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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 9747 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    Division A would provide for the continuation, through December 20, 2024, of the appropriations and authorities contained in the 12 regular appropriation acts for 2024, which were contained in divisions A through F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-42) and divisions A through F of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47). Estimates are annualized—that is, estimated as if appropriations were provided for the entire fiscal year.

    Division B would revise the phase-in period for payment changes for Medicare clinical laboratory tests,   provide additional funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund, and extend the authorization of several health and veteran programs. CBO’s estimates of the budgetary effects of division B are summarized in Table 2. In keeping with title IV of division B, and at the direction of the House and Senate Budget Committees, that division is considered authorizing legislation and its budgetary effects are subject to pay-as-you-go procedures.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Health Students Volunteer for a Heart Healthy Cause

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    “It was an extremely great turnout with over 300 walkers. We raised over $62,000!” reports Ire Opayemi, a medical student at UConn School of Medicine in the Class of 2025 who is pursuing a dual MD/MPH degree. “I think it was a great show of how much UConn Health students are involved in the community which we serve and how we’re spreading awareness of CHD.”

    Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common type of birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 1 in 100 babies each year. Despite this prevalence, CHD research and programs are severely underfunded.

    The UConn Health students participated in the 1-mile walk around downtown West Hartford. The Connecticut Walk for 1 in 100 was one of 15 similar events ACHA is hosting nationwide this year to raise funds for greater family and community outreach, education, and research.

    “The Adult Congenital Heart Association is an incredible organization that has done so much for the community by providing vital education and support groups for those living with congenital heart disease. As UConn medical and dental students, we’re working to show that we care deeply about those living with congenital heart disease and are committed to increasing awareness within the broader community,” shared UConn’s Opayemi.

    He added, “We’re also aiming to enhance providers’ understanding of congenital heart disease, inspiring some to specialize in this field and ensuring that all have the experience to connect with and relate to these patients in their care. This year, we’ve seen tremendous engagement, not just from students but from the local community as well. We’re all coming together to show we truly care about supporting and empowering people with congenital heart disease.”

    Funds generated from the Connecticut Walk support the ACHA Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Accreditation Program, which is working to elevate and standardize care for the ACHD population nationwide. In addition, Walk for 1 in 100 helps to fund cutting-edge medical research, advocacy efforts and various educational and outreach initiatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Browning Man of Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in Death of Man on Blackfeet Indian Reservation

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    GREAT FALLS — A federal jury on Thursday found a Browning man guilty of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a man in his home on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

    After a three-day trial that began on Sept. 17, the jury found the defendant, Douglas Darren Malatare, 59, guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl as charged in an indictment. Malatare faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release on the distribution charge and a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release on the possession charge.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court set sentencing for Jan. 22, 2025. Malatare was detained pending further proceedings.

    “Fentanyl is our nation’s deadliest illicit drug threat, as it is devastating families and communities. And we are fiercely determined to hold accountable those who are responsible for such devastation, especially when one’s drug trafficking results in another’s death. Malatare poisoned the Blackfeet reservation and made thousands of dollars doing it, including costing the victim his life. I applaud the jury for holding Malatare accountable and am relieved Malatare will no longer be poisoning the streets of Browning and the surrounding area,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

    In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on Nov. 19, 2022, the mother of the victim, John Doe, with whom she shared a residence, found him deceased in his bathroom. Doe was 49 years old when he died, and his body showed no obvious signs of cause of death. Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and the Glacier County coroner investigated. In Doe’s bedroom, law enforcement found blue powder and a straw on top of a dresser. Doe’s mother reported that Doe had been at the residence the evening before. That evening, Doe’s friend, Malatare, had visited with Doe outside the residence. Doe and his mother then had dinner, during which she noticed Doe had a hard time staying awake. Doe’s mother found him unresponsive in the bathroom. Forensic testing and an autopsy conducted on Doe’s body showed that he had fentanyl in his blood and urine. Ibuprofen and hydrocodone also were detected in his body. A medical examiner concluded that Doe had died of acute fentanyl intoxication.

    The government further alleged that a law enforcement search of Doe’s cell phone found a text exchange between Doe and Malatare the evening Doe overdosed. The exchange included:

    Malatare to Doe: “Catch up with you lil bit bro, you looking.”

    Doe to Malatare: “Yeah, I’ll be home. Just got off work. I can only afford half if you can stop by.”

    An investigation determined that beginning in at least September 2022, an individual named “Doug,” and later identified as Malatare, was bringing fentanyl from Washington to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and that Malatare made several quick trips back and forth to Washington between September and December 2022. On Dec. 17, 2022, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services stopped Malatare for speeding and used a K-9 to conduct a sniff search on the car. The K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. Law enforcement seized the car and obtained a search warrant. Officers searched a fanny pack before allowing Malatare to possess it and found a bag of blue and white pills that they suspected contained fentanyl. In a search of the vehicle, officers found a quantity of multi-colored fentanyl pills in the back seat behind a middle armrest. They also recovered a digital scale and multiple rolls of U.S. currency.  An analysis determined both the multi-colored pills and blue and white pills contained fentanyl. In total, the Drug Enforcement Administration lab found more than 600 fentanyl pills. A witness told law enforcement that Malatare was bragging that he purchased the pills for $2 per pill in Washington and sold them for $50 to $60 per pill in Montana. The pills seized from Malatare had an estimated street value of more than $30,000. 

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, DEA, and FBI conducted the investigation.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: AMMO, Inc. Appoints New Chief Financial Officer and Provides Corporate Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paul Kasowski, Who Has Served as Chief Compliance and Transformation Officer, Named New Chief Financial Officer

    The Board of Directors Has Retained Independent Advisors to Support an Investigation Into Financial Reporting for Fiscal Years 2020-2023

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMMO, Inc. (Nasdaq: POWW, POWWP) (“AMMO” or the “Company”), the owner of GunBroker.com, the largest online marketplace serving the firearms and shooting sports industries, and a leading vertically integrated producer of high-performance ammunition and components, today announced that Paul Kasowski, who has served as the Company’s Chief Compliance and Transformation Officer, has been appointed by AMMO’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) as the Company’s new Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Kasowski succeeds Rob Wiley, who resigned on September 19, 2024 at the request of the Board.

    After due consideration, the Company’s Board determined that Mr. Kasowski possesses the requisite experience and qualifications to serve as CFO. Mr. Kasowski most recently served as Chief Compliance and Transformation Officer since January 2024.

    Jared Smith, AMMO’s Chief Executive Officer and Board member, commented:

    “Since my appointment as CEO in July 2023, I have prioritized laying a foundation for long-term value creation and helping AMMO mature as a public company. The appointment of Paul will support these efforts. He brings additive experience in a variety of areas, including enhancing margins, improving internal processes, and positioning businesses to transform.”

    Paul Kasowski Biography:

    Prior to joining the Company in January 2024, Mr. Kasowski held the role of SVP, Business Transformation for Kinder’s Seasonings & Sauces from January 2022 to July 2023 where he professionalized financial reporting and implemented margin improvement projects while building a winning culture for this high growth brand. Previously, from December 2020 to December 2021, he was CFO for Arizona Natural Resources, a privately owned manufacturer of premium beauty care products where he oversaw finance, accounting, IT, HR, planning and sourcing. Mr. Kasowski also held the role of VP, Financial Planning & Analysis from April 2019 to December 2020 for Igloo Products Corp., a manufacturer of coolers and hydration products based in Katy, TX. From 2003 to 2019, he held progressing roles in finance, strategy, and operations for Del Monte Foods and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. Mr. Kasowski earned his M.S. in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, MBA from Ohio University, and B.S. in Finance from Robert Morris University.

    Independent Investigation Into Historical Financial Statements

    As disclosed in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2024, a Special Sub-Committee of the Nominations and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors has retained a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the Company’s internal control over financial reporting for the fiscal years 2020 through 2023. The independent investigation is in its early stages and is focused on fiscal years 2020 through 2023.

    The Company does not plan to comment further until the completion of the investigation.

    About AMMO, Inc.

    With its corporate offices headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, AMMO designs and manufactures products for a variety of aptitudes, including law enforcement, military, sport shooting and self-defense. The Company was founded in 2016 with a vision to change, innovate and invigorate the complacent munitions industry. AMMO promotes branded munitions as well as its patented STREAK™ Visual Ammunition, /stelTH/™ subsonic munitions, and specialty rounds for military use via government programs. For more information, please visit: www.ammo-inc.com.

    About GunBroker

    GunBroker is the largest online marketplace dedicated to firearms, hunting, shooting and related products. Aside from merchandise bearing its logo, GunBroker currently sells none of the items listed on its website. Third-party sellers list items on the site and Federal and state laws govern the sale of firearms and other restricted items. Ownership policies and regulations are followed using licensed firearms dealers as transfer agents. Launched in 1999, the GunBroker.com website is an informative, secure and safe way to buy and sell firearms, ammunition, air guns, archery equipment, knives and swords, firearms accessories and hunting/shooting gear online. GunBroker promotes responsible ownership of guns and firearms. For more information, visit: www.gunbroker.com.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This document contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words like “may,” “will,” “likely,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “future,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “goal,” “seek,” “estimate,” “project,” “continue,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of the business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the dates they are made. You should, however, consult further disclosures and risk factors we include in Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports filed on Form 8-K.

    Contacts

    For media:
    Longacre Square Partners
    Joe Householder, (646) 582-3643
    AMMO@longacresquare.com

    For investors:
    Matt Blazei
    CoreIR
    Phone: (516) 386-0430
    IR@ammo-inc.com

    Source: AMMO, Inc.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Nasdaq Announces Mid-Month Open Short Interest Positions in Nasdaq Stocks as of Settlement Date September 13, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At the end of the settlement date of September 13, 2024, short interest in 3,057 Nasdaq Global MarketSM securities totaled 12,241,625,467 shares compared with 12,296,040,928 shares in 3,037 Global Market issues reported for the prior settlement date of August 30, 2024. The mid-September short interest represents 3.06 days compared with 3.38 days for the prior reporting period.

    Short interest in 1,670 securities on The Nasdaq Capital MarketSM totaled 2,107,947,669 shares at the end of the settlement date of September 13, 2024, compared with 2,103,446,709 shares in 1,668 securities for the previous reporting period. This represents a 1.34 day average daily volume; the previous reporting period’s figure was 1.27.

    In summary, short interest in all 4,727 Nasdaq® securities totaled 14,349,573,136 shares at the September 13, 2024 settlement date, compared with 4,705 issues and 14,399,487,637 shares at the end of the previous reporting period. This is 2.57 days average daily volume, compared with an average of 2.72 days for the prior reporting period.

    The open short interest positions reported for each Nasdaq security reflect the total number of shares sold short by all broker/dealers regardless of their exchange affiliations. A short sale is generally understood to mean the sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale that is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by or for the account of the seller.

    For more information on Nasdaq Short interest positions, including publication dates, visit
    http://www.nasdaq.com/quotes/short-interest.aspx
    or http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/asp/short_interest.asp.

    About Nasdaq:
    Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions, and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com. 

    Media Contact:
    Jennifer Lawson
    jennifer.lawson@nasdaq.com

    A graph accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea6c93d1-befd-4bc5-88a7-0ac3aaa2dcbf

    NDAQO

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Dutton’s nuclear plan would mean propping up coal for at least 12 more years – and we don’t know what it would cost

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute

    Opposition leader Peter Dutton has revealed the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan relies on many of Australia’s coal-fired power stations running for at least another 12 years – far beyond the time frame officials expect the ageing facilities to last.

    The claim has set off a new round of speculation over the Coalition’s plans – the viability of which has already been widely questioned by energy analysts.

    Dutton offered up limited detail in a speech on Monday. He also revealed the plan relies on ramping up Australia’s gas production.

    It seems increasingly clear the Coalition’s nuclear policy would prolong Australia’s reliance on coal, at a time when the world is rapidly moving to cleaner sources of power.

    Coal: old and tired

    The Coalition wants to build nuclear reactors on the sites of closed coal plants. It says the first reactors could come online by the mid-2030s. However, independent analysis shows the earliest they could be built is the 2040s.

    Now it appears the Coalition’s plan involves relying on coal to provide electricity while nuclear reactors are being built. On Monday, Dutton suggested coal-fired electricity would be available into the 2030s and ‘40s.

    But this is an overly optimistic reading of coal’s trajectory. The Australian Energy Market Operator says 90% of coal-fired power in the National Electricity Market will close by 2035.

    All this suggests the Coalition plans to extend the life of existing coal plants. But this is likely to cost money. Australia’s coal-fired power stations are old and unreliable – that’s why their owners want to shut them down. To keep plants open means potentially operating them at a loss, while having to invest in repairs and upgrades.

    This is why coal plant owners sought, and received, payments from state governments to delay exits when the renewables rollout began falling behind schedule.

    So who would wear the cost of delaying coal’s retirement? It might be energy consumers if state governments decide to recoup the costs via electricity bills. Or it could be taxpayers, through higher taxes, reduced services or increased government borrowing. In other words, we will all have to pay, just from different parts of our personal budgets.

    Labor’s energy plan also relies on continued use of coal. Dutton pointed to moves by the New South Wales and Victorian governments to extend the life of coal assets in those states. For example, the NSW Labor government struck a deal with Origin to keep the Eraring coal station open for an extra two years, to 2027.

    However, this is a temporary measure to keep the electricity system reliable because the renewables build is behind schedule. It is not a defining feature of the plan.

    Eraring was given a two year extension.

    New transmission is essential under either plan

    Dutton claims Labor’s renewable energy transition will require a massive upgrade to transmission infrastructure. The transmission network largely involves high-voltage lines and towers, and transformers.

    He claims the Coalition can circumvent this cost by building nuclear power plants on seven sites of old coal-fired power stations, and thus use existing transmission infrastructure.

    Labor’s shift to renewable energy does require new transmission infrastructure, to get electricity from far-flung wind and solar farms to towns and cities. It’s also true that building nuclear power stations at the site of former coal plants would, in theory, make use of existing transmission lines, although the owners of some of these sites have firmly declined the opportunity.

    But even if the Coalition’s nuclear plan became a reality, new transmission infrastructure would be needed.

    Australia’s electricity demand is set to surge in coming decades as we move to electrify our homes, transport and heavy industry. This will require upgrades to transmission infrastructure, because it will have to carry more electricity. Many areas of the network are already at capacity.

    So in reality, both Labor’s and the Coalition’s policies are likely to require substantial spending on transmission.

    Gas is not an easy answer

    Both Labor and the Coalition acknowledge a big role for gas in their respective plans.

    Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says gas, along with storage, is needed to help back up to the grid, when solar and wind farms are not producing electricity.

    Dutton spoke of plans “to ramp up domestic gas production” in the short term, “to get power prices down and restore stability to our grid” – presumably until nuclear comes online.

    But the issue isn’t a lack of gas. It’s that the gas is in the wrong places. There’s a gas shortage because southern reserves are declining and all the gas production is in the north of the continent.

    An increased role for gas means getting someone to pay for new infrastructure, such as pipelines or LNG terminals. That will make for expensive gas, and expensive gas means expensive electricity.

    Many unanswered questions

    It’s now three months since the Coalition released its nuclear strategy. Detail was thin then – and Monday’s speech shed little light.

    Many unanswered questions remain – chief among them, costings of the nuclear plan, and how much of that will be born by government. CSIRO says a nuclear reactor would cost at least A$8.6 billion.

    We also don’t know how the Coalition would acquire the sites, or get around nuclear bans in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

    We still don’t know how the Coalition plans to keep the lights on in the coming decade, as coal exits.

    And crucially, we don’t know what it will cost households and businesses. It is unlikely to be cheap.

    Alison Reeve does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article. Since 2008, Grattan Institute has been supported in its work by government, corporations, and philanthropic gifts. A full list of supporters is published at www.grattan.edu.au.

    – ref. Dutton’s nuclear plan would mean propping up coal for at least 12 more years – and we don’t know what it would cost – https://theconversation.com/duttons-nuclear-plan-would-mean-propping-up-coal-for-at-least-12-more-years-and-we-dont-know-what-it-would-cost-239720

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The design tricks keeping your kids hooked on games and apps – and 3 things you can do about it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Zomer, Associate Research Fellow at the Centre of the Digital Child, Deakin University

    This article is part of a series on the great internet letdown. Read the rest of the series.

    Ever found yourself unable to resist checking out a social media notification? Or sending a random picture just to keep a Snapchat “streak” going? Or simply getting stuck staring at YouTube because it auto-played yet another cute cat video?

    If so, you’re far from alone. And if we adults can’t resist such digital temptations, how can we expect children to do any better?

    Many digital environments are not designed with the best interest of users in mind – and this is especially true of games, apps and platforms commonly used by kids and teens.

    Designers use persuasive design techniques to make users spend more time on apps or platforms, so they can make more money selling ads. Below, we explain some of the most common design tricks used in popular games, social media and apps.

    Decision-making made easy 🔀

    Social media and streaming platforms strive to provide “seamless” user experiences. This makes it easy to stay engaged without needing to click anything very often, which also minimises any obvious opportunities where we might disengage.

    These seamless experiences include things such as auto-play when streaming videos, or “infinite scrolling” on social media. When algorithms present us with a steady flow of content, shaped by what we have liked or engaged with in the past, we must put in extra effort to stop watching. Unsurprisingly, we often decide to stay put.

    Rewards and dopamine hits 🧠

    Another way to keep children engaged is by using rewards, such as stars, diamonds, stickers, badges or other “points” in children’s apps. “Likes” on social media are no different.

    Rewards trigger the release of a chemical in our brains – dopamine – which not only makes us feel good but also leaves us wanting more.

    Rewards can be used to promote good behaviour, but not always. In some children’s apps, rewards are doubled if users watch advertisements.

    Loot boxes and ‘gambling’ 💰

    Variable rewards have been found to be especially effective. When you do not know when you will get a certain reward or desired item, you are more likely to keep going.

    In games, variable rewards can often be found (or purchased) in the form of “loot boxes”. Loot boxes might be chests, treasures, or stacks of cards containing a random reward. Because of the unpredictable reward, some researchers have described loot boxes as akin to gambling, even though the games do not always involve real money.

    Sometimes in-game currency (fake game money) can be bought with real money and used to “gamble” for rare characters and special items. This is very tempting for young people.

    In one of our (as yet unpublished) studies, a 12-year-old student admitted to spending several hundred dollars to obtain a desired character in the popular game Genshin Impact.

    The lure of streaks 🔥

    Another problematic way of using rewards in design is negative reinforcement. For instance, when you are at risk of a negative outcome (like losing something good), you feel compelled to continue a particular behaviour.

    “Streaks” work like this. If you do not do the same task for several days in a row, you will not get the extra rewards promised. Language learning app DuoLingo uses streaks, but so does Snapchat, a popular social media app. Research has shown a correlation between Snapchat streaks and problematic smartphone use among teens.

    Streaks can also make money for apps directly. If you miss a day and lose your streak, you can often pay to restore it.

    Loss of reputation 👎

    Reputation is important on social media. Think of the number of Facebook friends you have, or the number of likes your post receives.

    Sometimes designers build on our fear of losing our reputation. For instance, they can do this by adding a leaderboard that ranks users based on their score.

    While you may have heard of the use of leaderboards in games, they are also common in popular educational apps such as Kahoot! or Education Perfect. Leaderboards introduce an element of competition that many students enjoy.

    However, for some this competition has negative consequences – especially for those languishing low in the ranks.

    Similarly, Snapchat has a SnapScore where reputational loss is still at play. You do not want a lower score than your friends! This makes you want to keep using the app.

    Exploiting feelings of connection 🥰

    Another tool in the designers’ bag of tricks is capitalising on the emotional ties or connections users form with influencers or celebrities on social media, or favourite media characters (such as Elmo or Peppa pig) for younger children.

    While these connections can foster a sense of belonging, they can also be exploited for commercial gain, such as when influencers promote commercial products, or characters urge in-app purchases.

    What can parents do? 🤷

    Persuasive design isn’t inherently bad. Users want apps and games to be engaging, like we do for movies or TV shows. However, some design “tricks” simply serve commercial interests, often at the expense of users’ wellbeing.

    It is not all bleak, though. Here are a few steps parents can take to help kids stay on top of the apps:

    • have early and ongoing discussions with children about ideas such as the underlying commercial intent of what they are engaging with

    • model good digital choices of not giving in to persuasive design, such as by avoiding digital distractions yourself

    • use trustworthy resources to help in digital decision-making, such as Common Sense Media and Dark Pattern Games.

    For the moment, the responsibility for managing children’s interactions with the digital realm falls largely on individuals and families.

    Some governments are beginning to take action, but measures such as blanket age-based bans on social media or other platforms will only shield children temporarily. A better approach for governments and regulators would be to focus on safety by design: the idea that the safety and rights of users should be the starting point of any app, product or service, rather than an afterthought.

