious failings and it needs to make significant improvements.

    RSH investigated Harlow Council after reviewing its Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) results. RSH concluded that the council had:

    • Carried out fire risk assessments for only 20% of buildings that it should have done, out of its 9,100 social housing homes.
    • Over 500 high risk fire safety remedial actions overdue, and a further 1,500 medium risk actions overdue (the majority of which are more than 12 months overdue).

    Harlow Council has employed an external consultant to help it to develop a detailed improvement plan as a priority and the RSH will be engaging with the landlord as it addresses these failings

    The Council is working to complete the outstanding fire risk assessments and resulting actions, starting with the highest risk blocks. RSH continues to scrutinise the Council closely and it must demonstrate that it is reducing risks to tenants as it puts these issues right.

    Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said:

    It is unacceptable that Harlow Council has failed to meet fire safety requirements. Providing safe, decent homes for tenants begins with robust data, and this must include fire risk assessments for every home that needs one. 

    We identified these failings by scrutinising the council’s TSM results. It is the landlord’s responsibility to notify us themselves of material issues.

    Our new proactive approach and expanded consumer remit is helping to bring issues to the surface earlier. We expect all providers to regularly review and evaluate their services to improve outcomes for tenants.

    The investigation was carried out as part of RSH responsive engagement.

    RSH has also today published a range of other judgements resulting from its ongoing regulatory activity, including seven programmed inspections as well as RSH’s first stability check for a for-profit provider.

    RSH carries out annual stability checks to see whether a provider’s current viability grade is consistent with the financial information submitted in their regulatory returns.

    Provider Governance Viability Consumer Engagement Process Notes
    Saxon Weald G1 Assessed and unchanged V2 Assessed and unchanged C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Great Places Housing Group G1 Assessed and unchanged V2 Assessed and unchanged C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Calico Homes G2 Assessed and unchanged V2 Regrade C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Bolton at Home G2 Assessed and unchanged V2 Regrade C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    The Havebury Housing Partnership G1 Assessed and unchanged V2 Assessed and unchanged C1 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Rooftop Housing Group G1 Assessed and unchanged V2 Assessed and unchanged C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Mossacre St Vincent’s Housing Group Limited G1 Assessed and unchanged V2 Assessed and unchanged C2 First grading Programmed inspection  
    Legal and General Affordable Homes G1* V1* N/A Stability check RSH does not assess consumer grades as part of its annual stability checks
    Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association Limited G2 Downgrade V2 Assessed and unchanged N/A Responsive engagement following a self-referral Responsive engagement related to governance issues, so consumer grade not yet assessed

    Landlords must meet the outcomes of the economic and consumer standards set by RSH.

    Governance and financial viability remain cornerstones of RSH’s regulation of housing associations and other private registered providers (including for-profits). Landlords must manage the risks associated with financial viability and reduced capacity with robust governance in place to meet the outcomes of RSH’s standards.

    A C1 grading means that, overall, the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, and they identify issues when they occur and put plans in place to remedy them and minimise their recurrence. We expect that, even where a landlord is assessed as C1, it will continue to review, evaluate and improve its services to tenants.

    C2 means there are some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, and it needs to make improvements.

    Notes to editors

    1. On 1 April 2024 RSH introduced new consumer standards for social housing landlords, designed to drive long-term improvements in the sector. It also began a programme of landlord inspections. The changes are a result of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 and include stronger powers to hold landlords to account. More information about RSH’s approach is available in its document Reshaping Consumer Regulation.
    2. We use an asterisk with a for-profit landlord’s grade (for example, G1, V1, C2*) to make it clear that the assessment refers to a landlord that is designated on the register as being for-profit.

    3. More information about RSH’s responsive engagement, programmed inspections and consumer gradings is also available on its website.

    4. RSH promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver more and better social homes. It does this by setting standards and carrying out robust regulation focusing on driving improvement in social landlords, including local authorities, and ensuring that housing associations are well-governed, financially viable and offer value for money. It takes appropriate action if the outcomes of the standards are not being delivered.

    For general enquiries email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk. For media enquiries please see our Media Enquiries page.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Inside job starts on Guildhall

    Source: City of Plymouth

    We’ve done the outside – now the inside of Plymouth’s Guildhall is to be given a makeover to help bring the buzz back to this landmark building.

    Contractors TEC Construction will take over the building this week to prepare for a major overhaul that will bring this historic landmark bang up to date for gigs, entertainment events, conferences, training and weddings.

    The project will involve installing features such as acoustic curtains in the Great Hall, acoustic panels from the ceiling to improve the sound quality for different types of events. Facility panels will also be provided in the Great Hall to enable event organisers better audio visual connectivity for productions.

    Also in the Great Hall, the roof trusses are being strengthened to enable higher spec lighting to be used and modular staging is to be installed offering organisers who hire the building more flexibility.

    Toilets on the ground floor and within the Lounge Bar will also be refurbished, and a commercial kitchen installed adjacent to the Great Hall, while outside a ramp for wheelchairs and prams is being created to improve access.

    The existing Lounge Bar will be demolished and replaced with a new larger and more modern bar increasing the number of covers and improving the customer experience. The building will also benefit from new lighting in key areas and upgraded WiFi throughout.

    Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Community, said: “This is a massively important building for the city and it deserves to be back in the spotlight and play a bigger part in people’s lives and the life of the city centre.

    “It’s played host to some incredible artists – Bowie, Queen and the Who in the 70s, but the needs of bands, orchestras and events organisers have changed over the years. It’s great to see the work get underway.”

    The alterations are sympathetic to the building’s character and interior which Historic England describe as a ‘rare and unusually rich example’ of an unaltered `Festival of Britain’ interior. There are some glorious touches including an imposing black and white marble staircase, a mural depicting famous sons of Plymouth and the city’s maritime history and three stunning 1950s chandeliers.

    Over the last few months, the Council has been in discussions with the contractor to value engineer the original specification to reduce the price to a more affordable sum that still delivers the scheme’s key outcomes, which is to create a space in the city centre that will attract a new wave of visitors and users.

    A separate programme of restoration for the Guildhall’s exterior has just been completed to clean and repair the effects of decades of pollution and salty sea air, which has damaged stonework and detailing.

    Work was carried out in three phases, initially focussing on the northern Royal Parade-facing side and the western tower. The work started at the end of 2022 and scaffolding has recently down from the front of the building to reveal crisp clean stonework. Repairs were also carried out to the wave-shaped awning over the front doors and roof repairs.

    A compound is being set up in front of the entrance ahead of work starting in full.

    The Guildhall was originally built in the 1870s but reduced to a shell during the Blitz.

    It was one of the few damaged buildings to be restored rather than rebuilt, with the restoration continuing through most of the 1950s.

    The work is expected to be complete by early summer 2025.

    The project will cost in the region of £3.9m and is funded by the Future High Streets Fund.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Making public ownership of rail work for London

    Source: Mayor of London

    With the Government promising to bring Britain’s railways back into public ownership, how should that look in practice and implementation in London?

    Tomorrow, the Transport Committee will ask guests what needs to be done to ensure that new arrangements result in a better experience for passengers, and what role the Mayor should have in any further devolution of services.
     
