Latest news with #infrastructure
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- General
- BBC News
Neighbours raise concerns over planned Jersey sewage tank
Jersey's government has given the go-ahead for a large underground sewage and storm water storage tank on farmland in the west of the underground container is due take 18 months to complete, with work expected to start in and Environment, which is in charge of the project, said new homes could not be built and the existing waste and water system was at risk of failing without the expressed concern deep underground work could destabilise homes while noise and odours from the tank would be unpleasant. Duncan Berry, from Infrastructure and Environment, said: "This is a pinch point, and with climate change, and if we put more houses on, it means that is a point where we will get more flooding."If we get high flows during heavy rainfall, it will come out on to the roads [and] sewers will surcharge."It will ultimately mean that people cannot flush their toilets in the area."He said it was unlikely waste stored in the tank would cause unpleasant odours because it would be transferred to treatment works storage tank would not use the whole site and the rest of the field would be returned to local farmers, he added. Twenty residents co-signed a statement explaining why they were not happy with the plans. Guy Thompson said residents could have been better informed about what was planned."We understand that for the benefit of Jersey as a whole, these tanks need to go in places, but our argument as residents here is, why do they have to go in a field that is so close to people's houses?"They are going to have to drill down 25 to 30 metres deep in order to put these tanks in and, on top of that, they have not been able to show us exactly how it is going to look or what is going to happen."We do not really understand why it has been chosen here. "We really do not believe that other sites have been considered properly." 'Big concern' Carol Gay, whose home overlooks the site, said she was worried about what the development would involve."We are concerned about the fact it is going underground, 24 metres, if not more," she said."This is a big development that is quite a big concern."Not knowing how it is being built, who is building it or anything like that."I think we need to have a lot more input in this." Mr Berry said the sewerage and water system had suffered from significant underinvestment and, without the storage tank, affordable homes could not be Bridging Island Plan, which sets out how best to meet the island's housing needs, strengthen the economy and protect the environment, earmarked several fields in the west of the island to build between 217 and 277 affordable homes.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Micheál Martin and Paschal Donohoe are responsible for this Government's lethargy
The Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance are the key members of this Government, but they are hardly its driving force. These dynamics matter because we have a Government with power but so far neither the will nor the cohesion to deliver. All the while the world is changing rapidly and our exposure to events is growing. Micheál Martin scooped the entire electoral dividend available to the two Government parties in the last election. He has complete mastery over Fianna Fáil , but having arrived where he wanted to be over decades, he now seems unable to exercise power effectively. Paschal Donohoe is the principal Fine Gael presence in Cabinet by default. He is the crutch his leader Simon Harris reached for in a disastrous election campaign. He is indispensable in a diminished Fine Gael , yet he seems unable to exert the fiscal discipline and effective delivery of infrastructure the country needs. READ MORE Harris was permanently damaged by that election campaign and he still confuses creating distraction with effective action. Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has a claim to consideration as a force at the centre of Government. It is too soon to say for sure, but nothing yet indicates he is. The annual National Economic Dialogue on Monday offered a good analysis of the challenges we face . Tariffs and the fragmentation of the global trading system could have far-reaching consequences for the Irish economy. Foreign-owned multinationals account for 84 per cent of corporation tax revenue and around half of income tax and VAT paid by all companies in Ireland. The narrowness of our tax base means that €9 in every €10 received last year came from income tax, corporation tax and VAT. Unlike other rich countries, , we don't do any other taxes on property