Latest news with #OEP
Business Recorder
21-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
First half of 2025: 336,999 Pakistanis went abroad for employment: ministry
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has preceded around 336,999 Pakistanis abroad for employment from January 1 to June 30, through the Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment (BIOE). The number of foreign job seekers is also increasing day by day due to the productive policies of the country as new ways of jobs opening for skilled and unskilled Pakistani workers. An official source of BIOE told APP on Sunday that since inception of the Bureau in the year 1971; more than 10 million emigrants have been provided overseas employment duly registered with the Bureau. To a question, he said that during the year 2015, the highest number of Pakistanis (946,571) proceeded abroad for the purpose of employment. He said that so far, 116,300 foreign jobs were available with BIOE Overseas employment was playing a vital role in reducing the pressure of unemployment at home, besides being a major means of earning foreign exchange in the shape of overseas workers' remittances. The Board is thus serving as the mainstay for the national economy, by providing much-needed financial outlay for debt servicing, import bills, alleviation of poverty, development projects and economic activities. The Bureau, being a regulatory body, controls, regulates, facilitates and monitors the emigration process followed by the Overseas Employment Promoters (OEPs), in the private sector, besides 'direct employment, the mode adopted by the individuals, to seek foreign employment either through their own efforts or relatives and friends living abroad. The foremost task of Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment encompass collection, compilation and tabulation of emigration data of all those Pakistanis who proceed abroad for employment purpose. In fact, the Bureau has been engaged in maintaining comprehensive statistical record of all the migrant workers since 1971, which provides basis for planning and policy formulation by the Economic Division and other interested government departments. He said that the main function of this body was to control and regulate emigration under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979 and promote Emigration of Pakistani Citizens. It was the function of the Bureau to look after the interest and welfare of the emigrants and advise the Federal Government on emigration policies and procedures, Monitoring and supervision of Overseas Employment Promoters through 7 Protectorates of Emigrants Offices, Processing of Overseas Employment Promoters (OEP) Licences Pre-departure briefing to Emigrants. Mandatory Insurance coverage to Pakistanis workers abroad and Memorandum of Understating with Foreign Countries for Export of Manpower and Management of State Life Emigrants Insurance Fund (SLEIF).
Pink Villa
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
TXT's Yeonjun, ENHYPEN's Jungwon among 13 HYBE artists to join The Recording Academy in 2025: Full LIST
On July 9, HYBE LABELS celebrated a milestone as 13 of its artists received invitations to join The Recording Academy's class of 2025, as announced by the organization. The academy announced the addition of nearly 3,600 new members to its 2025 class. The inclusion of HYBE's artists in this esteemed group highlights their growing recognition within the music industry. Which HYBE artists have been invited to join the American Recording Academy this year? The HYBE artists who received invitations to be part of the Recording Academy in 2025 are as follows: LE SSERAFIM's Huh Yunjin: Her musical talent earned her a spot among the academy's new class. TXT's Yeonjun: Often dubbed the 4th-generation IT boy, this TOMORROW X TOGETHER member is a representative of the new generation of K-pop. ENHYPEN's Jungwon: This talented artist is the youngest male K-pop idol to be invited to join the academy, at just 21 years of age. SEVENTEEN's Woozi and Vernon: Both members demonstrated their artistic prowess, with each having over 100 song credits to their names. Additionally, they are also full members of KOMCA. KATSEYE: The entire group, comprising six members, was invited, recognizing their rising fame in the global music sphere. Zico and Bumzu: These HYBE singer-songwriters also received invitations, further highlighting HYBE's diverse talent pool. Besides the 13 HYBE singers, 3 of the agency's music producers — Slow Rabbit, Supreme Boi, and Wonderkid — also received an invitation from the American Recording Academy. What benefits do artists receive upon becoming American Recording Academy members? As members of The Recording Academy, the artists will have opportunities for growth, networking, and contributing to the future of the music industry. The invitation of the 16 HYBE artists not only honors their musical contribution but also reflects the management company's commitment to nurturing exceptional talent. To participate in the Online Entry Process (OEP) for the upcoming GRAMMY Awards, the invitees are required to accept the invitation by July 31. Members can utilize OEP to submit their recordings, music videos, and other eligible materials for consideration for a GRAMMY Award. Notably, the high-profile HYBE boy band BTS was also invited to join the academy in 2019.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labour MPs poised to rebel over planning bill amid concerns for nature