    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. The design tricks keeping your kids hooked on games and apps – and 3 things you can do about it – https://theconversation.com/the-design-tricks-keeping-your-kids-hooked-on-games-and-apps-and-3-things-you-can-do-about-it-239493

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Where do we stash the equivalent of 110 Sydney harbour bridges? That’s the conundrum Australia faces as oil and gas rigs close

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darryn Snell, Associate professor, School of Management, RMIT University

    James Jones Jr, Shutterstock

    Oil and gas wells are dotted off Australia’s shores. They involve huge steel structures fixed firmly to the sea floor, and thousands of kilometres of pipelines.

    Most of Australia’s offshore oil and gas projects will be decommissioned in the next 30 years – some in the next decade. An estimated 5.7 million tonnes of material will need to be removed – the equivalent of 110 Sydney harbour bridges.

    Australia desperately needs the skills and equipment to conduct these complex decommissioning operations. The Albanese government says a high-capacity decommissioning facility is required by the early 2030s. At present, no such facilities exist.

    We hope the nation welcomes the opportunity to build a new multi-billion dollar demolition and recycling industry, with skilled jobs for workers. Rather than letting companies abandon structures for so-called “artificial reefs”.

    What would a decommissioning industry look like?

    Australia has two main offshore oil and gas producing areas: the North West Shelf in Western Australia and the Bass Strait off Gippsland, Victoria.

    WA and the Northern Territory have 35 platforms, 11 floating facilities and 6,076km of pipelines offshore. Victoria has 22 platforms and 2,089km of pipelines. Altogether, more than a thousand wells will need to be plugged and abandoned.

    Many of these facilities have already reached the end of their lives, or soon will. Less demand for fossil fuels in the future means we don’t need to refurbish or extend them. The only other option is to decommission them.

    Federal law requires the complete removal of offshore oil and gas infrastructure and plugging of wells, unless companies can come up with a better option.

    About 60% of the material requiring removal is steel, which could be recycled. A further 25% is concrete. The remainder includes plastics, hazardous metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials.

    But decommissioning is expensive, complex and time consuming, and the weak regulations are poorly enforced. Companies often present proposals that fail to meet community expectations.

    The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility argues “further regulation is needed to ensure greater transparency, disclosure, and public consultation on decommissioning”.

    The Albanese government has been developing a plan for a decommissioning industry in Australia. It would be worth A$60 billion over the next 30 to 50 years.

    The industry would reclaim the materials and transport them to dismantling yards, for safe sorting and recycling. It would create highly skilled jobs, many of which overlap with skills needed for building offshore wind farms. These include:

    • electricians and mechanical fitters
    • specialist engineering roles
    • various management and contract management roles
    • health, safety and environmental specialists
    • specialist offshore operators, including for cranes and drilling activities.

    Currently only a few countries such as Norway and Turkiye have such dedicated decommissioning industries. Some also accept materials from oil and gas fields further afield. Scottish oil and gas rigs, for example, were controversially transported to Turkiye for dismantling and recycling in 2022-23.

    Plenty of work to be done

    In Gippsland, there may be ways to decommission not just offshore oil and gas, but also coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley, which are scheduled to close in coming years.

    Some 30,000 tonnes of steel and 65,000m³ of asbestos was removed when Hazelwood Power Station was demolished. A further 100,000 tonnes of steel and 100,000 tonnes of concrete was recycled.

    Much recycling work was done on site. This provided more than 1.1 million hours of work employment badly needed in a region that had lost one of its largest employers.

    The WA state government allocated $5 million to a local decommissioning industry in its 2022-23 budget. This funds the Centre of Decommissioning Australia’s research, including a study investigating how to develop a dismantling hub in WA.

    Unfortunately, Victoria has not shown similar interest. This is despite decommissioning work by Esso in Bass Strait raising ongoing community concerns. They relate to the marine environment, human safety – for fishing, beach and tourism activities – and the loss of other potential industry and job opportunities.

    Whether to remove oil and gas structures or leave them in place is hotly debated. Some people argue the structures should be left to serve as artificial reefs. Others say the material is dangerous and potentially toxic.

    Given the immense size and number of oil and gas platforms around the world, a lot of material could be left to decay in the oceans with unknown consequences.

    Gas in the Bass Strait is running out but what will happen to the offshore rigs? | 7.30.

    Challenges and opportunities

    Renewable energy promises to create jobs and revitalise many fossil-fuel dependent regions. Setting up a decommissioning industry in the oil and gas regions of WA and Victoria would provide further opportunities during the transition.

    Ideally, the decommissioning process would deliver positive social and environmental benefits, not just cost savings. But that requires managing decommissioning as part of policies aimed at supporting workers and communities to adjust to a low carbon economy.

    The Future Made in Australia policy, for instance, could consider including support for a decommissioning industry.

    Regulations for decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure must be strengthened. Environmental groups and unions are increasingly campaigning for these changes. Australia’s oil and gas companies are powerful and will likely resist further regulation.

    Abandoning oil and gas infrastructure on the ocean floor would result in lost opportunities for regions, communities and workers. It would also set a precedent for the dumping of yet more industrial waste into the ocean.

    We must get decommissioning right. Otherwise, it may prove another environmental harm imposed on the planet by the oil and gas industry.

    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. Where do we stash the equivalent of 110 Sydney harbour bridges? That’s the conundrum Australia faces as oil and gas rigs close – https://theconversation.com/where-do-we-stash-the-equivalent-of-110-sydney-harbour-bridges-thats-the-conundrum-australia-faces-as-oil-and-gas-rigs-close-235867

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Humanity needs more rare earth elements. Extinct volcanoes could be a rich new source

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Anenburg, Research Fellow in Earth Sciences, Australian National University

    Phawat/Shutterstock

    Extinct volcanoes are hard to study – we never see them erupt. Using a unique experimental technique, we were able to recreate a certain type of extinct volcano in a lab, learning more about the magma these volcanoes produce.

    We found that some rare magma types are surprisingly efficient at concentrating rare earth elements. This is a group of metals with crucial applications in several high-tech industries, such as magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

    Demand for rare earths is soaring as society moves away from fossil fuels and electrifies energy production and transport. Despite the name, rare earths aren’t particularly rare. The biggest challenge is finding rocks in which these metals are concentrated enough to be economically viable to extract.

    Our new research, published in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters, shows certain extinct volcanoes are a great place to look.

    Iron-rich magma in extinct volcanoes

    There is an enigmatic type of magma that contains unusually large amounts of iron. It is so rare, no eruptions featuring this type of magma have happened in recorded history.

    Instead, it is only known from extinct volcanoes that were active many millions of years ago.

    The most famous example of such a volcano is El Laco in Chile. Another notable example is Kiruna in Sweden, mined for iron ore for many decades. Last year, its operating company LKAB announced Kiruna as the largest rare earths resource in Europe.

    The discovery at Kiruna made us (and many others) wonder why there would be a rare earth resource at a volcanic iron mine. We already know of many other rock types containing rare earths, and none of them are like Kiruna and other extinct iron-rich volcanoes.

    Was this just a geological serendipity, or is there something inherent to iron-rich magmas that make them rare-earth rich, too? After all, many of those iron-rich extinct volcanoes are known, but no one ever bothered to check whether they have a rare earth resource in them.

    Additionally, iron-rich rocks are often easy to find because of their strong magnetic signal, despite their rarity. Should they be added to the target list of rare earth explorers?

    Recreating volcanism in a bottle

    To test this hypothesis, we used a machine called a piston cylinder. We put synthetic material akin to volcanic rocks and magmas into small capsules or “bottles” made of noble metals such as platinum. We then pressurised them to depths equivalent to 15 kilometres deep in Earth’s crust and heated them up to 1,100°C, melting them into a liquid.

    At these extreme conditions, we found the iron-rich magma exists as bubbles inside a more common magma type known from virtually all modern active volcanoes. The iron-rich magma absorbs rare earths from the surrounding liquid.

    These iron-rich bubbles will have a different density and viscosity, and will separate from their iron-poor environment, similar to how water and oil mixed together will eventually separate into distinct layers.

    Iron-rich magmas absorb the rare earths so efficiently, their rare earth contents are almost 200 times greater than the regular magmas around them.

    This means the discovery at Kiruna wasn’t an accident. It’s something we can expect from most, if not all, iron-rich volcanoes.

    An experimental platinum capsule (4 mm in length) containing round bubbles of iron-rich and iron-poor magma. The capsule also contains abundant iron oxide crystals in light grey and blue, similar to the material making the iron ore in active mines.
    Shengchao Yan

    Why do we need more rare earth deposits?

    Production of rare earth elements is concentrated in just a handful of countries – mostly China, along with the United States, Myanmar and Australia.

    Rare earths are therefore classified as “critical minerals”: they have important uses, but suffer from a supply chain risk due to geopolitical factors.

    As demand for rare earths has surged, this has led to substantial investment in research and exploration for additional deposits. The more deposits are known, the better industry can pick deposits that will yield rare earths at the lowest financial, environmental and societal cost.

    Extinct iron-rich volcanoes are often mined for iron ore. Our results indicate existing mines at such locations can potentially be modified to produce rare earths as well.

    This would be a positive outcome – an existing mining operation can gain additional value. In some cases, mine waste can be reprocessed to extract these critical metals. This would mean new mines for rare earth elements may not even be required, preventing unnecessary disruption of natural environments.

    Michael Anenburg receives funding from the Australian Research Council for an Industry Fellowship co-funded by BHP Olympic Dam.

    – ref. Humanity needs more rare earth elements. Extinct volcanoes could be a rich new source – https://theconversation.com/humanity-needs-more-rare-earth-elements-extinct-volcanoes-could-be-a-rich-new-source-239410

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cardin Expresses Concerns with Planned Transmission Line through Western Maryland and the Drive to Increase Data Centers Fueling the Need for More Power

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maryland Ben Cardin

    “In addition to their energy demands, the direct environmental impact of data centers on water resources and air quality will challenge our shared public health, clean energy and environment goals”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has written to the Maryland Public Service Commission expressing his concerns about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project. The proposed route, through Carroll, Frederick, and Baltimore counties, could have a negative impact on rural communities, including Maryland farmland and wildlife habitats. Senator Cardin urges the Commission to “take into account the consequences of the project on the State’s agricultural sector, historic heritage, and conservation goals.”

    In the letter, Cardin wrote: “I urge the Commission to engage with community stakeholders, landowners, and local conservation and preservation organizations to gather insights on how best to lessen the project’s impacts. It is imperative the decision-making process reflects a comprehensive understanding of the social and environmental implications of the proposed project.”

    In addition, Senator Cardin has written to Governor Wes Moore, urging him to carefully weigh “the benefits of data centers to Marylanders against the substantial negative impacts that the unmitigated development of data centers would have on our already overburdened grid, ratepayers, and environment … In addition to their energy demands, the direct environmental impact of data centers on water resources and air quality will challenge our shared public health, clean energy and environment goals.”

    While recognizing their “value to innovation and economic growth” Cardin is asking the governor to seek a “thoughtful and sustainable data center siting policy.”

    The letter to the Maryland Public Service Commission can befound here.

    The letter to Governor Wes Moore can befound here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Barragán Brings Attention to the Threat of Air Pollution and Extreme Heat on Latina Maternal Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     

    September 24, 2024

    Contact: Kevin McGuire, 202-538-2386 (mobile)

    Kevin.McGuire@mail.house.gov

    Washington D.C. –  Today, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) introduced a resolution that recognizes the threat of air pollution and extreme heat on Latina maternal and infant health at a press conference alongside Guadalupe Pacheco from the National Hispanic Health Foundation and Amy Tamayo from Alianza Nacional de Campesinas.

    The resolution recognizes the significant correlation between air pollution and extreme heat to maternal and infant health, particularly within Latino communities. It highlights that these communities face disproportionate exposure to environmental toxins, leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and stillbirth.

    “Air pollution and extreme heat are not just environmental issues—they are issues of equity and health that disproportionately harm Latina moms,” stated Rep. Barragan. “This resolution calls on Congress to invest in clean air initiatives, bilingual air quality alerts, improved maternal healthcare access, and much more. We must act now to ensure that no mother has to choose between her health and her job, or between staying cool and protecting her unborn child.”

    “Many healthcare providers emphasize exercise and nutrition, but they often overlook the critical need to protect ourselves from extreme heat—especially during pregnancy. I had to undergo a c-section at 36 weeks, and while my son and I are healthy, I wish I had been warned about the dangers of high temperatures,” added Luz Drada, EcoMadres’s Program Coordinator. “This resolution ignites optimism for a healthier future for mothers and children everywhere. Together, we can fight for a better tomorrow.”

    “The National Hispanic Health Foundation supports health equity for Latina women, especially during pregnancy and infancy,” explained Guadalupe Pacheco, Director of Programs at the National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF).”Addressing the disproportionate risks of extreme heat and air pollution is crucial to safeguarding mothers’ and their children’s health and well-being.”

    “We are very encouraged to see Congresswoman Barragán introduce this resolution calling on Congress to address health vulnerabilities in our communities,” said Amy Tamayo, National Policy and Advocacy Director at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. “Farmworker women are not only subjected to extreme heat in the fields, but also sexual violence and harassment, and dangerous pesticide exposure that compromises their health and that of their children’s. Pregnant farmworkers growing food to nourish the nation should not have to fear for their children’s lives or their health. Farmworker women bear the heavy burden of risking their health daily and their well being must be a national priority.”

    The resolution also outlines several actions Congress should take to address this problem, including greater investment in air quality programs, more green spaces, bilingual air quality alerts, and the education of public health professionals.  

    The resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Raul Grijalva, Nydia Velázquez, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Grace Napolitano, and Emmanuel Cleaver.

    The following organizations support the resolution: Ecomadres, Mom’s Clean Air Force, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Medical Association, Hispanic Access Foundation, American Women’s Medical Association, and Corazon Latino.

    Read the full text of the resolution here.

    # # #

    Congressmember Nanette Barragán represents California’s 44th District.  She sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and works on environmental justice and healthcare issues.  She is also Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Watch out for wild turtles

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  25 September 2024

    DOC freshwater ranger Matt Brady says red-eared slider turtles brumate during winter, meaning they’re sluggish and don’t eat for weeks at a time.

    “Brumation is like a half hibernation. When red-eared sliders emerge in spring, looking for food, they’re a serious threat to native freshwater plants and animals.”

    Matt says Aotearoa doesn’t have native freshwater turtles so any turtle seen in the wild is an escaped exotic species.

    “Red-eared slider turtles can be kept as pets throughout much of the country, but if abandoned, they’re a problem.”

    Volunteer leader Jayne Nightingale and a team of volunteers have caught 76 red-eared slider turtles at Cook’s Beach, Coromandel, since 2021. These include turtles caught in a trap provided by Waikato Regional Council as well as those handed in by the community or as bycatch in fishing gear.

    “When I first started trapping turtles, I was met with a lot of negativity from the locals. However, with a bit of education, the ecological impacts from invasive turtles have become much better understood.

    “The trapping work has been so successful that we think only a couple of the turtles remain at large. We hope to catch them this spring, when they’re more active,” says Jayne.

    Matt says the best thing people can do protect native ecosystem from turtles is to report them.

    “If you see a turtle in the wild, take a photo and record it on iNaturalist or the Find-A-Pest app. This helps DOC and regional councils to understand where the turtles are, how many there are, and it informs how we manage them.”

    If the turtle looks sick, injured or in need of urgent care, contact your local vet or SPCA. If it is safe, put the turtle in a container with wet towels and keep it at home in a cool place until advised what to do next by the SPCA or vet. Take care as turtles can bite.

    If you’re struggling to look after your pet turtle, contact the SPCA to find out how they could support you.

    Matt also asks anyone considering buying a red-eared slider turtle to do their ‘due diligence’.

    “Red-eared sliders can grow to the size of a dinner plate and live for up to 50 years. They have particular habitat needs such as large, heated aquarium or a secure outdoor pond. Taking on a turtle requires 100% commitment.”

    Background information

    Red-eared slider turtles are native to North America. They can be kept as pets in Aotearoa New Zealand, but are banned from sale in Auckland.

    They have an olive green to brown shell patterned with yellow spots or stripes, and a distinctive red stripe behind their eyes. The ‘slider’ part of their name comes from their ability to slide into the water quickly from rocks and logs.

    Turtle eggs have to remain at 22–33°C for 55–80 days to hatch into live young. At cooler temperatures, only male turtles are produced. In warmer parts of Aotearoa, turtle eggs can hatch but do not produce female young.

    As climate change brings increased temperatures, there is concern that both male and female young will hatch and allow a self-sustaining population to establish in the wild.

    Red-eared sliders are listed by the IUCN as one of the 100 worst invasive species. They are regarded as invasive because they damage freshwater ecosystems. In Aotearoa New Zealand, they eat fish, plants, aquatic insects, koura, and small birds including ducklings. Red-eared sliders can also displace wetland bird nesting sites. Their presence in a waterway can reduce water quality.

    Releasing turtles into the wild is an offence under the Biosecurity Act and the Animal Welfare Act, and in some regions would breach Regional Pest Management Plans. You could face a fine of $5,000.

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rollout of onboard cameras to continue

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The rollout of onboard cameras on commercial fishing vessels will continue and discard rules will be amended under fisheries reforms proposed by Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones.

    Mr Jones is proposing practical changes that will reduce red tape, provide a boost to commercial fishers, and ensure a thriving and sustainable seafood industry.

    “These proposed changes will help a vital sector that supports 9000 jobs nationally and attracts $1.6 billion in export revenue by simplifying rules and making our fisheries system more efficient.”

    The rollout of cameras on commercial fishing vessels will continue but the timeframes will be extended by three months to allow time to complete the installations.

    “Officials have taken a close look at the operating costs associated with cameras and have identified scope for significant reductions. I plan to limit the cost recovery levies on industry for onboard cameras to a level comparable with the cost of observers on vessels,” Mr Jones says.

    The important matter of privacy for fishers who work with cameras on their vessels will also be considered in the upcoming proposals.

    Another proposed change includes amending discard rules so fishers with monitoring on their vessels have more options for dealing with their catch. At present, fishers are required to land all their catch on shore unless an exception is in place.

    Once introduced, the rules will allow fishers to legally return fish to the sea as long they have cameras or observers on board to verify catch, and the discards are counted against their annual catch entitlement.

    “It will make the most of the onboard cameras and simplify the rules for fishers, reflecting challenges at sea. It recognises that as long as fishers are operating inside their catch entitlement, the Government shouldn’t be making decisions for fishers about what they should do with their catch,” Mr Jones says.

    Unnecessary red tape will also be removed from the decision-making process for setting catch limits. 

    “I will look to speed up decision-making to make the most of our fisheries resources to generate income that supports jobs in our communities. I will consult on a range of changes that will enable faster and more effective decision-making when setting catch limits,” Mr Jones says.

    The changes are being developed into specific proposals and feedback will be sought from early next year.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS RELEASE: DLIR Announces 2024 Workforce Development Heroes

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    NEWS RELEASE: DLIR Announces 2024 Workforce Development Heroes

    Posted on Sep 24, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

    KA ʻOIHANA PONO LIMAHANA

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.

    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    JADE T. BUTAY

    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    September 24, 2024

    DLIR Announces 2024 Workforce Development Heroes

    HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) today announced the recipients of the second annual Workforce Development Hero Awards, which recognize outstanding individuals and organizations. September is Workforce Development Month, a time to honor workforce development leaders and staff across Hawaiʻi, as well as draw attention to the resources available to those looking for work, wanting to prepare for in-demand employment or exploring their career options.

    “Ensuring that businesses have access to skilled workers, while helping job seekers find meaningful employment, is essential to equipping both local businesses and workers with the talent and expertise needed to thrive as Hawaiʻi’s economy evolves,” said DLIR Director Jade T. Butay.

    The Workforce Development Hero Awards honor key contributors to workforce excellence across the islands, acknowledging their dedication and innovation in advancing employment opportunities and skill development in Hawaiʻi. The awards drew nominations from across the state, showcasing the vast range of individuals and institutions working toward strengthening Hawaiʻi’s workforce.

    2024 Workforce Development Hero Award Winners:

    • Oʻahu: Lord Ryan Lizardo, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii and Ariel Villanueva, Ewa Makai Middle School
    • Maui: Nicolette van Der Lee, University of Hawaiʻi, Maui Campus
    • Kauaʻi: Kaina Makua, Kumanu I Ke Ala
    • Hawaiʻi Island: Kevin Aki, County of Hawaiʻi
    • Legislator of the Year: Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz
    • Lifetime Achievement Award: David Lassner, President, University of Hawaiʻi

    “Each of this year’s Workforce Development Heroes has gone above and beyond in creating pathways to opportunity,” said the Workforce Development Council Executive Director Bennette Misalucha. “Their efforts have empowered individuals, strengthened communities, and contributed to the overall resilience and competitiveness of Hawaiʻi’s workforce.”

