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Category: United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW sets target to boost billion-dollar screen and digital games industries, supporting thousands of jobs

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Published: 16 October 2024

    Released by: Minister for the Arts

    Supporting Australian storytelling, developing the next generation of creative talent, and a plan to grow the digital games sector are the key priorities of the new three-year screen and digital games strategy.

    The NSW screen industry added almost $1.1 billion to the state economy in 2021-22 and is currently home to 51% of Australia’s screen production, and 49% of post-production businesses. To ensure NSW remains the leading screen state, the NSW Screen and Digital Games Strategy will:

    Invest in developing local talent and audiences, including:

    • $1 million pilot program to address skills shortages will be developed and rolled out with TAFE, AFTRS and NIDA to fast-track entry level and mid-career below the line practitioners in the below the line workforce.
    • $200,000 IP option fund to give producers the ability to purchase IP rights to turn home-grown novels, non-fiction work and podcasts into screen and gaming content, so we have more Australian stories on screen.
    • $200,000 Community Film Festival Opening Night Fund will support communities share the vibrancy of screen stories with audiences from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, by bringing them together to enjoy screen community film festivals.

    Role of Screen NSW

    • New film friendly legislation will be introducedto ensure a strengthened standard of working.
    • Address impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the sector: Screen NSW will convene an industry working group to help develop an Australian industry response to AI, and review funding guidelines.
    • Priority hotline: The Head of Screen NSW will be given the authority to escalate critically urgent production issues for an urgent government response.

    Supporting infrastructure

    • Addressing the critical shortage of filming infrastructure in NSW, the NSW Government will develop new partnerships with the private sector to explore alternate options for studio space, including a second studio and Callan Park.
    • Centre for Screen culture and digital innovation. Working with local government and industry partners, the NSW Government will support plans to establish a hub for creative workers across the industry.

    Focus on developing digital games industry

    The $466 billion global digital gaming industry is highlighted as an enormous opportunity. New incentives to support games production and increase NSW revenue for digital games to $406.39 million in 2027-28 include:

    • Reducing Digital Games Rebate NSW expenditure minimum from $500,000 down to $350,000. The Rebate is designed to nurture homegrown developers, attract and retain work and talent to the state, and accelerate growth in the NSW digital games sector. While many larger, established studios currently access the Rebate, the lowered threshold mean it will now be more accessible to a broader range of digital games companies in NSW, including many independent studios that currently operate in the state. 
    • Increased investment in the Digital Games Seed Development Program and Market Travel Programs. A flourishing games industry is one that includes large and small developers, an investment of$1.5 million over three years will support digital games producers to essential skills and build their industry networks and knowledge.

    Minister for the Arts John Graham said:

    “Our people, our stories, and our skills – these are the reasons why more than half of Australian screen production happens here in NSW. This strategy sets out how the government and the industry could work together to build on that.

    “While there has been a recent slowdown in global screen production, the Federal Government’s increased location offset will see Australia gain a greater share of that market. This strategy recognises the opportunities that brings, as well as the pressure that puts on NSW production facilities.

    “We have identified ways of cutting the red tape that has made NSW a ‘No’ state when it comes to attracting productions. Backed by the introduction of a NSW Screen and Digital Games Act, we aim to make NSW a ‘Yes’ state.

    “For the first time in NSW, we are putting digital gaming front and centre. This strategy sets out a ‘hothouse’ approach that backs existing high performing producers to support the ambitious target of 20% compound annual growth in the sector.”

    Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth said:

    “I am thrilled to be able to drive this strategy and provide a path forward for our sector, working towards a vibrant and sustainable future for all screen practitioners and game makers in NSW.

    “Storytelling has the power to unite and inspire, and as a state with such a rich depth of talent, we strive to be known as the place to create compelling stories. This is an exciting time for our sector as, while developing this strategy, we have taken stock of where the industry is at and looked forward to where we want to be in the next three years. This has informed our strategy and with this vital support we want to move forward with the industry and take it to new heights.

    “I am confident this strategy will provide assurance that Screen NSW are committed to supporting NSW stories and storytellers.”

    Background

    The strategy outlines four strategic priority focuses to support and sustainably grow the screen and digital games sector. These include:

    • Creating stories: We lead the way in making enriching, high calibre stories and cultural content for local and global audiences.
    • Building sustainable growth: Our businesses are globally recognised, connected and competitive. High quality, accessible spaces help them grow and create jobs that are future proofed and sustainable.
    • Improving capacity and capability: We set best practice standards to ensure workers have career pathways, are respected, safe, appropriately remunerated and supported in their career ambitions.
    • Developing audiences to increase demand: Local content finds and delights diverse audiences locally and around the world.

    New legislation: The strategy includes proposed new legislation to ensure screen friendly approaches across local councils and state government agencies.

    In 2025, the NSW Government will introduce the NSW Screen and Digital Games Act to strengthen NSW as a film-friendly jurisdiction, reduce red-tape and provide the highest level of cooperation across government with filmmakers to maximise opportunities for the sector. This will strengthen elements of the Making NSW Film Friendly Premier’s Memorandum and incorporate an updated Local Government Filming Protocol.

    Renewed Screen NSW agency: The strategy will provide Screen NSW with greater independence and will build its capacity to continue to strengthen and grow the industry. This will mean:

    • Shortening investment approval timeframes, contracting and payment terms.
    • Legislation will be introduced for the Film and Television Industry Advisory Committee to include digital games representation and renaming the board to reflect this update.
    • The Head of Screen NSW will be given the authority to escalate critically urgent production issues for an urgent government response.

    The full strategy available is here: Screen NSW – NSW Screen and Digital Games Strategy

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Well-respected and high-performing’: Local Government Association gives positive review of city council

    Source: City of Winchester

    A recent peer review of Winchester City Council by the Local Government Association found the local authority to be a well-respected and high-performing organisation with a record of strong service delivery.

    All councils across the country are encouraged to take part in a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) to provide robust and credible challenge to support councils.

    In July this year, the city council invited a peer team to provide external feedback on how it was performing and how it could improve. For two and a half days the peer team, made up of councillors and officers from other councils, spent time with the city council taking a deep dive into how it’s run.

    The review examined five key areas, including the council’s local priorities and outcomes, its governance and culture, and its financial planning and management, with the peer team conducting a review of evidence that included analysing data, interviewing staff and councillors and speaking to key partners.

    In its feedback report, the CPC stated that the city council was a “well-respected and high-performing council, delivering for residents and partners”. The report continued: “The peer team heard positive feedback regarding the council’s performance and was satisfied that the city council is well-managed and benefits from a Leader and Chief Executive who are respected by staff, members and external stakeholders”.

    The report also highlighted a number of other areas of positive action from the city council, including its prudent financial management, the work it is doing to address climate change and its efforts to consult and engage with residents on important decisions.

    Speaking about the review, City Council Leader Cllr Martin Tod said:

    “It’s been very helpful to have people from other Councils and from the Local Government Association come in and review what we’re doing. It’s a really positive and helpful process and a very encouraging report. We are always looking for ways to improve how we serve our area’s residents and communities, so the recommendations are welcome. We’ll be acting on them and look forward to welcoming the team back next year to review our progress”.

    Nine recommendations were included in the report to help the council address future challenges, realise efficiencies and improve services, each of which have been addressed in a high-level action plan subsequently produced by the city council.

    The full feedback report, and Winchester City Council’s action plan, can be read on our website: https://www.winchester.gov.uk/about/corporate-peer-challenge

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary statement on aid to Gaza

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Foreign Secretary has issued statement on the US letter relating to humanitarian aid entering into Gaza.

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

    The humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza is dire, with access to basic services worsening and the UN reporting that barely any food has entered in the last two weeks.

    Israel must ensure civilians are protected and ensure routes are open to allow life-saving aid through. Along with our French and Algerian counterparts, we have called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council today to address this.

    While the conflict continues, all parties are bound by international humanitarian law. Reflecting our concerns – the UK made the difficult decision last month to suspend export licences to Israel that could be used in military operations in Gaza. This does not change our steadfast support for Israel’s security.

    Along with our international partners, we continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, to allow more humanitarian aid to get in and get the remaining hostages out.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago: Jon Dean

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Jon Dean has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in succession to Harriet Cross.

    Mr Jon Dean

    Mr Jon Dean has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in succession to Ms Harriet Cross, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.

    Mr Dean will take up his appointment during December 2024.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Jon Mark Dean

    2022 to 2024 N’Djamena, His Majesty’s Ambassador
    2020 to 2022 New York, Counsellor Internal
    2018 to 2020 United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Secondment, New York
    2015 to 2018 FCO, Head of Iraq Team, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
    2013 to 2015  Juba, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul
    2013 Yaoundé, Deputy High Commissioner and Consul (3 months)
    2012 New York, UK Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Second Secretary Political (3 months)
    2009 to 2012 Brasília, Second Secretary Political
    2007 to 2008 FCO, Desk Officer, Kosovo
    2005 to 2007 FCO, Desk Officer, EU Environment Policy
    2005 Joined FCO

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PRESS RELEASE – LAUNCH OF NEW BOOK ON SAMOAN WOMEN AND RELIGION at NUS

    Source: Government of Western Samoa

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    Apia, Samoa – Wednesday 9th October 2024

    The National University of Samoa invites the public to a Special Seminar presentation by Dr. Maureen Sier, Director of Interfaith Scotland (https://interfaithscotland.org) on Thursday 10th October at 12pm in the CSS Seminar Room (Niule’a Building).

