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  • MIL-OSI Russia: China, EU should expand trade, investment ties to cope with external uncertainty: Chinese Premier

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday called on China and the European Union to expand trade and investment ties to enhance the resilience and vitality of both sides’ economies and better cope with external uncertainties.

    Li Qiang made the announcement at a China-EU entrepreneurs’ symposium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, which was also attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

    Speaking to about 60 business leaders, Li Qiang stressed that cooperation is the only right choice for China and the EU, noting that the bilateral trade and economic cooperation has shown strong internal vigor in the half-century since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

    Facing rising protectionism and unilateralism, China and Europe can become a bulwark of stability for economic globalization and international supply chains by advocating free trade and multilateralism and engaging in closer economic and trade cooperation, the premier said.

    Li Qiang proposed that both sides focus on areas such as trade in services, scientific and technological innovation, green economy and cooperation with third parties, building a relationship of healthy competition and cooperation.

    He called on enterprises from both sides to adhere to an open attitude, closely align their needs and deepen cooperation in areas such as industrial investment, market expansion and joint research and development.

    The Chinese leader assured that China will continue to expand high-level opening-up, shorten the negative list for foreign investment, strengthen intellectual property protection and ensure fair competition.

    “We invite more European enterprises to invest in China and develop in an all-round way in China,” Li Qiang said, calling on the EU in turn to provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Europe.

    W. von der Leyen, for her part, noted that China is not only a major industrial power, but also achieves outstanding results in the field of innovation.

    According to her, the European Union hopes to take advantage of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations to deepen a long-term, stable and mutually beneficial partnership with China.

    She pointed out that the EU intends to strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as trade and investment, jointly promote the stability of industrial and supply chains, properly resolve differences and create a favorable environment for cooperation and business.

    The EU has no intention of cutting ties with China and welcomes investment and activities by Chinese companies in Europe, the head of the European Commission added. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rangatahi to lead negotiations in international climate meeting simulation – Save the Children

    Source: Save the Children

    Kiwi young people will tomorrow come together to negotiate climate policy, find solutions and create a statement for climate action during Aotearoa Youth COP, New Zealand’s youth-led national simulation event of the UN’s international climate meeting.
    Held at Auckland University, around 200 young people aged between 14 and 30 (more than half under 18) have registered to attend the simulation of the UN’s annual climate meeting, to be held later this year in Belém, Brazil.
    The event – supported by Save the Children, Youth Climate Collective and Ngā Ara Whetū (Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society) – builds on last year’s first-ever COP simulation event, with interactive workshops, climate policy negotiations and debates on some of the most pressing issues facing youth today. The event will also include a panel discussion and talk from British High Commission’s Lead Climate Change Advisor Rick Zwaan.
    Participants will take on roles representing different groups, from journalists to policy makers, indigenous communities to NGOs. Working in teams, they will create, debate and negotiate agreements, like real global leaders, with each session designed to build leadership, negotiation, systems thinking and collaboration skills in a supportive and action-focused environment.
    At the end of the day, the insights and policies developed will be collated into an Aotearoa Youth Climate Statement , which will be delivered to the New Zealand Government and presented at COP30 in Brazil by a delegation of young leaders.
    Save the Children Generation Hope youth ambassador Lily, 15, says she is most looking forward to seeing how rangatahi reflect on climate change and the impact they can have on it.
    “Events like this give rangatahi like me a voice, an opportunity to discuss how we believe we can solve a collective problem without judgement or difficulty. I think, as rangatahi, we have the right to be at the forefront of discussions on climate change.
    “We may not be the past, but we are the present and future, and the outcome of what we do now will impact us and future generations to come.”
    Save the Children New Zealand CEO Heather Campbell says this week’s landmark ICJ advisory opinion, which acknowledges the impacts of climate change on children and young people, gives voice to the millions of children at the forefront of the climate crisis – and offers hope for greater climate action.
    “The climate crisis is a children’s rights crisis. Children, particularly those affected by inequality and discrimination, bear the brunt of climate change impacts, despite being least responsible.
    “It was Pacific youth leaders who began this fight for climate justice and took it to the highest court in the world, which shows the power of young people to implement their ideas for a better future. Children want and deserve to be heard. Their voices matter.”
    About Save the Children NZ:
    Save the Children works in 110 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
    Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI New York Statement on the Sentencing of Disheem Laquan Riley

    Source: US FBI

    Earlier today in federal court in the Eastern District of New York, Disheem Laquan Riley was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised release for making threats and conveying false information about explosives. On January 30 and 31, 2024, Riley made hoax bomb threat phone calls to 17 FBI offices across the country, alleging a bomb had been placed outside each respective FBI office.

    Special agents and task force officers from the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force located and arrested Riley on January 31, 2024. Riley ultimately pled guilty to the indictment filed against him.

    “Critical federal law enforcement resources were diverted to mitigate Riley’s hoax threats, and he has been justly sentenced for his targeting of FBI field offices across the country. The FBI takes all bomb threats made against our facilities seriously. Anyone found responsible for making these types of threats will face real punishment in the criminal justice system,” said Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia from the FBI’s field office in New York.

    FBI New York thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the New York City Police Department, and the FBI offices across the country for their assistance on the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Gaza: MSF finds 1 in 4 young children and pregnant women malnourished as Israel’s policy of starvation continues

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

    Gaza Strip: Israeli authorities’ deliberate use of starvation as a weapon in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels, with patients and healthcare workers themselves now fighting to survive, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns.

    MSF staff are receiving an increasing number of malnourished patients at our clinics, while they themselves struggle to find sufficient food. Across screenings of children aged six months to five years old and pregnant and breastfeeding women, at MSF facilities last week, 25 per cent were malnourished. At the MSF clinic in Gaza City, the number of people enrolled for malnutrition has quadrupled since 18 May, while rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled in the last two weeks alone.

    This is not just hunger – it’s deliberate starvation, manufactured by the Israeli authorities. The weaponisation of food to exert pressure on a civilian population must not be normalised. Israeli authorities must allow food and aid supplies into Gaza at scale.

    “We see the dire consequences of these shortages in Gaza on a daily basis in our clinic,” says Caroline Willemen, project coordinator at the MSF clinic in Gaza City. “We are now enrolling 25 new patients every single day for malnutrition. We see the exhaustion and the hunger in our own colleagues.”

     Meanwhile, hundreds of people seeking desperately needed aid continue to be attacked by Israeli forces and private security contractors at food distribution sites run by the Israeli proxy, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

    “What we are seeing is unconscionable; an entire population being deliberately cut off from food and water, all while the Israeli forces commit daily massacres as people scramble for scraps of food at distribution sites. Any shred of humanity in Gaza has been wiped out in the ongoing genocide,” says Amande Bazerolle, MSF head of emergency response in Gaza.

    In the last two months, more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 7,200 injured, according to the Ministry of Health, as they attempted to collect aid, including a large proportion at the distribution sites of the GHF, which is backed and funded by the US government. Despite these sites being set up to avoid aid diversion, they have done nothing to reduce the existence of looting.

    “These food distributions are not humanitarian aid, they are war crimes committed in broad
    daylight and presented to the world with compassionate language. Those who go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s food distributions know that they have the same chance of receiving a sack of flour as they do of leaving with a bullet in their head,” says Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, MSF deputy medical coordinator in Gaza.

    In addition to people wounded at GHF sites, our teams have treated dozens of patients from recurrent massacres by Israeli forces as people wait for flour from trucks that pass by.

    “In the emergency room of Sheikh Radwan clinic a few days ago, dozens of patients came in, both dead and wounded,” says Willeman. “These were people who had approached trucks for flour and were ruthlessly shot by Israeli forces.

    That day MSF and Ministry of Health medical teams at the clinic, in north Gaza, treated 122 people with gunshot wounds who had been fired on while waiting for flour and additional 46 people were dead on arrival.

    To make matters worse, in the last week, community kitchens who provide food to patients and medical staff in hospitals have struggled to do so, some shutting down for days at a time. Even if they can deliver, it is only one meal a day of plain rice for patients who need nutrient-rich food to heal properly, and often nothing for staff. This is no longer about what people can afford. There is barely any food available in most of the strip.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz, Murphy Introduce New Legislation To Improve Wages, Operations Transparency For Rideshare Drivers, Delivery App Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today introduced the Empowering App-Based Workers Act, new legislation to improve transparency on how app companies operate and help boost wages for rideshare drivers and delivery app workers.

    “Every day rideshare drivers and delivery app workers work long hours and travel many miles to make a living, often without knowing how much money they’ll make. Our bill would shed some light on how apps determine work assignments and pay, ensuring workers are treated and paid fairly,” said Senator Schatz.

    Millions of workers across multiple industries, report to work by turning on an app. These platforms collect data from both workers and consumers to shape working conditions, evaluate workers, and make work-related decisions, including decisions on how much to pay a worker, which workers get which assignments, and whether, when, or for how long a worker will be suspended or ‘deactivated.’ All this is done with systems that are not transparent to workers, consumers, or regulators, creating information imbalances that mask wage theft, discrimination, and price-gouging.

    The Empowering App-Based Workers Act would create a level playing field for workers managed by digital labor platforms by:

    • Requiring disclosure of electronic monitoring and automated decision systems uses, including how they are used to determine pay and other work decisions;
    • Providing itemized receipts to workers and consumers after every work assignment;
    • Providing workers receive weekly pay statements with relevant information on their compensation;
    • Ensuring rideshare workers receive at least 75 percent of the amount paid by consumers; and
    • Stopping platforms from using interfaces that contain unfair or deceptive information on compensation.

    “We applaud Senators Schatz and Murphy for listening to workers’ demands and introducing the Empowering App-Based Workers Act,” said Rebecca Dixon, President and CEO of NELP. “App-based workers have long sought better pay and greater accountability from corporations that use hidden algorithms to determine pay, work assignments, and discipline. This legislation is an important step forward in building a good-jobs economy where all workers have expansive rights and thrive in good jobs.”

    “Senator Schatz’s bill is a great first step toward protecting app-based workers from hidden fees, undue surveillance, and algorithms that violate their civil rights. It also creates mechanisms to hold Big Tech accountable when their greed harms workers,” said Jody Calemine, AFL-CIO Director of Advocacy.

    The bill is supported by the ACE Collaborative of New Virginia Majority, Action Center on Race and Economy, AFL-CIO, Athena, Center for Law and Social Policy, Color Of Change, Colorado Independent Drivers United, Connecticut Drivers United, Coworker, Data & Society, Drivers Union Washington/Teamsters Local 117, Economic Policy Institute, Fair Work Center, Groundwork Collaborative, Hawai‘i Workers Center, Los Deliveristas Unidos, Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association, Make the Road New Jersey, National Women’s Law Center, National Employment Law Project (NELP), New York Taxi Workers Alliance, New School Center for NYC Public Affairs, NLAN/GLOW, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Open Markets Institute, Portland Drivers United, Rideshare Drivers United, PowerSwith Action, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Tech Equity Collaborative, Tennessee Drivers Union, The People’s Lobby, Towards Justice, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and Working Washington.

