Tag: communications

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ISO/IEC TR 23008-14:2018 Information technology. High efficiency coding and media delivery in heterogeneous environments Conversion and coding practices for HDR/WCG Y′CbCr 4:2:0 video with PQ transfer characteristics

Link: ISO/IEC TR 23008-14:2018 Information technology. High efficiency coding and media delivery in heterogeneous environments Conversion and coding practices for HDR/WCG Y′CbCr 4:2:0 video with PQ transfer characteristics
Source: BSI Standards

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Press release: Foreign Office Minister visits BVI to review hurricane preparedness

Foreign Office Minister of State for the Overseas Territories Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon visited the British Virgin Islands between 31 July and 1 August to discuss hurricane preparedness and to see the progress on recovery since last year’s hurricanes.

During his visit, the Minister visited sites affected by last year’s hurricanes, including a school, a hurricane shelter, the Fire Service headquarters and a police station. He saw how UK support is helping the islands’ recovery efforts, and he handed over the purpose-built temporary Court House to the Government. This new UK-funded building will allow the Supreme Court and Magistrates’ Court to function fully again whilst a permanent building is constructed.

Lord Ahmad visited RFA Mounts Bay, which will remain in the region throughout the hurricane season to provide rapid assistance to Caribbean islands if needed. He also met the board of the Recovery and Development Agency to hear how they plan to implement further vital recovery work.

Foreign Office Minister of State for the Overseas Territories, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

The UK has played a crucial role in assisting the region to recover from last year’s unprecedented and devastating hurricanes, providing aid and support to help British Overseas Territories.

However, there is still more to be done before the islands fully recover and the UK stands ready to help. We are working with partners across the Caribbean to make sure that plans are being put in place to prepare for future hurricanes.

Lord Ahmad held talks with Premier Orlando Smith and the Cabinet to discuss their concerns about the UK’s Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act as well as meeting members of the financial services industry to hear their views. The Minister also met with business and tourism representatives during his visit.

This visit to BVI follows an earlier tour of the region by the Minister in May to the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla.

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Link: Press release: Foreign Office Minister visits BVI to review hurricane preparedness
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: UK launches largest tax partnership programme to help Ethiopia transition from aid

The International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has today launched the UK’s biggest ever tax partnership programme to help Ethiopia generate more tax during her visit to the country.

The programme will transform Ethiopia’s tax system, helping it to harness the potential of its booming economic growth. This new partnership will also help the country generate revenue so that it can better finance its own services and development, becoming less reliant on aid.

Ms Mordaunt will announce the scheme today before a meeting with Ethiopia’s Finance Minister, Dr Abraham Tekeste. She may also have the opportunity to meet new Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmed, becoming the first UK Government Minister to do so.

Ethiopia is rapidly industrialising, and with this new partnership the UK will support the country to meet its ambitions to develop its economy. Extra tax revenues will help the country tackle poverty, invest in its own services, boost economic growth and move beyond aid.

During her visit to the country, Ms Mordaunt visited UK garment factory Hela at Hawassa Industrial Park to see how the country’s industrialisation is opening up opportunities for UK business, trade and investment. She marked the launch of the previously announced Jobs Compact which is creating over 100,000 jobs for some of the most vulnerable Ethiopians, including refugees.

Ethiopia is currently host to over 900,000 refugees from across the region. By empowering refugees to get jobs, the UK is helping them to rebuild their lives so that they do not seek dangerous migratory journeys outside the region. This is ensuring Ethiopia remains a force for stability in a volatile region.

She also announced new support to improve the welfare and security of employees at the Industrial Park.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

Ethiopia’s security, development and prosperity matter for the UK – which is why we’re working with the country to help it generate more tax from its rapid growth. This will help Ethiopia fund its own development – and ultimately transition beyond aid.

We’re also helping the most vulnerable Ethiopians, including refugees who have fled neighbouring countries, to find jobs and rebuild their lives, creating the stability which will allow Ethiopia and the region to prosper.

This is a win for Ethiopia and a win for the UK, including British businesses such as Hela which are thriving in East Africa.

During her visit Ms Mordaunt also had the chance to visit a camp for internally displaced people in Ethiopia, where over two million people across the country have been forced to leave their homes. She saw first-hand how the UK’s flexible response is currently providing an uplift in basic lifesaving support for almost a million people.

Amid historic change and optimism in the country, Ms Mordaunt will today also launch a Civil Society Support programme to empower some of the most vulnerable people in Ethiopia, including those with disabilities, to have their say in the changes happening in their country.

Notes to Editors

  • The Ethiopia Tax Transformation Programme (£35 million), DFID’s largest bilateral tax programme, is building on progress achieved so far to help Ethiopia increase revenue generation so that it can better finance its own services and development.
  • Hawassa is the flagship industrial park in East Africa and represents the vision Ethiopia has to develop its economy. In response to a number of challenges which have emerged as the Park has grown, DFID is working to ensure worker wellbeing and safety is paramount, through a range of worker initiatives (£3 million) including UNWOMEN’s Safe Cities programme and ILO’s Better Work Initiative.
  • Through the Civil Society Support Programme (£9 million), the UK is empowering citizens across Ethiopia to influence government policy and hold their government to account – and supporting civil society groups to have their voice heard. This programme will give a voice to the most marginalised groups, including women, young people and people with disabilities.
  • In response to a recent increase in need, £27 million additional humanitarian funding is providing vital lifesaving support to up to a million people across the country, most of whom have fled their homes as a result of conflict within Ethiopia. This will include urgently needed supplies of blankets, shelter, hygiene kits, and specially-nutritious food for malnourished children and a variety of much-needed support in the areas of health, WASH (water, sanitation and health), nutrition, safeguarding (protection), and food security.
  • As previously announced, DFID is contributing £80 million to the Ethiopian Jobs Compact which will create over 100,000 jobs for Ethiopians and refugees in Ethiopia over the next six years.

