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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Durbin Statement on DOJ Lawsuit Alleging Visa Debit Card Practices Violate Federal Antitrust Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), lead sponsors of the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Visa alleging that the company illegally maintains a monopoly over debit network markets through anticompetitive practices that violate federal antitrust law:
    “According to the DOJ’s lawsuit, Visa made exclusive agreements to hinder the expansion of competing networks and blocked efforts by technology companies to enter the market.  At a time when hard-working Americans and small business owners are struggling with higher costs of everyday essentials, Visa should not be gaming the system to pad their own pockets.
    “Visa and its duopoly partner Mastercard similarly dominate the credit card market.  One way to bring competition to the market is to pass our bipartisan, bicameral legislation—the Credit Card Competition Act—which would enhance competition between credit card networks and ultimately lower costs for small businesses and consumers.  Our bill ensures that the Visa-Mastercard duopoly ends their price gouging tactics that disproportionately hurt American families and small businesses.”
    It is estimated that businesses paid more than $100 billion in swipe fees on Visa and Mastercard branded cards in 2023 alone. In fact, swipe fees can be small businesses’ second highest cost behind only the cost of labor.
    The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.  Building off of debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, the bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that largest credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of at least two networks over which an electronic credit transaction may be processed.  The bill is estimated to save merchants and consumers $15 billion each year.
    Visa and Mastercard wield enormous market power in credit cards; according to the Federal Reserve, they account for nearly 576 million cards, or about 83 percent of general-purpose credit cards. Visa’s and Mastercard’s market power and network structure have enabled them to impose fees on U.S. merchants that are among the world’s highest.  These fees include interchange fees which Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay to issuing banks, as well as network fees that Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay directly to them. Consumers ultimately pay for these fees in the price of the goods and services they buy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Slams PBM Price Gouging Tactics in Ozempic and Wegovy Drug Pricing Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Slams PBM Price Gouging Tactics in Ozempic and Wegovy Drug Pricing Hearing
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. questioned the CEO of Novo Nordisk, the company that created the blockbuster drugs Ozempic (semaglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide). As part of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on drug pricing, Senator Marshall questioned the CEO about the role that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) play in inflating the prices of essential drugs. His series of questions exposed how these middlemen are reaping enormous profits at the expense of patients and pharmaceutical companies.
    Senator Marshall has been a leading voice against abusive pricing practices by PBMs, who control which medications are covered by insurance, driving up costs for consumers. During the hearing, Marshall emphasized that Novo Nordisk receives only 26% of the revenue from drugs like Ozempic, while PBMs take 74%, highlighting the need for urgent reform of PBMs to lower prescription drug prices for patients.

    You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks and questioning.
    Highlights from Marshall’s questioning include:
    On PBMs:
    “Novo Nordisk is not the villain in this story – they’re a hero. We should be here celebrating this miracle innovation that’s responding to this diabetic epidemic we have in this country. It’s a miracle drug. 38 million Americans with diabetes that we’re helping out. This nation is spending $250, maybe $350, billion a year treating diabetes, not to mention the loss of work, and here’s a drug that’s going to help us treat the problem.”
    “We all agree on this committee across the Senate that the cost of health care is too much, and that prescription drugs are too high, especially the out-of-pocket expenses, but we need to figure out who the villain is…Whatever the cost is, whichever number we want to use, Novo Nordisk keeps 24% of it, and the PBMs extract 74% – 26% and 74% – so really, the PBMs are making the bank here.”
    “Let’s talk about PBMs for a second here, the real culprit in this room, in this story. So, these three big parent companies, the three big PBMs, control 80%-85% of the industry. Their gross revenue last year was $800 billion.”
    “This committee has worked so hard on PBM reform. We’ve not passed our delinking bill, and I would ask the chairman to consider bringing the delinking bill back to the committee and let us mark it up as well. In that delinking bill, PBMs would receive a flat fee for their efforts, as opposed to a percentage of the sale, so we go to a flat fee model.”
    “The other thing we can still work on is bringing competition. Promoting competition will bring this price down. We passed legislation, the President signed legislation that helps drive biosimilars and generics to market more efficiently.”
    “I’ll just close one more time, just emphasizing that this committee needs to demand that the leader bring our PBM reform to the floor, but we need to include that delinking bill. There’s other opportunities to drive this price down. Again, Novo Nordisk is not the villain in the story.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China invests heavily in large-scale equipment renewals amid green drive

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

    The technological transformation driven by China’s large-scale equipment renewals will enable businesses to make significant strides in areas such as smart manufacturing, new energy and green technologies, further bolstering the country’s economic momentum, said government officials on Tuesday.

    China aims to increase its investment in equipment for manufacturing, agriculture, construction, transportation, education, culture, tourism and medical care by at least 25 percent by 2027, compared with 2023, according to an action plan released by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, in March.

    Complementing these efforts, the government allocated approximately 150 billion yuan ($21.31 billion) in ultra-long special treasury bonds in July to support large-scale equipment renewals, including updating old elevators.

    Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Liu Dechun, director of the department of resource conservation and environmental protection at the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic regulator, said as new industrialization and urbanization continue to advance, the demand for upgrading various types of equipment is surging.

    Liu said that accelerating the implementation of equipment renewal initiatives will effectively promote China’s industrial upgrading and foster the growth of new quality productive forces.

    To drive the upgrading and renewal of energy-consuming equipment, the government will prioritize key sectors such as manufacturing, construction, transportation and energy. It will provide strong support for the modernization of high energy-consuming equipment, including boilers, motors, turbines, transformers, heat exchangers, pumps, compressors and lighting systems.

    Projects that result in annual electricity savings of over 500,000 kilowatt-hours or energy savings of more than 150 metric tons of coal will qualify for support, extending benefits to more small and medium-sized enterprises, he added.

    Large-scale equipment upgrade policies have notably supported investment growth. Investment in the purchase of industrial equipment and tools soared by 16.8 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2024, data from the NDRC showed.

    This is 13.4 percentage points higher than the growth of total investment in China, accounting for 64.2 percent of the contribution to the nation’s overall investment growth, according to the commission.

    Zhang Jianhua, deputy director of the department of planning at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that equipment renewal and technological transformation in the industrial sector are beneficial for expanding effective investment and increasing the proportion of advanced production capacity, offering both short- and long-term advantages.

    The MIIT will encourage industrial companies to seize the opportunity provided by national policies supporting large-scale equipment renewals to carry out initiatives including upgrading advanced equipment, promoting digital transformation and advancing green equipment.

    This will accelerate the renewal and transformation of production equipment and speed up industrial upgrading, said Zhang.

    China’s centrally administered State-owned enterprises will also invest over 3 trillion yuan for large-scale equipment upgrades over the next five years, aiming to stay at the forefront of the latest technological and industrial advancements, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council announced in late July.

    Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics’ Academy of China Open Economy Studies, said these moves will help attract both multinational corporations and domestic companies from the private sector to increase their investments in these fields in China.

    “They are likely to increase spending on promoting technological innovation, green and sustainable development, digital transformation and the circular economy within the country,” said Chen.

    “We are confident of our development in China, which is the world’s largest elevator equipment market. We remain committed to supporting urbanization, smart cities, large-scale equipment renewals and sustainable development in the country,” said Sally Loh, president for China at Otis Worldwide Corp, a United States-based elevator manufacturer.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches commercial Lijian-1 Y4 carrier rocket

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

    JIUQUAN, Sept. 25 — China on Wednesday launched a Lijian-1 Y4 commercial carrier rocket with five satellites onboard.

    The rocket blasted off at 7:33 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and sent a group of satellites, including the Jilin-1 SAR01A satellite and Yunyao-1 21-22 satellites, into their planned orbits.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: High-quality employment a priority for socioeconomic development

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

    China is ramping up efforts to boost high-quality employment growth by developing more new professions, encouraging entrepreneurship and skills education, and tightening supervision of the human resources market to secure a fairer, healthier working environment for people.

    Li Zhong, vice-minister of human resources and social security, said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday that high-quality employment is a priority of the nation’s socioeconomic development, and authorities must give more support to industries and companies that are better suited to create job opportunities.

    He said authorities need to establish a forecast mechanism for human resources demands based on technological and industrial advancement and regularly publish information about professions or occupations in urgent demand to relieve the current structural imbalance between labor force supply and employers’ needs.

    Li said the employment of young people, which requires systematic policy and financial support and the provision of smoother career promotion channels, remains a top priority for the ministry.

    Senior officials have also attached importance to skills education and training, another important incubator of job opportunities.

    Ministry spokesman Lu Aihong cited the outstanding performance of young Chinese at the recent WorldSkills competition while explaining the positive role of skills in realizing self-worth and boosting employment. The competition was held in Lyon, France, from Sept 10 to 15.

    “It’s the seventh time China sent a delegation to compete in the WorldSkills, which is recognized as the Olympics of skills,” he said. “The 68 young people from China won 36 golds, nine silvers and four bronzes, showing the world their superior skills and upbeat spirits.”

    Lu said 283 young Chinese have competed at WorldSkills since 2010, and the honors they have won have given them more space for self-growth and more job opportunities.

    “Many of these candidates and medal winners have devoted themselves to passing down skills, becoming good examples for the young generation,” he added.

    Li, the vice-minister, said the ministry will further optimize job services to ensure that people looking for work get fairer, easier access to more professional job-seeking guidance and services. He added that the ministry will also offer more support to entrepreneurs to help them start businesses.

    “Also, we will continue to perfect the labor or working regulations and expand social security coverage to protect people’s working rights,” he said. “Improper or illegal behavior, including job discrimination, salary arrears or unreasonable layoffs, will be cracked down upon to ensure the stability and health of the job market.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Truck into tree crash: truck retrieval midday to 4 pm SH6 into Westport

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

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    A truck crash in the Buller Gorge, between Inangahua Junction and the entrance to Westport (SH67) briefly closed SH6 this morning between 9 and 10 am.