Labour MPs are planning to rebel over the planning and infrastructure bill after constituents raised concern that it threatens protected habitats and wildlife. The Guardian understands that about two dozen Labour MPs are calling for ministers to force developers to build more than a million homes for which they already have planning permission before pushing through legislation that rolls back environmental protections for the most protected habitats in England. Ministers are understood to be drawing up amendments to the most controversial part of the bill, part three, in an apparent scramble to head off a rebellion and quell the anger of respected wildlife groups, whose membership is many millions strong. Sources close to the discussions said there were red lines that could not be crossed to make sure nature was protected. Related: Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill Alexa Culver, an environmental lawyer with RSK Wilding, said ministers were expected soon to present 'appeasement' amendments on part three so they could claim the legislation was not regressive. She said: 'We should assume that ministers won't have sought the advice of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) on these amendments. I urge us all to call for a further legal opinion from the OEP so that misleading ministerial statements aren't allowed to stay in circulation for too long.' The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that three separate legal opinions – including the OEP's – say the bill rolls back environmental protections, including for more than 5,000 of the most sensitive, rare and protected habitats in England, leaving them vulnerable to destruction. Wildlife charities are calling on the government to scrap part three and redraw the bill when it returns to parliament on Monday. Beccy Speight, the chief executive of the RSPB, said: 'The government must stop portraying this planning bill as a win-win for nature and economic growth. It is not. A thriving natural world is essential to underpin both growth and a resilient future. It's not too late for the government to address the issues with part three of the bill, and put forward legislation that can actually deliver economic growth and restore nature at scale.' Property developers have yet to build 1.4m homes for which they have planning permission. In a tactic known as landbanking, developers hold land with planning permission to secure higher values, according to recent research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Chris Hinchliff, the Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, said that rather than pushing through a bill that allowed developers to pay to sidestep environmental protections, ministers should force developers to start building the homes they already had permission for. Hinchliff has submitted a number of amendments to the bill aiming to strengthen protections for nature. He said: 'This legislation strips back environmental protections and local democracy but does nothing to stop developers drip-feeding developments to inflate prices. The planning system consistently approves more homes than get built. The bottleneck isn't simply process, it's profit.' The rebel backbenchers are working with the Green party and the Liberal Democrats to form a large group that hopes to scupper part three of the bill, which they say is the most damaging, when the legislation comes to parliament next week. Part three allows developers to sidestep environmental obligations by paying into a nature restoration fund, for environmental improvements elsewhere at a later date. Related: Destroying our natural wealth makes us poorer in every sense of the word The planning and infrastructure bill is central to the government's growth strategy, with a target to build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament to address the UK's housing affordability crisis and drive economic growth. Ministers announced recently that they were consulting on a range of measures to get developers building, including considering a use-it-or-lose-it policy, which was recommended by the IPPR in its report in February. IPPR research shows that planning rules have been loosened over the past two decades but building rates have decreased during that time. Hinchliff said there should a fresh approach to deal with underperforming developers. 'I've proposed financial penalties for developers who don't build as promised, and new powers for councils to block developments from firms which repeatedly land bank,' he said. Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, said: 'Ensuring that homes with planning permission get built in a timely manner is part of the solution to our housing needs. There's a housing shortage in the country, which is costing local councils and the government huge sums of money in emergency and temporary accommodation, and the dream of home ownership remains out of reach for many. Tackling landbanking needs to form part of the government's focus to bring about the change needed.' Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at IPPR, said: 'Developers are not deliberately building slowly to stymie housebuilding, but they are not going to build at a rate that will reduce house prices – it's not in their interest to do this, and indeed they have legal obligations to shareholders that would prevent this. There might be a case to explore whether giving local authorities the power to apply a 'use it or lose it' approach to planning permission would speed up delivery.'