    The Committee will also ask the Deputy Mayor for Transport and Transport for London (TfL) for an update on the impact on passengers of the ongoing cyber incident at TfL.
     
    Panel 1 (10am – 10.40am)

    • Prof Iain Docherty, Dean of the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Stirling

    Panel 2 (10.45am – 1pm)

    • Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, Greater London Authority 
    • Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning, Transport for London

    From 12.30 pm, the Committee will hear how TfL is trying to help passengers affected by the impact of the recent cyber attack.
     
    The ongoing impacts of the attack include passengers being unable to apply for or renew discounted Oyster passes, and delays to the rollout of contactless payments to 47 stations.
     
    The meeting will take place on Thursday 26 September from 10am, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
     
    Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
     
    The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
     
    Follow us @LondonAssembly.
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Guests of the Moskino Cinema Park will watch a color version of the film Cinderella on the big screen

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    On September 29, the Moskino Cinema Park cinema will show the legendary Russian film Cinderella from 1947. The film will be shown in color on a big screen for the first time. Visitors will be able to examine everything in the smallest detail.

    You can watch the film for free. You must register in advance. on the websiteThe show will start at 13:00.

    An hour before the show, a masquerade ball for children under 14 will be held in the cinema lobby. To participate, you need to come in a themed fairy-tale costume, such as a princess, a sorceress, a prince or a king. At the end of the ball, there will be a costume contest, with the participants themselves serving as judges. Winners will receive invitations to screenings of animated films in the Moskino cinema chain. In addition, the organizers will treat all young viewers to cotton candy. Admission is free.

    The plot of “Cinderella” is one of the most popular in the world. The story of a hard-working girl is close and understandable to everyone. For Russians, the main Cinderella was the actress Yanina Zheimo. The stepmother in the film was played by the incomparable Faina Ranevskaya, the king – by Erast Garin. The role of a sincere page boy was played by Igor Klimenkov. It was he who was remembered by viewers for the phrase “I am not a wizard, I am just learning!”

    The film “Cinderella” was released in 1947. At that time, the head of the Lenfilm studio, Sergei Vasiliev, said at a meeting of the artistic council of the USSR Ministry of Cinematography: “This fairy tale was conceived in such a way that it would be made in colors. The fact that it was released without colors impoverished it to some extent, and we are very sorry about that.”

    The creators’ idea was brought to life, and in 2010, a color version of the film was released. They did not colorize the film stored in the State Film Fund, but a digitized copy of the film. Each frame was processed separately. 120 thousand frames passed through the hands of restorers. To accurately convey the color and texture of the fabrics, costume designer Natalia Moneva (the films Love and Doves, Formula of Love, and others) worked in the archives of the Lenfilm studio, made watercolor sketches, and selected materials. She ensured that modern technology did not violate the texture of the fabrics that viewers see on the screen. Therefore, they all look believable: velvet – like velvet, silk – like silk. The final color correction of the already colored film was carried out under the supervision of cameraman-colorist Alexei Lebeshev. In total, about 200 professionals of 30 different specialties participated in the work.

    The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for film producers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of Sergei Sobyanin’s “Moscow — City of Cinema” project. The film cluster structure includes cinema park “Moskino” in TiNAO, the M. Gorky Film Studio on three sites – on Ryazansky Prospekt, Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdai Passage, a cinema chain, a film commission and cinema platform “Moskino”.

    In the Moskino cinemas, residents and guests of the capital can watch classic and modern feature films and documentaries, as well as attend special film screenings and other events.

    Sobyanin: The Moskino film platform will create a poster of all film events in the capitalUp to 80 percent of Russian films will be shot in the Moscow film clusterSobyanin: Gorky Film Studio to Become Part of World-Class Film Cluster

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/144424073/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Immigration Department repatriates 20 Vietnamese illegal immigrants to Vietnam (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Immigration Department repatriates 20 Vietnamese illegal immigrants to Vietnam (with photos)
    Immigration Department repatriates 20 Vietnamese illegal immigrants to Vietnam (with photos)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Immigration Department (ImmD) carried out a repatriation operation today (September 25). A total of 20 Vietnamese illegal immigrants were repatriated to Vietnam. The persons removed comprised seven men and 13 women, all of whom were unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants. Among them were discharged prisoners who had committed criminal offences and had been sentenced to imprisonment.      The ImmD has been committed to promptly removing unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants from Hong Kong to maintain effective immigration control and safeguard the public interest. Under the updated removal policy effective from December 7, 2022, the ImmD may generally proceed with the removal of a claimant whose judicial review case has been dismissed by the Court of First Instance of the High Court, thereby enhancing the efficiency of and efforts in removing unsubstantiated claimants.      The ImmD will remain committed to expediting the removal process to repatriate illegal immigrants and overstayers from Hong Kong as soon as practicable according to the actual situation through appropriate measures as necessary.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, September 25, 2024Issued at HKT 16:51

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press Conference Government House, Adelaide

    Source: Minister for Trade

    Minister for Trade, Don Farrell: Good afternoon everybody, and please take a seat, don’t stand on formality. I thank the Governor for making her home available to us today to hold this press conference with my very good friend, the Trade Minister for India, Piyush Goyal, it’s absolutely wonderful to have you here.

    When I first became the Trade Minister for Australia, I was lucky enough to be invited to Piyush’s home in New Delhi, and have a wonderful feast with him and his wife, and a little bit later on today I’m going to return the favour. We’re heading out to the magnificent Clare Valley, and we’re going to have a wonderful meal out in the Clare together this evening.

    We’ve just wrapped up our face‑to‑face meeting, and it’s the first meeting that we’ve had since the Modi Government was recently re‑elected, and of course follows on the weekend’s events between our Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi in Delaware, with the Japanese and the American leaders.

    I think it’s fair to say that the relationship between Australia and India has never, ever been closer. And to reflect that, is the economic relationship between our two countries, and it has never ever been better.

    Following our Trade Agreement that was ratified during the course of this Parliamentary session, trade with India is turning out to be a really big win for Australia, and today we held in‑depth discussions on how to accelerate that trading relationship. And in addition to that, our investment relationship viability on the enormous growth that we’ve just seen in recent times.

    Just to give you some examples of that, in the 18 months since our Trade Agreement with India came into force, nearly $30 billion worth of Australian exports have entered India either with zero tariffs or lower tariffs than any of our competitors.

    Agricultural exports to India are up around 60 per cent to $1.6 billion, and we know how important that is to the South Australian economy.

    Industrial equipment and manufacturing exports are up 66 per cent or $145 million, and our health exports to India have increased by nearly 40 per cent to $33 million.

    Australian consumers are of course benefitting by our trade deals with savings at the checkouts worth around $225 million, thanks to the lower tariffs on products that are coming in from India.

    During our meeting, Minister Goyal and I discussed how we can grow our two‑way trade and investment even more. The key focus of today’s discussion was our next free trade agreement called the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.

    Our trade negotiators recently met in Sydney, and today’s discussions show that there’s real momentum here to get an agreement as we work out the details.

    For Australia, we’ve made it clear that we have much to offer our friends in India, particularly in agriculture, as well as the emerging sectors we are building as part of our Future Made in Australia.

    We also exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on investment cooperation between Austrade and Invest India, which will help boost two‑way investment between our countries.