    The truck will be removed from the site this afternoon from midday, so SH6 will be closed potentially up till 4 pm, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

    People travelling to Westport via the Buller Gorge need to delay their journeys this afternoon or take the long way via Greymouth and up the Coast Road via Punakaiki.

    Journey Planner – West coast closures(external link)

    SH6 will be closed potentially up till 4 pm

    Tags

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: $2m destination playground on the horizon for Barry Curtis Park

    Source: Auckland Council

    A spectacular nearly $2m playground designed to offer an exciting range of play options for all tamariki (children), is coming to Barry Curtis Park, after Howick Local Board approved the concept designs.

    The Barry Curtis Park playground needs renovation and improvement to serve a large and growing geographic area, and the upgraded playground will include accessible and inclusive play elements to ensure that all children feel included in the play space.

    Artist impression.

    Board chair Damian Light says, “We’re excited to confirm that we have signed off the concept plans so staff can get underway with delivery of this incredible design. This popular playground was due for renewal so we’re taking the opportunity to give it the overhaul it deserves.”

    The concept design was put together following consultation in 2023.

    “Thank you to everyone who contributed to the public consultation – this is a significant investment, and we want to make sure we get it right. Insights from the public, including local tamariki, has helped create an exciting new design that includes a wider range of play opportunities and caters for a wider range of tamariki.”

    The approved concept design has been developed, incorporating feedback from the community, iwi, accessibility representatives and the local board.

    The project team is working closely with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki to capture and deliver on their aspirations, values and priorities for Barry Curtis Park including the playground.

    Map of destination playground.

    “As the concept designs show, the playground will have the native wetlands theme enhanced. Having mana whenua involved has helped create a more authentic and interesting concept, with a stronger connection to the whenua (land) and environment it sits in.”

    The playground renewal includes plans to increase tree planting to mitigate wind channelling through the park, aligning with the Howick Urban Ngahere Action Plan 2021, which aims to increase tree canopy coverage on public land by three per cent.

    A fence is strategically placed within the planting to partially enclose the playground, providing a more secure space, providing the option of full fencing remained available for future consideration.

    Shade sail structures have been included over the junior play equipment, picnic tables, and water play area, providing shade in areas where children are likely to spend extended periods of time.

    The site features accessible ramps from the car park, benefiting those who use walking aids or wheelchairs. Several accessible parking spaces are located near the main play area entrance.

    “Great care has been given to ensure that this new playground will provide more accessible, inclusive and sensory play opportunities. We can’t wait to see this playground completed and open for the public to enjoy”, says Damian.

    Construction is expected to occur between February and June 2025, with an official opening once it’s completed.

    The board is also looking at a significant overhaul of the nearby Wetlands Building to work better with the new playground – look out for an update on this soon.

    Stay connected

    Sign up to receive our Howick Local Board monthly e-newsletters.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Secretary for Health leads delegation to visit Beijing

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Secretary for Health leads delegation to visit Beijing
    Secretary for Health leads delegation to visit Beijing
    ******************************************************

         ​The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, will lead a delegation for a two-day visit to Beijing this afternoon (September 25) to call on relevant Mainland ministries to introduce the latest developments of and seek support for various healthcare reforms of Hong Kong, with a view to further deepening exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland on healthcare-related areas.     Members of the delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Sam Hui; the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan; and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko. Professor Lo will return to Hong Kong on September 27. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, will be the Acting Secretary for Health.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, September 25, 2024Issued at HKT 11:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why is the Reserve Bank independent from government, and why does it matter?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney

    Negotiations over reforms to the Reserve Bank of Australia this week took an unprecedented turn when the Greens demanded the government use its reserve powers to immediately cut interest rates.

    Labor had initially hoped to pass the reforms with the support of the Coalition. However, after a year of negotiations, they decided against it. Labor’s attempts to salvage the reforms by negotiating with the Greens now seem doomed to failure.

    The Greens’ proposal that the government immediately cut interest rates might sound attractive, especially to the millions of mortgage holders struggling to service loans amid a cost-of-living crisis.

    Yet government taking direct control of setting interest rates would run contrary to both long-standing historical trends and international financial norms, including the independence of the central bank.

    Where did this independence come from?

    The idea of central bank independence has a long history.

    The classical political economist David Riccardo warned as early as 1824 that:

    government could not be safely entrusted with the power of issuing paper money; that it would most certainly abuse it.

    Even the authoritarian French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte claimed in creating the Banque de France that:

    I want the bank to be more in the hands of the government but not too much.

    However, for most of the 20th century, the commonsense view was that monetary policy was an important tool for government management of the economy. According to the Keynesian worldview of the time, it would be absurd for governments to give up such an important economic lever as control over interest rates.

    Even Napoleon Bonaparte thought some degree of separation between the central bank and the government was a good idea.
    Shutterstock

    The prevailing wisdom began to change following the stagflation crisis of the 1970s. Stagflation is the term for high inflation at the same time as high unemployment.

    Neoclassical economists such as Milton Friedman argued that only repeated and long-term increases to interest rates could end the stagflation crisis.

    However, Friedman suggested governments could not be trusted to maintain high interest rates because they would also cause unemployment. Accordingly, an independent central bank was needed. It would be insulated from partisan political control and could do what was necessary to stabilise the economy.

    What about in Australia?

    In Australia, central bank independence emerged slowly and informally.

    The Reserve Bank of Australia was separated from the Commonwealth Bank and started independent operations in 1960. It set up its headquarters in Sydney to increase its autonomy from politicians in Canberra.

    The RBA gained de facto independence from the government following financial deregulation under the Hawke government in the early 1980s. Subsequent declarations from federal treasurers Peter Costello and Wayne Swan affirmed the government’s recognition of RBA independence.

    The government still maintains the power to overrule the RBA on interest rates, but this “emergency power” has never been exercised.

    Why independence matters

    Though central bank independence is generally associated with lower inflation, the historical performance of independent central banks is not without blemish.

    For example, unemployment rates in Australia were historically lower prior to RBA independence. This reflects the willingness of the RBA to use higher unemployment as an inflation-busting mechanism.

    Independent central banks were also partly responsible for the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2007. Many commentators have suggested the then US Federal Reserve Governor Alan Greenspan’s decision to hold interest rates at artificial lows was responsible for the US sub-prime housing bubble. That eventually unravelled into a global recession.

    However, the Greens’ attempt to use an interest rate cut as a negotiating chip ironically reinforces the importance of central bank independence. Were governments to take direct control of setting interest rates, we might expect monetary policy to be influenced by short-term electoral concerns, rather than the long-term health of the economy.

    Creating a precedent that interest rates could be cut to suit the government of the day would also have long-term inflationary effects.

    Further, it would likely continue to drive up house prices. This would exacerbate the housing crisis.

    In contrast, the initial reforms proposed by Labor look to strike a balance. They recognise the competing political interests involved in the development of monetary policy while avoiding partisan interference in the day-to-day running of the RBA.

    Though the Coalition has raised concerns about Labor using the reforms to stack the RBA board, both the governor and board are already appointed by the government of the day, acting on the advice of the RBA.

    Finding a workable compromise that improves the bank while preserving political independence should be possible.

    If the alternative is the complete abrogation of central bank independence, the Coalition would do well to return to the negotiating table.

    Henry Maher 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. Why is the Reserve Bank independent from government, and why does it matter? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-reserve-bank-independent-from-government-and-why-does-it-matter-239717

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Man arrested over death of infant

    Source: South Australia Police

    A man has been arrested after the death of an infant in July.

    It will be alleged that about 4pm on Wednesday 24 July, a 7-week-old male infant was conveyed by ambulance to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital as a result of injuries sustained that day at a northern suburbs address.

    The infant sadly died from these injuries six days later, on Tuesday 30 July.

    On 31 July 2024, the death of the infant was declared a major crime.

    Today (Wednesday 25 September), Major Crime Investigation Branch detectives arrested a 50-year-old Parafield Gardens man for the manslaughter of the infant.

    It will be alleged the arrested man inflicted the injuries to the infant while in his care on the afternoon of Wednesday 24 July.

    The man was charged with manslaughter and has been refused bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.

    CO2400038901

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What are ‘rent tech’ platforms? Action on reining in these exploitative tools is long overdue

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Przhedetsky, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney

    Bernard Hermant/Unsplash

    This week the New South Wales government announced it would introduce legislation that ensures renters are offered convenient, fee-free options to pay their rent.

    The announcement is just one of many state and territory reforms that aim to address issues arising from the use of rental technology platforms.

    In recent years these platforms and the landlords who use them have come under fire for intruding on renters’ privacy and charging additional fees. While practices such as “rent bidding” have already been outlawed around Australia, governments are now starting to turn their attention to other harmful practices facilitated by new technologies.

    Action on these issues is long overdue, and there’s much more that needs to be done to ensure rental technology platforms actually benefit consumers.

    An expanding industry

    A wide range of digital technology platforms are used to facilitate the use, trading, operation and management of real estate assets. A well-known example is AirBnb, a technology platform that facilitates short-term rentals by connecting hosts with guests.

    The property technology industry in Australia is rapidly expanding. In 2023, there were more than 478 products, start-ups and established companies ranging from marketing tools to data analytics platforms. This was up from 188 in 2019.

    A portion of these companies make services typically designed to be used by renters, real estate agents or landlords.

    A major selling point of rental technology platforms is that they promise to streamline a range of processes. To renters, these technologies are billed as quick, easy and effective ways to submit property applications, request maintenance or pay rent.

    If designed well, these platforms can certainly offer convenience. But many have expressed dissatisfaction with rental technology businesses that pressure renters to pay for costly background checks, collect too much personal data, or use opaque algorithms to “score” applicants.

    People who struggle to access or use technologies may also find these platforms difficult to use. This makes it harder for them to access an essential service.

