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IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Cosatu warns One Stop Border Bill's silence on illegal migration and exports threatens jobs
The Oshoek border post. In a Time Release Study (TRS) conducted jointly by the South African Revenue Service and the Eswatini Revenue Service last year, the turnaround time for trucks exporting cargo to Eswatini at the Oshoek/Ngwenya port of entry in Mpumalanga had been reduced from 1 hour 42 minutes to just 10 minutes. Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers Cosatu has said the proposed One Stop Border Bill's silence on the uncontrolled explosion of illegal migration and exports flooding into South Africa threatens local jobs, businesses, value chains, and revenue needed to fund public services. This is as the federation also criticised the Department of Home Affairs' reneging on an agreement to table the Bill at Nedlac for engagement with social partners. In submissions to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on the One Stop Border Bill on Tuesday, Cosatu, along with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, raised concerns about the rampant corruption at various border posts. Cosatu Parliamentary spokesperson Matthew Parks said administrative areas of concern included the silence on specific roles of the Border Management Agency (BMA), South African Revenue Service (Sars), the South African Police Service, and the SA National Defence Force. Parks said the respective legislative mandates need to be affirmed, upheld, and stated clearly in the Bill to ensure attempts by the BMA to usurp the constitutional role of Sars or any other separate state institution are not allowed to happen, even by default, as well as to control corruption at the border posts. "We are worried by the impression created by the Bill that it seeks to fast-track the movement of goods at border posts. This may have the unintended consequence of telling Border Management Authority and Sars officials at the border posts to waive collecting customs due to the state. Collection of customs duties is not merely to ensure the state receives taxes due to it, but also to ensure tariffs put in place to protect fragile local industries, businesses, value chains, and jobs are enforced," Parks said. Parks warned that the government should not be in the business of undermining Nedlac, as it makes the life of stakeholders and parliamentarians easier when issues are presented with already agreed-upon resolutions. "There is real value in Nedlac. As Business and as Labour, we share many values about fixing the state capacity to provide quality public services that labour and businesses require, and economic growth is linked to this. We are having engagement at Nedlac to build that cohesive state and social partners to build those social compacts," Parks said. Cosatu also warned against expediting the process of opening up the country to goods and people without proper safeguards, citing the 1990s when the country opened its borders too quickly for goods, and hence a flood of Chinese T-shirts, goods, and clothes caused 100 000 job losses overnight. "If we struggle as a country to enforce controls at our borders, be it land, sea, or air, how much more the other countries? We had issues under the Southern African Customs Union that T-shirts are allegedly produced in Malawi, Eswatini, etc. We know, relatively or not, they are produced in China, but some local supplier within this country just sold a label that says 'Made in Eswatini,'" Parks said. In a Time Release Study (TRS) conducted jointly by Sars and the Eswatini Revenue Service last year, the turnaround time for trucks exporting cargo to Eswatini at the Oshoek/Ngwenya port of entry in Mpumalanga had been reduced from 1 hour 42 minutes to just 10 minutes, and the import of similar cargo has seen the time spent at the border slashed from 42 minutes to 10 minutes. The study helped identify bottlenecks that led to long delays at the border crossing, as plans were afoot to have a one-window experience for truck drivers processing freight. BUSINESS REPORT Visit:
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Senate advances $8.5 billion increase to public school funding
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Late on Thursday night, the Texas Senate advanced a heavily-amended version of House Bill 2 to a third reading, adding $8.5 billion in public school funding over the next two years. The agreement between the Senate and the House was announced to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, more than a month after HB 2 was initially passed on the same day the House passed Education Savings Accounts legislation. 'This historic funding focuses on what works: better-supported teachers, safer schools, and greater opportunities for every student to succeed,' State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said in a joint statement with seven other lawmakers. 'The majority of these funds go straight to the classroom—not bureaucracy—ensuring student success drives every decision. HB 2 also strengthens school operations and provides districts with the resources they need to balance their budgets in the long term. The plan reflects our Texas values: empowering educators, investing in students, and securing the future of our state's economy.' According to a release from Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, the $8.5 billion is broken down into several subcategories rather than investing a large increase in the basic allotment. The updated HB 2 establishes an 'Allotment for Basic Costs' (ABC), which districts can use for expenses such as insurance, utilities and teacher retirement system (TRS) contributions. $1.3 billion will go to the new ABC. Additionally, $850 million will go to 'overhaul special education,' and $430 million will go towards school safety. A key amendment added to the initial version of HB 2, which establishes a fully funded full-day pre-K program, was also included in the final compromise. 