    Dr. Sier is a graduate of Aberdeen University where she earned First-Class Honors in Cultural History and a PHD in Theology. While undertaking her doctoral research in Samoa, she taught Sociology at the National University of Samoa’s Faculty of Arts. It was during her time in Samoa that she developed her love of community engagement and interfaith dialogue.

    Dr. Sier’s doctoral research explored women’s lives in Samoa through the complex interplay of religion, history and culture. During 4 years in Samoa (1997-2001) the research question was asked: ‘What is it about religion in Samoa that empowers women and what constrains them?” The initial answers to this question open doors to rich, engaging, challenging and enlightening lives. They also demonstrate Samoan women’s resilience the way of life.

    As part of the Seminar. Dr. Sier will also launch her published thesis, “Women and Religion in Samoa: Empowerment and Constraint”. Copies will be available for purchase directly from the Author. Dr. Sier is in Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia later this month and will facilitate two interfaith services during the event.

    END

    SOURCE – The National University of Samoa

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Salford to benefit from £1.6m of brownfield land funding

    Source: City of Salford

    Salford City Council has been awarded £1,615,000 of Brownfield Land Release Fund money to help transform Swinton.
     
    The money will be spent on demolishing the former site at St Ambrose Barlow High School in Swinton and the fund will also allow for enabling works, land remediation and ground works. 
     
    Councillor Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration at Salford City Council said: “The award of the money after our bid is great news for Swinton.
     
    “Council officers are now working to secure a demolition contract, which needs to be in place by the end of March 2025 to meet the funding requirements.”
     
    The project has been funded by HM Government through the Brownfield Land Release Fund.
     
    The One Public Estate programme is a partnership between the Office of Government Property in the Cabinet Office, the Local Government Association and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It provides practical and technical support and funding for public sector partners to deliver ambitious property-led programmes in collaboration.
     
    Read more about a vision for Swinton’s future.

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    Date published
    Wednesday 16 October 2024

    Press and media enquiries

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pobol y Cwm: BBC’s longest running TV soap celebrates 50 years on air

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jamie Medhurst, Professor of Film and Media, Aberystwyth University

    “We had a special kind of audience in mind: the Welsh who have never read Barn or Y Faner (two popular Welsh-language publications written in a scholarly tone) but live their lives every day in the natural sound of the Welsh language.” That’s how dramatist Gwenlyn Parry described the target audience of the new BBC Wales soap opera, Pobol y Cwm, which was broadcast for the first time 50 years ago ago, on October 16 1974.

    Pobol y Cwm – which means “people of the valley” – is set in the fictional village of Cwmderi, in the Gwendraeth valley, south-west Wales. It was originally filmed at Broadway Studios in Cardiff, then on a purpose-built lot at BBC Broadcasting House, also in the Welsh capital. But since 2011, the programme has been mainly filmed at the BBC’s drama studios at Roath Lock in Cardiff Bay.

    BBC Wales’ television service had been in existence for ten years by the time the series was broadcast. Television producer John Hefin felt there was a need for a long drama series in Welsh, which would meet the needs of audiences in the same way as Coronation Street had been doing on ITV since 1960.

    Hefin and Parry’s vision was evident. In planning meetings for the series, it was noted that “the main aim of the series is pure entertainment and from a mathematical analysis it will require 70% easy, humorous lightness, and 30% personal and social problems”.

    Other guidelines for the series were clear from the start – no preaching about the state of the Welsh language, the evils of drugs, the dangers of sex, or theological dogma. The main aim was to “develop a story line full of seemingly insignificant events but conveying a believable whole of Welsh village life”.

    The Welsh language soap first began on BBC One Wales in October 1974 before moving to S4C in 1982, where it continues to this day.

    Soap history

    Soap operas can be traced back to the early days of US radio, when drama series were sponsored by washing powder manufacturers, hence the word “soap”. The BBC launched drama series, or soap operas, on the radio after the end of the second world war. Examples include Mrs Dale’s Diary in 1948 and, of course, The Archers in 1951.

    But audiences had to wait until 1954 until the first soap opera was launched on the BBC’s television service, The Grove Family. But the life of this series was short-lived, ending in 1957.

    In December 1960, ITV Granada launched Coronation Street, a series about everyday street life in the Manchester area. It soon became extremely popular among viewers across Britain. The appeal of the series was in its simplicity. It focused on the normal lives of working class people. The plot was derived from the setting and personalities, especially the strong female characters.

    Tony Warren was the man who sold the idea of Coronation Street to the Granada company. He realised, at the end of the 1950s, that the way of life in that part of England was changing. Warren wanted to capture and preserve traditional spirit and show it to the rest of the country.

    I wonder, then, when proposing an idea for a soap opera to the BBC at the beginning of the 1970s, whether Hefin and Parry had the same feeling. The Wales of the time was changing, after all. The 1971 census showed that the Welsh language was under siege.

    It was felt by many within the BBC that a series reflecting old Welsh values was needed. And yet it also needed to be contemporary, with an element of realism. This is the trick for successful soap opera producers – the series must be “real” enough so that people can believe in the characters, and can identify with them in times of joy and sadness.

    Pobol y Cwm was a success from the outset, and that continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s. When musician John Lennon died in December 1980, a film about the Beatles was broadcast on BBC Wales as a tribute instead of Pobol y Cwm. It resulted in hundreds of loyal soap opera viewers flooding the switchboard of Broadcasting House in Cardiff with complaints.

    The BBC also received complaints that there were too many scenes taking place in the pub because this was not a “Welsh” thing to do. And yet, according to Parry, there were no complaints when a scene was shown with one of the main characters, Reg Harries, having an affair with the schoolmaster’s wife in the early 1980s.

    Famous faces

    Pobol y Cwm has nurtured the talent of several actors who have become more widely known. Among them Ioan Gruffudd, Iwan Rheon and Alexandra Roach. And several other celebrities have made cameo appearances in the series over the years, including actor Michael Sheen, presenter Michael Aspel and wrestler Giant Haystacks.

    In an article in the Welsh newspaper Y Cymro in 1975, Parry said: “The aim was to produce stuff that a natural Welsh person would watch, not because it was in Welsh, but because it was entertaining. The kind of stuff that will be needed to draw viewers to the fourth channel when it comes.”

    Still produced by BBC Wales, the series moved to Wales’ new fourth channel, S4C, in 1982 and the viewers followed. It remains among the channel’s most popular programmes.


    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Jamie Medhurst has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the British Academy, and the Leverhulme Trust.

    – ref. Pobol y Cwm: BBC’s longest running TV soap celebrates 50 years on air – https://theconversation.com/pobol-y-cwm-bbcs-longest-running-tv-soap-celebrates-50-years-on-air-241390

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: High-potency cannabis use leaves a distinct mark on DNA – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marta Di Forti, Clinician Scientist MRC Research Fellow, King’s College London

    People who use cannabis with THC of 10% or more are five times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder compared to those who don’t use the drug. Canna Obscura/ Shutterstock

    Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Yet there’s still much we don’t know about it and what effects it has on the brain – including why cannabis triggers psychosis in some people who use the drug. But our recent study has just brought us closer to understanding the biological impact of high-potency cannabis use.

    Published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, our study demonstrates that high-potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA. We also found that these DNA changes were different in people experiencing their first episode of psychosis compared to users who’d never experienced psychosis. This suggests looking at how cannabis use modifies DNA could help identify those most at risk of developing psychosis.

    The amount of THC (Delta-9_tetrahydrocannabinol), the main ingredient in cannabis that makes people feel “high”, has been steadily increasing since the 1990s in the UK and US. In Colorado, where the drug is legal, it’s possible to buy cannabis with 90% THC. While THC is one of over 144 other chemicals found in the cannabis plant, it’s the primary compound used to estimate the potency of cannabis.

    Many studies have shown that the greater the THC concentration, the stronger the effects on the user. For example, research has found that people who use high-potency cannabis (with THC of 10% or more) daily are five times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder compared to people who have never used cannabis.

    Psychotic disorders associated with daily use of high-potency cannabis often manifest through a range of symptoms. These can include auditory hallucinations (hearing voices that others cannot hear), delusions of persecution (feeling the target of a conspiracy without evidence) and paranoia (perceiving the environment as hostile and interpreting interactions suspiciously). These are all very distressing and disabling experiences.



    Read more:
    Cannabis: how it affects our cognition and psychology – new research

    Our study aimed the explore the mark that current cannabis use leaves on the DNA. We also wanted to understand if this mark is specific to high-potency cannabis use – and if this might help to identify those users at greater risk of experiencing psychosis.

    To do this, we examined the effects of cannabis use on an molecular process called DNA methylation. DNA methylation is a chemical process that regulates gene activity by turning genes on or off and controlling how genes are expressed without changing the structure of the DNA itself. DNA methylation is just one of the many mechanisms that regulate gene activity and are part of an important biological process known as epigenetics. Epigenetics underpin the interplay between our environment, the lifestyle choices we make (such as using cannabis or exercising) and our physical and mental health.

    While previous studies have investigated the impact of lifetime cannabis use on DNA methylation, they haven’t explored what effect regular use of different cannabis potencies has on this process. Nor have they explored how this affects with people who have psychosis.

    Our study combined data from two large first case-control studies: the Genetic and Psychosis study, which was conducted in south London, and the EU-GEI study, which included participants from England, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Brazil. Both of these studies collected data on people experiencing their first episode of psychosis and participants who had no health problems and represented the local population.

    High-potency cannabis use alters DNA methylation in genes related to energy and immune system functions.
    Oleksandrum/ Shutterstock

    In total, we looked at 239 people who were experiencing their first episode of psychosis and 443 healthy volunteers. Around 65% of participants were male. Participants ranged in age 16-72. All participants provided information on their cannabis use, as well as DNA samples from their blood.