    Some 41% of renters report feeling pressured to use a third-party rental technology platform to apply for a property. And 29% say they have opted not to apply for particular rentals because they do not trust rental technology platforms. This suggests that the use of these technologies may sometimes deter, rather than attract, applicants.

    Additional fees

    Over 30% of Australians rent their homes, a figure that continues to grow as people find themselves priced out of home ownership. Rising rents and the overall increase in the cost of living have put many renters under substantial financial pressure.

    With this in mind, it’s concerning that some renters have found themselves with little choice but to use rental technology platforms that charge fees to process rental payments.

    For example, renters using a popular platform called Alio are typically charged between 0.25% to 1.50% to make automated rental payments, depending on the method of payment they use. A rough estimate shows that a household paying the median weekly rent (A$627 per week) on a fortnightly basis might see themselves paying between $81.51 and $489.06 in additional fees each year.

    As required by law, Alio does offer a fee-free option to pay rent. But this option is highly inconvenient: it requires renters to enter their bank details anew every month.

    The fee-free options offered by some other rental technology platforms are equally inconvenient. They include paying rent in cash at the local post office.

    For renters who have been asked to use a rental payment platform, this may mean spending additional time and effort every time they pay their rent to avoid paying additional fees.

    The NSW government already requires lessors to offer fee-free ways to pay rent (similar protections are legislated in other states and territories). However, the key element of this week’s announcement is a commitment to making sure these fee-free methods are actually convenient. This should hopefully close the legislative loophole that is enabling these rental technologies to unfairly profit at renters’ expense.

    While the draft legislation is yet to be seen, these reforms might see renters reverting to tried and tested payment methods such as bank transfers and bypassing rental technology payment platforms altogether.

    Effective enforcement

    Introducing laws that ensure renters have access to convenient, fee-free ways to make rental payments is a no-brainer. The next step is ensuring these laws are enforced effectively.

    To achieve this, the regulator must be well resourced to carry out compliance and enforcement activities that ensure lessors and rental technology businesses comply with these protections.

    Beyond these reforms, there is more work to be done to ensure renters are effectively protected from a range of harms that are created or exacerbated by rental technology platforms.

    Issues such as discrimination and unfair treatment through rental technology platforms warrant further attention.

    The key challenge for governments and regulators is to keep up with technological developments so they can identify and address issues as they arise.

    Linda Przhedetsky is a Board Member at the NSW Tenants’ Union, and is a member of the NSW Fair Trading’s Industry Reference Group on Protecting Renter Information. She receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.

    – ref. What are ‘rent tech’ platforms? Action on reining in these exploitative tools is long overdue – https://theconversation.com/what-are-rent-tech-platforms-action-on-reining-in-these-exploitative-tools-is-long-overdue-239602

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Baldwin Calls on Senate to Pass Her Bill to Create a Reproductive Health Travel Fund

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WATCH: Baldwin speaking on the Senate floor in support of the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) went to the U.S. Senate floor to advance her legislation to break down barriers to abortion care for women in states without access. The Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act would help offset the cost of travel-related expenses associated with traveling long distances to access reproductive health care, such as travel, lodging, meals, childcare, and more. Senator Baldwin’s call to unanimously advance the bill failed after a Senate Republican objected.
    “Across the country, women have been stripped of the freedom to make their own decisions about their family, their health, and their future. Judges and politicians have inserted themselves into exam rooms, telling doctors they cannot treat their patients, sometimes even if that treatment would save her life,” said Senator Baldwin. “The rights you have as an American should not depend on the state you live in. If we cannot restore Roe this Congress, we should at the very least extend a lifeline to the millions of women who are unable to access needed care in their own communities.”
    For 15 months from June 2022 until September 2023, women in Wisconsin lived under an 1849 abortion ban. Prior to the Dobbs decision, only 16%, or one in six, of Wisconsin abortion patients received out-of-state care. In 2023, that number was up to 88%, meaning that nine out of ten patients had to seek out-of-state care. Wisconsinites have traveled to Illinois for care from all 72 counties. In 2023, over 6,000 Wisconsinites fled to Minnesota and Illinois to get abortion care. The average cost of seeking care out of state exceeded $1,000, with patients spending an average of $330 on lodging alone. Even with limited access to abortion returning to Wisconsin in September 2023, the monthly number of traveling patients from Wisconsin to Illinois remains three times higher than it was pre-Dobbs.
    The Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act would set up a grant program to help ease the financial burden associated with traveling long distances to access safe and legal reproductive health care. Specifically, the bill would allow the Treasury Secretary to award grants to eligible entities to pay for travel-related expenses and logistical support for individuals accessing abortion services. Funds, made available through a competitive grant, could be used for round trip travel, lodging, meals, childcare, translation services, doula care, patient education and information services, and lost wages.
    Eligible entities include non-profits or community-based organizations that assist individuals seeking abortions. Grants would be prioritized for entities that serve people who live in a jurisdiction that has banned or severely restricted access to abortion, serve those who travel to a jurisdiction to access abortion care, or have a program in operation that helps patients access abortion services.
    Watch Senator Baldwin’s full remarks here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: BREAKING: Cortez Masto’s Bill to Reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Passed Into Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    The reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act heads to President Biden’s desk for signature before the act was set to expire on October 1, 2024

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) bill to extend the authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 10 years passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. Cortez Masto’s legislation is cosponsored by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in the Senate. The Senate passed this bill in July, and it now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

    “I was thrilled to pass the reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act through the Senate this summer, and today’s vote means this critical legislation is officially on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud of our bipartisan work to deliver funding for vital programs that keep the lake clean, support local jobs, and support our tourism economy. It is an honor to help lead Team Tahoe and fight for the resources the basin needs to thrive.”

    “Lake Tahoe is a treasure, and we must do everything we can to protect it for future generations,” said Senator Padilla. “As the threats from climate change continue to escalate, I’m thrilled to see the House join the Senate to provide critical funding to preserve Lake Tahoe and protect it against pollution, invasive species, and wildfires.”

    “For the last two decades, lawmakers from both parties have come together and worked in a bipartisan way to protect Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to continue this legacy by working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to pass the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act and reauthorize this much-needed funding to help preserve one of Nevada’s most unique natural wonders for generations to come.”

    “By reauthorizing the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, we protect the iconic landscapes that make California beautiful and support local jobs that rely on a healthy Lake Tahoe,” said Senator Butler. “Although we have made significant progress in keeping Tahoe blue, we must remain steadfast to protect it from climate change, wildfires, and pollution.”

    “The Lake Tahoe Region is grateful to Congress for their leadership in passing this critical piece of legislation to continue the collaborative work to protect and restore Lake Tahoe,” said Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Julie Regan. “Extending the federal investment in the EIP will leverage millions of dollars in state and local funding to implement the top priority projects for the lake and our communities.”

    The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is bicameral, and is cosponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-03), Dina Titus (D-Nev.- 01), Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), John Duarte (R-Calif.-13) and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.-06). It will allow critical funding to support environmental protection and habitat restoration programs across the basin for the next ten years. This law has delivered millions in federal dollars to Lake Tahoe since the original law passed in 2000.

    Senator Cortez Masto has been a champion for Lake Tahoe, leading efforts in the Senate to conserve the region and protect the Lake. She recently secured $24 million to extend the popular East Shore Trail around Lake Tahoe, and almost $8 million to help the Tahoe Transportation District purchase new electric hybrid busses and improve transit safety. She secured nearly $17 million in funding for the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to critical resources to address microplastic pollution in the Lake and to improve transportation options to and from Reno. She has led calls for a comprehensive, collaborative, and science-based approach to protect Lake Tahoe from the threat of climate change. Cortez Masto helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law to repair and maintain public lands nationwide.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Hawksbill turtle beached on Aotea, brought to Auckland Zoo

    Source: Department of Conservation

    Date:  25 September 2024

    Locals Karen Lombard and Fraser Munroe came across the live sea turtle yesterday and alerted DOC staff member Sarah Dwyer, who sprang into action for the protected species.

    “Sea turtles forage around New Zealand but do not nest here. We hear about sightings in the water every summer around Aotea, but their presence on land is normally an indication of poor health. That’s why we don’t try to refloat turtles, but instead take them into care for a medical assessment.

    “A huge thank you to Karen and Fraser for their quick response and transporting the turtle to us at the airport. We ensured it was dry, to avoid any further heat loss, and comfortable in a crate. We got it on the first flight to Auckland mainland and into the expert care of Auckland Zoo’s veterinary team,” says Sarah.

    “While this hawksbill has no external injuries, it is extremely underweight and remains in a critical condition, so its future remains uncertain,” says Auckland Zoo vet, Dr Adam Naylor.

    “We are administering supportive treatments, such as intravenous fluids, and given its low body temperature, slowly and very carefully increasing the water temperature of its tank to the preferred optimal temperature range for this species.”

    Rodney Ngawaka, a kaumatua of Ngāti Rehua-Ngātiwai ki Aotea says spring brings in many species, but a turtle is unusual for Aotea.

    “We see tohorā (whales), whai repo (rays), manu (birds) all moving into these waters, Te Moananui ō Toi Te Huatahi, through the mauri of our currents and winds during this time of year. These invisible lines guide relationships that are thousands of years old, but it’s unusual to see a honu (turtle). It has possibly come into this beach from the water space of the Waitemata, Tīkapa Moana.

    “This taonga is a gift and it’s our responsibility to stay connected to its future.”

    If you spot turtles on the beach or see beached whales or dolphins, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) and follow the advice.

    Across the country in spring, DOC receives reports of sick marine animals that come ashore after losing condition over winter.

    On Aotea there have been two dead sea turtles found on the shores in the last five years: one hawksbill and one green turtle.