    Our Government has also wrapped up consultations on our new India Economic Roadmap. We’ve held over 400 consultation sessions across every Australian State and Territory and in India.

    Over the past two days, Minister Goyal has heard from a range of Australian businesses who see wonderful opportunities to partner with India in sectors like green energy, education skills, tourism, agriculture and technology, and in a few moments the Minister and I will walk up to the Australian Space Agency headquarters to meet some of the Australian space start‑ups that are partnering directly with India.

    Our Government is committed to driving more practical cooperation between Australian and Indian businesses. That’s why today I’m announcing $10 million in new grants for Australian businesses, organisations and universities to boost cooperation with India.

    By extending the $10 million Maitri Grants program, the Government will deliver, firstly, $5 million for Australian organisations working on projects that boost trade and innovation, cultural ties and community leaders, and then a further $5 million for scholars and fellowships to support Australian universities to host some of the brightest Indian students in their research, on some of our biggest shared challenges.

    As I indicated before, the Minister and our wives, will be heading out to the magnificent Clare Valley, and we’ll continue to discuss the wonderful opportunities between our two countries. I’ll invite my good friend Piyush to say some words about today’s events and his time in Australia.

    Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal: Thank you very much Honourable Don Farrell, Member of Parliament and Minister for Trade and Industry, someone I look upon as not only a friend and well‑wisher, but a brother who has been a guide, who has helped me understand trade nuances, very sensitive, ever‑smiling, and a well‑wisher of the Australia-India partnership.

    Thank you very much for your warm hospitality, thank you very much for bringing me to Adelaide for the first time. What a beautiful city, charming, a place we’ve heard about from childhood. Where cricket matters and in the good old days, we had five‑day test matches where every wicket falling was blown all over the television and radio. But to actually be right across from the Adelaide stadium is truly a memorable visit for me.

    We had very good engagement with Australian business persons in Sydney over the last two days, the excitement is truly palpable on both sides, Australian business and Indian business.

    For the first time ever both our major chambers, the conflagration of Indian industries and the conflagration of Indian chambers of commerce and industry were represented by their top leadership together as a testimony of the importance that the Australia relationship is to India.

    We are looking at significantly upscaling our partnerships in trade, investment, tourism and technology, and therefore one of the first announcements I’d like to make is that we shall shortly be setting up in Sydney an office covering all these four areas, ITTT, investment, trade, technology, and tourism. With representatives of Invest India, representatives of the organisation responsible for building industrial smart cities and townships, meeting representatives of our Export Trade and Guarantee Corporation, and other officials related to trade and tourism.

    Along with the private sector, CII jointly manning these offices to act as a bridge between investors and businesses on both sides and working closely together with Austrade with whom Invest India has today exchanged an MOU for mutual investment promotion, technology and trade facilitation, and other insights into economic trade.

    Thank you very much, Don, for giving us the encouragement to work together on these areas. And I’m sure the unprecedented ties that our two countries are sharing today with nine in‑person meetings since May 2022, in less than three years, nine in‑person meetings of our senior leaders, both Prime Ministers, reflecting the big bonding that both Prime Ministers, political leadership have with business-to-business and people‑to‑people connect that Australia and India share.

    Friends, today is a very important day in India. We are celebrating 10 years of our Making India Program. Prime Minister Modi on 25 September 2014, had launched this initiative, and through the Making India Program over the last 10 years we have significantly had a whole of government approach to addressing the challenges that manufacturing in India increase. Whether it’s provision of plug-and-play infrastructure, a national single window for all approvals, regulators reducing compliance burden or decriminalising laws, opening up foreign direct investment in newer sectors making it easier to invest in India, or encouraging the start of ecosystem. It’s been a multi‑pronged approach to attract manufacturing in India, and I do see a lot of promise between the Making India Program and the Future Made in Australia program that your government has launched, so that we can exchange the technologies, exchange opportunities and encourage businesses on both sides to work with each other.

    This enhanced cooperation via education, via skill development, tourism, investments, critical minerals, which we discussed at length today, or renewable energy, green ecosystem towards sustainability, all of these other areas where this relationship holds tremendous potential. And India is committed to partner with Australia to provide a bouquet of opportunities to our business persons on both sides so that we can work towards a greater and more ambitious relationship on the economic front.

    Friends, as Minister Farrell mentioned, ECTA, and I think some of you may recall, ECTA in India, in Hindi, is unity. This agreement has truly been a game‑changer providing greater market access to businesses on both sides and has resulted in a significant increase in merchandise trade. We’re looking at further strengthening the ECTA through to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the CECA, and we do hope to see a greater flow of goods and services along with investments flowing out of the CECA, which we are looking to conclude at an early date to unlock new dimensions in this partnership and provide further momentum to this business relationship.

    Friends, I must mention that we have also discussed at length greater cooperation at various multilateral fora like the WTO, the G20, the IPEF and other international organisations where Australia and India share common interests.

    India is the world’s fastest growing economy today. We grew at 8.2 per cent last year. The economy today is the fifth largest in the world, expected to become the third largest in the next three years. We will cross the $7 trillion mark by 2030, and the $10 trillion mark by 2034, 10 years from now.

    We are very confident of achieving a developed country status by 2047. [Indistinct] 2047 is our ambition, is our goal, taking up our economy to 10 times today’s size, to $35 trillion economy in the next 25 years or so, so that we can meet the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians for a better quality of life. And I see Australia playing an important role in this journey towards making India a developed nation, a role to greater trade, a role to exchange of technologies, a role in our common goals for sustainability and a significant role when it comes to provision of high-tech services and investments.

    India offers the advantage of four Ds. The first is our democracy. We have a vibrant democracy, the world’s largest democracy, the Rule of Law prevails, it provides safety and security for investment and people. And I think in today’s day and age, two democracies working together provides a great comfort to investors in the long run.

    The second D is our demographic dividend, a young population with an average age of 28.4 years, expected to remain young for many, many more years to come, with two‑thirds of our population in the working age to providing skills, talent and huge manpower force to help the economy to move faster.

    The third D is demand. 1.4 billion aspirational Indians, demanding high quality goods and services is a huge market opportunity, and growth opportunity.

    And the fourth D is decisive leadership. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government are willing to reform, transform and perform to take the country to greater heights. I’m very confident that together we shall make the Australia-India partnership a defining partnership of the decade, if not the 21st Century. The kangaroos and the tigers together have a combined strength which is unstoppable. Thank you.

    Minister for Trade: I think we should give Piyush a clap for that. Thank you, very much, my friend, and we’ll open to questions.

    Journalist: This one’s for both Ministers. Can you give an update on the CECA negotiations? You made progress of the outstanding points of difference, and do you see an agreement for Australia [indistinct]?

    Minister for Trade: We are very optimistic that the good work that was done today will result in an expanded agreement. As we saw with the United Arab Emirates, when both parties put their mind to it we can very quickly expedite the discussions to finalise an agreement. I’d be hopeful that goodwill on both sides, and you can see today, that’s been demonstrated here – I think with goodwill we can very quickly resolve this issue, and we can have a new upgraded agreement between Australia and India.