    The Workforce Development Hero finalists include Michael Cardenas, MC3 Technologies, Katie Hokama, Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Tracey Kaneshige, Workforce Development Division, DLIR, Joy Korkowski, Kaiser Permanente, Diane Oda, Workforce Development Division, DLIR, Constancio Paranal III, Department of Economic Revitalization, City and County of Honolulu, Erick Pascua, Workforce Development Division, DLIR, Jenna Silifaiva, County of Maui, Jeffrey Tom, WorkHawaiʻi Job Readiness Program, Deborah Uemura (Nakashima), Hawaiʻi National Guard Work for Warriors Program, Bridget Orsatelli, ʻŌmaʻo Ranch Lands, and Ashley Wang, Booz Allen.

    Lifetime Achievement Award

    A special Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to David Lassner, President of the University of Hawaiʻi, for his 46 years of distinguished service at UH. Under his leadership, the UH system has become a driving force in meeting Hawaiʻi’s workforce needs, setting records in research, graduation rates and inclusion of underrepresented populations. His dedication to affordable education and workforce advancement, combined with a recent $1 million donation to support graduate students in technology fields, reflects his deep commitment to creating opportunities for future generations.

    Legislator of the Year

    Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz is being recognized as Legislator of the Year for his commitment to advancing workforce development across the state. As Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Dela Cruz has championed workforce development as a critical component in retaining local talent and meeting the needs of Hawaiʻi’s employers. Facing a state workforce vacancy rate averaging 30%, Dela Cruz spearheaded efforts to create the Hele Imua Internship Program.

    In 2022, the program was allocated $5.3 million, creating 330 interns with the state Executive Branch and four scholarships though the Ho‘oilina Scholarship program. The Ho‘oilina Scholarship is a partnership between the DLIR, Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA) and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business, School of Travel Industry Management that provides support to Hawai‘i public high school graduates pursuing careers in the hospitality, the tourism or the transportation industries.

    Awards Ceremony Future of Work Conference

    The Future of Work 2025 Conference will honor the seven Workforce Development Hero awardees on September 30, 2024, at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi. The event will highlight each winner’s contributions to workforce development and celebrate their achievements.

    To register for the conference, click here.

    # # #

    Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
    Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
    TDD/TTY Dial 711 then ask for 808-586-8842

     

    View DLIR news releases:

    http://labor.hawaii.gov/blog/category/news/

    Media Contact:

    Chavonnie Ramos

    Public Information Officer

    Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

    Ka ʻOihana Pono Limahana

    808-586-9720

    [email protected]

    http://labor.hawaii.gov

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs consumer protection bills targeting medical debt, overdraft fees, and unfair subscription practices

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 24, 2024

    What you need to know: New laws will strengthen consumer protections and help save Californians money.

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills that will strengthen protections for consumers, addressing issues that have put financial strain on Californians while setting new standards for transparency and accountability across industries.

    “Nobody wants to get ripped off, whether it’s a small subscription fee that’s seemingly impossible to cancel or massive medical debts which force families into financial ruin. We’re strengthening protections for Californians across the board and helping save consumers money.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Medical debt relief

    SB 1061 by Senator Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) targets the devastating impact of medical debt on consumers. Under this new law, medical debt will no longer be included on consumers’ credit reports, ensuring that people are not penalized for the high costs of necessary healthcare. The bill also prohibits using any medical debt listed on a credit report as a negative factor when making credit decisions, and gives individuals more room to address their medical bills before debt collection and reporting actions can take place.

    “I am proud to author legislation to provide relief to Californians suffering from the burden of medical debt,” said Senator Limón. “No Californian should be unable to secure housing, a loan, or even a job because they accessed necessary medical care. With this new law, California is stepping up to protect consumers impacted by the effects of medical debt.” 

    Making it easier to cancel subscriptions

    AB 2863 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) addresses complicated auto-renewing subscription services that are easy to sign up for but hard to cancel. The bill requires companies offering automatic renewals and continuous services to provide consumers a means to cancel the subscription using the same medium they used to sign up; for example, a person who subscribes online has to be given an online click-to-cancel option. This ensures that consumers can easily exit from services they no longer want, without being trapped by confusing processes or hidden fees.

    “At a time when too many in our community are struggling, unwanted subscription renewals can really add up. AB 2863 is the most comprehensive ‘Click to Cancel’ legislation in the nation,  ensuring Californians can  cancel unwanted automatic subscription renewals just as easily as they signed up – with just a click or two,” said Assemblymember Schiavo. “California is setting a model for the nation on protecting consumers from unnecessary charges – giving them more control over their finances and helping to ensure fair business practices, providing a win for both consumers and small businesses. I’m grateful that this important legislation was signed, as it will mean more money in the pockets of people throughout our community.” 

    Protecting against unfair fees 

    AB 2017 by Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) and SB 1075 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) address unfair banking practices. AB 2017 prohibits certain banks and credit unions from charging nonsufficient funds fees when a transaction is declined due to the consumer having insufficient funds. SB 1075 sets limits on the amount credit unions can charge for overdraft fees. These bills aim to protect lower-income Californians that are disproportionately impacted by financial fees that can push them deeper into financial hardship.

    Additional consumer protection measures signed into law

    • AB 1849 by Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) – Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act: services and repairs: travel trailers and motor homes (signed earlier this year).
    • AB 1900 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) – Consumer refunds: nondisclosure agreements (signed earlier this year).
    • AB 1971 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) – Administration of standardized tests.
    • AB 2202 by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) – Short-term rentals: disclosure: cleaning tasks.
    • AB 2297 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) – Hospital and Emergency Physician Fair Pricing Policies.
    • AB 2347 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) – Summary proceedings for obtaining possession of real property: procedural requirements.
    • AB 2426 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Consumer protection: false advertising: digital goods.
    • AB 2801 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) – Tenancy: Security Deposits (signed earlier this year).
    • AB 2837 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – Civil actions: enforcement of money judgments.
    • AB 2992 by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove) – Real Estate Law: buyer-broker representation agreements.
    • AB 3108 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – Business: mortgage fraud.
    • AB 3283 by the Committee on Judiciary – Enforcement of judgments: claims of exemption (signed earlier this year).
    • SB 919 by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Franchise Investment Law: franchise brokers.
    • SB 924 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Tenancy: credit reporting: lower income households.
    • SB 1286 by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) – Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: covered debt: commercial debts.

    Recent news

    Sep 24, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – As Tropical Storm Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it moves toward Florida’s Panhandle, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the deployment of California firefighters to assist in staffing a Federal Emergency Management Agency…

    Sep 23, 2024

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed four bills today to help law enforcement crack down on dangerous sideshows and street takeovers. These new laws will hold participants and organizers accountable by providing law enforcement with the tools to seize…

    Sep 23, 2024

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free School Act, to require every school district, charter school and county office of education to develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026….

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release-Why You Should Carry a Towel and a Box In Your Car, Sept. 24, 2024

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release-Why You Should Carry a Towel and a Box In Your Car, Sept. 24, 2024

    Posted on Sep 24, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIRPERSON

    NEWS RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Sept. 24, 2024

    WHY YOU SHOULD CARRY A TOWEL AND A BOX IN YOUR CAR THIS TIME OF YEAR

    (HONOLULU) – It’s for the bird’s sake. From now, until mid-December people across Hawai‘i are being encouraged to have a small towel and box in their vehicles in the event they spot a seabird that has fallen to the ground. People can also help by using bird-safe lights at homes and businesses.

    Every fall, young seabirds leave their nest to take their first flight toward the ocean and can become disoriented by artificial light, collide with man-made structures, or become exhausted and “fall out,” where they remain vulnerable to automobiles and predators.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and licensed wildlife rehabilitation organizations like Save Our Shearwaters and the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, work together to protect seabirds that need help during fallout season.

    In a small corner of the Honolulu Zoo, Rachael Sitzer of the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center is preparing for the busy season. Last year, on O‘ahu alone, the center took in more than 700 fallen seabirds.

    “Every single bird, in our eyes, needs a full veterinary evaluation whether or not they appear healthy,” Sitzer explains. “Whether or not they need extensive, actual medical care is determined during the exam. That includes checking things like waterproofing of their feathers if they got contaminated, that’s not something the bird is going to know is wrong with it. So, they might be acting fine, but actually, if you send them out to sea like that they could drown. So, every bird needs to be evaluated by a medical professional.”

    While there are more than 20 species of seabirds that nest in Hawai‘i, the concern during fallout season pertains mostly to seabirds protected under state and federal law: ‘a‘o (Newell’s shearwater), ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel), akē‘akē (Band-rumped storm-petrel), ‘ua‘u kani (wedge-tailed shearwater) and ʻou (Bulwer’s petrel).

    Last week, Sitzer was caring for a couple of Bulwer’s petrels, which are among the earliest to experience fall out.

    Sitzer said, “At this point in the year, we’re still having fuzzy chicks in the nest that might be starting to venture from their burrows a little bit, so we want to make sure that we’re not taking a chick unnecessarily that doesn’t need help. But certainly, if we’re getting toward November and you find a bird in your yard, your driveway, in the street, your parking lot, or struggling in the water to stay afloat, or on the beach staying in the same spot a long time, those are all indications that a bird might need help.”

    Wildlife rehabilitators and federal and state experts say being able to recognize these signs is important. They recommend preparing in advance by having boxes handy in your car and at your house. Poke holes in them for ventilation and have a clean towel at the bottom. Also have a clean towel or a piece of cloth to place over the bird and gently pick it up around the body and place it in the box. Finally, know where the certified drop-off sites are on your particular island (see link below).

    It’s the bird version of the three R’s: Recognize, Respond, Rehab.

    Recognize:

    • Recognize the signs of whether the seabird truly needs help. Young seabirds are often seen sitting outside their burrows in coastal areas and do not need help. These birds must be left alone. If the seabird is an unsafe environment, such as the side of the road, next to a building, or under a streetlight, then it likely needs help.
    • Contact DOFAW or a wildlife rehabilitation facility for questions or assistance determining if the bird needs help.

    Respond:

    • If it is determined that the seabird needs help, prepare a ventilated container, such as a pet carrier or cardboard box with holes and collect the bird by approaching it from behind and using a lightweight towel or cloth to gently pick up the bird.
    • Do not give it any food or water. Place the container in a quiet, dark location, away from people, animals, loud noises and extreme temperature changes. Do not attempt to release the bird on your own.

    Rehab:

    • Bring the seabird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, downed wildlife drop-off location, or veterinary clinic as soon as possible. When dropping off the bird, please provide the date and time and location of when/where you found the bird. This information can help wildlife biologists and managers to prevent seabird fallout in the first place.

    Prior to any bird being released, Sitzer added, “We have a really long list of criteria that all the birds have to meet in order to be considered releasable. Once we feel they meet all that criteria we take them to a controlled release site where we can safely let them fly out to sea. But sometimes these fledglings don’t want to go. They might not feel ready, so we just give them the time that they need physically and mentally in order to go out to sea.”

    Simple changes at home or at your business can help reduce the potential for seabirds to confuse artificial lights with natural moonlight.

    • Keep unnecessary outdoor lights off during the autumn months and close your curtains at night to minimize the impact of indoor lights.
    • For outdoor lights that must stay on at night, consider adding shields that direct light downward or using direction lights that only project toward the ground.
    • Using low-intensity lights can also help minimize risks.
    • Examples of seabird-friendly lighting are available on the DLNR DOFAW website below.

    # # #

    RESOURCES 

    (All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

    HD video – Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, Honolulu Zoo (Sept. 19, 2024):

    (Transcript/shot sheet attached)

    Photographs – Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, Honolulu Zoo (Sept. 19, 2024):

    Media Contact: 

    Dan Dennison

    Communications Director

    808-587-0396

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release-Why You Should Carry a Towel and a Box In Your Car

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release-Why You Should Carry a Towel and a Box In Your Car

    Posted on Sep 24, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    DAWN CHANG
    CHAIRPERSON

    NEWS RELEASE

     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Sept. 24, 2024

    WHY YOU SHOULD CARRY A TOWEL AND A BOX IN YOUR CAR THIS TIME OF YEAR

    (HONOLULU) – It’s for the bird’s sake. From now, until mid-December people across Hawai‘i are being encouraged to have a small towel and box in their vehicles in the event they spot a seabird that has fallen to the ground. People can also help by using bird-safe lights at homes and businesses.

    Every fall, young seabirds leave their nest to take their first flight toward the ocean and can become disoriented by artificial light, collide with man-made structures, or become exhausted and “fall out,” where they remain vulnerable to automobiles and predators.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and licensed wildlife rehabilitation organizations like Save Our Shearwaters and the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, work together to protect seabirds that need help during fallout season.

    In a small corner of the Honolulu Zoo, Rachael Sitzer of the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center is preparing for the busy season. Last year, on O‘ahu alone, the center took in more than 700 fallen seabirds.

    “Every single bird, in our eyes, needs a full veterinary evaluation whether or not they appear healthy,” Sitzer explains. “Whether or not they need extensive, actual medical care is determined during the exam. That includes checking things like waterproofing of their feathers if they got contaminated, that’s not something the bird is going to know is wrong with it. So, they might be acting fine, but actually, if you send them out to sea like that they could drown. So, every bird needs to be evaluated by a medical professional.”

    While there are more than 20 species of seabirds that nest in Hawai‘i, the concern during fallout season pertains mostly to seabirds protected under state and federal law: ‘a‘o (Newell’s shearwater), ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel), akē‘akē (Band-rumped storm-petrel), ‘ua‘u kani (wedge-tailed shearwater) and ʻou (Bulwer’s petrel).

    Last week, Sitzer was caring for a couple of Bulwer’s petrels, which are among the earliest to experience fall out.

    Sitzer said, “At this point in the year, we’re still having fuzzy chicks in the nest that might be starting to venture from their burrows a little bit, so we want to make sure that we’re not taking a chick unnecessarily that doesn’t need help. But certainly, if we’re getting toward November and you find a bird in your yard, your driveway, in the street, your parking lot, or struggling in the water to stay afloat, or on the beach staying in the same spot a long time, those are all indications that a bird might need help.”

    Wildlife rehabilitators and federal and state experts say being able to recognize these signs is important. They recommend preparing in advance by having boxes handy in your car and at your house. Poke holes in them for ventilation and have a clean towel at the bottom. Also have a clean towel or a piece of cloth to place over the bird and gently pick it up around the body and place it in the box. Finally, know where the certified drop-off sites are on your particular island (see link below).

    It’s the bird version of the three R’s: Recognize, Respond, Rehab.

    Recognize:

    • Recognize the signs of whether the seabird truly needs help. Young seabirds are often seen sitting outside their burrows in coastal areas and do not need help. These birds must be left alone. If the seabird is an unsafe environment, such as the side of the road, next to a building, or under a streetlight, then it likely needs help.
    • Contact DOFAW or a wildlife rehabilitation facility for questions or assistance determining if the bird needs help.

    Respond:

    • If it is determined that the seabird needs help, prepare a ventilated container, such as a pet carrier or cardboard box with holes and collect the bird by approaching it from behind and using a lightweight towel or cloth to gently pick up the bird.
    • Do not give it any food or water. Place the container in a quiet, dark location, away from people, animals, loud noises and extreme temperature changes. Do not attempt to release the bird on your own.

    Rehab:

    • Bring the seabird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, downed wildlife drop-off location, or veterinary clinic as soon as possible. When dropping off the bird, please provide the date and time and location of when/where you found the bird. This information can help wildlife biologists and managers to prevent seabird fallout in the first place.

    Prior to any bird being released, Sitzer added, “We have a really long list of criteria that all the birds have to meet in order to be considered releasable. Once we feel they meet all that criteria we take them to a controlled release site where we can safely let them fly out to sea. But sometimes these fledglings don’t want to go. They might not feel ready, so we just give them the time that they need physically and mentally in order to go out to sea.”

    Simple changes at home or at your business can help reduce the potential for seabirds to confuse artificial lights with natural moonlight.

    • Keep unnecessary outdoor lights off during the autumn months and close your curtains at night to minimize the impact of indoor lights.
    • For outdoor lights that must stay on at night, consider adding shields that direct light downward or using direction lights that only project toward the ground.
    • Using low-intensity lights can also help minimize risks.
    • Examples of seabird-friendly lighting are available on the DLNR DOFAW website below.

    # # #

    RESOURCES 

    (All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

    HD video – Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, Honolulu Zoo (Sept. 19, 2024):

    https://vimeo.com/1011166212

    (Transcript/shot sheet attached)

    Photographs – Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, Honolulu Zoo (Sept. 19, 2024):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/knovscgpohaqg9g0iccm8/AKBQZhSWSY5r3QTg7oh4TYk?rlkey=jj38o9cfpbl3meu7zv6g0faun&st=n0zvj3d8&dl=0

    Lighting tips and to find the closest wildlife center visit: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/seabird-fallout-season/

    Media Contact: 

    Dan Dennison

    Communications Director

    808-587-0396

    [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California deploys Incident Support Team to Florida ahead of Tropical Storm Helene

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 24, 2024

    SACRAMENTO – As Tropical Storm Helene is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it moves toward Florida’s Panhandle, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the deployment of California firefighters to assist in staffing a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Incident Support Team to Orlando, Florida.

    In close coordination with FEMA, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is immediately deploying seven firefighters from California’s Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Force Incident Support Team. The deployment has no impact on California’s emergency response and firefighting capabilities. 

    “California stands ready to help assist where needed, even as we face ongoing wildfires in our state. This storm is dangerous and has the potential to produce heavy rainfall, storm surge and strong winds. We are glad to lend a helping hand to those in Helene’s path.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The Incident Support Team provides a group of highly qualified specialists to support local officials with technical assistance, management and coordination of US&R resources.

    “This is a great example of how state-to-state cooperation works. California’s deployment of these specialized US&R firefighters ahead of the storm will allow for better emergency defenses,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward.  

    The specialized team members deployed to Florida come from California US&R Task Forces 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 from Oakland, Orange County, Riverside, Sacramento and San Diego. 

    This deployment builds on California’s continued efforts to aid other states during emergencies. In July, Governor Newsom deployed a similar Incident Support Team to Texas to assist in responding to Tropical Storm Beryl.   In the past two years, California has also deployed firefighters to New Mexico, Hawaii, Oregon and Montana.  

    Press Releases, Recent News

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    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Assembly Bill 3216, the Phone-Free School Act, to require every school district, charter school and county office of education to develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026….

    Sep 23, 2024

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Alternating lane closures on the Chaudières crossing

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 2

    Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) wishes to inform users that there will be an alternating lane closure on the Chaudières crossing for repair work.

    For immediate release

    Gatineau, Quebec, September 10, 2024 – Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) wishes to inform users that there will be an alternating lane closure on the Chaudières Crossing for repair work during the following period:

    Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    During this time, only 1 lane will remain open to alternating traffic in both directions. Traffic signs will be installed, and flaggers will direct traffic. Motorists can expect delays.

    The sidewalk will remain accessible. Cyclists are asked to dismount when crossing the bridge.

    The schedule may change depending on weather conditions.

    SPAC invites users to exercise caution when traveling on the crossing and thanks them for their patience.

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

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Ohio Municipal Prosecutor and Former Criminal Defendant Charged with Bribery Conspiracy

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    An indictment was unsealed today charging two Ohio men with a bribery scheme in which a municipal prosecutor agreed to help a criminal defendant with his pending cases in exchange for auto repair work.

    According to the indictment, Nicholas Graham, 52, of Warren, was a prosecutor who represented the City of Warren in Warren Municipal Court. Brian Votino, 52, of Niles, had two criminal cases pending in the same court. The indictment alleges that, in October 2019, Graham and Votino agreed that Graham would take action to benefit Votino with respect to Votino’s criminal cases in return for Votino performing repairs to Graham’s truck. To cover up the bribery arrangement, Graham instructed Votino through an intermediary to falsify a bill for the repair services and not to tell Votino’s criminal defense lawyer. According to the indictment, Graham and Votino ultimately carried out their agreement. In exchange for the repair work by Votino, Graham took official action to reduce the charges against Votino and advocated for a lenient sentence.

    Graham and Votino are charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, and one count of Hobbs Act extortion. If convicted of all counts, they each face a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio; and Special Agent in Charge Gregory D. Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Cleveland Field Office is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Blake J. Ellison of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: LanzaTech and Woodside Energy to Participate in Bank of America Hosted Webinar on September 27, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LanzaTech Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNZA) (“LanzaTech”), the carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, and Woodside Energy Group Ltd. (ASX, NYSE, LSE: WSD) (“Woodside”), the global energy company founded in Australia providing reliable and affordable energy to help people lead better lives, today jointly announced that Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, and Meg O’Neill, CEO of Woodside, will participate in a webinar hosted by Bank of America analyst Steve Byrne to discuss hot topics and key challenges related to globally scaling the circular carbon economy and developing impactful carbon abatement programs for energy companies.

    Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
    Time: 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    To attend the webinar, or request the archived replay, please email Kate Walsh, Vice President of Investor Relations at LanzaTech: Kate.Walsh@lanzatech.com.