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Samsung Electronics Collaborates With Hyundai Motor and Kia to Further Expand the SmartThings Ecosystem

    Source: Samsung

    ▲ (From left) Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division; Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President, CTO of DX Division at Samsung Electronics and Head of Samsung Research
     
    Samsung Electronics today announced the signing of a strategic technology partnership agreement with Hyundai Motor and Kia. The companies’ shared goal is to elevate users’ connectivity experiences by fully integrating the SmartThings IoT platform with Hyundai and Kia’s software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
     
    The signing ceremony was held at Samsung Electronics’ Seoul R&D Campus, with Samsung’s participants including Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President, CTO of Device eXperience (DX) Division and Head of Samsung Research; Seungbeom Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of Device Platform Center; and Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of IoT R&D Team. Participants from Hyundai and Kia included Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division and Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Infotainment Development Center.
     
    Through this agreement, Samsung will integrate SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia’s next-generation infotainment system to offer a differentiated experience. First, they will introduce the global location solution function for vehicles and smart keys based on the SmartThings Find platform, which is a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Samsung Galaxy devices that use the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to report their location. Through the SmartThings Find service, users can locate vehicles using nearby Galaxy smartphones — even without a 4G or 5G cellular network connection — meaning drivers can more easily track down their cars in the event of them being lost or stolen.
     
    Additionally, drivers can use their Galaxy’s Quick Panel to control air conditioning and check their remaining range from their device. Vehicles can also be added to the connected SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to return to a home with optimized conditions by controlling their Samsung air conditioners, air purifiers or other connected devices while driving home.
     
    As part of the agreement, Samsung will also continue collaborating with Hyundai and Kia to provide various AI-based services tailored to customer lifestyles and preferences. The companies will expand the use of SmartThings to include in-vehicle health monitoring via cameras and Galaxy devices, pet care solutions that optimize vehicle environments for pets, as well as integration with smart apartment solutions and SDVs.
     
    “Our goal is to enrich Hyundai Motor and Kia customers’ mobility experience by offering personalized services that extend beyond transportation, seamlessly integrating vehicles with smartphones,” said Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division.
     
    “Through our collaboration with Hyundai and Kia, customers will experience the convenience of SmartThings not only at home but also in their vehicles, transcending space,” said Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President, CTO of DX Division at Samsung Electronics and Head of Samsung Research. “We will continue to expand the SmartThings ecosystem, offering new lifestyles and value to even more customers.”
     
     
    Consistent Steps Forward Enable Shared Progress
    In January this year, Samsung and Hyundai announced to partnership focusing on home-to-car and car-to-home services that connect smartphones, vehicles and home appliances. Based on this agreement, the two organizations have been working toward a reality in which a Samsung device can be used to seamlessly control a Hyundai or Kia vehicle — and home appliances can also be easily controlled from inside the vehicle.
     
    ▲ (From left) Jinhee Choi, Senior Executive Vice President of 42dot; Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Infotainment Development Center; Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division; Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics and Head of Samsung Research; Seungbeom Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of Device Platform Center; and Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of IoT R&D Team
     
    This latest evolution of the two companies’ relationship now adds the aforementioned SmartThings functionality and cooperation to provide user-tailored AI services. Essentially, the scope of the collaboration has now been broadened to include even more comprehensive SDV integration — as well as healthcare, pet care and smart apartment solutions.
     
     
    About Hyundai Motor Group
    Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group’s mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. Armed with creative thinking, cooperative communication and the will to take on any challenges, we strive to create a better future for all.
    More information about Hyundai Motor Group can be found at: http://www.hyundaimotorgroup.com or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai, Kia Global Media Center (kianewscenter.com), Genesis Newsroom

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Appointment to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese Labor Government has today announced the appointment of Ms Amanda Heyworth as a member of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council for a three-year term.

    The National Archives is Australia’s federal government record collecting agency, preserving and managing documents and other evidence that record important events in Australian history, and making them available to the public. 

    Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said Ms Heyworth would be a valuable addition to the Council. 

    “The National Archives holds some of our most important records dating back to Federation in 1901, helping to tell the story of our nation. 

    “Amanda’s experience in digital transformation and service design will benefit the National Archives as it works to make collections more digitally available and improve information management.”

    Ms Amanda Heyworth is a professional company director, with expertise in governance, strategy and innovation. Ms Heyworth currently holds Chair positions at UniSA Ventures Pty Ltd and the Centennial Park Cemetery Authority, and is a non‑executive Director at People First Bank and Commissioner of the Essential Services Commission of South Australia. 

    Ms Heyworth has previously held senior executive positions in the venture capital, technology and finance sectors. Early in her career, she served as an economist with the Federal Treasury and as Adjunct Faculty in the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Heavy rain warnings for Te Wai Pounamu/parts of the West Coast and South Island

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    People driving through Fiordland, along the West Coast of the South Island and around the Canterbury high country and alpine passes are warned to be ready for heavy rain overnight tonight and into Thursday, says MetService and NZTA.

    Although the amounts are not predicted to be huge at this stage, combined with recent heavy rain, snowmelt and spring conditions, there is more potential for slips and rockfalls.

    Drivers need to be on the lookout, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

    “Given recent rockfalls on the Haast Pass (SH6), and avalanches on the Milford Road (SH94), we are not out of winter yet,” says NZTA Journey Manager Nicole Felts. “Drivers should be prepared for changeable conditions and possible road closures.”

    From bottom to top

    There are heavy rain watches in place for Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound and the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers from tonight into Thursday lunchtime.

    The Westland Ranges may catch heavy rain from the early hours of Thursday to later Thursday.

    A heavy rain warning also covers the Canterbury lakes and rivers headwaters from 9 am Thursday to later Thursday night, with a nor-westerly gale warning for the Canterbury high country. People driving high-sided vehicles (campervans, towing caravans) and motorcyclists need to be aware of the danger and the potential for powerline damage/ tree branches over roads.

    There is also a heavy rain watch for Buller and Grey Districts from Thursday afternoon to the early hours of Friday.

    “Check highway traffic real time updates before you head out tomorrow,” says Miss Felts.

    Journey Planner – Highway conditions(external link)

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Drivers warned to expect delays on State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill this Thursday

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    |

    Drivers travelling between Wellington and Wairarapa must be ready for delays tomorrow (Thursday, 26 September), with two stop-go sites operating on the route.

    One is an existing 24/7 stop/go at an underslip site due to be repaired within the next six weeks.

    The other is temporary and will be in place tomorrow between 10 am and 3 pm to allow road crews to install safety barriers alongside the closed slow vehicle bay at a nearby overslip site.

    The two slips are approximately half a kilometre apart and require separate stop/go controls to allow traffic to flow efficiently.

    This means drivers can expect delays of up to five minutes when travelling over Remutaka Hill. Please plan accordingly and allow extra time for your journeys.

    NZTA/Waka Kotahi and the Wellington Transport Alliance thank drivers for their patience and understanding while this work is underway.

    Tags

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Symposium 2024

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Thank you very much for the generous welcome Reverend Reihana.

    Thank you to Alcohol Healthwatch and your organising committee, including representatives from: FASD-CAN Aotearoa; Te Iho Tātai-ā-Rongo (the Māori FASD Coalition); Hauora Māori Services and Health Promotion Directorates, Health New Zealand; Oranga Tamariki; and the Centre for Addiction Research, University of Auckland, for inviting me to this important event.

    Alongside the organising committee, I would also like to acknowledge Raawiri Ratuu, from Kookiri ki Taamakimakaurau Trust, and the advice and practical support he has provided in preparation for this symposium.

    I am very pleased to be addressing the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) community today. 

    I would like to take this moment now to recognise all of you and your tireless efforts and commitment. 

    FASD has gone under-recognised and under-supported for too long in New Zealand, but you have remained strong and dedicated as we now stand on the precipice of meaningful change. 

    I acknowledge that you have had to navigate difficult spaces, motivated by the love of family and community. Ngā mihi ki a koutou.

    I would also like to acknowledge Alcohol Healthwatch for leading engagements with their community across New Zealand over the past two months. You have gathered valuable insights that will inform the revitalisation of the Government’s FASD Strategic Action Plan.

    Along with FASD-CAN, Kookiri ki Taamaki Makaurau Trust, the Māori Coalition for Te Iho Tātai-ā-Rongo, Village Collective, and the whole FASD community, you have built a foundation upon which we can set our collective direction for FASD.

    I believe families, whānau, professionals at the frontline and communities are best placed to know how to support people impacted by FASD. 

    I acknowledge the range of experiences and strengths you bring to this work, and this is is reflected in the approach we are taking to develop the new FASD Strategic Action Plan. 

    I am committed to keeping people at the front and center of this mission. 

    Only with the experiences, opportunities and solutions from people within and outside of the health system will we develop services truly respond to the needs of people affected by FASD. 

    Comments from FASD providers highlighted the importance of listening to communities, when they expressed, “the very first thing that this is about – is being heard and seen, that your story is true, valid and important. Just that, I reckon just that. I call it deep listening.”

    I used to similarly observe as a GP, that often people just want to hear and be heard, see and be seen. 

    That’s what an engagement process is about. Listening to whānau. Listening to community. 

    I intend to continue listening to all voices. Even when it is hard. Even when it is challenging. I will listen.

    In April this year, I committed this Government to taking meaningful, tangible action to address FASD in New Zealand. 

    I announced a first tranche of initiatives, with $2 million of funding across five key initiatives:

    1. Publishing the first New Zealand-specific FASD diagnostic guidelines. 
    2. Training up to 30 health professionals from Child Development Services to use these new guidelines.
    3. Launching A nationwide FASD prevention campaign.
    4. Establishing an FASD pilot programme to support Māori communities and whānau living with FASD, and 
    5. Revitalising the FASD Strategic Action Plan. 

    We are already seeing considerable progress on these actions. 

    Publication of the new FASD guidelines occurred in April and diagnostic training has already started, in collaboration with Hāpai Te Hauora, and the first group of 30 clinicians will have completed their training by the end of the year. 

    This will further grow a health workforce that is better equipped to understand and support the needs of people with FASD and their families.

    Health New Zealand are now co-designing the prevention campaign with a group of young people who represent the next generation of parents, as well as their support people, whānau, hapū and iwi. 