    Piyush Goyal: Madam, I think the important and defining feature of our discussions and negotiations is the sensitivity that both sides have to each other’s issues, defensive interests, offensive interests. All are considered together in a manner which will only result in a win‑win situation. So any issue that I can see Australia will be uncomfortable with I would not like to push, press on that, and likewise our approach has been that if something is very sensitive to a large Indian population given our current status of development, Australia has been very gracious in their understanding of our sensitivities.

    It is my deep confidence in each other that helps us to resolve issues very fast, and I’m very confident that the final agreement will only help grow this relationship. You saw that our first agreement didn’t have any negative press or any negative public outcry. I’m sure the second agreement will correspondingly be a good mix of the good things that people want out of the agreement.

    Minister for Trade: I think it’s worthwhile repeating that when we were last in India together we committed to increasing our trade from its current $49 billion two‑way trade to $100 billion by the end of the decade, and I think we’re ‑ I’m certainly happy, and I think I speak for Piyush here, to restate that today.

    We want to double that trade between our countries between now and the end of the decade.

    Journalist: Just on that, Minister Goyal, India has traditionally been hesitant about removing barriers to Australian exports in sensitive sectors like dairy. Have you had consultations with those domestic producers and has the Government consulted with its Coalition partners on any of those sensitivities?

    Piyush Goyal: First of all, the Government in India is a strong government. The Coalition is a pre‑poll alliance. So we have very seamless consultations and very seamless understanding of any decisions that the Government takes.

    As regards dairy, that sector was discussed even before we started the negotiations with Australia three years ago, and Indian dairy is very significantly different from Australian dairy.

    Our average holding with a farmer is a small two‑acre, three‑acre farm with three or four livestock, whereas Australia’s farms and dairy farms are both very large, and it would be near impossible for these large farms and these small farms to compete with each other on a common footing.

    We have discussed this issue even three years ago and on earlier occasions, and dairy is such a sensitive subject that in any of our FTAs across the world, we have not been able to open up the dairy sector with duty concessions there is permitted in India, but there are certain duties imposed on that.

    This is one sector where there’s no discussion with any Coalition partner, even when we were a full majority government there was no opening up of the dairy. It’s actually two very unequal situations and would not lend themselves to fair trade between the two countries, or between any countries. We have neither opened up dairy in Europe, or planning to open up dairy in Europe, nor have we opened it up even with Switzerland and Norway, with whom we have recently concluded an FTA under the EFTA grouping – Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland. Even then we have not opened up dairy. It’s the first agreement Switzerland has signed without any component of dairy in it.

    Journalist: You predicted that China will bring its pursuit of all lobster type business. Given your previous predictions on the subject have proven optimistic, why do you have the confidence that this will be resolved in the next few months?

    Minister for Trade: I’m an optimistic sort of person, and I think the only way you can do this job is to be optimistic. If you think about this, when we came to government two and a half years ago, we had $20 billion worth of impediments between Australia and China.

    We have reduced that over time to less than $1 billion and one product that is still outstanding unfortunately is lobster.

    We’ve recently had meetings both with the Chinese Premier, and also my counterpart, Wang Wentao, in fact as Piyush has done. They both came to Adelaide, it’s becoming a bit of a feature of international trade these days, everyone’s coming to Adelaide. I’m confident that we can resolve the outstanding issues in a timely manner.

    It is unfortunate that that issue hasn’t been resolved. The Government is doing its absolute best to resolve it, but these issues do take time, and we’ll continue to work very closely with the Chinese Government to put aside all of the outstanding issues between our two governments.

    Journalist: Paul Starick from The Advertiser in Adelaide. Two questions, one for both ministers. You mentioned agriculture as a significant component of the next stage of your agreement. Do you care to elaborate on that, what particular opportunities do you see? And secondly, for Senator Farrell, regarding an unrelated issue at the Whyalla steelworks. The Premier has talked about the importance of that as a national enterprise. Do you agree, and what response given its current predicament do you think is appropriate at a national level?

    Minister for Trade: Well, look, in terms of agriculture, we’re talking about the removal of all of the tariffs that weren’t removed at the last process, so we’ve made very significant progress, but as the Minister said, some of the more difficult issues were not resolved at that issue, we put them to one side, they’re all back on the table. So things like chickpeas, pistachios, and apples. So, all of the issues, all of the products where there are still tariffs ‑ wine is another one ‑ we are seeking to have those tariffs removed.

    I’m not going to go to the details of the negotiations, it’s not appropriate to do that here, but we’ll continue to work through, and as Piyush said, where issues are difficult, we understand that, and we’re not going to make life any more difficult for the Indian Government.

    On the other issue, I’m aware that there have been some discussions between the Prime Minister and the Premier over the issue of Whyalla. Obviously steel making is a very important business in Whyalla. As a government we want to see steel making continue, and of course all of those jobs be protected, and we will, of course, continue those discussions between the Prime Minister and the Premier.

    Minister, you might like to answer that first question.

    Piyush Goyal: I think as you very rightly put it, we let the negotiators take the discussions forward and give them a chance to look at what other possibilities as we conclude the CEPA.

    Minister for Trade: Well, if there are no other questions, thank you very much for coming along today, and we’ll head up to the Space Agency after a quick lunch with the Premier and the Governor. Thank you very much for attending.

    Piyush Goyal: Thank you friends.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Reclaiming State property

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024

    Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala will today undertake Operation Bring Back (OBB), overseeing the implementation of eviction orders in state-owned properties around Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape.

    Zikalala will be accompanied by the Eastern Cape Public Works and Infrastructure MEC, Siphokazi Lusithi. 

    The action is part of the Eastern Cape and nation-wide Government plan to reclaim unlawfully occupied state properties. 

    Operation Bring Back is an initiative of the national Department of Public Works (DPW), which aims to recover land and other properties, including farms that were illegally occupied or stolen from the State prior to and immediately after the 1994 democratic transition.

    In terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, No 108 of 1996, all State owned national and provincial immovable assets must be vested in the name of the national government or in the name of the nine provinces. The national government is therefore the custodian of all national government immovable assets.

    In April 2011, the National Department of Public Works started the OBB programme, which was largely dependent on the public coming forward to report cases of misappropriation through a call centre that was launched during a public communication campaign at the time. This OBB programme ceased to function in October 2011 and no cases were investigated.

    Following the evictions under today’s programme, an oversight visit will be carried out at the construction site of the Mqanduli Office Precinct in Mqanduli.

    In the Eastern Cape, there are 82 properties that are currently going through legal channels, including 57 eviction orders. 

    Of these, 21 have been evaluated and are recommended for execution, with a target of completing 36 evictions by the end of the 2024/2025 financial year. 

    All eviction actions will strictly adhere to legal standards and respect tenant rights. 

    The Mqanduli Office Precinct is designed to enhance local government services and stimulate economic growth in the area. 

    This modern facility aims to improve accessibility for residents and provide a collaborative space for various government departments. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New home for Military Working Dogs at RAF Marham

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has recently completed a new kennel facility for the RAF Police’s Military Working Dogs (MWDs), which form part of security in RAF Marham, Norfolk.

    Air Cdre Ady Portlock officially opens the new building. MOD Crown Copyright.

    The £23 million facility includes kennels for 48 Military Working Dogs (MWDs) divided into 3 separate blocks, each with an outdoor exercise area. One of the blocks is a veterinary area with isolation kennels for dogs who are receiving treatment, while another features offices and a relaxation room for the RAF Police.