    About LanzaTech
    LanzaTech Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNZA) is the carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Using its biorecycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon generated by energy-intensive industries at the source, preventing it from being emitted into the air. LanzaTech then gives that captured carbon a new life as a clean replacement for virgin fossil carbon in everything from household cleaners and clothing fibers to packaging and fuels. By partnering with companies across the global supply chain like ArcelorMittal, Zara, H&M Move, Coty, On, and LanzaJet, LanzaTech is paving the way for a circular carbon economy. For more information about LanzaTech, visit https://lanzatech.com.

    About Woodside
    Woodside Energy is a global energy company, founded in Australia, working across three continents to produce oil and natural gas and pursue new energy opportunities. With a focused portfolio, Woodside is recognised for its world-class capabilities as an integrated upstream supplier of energy. Woodside’s proven track record and distinctive capabilities are underpinned by 70 years of experience.

    LanzaTech Contact:
    Investor Relations
    Kate Walsh, VP Investor Relations & Tax
    Investor.Relations@lanzatech.com

    Woodside Contact:
    Marcela Louzada
    M: +61 456 994 243
    E: investor@woodside.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Univest Securities, LLC Announces Closing of $8.0 Million Registered Follow-on Offering for its Client Elevai Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: ELAB)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Univest Securities, LLC (“Univest”), a member of FINRA and SIPC, and a full-service investment bank and securities broker-dealer firm based in New York, today announced the closing of registered follow-on offering (the “Offering”) of approximately $8.0 million for its client Elevai Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: ELAB) (the “Company”), a pioneering force in medical aesthetics.

    The Offering was comprised of 28,571,425 shares of the Company’s common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu of shares of common stock). Each share of common stock or pre-funded warrant was sold with one Series A Warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share (the “Series A Warrants”) and one Series B Warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.38 per share or, pursuant to an alternative cashless exercise option, three shares of common stock (the “Series B Warrants” and, together with the Series A Warrants, the “Warrants”). The Series A Warrants will be exercisable beginning on the date of completion of the requisite waiting period following the filing of the Information Statement related to the approval by the stockholders of the Company (the “Initial Exercise Date” or “Effective Shareholder Approval Date”) of the issuance of shares upon exercise of the Warrants, among other things (the “Shareholder Approval”). The Series B Warrants will be exercisable beginning on the Effective Shareholder Approval Date. The Series A Warrants will expire on the five-year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date and the Series B Warrants will expire on the two and one-half-year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date. The purchase price of each share of common stock and accompanying Warrants was $0.28, and the purchase price of each pre-funded warrant and accompanying Warrants was equal to such price minus $0.0001.

    The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company was approximately $8 million.

    Univest Securities, LLC acted as the sole placement agent.

    The securities described above are being offered by the Company pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-281987) previously filed and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus describing the terms of the proposed offering were filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov. Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be obtained, by contacting Univest Securities, LLC at info@univest.us, or by calling +1 (212) 343-8888.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor will there be any sales of such securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Copies of the prospectus supplement relating to the registered direct offering, together with the accompanying base prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    About Univest Securities, LLC

    Registered with FINRA since 1994, Univest Securities, LLC provides a wide variety of financial services to its institutional and retail clients globally including brokerage and execution services, sales and trading, market making, investment banking and advisory, wealth management. It strives to provide clients with value-add service and focuses on building long-term relationship with its clients. For more information, please visit: www.univest.us.

    About Elevai Labs Inc.

    Elevai Labs Inc. (NASDAQ: ELAB) specializes in medical aesthetics and biopharmaceutical drug development, focusing on innovations for skin aesthetics and treatments tied to obesity and metabolic health. The Company operates a diverse portfolio of three wholly owned subsidiaries across the medical aesthetics and biopharmaceutical sectors, Elevai Skincare Inc., Elevai Biosciences Inc., and Elevai Research Inc. For more information please visit www.elevailabs.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may, “will, “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions and the completion of the initial public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the registration statement filed with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. Univest Securities LLC and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

    For more information, please contact:

    Univest Securities, LLC
    Edric Guo
    Chief Executive Officer
    75 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 18C
    New York, NY 10019
    Phone: (212) 343-8888
    Email: info@univest.us

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Challenges Republicans to Join Democrats in Affirming the Right to Lifesaving Emergency Care for Women

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Murray Leads Congressional Democrats in Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Affirm that EMTALA Requires Hospitals to Provide Emergency Stabilizing Care Including Abortion Care, Preempts Idaho’s Draconian Abortion Ban
    ICYMI: On Senate Floor, Murray Shines Spotlight On How Trump Abortion Bans are Killing Women in America
    ICYMI – FROM PROPUBLICA: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.
    ***WATCH: SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE***
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), spoke at a press conference in the Capitol with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) following introduction of her resolution which simply expresses the sense of the Senate that every patient has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. Murray will seek unanimous consent to pass her resolution later this afternoon on the Senate floor and challenged Senate Republicans to join Democrats in affirming the basic right to lifesaving emergency care for women. Introduction of Murray’s resolution follows new reporting from ProPublica that makes plain that Republican abortion bans are preventing women from receiving lifesaving emergency health care and resulting in preventable deaths.
    “I really want to emphasize that—we are talking about women whose water breaks dangerously early, or who are experiencing uncontrollable hemorrhage, sepsis, or pre-eclampsia,” said Senator Murray at today’s press conference. “These are the patients we are saying doctors should treat under the basic right to emergency care. Today we are going to try and pass this resolution, and we are going to see if the Senate can come together with one voice, and tell women: we want to put your health first, we want to put your life first, we want to make sure you get the care you need in an emergency. It is a simple message—but sadly, it has become a necessary one. Now I don’t know if Republicans are going to let us pass this or not. Republicans sometimes talk about protecting the life of the mother, but frankly they have yet to lift a finger to ensure doctors can always do that.”
    “So we’ll see where they fall today, but even if they block this resolution—we are NOT going to stop fighting to protect women, to help everyone get the care they need, and, ultimately, to restore the reproductive rights Donald Trump ripped away,” said Senator Murray in closing.
    Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade over two years ago, nearly two dozen US states led by Republicans have passed, banned, or severely restricted access to abortion. These strict laws have created confusion around the treatment doctors can provide even when a pregnant patient’s life is in danger, as physicians fear that they may lose their medical license, be sued, or even charged with a felony if they perform life-saving emergency care. Despite the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) requirements that Medicare-participating hospitals treat and stabilize pregnant patients in need of emergency medical care, women are being turned away from emergency rooms following the Dobbs decision.
    In Moyle v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court had the opportunity to reaffirm that federal law requires pregnant patients to have access to life-saving emergency care in every state, but instead, the Court dismissed the case and sent it back to the lower courts, effectively punting on making a decision on the case itself. While the litigation continues in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the health and lives of women remain at risk as uncertainty around emergency abortion care persists. 121 Congressional Republicans, including 26 Senators, filed an amicus brief arguing that EMTALA does not require hospitals to provide abortion care as emergency stabilizing care in order to save a patient’s life.
    Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Senator Murray also co-leads the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore the right to abortion nationwide. This January, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans. On June 4th of this year, Senator Murray chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Recently, Murray also helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice). Murray has also led her colleagues in raising the alarm about how a second Trump administration intends to wage an all-out assault on reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as prepared,  are below:
    “Donald Trump has been loudly bragging about how he ended Roe v Wade. He’s been making the outrageous claim that everyone wanted that.
    “Meanwhile, Republicans have been totally ignoring the horror and heartbreak they have unleashed. Even as women and doctors are speaking out about it every day.
    “Here in America, in the 21st century, pregnant women are suffering and even dying not because doctors don’t know how to save them, but because doctors don’t know if Republicans will let them.
    “I spoke about this at length last week, but new reporting about the tragic deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller tells the story with brutal clarity. There are children in Georgia today, who are growing up without a mother because of Republicans’ abortion bans.
    “And the painful reality is—these may be among the first stories reported in such detail, but they are most certainly not the only ones. The data shows in Texas, maternal deaths skyrocketed after Republicans enacted strict abortion bans.
    “How does anyone shrug that off? How does any Republican think the chaos their bans have caused will blow over?
    “No woman is going to forget when she was sent off to miscarry alone after her doctor said—look I know your life is in danger but I am not sure I am allowed to save you right now.
    “No husband is going to forget calling 911 in a panic, after finding his wife, bloody and unconscious.
    “No child is going to forget—for a single day of their life—the mother that was taken from them by Republican bans.
    “This cruelty is unforgettable—and unacceptable. Democrats will not let it become settled status quo. Americans will not let it.
    “And that’s why, last week I introduced a simple resolution which reaffirms the basic principle that: when you go to the ER, they should be allowed to treat you; when your life is in danger, doctors should be able to do their job; when you need emergency care—including an abortion—no politician should stop you from getting it.
    “That should not be controversial. Especially if everyone who talks about protecting the life of the mother seriously means it. After all—that is what emergency care is for—saving the life of the mother.
    “I really want to emphasize that—we are talking about women whose water breaks dangerously early, or who are experiencing uncontrollable hemorrhage, sepsis, or pre-eclampsia. These are the patients we are saying doctors should treat under the basic right to emergency care…
    “Today we are going to try and pass this resolution, and we are going to see if the Senate can come together with one voice, and tell women: we want to put your health first; we want to put your life first. we want to make sure you get the care you need in an emergency.
    “It is a simple message—but sadly, it has become a necessary one.
    “Now I don’t know if Republicans are going to let us pass this or not. Republicans sometimes talk about protecting the life of the mother—but frankly they have yet to lift a finger to ensure doctors can always do that. So we’ll see where they fall today.
    “But even if they block this resolution—we are not going to stop fighting to protect women, to help everyone get the care they need, and, ultimately, to restore the reproductive rights Donald Trump ripped away.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Discusses Government Funding and Resolution Affirming Right to Lifesaving Emergency Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***WATCH: SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE***
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at Senate Democrats’ weekly leadership press conference to discuss the path forward on government funding and to discuss her efforts to seek unanimous consent to pass her resolution affirming the right to lifesaving emergency care for women.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks as delivered are below:
    “After some completely unnecessary drama from House Republicans, we do now have a bipartisan compromise to avoid a shutdown, and we are working to get it passed in a timely way.
    “And, I should mention, the path forward, the way we got a bill we can actually pass, was exactly the way Leader Schumer and I have been calling for.
    “No poison pills, no bending over backward for the far right—a bipartisan compromise on a fairly straightforward CR, something all sides can agree on, so that we can avoid a government shutdown, and negotiate full year funding bills in a bipartisan way in order to tackle the many urgent issues left unaddressed.
    “We should all be very glad we won’t have a painful shutdown, but let’s also remember the pattern we saw play out here yet again, so that perhaps we can finally avoid another pointless repeat.
    “The simple trick here is just this: If you want to avoid a shut down—don’t focus on appeasing the people calling for a shutdown!“It’s really that easy. We have shown here in the Senate there is BIPARTISAN interest in writing serious funding bills. Vice Chair Collins and I passed 11 bills out of our Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.
    “Compromise takes time and it takes hard work, but I think it has been proven this Congress, many times over, that the path of bipartisanship is far easier—and far and away more productive—than the dead end MAGA extremism House Republicans keep making their first priority.
    “So I hope once we get this CR passed, we can all skip that drama, get to the negotiating table, and cut to the chase to write serious, bipartisan full year funding bills that can get signed into law.
    “On another important issue: last week I introduced a simple resolution with Senate Democrats which reaffirms a very basic principle that when a woman needs emergency care—including abortion care to save her life—no politician should stop her from getting that.
    “But the reality is in America, Donald Trump’s abortion bans are killing women. The reality is that a majority of Senate Republicans actually signed onto a brief to the Supreme Court saying essentially, ‘No, we DON’T think doctors should be required to provide abortion care when a patient’s life is at stake.’
    “26 of them to be exact. Their brief rejected the idea—the basic medical reality—of abortion as stabilizing care.
    “You should ask every one of them, what concrete policy changes in federal law they would support to save the life of a mother whose doctors can’t treat her because of a Republican abortion ban.
    “We should all refuse to accept a status quo in America where pregnant women are dying not because doctors can’t save them, but because doctors don’t know if Republican politicians will let them.
    “Later this afternoon, on the Senate floor, I will put forward our resolution on emergency care and we’ll see if Senate Republicans will join Democrats in saying, ‘Yes, women have a right to get abortion care when their life is at stake.’
    “This should be the absolute bare minimum, but no matter what, Senate Democrats will hold Republicans accountable for the cruelty of these abortion bans and fight to fully restore the rights Donald Trump ripped away.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: AI is fuelling a deepfake porn crisis in South Korea. What’s behind it – and how can it be fixed?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sungshin (Luna) Bae, PhD student, Gender Equality Policy Special Public Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in South Korea, Monash University

    It’s difficult to talk about artificial intelligence without talking about deepfake porn – a harmful AI byproduct that has been used to target everyone from Taylor Swift to Australian school girls.

    But a recent report from startup Security Heroes found that out of 95,820 deepfake porn videos analysed from different sources, 53% featured South Korean singers and actresses – suggesting this group is disproportionately targeted.

    So, what’s behind South Korea’s deepfake problem? And what can be done about it?

    Teenagers and minors among victims

    Deepfakes are digitally manipulated photos, video or audio files that convincingly depict someone saying or doing things they never did. Among South Korean teenagers, creating deepfakes has become so common that some even view it as a prank. And they don’t just target celebrities.

    On Telegram, group chats have been made for the specific purpose of engaging in image-based sexual abuse of women, including middle-school and high-school students, teachers and family members. Women who have their pictures on social media platforms such as KakaoTalk, Instagram and Facebook are also frequently targeted.

    The perpetrators use AI bots to generate the fake imagery, which is then sold and/or indiscriminately disseminated, along with victims’ social media accounts, phone numbers and KakaoTalk usernames. One Telegram group attracted some 220,000 members, according to a Guardian report.

    A lack of awareness

    Despite gender-based violence causing significant harm to victims in South Korea, there remains a lack of awareness on the issue.

    South Korea has experienced rapid technological growth in recent decades. It ranks first in the world in smartphone ownership and is cited as having the highest internet connectivity. Many jobs, including those in restaurants, manufacturing and public transport, are being rapidly replaced by robots and AI.

    But as Human Rights Watch points out, the country’s progress in gender equality and other human rights measures has not kept pace with digital advancement. And research has shown that technological progress can actually exacerbate issued of gender-based violence.

    Since 2019, digital sex crimes against children and adolescents in South Korea have been a huge issue – particularly due to the “Nth Room” case. This case involved hundreds of young victims (many of whom were minors) and around 260,000 participants engaged in sharing exploitative and coercive intimate content.

    The case triggered widespread outrage and calls for stronger protection. It even led to the establishment of stronger conditions in the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes 2020. But despite this, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said only 28% of the total 17,495 digital sex offenders caught in 2021 were indicted — highlighting the ongoing challenges in effectively addressing digital sex crimes.

    In 2020, the Ministry of Justice’s Digital Sexual Crimes Task Force proposed about 60 legal provisions, which have still not been accepted. The team was disbanded shortly after the inauguration of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government in 2022.

    During the 2022 presidential race, Yoon said “there is no structural gender discrimination” in South Korea and pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the main ministry responsible for preventing gender-based violence. This post has remained vacant since February of this year.

    Can technology also be the solution?

    But AI isn’t always harmful – and South Korea provides proof of this too. In 2022, a digital sex crime support centre run by the Seoul metropolitan government developed a tool that can automatically track, monitor and delete deepfake images and videos around the clock.

    The technology – which won the 2024 UN Public Administration Prize – has helped reduce the time taken to find deepfakes from an average of two hours to three minutes. But while such attempts can help reduce further harm from deepfakes, they are unlikely to be an exhaustive solutions, as effects on victims can be persistent.

    For meaningful change, the government needs to hold service providers such as social media platforms and messaging apps accountable for ensuring user safety.

    Unified efforts

    On August 30, the South Korean government announced plans to push for legislation to criminalise the possession, purchase and viewing of deepfakes in South Korea.

    However, investigations and trials may continue to fall short until deepfakes in South Korea are recognised as a harmful form of gender-based violence. A multifaceted approach will be needed to address the deepfake problem, including stronger laws, reform and education.

    South Korean authorities must also help to enhance public awareness of gender-based violence, and focus not only on supporting victims, but on developing proactive policies and educational programs to prevent violence in the first place.

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

    – ref. AI is fuelling a deepfake porn crisis in South Korea. What’s behind it – and how can it be fixed? – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-fuelling-a-deepfake-porn-crisis-in-south-korea-whats-behind-it-and-how-can-it-be-fixed-238217

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why do people breach their bail? Our research shows it’s not because they’re committing more crimes

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Gately, Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University

    Shutterstock

    In Australia and most countries, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Because of this, keeping someone in detention before trial comes with serious legal, practical and human-rights consequences, not just for the person accused but also for their family and for society.

    That’s why most people accused of a crime are usually released on bail.

    Bail is essentially a written promise where a person is released, on the agreement they return to court on a set date. It can also be granted to those who have been found or pleaded guilty while they wait for sentencing.

    Bail allows the accused to keep their job, maintain their home, and support their family, while eliminating the costs of imprisonment.

    However, bail comes with conditions that the person must follow, including curfews, regular check-ins, restrictions on whom they can talk to or where they can go, drug or alcohol testing, and staying at a specific address.

    These conditions may seem easy to understand and follow, but breaches of orders were the third most common offence in Australian courts in 2022 and 2023. They made up 10% of adult court appearances, using valuable time and resources.

    There’s a widespread belief that people on bail who breach their conditions commit more crimes – sometimes violent ones – that put others at risk and threaten public safety. This has fuelled demands for stricter bail laws or to stop granting bail altogether.

    Many also think that when someone breaches their bail conditions, it’s because they’re deliberately defying or ignoring the rules. With this in mind, we wanted to look deeper.

    We spoke to 230 police detainees about what led to their bail breaches. The results were surprising: very few (just 11%) breached by committing new offences.

    Instead, most explained their breaches happened because of things beyond their control.

    Homelessness

    A fixed residential address is a fundamental condition for getting bail.

    However, many of our participants shared that becoming homeless or returning to homelessness was common for them. Some said they left the address they provided because of family tensions:

    I’m meant to stay at my sister’s house under my bail conditions, it’s for my curfew […] she kicked me out because we had an argument. Now I’ve breached my conditions and have nowhere to go.

    It’s well known that chronic homelessness makes it tough to comply with bail conditions, and we found the same. A detainee told us:

    It was an honest mistake and a mix-up of the days.

    Another said:

    I was homeless at the time I was meant to go to court and dealing with a lot.

    A third person told us:

    I’m homeless and I’ve got bigger issues than going to court. I’m living in a tent in the park at the moment with no job.

    The mental stress meant people focused on meeting basic needs such as food and shelter, which took priority over following bail conditions.

    Family responsibilities

    Participants also shared their personal responsibilities of caring for sick children, parents or other dependants. This often prevented them from attending court or reporting. One person told us:

    I’m my nan’s carer […] I needed to look after her and my brother wasn’t there. I couldn’t go to court or make it. I’m the one who washes her and does everything for her […]

    Family commitments clashing with reporting requirements led to feelings that the system was stacked against them and they had few options but to breach.

    Work commitments

    Employment often interfered with reporting on time and attending court.

    I have to report Monday, Wednesday and Friday but I’m a truck driver. I have no problems with coming in to report, but I couldn’t make it because I was working. When I went in to report, they arrested me […]

    Keeping a job is crucial for financial and housing stability. Having a stable job also deepens community connections to reduce the chances of getting involved in criminal activity.

    Procedural barriers

    When these kinds of everyday issues derailed compliance, many said they had tried to let the court, police or their lawyer know, either before or right after they missed reporting in or a court date but were faced with an inflexible system.

    For some, even when they did manage to get through, they were told that by not reporting or attending court they had already breached their bail and a warrant would be issued for their arrest. A study participant told us:

    I told them (the police) that I’d been kicked out (of the nominated accommodation) and wasn’t there and they locked me up here. I’ve got an extra charge now because I breached bail and probably won’t get let back out tomorrow. It wasn’t in my control. I was meant to be doing my medical to start work on the mines too tomorrow, so I won’t be working there now.

    We recommend considering of the complexities of bailees’ lives when setting bail. More flexible reporting conditions for when “life happens” will reduce charge pile ups and pressures on the criminal justice.

    Natalie Gately received funding from Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research for this project.

    Suzanne Rock received funding from Western Australian Office of Crime Statistics and Research for this project.