    The campaign focuses on preventing and raising awareness about FASD and its effects on communities and will launch before the end of this year. 

    The FASD community pilot programme started in May this year and is being delivered by the Māori Coalition for Te Iho Tātai-ā-Rongo (FASD). 

    This is a comprehensive programme that includes a series of regional wānanga with communities that have been identified with FASD high needs.

    These wānanga focus on whānau living with FASD, health professionals and has a particular focus in setting up peer support. 

    In addition, they have completed a national online conference bringing together Māori researchers, policy makers, clinicians and representation from Te Kāhui Taurikura. 

    The coalition is building FASD capacity within regions with stakeholder hui with workforce and whānau living with FASD. 

    They have Te Whare ō Oro training that is in alignment with the wānanga which introduces neurodiversity training into these pilot areas.

    Finally, the revitalisation of the FASD Strategic Action Plan is well underway. Community engagement was completed at the end of August, and health agencies are now actively developing the priorities that will make up the plan. 

    I know health agencies will be further consulting key FASD organisations and networks, as well as clinicians and sector experts, in the first quarter of 2025 on the draft plan. 

    I expect groups that led the community engagement will be able to see their contributions reflected in that draft plan, which will outline a phased and coordinated approach to addressing FASD over the coming years.

    As I said in April, these are only the first steps the Government is taking to drive action on FASD. I signaled a clear intention to introduce further initiatives that will build momentum and further our knowledge and understanding of FASD.  

    I reflect again on the voices of the community in setting further FASD priorities today. 

    One FASD observer has noted, “Pretty much every professional group would gain hugely from understanding and then reframing their responses as a result… It seems to me that actually our whole society needs education on what FASD is and its impacts.”

    I agree. 

    An important part of advancing FASD is lifting literacy and actions across all areas where there are opportunities to prevent FASD or provide support to people with FASD. 

    This includes in the community, in healthcare settings, the education system, children’s system and the justice system. 

    That’s why today I am confirming $4.85 million of funding, for a second tranche of three more key FASD initiatives. 

    I expect to make further announcements on FASD in the build up to the release of the FASD Strategic Action Plan next year. 

    This funding is made possible through a lift to the Alcohol Levy that Cabinet agreed to in July.

    This took the levy from approximately $11.5m to $16.6m – a boost of more than $5 million this year.

    There were criticisms that the levy was not actually raised high enough, and I understand this. 

    However, it demonstrates a willingness on the part of the Government to fund our priority actions that deliver tangible outcomes, and given this is the first rise in the alcohol levy in 15 years. 

    We have taken a microscope to what the levy is being spent on and it is not clear to me that all the initiatives have delivered tangible, positive health outcomes for New Zealanders. 

    Evidence-based outcomes is a key principle of this Government’s investments – every initiative must provide clear, demonstrable value to communities. 

    That is the challenge I put to you, as together we design the FASD Strategic Action Plan. Demonstrate how your initiatives and proposals will make a tangible difference for New Zealanders.

    $4.85 million is a sizeable commitment to the FASD work programme and builds on the $2 million I announced for tranche one initiatives in April – bringing our total investment in FASD support and prevention to date, to $6.85 million. 

    The tranche two initiatives announced today are: 

    1. Undertaking an FASD prevalence study, to understand the true nature of the challenge FASD presents in New Zealand, rather than relying on extrapolated overseas data. We will have our own, New Zealand data.
    2. Growing FASD awareness and capacity across communities and a range of health, disability, and social services, with formal, structured education. 
    3. Supporting initiatives that promote alcohol-free pregnancies and reduce the stigma of FASD.

    The three year prevalence study will start in mid-2025. It will focus on both the prevalence and impact of FASD in New Zealand, and how demographic, socio-economic, and maternal factors influence the occurrence and diagnosis of FASD among different populations. 

    The aim is for this study to screen a minimum of 2500 children, in line with World Health Organization FASD prevalence research protocols. Children will be identified through targeted school settings in high-risk locations. 

    Growing FASD awareness and capacity within communities and across a range of health, disability, and social services professionals will occur through a range of training opportunities being made available. 

    These will include: 

    • Developing a new micro-credential training programme for the recently developed NZQA-approved unit standards. Development and delivery of this training will be undertaken in close collaboration with subject matter experts and will be relevant and accessible for a range of different audiences and training cohorts, including families and carers.
    • Developing and implementing non-clinical training for communities to increase FASD awareness. This training will align to current activities with the FASD community pilot programme and other localised support programmes.
    • Funding a second clinical cohort of 30 Child Development Services professionals to undertake training based on New Zealand’s FASD diagnostic guidelines.

    Supporting prevention and reducing stigma around FASD will include: expanding our evaluation cohort for the nation-wide prevention campaign which will provide insights into the campaign messaging and implementation. In collaboration with sector partners we have supported with resource to highlight FASD awareness month.

    These priorities are direct responses to community-led efforts and demonstrate the importance of community advocacy and voice in all parts of the health system. 

    For instance, the new FASD micro-credential training that includes NZQA unit standards will support best practice for people working alongside and engaging with people living with FASD. These unit standards were developed collaboratively by Hayley Semenoff and the team at Toitū te Waiora workforce development council and FASD-CAN Aotearoa.

    This training will reflect a shared aspiration with the FASD community for a workforce with an FASD-informed lens, who will be our frontline change agents. They will be competent and confident supporting people impacted by FASD across their lifespan and in different settings, including health, education, disability, and justice systems.

    Health NZ is still in the early stages of work on these priorities. I expect to continue to update the FASD community as they progress in the lead up to the launch of the FASD Strategic Action Plan next year.

    We remain committed to driving change and improving health outcomes for all New Zealanders, and particularly those who experience the worst health outcomes.

    That won’t come without its challenges. Achieving change has been hard for previous governments and will be hard for me too. But these challenges provide opportunities. Opportunities to sharpen our focus on what matters most and actions that will make the biggest impacts on people’s lives.

    I believe in bringing care and decision making close to the home and closer to the hapū, and I recognise the unique qualities Māori health providers bring and the importance of local providers delivering services within their communities. 

    I look forward to seeing what opportunities there are for local and community initiatives to better support people with FASD, to consider as part of the refreshed FASD Strategic Action Plan.

    One of the greatest challenges is in fully understanding the prevalence and extent of FASD in New Zealand. This is, in part, due to complexities and barriers to formal diagnosis and national data collection. These barriers limit our ability to intervene effectively and tailor supports to local needs.

    We need to better understand FASD prevalence across New Zealand, which means we can deliver more effective and targeted prevention and early intervention activities and then measure their impact. 

    This is why the announcements I have made today are so important. But I want to make clear that gaps in what we know about the prevalence of FASD does not distract from its very real impacts. 

    We must remember our context, where an estimated three to five children in New Zealand are born with FASD every day. 

    We know we must address this and the primary mechanism we have is through the refreshed FASD Strategic Action Plan. 

    Over the next 12 months, I hope to build an approach that will further support the prevention of FASD and identify critical points in the lifespan of individuals with FASD where we can make the greatest difference. 

    The community voices and insights captured over the past two months will be vital to that, and I acknowledge the wider alcohol prevention work that Rawiri and his team have undertaken with the Kaupapa Te Ropū report on alcohol harm for Māori. 

    However, until the long-term action plan is published next year, we have listened to the best community and expert advice and have already made a start, with an investment of over $6.85 million across eight initiatives aimed at better understanding the impact of FASD, promoting better education in community and clinical settings and supporting women to stay alcohol free during pregnancy. 

    Three to five children are born with FASD every day – that’s why there’s no time to wait. 

    We want New Zealand to be a country where people are supported to have alcohol-free pregnancies, where the prevalence of FASD is well understood, where quality FASD diagnostic tools and training are widely used, and people living with FASD and their families are well supported.

    Finally, I would like to reflect on the theme of this conference, ‘Ko te FASD kei a hau, ehara i a hau. FASD is what I have NOT who I am’.

    To me, this is a powerful message which tackles both the issues of stigma, and most importantly, aspiration.

    The aspirations of individuals, families, carers, and the whole FASD community, to lead thriving lives. Lives in which people with FASD, can pursue education, employment, and meaningful connections with friends, families, and communities.

    While FASD might have lifelong impacts, it should not be a life sentence. We have the chance to change that. To build on our strengths and not be defined by a diagnosis. 

    That’s my vision for the future.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Active Chlorine Component of Hypochlorous Acid Solution Volatilized in the Air Eliminates Over 99% of Group A Streptococci

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Active Chlorine Component of Hypochlorous Acid Solution Volatilized in the Air Eliminates Over 99% of Group A Streptococci

    [Figure 1. Amount of bacteria adhered (group A streptococci) by time elapsed]

    Osaka, Japan – Panasonic Corporation (https://www.panasonic.com/global/home.html) today announced that its Heating & Ventilation A/C Company (hereinafter referred to as Panasonic) verified that the active chloride component volatilized from the hypochlorous acid solution, produced by electrolysis of salt water, effectively eliminates over 99% of group A streptococci (GAS) adhered in a space of approx. 25 m3 within 60 minutes(*2).
    The hypochlorous acid solution is produced through the electrolysis of salt water and demonstrates high efficacy in sterilization and deodorization. Since adopting the hypochlorous acid solution for the hygiene maintenance system of cup-dispensing vending machines in 1987(*3), Panasonic has been researching hypochlorous acid technology for over 30 years. The company verified in the past few years that the solution is effective in suppressing viruses, including the influenza virus (H1N1), novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant, and enterovirus and coxsackievirus, which can cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease, as well as herpangina.
    GAS is mainly transmitted via droplet infection (coughing and sneezing) and direct contact. These bacteria can cause a wide range of infections, such as strep throat and skin infections, and in severe cases, necrotizing fasciitis. Specifically, they are responsible for group A streptococcal pharyngitis, which primarily affects children with symptoms such as fever, sore throat, reddened tongue, and a red rash on the body. It can also cause sepsis and multiple organ failure, as exemplified by the streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which has shown an increasing trend in recent years.
    Based on the current verification results, the active chloride component volatilized from the hypochlorous acid solution is expected to eliminate GAS adhered to tables, railings, and other objects.
    ■Verification methodTwo cases were verified: one by soaking the rotary sterilization filter in a hypochlorous acid solution of approx. 100 mg/L, exposing the filter to a given amount of wind (3.8 m3/min) to volatilize the active chloride component, and then exposing the specimens with GAS to the volatilized substance; and the other by not exposing the specimens to the active chloride component (natural attenuation).
    ■Verification resultsThe effect of suppressing 99% of GAS within 60 minutes was confirmed (Figure 1).