    The project includes solar panels, plant rooms, underfloor heating, a new access road, parking, cycle storage, and 2 spaces for the loading and unloading of vehicles, diversion and connection of services. The new building replaces an existing facility with a larger, more comfortable space, improving the environment for both dogs and officers.

    The facility was designed in consultation with the military’s Veterinary Services Training and Advisory Team to ensure it met the requirements of the dogs and their handlers and complied with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

    The work was split into 2 phases, with the enabling work and groundwork done by Amey, and the construction of the foundations and buildings undertaken by VIVO Defence Services due to a transfer of wider DIO contracting arrangements. Both firms used the same subcontractor, Cambridge-based Coulson Building Group, for continuity.

    RAF Marham’s MWDs and their handlers are an important part of the security provisions for the station. They fulfil various roles, including undertaking security patrols and as arms and explosive detection dogs.

    Capt Nick Davenport, Garrison Engineer, said:

    This new facility will provide more space and improved comfort for both MWDs and their RAF Police handlers. The dogs are a key component of the security of RAF Marham and their wellbeing has been our guiding principle throughout the design and build process. I’m very pleased with the end result and look forward to seeing the reaction of the dogs as they explore their new home.

    Group Captain Wigglesworth, Station Commander RAF Marham, said:

    The MWD capability at RAF Marham secures both the Station’s perimeter and the UK’s 5th Generation combat air capability, the F-35B Lightning Force. This new facility will give critical longevity to the MWD capability, providing a base for the dogs and their handlers that now matches their own exceptional standards, professionalism and commitment.

    Provost Marshal (RAF) and Commander of the Air Security Force, Group Captain Samantha Bunn, said:

    The new MWD facility at RAF Marham represents a landmark achievement for the RAF and defence as a whole. It sets a new standard for animal welfare and handler support. MWDs provide a critical ‘protect’ function as part of our layered security methodology to deter and detect against the full spectrum of threats to defence critical assets.

    This flagship facility demonstrates the RAF’s commitment to being at the forefront of MWD care, ensuring our canine partners receive the highest quality housing and welfare provisions in order that they continue to conduct their duties.

    I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the hard work and dedication of those working behind the scenes to support the project throughout the whole process.

    RAF Marham is one of the RAF’s frontline operational stations, housing the RAF’s first F35 Lightning Sqn (617 Sqn) as well as 207 Sqn, the Operational Conversion Unit. Additionally, it accommodates a range of engineering support functions and other small units with over 3,600 personnel working on site, including service personnel, civil servants and contractors. The dogs and their handlers are an important element of the security provision to this vital defence location.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Make September birth boom a bank account boon

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Claim Child Benefit using the HMRC app and receive payment within a week.

    With around 2,000 babies born on 26 September each year, more than any other day, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging parents to claim their Child Benefit entitlement.

    Claiming online means families could receive their first payment within just a week of their baby’s birth.

    Child Benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for the first child and £881 for each additional child. 

    Claims can be using the free and secure HMRC app, or made online, 48 hours after the baby’s birth has been registered. With payments typically made within three days, this means parents could receive their first payment within a week. Claims can also be backdated for up to 3 months.

    Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

    With more babies set to be born on 26 September than any other day, we hope that parents of these newborns take full advantage of their Child Benefit entitlement.

    We’ve made it simpler than ever to claim online and receive a first payment within as little as three days – so download the app today or search on GOV.UK.

    HMRC has released a YouTube video which explains what new parents need to do and how to make a claim.

    How do I claim Child Benefit online?

    To make a claim, families will need their:

    • child’s birth or adoption certificate
    • bank details
    • National Insurance number for themselves and their partner, if they have one
    • child’s original birth or adoption certificate and passport or travel document, for children born outside the UK

    The amount reduces if one person in the household earns between £60,000 and £80,000 and is subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. For families who fall into this category, the online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit can be claimed, and what the charge may be.

    Families who were subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge when the threshold was £50,000 and opted out of payments but now wish to restart their payments, can use the online form on GOV.UK.

    By claiming Child Benefit, claimants will also receive National Insurance (NI) credits. People need a minimum of 10 years NI credits to claim some State Pension, with 35 years NI credits needed to obtain the full State Pension. This can help people who are not in paid employment and not receiving NI credits through their employer.

    A person living in a household subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge will still receive NI credits if they claim Child Benefit but opt out of receiving a payment that they may have to repay.

    Further information

    Birth data taken from the Census 2021 page ‘How popular is your birthday?’

    Information on Child Benefit can be found at GOV.UK.

    The simplest and quickest way to apply for Child Benefit is by using the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK.

    The Child Benefit award notice can be used to prove you qualify for Child Benefit and can be downloaded and printed from the HMRC app or from GOV.UK. Parents and carers may need proof of entitlement to access other benefits and services.

    The £50,000 High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold rose to £60,000 on 6 April 2024.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Safety first: Polytechnic junior students explained how to avoid problems

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    A safety lesson for first- and second-year students was held in the White Hall of SPbPU. The event, organized by the Civil Security Department of SPbPU, was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Kalininsky District of St. Petersburg, the Main Directorate of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, the Kalininsky and Vyborgsky District Directorates of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for St. Petersburg, and the private educational institution of additional professional education “Fire Safety”.

    Head of the Department for Ensuring Anti-Terrorist Security and Safety at SPbPU Facilities Aleksandr Fedorov reported that the peace of the Polytechnics is protected by employees of the organization “Kvadrat”. 98 people are on duty at 65 stationary posts, another seven groups periodically drive around the territory by car and two mini-scooters. In addition, the university campus is patrolled around the clock by the Russian National Guard.

    All entrances and exits of the university are equipped with access control and management systems, students and staff use electronic passes. In the academic buildings and dormitories, 45 panic buttons are installed – the call goes to the centralized security point of the Russian Guard. Order is also monitored by 3.5 thousand video surveillance cameras.

    The University Security Center operates 24/7. You can call it in case of danger at the following numbers: 7 (812) 534-61-18, 7 921 940-66-75.

    To practice the actions of employees and students in emergency situations, the Civil Security Department regularly conducts exercises and training.

    Alexander Fyodorov reminded that smoking is prohibited on the entire territory of the Polytechnic University – not only indoors, but also outdoors, including in the park. This applies to both regular cigarettes and electronic ones. Smoking areas are located behind the fence.

    Deputy Head of the Supervisory and Preventive Work Department of the Vyborg District Pavel Proshkin spoke about the operation of fire protection systems, which fire extinguishers are best to use in what conditions, and answered questions.

    “It is important for you to know that when the fire alarm goes off, you must immediately leave the building,” Pavel Aleksandrovich emphasized. “You can only start putting out a fire yourself when the fire is small and you understand that you can cope with it. If the fire has developed, then there is no need to be a hero. It is better to help get people out and notify the fire department. The 112 telephone number accepts all calls, and professionals will be sent to help you immediately.”