    Around 38% of participants were using cannabis more than once a week. Of those who had used cannabis, the majority had been using high-potency cannabis more than once a week – and had started when they were around 16 years old.

    Analyses of DNA methylation were then performed across multiple parts of the whole genome. The analysis took into account the potential impact of several biological and environmental confounders that may have affected the results – such as age, gender, ethnicity, tobacco smoking and the cellular makeup of each blood sample.

    DNA signature

    Our findings revealed that using high-potency cannabis alters DNA methylation – particularly in genes related to energy and immune system functions. This was true for participants who had used high-potency cannabis. However, people who had experienced psychosis had a different signature of alteration in their DNA.

    These epigenetic changes show how external factors (like drug use) can alter how genes work. Very importantly, these changes were not explained by tobacco – which is usually mixed into joints by many cannabis users, and is known to alter DNA methylation.

    This finding also highlights epigenetic changes as a potential link between high-potency cannabis and psychosis. DNA methylation, which bridges the gap between genetics and environmental factors, is a key mechanism that allows external influences (such as substance use) to impact gene activity. By studying epigenetic changes, researchers may be able to develop a greater understanding on how cannabis use – particularly high-potency types – can influence specific biological pathways. This may in turn help us understand why some cannabis users are at increased risk of psychosis.

    We hope that our findings will help scientists to better understand how cannabis use can affect the body’s biology. Future research should now investigate whether the DNA methylation patterns associated with cannabis use can serve as biomarkers to identify users at higher risk of developing psychosis. This could lead to more targeted prevention strategies and inform safer cannabis use practices.

    Emma Dempster receives funding from MRC, NIHR, ARUK.

    Marta Di Forti 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. High-potency cannabis use leaves a distinct mark on DNA – new research – https://theconversation.com/high-potency-cannabis-use-leaves-a-distinct-mark-on-dna-new-research-241384

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fisheries Management Plan measures move forward

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Vulnerable fisheries stocks will receive additional protection with the implementation of new legislation.

    New legislation implementing a range of short-term management measures for certain species of fish was introduced to Parliament today (16 October). These new arrangements have been identified within the first Fisheries Management Plans (FMP) as priority to help provide additional protection to vulnerable stocks.

    The measures, which are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, are expected to come into force on 16 December 2024, include:

    • The introduction of minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) for lemon sole (250mm), turbot (300mm), and brill (300mm) in the English waters of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) designated areas 7d and 7e (the Channel Sea).
    • An increase to the existing MCRS for crawfish in all English waters to 110mm to protect the juveniles of these stocks from being landed before they have matured and had chance to reproduce.
    • A requirement that all flyseining (fishing with an encircling and towed net, operated from a boat by means of two long ropes (seine ropes) designed to herd the fish towards the opening of the net) vessels use a 100mm mesh as standard in the English waters of ICES divisions 7d and 7e so that smaller, juvenile fish can escape from the nets and have chance to reproduce.
    • A restriction of the engine power of vessels using flyseining gear in the English territorial waters of these areas 7d and 7e to help manage fishing pressures on demersal NQS in inshore fishing grounds (the more powerful an engine, the bigger the boat and ability to fish in adverse weather). 
    • Removal of the UK-EU annually negotiated catch limits for commercially caught bass from secondary legislation so that they can be updated through fishing licence conditions. Licence conditions are generally quick to introduce and would allow the commercial bass catch limits to be updated promptly following international negotiations, so they are in line with evolving evidence.

    Any changes to fishing gear and/or fishing practices to comply with these new measures will need to be made by 16 December 2024.

    You can find out more about the measures, and other developments relating to fisheries management plans, on Defra’s dedicated blog: Fisheries Management Plans – News and updates from Defra’s FMP programme (blog.gov.uk)

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Eplontersen approved to treat adults with rare inherited nerve disease or polyneuropathy

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved eplontersen (Wainzua) to treat adults with polyneuropathy associated with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv), which is a rare progressive condition that runs in families caused by a protein called transthyretin (TTR).

    In people with this disease, small fibres of TTR protein clump together to make deposits called ‘amyloid’. Amyloid can build up around or within the nerves, heart and other organs, stopping them from working properly.

    Eplontersen is specifically indicated for use when the disease is causing polyneuropathy, which is damage to multiple nerves outside of the brain and central nervous system, resulting in pain, discomfort, progressive weakness and loss of sensation in the legs and arms, and mobility difficulties.

    Eplontersen works mainly by lowering the amount of TTR protein made by the liver. As a result, there is less TTR protein in the blood to form amyloid deposits. That can help reduce the effects of the disease.

    The recommended dose of eplontersen is one 45mg dose every month, administered as an injection under the skin using a pre-filled pen. Treatment with eplontersen lowers the amount of vitamin A in the blood and patients will need to take vitamin A supplements during treatment.

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

    Enabling safe access to high quality, safe and effective medicines is a key priority for us.

    We’re assured that the appropriate regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for the approval of this new formulation have been met.

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

    The MHRA’s approval of the medicine is supported by evidence from a NEURO-TTRansform study. In this trial 168 adult patients with hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis received a subcutaneous injection of eplontersen 45 mg every 4 weeks compared to an historical placebo arm from the older NEURO-TTR study completed in 2017 as well as patients who received another medicine called inotersen 284 mg weekly.

    The study looked at levels of TTR in the blood of patients to measure the levels of this protein that contributes to the disease. It also used questionnaires to rate the changes that patients reported in the symptoms of their nerve damage. This study tracked these changes from the start of the trial (baseline) to 35 and 66 weeks after the patients had received eplontersen.

    Patients in the trial receiving eplontersen experienced greater reductions in TTR levels and less worsening of the disease from baseline compared to the placebo group.

    A full list of all side effects reported with this medicine is available in the patient information leaflet or from the product information published on the MHRA website. 

    If a patient experiences any side effects, they should talk to their doctor, pharmacist, or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the product information leaflets.

    Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from this medicine is encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors  

    • The new marketing authorisation was granted for eplontersen (Wainzua) on 14 October to AstraZeneca via National Procedure.
    • More information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information leaflets which will be published on the MHRA Products website within 7 days of approval.
    • The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
    • For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Prison education is vital – but it is neglected and failing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Glazzard, Rosalind Hollis Professor of Education for Social Justice, University of Hull

    Dontree_M/Shutterstock

    The quality of education in young offender institutions (YOIs) in England has seriously declined, according to a recent report from Ofsted and the prisons inspectorate.

    The report into these institutions, whose offenders are aged 15 to 18, referred to “steadily declining educational opportunities”. Among the failings listed were a lack of time allocated to education, lack of proper staff training, staff shortages and poor behaviour of learners.

    It claimed that the curriculum is narrow, fragmented, and poorly resourced due to lack of investment in technology. Prison leaders do not accurately pinpoint what students need to learn, while learners with special educational needs and disabilities do not always get the support that they need. According to data from 2022, only 8.6% of young people who received custodial sentences passed five GCSEs, compared to 58.3% of those without convictions.

    Indeed, there are similar issues across the prison system. The quality of education in too many prisons is not good enough. Research suggests prisoners are often disengaged in classes and education lacks challenge and purpose.

    This is especially disheartening when research also shows that participation in education within prisons can improve learners’ self-esteem and reduce prison violence, as well as increasing the chances of getting a job once offenders are released.

    Teaching reading

    Many adults in prison, as well as children in YOIs, struggle to read. English education inspectorate Ofsted and its prisons counterpart have published two reviews on the teaching of reading in prisons. The first report, published in 2022, highlighted that many teaching staff did not know how to teach reading.

    Inspectors found that reading teachers did not have suitable resources. There was not enough time for learners to practise reading, and weak assessment resulted in teachers not fully understanding why some learners were struggling to learn to read. Some prisons were over-relying on reading skills being taught by peer mentors, who are only supposed to support learners individually or in small groups.

    The second report, from 2023, highlighted that although some progress had been made a year later, it was too slow. Inspectors found that teachers still did not know how to improve reading skills. They also found that teachers did not monitor students’ progress, and interventions to support reading, particularly for non-English speakers, were not adequate.

    Special educational needs

    Too many pupils with special educational needs are excluded from schools and data shows that exclusion rates are higher for this group compared to those who do not have special educational needs. Many young people who are excluded from schools end up in prison, resulting in a high proportion of prisoners who have some form of learning difficulty or disability.

    According to a House of Commons report from 2022, over 30% of prisoners have a learning difficulty or experience learning challenges.

    In 2016 the Coates review of prison education made several recommendations to improve the quality of education in prisons. These included a focus on special educational needs – improving the assessment of educational needs on entry and more rigorous screening for prisoners with learning difficulties or disabilities.

    The review recommended that all prisoners should have a personal learning plan. Also, better quality teachers were needed and prisons needed to find ways of improving attendance in education classes

    Coates recommended that learners with special educational needs and disabilities needed better quality support and that prisoners needed to be able to continue their courses when they moved prisons. Unfortunately, evidence shows that in many prisons these recommendations have not been addressed.

    Making changes

    Another problem is that the growing prison population has led to overcrowding, resulting in poor conditions which make studying difficult.

    Work with prisoners by charities such as the Prison Reform Trust and the Prisoners’ Education Trust highlights some important recommendations which will improve the quality of education in prisons. These include widening the curriculum in prisons so that prisoners can select options from a wider range of courses.

    One recommendation is to provide better incentives to prisoners to encourage them to study. This could be done by paying them the same weekly “wage” as prisoners who choose work-related activities. Increasing the number of learning mentors will help ensure that prisoners get the support they need.