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: Electric aircraft makes flight near Badaling Great Wall

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A two-seater electric aircraft completed its maiden flight on Monday at the Badaling Airport near the Great Wall, in northwest Beijing’s Yanqing District.

    The electric aircraft can be used to carry out general aviation flights and pilot training, and is available to the public for flight experiences, according to Wang Mingyang, an expert in general aviation innovation research with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

    “Launching general aviation operation flight activities in Yanqing not only brings aviation equipment, but also gives a boost to low-altitude economic operation activities,” said Wang.

    The two-seater aircraft, RX1E-A, received its type certificate in October 2018 and its production certificate in April 2019, both issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and has flown over 10,000 hours safely in northeast China’s Shenyang. It has a battery duration of 150 minutes and a maximum range of 240 km.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: InnoTrans highlights smart, green solutions

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A man visits the booth of China Railway during the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology, known as InnoTrans, kicked off on Tuesday with a focus on the future of mobility. This year’s event highlights smart transport solutions and low-carbon rail innovations powered by electricity and hydrogen.

    The four-day exhibition has drawn over 2,900 exhibitors from 59 countries and regions. They will showcase the latest products and innovations across 200,000 square meters of exhibition space and 3,500 meters of tracks, covering five segments: railway technology, railway infrastructure, public transport, interiors and tunnel construction.

    InnoTrans 2024 will showcase 226 world premieres, featuring groundbreaking advancements in electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles that are pushing the boundaries of energy efficiency and sustainability, Messe Berlin, the event’s organizer, told Xinhua.

    Innovations in autonomous rail technology, AI-driven solutions, and smart infrastructure systems using IoT and big data will also be in the spotlight, it added.

    Around 200 Chinese companies are participating in the biennial event. The CRRC Corporation Limited, one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers, unveiled two of its latest high-tech products: a hydrogen train capable of running up to 200 km per hour and a next-generation autonomous rail rapid transit vehicle, both featuring green and smart innovations.

    Meanwhile, the China State Railway Group is showcasing its high-speed trains capable of reaching speeds of 350 km per hour, along with equipment used for China-Europe freight trains.

    Chinese automaker BYD made its debut at InnoTrans, showcasing a range of electric buses and highlighting its self-developed blade battery and rapid charging systems.

    A man tries his hands on simulated driving of a Fuxing high-speed train at the booth of China Railway during the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    People view outdoor exhibits at the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: An exhibition dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the university opened at NSU

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The exhibition is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the first classes at Novosibirsk State University. The grand opening of the university took place on September 26, 1959, and on September 28, the first lecture to students was given by Academician Sergei Lvovich Sobolev. That year, 330 students were admitted to the first year: 220 people for the daytime department and 110 people for the evening department. At the same time, students were admitted to the second year.

    — The staff of the NSU History Museum selected photographs from their collections and the archive of the NSU press service, trying to highlight the brightest aspects of each decade of our university. We presented the history of the university, emphasizing the contribution to the development of NSU of all the university leaders over 65 years, — the Keeper said about the idea of the exhibition Museum of the History of NSU, Candidate of Historical Sciences Victoria Vybornova.

    Despite the fact that the period of the first rector Ilya Nestorovich Vekua was short – from 1959 to 1964, he set the trajectory of the university’s development, laid down the basic principles. It was the time of “first discoveries” – the first teachers, students, lectures, the first building of NSU.

    The next period, which is presented at the exhibition, is the “time of Spartak” – Spartak Timofeevich Belyaev, from 1965 to 1978. The period of his rectorship is called “golden” – at this time many creative youth initiatives were supported – student scientific conferences, carnivals, the traditional Interweek, ending with the celebration of Mayovka in front of the main building of NSU, began their journey.

    Next is the stand of Valentin Afanasyevich Koptyug, who for some time even combined his work at the university with the post of chairman of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences, after him – Anatoly Panteleevich Derevyanko, rector-archaeologist. Then the post of rector was taken over by Vladimir Yeliferyevich Nakoryakov, he gave a new impetus to the established directions of development of NSU, setting the task of combining fundamental training with the acquisition of applied research skills in teaching. From 1986 to 1993, the rector was Yuri Leonidovich Ershov, who previously headed Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU and at that time was a symbol of young Siberian science. According to the NSU Museum Curator Victoria Vybornova, the 1980s were a significant period in the development of the university – it was a time of stability and progressive development, a time when the university reached maturity.

    The 1990s and 2000s were difficult times for the university, as the collapse of the USSR dealt a strong blow to science, and since NSU is closely associated with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the question of how the university should move forward arose. The period of some “stagnation” can be seen in the photographs – the furniture was not updated, a number of creative events came to naught. Nevertheless, the university successfully coped with all the difficulties, developing new mechanisms for cooperation with science and business. NSU was really able to unite all the advanced areas, but at the same time preserve its identity. During these years, Vladimir Nikolaevich Vragov and Nikolai Sergeevich Dikansky were rectors.

    In July 2007, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sobyanin replaced Dikansky as rector. In one of his interviews, he said, “The times of scientific euphoria of the 60s – the era of physicists and lyricists – may not be in full, but they must return. The country has no other way…”

    The final stand “Time of Achievements” symbolizes the time of the current rector Mikhail Petrovich Fedoruk – a period of major construction of both the educational buildings of NSU and the NSU SUNC, as well as dormitories, as well as the time of development of new educational programs and scientific and technological areas, innovation centers.

    The exhibition will be held at NSU until the end of October. During this period, anyone will be able to get to know the archival photographs and interesting facts from the history of the university.

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

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

    http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/education/an-exhibition-dedicated-to-the-65th-anniversary-of-the-university-opened at NSU/

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Risch, Grassley Call Out Abuses in the Biden-Harris Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) led 41 bicameral Republican colleagues in a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s cover-up of the crisis.
    The lawmakers are urging Biden and Harris to “make changes to [their] policies and procedures” in order to “end this public safety crisis.”  They are specifically calling on the Biden-Harris administration to enhance information-sharing with law enforcement and Congress, fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) child exploitation investigation and thoroughly respond to all congressional oversight requests.
    “[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” the lawmakers concluded.
    More than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the Biden-Harris administration, while cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent.  Amid this crisis, the lawmakers note the Biden-Harris administration limited background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, cut back on familial DNA testing at the border and decreased information sharing with law enforcement.
    Joining Crapo, Risch and Grassley on the letter are U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina),  John Thune (R-South Dakota), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) and 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
    Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Auckland on track to meet critical water targets

    Source: Auckland Council

    Tāmaki Makaurau is on track to meet its targets to reduce water consumption  and the water supply target for recycled water capacity. That’s according to the annual progress report for the Auckland Water Strategy.

    The Auckland Water Strategy (2022 – 2050) is Auckland Council’s 30-year approach to water, guided by the vision te mauri o te wai – that the life-sustaining capacity of Auckland’s water is protected and enhanced.

    The Policy and Planning Committee heard a progress report in its recent meeting. Chair of the committee, Councillor Richard Hills, welcomed this report and acknowledged our complex relationship with water.

    “We’ve seen the extremes of our relationship with water in recent years, from severe flooding to drought and water restrictions. The Auckland Water Strategy provides us with a guiding vision while ensuring that strategic direction is being progressed through efforts across the organisation to enhance our resilience to water-related natural hazards, improve our partnership with mana whenua, and improve our planning framework,” says Cr Hills.

    “There have been some notable milestones achieved in the last year, especially around enhancing our resilience to water-related natural hazards and updating our planning framework. Through the Storm Response Fund and Making Space for Water programme, there’s been some great mahi to empower communities to prepare for a changing water future and enhance the uptake of resilient infrastructure.

    “There’s more work to be done and it’s great to have a guiding vision as we continue to protect and enhance our relationship with, and management of, water in Tāmaki Makaurau.”

    Highlights from the report

    Highlights from the report included that Tāmaki Makaurau is still on track to achieve the strategy’s water consumption targets to reduce consumption below 253 litres per person per day by June 2025. This is despite a slight increase in per capita consumption in the 2023/2024 financial year.

    Additionally, Tāmaki Makaurau has already exceeded its supply target of having at least 20M litres per day of recycled water capacity (that can be used in a productive way) by 2030. This is due to re-using purified wastewater in Watercare’s wastewater treatment plants as well as some major construction projects.

    The report also noted that, of the 34 actions outlined by the strategy indicatively scoped for delivery by the end of June 2025, 15 are on track or complete, 16 are at risk of not being delivered within the envisioned timeframe, and three are behind schedule at the time of reporting.

    “Strategic direction is being progressed through efforts across the organisation to enhance our resilience to water-related natural hazards, improve our partnership with mana whenua, and improve our planning framework,” says Dave Allen, Auckland Council’s Manager Natural Environment Strategy.

    “However, resource constraints mean that delivering all 34 actions identified for delivery by 30 June 2025 will be a challenge. To support implementation, we’ve prioritised actions in the strategy to better support resource allocation over the next year and will be working closely with the leadership and staff in key departments across the organisation to enhance commitment to achieving delivery of the strategy’s actions.”

    About the Water Strategy

    The Auckland Water Strategy ensures that the protection and enhancement of water is a priority in our decision making. The strategy helps us ensure that all our future decision making, and investments will contribute to improving the health of our waters.