    The text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Arts – Susanna Elliffe is winner of the 2025 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize!

    Source: New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc)

    The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) congratulates Susanna Elliffe on winning the 2025 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize with her manuscript Relic Party.

    The prize was created by the NZSA and the Solomon family to fulfil the wishes of Laura Solomon, a novelist, poet and playwright who was a longstanding member of the NZSA and a beloved member of the Solomon family. It awards new writing of ‘unique and original vision’ with a cash prize of $2,000 and a publishing contract with The Cuba Press. Publication will be in 2026.

    The winning manuscript, Relic Party, is a short story collection that studies loss, both intimate and global, human and nonhuman, ranging through ugly ghosts, false relics, and desperate pilgrimages, to a dysfunctional 80’s farmhouse and the speculative worlds of climate affected futures.

    We also congratulate Belinda O’Keefe who is the runner-up, winning a cash prize of $1,000 with her manuscript Trespassers Will Be Baked, Scrambled, Fried and Eaten.
    Susanna Elliffe’s manuscript was selected by a final judging panel of Mary McCallum (The Cuba Press), Nicky Solomon (Solomon Family) and panel convenor and award-winning writer Cassie Hart.

    Cassie Hart, convenor of the judges, says: “The quality of entries this year was amazing – choosing the finalists was not an easy task, and then selecting just one winner? A huge challenge. I so appreciate the writers of New Zealand for not making this easy!

    “The final four were all so different from each other, spanning from a very lyrical collection of short stories to a humorous contemporary novel, a middle grade adventure, through to a memoiresque non-fiction book exploring the experience of immigrants! There is almost no way to compare the four, as they are each such a success in their own right. The winner, Relic Party, stood out as being the most unique and original of the three though, and I know that readers will fall in love with Susannah Elliffe’s prose and storytelling just like we did.”

    Nicky Solomon says: “It is so wonderful to see interest in the prize continue to grow, as we mark its fifth year. We are extremely grateful to the NZSA and The Cuba Press for taking Laura’s idea and turning it into a true legacy. She would be absolutely delighted by the calibre of the work and I know that she would echo me in congratulating all of the finalists, and in fact all of the entrants. The judges are continually challenged, in a good way, by such high quality writing in such a diverse range of genres, and our family ext

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – Over half of mid-year nursing graduates miss out on jobs – NZNO

    Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

    Te Whatu Ora has again failed nursing graduates – and Aotearoa New Zealand’s future nursing workforce – by employing just 45% of the 2025 mid-year cohort, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) says.
    The mid-year graduation cohort sat their state final exams last week. Figures released by Te Whatu Ora to nursing magazine Kaitiaki on its job-matching programme ACE show just 323 of 722 applicants were matched to supported-entry roles in hospitals.
    NZNO National Student Unit President Bianca Grimmer says it is a “huge blow” to nursing graduates.
    “Hospital jobs are highly sought after and often the reason students want to get into nursing.
    “Te Whatu Ora used to hire 80-90% of all graduates. We were blindsided this time last year when only three in every five mid-year graduates were hired.
    “This year is even worse and will make some students reassess whether they continue with their studies,” Bianca Grimmer says.
    A recent survey of 1246 nursing students found 62% would consider seeking a nursing job overseas if they were unable to get a new graduate job in Aotearoa New Zealand. This increased to 73% for Māori students.
    About 36,000 of NZNO’s Te Whatu Ora members are preparing for a 24-hour national strike next Wednesday 30 July after Collective Agreement negotiations stalled with a refusal by Health NZ to commit to its obligation to employ new graduates one of the sticking points.
    Bianca Grimmer says nursing students recently attended a jobs expo where an Australian stand was luring graduates with better wages and conditions.
    “We have a health system in crisis and desperately need more homegrown nurses. With 30,000 Kiwis leaving for Australia in the past year, this shortsighted decision by Te Whatu Ora will see more graduate nurses packing their bags.”
    Bianca Grimmer says a recent media release from Te Whatu Ora urging nursing graduates to look outside the hospital system seemed to be an attempt to “soften the blow” to the mid-year cohort.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: TOMORROW: Governor Newsom to respond to Texas’ redistricting plan and provide update on fight to preserve American democracy

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 24, 2025

    SACRAMENTO COUNTY — Governor Gavin Newsom will hold a press availability tomorrow to discuss Texas’ latest redistricting maneuver aimed at tilting the outcome of the 2026 election — with serious implications for democracy nationwide.

    WHEN: Friday, July 25 at approximately 2 p.m.

    LIVESTREAM: Governor’s Twitter page, Governor’s Facebook page, and the Governor’s YouTube page. This event will also be available to TV stations on the LiveU Matrix under “California Governor.”

    NOTE: This in-person press event will be open to credentialed media only. Media interested in attending must RSVP by clicking here no later than 12 p.m., July 25. Location information will be provided upon RSVP confirmation.

    Media advisories, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 24, 2025

    News Governor Newsom praises the State Water Board for incorporating the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program into the Bay-Delta Plan What you need to know: The Newsom Administration’s innovative Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program, which improves environmental…

    Jul 24, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement today on a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit striking down California’s ammunition background check law, which was passed by voters in 2016: Strong…

    Jul 23, 2025

    News What you need to know: Through Governor Newsom’s support of local government efforts and state investments, California is reversing decades of inaction on homelessness. Last year’s 2024 point-in-time count showed California had outperformed the nation by slowing…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard, international partners conclude Operation Nasse in Pacific region

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    07/24/2025 07:56 PM EDT

    HONOLULU – The U.S. Coast Guard completed participation July 11 in Operation Nasse, a three-month operation conducted by Australia, France, New Zealand, and the U.S. to safeguard the marine resources of Pacific Island nations.

    For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Additional funding for independent hospices

    Source: Scottish Government

    Support for pay parity with NHS staff.

    The Scottish Government is to distribute £5 million of funding in 2025-26 to support independent hospices with pay parity for clinical staff with their NHS counterparts.

    Hospices have now had their funding allocations confirmed and the investment, set out in the 2025-26 Budget, will ensure that frontline staff providing essential palliative and end-of-life care in independent hospices are fairly paid in line with NHS pay scales.

    The funding aims to help hospices recruit and retain skilled healthcare professionals during a time of rising workforce pressures and increasing demand for palliative care services.

    Health Secretary Neil Gray, said:

    “Independent hospices provide vital care and support to people and families across Scotland at the most difficult times in their lives. I am pleased we are able to support these organisations in supporting pay parity for their clinical staff.

    “This funding recognises the skilled, compassionate care that hospice staff deliver every day, and helps ensure their pay reflects the immense value of their work.”

    Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group Jacki Smart, said:

    “This is a welcome first step in recognising the needs of the hospice sector, which plays a key role in delivering specialist palliative care for Scotland. It is right for patients and staff that hospices can pay skilled professionals fairly and in line with NHS colleagues, and we need to keep pace on this.”

    Background

    Independent hospices across Scotland are independent charitable organisations providing care tailored to local needs. Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of independent hospices to meet the needs of their local population. Hospices work closely with a wide variety of health and social care services, including NHS Boards, to deliver high quality care and support.

    The Scottish Government is committed to developing a new national framework to support more effective planning and commissioning between hospices and IJBs. This work will continue alongside discussions about long-term pay parity and funding arrangements.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: President Trump to visit Scotland

    Source: Scottish Government

    First Minister says United States remains one of Scotland’s closest partners.

    Scotland will have “a platform to make its voice heard” during the visit of the President of the United States, First Minister John Swinney has said.

    Speaking ahead of President Trump’s arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland’s tourism sector and economic investment potential.

    First Minister John Swinney said:

    “Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links – including of course, with the President himself.

    “As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy.

    “It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country.

    “As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.

    “We are a proud democratic nation, a country that stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world. The right to peaceful demonstration is something we cherish, and everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner. That is right and proper.

    “I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully. I am also confident that Scotland’s police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires.

    “This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: GLP1 weight loss injections may reduce asthma symptoms GLP1 agonist drugs, commonly known by brand names such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, reduce asthma symptoms in obese people according to a new study from the University of Aberdeen and The Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI), Singapore.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    GLP1 agonist drugs, commonly known by brand names such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, reduce asthma symptoms in obese people according to a new study from the University of Aberdeen and The Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI), Singapore.
    This is the latest reported benefit of GLP1s, originally prescribed for diabetes management and now prescribed widely for obesity.
    An international team of scientists led by University of Aberdeen Chair in Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, Professor David Price, analysed the medical records of more than 60,000 patients. Using the OPCRD database – a primary care patient database containing over 28 million patients, they compared measures of asthma severity between those who had been prescribed GLP1s and those who hadn’t over an entire year.
    They found that as well as the expected weight loss in people who were taking GLP1s, the asthma measures such as steroid and medication prescriptions, were also reduced.
    GLP1s, mimic the naturally occurring hormone GLP1 and help regulate blood sugar, insulin and control appetite. The drug is also known to reduce inflammatory cells through multiple signalling pathways, and it is this mechanism that may be instigating this beneficial effect on the airway disease.
    The author suggests that their findings mean that GLP1s should be considered as a potential treatment for respiratory diseases.
    Professor David Price explains: “People with obesity and asthma are unique in that they are often resistant to steroid treatments.

    We found compelling evidence that GLP1s, as well as increasing weight loss, also improved asthma symptoms.” Professor David Price

    “We know that GLP1s work on inflammatory responses in the airways in a different way to traditionally used steroids.
    “We found compelling evidence that GLP1s, as well as increasing weight loss, also improved asthma symptoms.
    “In addition, it is important to note that the benefits to asthma symptoms occurred despite fairly modest weight loss of around 0.9kg over the course of the year.
    “Our findings suggest that GLP1s may have beneficial effects on asthma control for people with obesity and this should be explored further.”
    Professor Alan Kaplan, Chairperson of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, added: “Our findings suggest that GLP1-RAs have benefits on asthma control in people with obesity, and this information should contribute to the discussions around the decision to use these drugs.”
    The full paper is published in Advances in Therapy

    Related Content

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Objects of all kinds causing obstructions on state highways

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Glass, spare tyres, metal sheets and poles, building materials, furniture, hay bales – these are just some of the objects causing obstruction on South Island state highways and needing to be cleared daily by contractors.