    – ref. Why do people breach their bail? Our research shows it’s not because they’re committing more crimes – https://theconversation.com/why-do-people-breach-their-bail-our-research-shows-its-not-because-theyre-committing-more-crimes-239198

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Casey, Colleagues Push for Gecko Robotics-Navy Contract to Create Jobs in Southwestern PA, Protect National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Bob Casey
    Contract with Navy to help grow defense business in Southwestern PA, help meet Navy strategic needs
    Navy investments in Gecko Robotics’ advanced technologies to boost national and economic security against rising threats from China
    Members: “For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. […] GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it”
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in Congress in urging the General Services Administration (GSA) to expedite a U.S. Navy contract with Gecko Robotics to bolster national security amidst rising Chinese aggression and create jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Navy’s pending $75 million contract with Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics has already been delayed many months, putting critical work on hold. When implemented, the contract will support ship maintenance and help ensure the Navy’s readiness against increasing maritime threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This project will directly create 150 new jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania and help grow defense business in the region to create future job opportunities.
    “For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania in particular, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. It will help grow Gecko Robotics’ defense business across other Navy platforms, other U.S. military services, and allied militaries, leading to further job growth. And, through workforce investments by Gecko Robotics, it will help traditional manufacturing workers in the area develop the advanced manufacturing skills and expertise necessary to compete in the global marketplace. GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it,” wrote the Members.
    The Navy’s pending $75 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to Gecko Robotics for automated vessel inspection and maintenance has been stalled many months, despite the contract’s strategic importance and prioritization by the Navy. When implemented, the contract will enable the reduction of ship maintenance backlogs by using Gecko Robotics’ robots and software. This critical investment will not only create 150 new defense manufacturing jobs, but it will strengthen the defense industrial base in Southwestern Pennsylvania, help transition traditional manufacturing workers to meet twenty-first century advanced manufacturing demands and create a pathway for future job creation. In a letter to GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, the Members stressed the importance of maintaining a strong Navy in the face of rising Chinese aggression and urged the Administration to create an expedited timeline to implement this project.
    Full text of the letter is below and the signed PDF can be found HERE.
    Dear Administrator Carnahan:
    We write to bring to your attention a contracting delay with national security ramifications for the Nation’s naval and technological competitions against the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We respectfully request that you expedite issuance of the Navy’s pending $75 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to Gecko Robotics for automated vessel inspection and maintenance–from its delayed Q2 2025 start date up to Q1 2025. This contract stands not only to bolster our national and economic security in the face of increasing Chinese aggression, but to create jobs and grow Navy business in Southwestern Pennsylvania, a region long known for its industrious workforce and ingenuity.
    As stated in President Biden’s National Security Strategy, “the PRC is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the… power to do it.”  The United States military must prioritize the Chinese threat across all domains of the competition, including naval capacity and the adoption of advanced technologies.
    The growing buildup of the PRC’s navy continues to strengthen its chances of winning a potential future war against the United States, as larger fleets have won 89 percent of wars with significant naval combat. Today, this shifting balance allows China to more confidently project power despite U.S. counterefforts.  A competition against a state, China, controlling 230 times our shipbuilding capacity will require continued large-scale investments and a refocused strategy to address today’s threats.
    As part of the naval competition, the U.S. Navy must resolve its significant maintenance backlog and current inability, in the event of a conflict, to quickly repair damaged ships.  Even if the United States had a navy with more vessels that are more powerful and hold more powerful weapons, we still would lose a war if those vessels were “in disrepair, tied to the pier, or in dry-dock.”  Without this maintenance and repair capability, the U.S. Navy’s combat power has become only a fraction of its reported size. A 2023 GAO study confirmed this effect: Over the last decade across 10 different ship classes, hours of availability for operations and training have decreased as maintenance cannibalizations, delays, and costs have increased.
    Specifically, the United States must improve its naval maintenance planning processes, starting with a better understanding of its vessels’ condition.  Experts have recommended that the U.S. Navy “invest in integrated [information technology (IT)] systems to document ships’ material condition properly,” as traditional methods of assessment take longer, cost more, and provide a much poorer understanding of a vessels’ maintenance needs.
    The Navy has identified its maintenance backlog as a priority and begun to execute on developing a technological solution to address that priority. To meet its spring 2024 availability timelines, the Navy worked hard to award a $75 million IDIQ contract to Gecko Robotics. Based in Pittsburgh, Gecko Robotics uses robotic automation and digital baselines to help the military optimize maintenance processes and improve mission readiness. This contract would allow the Navy to move more quickly in addressing its maintenance backlog while saving taxpayer funds compared to existing vehicles.
    Despite the contract’s strategic importance and prioritization by the Navy, it has stalled with GSA. Based on the Navy’s efforts, in December of 2023, a member of GSA informed Gecko Robotics that, “I’m confident we’ll have a contract in place by the end of February [2024].” In March of 2024 though, GSA backtracked, telling the Navy it could not support the contract until July. In April, GSA signed the requisite interagency agreement with the Navy, but by June, delays had worsened, leading a different member of GSA to inform Gecko Robotics that, “I don’t have a time frame when we would start the project.” In August, our staff learned from GSA that it does not plan to award the contract until Q2 of 2025, one year after it had originally planned.
    We understand that GSA has faced staffing turnover and a changing acquisition strategy, but in the meantime, the Navy’s readiness has suffered and will continue to suffer. China is emboldened. While commercial demand for Gecko Robotics’ capabilities is high, another young company in similar circumstances might have already gone out of business due to these delays. Difficulties generating revenue from contract delays like this will deter less mission-driven, innovative companies from even entering the defense market.
    For the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania in particular, this contract is critical. It will bring more than 150 jobs to the region directly. It will help grow Gecko Robotics’ defense business across other Navy platforms, other U.S. military services, and allied militaries, leading to further job growth. And, through workforce investments by Gecko Robotics, it will help traditional manufacturing workers in the area develop the advanced manufacturing skills and expertise necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
    GSA must do better. The Nation’s security demands it. We respectfully request that you expedite issuance of the Navy’s IDIQ contract to Q1 of 2025. Thank you for your attention to our request. We appreciate your swift efforts to remedy this situation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks at the Opening of the General Debate of the Seventy-ninth Session of the General Assembly [trilingual, as delivered, scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Mr. President of the General Assembly,

    Excellencies,

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    Our world is in a whirlwind.

    We are in an era of epic transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions.

    Yet geo-political divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating.

    Wars rage with no clue how they will end.

    And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow.

    We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world.

    Meanwhile, 2024 is the year that half of humanity goes to the polls – and all of humanity will be affected.

    I stand before you in this whirlwind convinced of two overriding truths.

    First, the state of our world is unsustainable.

    We can’t go on like this.

    And second, the challenges we face are solvable.

    But that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.

    The Summit of the Future was a first step, but we have a long way to go.

    Getting there requires confronting three major drivers of unsustainability.

    A world of impunity – where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the UN Charter.

    A world of inequality – where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries or even push them over the edge.

    And a world of uncertainty – where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways.

    These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding.

    Excellencies,

    The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.

    Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a “get out of jail free” card.

    They can trample international law.

    They can violate the United Nations Charter.

    They can turn a blind eye to international human rights conventions or the decisions of international courts.

    They can thumb their nose at international humanitarian law.

    They can invade another country, lay waste to whole societies, or utterly disregard the welfare of their own people.

    And nothing will happen.

    We see this age of impunity everywhere — in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa, and beyond.

    The war in Ukraine is spreading with no signs of letting up.

    Civilians are paying the price – in rising death tolls and shattered lives and communities.

    It is time for a just peace based on the UN Charter, on international law and on UN resolutions.

    Meanwhile, Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it.

    Look no further than Lebanon.

    We should all be alarmed by the escalation. 

    Lebanon is at the brink. 

    The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world — cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.

    Let’s be clear.

    Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7th, or the taking of hostages – both of which I have repeatedly condemned.

    And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

    The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as Secretary-General.

    More than 200 of our own staff have been killed, many with their families.

    And yet the women and men of the United Nations continue to deliver humanitarian aid.

    I know you join me in paying a special tribute to UNRWA and to all humanitarians in Gaza.

    The international community must mobilize for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.

    For those who go on undermining that goal with more settlements, more landgrabs, more incitement — I ask:

    What is the alternative?

    How could the world accept a one-state future in which a large a large number of Palestinians would be included without any freedom, rights or dignity?

    In Sudan, a brutal power struggle has unleashed horrific violence — including widespread rape and sexual assaults.

    A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding as famine spreads.  Yet outside powers continue to interfere with no unified approach to finding peace.

    In the Sahel, the dramatic and rapid expansion of the terrorist threat requires a joint approach rooted in solidarity – but regional and international cooperation have broken down.

    From Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Haiti to Yemen and beyond – we continue to see appalling levels of violence and human suffering in the face of a chronic failure to find solutions.

    Meanwhile our peacekeeping missions are too often operating in areas where simply there is no peace to keep.

    Instability in many places around the world is a by-product of instability in power relations and geo-political divides.

    For all its perils, the Cold War had rules.

    There were hot lines, red lines and guard rails.

    It can feel as though we don’t have that today.

    Nor do we have a unipolar world.

    We are moving to a multipolar world, but we are not there yet.

    We are in a purgatory of polarity.

    And in this purgatory, more and more countries are filling the spaces of geopolitical divides, doing whatever they want with no accountability.

    That is why it is more important than ever to reaffirm the Charter, to respect international law, to support and implement decisions of international courts, and to reinforce human rights in the world.

    Anywhere and everywhere.

    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,
     
    L’augmentation des inégalités est un deuxième facteur de l’insoutenabilité et une tache sur notre conscience collective.
     
    L’inégalité n’est pas une question technique ou bureaucratique.
     
    Au fond, l’inégalité est une question de pouvoir, aux racines historiques.
     
    Les conflits, les bouleversements climatiques et la crise du coût de la vie étendent ces racines historiques plus profondément encore.
     
    Dans le même temps, le monde peine encore à se relever de la flambée des inégalités engendrée par la pandémie.
     
    Si l’on regarde les 75 pays les plus pauvres du monde, un tiers d’entre eux se trouve aujourd’hui dans une situation pire qu’il y a cinq ans.
     
    Au cours de la même période, les cinq hommes les plus riches de la planète ont plus que doublé leurs fortunes.
     
    Et un pour cent des habitants de la planète détient 43 % de l’ensemble des avoirs financiers mondiaux.
     
    Au niveau national, certains gouvernements décuplent les inégalités en accordant des cadeaux fiscaux massifs aux entreprises et aux ultra-riches — au détriment des investissements dans la santé, l’éducation et la protection sociale.
     
    Et personne n’est plus lésé que les femmes et les filles du monde entier.
     
    Excellences,
     
    La discrimination et les abus généralisés fondés sur le genre constituent l’inégalité la plus répandue dans toutes les sociétés.
     
    Chaque jour, il semble que nous soyons confrontés à de nouveaux cas révoltants de féminicides, de violences fondées sur le genre et de viols collectifs – en temps de paix comme en tant qu’arme de guerre.
     
    Dans certains pays, les lois sont utilisées pour menacer la santé et les droits reproductifs.
     
    Et en Afghanistan, les lois sont utilisées pour entériner l’oppression systématique des femmes et des filles.
     
    Et je suis désolé de constater que, malgré des années de beaux discours, l’inégalité de genre se manifesteet je vous demande pardon de le dire, elle se manifeste aujourd’hui encore, pleinement dans cette enceinte.
     
    Moins de 10 pour cent des intervenants au Débat général de cette semaine sont des femmes.
     
    C’est inacceptable, surtout quand on sait que l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes contribue à la paix, au développement durable, à l’action climatique et bien plus encore.
     
    C’est précisément pour cela nous avons pris des mesures spécifiques pour atteindre la parité hommes-femmes parmi les hauts responsables de l’Organisation des Nations Unies,objectif qui est déjà complété.
     
    C’est faisable.
     
    J’exhorte les institutions politiques et économiques du monde dominées par les hommes à le faire aussi.
     
    Excellences,
     
    Les inégalités mondiales se reflètent et se renforcent jusque dans nos propres organisations internationales.
     
    Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies a été conçu par les vainqueurs de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
     
    À l’époque, la majeure partie du continent africain était encore sous domination coloniale.
     
    À ce jour, l’Afrique n’a toujours aucun siège permanent au sein de la principale instance de paix du monde.
     
    Un changement s’impose.
     
    Il en va de même pour l’architecture financière mondiale, mise en place il y a 80 ans.
     
    Je félicite les dirigeants de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international pour les mesures importantes qu’ils ont entreprises.
     
    Mais comme le souligne le Pacte pour l’avenir, la lutte contre les inégalités exige une accélération de la réforme de l’architecture financière internationale.
     
    Au cours des huit dernières décennies, l’économie mondiale s’est développée et transformée.
     
    Les institutions de Bretton Woods n’ont pas suivi le rythme.
     
    Elles ne sont plus en mesure de fournir un filet de sécurité mondial, ni d’offrir aux pays en développement le niveau de soutien dont ils ont tant besoin.
     
    Dans les pays les plus pauvres du monde, le coût des intérêts de la dette dépasse, en moyenne, le coût des investissements dans l’éducation, la santé et les infrastructures publiques réunis.
     
    Et à l’échelle du monde, plus de 80 % des cibles des Objectifs de développement durable ne sont pas en bonne voie.

    Excelencias,

    Volver al camino correcto requiere un aumento de financiamiento para la Agenda 2030 y el Acuerdo de París.

    Esto implica que los países del G20 lideren un Estímulo para los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de 500.000 millones de dólares al año.

    Implica reformas para aumentar sustancialmente la capacidad de préstamo de los Bancos Multilaterales de Desarrollo – y permitirles ampliar masivamente la financiación asequible a largo plazo para el clima y el desarrollo.

    Implica ampliar la financiación de contingencia mediante el reciclaje de los Derechos Especiales de Giro.

    E implica promover una reestructuración de la deuda a largo plazo.

    Excelencias,

    No me hago ilusiones sobre las barreras a la reforma del sistema multilateral.

    Los que tienen poder político y económico, o y los que creen tenerlo, son siempre reacios al cambio.

    Pero el status quo ya está agotando su poder.

    Sin reformas, la fragmentación es inevitable, y las instituciones globales perderán legitimidad, credibilidad y eficacia.

    Excellencies,

    The third driver of our unsustainable world is uncertainty.

    The ground is shifting under our feet.

    Anxiety levels are off the charts.

    And young people, in particular, are counting on us and seeking solutions.

    Uncertainty is compounded by two existential threats – the climate crisis and the rapid advance of technology — in particular, Artificial Intelligence.

    Excellencies,

    We are in a climate meltdown.

    Extreme temperatures, raging fires, droughts, and epic floods are not natural disasters.

    They are human disasters — increasingly fueled by fossil fuels.

    No country is spared. But the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit.

    Climate hazards are blowing a hole through the budgets of many African countries, costing up to five per cent of GDP – every year.

    And this is just the start.

    We are on course to careen past the global limit of a 1.5 degree temperature rise.

    But as the problem gets worse, solutions are getting better.

    Renewable prices are plummeting, roll-out is accelerating, and lives are being transformed by affordable, accessible clean energy.

    Renewables don’t just generate power. They generate jobs, wealth, energy security and a path out of poverty for millions.

    But developing countries cannot be plundered in that journey.

    Our Panel on Critical Minerals has recommended fair and sustainable ways to meet global demand for these resources, which are essential to the renewables revolution.

    Excellencies,

    A future without fossil fuels is certain.  A fair and fast transition is not.

    That is in your hands.

    By next year, every country must produce an ambitious new national climate action plan – or Nationally Determined Contributions.

    These must bring national energy strategies, sustainable development priorities, and climate ambitions together.

    They must align with the 1.5 degree limit, cover the whole economy, and contribute to every one of the COP28 energy transition targets.

    An International Energy Agency report released today breaks this down.

    By 2035, on average, advanced economies must slash energy emissions 80 per cent, and emerging markets 65 per cent.

    The G20 is responsible for 80 per cent of total emissions.

    They must lead the charge – keeping with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances.

    But this must be a joint effort — pooling resources, scientific capacities and proven and affordable technologies for all to be able to reach those targets.

    I’m honoured to be working closely with President Lula of Brazil – who is both G20 Chair and COP30 host – to secure maximum ambition, acceleration and cooperation. We just met for that purpose.

    Finance is essential.

    COP29 is around the corner.

    It must deliver a significant new finance goal.

    We also need a Loss and Damage Fund that meets the scale of the challenge – and developed countries meeting their adaptation finance promises.

    And we must finally flip the script on a crazy situation:

    We continue to reward polluters to wreck our planet.

    The fossil fuel industry continues to pocket massive profits and subsidies, while everyday people bear the costs of climate catastrophe – from rising insurance premiums to lost livelihoods.

    I call on G20 countries to shift money from fossil fuel subsidies and investments to a just energy transition;

    To put an effective price on carbon;

    And to implement new and innovative sources of financing – including solidarity levies on fossil fuel extraction – through legally-binding, transparent mechanisms.

    All by next year and this taking into account that those who shoulder the blame must foot the bill.

    Polluters must pay.

    Excellencies,

    The rapid rise of new technologies poses another unpredictable existential risk.

    Artificial Intelligence will change virtually everything we know — from work, education and communication, to culture and politics.

    We know AI is rapidly advancing, but where is it taking us:

    To more freedom – or more conflict?

    To a more sustainable world – or greater inequality?

    To being better informed – or easier to manipulate?

    A handful of companies and even individuals have already amassed enormous power over the development of AI – with little accountability or oversight for the moment.

    Without a global approach to its management, artificial intelligence could lead to artificial divisions across the board – a Great Fracture with two internets, two markets, two economies – with every country forced to pick a side, and enormous consequences for all.

    The United Nations is the universal platform for dialogue and consensus.

    It is uniquely placed to promote cooperation on AI – based on the values of the Charter and international law.

    The global debate happens here, or it does not happen.

    I welcome important first steps.

    Two resolutions in the General Assembly, the Global Digital Compact, and the recommendations of the High-Level Body on AI can lay the foundations for inclusive governance of AI.

    Let’s move forward together to make AI a force for good.

    Excellencies,

    Nothing lasts forever.

    But a feature of human life is that it appears otherwise.

    The current order always feels fixed.

    Until it is not.
     
    Across human history, we see empires rising and falling; old certainties crumbling; tectonic shifts in global affairs.
     
    Today our course is unsustainable.

    It is in all our interests to manage the epic transformations underway; to choose the future we want and to guide our world towards it.

    Many have said that the differences and divisions today are just too great.

    That it is impossible for us to come together for the common good.

    You proved that is not true.

    The Summit of the Future showed that with a spirit of dialogue and compromise, we can join forces to steer our world to a more sustainable path.

    It is not the end.

    It is a start of a journey, a compass in the whirlwind.

    Let’s keep going.

    Let’s move our world towards less impunity and more accountability …. less inequality and more justice … less uncertainty and more opportunity.

    The people of the world are looking to us – and succeeding generations will look back on us.

    Let them find us on the side of the United Nations Charter … on the side of our shared values and principles … and on the right side of history.

    I thank you.

    ***
    [all-English]

    Mr. President of the General Assembly,
     
    Excellencies,
     
    Ladies and gentlemen,
     
    Our world is in a whirlwind.
     
    We are in an era of epic transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions.
     
    Yet geo-political divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating.

    Wars rage with no clue how they will end.
     
    And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow.
     
    We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world.
     
    Meanwhile, 2024 is the year that half of humanity goes to the polls – and all of humanity will be affected.
     
    I stand before you in this whirlwind convinced of two overriding truths.
     
    First, the state of our world is unsustainable.
     
    We can’t go on like this.
     
    And second, the challenges we face are solvable.
     
    But that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.
     
    The Summit of the Future was a first step, but we have a long way to go.
     
    Getting there requires confronting three major drivers of unsustainability.
     
    A world of impunity – where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the UN Charter.
     
    A world of inequality – where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries or even push them over the edge.
     
    And a world of uncertainty – where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable ways.
     
    These worlds of impunity, inequality and uncertainty are connected and colliding.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.
     
    Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a “get out of jail free” card.
     
    They can trample international law.
     
    They can violate the United Nations Charter.
     
    They can turn a blind eye to international human rights conventions or the decisions of international courts.
     
    They can thumb their nose at international humanitarian law.
     
    They can invade another country, lay waste to whole societies, or utterly disregard the welfare of their own people.
     
    And nothing will happen.
     
    We see this age of impunity everywhere — in the Middle East, in the heart of Europe, in the Horn of Africa, and beyond.
     
    The war in Ukraine is spreading with no signs of letting up.
     
    Civilians are paying the price – in rising death tolls and shattered lives and communities.
     
    It is time for a just peace based on the UN Charter, on international law and on UN resolutions.
     
    Meanwhile, Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it.
     
    Look no further than Lebanon.
     
    We should all be alarmed by the escalation. 
     
    Lebanon is at the brink. 
     
    The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world — cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.
     
    Let’s be clear.
     
    Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7th, or the taking of hostages – both of which I have repeatedly condemned.
     
    And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
     
    The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as Secretary-General.
     
    More than 200 of our own staff have been killed, many with their families.
     
    And yet the women and men of the United Nations continue to deliver humanitarian aid.
     
    I know you join me in paying a special tribute to UNRWA and to all humanitarians in Gaza.
     
    The international community must mobilize for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.
     
    For those who go on undermining that goal with more settlements, more landgrabs, more incitement — I ask:
     
    What is the alternative?
     