    The Water Strategy framework centres around eight strategic shifts:

    • Te Tiriti Partnership
    • Empowered Aucklanders
    • Sustainable Allocation and Equitable Access
    • Regenerative Water Infrastructure
    • Water Security
    • Integrated Land-Use and Water Planning
    • Restoring and Enhancing Water Ecosystems
    • Pooling Knowledge.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Governments and Philanthropies Commit Approximately US$350 Million, Giving Urgent Boost to Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health Supplies and Services Worldwide

    Source: United Nations Population Fund

    During the UN General Assembly, countries and donors rally critical investments to save women and girls’ lives and drive sustainable development.

    As part of the global effort to secure sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all, governments and philanthropies have committed approximately US$350 million in new investments to expand access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services. 

    Healthy women are the foundation of healthy families, vibrant communities, and prosperous economies and demand for SRH services is growing globally. Between 2023 and 2035, the number of people in low- and middle-income countries using modern contraceptives is predicted to increase by 95.4 million and annual births will increase by 3.29 million. Yet, a significant financing gap for contraceptives and lifesaving maternal health medicines – reaching at least US$1.5 billion in the world’s poorest countries alone by 2030 – threatens to derail hard-earned progress. Today, only 57 per cent of women are able to make their own decisions about their SRHR—a lack of autonomy that can put women’s lives at risk, rob them of opportunities, and foster an intergenerational cycle of poverty. 

    Together, the landmark commitments announced today on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly — ranging from countries committing domestic resources for reproductive health supplies to donor governments pledging funds to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership and new commitments from private sector and foundation partners — will help transform the lives of women and girls in 54 countries.

    “Investing in reproductive health supplies is a ‘best buy’ for development, empowering women, improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, and uplifting economies,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency. “The significant new resources that governments and philanthropies are committing to are a lifeline for millions of women, who can now enjoy reproductive freedom and the power of choice. Together, we must close the funding gap for reproductive health commodities so that every woman, everywhere, can exercise her fundamental rights.” 

    The contributions to UNFPA alone have the potential to reach more than 28 million people with reproductive health care, prevent more than 8 million unintended pregnancies, avert more than 2 million unsafe abortions, and save the lives of up to 9,000 women and girls.

    Domestic financing commitments include:

    • The Kyrgyz Republic announced US$119,000 to domestic resources for family planning commodities. 
    • The Republic of Madagascar announced a US$15 million government contribution to procure quality-assured contraceptives and maternal health medicines through UNFPA.
    • Nepal announced a US$600,000 government contribution to purchase quality-assured contraceptives.

    Financing commitments from international donors include: 

    • The Government of Canada announced US$84 million commitment to SRHR projects.
    • The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) announced a US$100 million commitment to co-fund the WISH/Step-Up (Women’s Integrated Sexual Health) platform, strengthening donor coordination on funding access to SRH choices for communities in the Sahel and Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • The Kingdom of the Netherlands committed to a multi-annual partnership.
    • Norway announced a US$12.3 million commitment to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership over 2 years.
    • The Government of Spain announced a US$18 million commitment to UNFPA. 

    Other commitments include:

    • The European Union and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a partnership to design new innovative financing mechanisms to expand contraceptive and SRH access for women in low- and middle-income countries.
    • As a catalytic in-kind investment, HELP Logistics (Kühne Foundation) committed to bringing their expertise to UNFPA’s supply chain strengthening activities to help ensure SRH services reach those who need them most.

    A Smart Investment for Health, Prosperity, and Sustainable Development

    “When we invest in healthy women, we invest in a healthy world,” said Dr. Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division at the Gates Foundation. “Family planning is a proven, high-impact intervention that not only saves lives but also fuels economic growth, makes societies more resilient, and advances gender equality. Investing in family planning can help unlock a brighter, more sustainable future for us all.”

    Increasing sexual and reproductive health financing pays off.  Globally, every US$1 invested in family planning yields more than US$8 in benefits for families and societies. Addressing the women’s health gap – in which they currently spend 25 per cent more of their lives in poor health compared to men – will boost the global economy by US$1 trillion by 2040. That amounts to an increase in per capita GDP of nearly 2 per cent every year. 

    A World Made Possible by Family Planning 

    Furthering the impact of today’s domestic financing announcements, the governments of the Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, and Nepal have ongoing commitments under FP2030 to expand access to family planning. FP2030 – a global partnership dedicated to putting family planning at the centre of global health, development, and gender equality – premiered a new video at the UN General Assembly featuring Nigerian football star Asisat Oshoala and former US Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and American business owner Renee Montgomery speaking to all that has been made possible by continued investments in family planning and SRH.

    “So much of our world has been made possible by family planning. By enabling more women to shape their lives and futures, family planning has helped women to finish their education, join the workforce, ascend to leadership positions, and achieve their dreams,” said Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030. “The commitments made to family planning and sexual and reproductive health today will create limitless possibilities for women, for families, and for our collective future.”

    Investing in Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health is Investing in the Future

    Today’s commitments represent a critical step towards ensuring universal access to SRH services. While the work is far from over, these commitments get us closer to closing the current and expanding financing gap.

    “There is no escaping the reality: even with the important pledges today, we still need to do more to ensure all women and girls have access to life-saving family planning when they want it,” said Sir Chris Hohn, Founder and Chair of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. “The shameful gap in funding for commodities and services must be met by strong domestic leadership – and sustained donor funding in service to country priorities. CIFF’s US$100 million investment in the WISH platform, on top of our US$100 million investment last year to end the commodity financing gap, is a demonstration of our commitment to prioritizing country-led solutions to ensure more women and girls can choose their futures.” 

    By unlocking sustainable financing and recharging political will for SRH, we can secure a healthier, more equitable world for future generations.

    Media contact:

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: At 2.7%, Australian inflation is back within the RBA zone. Here’s why that matters

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra

    Jeremy Ng/Shutterstock

    A closely watched measure of Australian inflation dived in the month of August, plunging from 3.5% in July to just 2.7%.

    The dip below 3% puts the monthly measure of annual inflation back within the Reserve Bank’s target band of 2-3% for the first time since August 2021.

    The longer-running quarterly measure of annual inflation is also likely to be back within the 2-3% band when the September-quarter figure is released next month.

    The dramatically lower inflation rate puts Australia in the same league as the United States, whose inflation rate is 2.5%, and the United Kingdom, whose inflation rate is 2.2%.

    The US and the UK have inflation targets of 2%, meaning their inflation rates are still somewhat above target. Australia’s monthly measure of inflation is on target, close to the middle of the band.

    Electricity prices down 17.9%

    Inflation has been trending down since late 2022, as shown on the graphs, but the sharp drops in the past two months are largely due to electricity rebates offered by the federal and state governments.

    The rebates will be applied automatically to electricity bills in this and each of the next three quarters. A staged rollout means they hit bills in only Queensland and Western Australia in July and hit other states in August.

    The Bureau of Statistics says these rebates took 6.4% off the average national power price in July and a further 14.6% off in August.

    Household electricity prices were down 17.9% over the year to August. The Bureau of Statistics describes this as the largest annual fall on record.

    Also helping bring down inflation were lower petrol prices and cheaper public transport, aided by Brisbane’s pre-election six-month trial of 50 cent fares.

    The jump in the monthly measure to 4% in May, which had excited some commentators, now looks like a misleading blip.

    A takeaway is to be cautious in interpreting the less-comprehensive monthly indicator, as is the Reserve Bank, which puts it in small print at the top of its website under the quarterly index, which it headlines in big print.

    For what it’s worth, I am expecting the quarterly index to show annual inflation of 2.8% in the year to September, down from 3.8% for the June quarter.

    Governor Bullock isn’t impressed

    Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock says that at the moment she is paying more attention to the “underlying” rate of inflation, which looks through temporary measures such as subsidies.

    But the Reserve Bank’s preferred measure of underlying inflation, the so-called trimmed mean, also fell in August, to 3.4%, down from 3.8% in July.

    Australia’s weak economy – right now it’s the weakest outside of a recession – means the underlying measure of inflation is likely to continue to fall, unless the tax cuts that started in July have a big effect.

    Why do we target 2-3% anyway?

    Reserve Bank set its target of 2-3% inflation in the early 1990s without a lot of science. It was about where inflation was, close to the targets adopted by other countries, and was a range rather than a specific number in order to give the authorities some flexibility.

    But it happens to be a sensible target, as last year’s independent review of the Reserve Bank confirmed.

    The bank wants to target an inflation rate low enough to not be noticed much and to not much distort decisions.

    Evidence from Google searches suggests that when inflation is around the 2-3% range, people don’t much notice it, but when it climbs up to 4% or 5%, they notice it a lot and search for the word a lot.

    Although zero is (literally) a round number, zero inflation would be too low a target. It would mean deflation (prices falling) as often as not to balance out the prices that were climbing. Deflation is associated with recessions and poor economic performance.

    An inflation rate of 2-3% also allows some real wages to fall (because they can increase by less than the inflation rate), which can be useful in encouraging workers out of declining industries into ones that are expanding.

    In particularly bad times, the Reserve Bank might want to push interest rates down below the inflation rate. This is hard to do if the inflation rate is zero.

    In theory, there is a case for increasing Australia’s inflation target to about where inflation is at the moment, but if that happened, Australia’s inflation target and future inflation targets would have less credibility.

    And in any event, we are moving quickly back towards the target, and on Wednesday’s measure have already hit it.



    Read more:
    No RBA rate cut yet, but Governor Bullock is about to find the pressure overwhelming

    John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist and forecaster in the Reserve Bank and the Australian Treasury.