    Reports of the obstructions come into New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) each day as contractors are dispatched to remove these items that can cause a hazard by blocking or interfering with traffic flows.

    “Sometimes it is as simple as tree branches falling onto the highway, or road cones having been shifted; but often we are talking about heavy items that have fallen from vehicles that weren’t properly secured or became dislodged in accidents,” says NZTA system manager Mark Pinner.

    “It underlines the need for vehicles such as trucks, or lighter vehicles towing trailers, to ensure that any loads are well secured. The Road Code does state that motorists must not drive an unsafe vehicle or a vehicle with an unsafe load which isn’t tied down, could fall from the vehicle, or is dragging on the ground.”

    “Sometimes the reports that come in from road users about items on the road are quite vague and we don’t really know what we are dealing with until the contractors arrive onsite to deal with them.”

    “The risk is not only that items or material that fall onto the roads may disrupt traffic, but it can also potentially lead to injury if there is a collision or evasive action is taken by drivers. This is why we act fast to clear the obstruction, or we may put in place closures or traffic management if needed to keep people safe while the object is cleared.”   

    People can report objects and obstructions 24/7 on the state highway network by calling 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).

    More about securing loads safely 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – General Practice training programme to be fully funded is a win for the future of the general practice workforce

    Source: Royal NZ College of General Practitioners

    The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners welcomes the Minister of Health’s announcement today at GP25: Conference for General Practice of significant additional funding for registrars across the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP).
    This announcement will go a long way to strengthen the training and grow the next generation of the specialist GP workforce, and includes:
    • In 2025, training fees for doctors in their second, third, and post-third year of GPEP to encourage completion of their training.
    • Fellowship assessment costs for around 200 GPEP trainees to enable them to complete their training and become Fellows.
    • From 2026, full ongoing training and education costs for an estimated 400 GPEP year 2 and 3 trainees each year.
    Currently, GP registrars only have their first year of GPEP funded with the second and third years having to be self-funded. This funding approach is different to all the other medical training programmes (in New Zealand and Australasian medical colleges) that are fully funded for their entirety.
    College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “This funding will be a gamechanger for current and future trainees. This is a significant acknowledgement for the specialism of the general practice workforce and the vital role we play in healthcare being as important as those of our peers in secondary hospital settings.
    “Not only will this funding offer the necessary financial support our GP registrars need throughout their training, but we are optimistic that the news will encourage medical graduates who have an interest in general practice but have been put off by the financial barriers to make the step to train as a specialist GP. To them, I say welcome and you won’t regret your decision.
    The College has been a strong and vocal advocate for the current and future general practice workforce and is enthusiastic that the funding for primary care is heading in the right direction to ensure that it is sustainable.
    College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says, “We are focused on building a sustainable workforce for the future, which starts with training and the equitability of our program costs to other specialist medical training.
    “This funding s

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 541

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL1

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 541
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    705 PM EDT Thu Jul 24 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Southeast Lower Michigan
    Far Northwest Ohio
    Lake Erie

    * Effective this Thursday night from 705 PM until Midnight EDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Isolated damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible

    SUMMARY…A line of strong to occasionally severe thunderstorms is
    moving eastward across central Lower MI, near the MI/IN/IL border
    intersection. This line is expected to continue eastward into the
    warm, moist, and strongly unstable airmass downstream across
    southeast Lower MI and adjacent far northwest OH. Strong to severe
    gusts will be possible with this line. Additional more cellular
    development is possible ahead of this line, which could also pose a
    risk for damaging water-loaded downbursts.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 40
    statute miles east and west of a line from 15 miles west northwest
    of Mount Clemens MI to 10 miles south southwest of Toledo OH. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 540…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 55 knots. A few
    cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    24035.

    …Mosier

    SEL1

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 541
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    705 PM EDT Thu Jul 24 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Southeast Lower Michigan
    Far Northwest Ohio
    Lake Erie

    * Effective this Thursday night from 705 PM until Midnight EDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Isolated damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible

    SUMMARY…A line of strong to occasionally severe thunderstorms is
    moving eastward across central Lower MI, near the MI/IN/IL border
    intersection. This line is expected to continue eastward into the
    warm, moist, and strongly unstable airmass downstream across
    southeast Lower MI and adjacent far northwest OH. Strong to severe
    gusts will be possible with this line. Additional more cellular
    development is possible ahead of this line, which could also pose a
    risk for damaging water-loaded downbursts.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 40
    statute miles east and west of a line from 15 miles west northwest
    of Mount Clemens MI to 10 miles south southwest of Toledo OH. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 540…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 55 knots. A few
    cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    24035.

    …Mosier

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW1
    WW 541 SEVERE TSTM MI OH LE 242305Z – 250400Z
    AXIS..40 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    15WNW MTC/MOUNT CLEMENS MI/ – 10SSW TOL/TOLEDO OH/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 35NM E/W /31NNE DXO – 51SSW DXO/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1 INCH. WIND GUSTS..55 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

    LAT…LON 42688232 41448310 41448465 42688389

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU1.

    Watch 541 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: First Savings Financial Group, Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Third Fiscal Quarter Ended June 30, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSFG – news) (the “Company”), the holding company for First Savings Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $6.2 million, or $0.88 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, compared to net income of $4.1 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the Company reported net income of $5.7 million (non-GAAP measure)(1) and net income per diluted share of $0.81 (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 compared to $3.5 million, or $0.52 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.

    Commenting on the Company’s performance, Larry W. Myers, President and CEO, stated “We are pleased with the third fiscal quarter performance, including the continued improvement in the net interest margin, which has increased 32 basis points from June of 2024 to June of 2025, solid growth in deposits, expense containment, and meaningful efficiency ratio improvement. The SBA Lending segment posted its second consecutive profitable quarter, which included a solid level of loans originations and sales. Additionally, the SBA Lending pipeline for the fourth fiscal quarter remains robust. We are optimistic regarding the remainder of fiscal 2025 as we anticipate further expansion of the net interest margin, continued profitability from the SBA Lending segment, additional sales of home equity lines of credit, and stable and strong asset quality. We will continue our focus on customer deposit growth, select loan growth opportunities, preservation of asset quality, and prudent capital and liquidity management. We will also continue to evaluate options and strategies that we believe will maximize shareholder value.”

    (1) Non-GAAP net income and net income per diluted share exclude certain nonrecurring items. A reconciliation to GAAP and discussion of the use of non-GAAP measures is included in the table at the end of this release.

    Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2025 and 2024

    Net interest income increased $2.2 million, or 15.1%, to $16.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The tax equivalent net interest margin for the three months ended June 30, 2025 was 2.99% as compared to 2.67% for the same period in 2024. The increase in net interest income was due to an increase of $871,000 in interest income and a decrease of $1.3 million in interest expense. A table of average balance sheets, including average asset yields and average liability costs, is included at the end of this release.

    The Company recognized a provision for credit losses for loans and unfunded lending commitments of $347,000 and $77,000, respectively, and a reversal of provision for credit losses on securities of $1,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2025, compared to a provision for credit losses for loans, unfunded lending commitments and securities of $501,000, $158,000 and $84,000, respectively, for the same period in 2024. The Company recognized $309,000 in net charge-offs recognized during the three months ended June 30, 2025, of which $216,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans. During the three months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recognized net charge-offs of $105,000, of which $49,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans. Nonperforming loans, which consist of nonaccrual loans and loans over 90 days past due and still accruing interest, decreased $1.7 million from $16.9 million at September 30, 2024 to $15.2 million at June 30, 2025.

    Noninterest income increased $1.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to increases in other income and net gain on sales of SBA loans of $565,000 and $351,000, respectively, and net gain on sales of home equity lines of credit (“HELOC”) of $617,000, partially offset by a $404,000 decrease in net unrealized gains on equity securities. The increase in other income was primarily due to a $487,000 gain recognized in connection with a lease termination. The was no gain on sales of HELOC in the 2024 period as the sale of this product commenced in fiscal 2025.

    Noninterest expense increased $1.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to an increase in compensation and benefits of $904,000, which was due to routine salary increases and increases in bonus and incentive accruals in 2025 related to stronger Company performance.

    The Company recognized income tax expense of $963,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2025 compared to $483,000 for the same period in 2024. The increase is due primarily to higher taxable income in 2025 as compared to 2024. The effective tax rate for 2025 was 13.5% compared to 10.6% for 2024. The effective tax rate is well below the statutory tax rate primarily due to the recognition of investment tax credits related to solar projects in both the 2025 and 2024 periods.

    Results of Operations for the Nine Months Ended June 30, 2025 and 2024

    The Company reported net income of $17.9 million, or $2.57 per diluted share, for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 compared to net income of $9.9 million, or $1.45 per diluted share, for the nine months ended June 30, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the Company reported net income of $15.1 million (non-GAAP measure)(1) and net income per diluted share of $2.16 (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 compared to net income of $9.4 million and net income per diluted share of $1.37 for the nine months ended June 30, 2024. The core banking segment reported net income of $17.2 million, or $2.46 per diluted share for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 compared to net income of $13.3 million and net income per diluted share of $1.92 for the nine months ended June 30, 2024. Excluding nonrecurring items, the core banking segment reported net income of $14.4 million (non-GAAP measure)(1), or $2.05 per diluted share (non-GAAP measure)(1) for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 compared to net income of $12.9 million and net income per diluted share of $1.89 for the nine months ended June 30, 2024.

    Net interest income increased $5.2 million, or 12.1%, to $48.2 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The tax equivalent net interest margin for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 was 2.89% as compared to 2.67% for the same period in 2024. The increase in net interest income was due to a $5.5 million increase in interest income, partially offset by a $279,000 increase in interest expense. A table of average balance sheets, including average asset yields and average liability costs, is included at the end of this release.

    The Company recognized a reversal of provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $501,000 and $8,000, respectively, and a provision for unfunded lending commitments of $246,000 for the nine months ended June 30, 2025, compared to a provision for credit losses for loans and securities of $1.7 million and $107,000, respectively, and reversal of provision for unfunded lending commitments of $159,000 for the same period in 2024. The reversal of provisions during the 2025 period was due primarily to the bulk sale of approximately $87.2 million of HELOC during the period and a decrease in qualitative reserves. The Company recognized net charge-offs totaling $271,000 for the nine months ended June 30, 2025, of which $52,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans, compared to net charge-offs of $224,000 in 2024, of which $15,000 was related to unguaranteed portions of SBA loans.

    Noninterest income increased $4.5 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to a $3.1 million net gain on sales of HELOC, a $403,000 net gain on sales of equity securities in 2025, and the aforementioned $487,000 gain recognized in connection with a lease termination in the 2025 period with no corresponding gain amounts for the 2024 period.