    Finally, introducing flexible education timetables would mean that education classes can also run in the evenings as well as during the day. This will mean that more prisoners can take part in education classes, because more classes can be timetabled across the day. Prisoners who work during the day will be able to take part in education in the evenings.

    According to the Prison Education Trust digital technology “remains the essential ingredient that would revolutionise prison education”. And prisoners need to be supported and encouraged if they are going to achieve their full educational potential.

    Jonathan Glazzard 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. Prison education is vital – but it is neglected and failing – https://theconversation.com/prison-education-is-vital-but-it-is-neglected-and-failing-240482

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Autocratic nations are reaching across borders to silence critics – and so far nothing seems to stop them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Francesca Lessa, Associate Professor in International Relations of the Americas, UCL

    Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati survived an assassination attempt outside his home in Wimbledon, south London, in late March 2024. Eighteen months earlier, the London-based independent television channel Iran International, for which Zeraati worked, had temporarily relocated to Washington DC over threats that they believe come from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

    Both incidents are examples of how it seems that a government can target an individual or organisation based outside their borders, with terrifying results.

    According to the latest research from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenberg, 71% of the world’s population lived in autocracies in 2023 – ten years ago it was 48%. But what’s also new is that autocracies – as well as some other nations – are increasingly reaching across their borders to target people living abroad, enforcing the idea that they can reach their critics wherever they live.

    This kind of state action, taken outside national borders, is known as transnational repression, and is becoming more widespread. The Chinese government is seen as the biggest perpetrator, sometimes using violence to close down criticism or protests against its regime, held in other countries.

    Countries reaching across borders

    More than 20% of the world’s governments are believed to have taken this kind of action outside their borders in the past ten years. These included assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions and unlawful deportations, according to the NGO Freedom House. These are aimed at forcibly silencing exiled political activists, journalists, former regime insiders and members of ethnic or religious minorities.
    In 2023, 125 such incidents were committed by 25 countries.

    While the majority of countries committing such practices tend to be autocracies, a number of democracies have also taken action across borders, including Israel, Hungary, India and Turkey, according to the report. In 2023, six countries engaged in these practices for the first time, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador and Yemen.



    Read more:
    Why the growing number of foreign agent laws around the world is bad for democracy

    Freedom House recorded 1,034 physical attacks between 2014 and 2023, committed by 44 governments in 100 target countries. China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Russia and Egypt are the most prolific perpetrators, with China accounting for a quarter of all incidents.

    This type of terror tactic can take many forms. Freedom House has noted that governments increasingly cooperated to help target exiled dissidents. In 74% of the incidents of transnational repression that took place in 2021, both the origin and the host countries were rated “not free” by Freedom House.

    Awareness of this type of cross-border action is growing. Both human rights groups and academics are now systematically tracking attacks. And several governments, including the US and Australia, have committed to taking action to combat these practices. A bill was introduced in the US Senate in 2023 to specifically tackle transnational repression by foreign governments in the US and abroad.

    I studied the increasing levels of cooperation in transnational repression by different nations in a recent article published in International Studies Quarterly. We look at why states, which are normally reluctant to collaborate, do so when it comes to silencing dissidents abroad.



    Read more:
    Continuing crackdown on churches and NGOs moves Nicaragua further from democracy to authoritarianism

    Historical lessons?

    There are historical parallels between what happened during Operation Condor in South America and what’s happening today. Operation Condor was a system that Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay started using in late 1975 with the backing of the US. It was aimed at persecuting exiles. Operation Condor was the most sophisticated, institutionalised and coordinated scheme ever established to persecute citizens who had been forced to flee their homeland.

    Journalist Pouria Zeraati was attacked.

    Three factors were found to explain why this form of repression was able to be used at the time and why countries agreed to cooperate.

    First, politically active exiled dissidents constituted a threat to the reputation and survival of South America’s ruling juntas. They successfully named and shamed the region’s military regimes, discrediting their international public images given the human rights violations perpetrated and resulting in the US cutting funding to Uruguay in 1976 and Argentina in 1977.

    Second, these autocracies, which came to power between 1964 and 1976, drew inspiration from the US National Security Doctrine and the French School of Counterinsurgency. In both, security was considered more important than human rights.

    The history of Operation Condor.

    Finally, two countries catalysed efforts to cooperate in this kind of action. Chile pushed for the formal creation of Operation Condor in 1975. Argentina then expanded it to include Brazil, Peru and Ecuador between 1976 and 1978. This significantly widened Operation Condor’s scope for action to most of South America.

    Why Operation Condor is relevant?

    Operation Condor was the only regional organisation to be created to hunt down political opponents across borders. Lessons from this historical experience are relevant today.

    Cooperation in transnational repression in the last few years also occurs in regional clusters, as shown by research by academics and human rights groups. These groups of nations include, for instance, Belarus, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

    In recent years these south-east Asian countries have closely collaborated to persecute, arbitrarily arrest and forcibly repatriate exiled activists and refugees, according to the media, the UN and international human rights NGOs.

    Second, one or more countries, predominantly Russia and Turkey, have worked together on efforts to repress critics over a significant period.

    Third, some regional organisations, of authoritarian nature, often enable cooperation in transnational repression, or at least create unsafe environments for migrating dissidents.

    The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Gulf Cooperation Council are examples, since they “have expanded their collective efforts against exiles”, according to some sources. SCO member states, especially Russia, China and Uzbekistan, have repeatedly used the organisation to pursue political opponents abroad and persecute them as criminals. This shows the organisation’s role as a platform for the diffusion and consolidation of authoritarian principles.

    Countries engaging in this kind of political repression today often wish to silence dissent wherever it occurs.

    These countries are acting in complete disregard of established principles of international law and international relations, such as sovereignty and the protection of refugees, and seem to be expanding their operations. It remains to be seen if there’s anything that the rest of the international community can do to reverse this terrifying trend, but at least it has started trying.

    Francesca Lessa’s projects “Operation Condor” and “Plancondor.org” received funding from the University of Oxford John Fell Fund, The British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, the University of Oxford ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, the European Commission under Horizon 2020, the Open Society Foundations, and UCL Public Policy through Research England’s QR-PSF funding. Lessa is also the Honorary President of the Observatorio Luz Ibarburu, a network of human rights NGOs in Uruguay.

    – ref. Autocratic nations are reaching across borders to silence critics – and so far nothing seems to stop them – https://theconversation.com/autocratic-nations-are-reaching-across-borders-to-silence-critics-and-so-far-nothing-seems-to-stop-them-233037

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: In despair about Earth’s future? Look for green shoots

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heather Alberro, Lecturer in Sustainability, University of Manchester

    A white stork nesting in the city. Dr.MYM/Shutterstock

    As species go extinct and a habitable climate teeters, it’s understandable to feel despair.

    Some of the world’s top climate scientists have expressed their mounting hopelessness at the prospect of reaching 3°C by 2100. This hellish scenario, well in excess of the 1.5°C countries agreed to aim for when they signed the 2015 Paris agreement, would indeed spell disaster for much of life on Earth.

    As a lecturer in sustainability, I often hear my anxious students bemoan the impossibility of building a way out of ecological collapse. However, the greatest danger is fatalism, and assuming, as Margaret Thatcher claimed, that “there is no alternative”.

    There is a vast ocean of possibility for transforming the planet. Increasingly, cities are in the vanguard of forging more sustainable worlds.

    Car-free futures

    Since the early 1900s, the car has afforded a sense of freedom for some while infringing on the freedoms of others.

    Cars, particularly SUVs, are a major source of air pollution and CO₂ emissions globally. Motorways and car parking spaces have transformed Earth’s terrain and monopolised public space. For those of us in industrialised societies, it is difficult to imagine life without cars.

    Global sales of electric vehicles are projected to continue rising. Yet even these supposed solutions to an unsustainable transport sector require a lot of space and materials to make and maintain.

    With cities set to host nearly 70% of all people by 2050, space and livability are key concerns. As such, cities across Europe and beyond are beginning to reclaim their streets.

    Between 2019 and 2022, the number of low-emissions zones, areas that regulate the most polluting vehicles in order to improve air quality and help to protect public health, expanded by 40% in European cities. Research suggests that policies to restrict car use such as congestion charges and raised parking fees can further discourage their use. However, providing viable and accessible alternatives is also crucial: as such, many cities are also widening walkways, building bike lanes and making public transport cheaper and easier to access.

    An estimated 80,000 cars used to pass daily through the centre of Pontevedra, a city in north-west Spain. Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernandez Lores instituted a ban on cars in 1999 and removed on-street parking spaces. The city has since drastically reduced air pollution and hasn’t had a vehicular death in over a decade.

    Civic life in Pontevedra has benefited from the absence of cars.
    Trabantos/Shutterstock

    Living cities

    Cement and concrete are widely used to make major infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings and dams. The cement industry accounts for up to 9% of global emissions. Moreover, the open-pit quarrying of limestone, a key ingredient in cement, involves removing topsoil and vegetation which rips up ecosystems and biodiversity and increases flooding risks.

    A burgeoning “depaving” movement originated in Portland, Oregon in 2008 and has removed concrete and asphalt from cities including Chicago, London and several cities across Canada, replacing it with plants and soil.

    Depaving is an example of the wider urban rewilding movement which aims to restore natural habitats and expand green spaces in cities for social and ecological wellbeing.

    Multispecies coexistence

    A new report by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has documented an average 73% decline in the abundance of monitored wildlife populations globally since 1970. Despite such unfathomable losses, many cities are being transformed into oases of multispecies life.

    Prized for their fur, beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK by the 16th century. Their water damming activities create homes for other species such as birds and invertebrates and help prevent flooding. Eurasian beavers have been thriving in Sweden, Norway and Germany since their reintroduction in the 1920s and 1960s, respectively.

