The Transaction Data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,586,987 applications from its customers in September. This included 1,562,821 applications by account holders, of which: Transaction Data is published on the 15th working day of each month. The Oc… read more
The International Development Secretary Priti Patel has called for the international community to act now and not forget the millions of people displaced by increasing levels of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ms Patel’s call came as she announced vital lifesaving support for hundreds of thousands of victims of political insecurity and increasing levels of violence in the DRC.
The crisis has forced 3.8 million people to flee their homes, resulting in widespread malnutrition, disease and suffering in many regions of the DRC.
Ms Patel also called on international partners and the UN system to follow the UK’s lead and urgently step up support to this crisis, to prevent further unnecessary destruction and human suffering.
Over the next five years DFID’s humanitarian support will provide:
The International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:
Millions of innocent people are suffering from malnutrition and disease after being forced to flee their homes because of the horrific violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Families have been separated, homes destroyed and people are living in desperate conditions, in what is fast becoming one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The UK government has not hesitated to act and is leading the way by providing essential food, water and medicine, but it is vital the international community also urgently steps up to ensure the displaced people of the DRC are not forgotten.
This support is an allocation of £175 million for humanitarian aid from the DRC budget.
The DRC has the highest number of internally displaced people in Africa with 3.8 million forced to flee malnutrition, disease, violence and insecurity to find safety in other parts of the country. In the first six months of 2017 the DRC had the greatest number of newly displaced people in the world.
7.7 million people in the DRC don’t have reliable access to their next meal, 1.9 million children are suffering from life threatening malnutrition, and outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria are exacerbating the situation.
Since the start of the crisis in the Kasais in 2016 DFID has supported displaced and affected people with household items, livelihood support, and provided support through the Humanitarian Fund for distribution of aid and protection monitoring.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns will call on Welsh SMEs to capitalise on new UK Government backed finance to help gain access to global growth markets when he attends the Fast Growth 50 awards this evening (20 October 2017).
Mr Cairns will deliver a keynote speech at the 19th Fast Growth 50 gala dinner in Cardiff, where the best of Welsh entrepreneurship and the fastest growing businesses in Wales will be showcased.
The Secretary of State will highlight a new £2million UK Export Finance (UKEF) partnership with five High Street banks designed to enable SMEs in Wales to access support directly from their bank in seconds, without the need to apply separately.
The fund will help businesses like those on the Fast Growth 50 list, become part of major export contracts around the world.
Since its inception in 1999, the 551 companies that have featured on the Fast Growth 50 lists have so far created over 34,000 jobs and generated an estimated £18 billion for the Welsh economy.
The Fast Growth 50 ceremony is a key date in the Welsh business calendar. It presents a welcome opportunity to reflect over the year that has passed, and to celebrate the many successes that businesses have worked tirelessly to create.
So many of the companies that have decorated the FG50 rosters over the years are now delivering services and exporting their products right around the globe.
The UK Government wants to do more to ensure Welsh businesses take advantage of every opportunity available to them to grow and expand into new markets.
The support provided by UK Export Finance is a valuable resource for businesses throughout the whole of the UK, Wales included. Unleashing the potential of companies such as those we will celebrate this evening will be key to ensuring the Welsh economy continues to prosper.
Wales is already an exporting nation. There are currently more than 3,800 businesses in Wales that export, with a combined value of £13billion in the first quarter of 2017. Wales is also an attractive place for inward investment, with latest figures showing that 85 foreign direct investment projects were secured in Wales, creating 2,581 new jobs and safeguarding almost 9,000 more.
The Secretary of State for Wales has recently written to over 26,000 Welsh businesses identified as potential exporters including a copy to the Wales Export Guide. The Wales specific guide sets out the full range of support available to Welsh businesses from the UK Government and contains inspiring stories of companies based in Wales that are successfully exporting. You can read the guide online here.
For further information on the Fast Growth 50 awards, visit their website
Read more about the UK Export Finance fund here
Holidaymakers could be spared the hassle of removing laptops and tablets from hand-luggage when passing through airport security, as government seeks to revolutionise aviation screening.
The government is today (20 October 2017) announcing a £3 million fund to support innovative research to develop new ways of detecting explosive devices concealed in electrical items.
Companies and universities are invited to bid for money by submitting proposals for original research in the field of concealed explosives. And new methods of detecting whether electrical items have been tampered with or appear irregular are also of interest.
The proposals can focus on either screening electrical items within bags at an airport’s central search area, or the use of more portable technology to screen items at other points in the passenger journey.
Once ready for commercial use, the new technologies will enhance our ability to prevent terrorist attacks on aviation while improving the experience of passengers.
Security Minister, Ben Wallace said:
Aviation security is a government priority and one with an ever changing threat landscape.
We need to embrace and encourage the talent from industry that will allow us to stay several steps ahead of those who wish us harm.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Aviation said:
The UK has always been at the forefront of research and development in the field of aviation security.
The safety and security of the travelling public will always be our top priority but we understand that this can sometimes be inconvenient for passengers – especially families with young children.
As technology improves we want to make the aviation experience quicker and easier for all holidaymakers.
The fund is being run as part of a wider multi-million pound initiative to deliver a step change in aviation security through Future Aviation Security Solutions (FASS).
FASS, a joint Department for Transport and Home Office programme, is working closely with industry partners to stimulate and fund research into a broad range of potential security innovations from initial concepts through to commercial products.
The full criteria for this open fund can be found on the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) website.
This is just one of the routes to funding that FASS is offering to the research and technology community. FASS also encourages applications for research funding via DASA’s Open Call for Innovation . This funding mechanism is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and evaluates ideas, products and services from anywhere in the UK or abroad.
FASS has already issued £1.64 million funding to projects aimed at improving the screening of passengers, their luggage and cargo.
Promising results were demonstrated at an event in September (2017), with phase 2 of this research due to commence shortly.
read moreThe British army women’s football team visited Kuwait on 16-19 October as part of a regional tour
The British army women’s football team visited Kuwait on 16-19 October as part of a regional tour which also includes UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. They played a match with the Kuwaiti national women’s football team. They also conducted a series of community outreach events, including football and fitness coaching sessions at schools to raise awareness of the benefits of sport and promote positive opportunities for women in sports related activities.
The British Ambassador held a Great branded reception in his house for the British and Kuwaiti teams as well as senior officials from Kuwait Football Association. The visit helped in strengthening sports and cultural ties between the youth in both countries. It also reflected UK’s commitment to see more women in sport. The visit also helped to kick start Kuwaiti women’s football . The media coverage of the visit both on social media and mainstream media was substantive with many positive comments .