    How could the world accept a one-state future in which a large a large number of Palestinians would be included without any freedom, rights or dignity?
     
    In Sudan, a brutal power struggle has unleashed horrific violence — including widespread rape and sexual assaults.
     
    A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding as famine spreads.  Yet outside powers continue to interfere with no unified approach to finding peace.
     
    In the Sahel, the dramatic and rapid expansion of the terrorist threat requires a joint approach rooted in solidarity – but regional and international cooperation have broken down.
     
    From Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Haiti to Yemen and beyond – we continue to see appalling levels of violence and human suffering in the face of a chronic failure to find solutions.
     
    Meanwhile our peacekeeping missions are too often operating in areas where simply there is no peace to keep.
     
    Instability in many places around the world is a by-product of instability in power relations and geo-political divides.
     
    For all its perils, the Cold War had rules.
     
    There were hot lines, red lines and guard rails.
     
    It can feel as though we don’t have that today.
     
    Nor do we have a unipolar world.
     
    We are moving to a multipolar world, but we are not there yet.
     
    We are in a purgatory of polarity.
     
    And in this purgatory, more and more countries are filling the spaces of geopolitical divides, doing whatever they want with no accountability.
     
    That is why it is more important than ever to reaffirm the Charter, to respect international law, to support and implement decisions of international courts, and to reinforce human rights in the world.
     
    Anywhere and everywhere.

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Rising inequalities are a second driver of unsustainability and a stain on our collective conscience. 

    Inequality is not a technical or bureaucratic issue. 

    At its heart, inequality is a question of power with historic roots.

    Conflict, climate upheaval and the cost-of-living crisis, are pushing those roots deeper. 

    At the same time, the world has not recovered from the surge in inequalities caused by the pandemic.

    Of the world’s poorest 75 countries, one-third are worse off today than they were five years ago.

    During that same period, the five richest men in the world have more than doubled their wealth.
     
    And the top one per cent of people on earth own 43 per cent of all global financial assets.

    At the national level, some governments are supercharging inequalities by doling out massive tax giveaways to corporations and the ultra-rich, while shortchanging investments in health, education and social protection.

    No one is being short-changed more than the world’s women and girls. 

    Excellencies, 
     
    Rampant gender-based discrimination and abuse are the most prevalent inequality across all societies. 
     
    Every day, it seems we are confronted by yet more sickening cases of femicide, gender-based violence and mass rape, both in peacetime and as a weapon of war. 
     
    In some countries, laws are being used to threaten reproductive health and rights. 

    And in Afghanistan, laws are being used to lock-in the systematic oppression of women and girls. 
     
    And I am sorry to observe that despite years of talk, gender inequality is on full display, and I am sorry for mentioning it here, gender inequality is on full display in this very Hall. 

    Less than 10 per cent of speakers during this week’s General Debate are women. 
     
    This is unacceptable – especially when we know gender equality delivers for peace, sustainable development, climate action and much more. 

    That is precisely why we took targeted measures to achieve gender parity among the United Nations senior leadership, an objective that has already been achieved.

    It’s doable. 

    I call on male-dominated political and economic establishments around the world to do it as well.
     
    Excellencies,

    Global inequalities are reflected and reinforced even in our own global institutions.

    The United Nations Security Council was designed by the victors of the Second World War. 

    Most of Africa was still under colonial domination. 

    To this day, Africa has no permanent seat on the world’s preeminent council of peace. 

    This must change.

    So must the global financial architecture, set up 80 years ago. 

    I commend the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for taking important steps.

    But as the Pact for the Future emphasizes, tackling inequalities requires accelerating reform of the international financial architecture.

    Over the past eight decades, the global economy has grown and transformed.

    The Bretton Woods institutions have not kept pace.

    They can no longer provide a global safety net – or offer developing countries the level of support they need.

    Debt interest payments in the world’s poorest countries now cost more, on average, than investments in education, health and infrastructure combined.

    And around the world, more than 80 per cent of Sustainable Development Goal targets are off track. 

    Excellencies,

    Getting back on track requires a surge of financing for the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

    That means G20 countries leading on an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year. 

    It means reforms to substantially increase the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks and enable them to massively scale-up affordable long-term climate and development finance.

    It means expanding contingency financing through recycling Special Drawing Rights.

    And it means promoting long-term debt-restructuring.

    Excellencies,

    I have no illusions about the obstacles to reform of the multilateral system.

    Those with political and economic power – and those who believe they have power – are always reluctant to change.

    But the status quo is already draining their power.

    Without reform, fragmentation is inevitable, and global institutions will become less legitimate, less credible, and less effective.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The third driver of our unsustainable world is uncertainty.
     
    The ground is shifting under our feet.
     
    Anxiety levels are off the charts.
     
    And young people, in particular, are counting on us and seeking solutions.
     
    Uncertainty is compounded by two existential threats – the climate crisis and the rapid advance of technology — in particular, Artificial Intelligence.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    We are in a climate meltdown.
     
    Extreme temperatures, raging fires, droughts, and epic floods are not natural disasters.
     
    They are human disasters — increasingly fueled by fossil fuels.
     
    No country is spared. But the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit.
     
    Climate hazards are blowing a hole through the budgets of many African countries, costing up to five per cent of GDP – every year.
     
    And this is just the start.
     
    We are on course to careen past the global limit of a 1.5 degree temperature rise.
     
    But as the problem gets worse, solutions are getting better.
     
    Renewable prices are plummeting, roll-out is accelerating, and lives are being transformed by affordable, accessible clean energy.
     
    Renewables don’t just generate power. They generate jobs, wealth, energy security and a path out of poverty for millions.
     
    But developing countries cannot be plundered in that journey.
     
    Our Panel on Critical Minerals has recommended fair and sustainable ways to meet global demand for these resources, which are essential to the renewables revolution.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    A future without fossil fuels is certain.  A fair and fast transition is not.
     
    That is in your hands.
     
    By next year, every country must produce an ambitious new national climate action plan – or Nationally Determined Contributions.
     
    These must bring national energy strategies, sustainable development priorities, and climate ambitions together.
     
    They must align with the 1.5 degree limit, cover the whole economy, and contribute to every one of the COP28 energy transition targets.
     
    An International Energy Agency report released today breaks this down.
     
    By 2035, on average, advanced economies must slash energy emissions 80 per cent, and emerging markets 65 per cent.
     
    The G20 is responsible for 80 per cent of total emissions.
     
    They must lead the charge – keeping with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances.
     
    But this must be a joint effort — pooling resources, scientific capacities and proven and affordable technologies for all to be able to reach those targets.
     
    I’m honoured to be working closely with President Lula of Brazil – who is both G20 Chair and COP30 host – to secure maximum ambition, acceleration and cooperation. We just met for that purpose.
     
    Finance is essential.
     
    COP29 is around the corner.
     
    It must deliver a significant new finance goal.
     
    We also need a Loss and Damage Fund that meets the scale of the challenge – and developed countries meeting their adaptation finance promises.
     
    And we must finally flip the script on a crazy situation:
     
    We continue to reward polluters to wreck our planet.
     
    The fossil fuel industry continues to pocket massive profits and subsidies, while everyday people bear the costs of climate catastrophe – from rising insurance premiums to lost livelihoods.
     
    I call on G20 countries to shift money from fossil fuel subsidies and investments to a just energy transition;
     
    To put an effective price on carbon;
     
    And to implement new and innovative sources of financing – including solidarity levies on fossil fuel extraction – through legally-binding, transparent mechanisms.
     
    All by next year and this taking into account that those who shoulder the blame must foot the bill.
     
    Polluters must pay.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The rapid rise of new technologies poses another unpredictable existential risk.
     
    Artificial Intelligence will change virtually everything we know — from work, education and communication, to culture and politics.
     
    We know AI is rapidly advancing, but where is it taking us:
     
    To more freedom – or more conflict?
     
    To a more sustainable world – or greater inequality?
     
    To being better informed – or easier to manipulate?
     
    A handful of companies and even individuals have already amassed enormous power over the development of AI – with little accountability or oversight for the moment.
     
    Without a global approach to its management, artificial intelligence could lead to artificial divisions across the board – a Great Fracture with two internets, two markets, two economies – with every country forced to pick a side, and enormous consequences for all.
     
    The United Nations is the universal platform for dialogue and consensus.
     
    It is uniquely placed to promote cooperation on AI – based on the values of the Charter and international law.
     
    The global debate happens here, or it does not happen.
     
    I welcome important first steps.
     
    Two resolutions in the General Assembly, the Global Digital Compact, and the recommendations of the High-Level Body on AI can lay the foundations for inclusive governance of AI.
     
    Let’s move forward together to make AI a force for good.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    Nothing lasts forever.
     
    But a feature of human life is that it appears otherwise.
     
    The current order always feels fixed.
     
    Until it is not.
     
    Across human history, we see empires rising and falling; old certainties crumbling; tectonic shifts in global affairs.
     
    Today our course is unsustainable.
     
    It is in all our interests to manage the epic transformations underway; to choose the future we want and to guide our world towards it.
     
    Many have said that the differences and divisions today are just too great.
     
    That it is impossible for us to come together for the common good.
     
    You proved that is not true.
     
    The Summit of the Future showed that with a spirit of dialogue and compromise, we can join forces to steer our world to a more sustainable path.
     
    It is not the end.
     
    It is a start of a journey, a compass in the whirlwind.
     
    Let’s keep going.
     
    Let’s move our world towards less impunity and more accountability …. less inequality and more justice … less uncertainty and more opportunity.
     
    The people of the world are looking to us – and succeeding generations will look back on us.
     
    Let them find us on the side of the United Nations Charter … on the side of our shared values and principles … and on the right side of history.
     
    I thank you.

    ***
    [all-French]

    Monsieur le Président,

    Excellences,

    Mesdames et Messieurs,

    Notre monde est pris dans un tourbillon.

    Nous vivons une ère de transformation aux proportions épiques et faisons face à des défis sans précédent qui exigent des solutions mondiales.

    Et pourtant, les divisions géopolitiques ne vont qu’en s’aggravant. La planète continue de se réchauffer.

    Les guerres font rage sans que l’on sache comment elles vont se terminer.

    Les gesticulations nucléaires et les nouvelles armes font planer sur nous une ombre inquiétante.

    Nous allons tout droit vers l’inimaginable : une poudrière qui risque d’engloutir le monde.

    En 2024, la moitié de l’humanité doit se rendre aux urnes – et c’est sur l’humanité tout entière que pèsera l’issue de ces scrutins.

    Je me tiens devant vous, face à ce tourbillon, convaincu de deux vérités primordiales.

    Tout d’abord, l’état dans lequel se trouve notre monde n’est pas viable.

    On ne peut pas continuer ainsi.

    Et deuxièmement, il est possible de relever les défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés.

    Mais pour cela, nous devons nous assurer que les mécanismes de règlement des problèmes internationaux permettent bel et bien de régler les problèmes.

    Le Sommet de l’avenir était un premier pas, mais le chemin à parcourir est encore long.

    Pour y parvenir, il faut s’attaquer à trois grands facteurs de l’insoutenabilité.

    Un monde d’impunité – dans lequel les violations et les atteintes menacent le fondement même du droit international et de la Charte des Nations Unies.

    Un monde d’inégalités – où les injustices et les griefs auxquelles elles donnent jour menacent d’affaiblir les pays, ou pire, de les précipiter dans le gouffre.

    Et un monde d’incertitude – où les risques mondiaux ne sont pas gérés, ce qui hypothèque notre avenir, bien au-delà de ce que l’on peut imaginer.

    Ces mondes d’impunité, d’inégalité et d’incertitude sont liés entre eux et se télescopent.

    Excellences,

    Le degré d’impunité dans le monde est indéfendable sur le plan politique et moralement intolérable.

    Aujourd’hui, un nombre croissant de gouvernements et d’autres acteurs se sentent autorisés à bénéficier, comme au Monopoly, d’une carte « Vous êtes libéré de prison ».

    Ils peuvent fouler aux pieds le droit international.

    Ils peuvent violer la Charte des Nations Unies.

    Ils peuvent ignorer les conventions internationales relatives aux droits humains ou les décisions des tribunaux internationaux.

    Ils peuvent bafouer le droit international humanitaire.

    Ils peuvent envahir un autre pays, dévaster des sociétés entières ou mépriser complètement le bien-être de leur propre peuple.

    Sans que rien ne se passe.

    Partout ‒ au Moyen-Orient, au cœur de l’Europe, dans la Corne de l’Afrique et au-delà ‒ c’est l’ère de l’impunité.

    La guerre en Ukraine s’étend et rien n’indique qu’elle va s’arrêter.

    Ce sont les populations civiles qui en paient le prix. À preuve, les morts de plus en plus nombreuses, les vies et les communautés brisées.

    Il est temps d’instaurer une paix juste, fondée sur la Charte des Nations Unies, le droit international et les résolutions des organes des Nations Unies.

    Pendant ce temps, Gaza vit un cauchemar permanent qui menace d’entraîner toute la région dans le chaos.

    À commencer par le Liban.

    Nous devrions tous être alarmés par cette escalade. 

    Le Liban est au bord du gouffre. 

    Le peuple libanais, le peuple israélien et les peuples du monde ne peuvent se permettre que le Liban devienne un autre Gaza.

    Soyons clairs.

    Rien ne peut justifier les actes de terreur abominables commis par le Hamas le 7 octobre, ni les prises d’otages, que j’ai condamnés à maintes reprises.

    Mais rien ne peut justifier d’infliger un châtiment collectif au peuple palestinien.

    La rapidité et l’ampleur du massacre et des destructions à Gaza ne ressemblent à rien d’autre de ce que j’ai connu depuis que je suis Secrétaire général.

    Plus de 200 membres du personnel des Nations Unies ont déjà été tués et, souvent, des membres de leurs familles ont aussi péri à leurs côtés.

    Et pourtant, les femmes et les hommes des Nations Unies continuent d’accomplir leur mission.

    Je sais que vous vous joignez à moi pour rendre un hommage appuyé à l’UNRWA et à tous les humanitaires à Gaza.

    La communauté internationale doit se mobiliser pour obtenir un cessez-le-feu immédiat, la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle des tous les otages et le lancement d’un processus irréversible pour qu’une solution des deux États voie le jour.

    J’aimerais poser une question à ceux qui continuent de saper cet objectif en multipliant les implantations, les expulsions, les provocations:
    Quelle est l’alternative ?

    Comment le monde pourrait-il accepter un État qui inclurait un grand nombre de Palestiniens et de Palestiniennes privés de liberté, de droits et de dignité ?

    Au Soudan, une lutte brutale pour le pouvoir a donné lieu à d’horribles violences, notamment des viols et des agressions sexuelles à grande échelle.

    Une catastrophe humanitaire est en train de se produire dans un pays en proie à une famine rampante. Pourtant, les puissances extérieures continuent de s’ingérer sans aucune approche unifiée pour trouver la paix.

    Au Sahel, l’expansion dramatique et rapide de la menace terroriste exige l’adoption d’une approche commune fondée sur la solidarité, mais la coopération régionale et internationale est en panne.

    Du Myanmar à la République démocratique du Congo, en passant par Haïti et le Yémen, les populations restent exposées à des violences et des souffrances effroyables, sur fond d’incapacité chronique à trouver des solutions.

    Pendant ce temps, nos missions de maintien de la paix opèrent trop souvent dans des lieux où il n’y a tout simplement pas de paix à maintenir.

    L’instabilité que l’on observe en de nombreux endroits du monde est la conséquence de l’instabilité des relations de pouvoir et des clivages géopolitiques.

    La Guerre Froide était pleine de dangers, mais elle avait aussi ses règles.

    Il y avait le téléphone rouge, des limites à ne pas franchir et des garde-fous.

    On a parfois l’impression que l’on n’a rien de tout cela aujourd’hui.

    Nous ne vivons pas non plus dans un monde unipolaire.

    Nous sommes en train de passer à un monde multipolaire, mais nous n’y sommes pas encore.

    Nous sommes en fait dans le purgatoire de la polarité.

    Et dans ce purgatoire, de plus en plus de pays occupent les espaces laissés vides par les divisions géopolitiques et font ce qu’ils veulent sans avoir à rendre de comptes.

    C’est pourquoi il est plus important que jamais de réaffirmer la Charte, d’appuyer et de respecter le droit international et de renforcer les droits humains à travers le monde.

    Partout et en tout lieu.

    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,

    L’augmentation des inégalités est un deuxième facteur de l’insoutenabilité et une tache sur notre conscience collective. 

    L’inégalité n’est pas une question technique ou bureaucratique. 

    Au fond, l’inégalité est une question de pouvoir, aux racines historiques.

    Les conflits, les bouleversements climatiques et la crise du coût de la vie étendent ces racines historiques plus profondément encore. 

    Dans le même temps, le monde peine encore à se relever de la flambée des inégalités engendrée par la pandémie.

    Si l’on regarde les 75 pays les plus pauvres du monde, un tiers d’entre eux se trouve aujourd’hui dans une situation pire qu’il y a cinq ans.

    Au cours de la même période, les cinq hommes les plus riches de la planète ont plus que doublé leurs fortunes.

    Et un pour cent des habitants de la planète détient 43 % de l’ensemble des avoirs financiers mondiaux.

    Au niveau national, certains gouvernements décuplent les inégalités en accordant des cadeaux fiscaux massifs aux entreprises et aux ultra-riches — au détriment des investissements dans la santé, l’éducation et la protection sociale.

    Et personne n’est plus lésé que les femmes et les filles du monde entier.

    Excellences,

    La discrimination et les abus généralisés fondés sur le genre constituent l’inégalité la plus répandue dans toutes les sociétés.

    Chaque jour, il semble que nous soyons confrontés à de nouveaux cas révoltants de féminicides, de violences fondées sur le genre et de viols collectifs – en temps de paix comme en tant qu’arme de guerre.

    Dans certains pays, les lois sont utilisées pour menacer la santé et les droits reproductifs. 

    Et en Afghanistan, les lois sont utilisées pour entériner l’oppression systématique des femmes et des filles.

    Et je suis désolé de constater que, malgré des années de beaux discours, l’inégalité de genre se manifeste, et je vous demande pardon de le dire, elle se manifeste aujourd’hui encore, pleinement dans cette enceinte.

    Moins de 10 pour cent des intervenants au Débat général de cette semaine sont des femmes.
     
    C’est inacceptable, surtout quand on sait que l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes contribue à la paix, au développement durable, à l’action climatique et bien plus encore.

    C’est précisément pour cela nous avons pris des mesures spécifiques pour atteindre la parité hommes-femmes parmi les hauts responsables de l’Organisation des Nations Unies, objectif qui est déjà complété.

    C’est faisable.

    J’exhorte les institutions politiques et économiques du monde dominées par les hommes à le faire aussi.
     
    Excellences,

    Les inégalités mondiales se reflètent et se renforcent jusque dans nos propres organisations internationales.

    Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies a été conçu par les vainqueurs de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. 

    À l’époque, la majeure partie du continent africain était encore sous domination coloniale. 

    À ce jour, l’Afrique n’a toujours aucun siège permanent au sein de la principale instance de paix du monde. 

    Un changement s’impose.

    Il en va de même pour l’architecture financière mondiale, mise en place il y a 80 ans. 

    Je félicite les dirigeants de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international pour les mesures importantes qu’ils ont entreprises.

    Mais comme le souligne le Pacte pour l’avenir, la lutte contre les inégalités exige une accélération de la réforme de l’architecture financière internationale.

    Au cours des huit dernières décennies, l’économie mondiale s’est développée et transformée.

    Les institutions de Bretton Woods n’ont pas suivi le rythme.

    Elles ne sont plus en mesure de fournir un filet de sécurité mondial, ni d’offrir aux pays en développement le niveau de soutien dont ils ont tant besoin. 

    Dans les pays les plus pauvres du monde, le coût des intérêts de la dette dépasse, en moyenne, le coût des investissements dans l’éducation, la santé et les infrastructures publiques réunis.

    Et à l’échelle du monde, plus de 80 % des cibles des Objectifs de développement durable ne sont pas en bonne voie.

    Excellences,

    Pour que l’on puisse redresser le cap, les financements mobilisés pour le Programme 2030 et l’Accord de Paris doivent connaître un véritable bond.

    Cela implique que les pays du G20 montrent l’exemple sur le Plan de relance des Objectifs de développement durable, de 500 milliards de dollars par an.

    Cela implique également d’engager des réformes pour renforcer considérablement la capacité de prêt des Banques multilatérales de développement, afin qu’elles puissent proposer bien davantage de financements abordables et à long terme pour l’action climatique et le développement.

    Cela implique de débloquer plus largement des financements pour imprévus, à travers le recyclage des droits de tirage spéciaux.

    Et cela implique de promouvoir une restructuration de la dette à long terme.

    Excellences,

    Je ne me fais guère d’illusions sur les obstacles que nous rencontrerons dans le cadre de la réforme du système multilatéral.

    Ceux qui détiennent le pouvoir politique et économique – et ceux qui croient le détenir – ont toujours une aversion au changement.