    Deputy Director of the Center for Professional Education “Fire Safety” Alexander Salabutin spoke in detail about compliance with fire safety rules at the university and dormitories. He said that recently the number of fires of devices with lithium-ion batteries, in particular, electric scooters, has increased. There are special fire extinguishers for them. Alexander Nikolaevich noted that the use of electric scooters is prohibited on the territory of the university.

    The students were also addressed by the Deputy Chief of Police of the Kalininsky District Alexey Amosyonok and the Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the OMON “Baltika” (on transport), a member of the St. Petersburg city branch of “Combat Brotherhood” Vadim Matveyev. They warned about the danger and consequences of thoughtless actions that young people can commit at the very beginning of their independent life. They explained in what situations one should be vigilant and careful so as not to harm their future.

    At the end of the lesson, youth workers from the Harmony Volunteer Projects Center, rescuers and first aid instructors Violetta Lee and Tatyana Plekhanova talked about what volunteering in the Emergencies Ministry is, and invited people to join their work and participate in collecting humanitarian aid.

    Arina Puchkova, head of the student fire and rescue squad “Pyotr Velikiy”, also spoke. She reported that the squad is part of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps, whose main activity is assistance in eliminating emergency situations, and announced that a new recruitment will soon be taking place: those who wish can join.

    Photo archive

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/student_life/safety-above-all-junior-year-students-of-Polytechnic-explained-how-to-avoid-problems/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: New Report Shows 4.2 Million Entrepreneurs Get Health Insurance Through the ACA  Marketplaces

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Congressional Republican efforts to repeal the ACA would have a devastating impact on small businesses across the country
    President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and their administration has driven the uninsured rate to the lowest point in history. New data released today by the Treasury Department illustrates just how critical those steps have been to America’s small businesses – and how devastating it would be if Congressional Republicans succeed in their efforts to repeal the ACA, roll back protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and increase American’s health care costs by failing to extend the ACA premium tax credits that President Biden and Vice President Harris passed, that are lowering health care costs by hundreds of dollars per year for millions of Americans. The fact is that millions of small business owners would lose health insurance if the ACA is repealed. Statement from the President: “Every time someone starts a new small business, it’s an act of hope and confidence in our economy. Thanks to my and Vice President Harris’s work to protect and build on the Affordable Care Act, more Americans have the freedom to start small businesses and chase their dreams – without having to worry about how they receive health insurance for their family. As a result, more Americans – and more small business owners – have signed up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace than ever before. That’s 618,590 small business owners in Florida, 450,010 in California, 423,790 in Texas, and 168,070 in Georgia who have benefited from this quality, affordable health coverage. Congressional Republicans have a different vision and have voted more than 50 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Their agenda would strip millions of small business owners of their health coverage, gut protections for pre-existing conditions, and threaten the small business boom seen under my Administration. Vice President Harris and I won’t let it happen on our watch.” Statement for the Vice President: “Small business owners and entrepreneurs are the engine of America’s economy. We are ensuring small businesses have access to affordable health care so they can focus on starting and growing businesses, not on whether they can afford health coverage. I’m proud that over 4 million small business owners and self-employed workers have coverage through the ACA, up from 3.3 million in 2022. I will always support small businesses and invest in entrepreneurs by strengthening and expanding the ACA, and by rejecting Republican efforts to repeal it.” The Treasury Department’s report shows that 4.2 million small business owners and self-employed workers have coverage through the ACA Marketplaces, up from 3.3 million in 2022 and 1.4 million in 2014.  In fact, entrepreneurs are about three times as likely as other Americans to have health insurance in the Marketplace, with nearly 1 in 5 getting coverage there. The vast majority of these entrepreneurs – 82% in 2022 – claim the ACA premium tax credit to reduce their cost of coverage by an average of about $700 each year. The ACA was designed to finally provide a reliable source of health insurance for people who don’t get coverage through their jobs – after decades of facing high health care prices or outright coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions – and this report makes clear that system is working to support American entrepreneurship. Ensuring American small business owners can access affordable health insurance is yet another example of the many ways that the Biden-Harris Administration has supported a small business boom.  Since President Biden took office, Americans have filed more than 19 million new business applications, the most on record. This small business boom has been powered by landmark investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and domestic manufacturing made through the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda, expanding access to capital and enabling all-time high levels of federal contracting with small businesses But Congressional Republicans continue their efforts to strip this progress away.  They have voted more than 50 times to repeal the ACA. They continue advance proposals that would strip coverage away, and undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Millions of America’s small businesses owners and self-employed workers would find their health insurance disrupted if those plans succeed. And their plan to end the expansion of the ACA premium tax credits would raise taxes and heath care costs for millions of small business owners, including middle-class small business owners. Unlike Congressional Republicans, President Biden and Vice President Harris have committed to never raising taxes on households making less than $400,000, and are fighting to extend the premium tax credit enhancements. Number of small businesses owners and self-employed workers with Marketplace coverage in each state in 2022: 
    State
    Entrepreneurs with Marketplace Coverage
    State
    Entrepreneurs with Marketplace Coverage
    AK
    4,820
    MT
    12,500
    AL
    49,020
    NC
    134,260
    AR
    18,490
    ND
    7,550
    AZ
    41,550
    NE
    23,240
    CA
    450,010
    NH
    14,650
    CO
    42,750
    NJ
    72,890
    CT
    28,340
    NM
    8,860
    DC
    4,120
    NV
    24,350
    DE
    6,200
    NY
    59,200
    FL
    618,590
    OH
    51,520
    GA
    168,070
    OK
    39,040
    HI
    8,060
    OR
    34,200
    IA
    18,740
    PA
    88,700
    ID
    13,880
    RI
    6,230
    IL
    76,920
    SC
    59,160
    IN
    32,650
    SD
    9,770
    KS
    23,870
    TN
    66,270
    KY
    16,480
    TX
    423,790
    LA
    26,780
    UT
    36,320
    MA
    50,130
    VA
    66,110
    MD
    38,240
    VT
    7,170
    ME
    15,460
    WA
    53,130
    MI
    65,490
    WI
    45,790
    MN
    25,730
    WV
    5,040
    MO
    56,070
    WY
    7,120
    MS
    27,130
    Other
    1,100
    Total
    3,285,550

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Vets Market Investigation: CMA updates on ‘behind the scenes’ progress

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The CMA updates on information gathering and announces the appointment of a new advisory panel made up of 2 veterinary nurses and 4 veterinary surgeons.

    iStock

    In May 2024, the CMA confirmed its decision to launch a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK and published tips to help pet owners better navigate vet services.

    There are 16 million pet owners in the UK and the unprecedented response – from the public and veterinary professionals – showed the strength of feeling on this issue. With this in mind, the CMA is updating on the work going on behind the scenes to deepen the Inquiry Group’s understanding of the issues. The Group, made up of independent experts and chaired by Martin Coleman, has been carrying out the investigation, supported and advised by CMA staff.

    In July, the CMA published an issues statement which set out the scope of the investigation and the areas being explored – including the information pet owners receive when deciding on treatment options or making purchases, competition between vet practices, the profitability of different types of vet practices, and the regulatory framework which underpins the sector.

    The CMA has used and will continue to use its formal powers to gather information, examine concerns in more depth and be in a position to shape any remedies, if needed, to address them.