or wealth in scale sufficient to make a real contribution or to provide a cushion in a downturn. That is a mistake we have made before and will regret again. Worse, this Government has shrunk our domestic tax base further. In 2019, 30 per cent of income earners did not pay income tax or USC. This year that is expected to rise to 33 per cent. This would not pass for prudence in Las Vegas. In the meantime the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council estimates that Ireland's infrastructure is 25 per cent lower than average for a high-income European country. Inadequacies in water supply, sewerage and the electricity grid are barriers to building homes. Government spending more than doubled in a decade. This year spending is rapidly outpacing what was provided for in the budget last October and, oddly, the Department of Public Expenditure is not publishing monthly expenditure reports. Opening the National Economic Dialogue, the Taoiseach warned of 'unprecedented challenges', called for 'courage and ambition' and said we must prepare by 'controlling the controllables'. But what is out of control is under his authority. This is the cumulation of a decade-long, ongoing spending splurge and the failure to reform or lead the public sector. Donohoe is the continuous thread in the decline of purpose in our economic management, which, aside from our response to Covid-19, characterises that time. He accommodated skilfully under three party leaders and made the improbable plausible at a cost to the country. He seems unwilling and unavailable to engage in the combat required for cultural change and fiscal discipline in a system he too seldom challenged. In contrast to Donohoe, whose highest promotion may still be ahead, politically this is the moment of maximum Micheál Martin. Apart from 10 days in January 2011 after he resigned from Brian Cowen's cabinet and before he became leader of Fianna Fáil, he has been on his party's front bench for 30 years, its leader for 14 and in government for 19 in all. He has served his ambition by laying off risk rather than taking it on. Constantly frustrated by the system he presides over, he is also unwilling to take it on. His department is no longer the control room of that wider system which openly disparages the departments of Public Expenditure and Housing as institutionally inadequate. But the Taoiseach will not take control. Off-laying responsibility rather than taking on risk is his preferred route, Ministers – not the Taoiseach – are made to be collateral damage. By dint of dysfunction, we have an asymmetrical power structure in Government that intensifies the limitations of its principals. There are pockets of energy in departments such as Health, Justice, Higher Education and Enterprise. But as a whole, it is characterised by lethargy. Watching each other is preferred to working together. Our best hope is that another crisis might provoke an adequate response.
Zawya
an hour ago
- Business
- Zawya
SaturnX closes $3mln funding round to expand in Southeast Asia
UAE – SaturnX has raised $3 million in seed funding, led by White Star Capital with participation from institutional investors, according to a press release. The funding will support the UAE-based infrastructure provider's expansion into Southeast Asian corridors, such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This is in addition to improving regulatory compliance and building out its enterprise-grade API platform to meet rising demand for digital dollar transfers in emerging markets. Established in 2024, SaturnX is a stablecoin payments infrastructure company that acts as an API layer for business-to-business (B2B) money transmitters and financial platforms. The platform serves as a behind-the-scenes API layer for B2B money transmitters, corporates and financial platforms. In just five months of operation, the company has already processed over $250 million in transaction volume while maintaining profitability. Mirnas Brescic, CEO and Founder of SaturnX, commented: "Our vision is to connect the worlds of decentralized and traditional finance with infrastructure that brings the benefits of stablecoins to everyday financial use cases." "Despite considerable progress, cross-border payments are still expensive and slow. By offering a faster, cheaper, and programmable alternative, we are helping financial partners unlock better ways to move money, starting with the world's largest remittance corridors,' Brescic added. With more than $600 billion in global annual remittance flows and rising demand for digital dollars in emerging markets, SaturnX is set to become a critical backend provider for the future of borderless payments.