    Noninterest expense increased $2.1 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was due primarily to increases in compensation and benefits and other operating expenses of $1.4 million and $1.1 million, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in professional fees of $412,000. The increase in compensation and benefits is primarily due to routine salary increases and increases in bonus and incentive accruals in 2025 related to stronger Company performance. The increase in other operating expenses was due primarily to a $721,000 reversal of accrued loss contingencies for SBA-guaranteed loans in the 2024 period with no corresponding amount for the 2025 period and a $405,000 accrued contingent liability associated with employee benefits recognized in the 2025 period with no corresponding amount in the 2024 period. The decrease in professional fees is primarily due to the cessation of national mortgage banking operations in the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

    The Company recognized income tax expense of $2.4 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2025 compared to $873,000 for the same period in 2024. The increase is due primarily to higher taxable income in the 2025 period. The effective tax rate for 2025 was 11.8% compared to 8.1%. The effective tax rate is well below the statutory tax rate primarily due to the recognition of investment tax credits related to solar projects in both the 2025 and 2024 periods.

    Comparison of Financial Condition at June 30, 2025 and September 30, 2024

    Total assets decreased $33.7 million, from $2.45 billion at September 30, 2024 to $2.42 billion at June 30, 2025. Net loans held for investment decreased $68.0 million during the nine months ended June 30, 2025, due primarily to $109.1 million of sales of HELOC during the nine months ended June 30, 2025, and residential mortgage loans held for sale increased $42.1 million during the same period.

    Total liabilities decreased $40.4 million due primarily to a decrease in total deposits and other borrowings of $144.7 and $19.9 million, respectively, partially offset by an increase in FHLB borrowings of $133.3 million. The decrease in total deposits was due to a decrease in brokered deposits of $229.1 million, which was due primarily to proceeds from the aforementioned sales of HELOC and greater utilization of FHLB borrowings, partially offset by an increase in customer deposits of $84.4 million. The decrease in other borrowings is due to the redemption of $20.0 million of subordinated notes during the quarter ended June 30, 2023. As of June 30, 2025, deposits exceeding the FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 per insured account were 35.0% of total deposits and 14.3% of total deposits when excluding public funds insured by the Indiana Public Deposit Insurance Fund.

    Total stockholders’ equity increased $6.7 million, from $177.1 million at September 30, 2024 to $183.8 million at June 30, 2025, due primarily to a $14.6 million increase in retained net income, partially offset by a $8.9 million increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss. The increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss was due primarily to increasing long-term market interest rates during the nine months ended June 30, 2025, which resulted in a decrease in the fair value of securities available for sale. At June 30, 2025 and September 30, 2024, the Bank was considered “well-capitalized” under applicable regulatory capital guidelines.

    First Savings Bank is an entrepreneurial community bank headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which is directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, and operates fifteen depository branches within Southern Indiana. The Bank also has two national lending programs, including single-tenant net lease commercial real estate and SBA lending, with offices located predominately in the Midwest. The Bank is a recognized leader, both in its local communities and nationally for its lending programs. The employees of First Savings Bank strive daily to achieve the organization’s vision, We Expect To Be The BEST community BANK, which fuels our success. The Company’s common shares trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol “FSFG.”

    This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are not historical facts; rather, they are statements based on the Company’s current expectations regarding its business strategies and their intended results and its future performance. Forward-looking statements are preceded by terms such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends” and similar expressions.

    Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause or contribute to the Company’s actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause or contribute to these differences include, without limitation, changes in general economic conditions; changes in market interest rates; changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; legislative and regulatory changes; and other factors disclosed in the Company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Because of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them, whether included in this release or made elsewhere from time to time by the Company or on its behalf. Except as may be required by applicable law or regulation, the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

    Contact:
    Tony A. Schoen, CPA
    Chief Financial Officer
    812-283-0724

     
    FIRST SAVINGS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
    (Unaudited)
                       
                       
      Three Months Ended   Nine Months Ended    
    OPERATING DATA: June 30,   June 30,    
    (In thousands, except share and per share data)   2025       2024       2025       2024      
                       
    Total interest income $ 31,965     $ 31,094     $ 95,237     $ 89,765      
    Total interest expense   15,240       16,560       47,059       46,780      
                       
    Net interest income   16,725       14,534       48,178       42,985      
                       
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans   347       501       (501 )     1,684      
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments   77       158       246       (159 )    
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities   (1 )     84       (8 )     107      
                       
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses   423       743       (263 )     1,632      
                       
    Net interest income after provision (credit) for credit losses   16,302       13,791       48,441       41,353      
                       
    Total noninterest income   4,520       3,196       14,183       9,688      
    Total noninterest expense   13,693       12,431       42,334       40,248      
                       
    Income before income taxes   7,129       4,556       20,290       10,793      
    Income tax expense   963       483       2,400       873      
                       
    Net income $ 6,166     $ 4,073     $ 17,890     $ 9,920      
                       
    Net income per share, basic $ 0.90     $ 0.60     $ 2.60     $ 1.45      
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic   6,881,077       6,832,452       6,867,734       6,829,490      
                       
    Net income per share, diluted $ 0.88     $ 0.60     $ 2.57     $ 1.45      
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted   6,977,674       6,834,784       6,967,742       6,851,145      
                       
                       
    Performance ratios (annualized)                  
    Return on average assets   1.02 %     0.69 %     0.99 %     0.57 %    
    Return on average equity   13.66 %     9.86 %     13.32 %     8.23 %    
    Return on average common stockholders’ equity   13.66 %     9.86 %     13.32 %     8.23 %    
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis)   2.99 %     2.67 %     2.89 %     2.67 %    
    Efficiency ratio   64.45 %     70.11 %     67.89 %     76.41 %    
                       
                       
              QTD       FYTD
    FINANCIAL CONDITION DATA: June 30,   March 31,   Increase   September 30,   Increase
    (In thousands, except per share data)   2025       2025     (Decrease)     2024     (Decrease)
                       
    Total assets $ 2,416,675     $ 2,376,230     $ 40,445     $ 2,450,368     $ (33,693 )
    Cash and cash equivalents   52,123       28,683       23,440       52,142       (19 )
    Investment securities   244,284       244,084       200       249,719       (5,435 )
    Loans held for sale   60,970       61,239       (269 )     25,716       35,254  
    Gross loans   1,916,343       1,900,660       15,683       1,985,146       (68,803 )
    Allowance for credit losses   20,522       20,484       38       21,294       (772 )
    Interest earning assets   2,260,099       2,219,504       40,595       2,277,512       (17,413 )
    Goodwill   9,848       9,848       –       9,848       –  
    Core deposit intangibles   275       316       (41 )     398       (123 )
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   202,649       185,252       17,397       191,528       11,121  
    Interest-bearing deposits (customer)   1,253,525       1,207,159       46,366       1,180,196       73,329  
    Interest-bearing deposits (brokered)   280,020       396,770       (116,750 )     509,157       (229,137 )
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings   434,924       325,310       109,614       301,640       133,284  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings   28,722       48,682       (19,960 )     48,603       (19,881 )
    Total liabilities   2,232,853       2,197,041       35,812       2,273,253       (40,400 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (20,061 )     (19,385 )     (676 )     (11,195 )     (8,866 )
    Total stockholders’ equity   183,822       179,189       4,633       177,115       6,707  
                       
    Book value per share $ 26.35     $ 25.90       0.45     $ 25.72       0.63  
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) (1)   24.90       24.43       0.47       24.23       0.67  
                       
    Non-performing assets:                  
    Nonaccrual loans – SBA guaranteed $ 2,713     $ 123     $ 2,590     $ 5,036     $ (2,323 )
    Nonaccrual loans   12,502       12,597       (95 )     11,906       596  
    Total nonaccrual loans $ 15,215     $ 12,720     $ 2,495     $ 16,942     $ (1,727 )
    Accruing loans past due 90 days   –       –       –       –       –  
    Total non-performing loans   15,215       12,720       2,495       16,942       (1,727 )
    Foreclosed real estate   1,113       444       669       444       669  
    Total non-performing assets $ 16,328     $ 13,164     $ 3,164     $ 17,386     $ (1,058 )
                       
    Asset quality ratios:                  
    Allowance for credit losses as a percent of total gross loans   1.07 %     1.08 %     (0.01 %)     1.07 %     (0.00 %)
    Allowance for credit losses as a percent of nonperforming loans   134.88 %     161.04 %     (26.16 %)     125.69 %     9.19 %
    Nonperforming loans as a percent of total gross loans   0.79 %     0.67 %     0.12 %     0.85 %     (0.06 %)
    Nonperforming assets as a percent of total assets   0.68 %     0.55 %     0.13 %     0.71 %     (0.03 %)
                       
    (1) See reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures for additional information relating to calculation of this item.      
                       
                       
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED):         
    The following non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company provide information useful to investors in understanding the Company’s performance. The Company believes the financial measures presented below are important because of their widespread use by investors as a means to evaluate capital adequacy and earnings. The following table summarizes the non-GAAP financial measures derived from amounts reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and reconciles those non-GAAP financial measures with the comparable GAAP financial measures.
                   