    In 2022, beavers were designated a protected species in England. In October 2023, London saw its first baby beaver in over 400 years.

    Melbourne has launched a project to create a 18,000 square-metre garden in the city by 2028, with at least 20 local plant species for each square metre. An 8-kilometre long pollinator corridor is also being created to allow wildlife to travel between 200 interconnected gardens and further help local pollinators flourish.

    Living alongside larger predators brings unique challenges. However, as with any functional relationship, respect is key for coexistence. Los Angeles and Mumbai are two major cities that are learning to live alongside mountain lions and leopards. Local officials have launched public education initiatives urging people to, for instance, maintain a safe distance from the animals and not walk alone outside at night. In cases where wildlife conflicts occur, such as between wolves and farmers who have lost livestock, non-lethal methods such as wolf-proof fences and guard dogs have been found to be more effective solutions than culls.

    India’s leopard population appears to be rising.
    Nedla/Shutterstock

    Environmental justice now

    Cities, particularly in wealthy countries, are only a small part of the story.

    At just over 500 years old, the modern capitalist system, imposed globally through European colonialism, is a relatively recent development. Despite its influence, the visionary author Ursula K. Le Guin reminded us that “any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings”.

    Indigenous peoples numbering 476 million across 90 countries represent thousands of distinct cultures that persist as living proof of the enduring possibilities of radically different ways of living.

    An online database tracks 4,189 environmental justice movements worldwide. From multi-tribe Indigenous Amazonian alliances keeping illegal miners at bay, to countless local communities and activist groups resisting the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure. Over the last few years, these place-based struggles have either stopped, stalled or forced the suspension of at least one-quarter of planned extractive projects.

    These examples demonstrate hope in action, and suggest that the radical changes required to avert climate and ecological breakdown are often a simple question of will and collective resolve.

    Reality, like the future, is never fixed. Whether the world is 2, 3 or 4-degrees warmer by 2100 depends on actions taken today. The terrain ahead will be full of challenges. But, glimmers of a better world are already here.


    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get our award-winning weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Heather Alberro 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. In despair about Earth’s future? Look for green shoots – https://theconversation.com/in-despair-about-earths-future-look-for-green-shoots-232114

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Threads: the harrowing 1984 BBC docudrama is back on our screens – scary but appropriate viewing for our uncertain times

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Lacy, Senior lecturer, Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, Lancaster University

    The BBC docudrama Threads shocked audiences in 1984. BBC

    Threads – the horrific film made by the BBC in 1984 depicting the impact of a nuclear war on a city in the north of England – was recently made available to stream. It’s a brutal and grim tour of the aftermath of nuclear war, which anyone who viewed it when originally aired may struggle to watch again. But, 40 years on, the film is probably regarded more as an unpleasant artefact from a more dangerous time.

    These days we consume many types of apocalyptic entertainment in film and video games, exploring all types of societal collapse: ecological disaster, manufactured pandemics, alien invasions, cyber-attacks and dangerous AI. But Threads is particularly chilling in its attempt to give a realistic account of what could happen if cold war tensions escalated. I remember watching it as a teenager in a lesson at school and once was enough for me.

    But in the winter of 2024, it is difficult to escape the regular warnings about the escalating tensions around the world. There are widespread fears that a catastrophic series of diplomatic breakdowns and strategic miscalculations could result in a 2024 version of the events depicted in the 1984 film.

    Since the end of the cold war, much of international conflict has played out below the threshold of open war, in the realms of cyberwarfare, espionage and subversion. Or in other attempts at economic and political tactics intended to influence and manipulate. But there is clearly something very alarming about the situation since the invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of events in the Middle East since October 7.

    What makes the current situation so alarming is the sense that “great powers” or states with nuclear weapons could be pulled into conflicts that might quickly escalate beyond any diplomatic or political control. It’s hoped that leaders on all sides are determined to deter or contain conflict. But wars are shaped by accidents, miscalculations and errors of strategic judgement.

    Would Vladimir Putin have sent his troops into Ukraine if he could see how the Ukrainians and the international community would react? Now he has turned to making regular threats about Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

    So, there is a sense of unease about the current possibility of events getting out of control – of events escalating from brutal and horrific local or regional conflicts into a full blown global conflict. To be sure, there will (hopefully) be a continual diplomatic effort focused in ensuring that events in Ukraine or the Middle East do not escalate to the point where there the world is drawn into a wider war involving weapons of mass destruction.

    Rational v irrational actors

    But one of the concerns is that the situation in the 2020s is markedly difficult to geopolitical tensions during the cold war. The influential “realists” of international relations – academics like John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt – argued that one of the reasons that the US should not invade Iraq was that Saddam Hussein was a “rational actor” whose behaviour could be contained and controlled. Iraq could be controlled through what they saw as “vigilant surveillance” and containment.

    But the fear in 2024 is that the world isn’t populated by rational actors as it was during the cold war, with its doctrine of mutually assured destruction.

    Putin is viewed as a leader increasingly detached from reality – surrounded by advisers too afraid to give him advice that he might not want to hear. In strategic terms, the fear he is that he might escalate to de-escalate. He might attempt a nuclear strike to deter events escalating further – an horrific warning signal that will end any attempts to challenge him.

    Some would question whether Iran may be led by men who are also detached from reality and might actually be looking for an apocalyptic showdown with Israel and the west. This depiction of irrational leaders might be more a reflection of our panic and paranoia than a credible assessment of leadership in these states. And of course, some would argue that the liberal world has its fair share of irrational actors.

    An interconnected world

    So, are we in a time or dangerous irrational actors where deterrence will not prevent a potentially apocalyptic escalation in global events? Security analysts and policymakers often refer to what is known as “deterrence by entanglement”. There are various types of deterrence but one of the geopolitical differences between now and the cold war is the level of interconnection between states that might have diplomatic, economic and political tensions.

    How many Chinese students study in UK universities? How much property in London is owned by Russian citizens? Societies are entangled to such a degree that a launching a nuclear strike on London would not only destroy investments, it might also kill your own citizens. Then there is the question of geographical location and nuclear strikes: would you risk the ecological blowback from nuclear strikes in a way that might endanger your territory, ecology and citizens – for generations?

    Leaders make mistakes and situations escalate in dangerous and unpredictable ways. But one of the lessons of international relations – going back to the works of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli – is that deception is a vital part of statecraft and warfare. And the “performance” of statecraft often requires cultivating an image of irrationality as a form of rational statecraft and deterrence. Some have argued that Donald Trump’s actions and pronouncements on international affairs produce a sense of uncertainty that works as a one-man strategy of deterrence.

    But as this performance plays out, it can be terrifying to watch and experience. Let’s not forget, the history of international relations is a history of tragic and mainly avoidable accidents.

    Mark Lacy 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. Threads: the harrowing 1984 BBC docudrama is back on our screens – scary but appropriate viewing for our uncertain times – https://theconversation.com/threads-the-harrowing-1984-bbc-docudrama-is-back-on-our-screens-scary-but-appropriate-viewing-for-our-uncertain-times-241314

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Overcoming analysis paralysis: the Niaxo ACE supplier story

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Bringing data science to bear on everything from the national covid response to synthetic data and countering online grooming.

    Niaxo brings a wealth of experience in data platforms and analytics, with its founders having clocked up “something ridiculous” like 60 years’ worth of contracting into government as independent consultants between them.

    They saw a niche, with experience of both working independently within government as well as working with government clients, to do something different and get technical projects off the ground faster – avoiding the so-called analysis paralysis which can afflict larger organisations.

    And so Niaxo was born in September 2019.

    The team is now significantly larger, with the initial team joined by ten staff, but retains a core focus on bring novel techniques to other people’s data problems.

    An area the company is increasingly excited about, says Ed Puddicombe, Niaxo’s director of strategy and business engagement, is using artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic data to generate simulated scenarios. These could be used for interviews, for example, or for training materials in areas such as law enforcement.

    For one Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) customer, the company used large language models to find examples of the types of text it wanted to replicate synthetically and then designed a wrapper to make an initial version of a template, which has been well received as a starting point. Technology and applications such as this could be a game-changer in terms of speeding up project timelines.

    Puddicombe said: “It was a project for ACE that was the genesis of starting to do some really cool stuff with synthetic data and we enjoy being part of interesting work and working on novel challenges.”

    The Niaxo team heard about ACE from contacts and, intrigued, set up a meeting to find out more. They signed up, and completed their first project in early 2020, exploring data-driven decision-making at a key point of the criminal justice system.

    Puddicombe said: “We took an initial data-processing idea, and within six weeks revamped it into more of an enterprise tool.”

    One of the major ACE commissions Niaxo has been part of was the covid response for the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which was set up to provide evidence-based insight to aid local and national decision-making.

    The company designed and built the data science platform which calculated the ‘r’ value – the measure of how quickly infections were growing across the UK. A rough design on a piece of paper evolved into a platform where every data output could be reversed, to understand the data feeding into it.

    Niaxo built a demonstrator in five days, had the first user live in five weeks, and within five months was told it was the biggest data science platform in government, with hundreds of data scientists working on it. The company also ran and continued to develop it for a number of months, before it was migrated “overnight, seamlessly” to the Department of Health and Social Care.

    Another project Niaxo worked on for a law enforcement body was around understanding the mathematical principles of how online grooming in chats could be detected, and how pattern matching could help, no matter which language was being used.

    Puddicombe added: “I think working with ACE illuminates problem spaces we may have overlooked, so we’ve got a skill that we didn’t know we could grow, from a seed that wouldn’t otherwise have been sown.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK pushes for Middle East stability on ministerial visit to Egypt

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer visits Egypt to push for regional stability.