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
World Bank projects Qatar's economy to grow at an average of 6.5% in 2026-2027
Riyadh: The World Bank projected that the economic growth in the State of Qatar is to remain stable at 2.4% in 2025, before accelerating to an average of 6.5% in 2026-2027 due to the expansion of LNG capacity. These improved prospects are supported by strong non-hydrocarbon growth, particularly in education, tourism, and services, the World Bank said in its report "Gulf Economic Update." The hydrocarbon sector is expected to growth timidly in 2025 (0.9%), before undergoing a significant boost in 2026 thanks to the North Field LNG expansion coming online, supporting a 40% rise in LNG output. Non-hydrocarbon growth is expected to remain robust thanks to infrastructure upgrades and international investments, the report said. "Economic growth across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is projected to increase in the medium-term to 3.2% in 2025 and 4.50% in 2026. This growth is likely to be driven by the expected rollback of OPEC+ oil production cuts and robust expansion of non-oil sectors," according to the report. According to the latest edition of the report, regional growth was 1.7% in 2024 - an improvement from 0.3% in 2023. The non-hydrocarbon sector remained resilient, expanding by 3.7% - largely fueled by private consumption, investment, and structural reforms across the GCC. At the same time, global trade uncertainty presents challenges, as a global economic slowdown remains a key downside risk for the region. To mitigate these risks, GCC countries need to accelerate economic diversification reforms and strengthen regional trade. "The resilience of GCC countries in navigating global uncertainties while advancing economic diversification underscores their strong commitment to long-term prosperity," Division Director for the GCC countries at the World Bank Safaa El Tayeb El-Kogali said. "Strategic fiscal policies, targeted investments, and a strong focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation for youth are essential to sustaining growth and stability," she added. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NEC Indonesia Introduces Integrated Command Control Centre for Industrial Estate at the 9th HKI National Conference 2025
JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NEC Indonesia is participating in the 9th National Conference (Munas IX) of the Industrial Estates Association of Indonesia (HKI), held on 17–21 June, 2025, at JS Luwansa Hotel, Jakarta. During this national forum, NEC Indonesia is introducing Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) for Industrial Estate. NEC ICCC for Industrial Estate is designed to address the challenges of aging infrastructure, which has become a key concern in the development of industrial estates across Indonesia. As a wave of industrial relocation to Southeast Asia continues, Indonesia's industrial zones are in a strategic position to seize this opportunity. However, Indonesia's industrial estates still need to improve to meet the demands of manufacturing sectors such as automotive, machinery, and electronics, which require modern and integrated infrastructure. Joji Yamamoto, President Director of NEC Indonesia, stated,"NEC ICCC for Industrial Estate was developed to address these challenges by enabling Indonesian industrial estates to gradually upgrade their operations through data-driven management and monitoring. With the adoption of this system, industrial estates will be better prepared to integrate into the global supply chain, which demands speed, efficiency, and responsiveness. We are eager to have insightful conversations at the HKI National Conference, as we work together to create what's ahead for industrial estate transformation in Indonesia." As part of its participation in Munas IX HKI, NEC Indonesia is also showcasing its leading smart city and city operations center solutions. Visitors and industry stakeholders can experience firsthand how NEC's trusted technology can be implemented in managing modern industrial estates—from sensor data integration and real-time monitoring to predictive and simulation systems that support faster and smarter decision-making. NEC ICCC for Industrial Estate works by integrating data from various vertical services such as CCTV Security Monitoring with Video Analysis to identify unusual activities such as demonstration, fighting, illegal parking, and others. NEC ICCC also offers services such as Smart Water to monitor drainage and purification facility, Security Monitoring, Disaster Monitoring, and Underground Monitoring that utilize digital twin technology to display various infrastructures embedded underground. The system not only monitors data in real-time but also analyzes it comprehensively to deliver actionable insights. With this holistic approach, industrial estates can improve operational responsiveness, anticipate potential disruptions, and design more efficient, flexible, and cost-effective scenario simulations. NEC Indonesia's participation is part of the 9th HKI National Conference, which also marks the 37th anniversary of HKI. Held once every four years, this event serves as an important platform to strengthen collaboration between industry players and stakeholders, including the private sector, in accelerating the transformation of industrial estates to become more innovative and sustainable. ***** About PT NEC Indonesia NEC first established its representative office in Jakarta in 1968. To this day, PT NEC Indonesia continues to play an important role in providing innovative ICT solutions to promote safety, security, and improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. As a leading provider of information and communication technology, PT NEC Indonesia provides world-class services and technology including telecommunications networks, biometric identification, intelligent solutions for Banks and other Financial Services, Public Transportation and Logistics, Manufacturing, Smart City, as well as government applications and infrastructure and business enterprises to support the digital transformation journey. For more information, visit us at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE PT. NEC Indonesia