      Three Months Ended   Fiscal Year Ended    
    Net Income June 30,   June 30,    
    (In thousands)   2025       2024       2025       2024      
                       
    Net income attributable to the Company (non-GAAP) $ 5,691     $ 3,534     $ 15,057     $ 9,381      
    Plus: Gain on bulk sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect   –       –       1,869       –      
    Plus: Gain on life insurance, net of tax effect   110       –       110       –      
    Plus: Gain on lease termination, net of tax effect   365       –       365       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect   –       –       302       –      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans, net of tax effect   –       212       –       212      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect   –       –       186       –      
    Plus: Recording of Visa Class C shares, net of tax   –       327       –       327      
    Net income attributable to the Company (GAAP) $ 6,166     $ 4,073     $ 17,890     $ 9,920      
                       
    Net Income per Share, Diluted                  
                       
    Net income per share attributable to the Company, diluted (non-GAAP) $ 0.81     $ 0.52     $ 2.16     $ 1.37      
    Plus: Gain on bulk sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect   –       –       0.27       –      
    Plus: Gain on life insurance, net of tax effect   0.02       –       0.02       –      
    Plus: Gain on lease termination, net of tax effect   0.05       –       0.05       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect   –       –       0.04       –      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans, net of tax effect   –       0.03       –       0.03      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect   –       –       0.03       –      
    Plus: Recording of Visa Class C shares, net of tax   –       0.05       –       0.05      
    Net income per share, diluted (GAAP) $ 0.88     $ 0.60     $ 2.57     $ 1.45      
                       
    Core Bank Segment Net Income                  
    (In thousands)                  
                       
    Net income attributable to the Core Bank (non-GAAP) $ 5,299     $ 4,176     $ 14,379     $ 12,947      
    Plus: Gain on bulk sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect   –       –       1,869       –      
    Plus: Gain on life insurance, net of tax effect   110       –       110       –      
    Plus: Gain on lease termination, net of tax effect   365       –       365       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect   –       –       302       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect   –       –       186       –      
    Plus: Recording of Visa Class C shares, net of tax   –       327       –       327      
    Net income attributable to the Core Bank (GAAP) $ 5,774     $ 4,503     $ 17,212     $ 13,274      
                       
    Core Bank Segment Net Income per Share, Diluted                  
                       
    Core Bank net income per share, diluted (non-GAAP) $ 0.75     $ 0.64     $ 2.05     $ 1.89      
    Plus: Gain on bulk sale of loans, home equity lines of credit, net of tax effect   –       –       0.27       –      
    Plus: Gain on life insurance, net of tax effect   0.02       –       0.02       –      
    Plus: Gain on lease termination, net of tax effect   0.05       –       0.05       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of equity securities, net of tax effect   –       –       0.04       –      
    Plus: Gain on sale of premises and equipment, net of tax effect   –       –       –       0.03      
    Plus: Recording of Visa Class C shares, net of tax   –       0.05       0.03       –      
    Core Bank net income per share, diluted (GAAP) $ 0.82     $ 0.69     $ 2.46     $ 1.92      
                       
                       
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended   Fiscal Year Ended    
    Efficiency Ratio June 30,   June 30,    
    (In thousands)   2025       2024       2025       2024      
                       
    Net interest income (GAAP) $ 16,725     $ 14,534     $ 48,178     $ 42,985      
                       
    Noninterest income (GAAP)   4,520       3,196       14,183       9,688      
                       
    Noninterest expense (GAAP)   13,693       12,431       42,334       40,248      
                       
    Efficiency ratio (GAAP)   64.45 %     70.11 %     67.89 %     76.41 %    
                       
    Noninterest income (GAAP) $ 4,520     $ 3,196     $ 14,183     $ 9,688      
    Less: Gain on bulk sale of loans, home equity lines of credit   –       –       (2,492 )     –      
    Less: Gain on life insurance   (147 )     –       (147 )     –      
    Less: Gain on lease termination   (487 )     –       (487 )     –      
    Less: Gain on sale of equity securities   –       –       (403 )     –      
    Less: Gain on sale of premises and equipment   –       –       (140 )     –      
    Less: Recording of Visa Class C shares   –       (245 )     –       (245 )    
    Noninterest income (Non-GAAP)   3,886       2,951       10,515       9,443      
                       
    Noninterest expense (GAAP) $ 13,693     $ 12,431     $ 42,334     $ 40,248      
    Plus: Decrease in loss contingency for SBA-guaranteed loans   –       283       –       283      
    Noninterest expense (Non-GAAP) $ 13,693     $ 12,714     $ 42,334     $ 40,531      
                       
    Efficiency ratio (excluding nonrecurring items) (non-GAAP)   66.44 %     72.71 %     72.13 %     77.31 %    
                       
              QTD       FYTD
    Tangible Book Value Per Share June 30,   March 31,   Increase   September 30,   Increase
    (In thousands, except share and per share data)   2025       2025     (Decrease)     2024     (Decrease)
                       
    Stockholders’ equity (GAAP) $ 183,822     $ 179,189     $ 4,633     $ 177,115     $ 6,707  
    Less: goodwill and core deposit intangibles   (10,123 )     (10,164 )     41       (10,246 )     123  
    Tangible stockholders’ equity (non-GAAP) $ 173,699     $ 169,025     $ 4,674     $ 166,869     $ 6,830  
                       
    Outstanding common shares   6,976,558       6,919,136     $ 57,422       6,887,106     $ 89,452  
                       
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 24.90     $ 24.43     $ 0.47     $ 24.23     $ 0.67  
                       
    Book value per share (GAAP) $ 26.35     $ 25.90     $ 0.45     $ 25.72     $ 0.63  
                       
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED): As of
    Summarized Consolidated Balance Sheets June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands, except per share data)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Total cash and cash equivalents $ 52,123     $ 28,683     $ 76,224     $ 52,142     $ 42,423  
    Total investment securities   244,284       244,084       242,634       249,719       238,785  
    Total loans held for sale   60,970       61,239       24,441       25,716       125,859  
    Total loans, net of allowance for credit losses   1,895,821       1,880,176       1,884,514       1,963,852       1,826,980  
    Loan servicing rights   2,869       2,744       2,661       2,754       2,860  
    Total assets   2,416,675       2,376,230       2,388,735       2,450,368       2,393,491  
                       
    Customer deposits $ 1,456,174     $ 1,392,411     $ 1,395,766     $ 1,371,724     $ 1,312,997  
    Brokered deposits   280,020       396,770       437,008       509,157       399,151  
    Total deposits   1,736,194       1,789,181       1,832,774       1,880,881       1,712,148  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings   434,924       325,310       295,000       301,640       425,000  
                       
    Common stock and additional paid-in capital $ 30,090     $ 28,650     $ 28,382     $ 27,725     $ 27,592  
    Retained earnings – substantially restricted   187,969       182,918       178,526       173,337       170,688  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (20,061 )     (19,385 )     (17,789 )     (11,195 )     (17,415 )
    Unearned stock compensation   (2,005 )     (862 )     (973 )     (901 )     (999 )
    Less treasury stock, at cost   (12,171 )     (12,132 )     (12,119 )     (11,851 )     (11,866 )
    Total stockholders’ equity   183,822       179,189       176,027       177,115       168,000  
                       
    Outstanding common shares   6,976,558       6,919,136       6,909,173       6,887,106       6,883,656  
                       
                       
      Three Months Ended
    Summarized Consolidated Statements of Income June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands, except per share data)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Total interest income $ 31,965     $ 30,823     $ 32,449     $ 32,223     $ 31,094  
    Total interest expense   15,240       14,832       16,987       17,146       16,560  
    Net interest income   16,725       15,991       15,462       15,077       14,534  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans   347       (357 )     (491 )     1,808       501  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments   77       123       46       (262 )     158  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities   (1 )     (1 )     (6 )     (86 )     84  
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses   423       (235 )     (451 )     1,460       743  
                       
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   16,302       16,226       15,913       13,617       13,791  
                       
    Total noninterest income   4,520       3,560       6,103       2,842       3,196  
    Total noninterest expense   13,693       13,698       14,943       12,642       12,431  
    Income before income taxes   7,129       6,088       7,073       3,817       4,556  
    Income tax expense (benefit)   963       589       848       145       483  
    Net income   6,166       5,499       6,225       3,672       4,073  
                       
                       
    Net income per share, basic $ 0.90     $ 0.80     $ 0.91     $ 0.54     $ 0.60  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic   6,881,077       6,875,826       6,851,153       6,832,626       6,832,452  
                       
    Net income per share, diluted $ 0.88     $ 0.79     $ 0.89     $ 0.53     $ 0.60  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted   6,977,674       6,960,020       6,969,223       6,894,532       6,842,336  
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended
    Noninterest Income Detail June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Service charges on deposit accounts $ 537     $ 541     $ 567     $ 552     $ 538  
    ATM and interchange fees   648       632       665       642       593  
    Net unrealized gain on equity securities   15       47       78       28       419  
    Net gain on equity securities   –       –       403       –       –  
    Net gain on sales of loans, Small Business Administration   932       1,078       711       647       581  
    Net gain on sales of loans, home equity lines of credit   617       –       2,492       –       –  
    Mortgage banking income   96       104       78       6       49  
    Increase in cash surrender value of life insurance   358       380       361       363       353  
    Gain on life insurance   147       –       108       –       –  
    Commission income   184       255       210       294       220  
    Real estate lease income   132       122       121       122       154  
    Net gain (loss) on premises and equipment   –       –       45       (4 )     –  
    Other income   854       401       264       192       289  
    Total noninterest income $ 4,520     $ 3,560     $ 6,103     $ 2,842     $ 3,196  
                       
                       
      Three Months Ended
      June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    Consolidated Performance Ratios (Annualized)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Return on average assets   1.02 %     0.93 %     1.02 %     0.61 %     0.69 %
    Return on average equity   13.66 %     12.24 %     14.07 %     8.52 %     9.86 %
    Return on average common stockholders’ equity   13.66 %     12.34 %     14.07 %     8.52 %     9.86 %
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis)   2.99 %     2.93 %     2.75 %     2.72 %     2.67 %
    Efficiency ratio   64.45 %     70.06 %     69.29 %     70.55 %     70.11 %
                       
                       
      As of or for the Three Months Ended
      June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    Consolidated Asset Quality Ratios   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Nonperforming loans as a percentage of total loans   0.79 %     0.67 %     0.87 %     0.85 %     0.91 %
    Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total assets   0.68 %     0.55 %     0.71 %     0.71 %     0.72 %
    Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of total loans   1.07 %     1.08 %     1.09 %     1.07 %     1.07 %
    Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of nonperforming loans   134.88 %     161.04 %     124.85 %     125.69 %     118.12 %
    Net charge-offs to average outstanding loans   0.02 %     -0.01 %     0.01 %     0.02 %     0.01 %
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended
    Segmented Statements of Income Information June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Core Banking Segment:                  
    Net interest income $ 15,086     $ 14,259     $ 13,756     $ 14,083     $ 13,590  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans   420       (540 )     (745 )     1,339       320  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments   32       35       (75 )     78       64  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – securities   (1 )     (1 )     (7 )     (86 )     84  
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses   451       (506 )     (827 )     1,331       468  
    Net interest income after provision (credit) for credit losses   14,635       14,765       14,583       12,752       13,122  
    Noninterest income   3,340       2,242       5,253       2,042       2,474  
    Noninterest expense   11,366       11,486       12,574       10,400       10,192  
    Income before income taxes   6,609       5,521       7,262       4,394       5,404  
    Income tax expense   835       452       893       301       689  
    Net income $ 5,774     $ 5,069     $ 6,369     $ 4,093     $ 4,715  
                       