'If the Legislature were to pass just one of the major components in HB 2—be it record-setting teacher pay raises, full-day pre-K, or a long-overdue overhaul of special education—that would be a transformative victory in its own right,' State Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, said. Bernal authored the full-day pre-K amendment in the House. 'But HB 2 delivers all of these reforms and more, and when taken together, they represent a truly landmark achievement for Texas public education,' Bernal said. One of Gov. Greg Abbott's seven emergency items at the beginning of the session was to increase teacher pay. The updated version of HB 2 sets aside $4.2 billion for permanent teacher and staff pay raises. The permanent raises come for teachers with over three years of experience, with an additional raise for those with over five years experience. In addition, HB 2 grows the Teacher Incentive Allotment program, expanding it to more teachers across the state. Lastly, the bill allows for up to an $8,000 bonus for rural teachers. ''This agreement represents a historic breakthrough for rural Texas—for far too long, small and mid-size districts have been asked to do more with less, and HB 2 directly responds to those challenges,' State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, wrote. 'This bill will put rural Texas schools on stronger footing than ever before.' While the bill garnered praise from both sides of the aisle, not everyone shares the enthusiasm. 'This was a backroom deal. Members of the legislature in the House and in the Senate weren't involved in the creation of this new version of the school finance bill,' State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, said. Talarico is a member of the House Public Education committee and a former classroom teacher. 'It angers me, because I came here to represent my constituents. I work with 150 members of the legislature who also are here to represent their constituents, and the fact that members of the House didn't get an opportunity to craft the details of this bill is an outrage.' Like most, Talarico had only been able to see the details as laid out by Burrow's staff. He took issue with the bill taking funds from the basic allotment and moving them to allotments with less flexibility. 'I think the state legislature is acting like the school board of Texas. They're trying to micromanage our local school communities across the state,' he said. 'The only way that we can keep schools open and that we can increase student performance is if we allow local communities to do the job that we're asking them to do without the state looking over their shoulders and micromanaging everything they do.' Talarico also has issues with the raw amount of new funding coming in, especially after the state dedicated $1 billion to ESAs — a program assisting families with private school tuition — earlier this session. 'This school finance package doesn't even catch us up to 2019 funding levels. We've had six years of rampant inflation,' he said. 'Most of our teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years, and within this package, those are the teachers who are getting the smaller pay raises — if they're getting any at all. Teachers who are under three years don't get any pay raise at all. We have a $24 billion budget surplus in this state. We have enough money to give an across-the-board teacher pay raise to every educator in our state and the Republican leaders in this Capitol refusing to do so. So this package is inadequate to the crisis that we face.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Expro Secures Multi-Year TRS Contracts With Leading Super-Major Operators in the Gulf of America
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expro (NYSE: XPRO) has been awarded multi-year Tubular Running Services (TRS) contracts by two leading Super-Major operators in the Gulf of America, covering both deepwater drill ships and platform rigs. Collectively valued at over $80 million, these contract awards integrate some of Expro's most advanced technologies, including the E&P Special Meritorious award-winning Centri-FI TM platform. Centri-FI TM serves as the operational hub, designed to drive efficiencies through personnel reduction, eliminating red zone entries, and enhancing repeatability to optimize performance. In collaboration with these operators, Expro will also further deploy its Rig Integration 'Driller's Control' Package, iTong TM, and cutting-edge completions technologies - critical components in supporting upcoming developments throughout the contract duration, including 20K developments demanding the industry's highest caliber technologies. These agreements underscore Expro's commitment to delivering innovative, high-performance solutions that drive safety, efficiency, and operational excellence in complex offshore environments. Jeremy Angelle, Vice President of Well Construction, of US-based Expro, said: 'Securing these long-term contracts with two of the world's leading operators highlights the trust placed in Expro to deliver innovative and reliable solutions in the most demanding offshore environments. 