Jul252017
I hope everyone is having a good summer and has been able to enjoy some of the fine weather we’ve been having (is it me or has the weather been a wee bit better this year than most? Touch wood).
The House of Commons has just risen for its summer recess, and it’s safe to say that MPs have a lot to reflect on over the next few weeks after a pretty eventful year.
Jul252017
Melissa Tatton has been appointed on promotion to head up the Valuation Office Agency.
The Valuation Office Agency, an executive agency of HM Revenue and Customs, is responsible for providing the government with the valuations and property advice needed to support taxation and benefits.
This follows the appointment of current Chief Executive, Penny Ciniewicz, as new Director General for Customer Compliance at HMRC.
HMRC Chief Executive, Jon Thompson said:
I’d like to congratulate Melissa on this important appointment. The Valuation Office Agency plays a vital role in providing the valuations and property advice required to support taxation and benefits. I look forward to Melissa joining the Executive Committee, and to becoming a valued member of the leadership team”.
Melissa Tatton said:
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the Valuation Office Agency as it continues to invest in and improve its services, and to be joining HMRC’s Executive Committee. It’s vital that VOA customers continue to have confidence in its valuations and advice, and I’m honoured to build on the excellent work that Penny Ciniewicz has led over the past eight years.
Melissa will take up her new role from 4 September.
Melissa joined the Inland Revenue as a graduate tax inspector and has forged a successful career as a tax leader across a wide range of roles. Melissa was appointed to her current post as Director for Individuals and Small Business Compliance in 2014. Before that she held the following posts:
Jul252017
John
Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, commenting on Government plans
to ban leaseholds on new-build houses, said:
“The
Government has known about and ignored the ground rents scandal for a long
time, allowing hard-working families to be ripped off under costly leasehold
agreements.
“Labour has said
for the last year that using leasehold to sell homes is unfair and unjustifiable.
And at the Election we said we’d end the routine use of leasehold ownership for
all new homes and cap charges on ‘ground rents’ to stop the scam.
“The Government’s
pledge is welcome but legislation is needed and this got no mention in last month’s
Queen’s Speech. Home-buyers need legislation to ensure the end of this
leasehold abuse, cap rip-off rises in ground rent and deal with existing
contracts that contain unfair buy-out clauses.
“Nearly half of all
newly-built properties were sold leasehold last year, and existing leaseholders
need stronger rights too.”
Jul252017
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Guest speakers carry out a conversation at the plenary session of the 2017 BRICS Youth Forum in Beijing on July 25. [Photo by Zhang Jiaqi/China.org.cn] |
The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum themed “Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth Development” kicked off in Beijing on July 25.
A total of 50 young delegates including politicians, experts, business leaders and students from the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) attended the three-day event hosted by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF).
Wang Hongyan, the vice president of ACYF, extended a warm welcome to the youth delegates from the BRICS countries at the opening ceremony. She called for expanding consensus, promoting innovation and increasing cooperation among the youth delegates of the BRICS countries so that the world can better hear the voice of the youth.
“The 2017 forum will continue to serve as a platform for the youth of the BRICS countries to facilitate communication and promote pragmatic cooperation,” she said.
Huang Yiyang, counselor of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the significance of the youth exchange mechanism of the BRICS countries.
“The youth exchange mechanism of the BRICS countries is brand new, which will enrich the connotations of BRICS exchanges and communication. The BRICS countries should work together to construct a more open world economy, strengthen cultural exchanges and promote effective mechanisms among the BRICS countries,” Huang said.
Sergio Suchodolski, director general of the Department of Strategy and Partnerships in the New Development Bank (NDB), spoke of the role of the youth in instituting new mechanisms. According to Suchodolski, the NDB will focus on hiring young and qualified professionals able to bring new ideas and challenge the status quo.
During the plenary session, Wu Zhicheng from the Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University delivered a keynote speech on the Belt and Road Initiative and youth development in the BRICS countries.
Wu emphasized the significance of the Belt and Road Initiative in promoting the construction and development of the BRICS countries, and listed possible challenges ahead. He suggested the youth of the BRICS countries take the initiative to contribute to the construction of the cultural exchange mechanism among the BRICS countries, and actively participate in the communication and exchange activities.
Over the coming two days, youth delegates will discuss three topics: key points and characteristics of BRICS youth policy, BRICS youth innovation and entrepreneurship, and BRICS youth participation in global governance. An action plan will also be worked on for the 2017 BRICS Youth Forum.
Further to group talks, the youth delegates will also visit a popular Chinese bike-sharing company, attend cultural activities, and visit the Great Wall and the Olympic Green.
Jul252017
Footprints left by a wild Siberian tiger have been discovered in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, further evidence of the species’s presence in the region.
Xu Jinxue, who lives in Zhenbaodao Township, in Heilongjiang’s Hulin City, stumbled upon the footprints when he was tending his paddy field, according to the local government.
“The footprints were larger than my palm and were shaped like those of cats,” Xu said. He took pictures of the prints and sent them to the local authority. The footprints were later identified by wildlife experts as belonging to the Siberian tiger.
“From the footprints we concluded that the tiger had been walking slowly and was quite heavy,” said Zhou Haixiang, with the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Program.
Evidence of wild Siberian tigers has been confirmed this year several times by Raohe County and Dongfanghong forestry bureau, close to Hulin, meaning it is highly possible that the big cats lives in the area. The footprints also prove that there are adults and cubs among the tigers.
China has strengthened ecological protection in recent years, resulting in the gradual increase of wildlife living in areas near the China-Russia border.
Siberian tigers are one of the world’s most endangered species. They predominantly live in northeast China and eastern Russia.
Heilongjiang has reported evidence of frequent activity by wild Siberian tigers in recent years. Local authorities said the province has witnessed a rise both in the population of wild tigers and their prey.