    Pourtant, le statu quo ébranle déjà leur pouvoir.

    Sans réforme, la fragmentation est inévitable, condamnant les institutions mondiales à perdre en légitimité, en crédibilité et en efficacité.

    Excellences,

    Le troisième facteur de l’insoutenabilité de notre monde est l’incertitude.

    Le sol se dérobe sous nos pieds.

    L’anxiété est à son comble.

    Les jeunes, en particulier, comptent sur nous et recherchent des solutions.

    L’incertitude est aggravée par deux menaces existentielles : la crise climatique et les bouleversements technologiques rapides, notamment l’intelligence artificielle.

    Excellences,

    Nous assistons à un véritable effondrement du climat.

    Les températures extrêmes, les incendies violents, les sécheresses et les inondations catastrophiques ne sont pas des catastrophes naturelles.

    Ce sont des catastrophes humaines, dont les combustibles fossiles précipitent l’enchaînement.

    Aucun pays n’est épargné. Mais ce sont les pays les plus pauvres et les plus vulnérables qui paient le prix fort.

    Les calamités climatiques obèrent les budgets de nombreux pays d’Afrique et leur coûtent jusqu’à 5 % de leur PIB – chaque année.

    Et ce n’est que le début.

    La température mondiale est sur le point de dépasser la limite de 1,5 degré.

    Mais si le problème s’aggrave, les solutions que l’on y apporte deviennent plus efficaces.

    Prenons l’exemple des énergies renouvelables : leur prix diminue fortement, leur déploiement s’accélère et des populations voient leur quotidien transformé par une énergie propre, accessible et d’un coût abordable.

    Les énergies renouvelables ne servent pas qu’à produire de l’électricité. Elles créent aussi des emplois et de la richesse, sont gages de sécurité énergétique et permettent à des millions de personnes de sortir de la pauvreté.

    Mais cela ne doit pas passer par le pillage des pays en développement.

    Notre Groupe chargé de la question des minéraux essentiels a recommandé que des mesures équitables et durables soient prises pour répondre à la demande mondiale dans ces ressources, indispensables à la révolution des énergies renouvelables.

    Excellences,

    Il est certain qu’un monde sans combustibles fossiles verra le jour. En revanche, rien ne dit que la transition sera rapide ou équitable.

    Cela dépend de vous.

    D’ici à l’an prochain, tous les pays devront élaborer de nouveaux plans d’action nationaux pour le climat ambitieux – ou déterminer leurs contributions au niveau national.

    Ils devront faire converger leurs stratégies énergétiques nationales, leurs priorités en matière de développement durable et les ambitions climatiques.

    Ils devront ne pas dépasser la limite de 1,5 degré, couvrir l’ensemble de l’économie et concourir à la réalisation de tous les objectifs de transition énergétique convenus lors de la COP28.

    Dans le rapport qu’elle a publié aujourd’hui, l’Agence internationale de l’énergie chiffre le niveau d’ambition à atteindre.

    D’ici à 2035, en moyenne, les émissions de gaz à effet de serre doivent diminuer de 80 % dans les économies avancées, de 65 % dans les marchés émergents.

    Les pays du G20 sont responsables au total de 80 % des émissions.

    Ils doivent mener la charge, en respectant le principe des responsabilités communes mais différenciées et en tenant compte des capacités de chacun, en fonction des différents contextes nationaux.

    Mais cette action doit s’inscrire dans une démarche collective et suppose la mise en commun des ressources, des capacités scientifiques et de technologies abordables à l’efficacité avérée pour que tous puissent atteindre cet objectif.

    J’ai l’honneur de collaborer étroitement avec le Président Lula, dont le pays préside le G20 et accueillera la COP 30, afin de garantir le plus haut degré d’ambition possible, d’accélérer le rythme des progrès et de favoriser la coopération.

    Nous venons de nous rencontrer pour discuter de cela.

    Les financements sont d’une importance cruciale.

    La COP29 arrive à grands pas.

    Elle doit être l’occasion de fixer un nouvel objectif ambitieux en matière de financement.

    Il faut également que le fonds pour les pertes et les préjudices soit à la hauteur de l’enjeu et que les pays développés tiennent leurs promesses en matière de financement de l’adaptation.

    Et l’heure est venue de faire bouger les lignes face à une situation insensée.

    Nous continuons de récompenser les pollueurs qui détruisent notre planète.

    Le secteur des combustibles fossiles continue d’engranger des profits et des subventions considérables, mais ce sont les populations qui supportent les coûts de la catastrophe climatique, depuis la hausse des primes d’assurance jusqu’à la perte de leurs moyens de subsistance.

    Je demande aux pays du G20 de mettre fin aux subventions et aux investissements liés aux combustibles fossiles et de financer à la place une transition énergétique juste,

    De mettre un prix au carbone.

    Et d’adopter des sources de financement nouvelles et novatrices – notamment en instaurant une redevance internationale de solidarité sur l’extraction des combustibles fossiles, au moyen de mécanismes juridiquement contraignants et transparents.

    Et ce, d’ici à l’année prochaine.

    Et ce en tenant compte du fait que pour les responsables, l’heure des comptes a sonné.

    Les pollueurs doivent payer.

    Excellences,

    L’essor rapide des nouvelles technologies est une autre menace existentielle dont les conséquences sont imprévisibles.

    L’intelligence artificielle transformera notre monde du tout au tout : le travail, mais aussi l’éducation, la communication, la culture ou encore la politique.

    Nous savons que l’intelligence artificielle progresse rapidement, mais où nous mène-t-elle ?

    Vers plus de liberté ou plus de conflits ?

    Vers un monde plus durable ou de plus grandes inégalités ?

    Serons-nous mieux informés ou plus faciles à manipuler ?

    Une poignée d’entreprises et même de particuliers ont déjà acquis un pouvoir immense grâce au développement de l’intelligence artificielle, sans, pour le moment, avoir véritablement à rendre des comptes et sans grand contrôle.

    Faute de mesures mondiales pour en gérer le déploiement, l’intelligence artificielle risque d’engendrer des divisions artificielles dans tous les domaines, de donner lieu à une grande fracture entre deux internets, deux marchés et deux économies et, ainsi, de faire naître une situation où chaque pays serait contraint de choisir un camp, ce qui serait lourd de conséquences pour l’humanité tout entière.

    L’ONU est une instance universelle de dialogue et de consensus.

    Elle est particulièrement bien placée pour promouvoir la coopération en ce qui concerne l’intelligence artificielle, sur la base des valeurs de la Charte et du droit international.

    C’est dans cette enceinte, et nulle part ailleurs, que les membres de la communauté internationale débattent.

    Je salue les premières mesures importantes qui ont été prises.

    Deux résolutions de l’Assemblée générale, le Pacte numérique mondial et les recommandations de l’Organe consultatif de haut niveau sur l’intelligence artificielle, peuvent asseoir les bases d’une gouvernance inclusive de l’intelligence artificielle.

    Ensemble, faisons de l’intelligence artificielle une force au service du bien.

    Excellences,

    Rien n’est éternel.

    Mais l’humanité a ceci de particulier qu’elle croit le contraire.

    L’ordre en place a toujours l’air d’être indémontable.

    Jusqu’au jour où tout bascule.

    L’histoire de l’humanité a été marquée par l’essor et la chute d’empires, l’effondrement de vieilles certitudes et de véritables séismes sur le théâtre du monde.

    Aujourd’hui, nous allons droit dans le mur.

    Il est dans notre intérêt à toutes et à tous de gérer les transformations colossales qui sont en cours, de déterminer l’avenir que nous voulons et de faciliter son avènement dans le monde.

    Beaucoup pensent que les divisions et les divergences d’aujourd’hui sont insurmontables,

    Que nous ne parviendrons pas à nous rassembler pour le bien commun.

    Vous avez prouvé que ce n’était pas le cas.

    Le Sommet de l’avenir a montré que nous pouvons unir nos forces dans un esprit de dialogue et de compromis pour engager le monde sur une voie plus durable.

    Ce n’est pas une fin.

    Ce n’est que le début, une boussole dans la tempête.

    Il faut continuer sur cette lancée.

    Ne ménageons pas nos efforts : pour lutter contre l’impunité et renforcer le respect du principe de responsabilité… pour moins d’inégalités et plus de justice… pour échapper à l’incertitude et élargir le champ des possibles.

    Les populations du monde entier comptent sur nous, et les générations futures nous jugeront à l’aune de ce que nous aurons accompli.

    Nous devons ne pas les décevoir. Nous devons être à la hauteur de la Charte des Nations Unies… de nos valeurs et principes communs… et du bon côté de l’histoire.

    Et je vous remercie.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Experts of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances Commend Ukraine’s Law on Missing Persons in Special Circumstances, Ask Questions on Secret Detentions and the Forced Transfer of Children to the Russian Federation

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

     

    The Committee on Enforced Disappearances today concluded its consideration of the initial report of Ukraine, with Committee Experts commending the State on the adoption of the law on the legal status of persons missing in special circumstances, while asking questions on secret detentions and the forced transfer of children to the Russian Federation.

     

    Several Committee Experts paid tribute to the courage and resilience of the people of Ukraine in the context of the ongoing war on its territory.  Carmen Rosa Villa Quintana, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee could not be indifferent to war in any circumstances.  It was essential to bring about peace in line with the United Nations Charter.

    Olivier de Frouville, Committee Chair and Country Rapporteur, congratulated the State party for adopting the law on the legal status of persons missing in special circumstances, and for its 2022 revision, which contributed positively to the search for missing persons.  Could Ukrainian State agents be held accountable under the law?

    Mr. de Frouville said there were allegations of secret detentions in Kharkiv, particularly during the period of 2014 to 2016, and that basements of buildings in Kyiv were being used as unofficial detention sites.  Did the State party have information on these allegations?  There did not seem to be an effective mechanism to prevent these practices from continuing.

    Addressing the forced transfer of children to the Russian Federation and occupied territories, Mr. de Frouville asked how many of the 19,546 children who had been transferred were considered as victims of enforced disappearance.  Was there a specific procedure for reviewing placements of children who had been illegally adopted?

    Introducing the report, Leonid Tymchenko, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and head of the delegation, said that the law on the legal status of persons missing under special circumstances stipulated that the Ukrainian State was obliged to take all possible measures to trace a person missing in special circumstances.  The law also established enforced disappearance as an offence in national criminal law.

    Since September 2015, Mr. Tymchenko reported, law enforcement agencies had registered more than 5,000 criminal offences directly related to enforced disappearances, including the deprivation of liberty of more than 14,000 civilians.

    The delegation said investigations had been carried out that had disproven allegations of incommunicado detentions.  The State party investigated all such allegations.

    Regarding the forced transfer of children, Mr. Tymchenko said several heads of the occupation authorities and two deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation were charged by Ukraine with committing criminal offences in this regard, while the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for President Putin and lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights.

    The delegation added that the State party was doing everything possible to obtain information on the missing children.  It was negotiating an agreement regarding the return of around 300 children.  Russian officials had not recognised the transfer and illegal adoption of Ukrainian children and had made falsified documents to hide these crimes.

    In concluding remarks, Horacio Ravenna, Committee Vice-Chair and acting Chair for the dialogue, said the Committee and the State party shared a common goal: full implementation of the Convention. Ukraine had shown its commitment to this goal.  He called on the State party to remain in contact with the Committee, which would support its efforts to implement the Convention.  The Committee’s strong hope was that peace would be achieved in Ukraine.

    Mr. Tymchenko, in his concluding remarks, said cooperation with the Committee would help the State party in its efforts to uphold its international obligations. He called on the Committee to keep in mind the current circumstances in Ukraine.  Every day, aerial attacks were being carried out across the State.  The State party was aware that it needed to uphold human rights, even those of its enemies.

      

    The delegation of Ukraine consisted of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances and representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General; Security Service; Ministry of Internal Affairs; National Police; and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

     

    The Committee will issue its concluding observations on the report of Ukraine at the end of its twenty-seventh session, which concludes on 4 October.  Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.  The programme of work of the Committee’s twenty-seventh session and other documents related to the session can be found here.

     

    The Committee will next meet in public this afternoon, Tuesday 24 September, at 3 p.m. to consider the initial report of Morocco (CED/C/MAR/1).

    Report

    The Committee has before it the initial report of Ukraine (CED/C/UKR/1).

    Presentation of Report

    LEONID TYMCHENKO, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and head of the delegation, said this dialogue was an important event that marked a new chapter in the protection of human rights and freedoms.  In the midst of an unprovoked war with the Russian Federation, Ukraine remained committed to human rights principles and this dialogue was an important part of the collective struggle for justice.  In 2015, Ukraine became a State party to the Convention, and thus undertook to eradicate and prevent enforced disappearances.  Currently, enforced disappearances committed on Ukraine’s sovereign territory were related to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.  Despite these challenging times, Ukraine continued to comply with its international obligations.

    Ukraine took measures to ensure the uniform application of the Convention within its internationally recognised borders, including in the territories controlled by the aggressor State and its occupation forces, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.  It ensured that all reports of unlawful acts as defined in article two of the Convention deliberately committed by representatives of the occupation administration of the Russian Federation were promptly, thoroughly and impartially recorded and properly investigated, with all perpetrators identified and brought to justice, and, if found guilty by a court, punished in accordance with the gravity of their actions.

    The law on the legal status of persons gone missing under special circumstances stipulated that the Ukrainian State was obliged to take all possible measures to trace a person missing in special circumstances.  The law also established enforced disappearance as an offence in national criminal law.  On 21 August 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the ratification of the Rome Statute.  In order to implement the Rome Statute, it adopted in the first reading a draft law that would add articles to the Criminal Code on crimes against humanity, which would include enforced disappearance within the meaning of article five of the Convention.

    Since September 2015, law enforcement agencies had registered more than 5,000 criminal offences directly related to enforced disappearances, including the deprivation of liberty of more than 14,000 civilians.  Special attention should be paid to the results of the investigation conducted by the State into the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine from 2022 to 2024, their deportation to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus and the forced granting of Russian citizenship, and their placement in Russian families and adoption.

    Several heads of the occupation authorities and two deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation were charged with committing criminal offences by Ukraine in this regard, while the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for President Putin and lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for the illegal transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.

    The Prosecutor’s Offices had served 275 persons with notices of suspicion in 137 criminal proceedings, and 119 indictments against 241 persons were sent to bring the perpetrators to justice.  The State party had also established a unified register of persons gone missing under special circumstances, which had been in operation since May 2023.  As of today, it contained information on 48,324 such individuals who were currently being sought to determine their fate.  Around 4,700 people had been confirmed to be in captivity; the actual number could be much higher.  The aggressor State was not fulfilling its international obligations under the Geneva Conventions, denying the Red Cross access to visit places of detention and holding civilian hostages.  This made it impossible to exert influence on the Russian Federation, which was not a State party to the Convention.

    Measures had been taken to release both captured Ukrainian defenders and illegally detained civilians.  In the period before the full-scale invasion, 3,497 people were released; since the invasion, 3,669 people had been released.  More than 90 per cent of persons returned from captivity reported that they were subjected to various forms of violence and torture by representatives of the aggressor State, and in the period before the full-scale invasion, all detainees without exception were subjected to psychological and physical violence.

    The Constitution of Ukraine stipulated that everyone had the right to liberty and personal inviolability.  No one could be arrested or held in detention, except by a reasoned court decision and only in accordance with the conditions and procedures established by law.  Ukraine had established a national preventive mechanism to ensure the effective prevention and elimination of enforced disappearances.  In 109 territorial units of the national police, the “Custody Records” information subsystem was implemented, designed to guarantee the safe stay of detained persons under police control.

    The State ensured the police’s ability to effectively fight crime without violating human rights through the introduction of electronic recording of all actions against persons under police control, as well as a mandatory interview of the detained person and the police officer who carried out the detention.  The State also ensured that there was sufficient infrastructure in the police unit; round-the-clock video surveillance; a human rights inspector; and remote oversight by authorised officials of the central police authority.  In 2018, Ukraine established the State Bureau of Investigation, a State law enforcement agency responsible for preventing and investigating criminal offences committed, in particular, by law enforcement officers.

    During this time of crisis for Ukraine, the country had a special responsibility to take strict measures to prevent and eliminate enforced disappearances in accordance with the requirements of the Convention.  The end of the aggressive war of the Russian Federation would prevent enforced disappearances in Ukraine.  Ukraine’s strategic goal was a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in the State for the security of the whole world, which it hoped to achieve through the Ukrainian peace formula initiative put forward by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    Questions by Committee Experts

    OLIVIER DE FROUVILLE, Committee Chair and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee acknowledged that Ukraine had a situation of armed conflict in its territory which affected the implementation of the Convention.  This was particularly true in the context of the large-scale invasion conducted since February 2022.  Mr. de Frouville paid tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people.  Despite the difficult situation, Ukraine continued to exert efforts to comply with its international obligations.  It was acting to search for victims of enforced disappearance on its territory and uphold the rights of families.  He expressed hope that the dialogue would help the State party to better apply the Convention.

    The report was drafted by the national Ukrainian police in collaboration with other State agencies.  Were victims’ associations or other civil society organizations involved in drafting the report?  Had the State party made any response to communications sent to it under the urgent actions procedure?  Were there any examples of courts directly invoking the Convention?  The Ukrainian Human Rights Commission had contact with the Russian Human Rights Commission.  Had the sharing of information between these bodies led to the identification of missing persons?  What efforts had been made to increase the financing and human resources of the Human Rights Commission and to implement its recommendations?

    Mr. de Frouville congratulated the State party for adopting the law on the legal status of persons missing in special circumstances, and for its 2022 revision, which contributed positively to the search for missing persons.  The law covered some cases of enforced disappearance, but not cases that did not have a link to the armed conflict or other special circumstances.  The law also potentially excluded enforced disappearance committed by the Ukrainian State.  Could Ukrainian State agents be held accountable under the law?

    The Committee welcomed the unified register of missing persons.  The register was limited to cases of special circumstances leading to disappearances. The clear category of enforced disappearance was not included in the register; would this be done in future? When would DNA data be included in the register, and was the DNA data of relatives of disappeared persons being collected?  The State party had several different databases related to human rights violations; were these connected to the register of missing persons?   The Prosecution Service had identified over 1,000 victims of enforced disappearance.  Could this data be included in the missing persons register?

    What risks had the State party identified related to martial law declared as part of Ukraine’s state of emergency?  Had the State party taken steps to prevent violations in the context of the state of emergency?

    CARMEN ROSA VILLA QUINTANA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, paid tribute to the courage of the people of Ukraine.  The Committee could not be indifferent to war in any circumstances.  It was essential to bring about peace in line with the United Nations Charter.

    The State party had reported that it had not identified any facts implying that Ukrainian authorities were involved in any cases of enforced disappearance.  However, the Ukrainian Security Service was investigating several cases of violations of the laws and customs of war.  Were there any cases that could fall into the category of enforced disappearance?  Third party information indicated that there were individuals or groups involved in cases of enforced disappearance.  In one case, two police officers had been found to have committed crimes of enforced disappearance and torture in 2021.  There was information about the enforced disappearance of 30 journalists. What investigations had been carried out into these cases?  Had perpetrators been held accountable?  How was the State party implementing the Istanbul Protocol?

    There were cases of Russian officials being prosecuted without being informed of the charges against them. Would the State party make informing accused persons of the charges against them a legal requirement?  Did judges have the ability to define crimes as enforced disappearances?  How did the State party address violations of the Convention in the territories occupied by the Russian Federation?

    What institutions were involved in investigating the disappearance of two members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? How was the State party investigating cases of enforced disappearance in the context of human trafficking, migration or forced displacement due to armed conflict and working to prevent this phenomenon?  Did the State party intend to define the forced transfer of children to the Russian Federation as acts of enforced disappearance?  Could information be provided on the outcomes of investigations into these cases?

    Ms. Villa Quintana welcomed planned amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.  Did the State party plan to increase the penalty for the crime of enforced disappearance, which was currently not commensurate with the seriousness of the crime?  When would the amendments to the two Codes be adopted?  Was enforced disappearance being considered as a stand-alone crime in these amendments, and were aggravating circumstances being considered?

    Legal provisions on hierarchical responsibility were not in line with international standards. What progress had been made to adopt draft legislation on hierarchical responsibility?  What was the statute of limitations for enforced disappearance? When did it start?  The provisions on the statute of limitations in the Convention had not been incorporated in national law.  Could foreigners responsible for enforced disappearance who were not residing in Ukraine be tried in Ukraine?  Were accused persons given access to a lawyer, and appointed a lawyer if they could not afford them?  What measures were in place to notify accused persons from Russia to guarantee their active participation in trials?  What was the procedure for the appointment and removal of judges and prosecutors, particularly those charged with corruption?

    Which authorities were responsible for searching for missing and disappeared persons?  How did the State party ensure that they cooperated and carried out their mandates effectively?  The Code on Criminal Procedures established that persons charged with a crime could be suspended from their positions.  How rigorously was suspension applied; could the State party provide examples?