    SBA Lending Segment (Q2):                  
    Net interest income $ 1,639     $ 1,732     $ 1,706     $ 994     $ 944  
    Provision (credit) for credit losses – loans   (73 )     183       255       469       181  
    Provision (credit) for unfunded lending commitments   45       88       121       (340 )     94  
    Total provision (credit) for credit losses   (28 )     271       376       129       275  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   1,667       1,461       1,330       865       669  
    Noninterest income   1,180       1,318       850       800       722  
    Noninterest expense   2,327       2,212       2,369       2,242       2,239  
    Income (loss) before income taxes   520       567       (189 )     (577 )     (848 )
    Income tax expense (benefit)   128       137       (45 )     (156 )     (206 )
    Net income (loss) $ 392     $ 430     $ (144 )   $ (421 )   $ (642 )
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended
    Segmented Statements of Income Information June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands, except percentage data)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Net Income (Loss) Per Share by Segment                  
    Net income per share, basic – Core Banking $ 0.84     $ 0.74     $ 0.93     $ 0.60     $ 0.69  
    Net income (loss) per share, basic – SBA Lending (Q2)   0.06       0.06       (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.09 )
    Total net income (loss) per share, basic $ 0.90     $ 0.80     $ 0.91     $ 0.54     $ 0.60  
                       
    Net Income (Loss) Per Diluted Share by Segment                  
    Net income per share, diluted – Core Banking $ 0.82     $ 0.73     $ 0.91     $ 0.59     $ 0.69  
    Net income (loss) per share, diluted – SBA Lending (Q2)   0.06       0.06       (0.02 )     (0.06 )     (0.09 )
    Total net income per share, diluted $ 0.88     $ 0.79     $ 0.89     $ 0.53     $ 0.60  
                       
    Return on Average Assets by Segment (annualized) (3)                  
    Core Banking   1.01 %     0.90 %     1.09 %     0.71 %     0.83 %
    SBA Lending   1.36 %     1.58 %     (0.55 %)     (1.71 %)     (2.91 %)
                       
    Efficiency Ratio by Segment (annualized) (3)                  
    Core Banking   61.68 %     69.61 %     66.15 %     64.50 %     63.45 %
    SBA Lending   82.55 %     72.52 %     92.68 %     124.97 %     134.39 %
                       
                       
      Three Months Ended
    Noninterest Expense Detail by Segment June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Core Banking Segment:                  
    Compensation $ 6,470     $ 6,637     $ 7,245     $ 5,400     $ 5,587  
    Occupancy   1,533       1,648       1,577       1,554       1,573  
    Advertising   437       429       338       399       253  
    Other   2,926       2,772       3,414       3,047       2,779  
    Total Noninterest Expense $ 11,366     $ 11,486     $ 12,574     $ 10,400     $ 10,192  
                       
    SBA Lending Segment (Q2):                  
    Compensation $ 1,914     $ 1,892     $ 1,931     $ 1,854     $ 1,893  
    Occupancy   92       50       59       55       51  
    Advertising   17       10       14       17       12  
    Other   304       260       365       316       283  
    Total Noninterest Expense $ 2,327     $ 2,212     $ 2,369     $ 2,242     $ 2,239  
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended
    SBA Lending (Q2) Data June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands, except percentage data)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
                       
    Final funded loans guaranteed portion sold, SBA $ 18,019     $ 15,716     $ 10,785     $ 10,880     $ 7,515  
                       
    Gross gain on sales of loans, SBA $ 1,548     $ 1,508     $ 1,141     $ 1,029     $ 811  
    Weighted average gross gain on sales of loans, SBA   8.59 %     9.60 %     10.58 %     9.46 %     10.79 %
                       
    Net gain on sales of loans, SBA (2) $ 932     $ 1,078     $ 711     $ 647     $ 581  
    Weighted average net gain on sales of loans, SBA   5.17 %     6.86 %     6.59 %     5.95 %     7.73 %
                       
                       
    (2) Inclusive of gains on servicing assets and net of commissions, referral fees, SBA repair fees and discounts on unguaranteed portions held-for-investment.    
                       
                       
    SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED): Three Months Ended
    Summarized Consolidated Average Balance Sheets June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,
    (In thousands)   2025       2025       2024       2024       2024  
    Interest-earning assets                  
    Average balances:                  
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks $ 15,889     $ 11,851     $ 21,102     $ 16,841     $ 26,100  
    Loans   1,992,567       1,946,338       2,010,082       1,988,997       1,943,716  
    Investment securities – taxable   104,169       102,744       101,960       99,834       101,350  
    Investment securities – nontaxable   162,017       161,579       160,929       158,917       157,991  
    FRB and FHLB stock   24,993       24,986       24,986       24,986       24,986  
    Total interest-earning assets $ 2,299,635     $ 2,247,498     $ 2,319,059     $ 2,289,575     $ 2,254,143  
                       
    Interest income (tax equivalent basis):                  
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks $ 145     $ 168     $ 210     $ 209     $ 324  
    Loans   29,214       27,998       29,617       29,450       28,155  
    Investment securities – taxable   947       921       914       910       918  
    Investment securities – nontaxable   1,733       1,719       1,715       1,685       1,665  
    FRB and FHLB stock   416       511       493       471       519  
    Total interest income (tax equivalent basis) $ 32,455     $ 31,317     $ 32,949     $ 32,725     $ 31,581  
                       
    Weighted average yield (tax equivalent basis, annualized):                  
    Interest-bearing deposits with banks   3.65 %     5.67 %     3.98 %     4.96 %     4.97 %
    Loans   5.86 %     5.75 %     5.89 %     5.92 %     5.79 %
    Investment securities – taxable   3.64 %     3.59 %     3.59 %     3.65 %     3.62 %
    Investment securities – nontaxable   4.28 %     4.26 %     4.26 %     4.24 %     4.22 %
    FRB and FHLB stock   6.66 %     8.18 %     7.89 %     7.54 %     8.31 %
    Total interest-earning assets   5.65 %     5.57 %     5.68 %     5.72 %     5.60 %
                       
    Interest-bearing liabilities                  
    Interest-bearing deposits $ 1,537,248     $ 1,653,058     $ 1,671,156     $ 1,563,258     $ 1,572,871  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings   437,371       266,975       315,583       378,956       351,227  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings   35,070       48,656       48,616       48,576       48,537  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities $ 2,009,689     $ 1,968,689     $ 2,035,355     $ 1,990,790     $ 1,972,635  
                       
    Interest expense:                  
    Interest-bearing deposits $ 10,601     $ 12,069     $ 13,606     $ 12,825     $ 12,740  
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings   4,149       2,001       2,617       3,521       3,021  
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings   489       762       764       800       799  
    Total interest expense $ 15,239     $ 14,832     $ 16,987     $ 17,146     $ 16,560  
                       
    Weighted average cost (annualized):                  
    Interest-bearing deposits   2.76 %     2.92 %     3.26 %     3.28 %     3.24 %
    Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings   3.79 %     3.00 %     3.32 %     3.72 %     3.44 %
    Subordinated debt and other borrowings   5.58 %     6.26 %     6.29 %     6.59 %     6.58 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   3.03 %     3.01 %     3.34 %     3.45 %     3.36 %
                       
    Net interest income (taxable equivalent basis) $ 17,216     $ 16,485     $ 15,962     $ 15,579     $ 15,021  
    Less: taxable equivalent adjustment   (491 )     (494 )     (500 )     (502 )     (487 )
    Net interest income $ 16,725     $ 15,991     $ 15,462     $ 15,077     $ 14,534  
                       
    Interest rate spread (tax equivalent basis, annualized)   2.62 %     2.56 %     2.34 %     2.27 %     2.24 %
                       
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent basis, annualized)   2.99 %     2.93 %     2.75 %     2.72 %     2.67 %
                       

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Confirmation Hearing on Chief of Naval Operations Nominee Admiral Daryl Caudle

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    Watch Video Here
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to consider the nomination of Admiral Daryl Caudle to be Chief of Naval Operations.
    In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker praised Admiral Caudle’s extensive experience and highlighted the challenges facing the Navy amid rising demands in the maritime domain.
    Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered.
    I welcome Admiral Daryl Caudle, and his family are here, thank you for being here today.  As Commander of United States Fleet Forces Command for the past four years, Admiral Caudle has been responsible for the readiness, training, and deployment of naval forces.  He is uniquely suited to guide the Navy through today’s complex challenges.
    The U.S. Navy handles critical maritime missions that no other nation could shoulder. Our Navy is unmatched in its capabilities. No other navy can operate complex naval exercises in the Pacific, defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, and prosecute a campaign against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen – executing all of these missions nearly simultaneously.
    Accomplishing all these objectives is no easy feat.  Admiral Caudle has championed a ready fleet, targeting a goal of 80 percent surge combat readiness to ensure forces are prepared for rapid deployment.  He also started the important task of rethinking force generation models to consider how we can more efficiently generate combat power.  We must start addressing the global demand for United States naval presence by increasing the supply of ready ships, personnel, and equipment.
    Last week, this committee released the text of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.  In addition to reforms proposed by the FORGED Act, our bill seeks to address maintenance challenges faced by the Navy’s surface fleet. The Senate’s plan adjusts the contracting strategy for ship repair.  We would like to see the Navy give a clear demand signal to each shipyard and bring them into the planning process much earlier. Additionally, we proposed authorities that are meant to reverse inefficiencies in current processes by empowering the fleet to oversee maintenance.  I would like to hear from our witness about these reforms and his strategies for boosting readiness to meet global demands.
    The committee’s NDAA would help correct serious deficiencies in the Navy’s budget by proposing additional support for the service.  Billions of dollars are misaligned between the Navy’s budget request and the recently enacted reconciliation law.  If confirmed, Admiral Caudle must navigate these fiscal realities in order to keep readiness and modernization on track.  I am hopeful that Congress will unite to raise the defense topline, closing these gaps to ensure our Navy remains the world’s preeminent maritime force.
    Fortunately, the reconciliation law gives the Navy a transformative opportunity.  It includes $18 billion for shipbuilding, $5 billion for unmanned systems, $5 billion for rebuilding the maritime industrial base, $5 billion for munitions and missiles, and $2 billion for ship spare parts.
    These investments are necessary, but they are no substitute for good management.  Leadership starts at the top, and I hope that our nominee and Secretary Phelan will build an immediate partnership.  The next Chief of Naval Operations will lead our Navy into the most dangerous threat window our country has faced in generations.
    Let me quote Admiral Hyman Rickover, “In everything we do, we must ask ourselves: Does this directly advance our preparation for war?”  We all seek peace, but the surest path to preserving peace is by building unmatched strength.  I look forward to hearing from our witness how he will strengthen our Navy to meet the challenges we need.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren on Trump Administration Approving Paramount Megamerger: “Bribery Is Illegal No Matter Who Is President”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    July 24, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to the news that the Trump administration approved Paramount Global’s (Paramount) $8 billion merger with Skydance Media (Skydance), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:
    “Bribery is illegal no matter who is president. It sure looks like Skydance and Paramount paid $36 million to Donald Trump for this merger, and he’s even bragged about this crooked-looking deal. I’ve been ringing the alarm bell for months, launching a Senate investigation into possible corruption, and this merger must be investigated for any criminal behavior. It’s an open question whether the Trump administration’s approval of this merger was the result of a bribe.”
    Senator Warren has led the charge to determine if Paramount bribed President Trump in exchange for approval of its multi-billion-dollar megamerger with Skydance, and has fought relentlessly against President Trump’s corruption:
    On July 23, Senator Warren published an op-ed in Variety: “Elizabeth Warren on Colbert ‘Late Show’ Cancellation: Is the Paramount Trump Payoff a Bribe?”
    On July 21, Senators Warren, Sanders (I-Vt.), and Wyden (D-Ore.) pressed David Ellison, CEO of Skydance, about reports of a secret deal between Skydance and President Trump — and how it may be related to Paramount’s recent multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with Trump.
    On July 17, Senators Warren and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with Representatives Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Melane Stansbury (D-N.M.), and lawmakers in Congress unveiled the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act to close loopholes that allow presidential libraries to be used as tools for corruption and bribery.
    On July 2, Senator Warren called for an investigation into Paramount’s settlement with Trump.
    On May 19, Senators Warren, Sanders, and Wyden wrote to Shari Redstone, Chair of Paramount, with concerns regarding whether Paramount may be engaging in potentially illegal conduct involving the Trump Administration in exchange for approval of its megamerger with Skydance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese women’s federations urged to advance institutional reform

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 24 — Chinese State Councilor and All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) President Shen Yiqin on Thursday called for continued reform of women’s federations.