    • The UK announces £1 million of assistance to Egyptian health authority to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza.
    • New UK-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on food security signed, signalling the UK’s support for Egypt’s leading role in food production in the region.
    • Minister calls for urgent de-escalation and a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon in his first visit to the Middle East, with visit to Al Arish border crossing.

    Providing humanitarian support for civilians affected by the current conflict was the focus of the Minister for the Middle East’s, Hamish Falconer, first official visit to the region this week.

    Announcing a new package of support to assist civilians medically evacuated from Gaza to Egypt, the Minister pledged £1 million of UK assistance to the Egyptian Ministry of Health that will support medically evacuated civilians from Gaza who are receiving care in Egypt.

    Delivered through the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Egypt, the funding will provide vital medical supplies and medications, including chemotherapy and rehabilitative equipment, to those in need. It will also strengthen capacity to care for patients from Gaza with chronic diseases.

    Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said:

    “As a key regional partner, Egypt plays a central role alongside the UK in working for stability and security across the Middle East and driving forward de-escalation efforts in both Gaza and Lebanon.  

    “The worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to bring devastation to many lives, with many requiring life-saving support over the border in Egypt. That’s why, alongside our Egyptian partners, we are funding life-saving treatments and support for medically evacuated civilians from Gaza. 

    “At Al Arish, I saw that many tonnes of lifesaving aid continue to be denied entry into Gaza by Israel. As winter approaches, Israel can and must do more to ensure aid flows freely into Gaza and to facilitate the UN and humanitarian agencies to carry out their work safely.

    “I signed a new UK-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable food security, launching a new partnership between our two countries to tackle a critical global challenge.”

    The announcement came during the Minister’s visit to Al-Arish, where he met with the North Sinai Governor to discuss aid flows into Gaza. Here, the Minister visited the Egyptian Red Crescent’s warehouse and Al-Arish General Hospital to see how UK funding to WHO Egypt will be used.

    The Minister also met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty where he thanked Egypt for its ongoing role in getting aid into Gaza and agreed the need to continue working together for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Minister Falconer also raised the consular case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and called for quick progress on his release.

    As Egypt is a regional leader in ensuring sustainable food security for the Middle East and Africa, the Minister also agreed a landmark UK-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on Food Security with Rania Al Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation and Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture. The agreement includes technical assistance to advance sustainable agribusiness practice and increase crop yield in Egypt.

    Speaking on today’s funding announcement, World Health Organisation Representative to Egypt Dr Nima Abid said:

    “WHO values its long-standing partnership with the British government, and we are deeply grateful for this generous contribution from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

    “This support will enable WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population, to deliver critical supplies to Egyptian hospitals and equip healthcare workers to meet the urgent needs of medical evacuees from Gaza. I would also like to express my appreciation for the government of Egypt for its vital role in treating patients from Gaza and in facilitating their safe evacuation to other countries as well.”

    The UK continues to play a leading role in alleviating the suffering in Gaza and continues to provide significant funding to partners to support those most in need. The UK has already provided 78,000 shelter items, 76,000 wound care kits, and 1.3 million items of medicine.

    The UK trebled its aid commitment to the OPTs in the last financial year and this Government will maintain significant funding this financial year to support trusted aid
     agencies on the ground.

    The UK continues to call for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts and continues to push for urgent aid to enter Gaza and reach those most in need.

    Background

    • The FCDO currently advises against all but essential travel to the Egyptian desert west and south of the oases of Fayoum, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga, except for:
    • The coastal areas between the Nile Delta and Marsa Matruh
    • The Marsa Matruh-Siwa road
    • The oasis town of Siwa
    • For further information on Egypt travel advice, visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Assisted dying bill debate: advice to doctors

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK chief medical officers and NHS England National Medical Director have given advice to help doctors wanting to take part in the assisted dying debate.

    Documents

    Assisted dying bill debate: advice to doctors from the UK chief medical officers and NHS England National Medical Director

    HTML

    Details

    This document sets out advice to doctors from the UK chief medical officers (CMOs), deputy CMOs and NHS England National Medical Director.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Flight PS752: International Coordination and Response Group memorial statement

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The International Coordination and Response Group have filed a memorial with the International Court of Justice instituting the next phase in proceedings against Iran.

    Statement from the International Coordination and Response Group on filing memorial of Flight PS752:

    “Today the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine have jointly filed a memorial with the International Court of Justice, instituting the next phase of proceedings against Iran in relation to its breaches of the 1971 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation.

    “Iran has, among other violations, failed to take all practicable measures to prevent the destruction of Flight PS752 by members of its armed forces. Iran has equally failed to advance a full, transparent and impartial investigation and prosecution in accordance with international standards.

    “Today’s legal action underscores our commitment to achieving transparency, justice and accountability for the victims and their families.”

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Green Party Councillor welcomes the first step at Westminster to introduce Assisted Dying in England & Wales

    Source: The Green Party in Northern Ireland

    Green Party Councillor welcomes the first step at Westminster to introduce Assisted Dying in England & Wales
    Cllr Barry McKee said “I firmly believe that we need to change the law to bring Assisted Dying to these islands and I welcome the Choice at the End of Life Bill receiving its first reading at Parliament.”
    “No matter how much people suffer or how certain the terminal nature of their illness, nobody in the UK or Ireland currently has the option for a safe, compassionate and medically-assisted death on their own terms.”
    “We leave dying people to take matters into their own hands, with hundreds with a terminal illness estimated to take their own lives every year.”
    “We allow some who are of means the option to go to Switzerland, to die alone, due to the fear that anyone accompanying them might be prosecuted on their return.And we leave others – whether because they can’t afford to go or aren’t able to– to face unbearable suffering.”
    “But we can’t keep running away from this issue, leaving dying people and their loved ones to fend for themselves.”
    “I hope that MPs from Northern Ireland will be able to support a change to the law. They have a chance to input on ensuring that strict criteria and safeguards to prevent abuse or coercion are contained in any new law introduced.”
    Cllr McKee concluded “With bills passing through parliaments in Holyrood, Westminster and the Oireachtas the pressure will be on the Stormont Executive to ensure that residents in Northern Ireland aren’t the only ones left without autonomy and dignity in death.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New chair of North Sea Transition Authority appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Energy Secretary has appointed Liz Ditchburn to chair the North Sea Transition Authority.

    • the Energy Secretary has appointed Liz Ditchburn to chair the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)
    • the new chair will head up the NSTA Board, which is responsible for regulating and influencing the UK’s oil, gas, offshore hydrogen and carbon storage industries
    • Ms Ditchburn brings more than 35 years of experience across UK and Scottish Governments to the role

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has today appointed Liz Ditchburn as the new chair of the North Sea Transition Authority, (NSTA) the body responsible for overseeing the UK’s offshore energy industries.

    As former Director General for Economy for the Scottish Government, Ms Ditchburn has more than 35 years of experience as a public sector leader in UK and Scottish Governments in both domestic and international settings.

    As chair, Liz Ditchburn will now head up the NSTA Board and oversee the organisation’s role in licensing and regulating the UK’s oil, gas, offshore hydrogen and carbon storage industries. The NSTA also continues to play a key role in ensuring the UK maximises the highly skilled expertise of its North Sea industries and workers to deliver the country’s clean energy transition.

    Since coming to office three months ago, the government has already taken rapid steps in accelerating the UK’s clean energy industries – with the launch of Great British Energy, the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and confirming up to £21.7 billion in funding over the next 25 years for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen projects.

    Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, said:

    I would like to thank Tim Eggar for his commitment as chair of the NSTA in such a crucial time for the industry.

    Liz will now continue this legacy, bringing a wealth of experience across government to an important role at the centre of our energy transition.

    Together with the NSTA, we will build on the expertise of our North Sea industries to deliver an orderly and prosperous transition.

    Chair of the North Sea Transition Authority, Liz Ditchburn said:

    Our North Sea industries have a huge potential to lead the way in the UK’s clean energy transition – from new offshore wind developments to the latest in carbon capture and storage.

    I’m looking forward to driving this work at the NSTA to ensure the sector can maximise this opportunity, bringing growth, and investment to Scotland’s North Sea communities and securing the long-term future of highly skilled jobs.

    Ms Ditchburn will take up the post on 22 October 2024, following on from her predecessor Tim Eggar’s term of over 5 years as NSTA chair coming to an end.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ESFA Update: 16 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Latest information and actions from the Education and Skills Funding Agency for academies, schools, colleges, local authorities and further education providers.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    ESFA Update further education: 16 October 2024

    HTML

    ESFA Update academies: 16 October 2024

    HTML

    Details

    Latest for further education

    Article Title
    Action Final funding claim submission for 2023 to 2024 by Friday 25 October 2024
    Information Submitting independent training providers’ financial forecasts
    Your feedback Compare your curriculum efficiency tool users needed for research by Friday 22 November 2024

    Latest information for academies

    Article Title
    Action Submitting your 2023 to 2024 audited financial statements by Tuesday 31 December 2024
    Information Accounts submission coversheet virtual assistant
    Webinars Academy finance professionals power hour – land and buildings collection tool

    Latest information for local authorities

    No edition.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mental Health Partnership goes from strength to strength

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A Sellafield Ltd investment in The West Cumbria Mental Health Partnership via our Social Impact, Multiplied programme is making a difference to our community.

    Since our initial investment of £1.8 million in 2022, the partnership which is delivered by Cumbria Community Foundation has:

    • provided funding to more than 20 charitable organisations to provide accessible, community-based mental health support services
    • provided support to more than 5,000 adults and 2,000 young children and young people
    • of those supported in the first three years, 61% reported improved mental health or wellbeing, 58% reported increased self-esteem and confidence, and 58% saw a reduction in stress and anxiety

    Kelvyn James is an international mountain leader, qualified counsellor and volunteer with the Samaritans.