    A Committee Expert paid tribute to the courage and resilience of Ukraine.  Were the 5,000 cases of enforced disappearance registered by Ukraine cases of disappearance carried out by State agents against non-State actors?

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said the State party had established a database of persons who went missing in special circumstances to address disappearances related to the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the national police collected biological material and DNA of persons who went missing in all contexts and registered it in relevant databases.  Authorities could also collect the DNA of the relatives of missing persons.  Data in State databases on enforced disappearances was unified.  In future, Ukraine planned to add DNA data collected by the International Commission on Missing Persons to its databases to help identify missing persons.  The Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances and relatives of victims, including those who lived abroad, had access to the information in registries of missing persons.

    Judges could apply the Convention directly and there were examples of cases in which judges had done so.  The State party did not have access to occupied territories and could not conduct investigations there.  However, it had identified two mass graves in liberated regions, in which around 125 bodies were buried, and around 400 bodies buried in other graves in these regions.  It predicted that there were many more such graves in the occupied territories.

    Victims of human rights violations committed by Ukrainian authorities had the right to seek redress.  All persons had the right to a lawyer.  Persons who could not hire a lawyer were provided one by the State.  In cases where authorities were not able to arrest suspects residing in the Russian Federation, trials could be held in absentia.  After the State party had ratified the Rome Statute, it would be required to investigate hierarchical responsibility.  Prosecutors who were suspended for corruption or other violations were no longer able to work on cases; they were replaced immediately.

    There was a clear division between trafficking in persons and enforced disappearance in the Criminal Code.  The State party had registered cases of the trafficking of persons to the occupied territories.  Seven minors had been identified as victims in these cases and four perpetrators had been identified.  All cases of disappearance of children by Russian authorities qualified as war crimes.  Investigations into such crimes were being carried out in cooperation with non-governmental organizations to determine the fate of these children.

    When authorities received allegations that State agents had committed a crime, the State Bureau of Investigation investigated these allegations independently.

    The law on the legal status of persons missing in special circumstances did not define the precise characteristics of the victims of enforced disappearance.  The State party welcomed the Committee’s advice concerning the revision of the law in this regard.

    Questions by Committee Experts

    CARMEN ROSA VILLA QUINTANA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked for information on regions where large numbers of enforced disappearances were reported, and how the State party obtained information on these cases.  Was there a specialised unit within the Security Service for investigating enforced disappearance?  Were there investigations being carried out into disappearances of activists?  What protection mechanisms were in place for persons involved in investigations of enforced disappearances and family members of victims?  Had specialised protection been provided to such persons?

    What conditions were applied regarding extradition agreements?  Had there been applications for extraditions of persons allegedly involved in enforced disappearance?  How did the State party uphold international standards in the investigation of missing persons and exhumations?  Were there any cases of intimidation or reprisals against witnesses of enforced disappearance?  How were prosecutors nominated?

    OLIVIER DE FROUVILLE, Committee Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked about the mandate of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances.  How was Ukrainian law that addressed hierarchic responsibility adapted to the provisions of the Rome Statute?  What follow-up was carried out regarding urgent actions, particularly when protection measures were requested?  Was cooperation between the Ukrainian Human Rights Commission and the Russian Human Rights Commission effective?  Did the Ukrainian Commission promote the provisions of the Convention?  How did the State party prevent prolonged detention and arbitrary arrests in the context of the state of emergency?

    A Committee Expert asked whether the 5,000 enforced disappearances reported by the delegation included cases carried out against Ukrainian forces.  These should not be considered enforced disappearances.  Did the State party investigate Ukrainian citizens who were accomplices in acts of enforced disappearance?

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said the State party worked together with the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances and the Ukrainian Human Rights Commission to provide truth for the families and loved ones of victims.

    The State party had qualified 438 war crimes involving enforced disappearance.  At least 14,000 Ukrainian civilians were being detained by the Russian Federation.  The Government had given the Human Rights Commission the power to work on liberating Ukrainian prisoners of war; this had led to cooperation with the Russian Human Rights Commission.  The Prosecution Service had a war crimes department, which conducted investigations into war crimes. 

    Ukraine had ratified bilateral agreements with five countries that addressed extraditions.  The State did not extradite persons unless it received guarantees that the safety and fair trial rights of the person involved would be respected.  Judicial registries were open to the public.

    The 5,000 cases of enforced disappearance recorded by Ukraine mainly concerned detained citizens held by Russian authorities.  The State party did not have statistics on journalists and the occupations of detained persons; Russian authorities often classified civilian prisoners as combatants. Prosecutors were faced with a large workload and their work was hindered by ongoing attacks.  Some investigators had been killed while carrying out investigations.

    The Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances was empowered to cooperate with relevant national and international institutions, including the Ombudsman and law enforcement personnel, in investigations.  The Commissioner provided family members and relatives with information on the outcomes of investigations, and determined whether disappearances were committed by military personnel.

    Complaints of enforced disappearance against Ukrainian State agents could be taken to civilian courts, whereas complaints of enforced disappearances carried out by Russian authorities needed to be submitted to the dedicated Commission.  The Government provided protection measures for victims of enforced disappearance such as name changes; however, it did not have a sufficient budget to provide measures such as safehouses.

    In 2023, responsibility for searching for missing persons in special circumstances was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  Special circumstances included armed conflicts and natural or man-made emergencies. In October 2023, a hotline was established within the Commission for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, which relatives of missing and detained persons could use to file reports. The Commissioner had met with more than 5,000 family members and held meetings with several non-governmental organizations.

    The armed forces participated in searches for missing persons.  They removed bodies and documented deceased persons.  Around 55,000 people had been given “missing” status.  This number included both military personnel and civilians. Around 5,000 cases had been discontinued due to the discovery of the body.

    Questions by Committee Experts

    OLIVIER DE FROUVILLE, Committee Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked whether the State party planned to incorporate the risk of enforced disappearance into its legislation on extraditions?  There was an agreement with Sweden regarding the confidential exchange of information towards locating missing persons.  Could more information be provided about this positive practice?

    There were allegations of secret detentions in Kharkiv, particularly during the period of 2014 to 2016, and that basements of buildings in Kyiv were being used as unofficial detention sites. There were also credible allegations that around 240 prisoners of war were being held in unofficial detention sites after a drone attack on a detention centre.  Did the State party have information on these allegations? Rulings had been made on incommunicado detention conducted by the police, but there did not seem to be an effective mechanism to prevent these practices from continuing.

    The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture had reported that not all persons deprived of liberty were given the right to contact family members and lawyers.  This right needed to be respected.  How was the right to habeas corpus implemented?  Had there been complaints of delays in the registration of deprivation of liberty, or gaps in registration?  What follow-up was made?  There were reports of difficulties in registering the transfer of detainees. This could lead to enforced disappearance.  How was the State addressing this?  What training on enforced disappearance and international human rights law was provided for State agents, judges, prosecutors, civilians and family members?

    It was positive that Ukraine was addressing legal difficulties created by disappearances.  How was the State party working to resolve overlaps between the laws that addressed enforced disappearance?  There was criticism that legislation related to enforced disappearance was complicated and that the compensation it provided was not sufficient. Did the State party plan to expand protection to all civilian victims of enforced disappearance, rather than only civilian prisoners?

    The State party needed to adopt specific legislation to address crimes listed in article 25 of the Convention. How many of the 19,546 children who had been transferred to the Russian Federation were considered as “disappeared”? How were the best interests of the child and the rights of children to express their opinions respected regarding the return of children to their families?  Was there a specific procedure related to the revision and review of a placement of a child who had been illegally adopted?

    CARMEN ROSA VILLA QUINTANA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked whether persons who were not relatives of victims but were under their guardianship could be categorised as victims.  How were the rights established in the Criminal Procedural Code and the Criminal Code regarding truth, reparation and compensation provided to victims?  Could the crime of enforced disappearance be subject to a reconciliation measure? 

    Damages for crimes of enforced disappearance could be obtained through a civil case in some cases, but the State was responsible for reparation in other cases.  In what cases were perpetrators responsible for providing reparations?  What amount was paid by the State?  Did the State party plan to make amendments to legislation in this regard?  Was access to compensation subject to a conviction, and was there a deadline by which compensation needed to be provided? How many victims of enforced disappearance had received reparation?  What was the standard of proof for the granting of reparation?

    What measures were in place related to medical, social and educational support for persons deprived of liberty?  Did the State party adopt a differentiated approach for different categories of victims?

    The Human Rights Commission and the Office of Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, as well as the Ukrainian police and other State and international bodies were involved in searches for disappeared persons.  How did the State party coordinate these efforts and what resources were available in this regard?  What outcomes had these activities achieved; how many disappeared persons had been identified overall?  Were investigations being carried out by sea and water?  Had sentences for enforced disappearance been handed down that were commensurate with the severity of the crime?

    Were the two separate registries on missing persons interconnected and how did they contribute to the identification of deceased persons?  How were places of burial registered?  In how many cases had deceased persons been identified?  There were allegations that State authorities had refused to provide information to relatives of victims regarding the whereabouts of disappeared persons.  How would the State party prevent this?

    In which registry were persons who had been transferred to the Russian Federation registered?  How did the State party conduct searches for such persons?  How many burial sites was the State party aware of that had not been exhumed?  How many exhumed bodies had been returned to relatives?  Had the State party mapped mass burial and common grave sites and taken measures to protect them?

    The inclusion of missing persons in State registers could take around 48 hours.  Did search activities begin before registration had finished?  Did the State party follow the Committee’s guidelines on search practices?  Were tools such as photographs and fingerprints used to identify missing persons?  What organization was responsible for keeping human remains? Did relatives of victims have access to the State registry on human genomic information?  Biological material was taken on a compulsory basis from State agents in cases of martial law.  Was this information included in the registry on human genomic information?  Who could access this information?  In which registries were unidentified bodies registered?

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said the Ministry of Reintegration was responsible for collecting information about persons relocated within the country.  It maintained a registry of reintegrated persons.  To identify persons, the State party used facial recognition systems, tattoos, personal documents and fingerprints.  When these methods were unsuccessful, DNA tests were conducted.  The biological material of military personnel was collected by each military division, which held this material while the person was under their charge.  When military personnel went missing, this data was registered in the missing persons registry.  There was a DNA database that would soon be integrated with the registry of missing persons.

    As of today, Ukraine had registered over 55,000 missing persons, including around 48,000 persons who had gone missing under special circumstances.  The State had located around 2,500 unidentified bodies. Around 4,000 bodies had been identified through cooperation between State bodies and a procedure for identification had been developed. 

    Relatives of persons who went missing in special circumstances had the right to a comprehensive investigation of those persons’ whereabouts.  Their property was subject to protection and marriages were valid until investigations were closed or the missing person was declared dead. Searches were not stopped until the person or their remains were located.

    The family members of persons who went missing in military service were provided with payments by the State in line with the missing person’s salary.  Families had the right to social protection. Guardianship for dependents of persons who went missing was established in accordance with domestic law.  Persons whose family members had died or gone missing were not subject to conscriptions.

    Investigation had been carried out that had disproven allegations of incommunicado detentions. The State party investigated all allegations of incommunicado detentions.

    Training was provided to prosecutors and investigators, including by international experts.  Seven training sessions were held for over 400 prosecutors and investigators on torture and enforced disappearance.  Staff of the national police’s missing persons unit received special training on international humanitarian law.

    There was no statute of limitations currently on the crime of enforced disappearance.  Judges decided on the sum of money granted for compensation to victims by the State in civilian court cases.  The Government was working to make the compensation process easier for civilians.  Debate was ongoing about the amount and source of compensation funds.  Under the Criminal Procedure Code, non-relatives who were close to victims could be recognised as victims.

    A draft law was being prepared that would provide compensation for victims of illegal activities conducted by Russian authorities.  The Register of Damage for Ukraine, which recorded claims and evidence on damage, loss or injury caused by the Russian Federation’s acts in or against Ukraine, had been established in the Netherlands, supported by the Council of Europe.

    The Prosecutor General’s Office coordinated investigations involving a range of State bodies.  It convened roundtables on investigations that included United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations.  It was open to revising its processes.  All identified bodies from mass graves were returned to families and buried in accordance with the family’s religion.

    Ukraine had no bilateral agreement with Sweden.  Its relationship with Sweden was governed by the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. 

    The Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances was appointed and dismissed by the Cabinet of Ministers and the term of their office was not specified by law.

    Questions by Committee Experts

     

    CARMEN ROSA VILLA QUINTANA, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, asked whether the Register of Damage for Ukraine was a physical register.  Was there a single register of victims that allowed the State to assess the scale of compensation?  Was the State party providing measures promoting non-recurrence? Almost all court cases held in absentia had led to guilty verdicts.  Were the persons subject to trials properly notified?  There were allegations that conscientious objectors had been held in police stations, sometimes in incommunicado detention.  Had investigations identified State agents who had carried out incommunicado detentions?

    A Committee Expert asked about the criteria that judges used to decide whether to provide compensation in criminal proceedings or whether to refer the case to civil proceedings.  Was there a State fund that provided compensation when perpetrators were unable to provide compensation?

    OLIVIER DE FROUVILLE, Committee Chair and Country Rapporteur, asked about measures to improve the monitoring of deprivation of liberty.  Were there cases of the transfer of Ukrainian children that had been classified as cases of enforced disappearance?  Was there legislation that allowed for the review of adoption procedures that had arisen out of enforced disappearance?

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said a specific compensation mechanism was being created for persons who were victims of serious crimes to support these persons to integrate back into society. Many returned Ukrainian soldiers had suffered torture.  If Ukrainian State agents were found to be guilty of enforced disappearance, the State provided compensation to victims.  Judges assessed the nature of the crimes to determine compensation amounts.

    The State party was doing everything possible to obtain information on the missing children. It was negotiating an agreement regarding the return of around 300 children.  Russian officials had not recognised the transfer and illegal adoption of Ukrainian children and had made falsified documents to hide these crimes. There were specific rules regarding investigations of crimes involving children.  Special child-friendly rooms were used for interviews with child victims to prevent traumatisation.

    Closing Remarks

    HORACIO RAVENNA, Committee Vice-Chair and Acting Chairperson for the review of Ukraine, said the Committee and the State party shared a common goal: full implementation of the Convention.  Ukraine had shown its commitment to this goal.  He called on the State party to remain in contact with the Committee, which would support its efforts to implement the Convention.  The Committee praised the efforts exerted by civil society partners and the Ukrainian Human Rights Commission to prevent enforced disappearance.  Its strong hope was that peace would be achieved in Ukraine.  Humanity had been deeply shaken by the horrors that were unfolding in the war.  The Committee was aware that the aid that it could provide the State party in this situation was limited.  It wished for a swift end to the dreadful war.

    LEONID TYMCHENKO, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and head of the delegation, said the dialogue had been fruitful.  The presence of the high-level Ukrainian delegation demonstrated the importance that Ukraine attached to the issue of enforced disappearance.  Cooperation with the Committee would help the State party in its efforts to uphold its international obligations.  Mr. Tymchenko called on the Committee to keep in mind the current circumstances in Ukraine. Every day, bombs could be heard, and aerial attacks were being carried out across the State.  The State party was aware that it needed to uphold human rights, even those of its enemies.  Both State agents and citizens had had very difficult experiences over the past few years.  The war had made the citizens of Ukraine aware of the price of freedom, independence, and the territory of their country.

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    CED24.007E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Leaders’ Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug  Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, President Biden hosted a Summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which the President directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to launch in June 2023, in order to mobilize international action to tackle the synthetic drug crisis.  In just over a year, the Global Coalition has grown to include 159 countries and 15 international organizations working together to disrupt the supply chain for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs; detect emerging drug threats; and prevent and treat through effective public health interventions. With the Summit as a motivating force, 11 core Coalition countries announced new initiatives that will advance the work of the Coalition, including efforts to disrupt the supply chain of fentanyl and enhance public health interventions.  These international commitments complement intensive work being done domestically, including an increased focus on coordinated disruption of drug trafficking networks and concerted efforts to make the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, widely available over-the-counter. As a result of these efforts, we are starting to see the largest drop in overdose deaths in recorded history.  When President Biden and Vice President Harris came into office, the number of drug overdose deaths was increasing by more than 30% year over year.  Now, the latest provisional data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics show an unprecedented decline in overdose deaths of 10% in the 12 months ending April 2024.  These aren’t just numbers – these are lives. Background on the Global Coalition The 159 countries and 15 international organizations that are now part of the Coalition are working together on three key lines of effort:
    Disrupt the supply chain for fentanyl and other synthetic drugs;
    Detect emerging drug threats; and
    Prevent and treat through effective public health interventions. 
    For the past year, three working groups and seven sub-working groups have met monthly to create detailed plans of action.  These working groups have made tangible progress, including implementing new efforts to increase seizures of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals at ports of entry, sharing best practices with respect to the identification of emerging drug threats, and taking actions to schedule an increasing number of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, thus subjecting these drugs and chemicals to increased controls. 
    New Initiatives Being Announced
    At today’s Summit, 11 core countries announced new initiatives that will move the work of each of the Coalition’s core lines of effort even further:
    Australia, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom will lead new efforts to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.  These efforts include the development of regional coalitions to disrupt the transit routes for illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, and associated equipment, protect against the diversion of chemicals for illicit use, and improve the detection and disruption of production sites.
    Italy and Ghana will lead new initiatives to detect emerging drug trends, to include Italy helping other Coalition countries to develop early warning systems to identify emerging drug patterns.
    Canada and the United Arab Emirates will work to prevent and treat the overdose epidemic, including by expanding public health interventions and making life-saving medications widely available.
    Core Coalition countries also signed a Coalition Pledge agreeing to take additional actions to regulate all relevant drugs and precursor chemicals, take needed steps to fill gaps in their own domestic authorities, expand public-private partnerships to more effectively combat the supply chain for illicit fentanyl, develop mechanisms to monitor real-time data on trends in illicit drug use, and expand access to treatment.  At the Summit, President Biden called on all other Coalition countries to likewise sign this pledge.
    Domestic Actions to Fight Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids
    Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has made disrupting the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs a core priority.  As part of their Unity Agenda for the Nation, President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a priority to invest in public health and to tackle both the supply and demand for drugs.  And those efforts have paid off:
    Border officials have stopped more illicit fentanyl at ports of entry in the past two fiscal years than in the previous five fiscal years combined.  In the past 11 months, over 974 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at U.S. ports of entry.
    The Biden-Harris Administration deployed cutting-edge drug detection technology across our southwest border, adding dozens of new inspection systems, with dozens more coming online in the next few years.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has made naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, widely available over the counter, and has invested over $82 billion in treatment – 40 percent more than the previous Administration.
    In 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order targeting foreign persons engaged in the global illicit drug trade, and the Administration has since sanctioned over 300 persons and entities under this authority, thereby cutting them off from the United States’ financial system.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has prosecuted dozens of high-level Mexican cartel leaders, drug traffickers, and money launderers, including Chapitos leader Nestor Isidro “El Nini” Perez Salas, and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación’s top chemical brokers—placing dangerous drug traffickers behind bars.  Just last week, the son of a fugitive Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación boss, Ruben “El Menchito” Oseguera, was convicted for his violent acts, including the deadly downing of a military helicopter in Mexico, in support of his father’s drug trafficking organization.
     In July, President Biden issued a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) calling on all relevant Federal departments and agencies to do even more to stop the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in our country.  The NSM directs increased intelligence collection, more intensive coordination and cooperation across departments and agencies, and additional actions to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit fentanyl.  And the Biden-Harris Administration has called on Congress to pass the Administration’s “Detect and Defeat” counter-fentanyl legislative proposal to increase penalties on those who bring deadly drugs into our communities and to close loopholes that drug traffickers exploit. As stated above, these measures are having an effect. Provisional CDC data show a 10% drop in overdose deaths in the 12 months leading up to April 2024 – the largest drop in overdose deaths in recorded history. Other International Engagements Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the United States has engaged around the world – both as part of the Coalition and in numerous bilateral and multilateral engagements – to spur global action in the fight against synthetic opioids. In early 2023, President Biden, together with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada, directed the establishment a Trilateral Fentanyl Committee, and the Biden-Harris Administration engages regularly with both countries to tackle the supply chain for fentanyl. In November 2023, President Biden negotiated the resumption of counternarcotics cooperation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), spurring the creation of a U.S. – PRC Counternarcotics Working Group that has led to increased cooperation on law enforcement actions and ongoing efforts to shut down companies that fuel illicit fentanyl and synthetic drug trafficking and cause deaths in the United States.   The United States and India have worked together to increase counternarcotics cooperation, including by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding and Framework for ongoing work to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs just this past week.  The Biden-Harris Administration has worked extensively with law enforcement partners across the globe to hold drug traffickers to account.  These partnerships pay dividends – including by generating support for extraditions that have enabled the United States to put dozens of cartel leaders, drug traffickers, and money launderers behind bars.

    MIL OSI USA News –