    Speaking at an expanded meeting of the ACWF Standing Committee, Shen said advancing reform of women’s federations is both a key mandate from the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee and essential to mobilizing women’s strength in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Shen highlighted actions to strengthen political orientation and grassroots presence of women’s organizations, and maintain their progressive nature.

    She urged the federations to reinforce organizational networks, expand diverse working teams, improve cadre competence, and facilitate a shift in working style.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, EU should expand trade, investment ties to cope with external uncertainties: Chinese premier

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    China, EU should expand trade, investment ties to cope with external uncertainties: Chinese premier

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attend the China-EU Business Leaders Symposium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    BEIJING, July 24 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday called on China and the European Union (EU) to expand trade and investment ties to enhance their economic resilience and vitality, and to increase their ability to negotiate external uncertainties.

    Li made the remarks at the China-EU Business Leaders Symposium, which was also attended by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

    Speaking to some 60 business leaders, Li said that cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the EU, and that bilateral trade ties have demonstrated strong internal dynamism over the five decades since the establishment of these diplomatic relations.

    In the face of rising protectionism and unilateralism, China and the EU can play pivotal roles in economic globalization, and in the stability of international industrial and supply chains, by working together to uphold free trade and multilateralism, and through closer economic and trade cooperation, he said.

    He proposed that both sides focus on areas such as trade in services, sci-tech innovation, the green economy and third-party cooperation, and that they foster a good competitive and cooperative relationship.

    He encouraged enterprises from both sides to hold an open attitude, align their needs and deepen cooperation in the fields of industrial investment, market expansion, and joint research and development.

    Li noted that China will continue expanding its high-level opening-up, shorten its negative list for foreign investment, strengthen intellectual property protection and safeguard fair competition.

    “We welcome more European businesses to invest and pursue long-term operations in China,” he said, also calling on the EU to provide a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Europe.

    Von der Leyen said that China is not only an industrial powerhouse but also a top performer in innovation.

    The EU stands ready to use the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deepen its long-term, stable and mutually beneficial partnership with China, she said.

    She noted that the EU will enhance cooperation with China in such fields as trade and investment, work with China to promote industrial and supply chain stability, manage differences in a proper manner, and foster a favorable environment for cooperation and business.

    The EU has no intention to decouple from China and welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Europe, she added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China has invited high-level representatives from over 40 countries, intl’ organizations to attend 2025 World AI Conference: spokesperson

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    China has invited high-level representatives from over 40 countries, intl’ organizations to attend 2025 World AI Conference: spokesperson

    BEIJING, July 24 — China has invited high-level representatives from over 40 countries and international organizations to attend the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend and address the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on July 26, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on the same day.

    Speaking at a regular news briefing, Guo said artificial intelligence is developing rapidly and becoming an important driving force for the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, adding that holding the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance is an important step to implement the Global AI Governance Initiative proposed by China, with the aim of making the conference a technology leader, application showcase, industry accelerator, and governance council in the field of AI.

    The theme of this year’s conference is “Global Solidarity in the AI Era”, according to Guo.

    “We hope that participating parties will have in-depth discussions on three major topics, namely deepening innovation cooperation and unleashing the intelligence dividend, promoting inclusive development and bridging the digital divide, and strengthening collaborative governance and ensuring AI for good,” Guo said.

    China looks forward to enhanced solidarity, joint pursuit for development and concerted actions to promote the sound and orderly development of AI and make sure it is a force for good, safety, and fairness, he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 9 Chinese cities accredited as int’l wetland cities

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe, July 24 — A total of nine Chinese cities were accredited as international wetland cities on Thursday during the opening of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) held in Zimbabwe’s resort city of Victoria Falls, bringing the total number of such cities in China to 22, the highest in the world.

    The nine newly accredited cities are Chongming in Shanghai, Dali in Yunnan Province, Fuzhou in Fujian Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province, Lhasa in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, and Yueyang in Hunan Province.

    Johane Chenjekwa, mayor of Kasane in Botswana, commended China for promoting wetland conservation, noting that Africa can benefit from cooperation with China in wetland management.

    “We will see, as we interact, what we can learn from them. They are also willing to learn from how we do things here, so it’s really a (great) experience to be mingling (together),” he said.

    Chenjekwa added that as the world faces the common challenge of wetland degradation, joint efforts with China can help tackle its impacts.

    In his opening remarks, Jay Aldous, deputy secretary-general of the Convention on Wetlands, noted that while urbanization brings tangible development progress, there is a need to ensure that it does not interfere with wetland preservation.

    “Unplanned or poorly managed urban expansion has emerged as a global concern, contributing to the degradation of wetlands, loss of biodiversity, disruption of ecological balance, rising greenhouse gas emissions, worsening air and water pollution, and escalating the impacts of climate change,” he said.

    In response to these challenges and recognizing the pivotal role of cities and urban wetlands, the Convention on Wetlands launched the Wetland City Accreditation scheme to encourage the protection of urban wetlands and their integration into sustainable urban planning, Aldous said.

    “By embracing the convention’s principles of wise use, cities can harness the ecological, social, and economic benefits that wetlands provide, including climate adaptation and mitigation, flood regulation, cultural value, and improved human well-being,” he said.

    Held under the theme of “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future”, the COP15, which will conclude on July 31, has brought together contracting parties to strengthen international commitments to wetland protection.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representative Nadler Delivers Remarks at Rally in Support of Brooklyn Container Port

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

    Today, Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) delivered the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, at a community rally in Red Hook in support of the Brooklyn container port: 

    “Thank you for inviting me here today. As many of you know, I have advocated for the Port of New York and New Jersey for more than forty years. For many of those years, I represented the Red Hook waterfront in Congress and fought for this vital facility, the community, and the jobs that depend on the port.

    Red Hook is the only remaining container port facility on the eastern side of the Hudson River, making it immensely important for our city, state, and region. We gather today to address a critical decision facing our community regarding the future of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and Red Hook’s working waterfront.

    Red Hook has served as an active working waterfront for 150 years. While the port may be smaller than terminals in New Jersey and Staten Island, its location in the heart of America’s largest consumer market provides unique value. Red Hook connects our region to vital supply chains, bringing fresh produce from Latin America and the Caribbean directly to grocery stores throughout the city and Long Island.

    The recent Baltimore bridge collapse reminded us how vulnerable our supply chains can be. We need redundancy and resilient alternatives. The Blue Highway barge service operating since 1991 employs skilled long-shore workers representing generations of maritime expertise. This infrastructure deserves our investment and protection.

    Unfortunately, the city in acquiring the facility made a bad deal with the Port Authority and inherited a facility with significant challenges from decades of underinvestment. But now that the city owns Brooklyn Marine Terminal, it must repair the facility without any conditions. The current proposal from EDC is deeply flawed. To save the port, they propose developing thousands of market-rate housing units to finance improvements. I believe there is a better path forward, because their plan would have the opposite effect—shrinking and killing the very port they claim to want to save.

    I fully recognize the city’s housing crisis requires urgent attention. However, adding 8,000 housing units to an area with narrow streets, aging infrastructure, and limited transit raises serious concerns about community impact and quality of life.
    I propose a more thoughtful approach. First, preserve the Red Hook Port with no reduction in its footprint. Second, the city should invest in port stabilization and improvements as a public infrastructure priority, similar to investments in ferry lines, roads, and bridges. New York State should contribute as well, since the terminal serves the broader region including Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

    Finally, housing decisions should be addressed through the established ULURP process, designed for complex land use decisions requiring maximum community input. This same process recently delivered the City of Yes housing plan through proper democratic engagement.

    The fact that EDC keeps postponing the Task Force vote shows they lack support for their deeply flawed plan. It is profoundly undemocratic for EDC to delay the vote simply because they know their plan will be rejected. I urge the Task Force to approve necessary port improvements immediately while deferring housing decisions for later consideration through the ULURP process. This approach respects both the community’s voice and the democratic processes that ensure good governance.

    The future of Red Hook deserves careful deliberation, not rushed decisions. We can protect our working waterfront while addressing housing needs through proper planning and community engagement.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Congressman Castro Testifies at Texas Capitol to Stand Against Governor Abbott’s Gerrymandering Efforts

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)

    July 24, 2025

    AUSTIN, TX — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) testified before the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting to stand up to Governor Greg Abbott and President Trump for subverting the will of all Texans and disenfranchising the voting power of minority voters.

    Congressman Castro Delivers 2 Minute Testimony

    Congressman Castro’s testimony below:

    Thank you, Chairman and Members of the Committee.

    I am proud to represent my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, the 20th Congressional District.

    I was a freshman in 2003, when as Democrats, we left the state for Ardmore, Oklahoma, to stop mid-decade redistricting more than 20 years ago.

    It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.

    And you all are being used. You’re being used by the White House and by Donald Trump. You’re being used because he doesn’t want Democrats to control the majority of the Congress so that there’ll be no investigations.

    There has been no discussion in Congress about the floods that occurred in Kerr County and the loss of so many lives. There has been no discussion on the Epstein files, no discussions on the Iran leaks and all those messages by the Secretary of Defense and others.

    There literally is no accountability right now in Congress and the people that are going to pay for this are the folks in Black and Brown communities in our cities. They’re going to have their districts cracked and packed and un-Blacked because of this effort.