    He founded the social enterprise Mental Health North West which secured £31,320 of funding via the partnership to deliver 120 guided walks over 3 years for people experiencing mental health issues.

    Participants are not required to have had a formal diagnosis. They join the walks if they feel it would help them. There is no charge.

    Kelvyn said:

    It’s a spectrum, from those who are suicidal to people experiencing a bad day. When we take them for a walk, it’s an opportunity to talk.

    We have one chap who says the walks are the only things in his life that he looks forward to. We have a lady who says it’s the only time that she speaks to other people.

    The partnership has 3 core activity areas: support to adults, support to children and young people, and to maintain recovery via the Recovery College.

    More than 80 organisations who now meet regularly to understand the services available, how they can refer people to those services, and any gaps in support.

    Confirming that our financial support to the West Cumbria Mental Health Partnership will continue in this financial year, our head of corporate sustainability and supply chain development, Eirini Etoimou, said:

    Continuing to empower the West Cumbria Mental Health Partnership is a testament to our commitment to fostering resilience and well-being in our communities.

    With the support of our Social Impact, Multiplied programme, and the dedication of the Cumbria Community Foundation, we are paving the way for innovative mental health initiatives that will uplift lives and strengthen the fabric of West Cumbria.

    Annalee Holliday, head of grants practice and programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said:

    We know that NHS mental health services in West Cumbria are overstretched, with long waiting lists, so the support which has been made possible by the West Cumbria Mental Health Partnership has been critical to thousands of people in real need over the past 3 years.

    By working collaboratively, charities with shared aims can increase their impact and effectiveness, amplify their reach and combine resources.

    If you or someone you know needs help with their mental health, please visit wcmhp.org.uk. If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call NHS 111.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Halloween events with Leeds City Council

    Source: City of Leeds

    Halloween Trail at Leeds City Museum

    Dare to explore a Halloween trail with artworks created by local schools, families, and our arts and crafts groups inspired by Halloween themed objects in the museum. Along the way, learn fun Halloween facts about the history of the holiday and how it’s celebrated around the world.

    Friday 25 October to Friday 29 November, cost: free

    Find out more: Halloween Trail https://bit.ly/3U8zXbY
     

    Once Upon a Nightmare: Twisted Tales Unveiled at Lotherton

    Experience a spine-chilling experience for brave souls aged 8 to 15. Step into the pages of twisted fairy tales and witness the serene grounds of Lotherton transform into a haunting world where your favourite fairy tale characters live out their darkest versions of reality.

    Friday 25 to Thursday 31 October, 5pm to 8:30pm, cost: £12.50 (£10 for children with a Breeze Pass/Lotherton members)

    Find out more: Once Upon a Nightmare: Twisted Tales Unveiled https://bit.ly/3Y3xQHr

    Spooky Skeleton Safari at Tropical World

    With Tropical World decorated for Halloween, come and explore the indoor zoo over the October half term. Uncover a host of spooky animal skeletons hidden in their mangroves, rainforest and enclosures, and discover interesting facts as you take part in the trail.

    Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November, cost: adults – £8.40, children 3 to 15 – £4.20, under 3s free

    Find out more: Spooky Skeleton Safari https://bit.ly/3ZZTK0I

    Spooky Skeletons: Scarytales at Lotherton


    This is a daytime event perfect for all ages. As you follow the twisted fairytales trail through the haunting grounds, gardens and house at Lotherton, all is not as it seems. Rattle your bones as you come face-to-face with a series of skeletons – making themselves at home and reimagining classic tales with a Halloween twist.

    Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November, cost: included in admission to Lotherton

    Find out more: Spooky Skeletons: Scarytales https://bit.ly/3ZX7N7v

    Halloween Hauntings at Temple Newsam

    Temple Newsam is infamous for its ghostly residents. Visit over October half term for spooky family fun. Enjoy the themed rooms and creepy crafts.  Staff will be hand to tell you eerie stories of past residents.

    Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November, cost: included in admission to Temple Newsam

    Find out more: Halloween Hauntings at Temple Newsam https://bit.ly/3Yijh49

    Spooky Streets: Halloween at Abbey House Museum

    Wander the museum’s Spooky Streets to encounter scary spiders, wicked witches, wily wolves, beguiling bats and skeletons pulling pints! Come dressed as your favourite Halloween character and pose for petrifying pics. There will be a terrifying trail and creepy competitions as you go around the museum and a monster bag of crafts and activities to take home.

    Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November, cost: included in admission to Abbey House Museum

    Find out more: Spooky Streets: Halloween at Abbey House Museum https://bit.ly/3Yjbumx

    Haunted Halloween Hunt at Kirkstall Abbey

    Join the Abbey’s family trail through the ruins to find creepy creatures, spooky statues and peculiar props. It’s not too scary so suitable for all the family.

    Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November, cost: included in admission to Kirkstall Abbey (free for Leeds residents)

    Find out more: Haunted Halloween Hunt https://bit.ly/3Nt4Xzn

    Calacas Crafts at Leeds City Museum

    Celebrate Mexican and Latin American artists by designing your own Day of the Dead mask or assembling your own flower crown. To help celebrate Day of the Dead at Leeds City Museum, your family can also add to one of their giant skull paintings!

    Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 October, 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm, cost: free

    Find out more: Half Term: Calacas Crafts https://bit.ly/4dDEqu4

    Leeds Zine Library Lates! Hallow’zine at Leeds Central Library

    Join the libraries team on the spookiest month for their Halloween edition of the zine library lates. There will be cats, bats and a monster of a party! On the night you can make a spooky zine, create some monster badges, and sew felt creatures all while enjoying their Halloween playlist.

    Wednesday 30 October, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, cost: free

    Find out more: Leeds Zine Library Lates! Hallow’zine https://bit.ly/4dCQ5Jy


    Spooktacular Family Day at Leeds Central Library

    Join authors and artists for spine-tingling stories, creepy draw-a-longs, and eerie activities.

    A light breakfast and drinks will be available on arrival, bring your own packed lunch and spooky outfits are encouraged. Family friendly and most suitable to children aged 6 years and over. A BSL interpreter will be present at all author talks in the Tiled Hall and at Jack’s Ghastly Masterclass.

    Thursday 31 October, 10:15am to 2:30pm, cost: free

    Find out more: Spooktacular Family Day https://bit.ly/4eBCp2P

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Jobs fair to showcase careers in care

    Source: City of Sunderland

    Those looking for careers in social care can take advantage of a free recruitment fair showcasing opportunities in the sector later this month.

    Sunderland Care and Support (SCAS), one of the largest social care providers in the region, will hold a recruitment fayre on Thursday 24 October at the Leechmere Centre, where attendees will be able to find out more about working in care, meet staff and senior managers, and even get support with applying for roles.

    Councillor Kelly Chequer, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities, said: “As a leading provider of adult care services for some of the most vulnerable individuals in our community, SCAS operates a diverse range of vital services designed to support those with conditions ranging from autism to mental health challenges to complex needs.

    “The people working in these roles make a huge difference to people’s lives and if you think you could be one of them, I would encourage you to come along to this recruitment event to find out more about a rewarding career in social care.”

    Among the roles being recruited as SCAS are jobs relating to:

    • Supported Living Services
    • Day Services
    • Short Breaks
    • Planned Care and Reablement Services
    • Community Equipment
    • Community and Bed-Based Intermediate Care
    • Digital and Telecare Services
    • Business Relationship Teams

    The Sunderland Care and Support Recruitment Fayre will be held at the Leechmere Centre, Carrmere Road, Sunderland, SR2 9TQ on Thursday 24 October from 4-8pm.

    Anyone interested in finding out more is welcome to drop in during the session.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Event celebrates the Tak£500+ project success within local communities!

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    PB Working Group members#.

    The recent Tak£500+ Participatory Budgeting Project exceeded all expectations with an incredible £105,906 allocated to 108 fantastic local community projects – and an event to celebrate all of the wonderful projects took place at Seagoe Hotel, Portadown.

    Over 200 people came along to hear how the Tak£500+ Project had benefited communities right across the borough and to hear more about Participatory Budgeting and how it enables local people to decide how public funds are used to address needs in their area.

    Organised by the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Community Planning Partnership, an amazing 4286 people voted for the projects they wanted to see receive up to £1,000 funding, and the impact these projects left on each area was remarkable. All projects were centred around the Take 5 public health message.

    “This was the third year of the Tak£500+ project and it really did exceed all expectations once again,” commented the Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy, “and the success of this project is all down to the local communities who put forward their ideas and then made them a reality.

    “Putting the decision making process in the hands of local people to tell us how public funds can be spent to address needs in their areas is vitally important and ensures that this money is spent in the best way possible, to really make a difference and a lasting impact on our residents

    “We are lucky to have such a rich community life in this borough and along with the Community Planning Partnership – and in particular the PB Working Group – made this project a huge success with lasting results across the borough.”

    Colette Rogers, Chair of Community Planning Strategic Partnership added, “This event was a wonderful reflection on just how meaningful and valuable the Tak£500+ Project is and demonstrated how powerful local communities can be at making decisions that leave a real and lasting impact in their areas.

    “This project is something we are passionate to build upon moving forward and we would love to welcome more partners on board to contribute their expertise and resources – as this is how we can increase our funding and support even more projects, with local communities reaping the benefits.”

    If you would like more information on how you can get involved as a partner, please contact Michelle Markey on 0300 0300 900.