    The Inquiry Group has so far conducted:

    • Site visits: Over the summer members of the Inquiry Group and the case team have visited 20 different sites to talk to veterinary professionals to understand their work. These ‘behind the scenes’ visits happened across the UK – in Belfast, Edinburgh, Swansea, and various locations across England – and included visits to ‘first opinion’ local vet practices, veterinary hospitals, referral centres and practices that provide out-of-hours care. The team visited sites owned by larger corporate groups and several independently owned veterinary businesses, where they spoke to a range of veterinary professionals and observed several treatments and procedures first hand – including consultations, surgical procedures, and animal dentistry.
    • Roundtables: The CMA has held roundtable discussions with veterinary professionals at various stages of their careers, and representatives from animal charities. In-person roundtables were held in Edinburgh, Manchester, Swansea, and 4 virtual roundtables, to capture views on a variety of topics including the challenges faced by vets, how the sector has developed over the last 10 years, interactions with pet owners as well as costs and pricing. Roundtables with consumer groups will be held shortly.
    • Teach-ins: Various organisations in the veterinary sector have presented their views to the CMA at ‘teach-in’ sessions and shared how the veterinary market works, their concerns about the investigation and how regulation is working. Participants included the large corporate vet groups, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the British Veterinary Association, and the British Veterinary Nursing Association.

    The CMA has also used its formal information gathering powers to require vets and vet businesses to provide large amounts of information about the way their businesses operate. This information is being analysed and will be an important part of the evidence relied on in the investigation.

    Today, the CMA is also announcing the appointment of its veterinary advisory panel whose purpose is to provide the Inquiry Group with clinical and practical insight and analysis on an ad hoc basis throughout the course of the investigation. It is comprised of two veterinary nurses and four veterinary surgeons.

    The advisory panel’s insight will help ensure the Group is fully informed on day-to-day matters when it comes to make its decisions, including but not limited to:

    • Operation of veterinary practices – including roles and relationships between veterinary professionals, other staff, and other related organisations
    • Interaction with pet owners – including how owners’ decisions might be informed in different treatment/service situations, communicating recommendations and potential costs, and how those in different professional roles within a vet practice may engage with customers
    • Clinical practice – such as possible treatment options for defined conditions or illnesses of household pets
    • Regulation – including the operation and application of regulations and regulatory bodies

    Martin Coleman, Chair of the Inquiry Group said:

    We know our investigation really matters to pet owners who are worried about costs and vet professionals who want to provide good care, which is why we’re updating on how this work is unfolding. I’m pleased with the progress we have made so far; we’re on target to make our provisional decision by the middle of next year.

    This is far more than a paper exercise – hands-on site visits, teach-ins and roundtables are helping us build a true picture of how vet services operate day-to-day and where the challenges lie. Our new advisory panel – made up of practicing vet nurses and surgeons – will also bring immeasurable experience to the process, all of which will help us make well-informed decisions and reach the right conclusions.

    The next steps are set out in the administrative timetable on the vets case page.

    Notes to editors:

    1. For information, brief biographies of each member of the advisory panel have been published online.
    2. The site visits took place across the UK – in Belfast, Edinburgh, Swansea, and several locations in England including Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, East and West London, Greater Manchester, Somerset, and Surrey.
    3. The 6 large corporate vet groups in the UK are IVC, CVS, Medivet, Pets at Home, Linnaeus, and Vet Partners which together account for 60% of the market.  There are also around 350 smaller chains and a much larger number of independently owned practices. Sources: RCVS, IVC, CVS, Pets At Home, Medivet, Linnaeus – correct as of Oct 2023.
    4. Read more about the CMA and its predecessors’ market investigations work here: Market investigations: 75 years of UK experience – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
    5. For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office on 020 3738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk.
    6. All enquiries from the public should be directed to the CMA’s General Enquiries team on general.enquiries@cma.gov.uk or by phone on 020 3738 6000.

    Updates to this page

    Published 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 2024 final registers of electors/voters for geographical/functional constituencies and Election Committee subsectors released today

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The 2024 final registers of electors/voters for geographical constituencies (GCs), functional constituencies (FCs) and Election Committee subsectors (ECSSs) were released today (September 25).

         “A total of 4 210 384 electors are carried in the final register for GCs. The final register for FCs contains 190 016 individual electors and 8 141 corporate electors, comprising a total of 198 157. The final register for ECSSs contains 3 267 individual voters and 5 389 corporate voters, adding up to a total of 8 656,” a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said.

         Statistical information about these final registers of electors/voters has been uploaded to the voter registration website (vr.gov.hk).

         Notices on the inspection of the final registers of electors/voters were gazetted today. According to law, a copy of registers containing entries relating to individuals may only be shown in accordance with the statutory requirements, and made available for inspection by specified persons only. A copy of registers containing entries of corporate electors/voters (i.e. without entries relating to individuals) may be inspected by any member of the public. For details and arrangements regarding the inspection, please refer to www.reo.gov.hk/en/voter/checkvrstatus/registers.html.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU Blue Card will promote highly qualified labour immigration

    Source: Government of Sweden

    EU Blue Card will promote highly qualified labour immigration – Government.se

    Please enable javascript in your browser

    Ministers on this page who have changed areas of responsibility

    Between 18 October 2022 and 10 September 2024 he was Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

    Ministers on this page who have changed areas of responsibility

    Between 18 October 2022 and 10 September 2024 he was Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

    Press release from Ministry of Justice

    Published

    The Government has presented a government bill to the Riksdag with proposals aimed at improving Sweden’s ability to attract and retain highly qualified workers.

    “The rules regarding highly qualified workers must be improved. Sweden must be an attractive country for highly qualified workers, and employers in highly qualified professional sectors must be sure that they can get the workers they need in time. This is an important part of the Government’s efforts to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness,” says Minister for Migration Johan Forssell.

    The proposals are aimed at implementing the new Blue Card Directive, which replaces the 2009 Blue Card Directive. An EU Blue Card is a combined residence and work permit that can be granted to foreign workers who have an employment contract for highly qualified positions in Sweden and who meet other conditions.

    In the bill, the Government proposes the legislative amendments needed to implement the new Blue Card Directive. The proposals aim to improve the ability to attract and retain highly qualified workers and facilitate their mobility within the EU, and include the following:

    • lowering the salary threshold to be granted an EU Blue Card and lowering the required period of employment to 6 months;
    • making more categories of workers eligible for an EU Blue Card;
    • expanding the possibilities of switching from other types of residence permit to an EU Blue Card; and
    • making it possible to switch to another highly qualified position without applying for a new EU Blue Card.

    It is proposed that the legislative amendments enter into force on 1 January 2025.

    Press contact

    Ministers on this page who have changed areas of responsibility

    Between 18 October 2022 and 10 September 2024 he was Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

    Ministers on this page who have changed areas of responsibility

    Between 18 October 2022 and 10 September 2024 he was Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova: Within the framework of new national projects, the Government will continue to work on modernizing children’s healthcare

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova welcomed the participants of the first All-Russian forum “Children’s Health – Russia’s National Priority”.

    Dear colleagues!

    Today, the first All-Russian forum “Children’s Health – Russia’s National Priority” begins its work in Moscow. And I wholeheartedly welcome the participants, organizers, and guests of this major professional event.