'Our advanced technologies – including Centri-FI TM and iTong TM – are helping reshape what's possible in tubular running services, enhancing safety, reducing personnel exposure, and driving consistent performance. We're proud to continue supporting these critical developments and remain committed to advancing operational excellence in the Gulf of America.' Notes to Editors: Expro Working for clients across the well life cycle, Expro is a leading provider of energy services, offering cost-effective, innovative solutions and what the Company considers to be best-in-class safety and service quality. The Company's extensive portfolio of capabilities spans well construction, well flow management, subsea well access, and well intervention and integrity solutions. With roots dating to 1938, Expro has approximately 8,500 employees and provides services and solutions to leading exploration and production companies in both onshore and offshore environments in more than 50 countries. For more information, please visit and connect with Expro on Twitter @ExproGroup and LinkedIn @Expro. This press release, and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company, may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the success and safety of the Company's tubular running services technologies, the Company's environmental, social and governance goals, targets and initiatives, and future growth, and are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "outlook," "estimate," "expect," "project," "believe," "envision," "goal," "target," "can," "will," and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company's expectations and judgments and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. The factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ include, among others the risk factors identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, historical practice, or otherwise.
News18
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
'Control Yourself, Not Others': Ranveer Allahbadia Says One Doesn't Have Time To 'Fix' Others
Last Updated: Renowned YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia shares his life mantra: "Control Yourself, Not Others." Renowned YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia has shared his latest life mantra- Control Yourself, Not Others. Allahbadia believes that there is no point in getting angry or trying to correct someone if they do not act according to your expectations. His latest Instagram post read, 'Ever Felt Frustrated Because People Don't Act the Way They Should? Maybe they're rude, unreliable, or just straight-up annoying. You try to fix them, correct them, or get angry at them-but what happens? Nothing." The podcaster said that people tend to get frustrated when things do not go their way. 'It's human tendency to that we want things to go our way. We want people to act the way we think is right. When they don't, we get frustrated. They will be who they are. They will make mistakes. They will disappoint. That's their business," Allahbadia wrote. He shared that the most crucial thing is how one reacts to such a situation, as our emotion is the only thing within our control. 'But what about you? How do you respond? That's what really matters. If someone is being difficult, let them. If someone is being unfair, let them. You hold yourself to a higher standard. You control your emotions, your reactions, your energy. Weakness is letting others decide how you feel. Strength is choosing for yourself," Allahbadia penned. He concluded by saying that the most imperative thing is to focus on yourself and not others. 'At the end of the day, you don't have time to fix others. You have enough work to do on yourself. Keep that focus, and life gets lighter. Control Yourself, Not Others." Allahbadia also dropped a soothing picture of himself relaxing on a huge stone with his eyes closed, while a river flowed next to him. Back in March this year, Allahbadia made a comeback on his podcast channel, TRS, more than a month after the infamous 'India's Got Latent' show controversy. First Published:
Mint
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Pahalgam attack terrorists WANTED! Those who help J&K police find culprits will get ₹20 lakh reward, posters emerge
Posters have been put up in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, seeking help from locals in finding the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists. The posters informed locals that the Jammu and Kashmir police have announced a ₹ 20 lakh reward for those providing information about terrorists involved in the deadly attack The poster reads: 'Wanted terrorists; Please help find the culprits behind the murder of innocents. A prize of ₹ 20 lakhs. [roughly translated from Urdu].' At least 26 people were killed after a group of terrorists opened fire at tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's tourist spot Pahalgam on April 22. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said a group called the Resistance Front (TRS) claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran. This group is said to be an off-shoot of terror group Lashkar-e Taiba. Misri alleged that Pakistan links were established in this attack. Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, 'The barbarism that terrorists have shown has shaken the country and the world.' 'Those innocent people who were celebrating the leaves were killed in front of their families, after being asked about their religion,' PM Modi said. PM Modi said the forces had been given full freedom to wipe out terrorists. In retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7. Under 'Operation Sindoor', the Indian armed forces targeted nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India's Ministry of Defence said that the operation was a direct response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen and injured several others.