    – ref. At 2.7%, Australian inflation is back within the RBA zone. Here’s why that matters – https://theconversation.com/at-2-7-australian-inflation-is-back-within-the-rba-zone-heres-why-that-matters-237650

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: National Day celebration: Walking Together in Healthy Bay Area – Walking Challenge under “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign to open for enrolment in October

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    National Day celebration: Walking Together in Healthy Bay Area – Walking Challenge under “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign to open for enrolment in October
    National Day celebration: Walking Together in Healthy Bay Area – Walking Challenge under “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign to open for enrolment in October
    ******************************************************************************************

         To promote the health benefits of walking, the Department of Health (DH) launched the “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign in 2022 to encourage members of the public to increase their physical activities. The DH said today (September 25) that as the third phase of the Walking Challenge, this year’s event coincides with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Health Bureau (HHB) and the DH will for the first time partner with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Mainland cities to jointly promote walking to mark the celebration.     According to the Population Health Survey 2020-22 conducted by the DH, nearly a quarter (24.8 per cent) of persons aged 18 or above performed an insufficient level of physical activities, and about one in seven (14.9 per cent) persons aged 15 or above reported spending 10 hours or longer sitting or reclining each day.     A spokesman for the DH said, “Walking is a simple form of physical activity that many of us engage in daily, and it brings us plenty of health benefits including improving cardiopulmonary function, strengthening muscles and bones, reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, as well as relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression.     “Adults are recommended to gradually increase their daily step goal to 10 000 based on an individual’s own physical conditions, abilities, pace and circumstances. Any amount of walking is better than sitting, even if the goal cannot be reached yet.”     Features of this year’s Walking Challenge are as follows: 

    The Walking Challenge is one of the events marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Hong Kong and the GBA Mainland cities will organise walking activities at the same period under the common theme of “Walking Together in Healthy Bay Area”.
    Participants are required to enrol in the Walking Challenge and record their step count during the challenge period through “e+Life”, the recently launched health challenge platform under the eHealth app. Participants reaching a daily average of 10 000 steps (around 7.5 kilometres in distance) during the challenge period can be awarded an electronic certificate of achievement from the “e+Life” platform.
    With the slogan “Shall We Walk and Talk”, the Walking Challenge includes a Workplace Organisation Walking Challenge, which aims to raise public awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of walking, encourage friends and colleagues to support each other and walk 10 000 steps daily.

         Details of the Walking Challenge in Hong Kong are as follows:

    Target participants: adults aged 18 or above
    Individual enrolment period: October 1 to 31
    Workplace organisation enrolment period: On or before October 15; after the workplace organisations are successfully enrolled, their staff members can enrol from October 1 to 31 and select their representing organisations
    Challenge period: November 1 to 30

         Interested individuals can enrol through “e+Life” by logging into the eHealth app, commencing on October 1. Interested workplace organisations can register with the DH for the Walking Challenge on or before October 15. After successful enrolment of the workplace organisation, their staff will be able to select their respective organisations when enrolling through “e+Life”, and the step counts of participating staff will be attributed to the organisation they choose. Moreover, participants only need to connect the “e+Life” platform with their mobile health tracking apps of their own mobile phones during the challenge, and their steps will be recorded on the “e+Life” platform. This initiative encourages everyone to walk 10 000 steps with friends for health.     For details, please visit the event website of the Walking Challenge (www.10000stepsaday.hk/?lang=en) and the website of “e+Life” (app.ehealth.gov.hk/elife-overview).      Moreover, the HHB launched the new “e+Life” health challenge platform in September to allow eHealth users to join various health challenges, log their daily exercises and accumulate health coins by interfacing with tracking applications. In collaboration with the Education Bureau, the DH and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the HHB rolled out earlier the first health challenge, the “e+ Go to Park” game, on September 14. The “e+ Go to Park”, primarily targeting students, is similar to the “10 000 Steps a Day” Campaign, which encourages members of the public to increase their physical activities. By utilising various game modes in “e+ Go to Park”, students are expected to be motivated to go outdoors with their parents and friends, and enjoy the fun of playing games and exercising together. More health challenges will be introduced on the “e+Life” platform to improve the public’s physical and mental health.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, September 25, 2024Issued at HKT 12:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Health chief bound for Beijing

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau will depart this afternoon on a two-day visit to Beijing, where he will call on relevant Mainland ministries to brief them on healthcare developments in Hong Kong and seek support for various healthcare reforms.

    The visit is aimed at strengthening exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland in healthcare-related areas.

    Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam, Deputy Secretary for Health Sam Hui, Hospital Authority Chairman Henry Fan and Hospital Authority Chief Executive Dr Tony Ko will join Prof Lo on the visit.

    The health chief will return to Hong Kong on Friday. During his absence, Under Secretary for Health Dr Libby Lee will be Acting Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The capital will host the second Moscow Forum of Volunteers in the Sphere of Health Protection

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The second one will take place in the capital Moscow Forum of Volunteers in the Sphere of Health Protection. It will be held on October 14 and 15 at the address: Pokrovsky Boulevard, Building 11, Building 6 in the cultural center of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE). Volunteers will help with its implementation.

    The forum will bring together the expert community, volunteers and citizens interested in the topic of assistance in the field of healthcare. Participants will be able to attend master classes, tours of medical institutions, as well as volunteer networking and a first aid simulation theatre.

    “Today, more than 14.2 thousand people are developing volunteerism in the field of health protection with us. This direction is open and can be interesting not only to people with medical education, it is multifaceted and very important. This year, the forum will become a meeting place for all those who share the values of medical volunteering and will be dedicated to issues of strategic development of the community and will unite more than 600 people,” said Alexander Levit, director of the Mosvolonter resource center.

    The First Moscow Forum of Volunteers in the Sphere of Health Protection passed in 2023. More than 600 people took part in it.

    The forum was organized by the Mosvolonter resource center, the Moscow regional branch of the All-Russian public movement Volunteers-Medics with the support of Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy of the City of Moscow.

    Public Speaking and Lean Techniques

    On the first day, the forum will feature representatives of Moscow non-profit organizations (NPOs), medical organizations, universities, and experienced volunteers in the field of health care. Business and educational programs will be aimed at acquiring cross-professional skills for productive teamwork and community development in 2025.

    Leaders of educational organizations and socially oriented NPOs, together with the team of the youth council of the Moscow City Department of Health (DZM), will take part in a team session “Sonatuning” on managing and forming effective teams with the opportunity to exchange experiences and build social connections.

    In addition, forum participants will attend master classes on creating media content, public speaking, professional medical communication skills, and the implementation of lean technologies in project work.

    The exhibition area will feature various organizations that develop medical volunteering. Special attention will be paid to formats of volunteer assistance to patients, as well as issues of first aid in emergency situations.

    The program also included a strategic session of youth councils of the capital’s Department of Health, a partnership meeting for new and experienced NGOs and commercial organizations, as well as with volunteer centers of the city’s medical universities, and a round table with representatives of medical colleges on the development of volunteer work in the field of health care.

    Sobyanin: City grants help NGOs implement socially significant projectsFrom food to temporary accommodation: how Moscow NGOs help residents of border areasTheory, practice and internship: how to learn first aid in an NPO

    Tours of the history of social work in Russia

    On the second day of the forum, events will be held where everyone will be able to learn about areas of volunteer work in the field of health protection.

    From 12:00 to 13:00 there will be a tour of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care. It will be conducted by Marina Kramskaya, winner of the “Best Guide of Russia” and “Best Guide of Moscow” competitions. Participants will learn the history of one of the most popular hospitals in the country. The acquaintance will begin with a story about the hospice of Count Sheremetev, or the Sheremetev Hospital.

    From 15:00 to 16:00 and from 16:00 to 17:00, participants will be given tours of the Russian Red Cross Museum. Visitors will learn about its history, priority areas of activity, and the modern development of the movement. In addition, a visit to the organization’s training center is planned.

    Muscovites also have the opportunity to attend the excursion “Saving Lives Every Day” from 15:00 to 16:00, which will be held at the A.S. Puchkov Emergency and Urgent Medical Care Station. Doctors will show the heart of the station – a single city dispatch center, where calls are received from all over the city. Tour participants will learn about the distribution of calls to substations, and will see the work of the medical evacuation department.

    During the excursion “The Journey of Donor Blood” at the Blood Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, participants will be treated to a visual story about the journey blood takes from blood transfusion stations to the recipient.

    On the excursion “Anatomy of Modernism” at the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov, participants will study the architectural complex of its buildings, history, facts about Soviet modernism and how monumental art can inspire. Together with university staff, guests will visit the classrooms where students study.

    Master classes, board games and a project to help patients in children’s hospitals

    You can immerse yourself in practical cases close to real emergency situations in the city in the first aid simulation theater. Using special equipment to simulate real incidents, instructors will show how to act in order to provide first aid promptly and correctly. Guests themselves will become theater actors and take part in saving lives on the site of the medical simulation center of the Botkin Hospital.

    From 10:00 to 15:00, the HSE Cultural Center will host the program “Be an Example for Everyone.” People of different ages and professions will be able to try their hand at volunteer work in the field of healthcare. You can join master classes on making blankets for premature babies, tactile bags, cards and pillows for patients, “Morse Code” bracelets, and on making clay heart keychains.

    In addition, everyone will have the opportunity to communicate in an informal setting during board games and join the project to help patients of children’s hospitals “For the Little and the Brave”. To do this, you need to bring new, tagged toys, books and board games to children who are undergoing treatment in the capital’s hospitals.

    You can join the team of volunteers in the field of health protection on the website of the resource center “Mosvolonter”.

    You can find out more about volunteering on the page “VKontakte” resource center “Mosvolonter” and in the telegram channel.

    Watch of Good Deeds: How the Work of the Capital’s Humanitarian Aid Collection Headquarters is OrganizedExchange of experience and launch of new projects: a new volunteer center has opened in MoscowOnline: what courses are available to city residents on the Mosvolonter website

    Organizing volunteer activities and involving young people in city events correspond to the objectives of the national project “Education” and the federal project “Social Activity”. More information about this and other national projects implemented in the capital, you can find out here.

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

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

    http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/144426073/

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

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