    Tatyana Golikova greeted the participants of the first All-Russian forum “Children’s Health – Russia’s National Priority”

    12 hours ago

    For leading scientists and doctors from different regions of the country, this is an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues, exchange experiences, and outline new paths for joint activities.

    Your forum is taking place in a significant year for the country – the Year of the Family.

    We pay special attention to preserving and improving children’s health. It is important that every child has access to medical care, no matter where they live – in the city or in the countryside. Families and parents of children must be confident that the state will always provide them with help and support, surround them with attention. To this end, within the framework of new national projects, the Government will continue to work on modernizing children’s healthcare, strengthening the medical infrastructure, updating the material and technical base of perinatal centers, children’s clinics and hospitals, as well as creating a healthy environment around children, developing healthy lifestyle skills in them.

    Particular attention will be paid to the introduction of modern technologies for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and medical rehabilitation of children, the creation of new drugs designed for convenient and comfortable administration by the child.

    I am confident that discussions of the medical and scientific community, experts of various profiles will allow us to develop specific measures that will help the modern development of children’s healthcare, maintaining the health of millions of our young citizens.

    I wish all participants fruitful work, constructive communication and success.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/52790/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mismatch between ambitious targets and demand and investment needs for hydrogen – E-001730/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001730/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Beatrice Timgren (ECR), Charlie Weimers (ECR), Dick Erixon (ECR)

    The EU’s plan to invest billions of euro[1] in boosting renewable hydrogen fuel is being questioned by a recent European Court of Auditors report. The report highlights a mismatch between the ambitious targets set by the Commission and the actual demand and investment needs for hydrogen, suggesting that the strategy is politically driven rather than based on robust analysis.

    In light of this, the following questions arise:

    • 1.Reassessment and risk mitigation: According to the report, actual demand for hydrogen is expected to be significantly lower than the Commission’s targets, necessitating a reassessment and adjustment of the hydrogen strategy to reflect realistic market demand projections. Considering the Court’s warning about the EU’s high-risk exposure, what steps are being taken to mitigate these risks and ensure a balanced approach?
    • 2.Taxpayer protection: What measures are in place to protect taxpayers from potential financial losses if significant investments in hydrogen and projects like Northvolt do not yield the expected returns?[2][3]
    • 3.Climate benefit evaluation: How does the Commission evaluate the actual climate benefits of producing green steel and batteries (using imported raw materials) in Sweden compared to other potential green initiatives?[4][5]

    Submitted: 17.9.2024

    • [1] ‘For the 2021-2027 period, total EU funding for hydrogen-related projects is currently estimated at EUR 18.8 billion, mostly funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.’ Special report 11/2024 on the EU’s industrial policy on renewable hydrogen: https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2024-11/SR-2024-11_EN.pdf.
    • [2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_224.
    • [3] https://www.eib.org/en/projects/all/20220461.
    • [4] https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2024-015-eib-and-nib-to-provide-eur371-million-with-investeu-backing-for-h2-green-steel-s-large-scale-production-of-steel-with-minimal-carbon-footprint.
    • [5] https://www.eib.org/fr/projects/all/20200902.
    Last updated: 25 September 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Launch of the national program to combat foot rot

    MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

    Source: Switzerland – Canton Government of Geneva in French

    On October 1, the Consumer Affairs and Veterinary Service (SCAV) will begin inspections on all sheep farms in the canton of Geneva. This is part of the new program to combat foot rot, a disease that causes painful lesions on the hooves of affected animals.

    Designed by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), in collaboration with the main associations in the sector, the program aims to reduce the presence of this disease to less than 1% of Swiss farms, compared to around 25% currently. It will last a maximum of 5 years.

    Although this disease does not pose any risk to human health and does not affect the quality of the meat or milk produced by these animals, the fight against this sheep pathology responds to a problem of improving animal welfare. It will also help to minimize the economic impact of this epizootic on the canton’s sheep farms.

    The success of this programme will depend entirely on the good cooperation of sheep farmers with the veterinary services, due to the health treatments they will have to carry out, compliance with the immobilization measures that may be imposed and the rigour of biosecurity practices on their farms.

    More information:

    Fight against foot rot – ge.chFighting foot rot throughout Switzerland – admin.chFoot rot – admin.chOSAV press release – admin.ch

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI: NexQloud to Compete in Blockchain Life 2024 Startup Pitch: Showcasing Decentralized Cloud Computing

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexQloud, a trailblazer in decentralized cloud computing, is set to participate in the Blockchain Life 2024 Startup Pitch competition in Dubai. This prestigious competition, held as part of the Blockchain Life forum, is one of the largest global platforms for blockchain, Web3, and cryptocurrency projects, attracting over 10,000 attendees from 120+ countries. NexQloud will compete on the main stage, presenting its groundbreaking decentralized cloud technology to top-tier venture funds, investors, and industry experts. With over 10,000 attendees expected from more than 120 countries, Blockchain Life is one of the world’s largest forums for blockchain, Web3, and cryptocurrency.

    The Startup Pitch offers NexQloud a prime opportunity to demonstrate its decentralized cloud platform and how it leverages unused computing power from everyday devices to build a secure, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional cloud computing.

    Competing for Investment and Recognition

    The Blockchain Life Startup Pitch competition is designed to spotlight innovative blockchain and cryptocurrency projects with the potential to transform industries. Participants are evaluated based on their relevance, business model, feasibility, and team competency, with winners gaining significant attention from investors and key players in the blockchain space. Past winners have seen remarkable growth, including companies that have secured major investments following their participation.

    “We’re thrilled to take part in the Startup Pitch, where we will showcase how NexQloud’s decentralized cloud platform not only reduces operational costs by up to 30%, but also lowers CO2 emissions by up to 40%. These reductions are based on our internal testing against conventional data center models,” said Mauro Terrinoni, CEO of NexQloud. “This event offers us the chance to present our solution to a highly engaged audience of investors and decision-makers.”

    Positioning for Growth in a Trillion-Dollar Market

    The global cloud computing market is forecasted to surpass $1 trillion by 2027, according to BusinessWire. NexQloud’s decentralized model places the company in a strong position to capitalize on this growth. With its unique use of blockchain and tokenomics, NexQloud aims to attract the attention from both investors and hardware contributors. The company’s NXQ token—with a capped supply of 21 million—mirrors successful early blockchain models like Bitcoin, presenting investors with an attractive long-term value proposition.

    About NexQloud

    NexQloud’s platform harnesses the power of its proprietary layer one blockchain to deliver decentralized cloud services that meet the rising demand for more affordable, secure, and environmentally friendly computing solutions. By tapping into idle computing resources from devices across the globe, NexQloud transforms unused capacity into a powerful, distributed cloud network. This decentralized approach not only ensures exceptional efficiency and reliability but also cuts costs and reduces environmental impact. NexQloud’s innovative system creates a scalable cloud infrastructure that is both economically and ecologically sustainable, offering businesses a smarter, greener alternative to traditional cloud providers.

    Contact:
    Name: Mauro Terrinoni, CEO
    Email: mterrinoni@nexqloud.io
    Company Name: NexQloud
    Website: nexqloud.io
    Contact number: +1 669 241 0916

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf032a4e-b9ed-4764-b938-6bb9f4613f5c

    The MIL Network –