Agriland
09-06-2025
- General
- Agriland
DAERA ‘may have' failed to comply with law to protect wild birds
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found possible failures to comply with environmental law by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in relation to the protection of wild birds. In March 2024, the OEP launched an investigation into possible failures to implement recommendations by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), on the classification of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) on land, and in respect of their general duties to protect and maintain wild bird populations. Following the investigation, the OEP concluded that there may have been failures to comply with environmental law, and issued DAERA with an information notice setting out the details of its findings. According to the OEP, DAERA has two months to respond to the notice. The OEP said it will consider the response before deciding the next steps. The chief regulatory officer for the OEP, Helen Venn said: 'Government has a legal obligation to maintain populations of wild birds and ensure they have enough suitable habitat. 'One way in which they do this is through SPAs, which are legally designated sites that protect rare and threatened wild birds, such as whooper swans, puffins, and light-bellied brent geese. 'They are internationally important areas for breeding, overwintering, and migrating birds, and have also been shown to deliver positive outcomes for wider biodiversity,' Venn explained. Wild birds According to the OEP, populations of wild birds continue to decline across Northern Ireland, with recent studies placing a quarter of birds found on the island of Ireland on the birds of conservation concern red list. Venn said: 'There has been constructive engagement during our investigation with DAERA and note that some positive steps are being taken in these areas. 'However, our investigation has found what we believe to be possible failures to comply with environmental law by DAERA relating to the protection of wild birds.' 'We have therefore decided to move to the next step in our enforcement process, which is to issue an information notice setting out our findings,' Venn added.
The Independent
09-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Government may have failed to comply with law on protecting birds
The Environment Department (Defra) and its advisers Natural England may have failed to comply with laws relating to the protection of wild birds, a watchdog has found. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) said Environment Secretary Steve Reed and Natural England could have failed to implement the recommendations of several conservation bodies to strengthen measures to safeguard bird species. The Government has a legal obligation to maintain populations of wild birds and ensure they have enough suitable habitats. One way in which they can do this is through special protection areas (SPAs), which are legally designated sites that protect rare or threatened birds, as well as migratory birds. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), which advises ministers on nature and sustainability, as well as other conservation public bodies, previously provided several recommendations to the Government on the classification and adaptation SPAs on land. But following an investigation launched last year, the OEP said the Government may have failed to implement the recommendations and comply with its legal duties to protect wild birds. The watchdog announced on Monday that it has notified both Defra and Natural England with the details of its finding, adding that each public authority has two months to respond before it considers the next steps. Helen Venn, chief regulatory officer for the OEP, said SPAs are 'internationally important areas for breeding, overwintering, and migrating birds' that should play an important role in efforts to reach nature goals and legally binding targets to halt the decline of species abundance. But she warned that wild bird populations 'continue to decline across England'. 'There has been constructive engagement during our investigation with Defra and Natural England and note that some positive steps are being taken in these areas,' she said. 'However, our investigation has found what we believe to be possible failures to comply with environmental law relating to the protection of wild birds and we have therefore decided to move to the next step in our enforcement process, which is to issue information notices setting out our findings.' When the investigation was launched, the OEP said it would also consider whether the same issues applied in the marine environment. The watchdog concluded that there has been a possible failure by the Environment Secretary to comply with environmental law relating to the classification of marine SPAs, so this has been added to the scope of the investigation. A parallel investigation is looking at the same issues relating to Northern Ireland, while Environmental Standards Scotland and the Interim Environmental Protection Assessor for Wales have also been considering SPA issues. A Defra spokesperson said: ' Britain is a proud nation of nature lovers, and we are taking bold action to reverse decades of decline. 'This includes £13 million to improve our protected sites and better strategic approaches to restore native species and habitats. 'We will continue to work constructively with the OEP as they take forward this investigation' John Holmes, strategy director at Natural England, said: 'Protected sites, including special protection areas, are our most important places for nature and vital for achieving nature recovery. 'We remain committed to protecting and enhancing habitats for wild birds across England and will engage constructively with the OEP throughout this process.'