General media queries

Follow the DFID Media office on Twitter – @DFID_Press

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Link: Press release: UK launches largest tax partnership programme to help Ethiopia transition from aid
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Prison sentence for waste operator

Mixed commercial and construction/demolition waste was illegally stored at a site in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, despite advice given by Environment Agency officers.

Cambridge Magistrates’ Court heard that the site in Long Drove began as a skip hire site but soon became an unpermitted waste transfer station.

Stop notices were twice placed on the business but Daniel Lee Crockwell, aged 35, of Milton Road, Cambridge, carried on operating.

On 26 July 2018 Mr Gurjit Bdesha, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court:

He ignored advice and guidance given to him on numerous visits by Agency officers.

Crockwell had no previous waste experience but tried to compete with established businesses in the area.
As well as the suspended prison sentence, magistrates ordered Crockwell to pay £5,592 costs.

The site of Cambridge Skip Hire at Half Acre Site was first visited by Environment Agency investigating officers in August 2016. No-one was around so a letter was left asking the business to make contact, but it failed to do so and a stop letter was placed on the business.

In November 2016 officers tracked down Crockwell, the company director, who reluctantly agreed to meet them at the site. Mr Bdesha told magistrates:

He told them he needed a few weeks to clear the site and would meet with them again.

Crockwell agreed to clear the site by 16 February 2017 but failed to do so and eventually the landowners took control of the site and cleared it themselves.

Mr Bdesha said Crockwell had taken a risk in running the business illegally and had only ever held a waste carriers’ licence during the year of operating at Long Drove.

He had eventually stopped taking in extra waste in November 2017 and closed down his website and disconnected the phones at the same time.

Mr Bdesha said that before a waste transfer station could be operated at the site there would have had to have been improvements to the infrastructure to protect the environment. Planning and health and safety requirements would also have been needed.

After the hearing, Environment Agency Enforcement Team Leader Phil Henderson said:

Whilst the Environment Agency seeks to work with operators who co-operate and want to comply with the law, we will take action against those who don’t.

Always make sure you are operating legally before embarking on a waste management activity or you are likely to get a visit from our enforcement officers.

More information on permitting waste activities.

Crockwell pleaded guilty to:

Between 31 December 2015 and 31 December 2016 on land known as Half Acre Site, Long Drove, Waterbeach, CB25 9LR, you operated a regulated facility, namely a waste operation for the deposit, storage and treatment of waste without being authorised by an environmental permit granted under Regulation 13 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.

Contrary to Regulation 12 and 38(1)(a) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.

Link: Press release: Prison sentence for waste operator
Source: Environment Agency

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Press release: Volunteers pitch in to help Cornwall villagers with recreation ground project

The Highways England team behind a proposed A30 upgrade in Cornwall are not only concentrating their efforts on improving lives with their dualling scheme – they have also been busy helping a local village near Truro with their community project.

Highways England is working hard on the final design details of the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross improvement scheme, but members of the team took time out to help Chacewater villagers transform their recreation ground.

A group of 10 Highways England and project team staff pitched in to join villagers in clearing their neglected recreation area into a tranquil community space.

The combined two-day effort saw dead trees and branches felled, ivy, brambles and nettles cleared away, re-planting and wooden crates repurposed into benches to restore a tranquil haven for the whole community to enjoy.

Image showing Highways England team and volunteers
The Highways England team, including assistant project manager Karl Sullivan fourth left, and Chacewater villagers, with Rob Knill third from right, and the team busy clearing vegetation

Chacewater Parish Council spokesman Rob Knill said:

This is a project we’ve been dreaming up for the last 10 to 15 years, to refurbish and recover a lot of the recreation ground here – and the work that’s been done by the Highways England team has been fantastic.

Josh Hodder, Highways England Project Manager for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, added:

As a company, we undertake a lot of voluntary work and it was good to be involved with a community project within the area of our scheme – it was an amazing team effort and the transformation is going to make a real difference for the village.

The team have also attended a number of community events in the region – the Golowan Festival and Royal Cornwall, Stithians and Camborne shows – and will also be taking part in this week’s Falmouth Festival and the Cornish Steam and County Fair (16-19 August).

Highways England will be submitting a Development Consent Order later this summer to begin the planning process for the scheme.

And Mr Hodder added:

Since consultation earlier this year, we have been progressing with details of the design, working to reduce impact on the environment, and continuing our engagement and discussions with local communities.

We’re continuing that engagement over the next two weeks and I’d urge anyone with an interest to come and chat with us to find out more and answer any questions they might have.

Following the opening of Cornwall Council’s A30 Temple to Higher Carblake dualling scheme last year, the project proposes to dual eight miles of single carriageway between the Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts, unlocking one of the last bottlenecks in Cornwall and improving journey times and safety for residents, businesses and visitors.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme will be funded by central Government.

Subject to statutory approval, construction is planned to start in spring 2020.

In the meantime, anyone wanting further information can go to the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.


Link: Press release: Volunteers pitch in to help Cornwall villagers with recreation ground project
Source: Gov Press Releases