    Also, watch this space for more details on the next Tak£500+ Project and how you can apply for funding for your community!

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Funfair Suppliers – Applications Open for St Patrick’s Festival 2025

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council invites proposals from suppliers to bid for the supply of a combined package of fun fair rides that offer excellent value and create a family friendly event over Saint Patrick’s weekend.

    Please note that all bids should include a proposal that is quoting for both locations combined. Council will not accept any bids that quote for one or the other location separately.

    Solitude Park, Banbridge
     Saturday, 15 March 2025 – 12pm-10pm
    Sunday, 16 March 2025 – 1pm-10pm
    Monday, 17 March 2025 – 12pm-8pm

    Shambles Yard, Armagh
     Saturday, 15 March 2025 – 12pm-10pm
    Sunday, 16 March 2025 – 12pm-10pm
    Monday, 17 March 2025 – 12pm-8pm

    DEADLINE for submission of responses is Tuesday, 12th November 2024 at 12 noon
    Download application here.

    For additional queries, please contact Jayne Currie at 

    *protected email*

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Making a splash: Historic Hilsea Lido seeks tenant amid transformation

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Global real estate firm, Avison Young, is working with Portsmouth City Council to bring to market Hilsea Lido whilst it undergoes a transformational renovation project. The lido is set to reopen in summer 2025, which is the same year it will celebrate its 90th anniversary.

    The 1930s open-air swimming pool is part of Portsmouth City Council’s Hilsea Lines project to improve the area, which was awarded funding from the UK government.

    The renovation of this much-loved community asset includes a total refurbishment of the 67m long pool and surroundings, with new outdoor changing facilities and showers, and extensive landscaping, allowing it to be enjoyed once again for many years to come.

    The original lido changing rooms, splash pool and the former Blue Lagoon café offer the opportunity for future transformation by a tenant to create complementary facilities to enhance the wider offer and development of a destination landmark facility for the community, residents of Portsmouth and the public alike.

    The restoration and reopening of the Lido comes as Swim England recently launched their ‘Don’t Cap Swimming’ campaign, which found that over 1,500 pools in England are over 40 years of age and in need of funding for renovation.

    Richard Baldwin, Director at Avison Young UK said:

    “We’re delighted to be working with the Council on this important historical leisure project. It’s rewarding to see such an important community asset being brought back to life. We’re now seeking all expressions of interest for a long-term tenant operator who shares the Council’s vision to promote Hilsea Lido’s use as a hub for the people of Portsmouth, encouraging people to swim, children to learn and families to play.

    The lido will be transformed into a much needed and loved asset for the people of Portsmouth, and we’re delighted to play a part in its reopening.”

    Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council added:

     “Hilsea Lido is an iconic Portsmouth attraction, which is now receiving some much-needed TLC to get it open so it can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Our work will ensure the pool will open next year with modern changing facilities ready for the 90th anniversary of the lido.

    “We’ll work closely the appointed operator to enable future phases of renovation work at the lido, so we can create a real ‘jewel in the crown’ of the wider Hilsea Lines project. We’re committed to sport in this city, so we see this a real opportunity to offer open air swimming and other water-based activities in a safe and unique environment.”

    £20m was awarded to Portsmouth City Council from the UK government for the ‘Transforming the Visitor Economy’ project, which the Hilsea Lines scheme is part of. £11.25m of the funding went to the now completed terminal transformation project at Portsmouth international Port which opened in August 2023.

    Expressions of interest for Hilsea Lido can be directed to: https://www.avisonyoung.co.uk/

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Mayor of Oxford continues 600-year-old tradition by inspecting city’s historic walls

    Source: City of Oxford

    Wednesday, 16 October 2024

    The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Mike Rowley, will uphold a 600 year old tradition by inspecting the city’s historic walls on 23 October; a responsibility dating back to the reign of Richard II.

    This unique ceremony honours a centuries-old agreement between Oxford and New College, which has been preserved since 30 June 1379. 

    The tradition began when King Richard II granted the land for the founding of New College on the condition that the college maintains the city’s defensive walls. To ensure that the walls were kept in good repair, a contract was established, and every three years since then, the Lord Mayor of Oxford has inspected them. 

    This year the Lord Mayor, accompanied by fellow city councillors, will once again undertake the ceremonial walk from Oxford Town Hall to New College. The procession will be led by the City Mace, and as custom dictates, they will stop at New College’s gate on New College Lane. There, the Mace Bearer will knock three times, symbolically requesting permission for the Lord Mayor and councillors to enter. 

    Upon receiving permission, the Warden and Fellows of New College will lead the group through the college garden to inspect the ancient walls that still stand as part of Oxford’s rich history. 

    In accordance with the 14th-century contract, New College features gates on either side of the city walls. These gates were not only constructed to facilitate the Lord Mayor’s inspections but also to provide a passage for the defence of Oxford in times of war. 

    Comments 

    “It is a privilege to continue this long-standing tradition, which connects our modern city to its medieval roots. The walls are a testament to the strength and resilience of Oxford, and it is an honour to carry out this duty on behalf of the city and its people.” 
    The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Mike Rowley 

    “We are proud to uphold the agreement made over six centuries ago. This tradition is a reflection of our commitment to Oxford and its heritage, and we look forward to welcoming the Lord Mayor and the councillors for this important inspection.” 
    Miles Young, Warden, New College 

    The event is a reminder of Oxford’s deep historical ties and its commitment to preserving the city’s heritage for future generations. 

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to breast cancer in users of Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Systems

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in JAMA looks at the use of Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Systems and breast cancer risk. 

    Dr Channa Jayasena, Reader in Reproductive Endocrinology, Imperial College London, said:

    The Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Systems (LNG-IUS) is a highly effective form of contraceptive for women. Unlike contraceptive pills, LNG-IUS releases a progesterone-like hormone directly into the womb.  This means that levels of the hormone are much lower than when you take it as a tablet. It is well known that prolonged use of the contraceptive pill slightly increases breast cancer risk. However, we have always assumed that the LNG-IUS would not increase breast cancer risk due to the much lower levels of hormone exposure to the whole body. The results of this study are therefore highly unexpected. A large population of women taking LNG-IUS was compared with a similar sized population of women not taking any contraceptive medication. While the researchers tried to make sure that the two populations of women were matched for things like age, weight and education, other behaviours like smoking have not been measured. So, women not taking contraceptive medication may have been healthier in other ways compared to the LNG-IUS group.

    The study found that there were 14 extra cases of breast cancer per 10,000 women in the group using LNG-IUS compared to those not using contraceptive medication. It is difficult to tell how this compares with taking the contraceptive pill which has been studied in different populations. It is unfortunate that this study did not compare breast cancer risk between the LNG-IUS and oral contraceptive pill. But it is important that smoking, alcohol and obesity are much more important risk factors for breast cancer than contraceptive medications.

    We always need to be vigilant to new health risks from medical treatments, and this is no exception. My advice for women is that breast cancer risk caused by LNG-IUS is not established but warrants a closer look.”

    Dr Mangesh Thorat, Honorary Reader in Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Breast Surgeon, Homerton University Hospital, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), said:

    “This new large Danish study adds to the existing literature evaluating the risk of breast cancer in women using hormonal forms of contraception. The study specifically investigated the use of hormonal intrauterine devices, commonly known as hormonal coils, for example – Mirena coil. Similar to the British study (Fitzpatrick and colleagues) published last year, this study shows a small increase in the risk of breast cancer associated with the use of such coils. The existing evidence suggests that the increase in the risk is similar to that with oral contraceptive use. It is worth noting that this association has been known for at least a few years and a broad consensus exists among the medical fraternity that the overall benefits of hormonal contraception outweigh the harms like such small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer. Furthermore, as the baseline risk of breast cancer is lower in younger individuals, any increase in the risk associated with the use of hormonal coil is also smaller. The risk increases with increasing age and it is reasonable for women near 40 years of age to have a discussion with their healthcare practitioner regarding non-hormonal modes of contraception.”

    ‘Breast Cancer in Users of Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Systems’ by Mørch et al. was published in JAMA at 16:00 UK time on Wednesday 16th October 2024. 

    DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.18575

    Declared interests

    Dr Channa Jayasena: “No Conflicts to Declare”

    Dr Mangesh Thorat: “No Conflicts to Declare”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Motor insurance

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Cross-government taskforce created to evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and industry.

    Delivered on:

    Today (16 October 2024) the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I will co-chair the first meeting of a new cross-government taskforce on motor insurance.

    Motor insurance is an essential, not a luxury. It is vital to accessing economic opportunities and this government is committed to ensuring drivers are treated fairly.

    This government is committed to tackling increases in motor insurance premiums – which have risen at far higher rates in the UK than in other comparable economies. While motor insurance is a complex market, the government wants to ensure that it works well for the drivers it serves.

    The taskforce, which will be attended by ministers from several departments and by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has a strategic remit to set the direction for government policy in this area. It will identify the drivers behind rising premiums and will agree short-term and long-term actions for departments that can contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.

    The taskforce will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies and communities.

    Whilst all drivers have struggled with rising costs, it is important to recognise the particular pressures on specific groups that face barriers to accessing fair and affordable motor insurance. This includes ethnic minorities, those on lower incomes, and elderly and young drivers. This taskforce will therefore have an additional focus on those groups.

    The taskforce’s first meeting will also be attended by representatives from the motor and insurance industries, consumer champions and other relevant groups.

    Improving access to appropriate and affordable insurance is key to supporting people’s financial resilience, wellbeing and making sure they can benefit fully from this government’s wider economic agenda of inclusive growth and breaking down the barriers to opportunities. I look forward to updating the House on the taskforce’s progress on these matters in the coming months.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

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