    That’s what’s at stake here, whether you all are going to work for the people of Texas, as we used to do, or try to do, or whether you’re going to take your commandments from Donald Trump and the White House.

    I hope that you all will choose to do the business of the people of Texas as this body has a history of being independent from the federal government, not a stooge for it.

    I yield back.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Slams DHS Stealing Immigrants’ DNA and Giving it to FBI Criminal Database

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Pressley Also Condemns GOP Inhumane Treatment of Immigrant Children

    “This administration is turning childhood trauma into a permanent record. Republicans on this committee claim to be focused on protecting children, yet ignore actual threats to their safety.”

    Video (YouTube)

    WASHINGTON – In a House Oversight Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) condemned Trump’s DHS policy to steal the DNA of immigrants – including children as young as four years old – and handing it over to an FBI criminal database to surveil them like suspects in waiting.

    In her remarks, Rep. Pressley made clear that the stealing of children’s genetic information is a direct violation of their civil rights and civil liberties and slammed Trump and Republicans for traumatizing children while claiming to protect them.

    A full transcript of her remarks as delivered is available below, and the full video is available here.

    Transcript: Pressley Slams DHS Stealing Immigrants’ DNA and Giving it to FBI Criminal Database

    House of Representatives

    July 23, 2025

    REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you. First, let me begin by saying this: Republicans, you sound absolutely absurd. Stop calling children “aliens.” This intentional – I mean, the cruelty is the point – this intentional, dehumanizing, and persistent persecution through your rhetoric is shameful. 

    You are literally attacking children. I cannot take seriously anyone who’s using othering language to bully babies and toddlers. 

    Republicans don’t want us to see the humanity of immigrants. That’s why they like saying “aliens” and even put it in the title of the hearing. And that inhumane approach is consistent with the actions of the Department of Homeland Security. 

    Dr. Cuffari, have you heard about the DHS policy of collecting the DNA of children and storing it into the FBI criminal database? Yes or no?

    DR. CUFFARI: I believe there is not a policy to do children.

    REP. PRESSLEY: There absolutely is. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this report from July 2025, titled ‘Rating the Genome: How the United States Government is Abusing its Immigration Powers to Amass DNA for Future Policing.’

    CHAIR HIGGINS: Without objection.

    REP. PRESSLEY: This policy began under Donald Trump. In his first term, he authorized DHS to begin mass DNA data collection from immigrants – including children – and hand that data over to an FBI database designed to track violent offenders. 

    Now that he’s back, Trump is taking this policy to new extremes, adding more than a quarter million people to the database in just four months. A quarter million people, okay, in four months. 

    This committee recently held a hearing on genetic data, and there was bipartisan agreement that DNA is highly sensitive and its misuse is a violation of people’s rights, because children as young as four years old could not possibly consent to DNA collection.

    So I want to know what your office is doing about it, Dr. Cuffari- 

    DR. CUFFARI: We actually wrote a report –

    REP. PRESSLEY: One moment, let me ask the question.

    DR. CUFFARI: Certainly.

    REP. PRESSLEY: Is it the responsibility of your office to investigate abuses of civil rights and civil liberties? Yes or no?

    DR. CUFFARI: Yes.

    REP. PRESSLEY: Has your office ever investigated concerns about DHS agents stealing genetic information from children and uploading it to the FBI criminal database?

    DR. CUFFARI: Not to my knowledge, during my tenure.

    REP. PRESSLEY: Well, for an Inspector General worthy of the title, it should be a priority investigation. Do you agree?

    DR. CUFFARI: I agree that we did a report –

    REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you.

    DR. CUFFARI: Thank you.

    REP. PRESSLEY: You agree? 

    DR. CUFFARI: I agree –

    REP. PRESSLEY: There should be a priority investigation?

    DR. CUFFARI: – On the matter you’re discussing.

    REP. PRESSLEY: For the record, I want to be clear. Do you agree this should be a priority investigation by your office to look into agents stealing genetic information from children and uploading it to the FBI criminal database – yes or no? Yes or no?

    DR. CUFFARI: We have done the report –

    REP. PRESSLEY: Let me just this –

    DR. CUFFARI: We have done the report you’re mentioning –

    REP. PRESSLEY: Let me just say this – your office, according to Title Five of the US Code, Chapter Four, Section 417 – this is the responsibility you are charged with, to investigate abuses of civil rights and civil liberties. 

    Children as young as four years old have not consented to the collection of their DNA. That is a violation of their civil rights and civil liberties. 

    So this is not a trick question. Do you believe, given the charge and jurisdiction of your office, that this should be a priority investigation, as their rights have been violated?

    DR. CUFFARI: Unless the adult consented on the child –

    REP. PRESSLEY: Yes or no? Yes or no, Dr. Cuffari?

    DR. CUFFARI: We just got done writing a report.

    REP. PRESSLEY: On what?

    DR. CUFFARI: On the DNA collection within the Department of Homeland Security.

    REP. PRESSLEY: I thought you said you weren’t even aware that it was a policy. I’m very confused.

    DR. CUFFARI: There’s not a policy.

    REP. PRESSLEY: Dr. Cuffari, I’m not going to, you know, play these games here – because we’re talking about children, so I don’t want to circle the drain. 

    But this should be a priority investigation, because we have children whose civil rights have been violated with the collection of their DNA. 

    This administration is turning childhood trauma into a permanent record. 

    Republicans on this committee, you claim to be focused on protecting children, yet you’re ignoring actual threats to their safety. 

    You traumatize children with the threat of disappearing their parents. You traumatize children by disappearing their parents. You traumatize children by conducting their DNA without their consent and criminalizing them. You traumatize children by denying them food when they’re hungry. You traumatize children by denying them essential health care, which is their human right. 

    You traumatize them so much that they’re afraid to show up to school, afraid to show up to church, afraid to go to doctor’s appointments. 

    Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this July 2025 article from the Boston Globe, titled, ‘I Want Daddy: As ICE Detains Parents and Children –

    CHAIR HIGGINS: Without objection and the gentlelady’s time has expired. 

    REP. PRESSLEY: Stop using children as pawns. This is the real child abuse.

    Thank you, I yield.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: SH1B Telephone Road rail crossing to reopen next week

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    The rail crossing on State Highway 1B Telephone Road, east of Hamilton, is set to reopen to traffic next week, more than 3 years after it was closed.

    The signals and barriers at the crossing are in the final stages of KiwiRail’s testing and commissioning process. Pending final approval, the crossing is expected to open Wednesday afternoon, 30 July.  

    “This is a big milestone for the Puketaha community who have been living with the lengthy detour,” says Andrew Corkill, Director of Regional Relationships for Waikato/Bay of Plenty at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). 

    “It’s been a long process to reopen this rail crossing and we’d like to thank the community, Waikato District Council and KiwiRail who have all worked constructively with NZTA to get us to this point.”   

    Since early 2025, work has been ongoing at the crossing to address the 2 main safety concerns which led to the rail crossing being closed in April 2022.  

    The first was the height of the rail tracks above the road on either side of the crossing, which led to low vehicles hitting and dislodging sections of the rail track; the second was the short distance from the crossing to the intersection with Holland Road.  

    To mitigate these, the road height has been raised by up to 410mm for a distance of 90 metres either side of the rail crossing and escape lanes have been built on Holland Road to ensure that vehicles can clear the rail crossing while the train is approaching. 

    Siva Sivapakkiam, KiwiRail’s Acting Chief Infrastructure Officer says; “We are pleased to see the SH1B Telephone Road rail crossing open again, and safer than before with newly installed active safety protection. This is a good outcome for the community, and we thank everyone for their patience. This has not been a straightforward project, but strong collaboration with NZTA and others has led to this good result.”

    New signals and barriers have been installed at the rail crossing and additional warning signs for approaching trains have been installed on SH1B Telephone Road and at the Holland Road intersection.

    Background 

    The rail crossing on SH1B Telephone Road was previously considered one of the most dangerous in New Zealand.

    As a result of an incident in April 2022 KiwiRail and NZTA decided to immediately close the rail crossing until it could safely reopen.

    Following the closure, NZTA commissioned a detailed report on the future options for the crossing from consultants WSP. The report explored a range of options from low-cost interventions such as barrier arms, limited access to light vehicles and judder bars, to more complex options that involved significant engineering work to reconfigure the rail crossing and adjacent intersection.

    NZTA remained committed to investigating practical and affordable solutions to allow the SH1B Telephone Road rail crossing to reopen and continued to work with KiwiRail. This led to the new design which met KiwiRail requirements to allow the rail crossing to reopen.

    Another important factor in the new design meeting safety requirements is the reduction in traffic volumes, particularly the lower number of trucks, using SH1B following the completion of the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Safer intersection ahead – new roundabout SH5 & SH28/Harwoods Road

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    The busy intersection of State Highway 5 and State Highway 28-Harwoods Road east of Tīrau will be made safer with work starting next month on a roundabout.

    The T-intersection has a poor safety record which NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says can be improved with a 3-leg roundabout.

    Work will start on 18 August with traffic expected to be flowing on the roundabout by March 2026. Schick Construction has been awarded the physical works contract and will monitor and manage traffic through the site during the construction period.

    Some closures of SH28-Harwoods Road at the works site may be needed later in the build, with dates and detours to be advised when confirmed.

    In the past 10 years there has been one death and 17 serious injury crashes at the SH5 Harwoods Road intersection.

    “This roundabout is one of several safety improvements planned for the stretch of SH5 between Tīrau and Tārukenga Marae Road,” says Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery,  Darryl Coalter.

    A right-turn bay was built at Waimakariri Road earlier this year, while funding has been allocated to complete design for a roundabout at SH5/SH28-Whites Road.

    NZTA is also undertaking general widening works between Whites and Harwoods roads to allow for wide centrelines. The first section between Whites and Waimakariri roads will be done this spring.

    The maintenance programme this spring/early summer will see a rebuild of 400m of Whites Road from south of the SH5 intersection. The intersection itself will receive a new asphalt surface.

    No changes are proposed for the road through Tūkorehe Reserve/Fitzgerald Glade.

    SH5 Tīrau to Tārukenga safety improvements project page

    View larger/downloadable map [PDF, 366 KB]

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Clamping down on overdue court fines

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is trialling new technology which will help clamp and seize cars of people evading paying court fines, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. 

    “If you haven’t paid your court fines, you may soon find yourself walking home or needing a lift.

    “Bailiffs are now trialling handheld devices which scan the number plates of parked cars, and determine whether the owners have overdue court fines or reparations. 

    “If they do, the car may be clamped or towed away. It’s that simple. 

    “This is first being trialled throughout streets nationwide, and will be present at some breath testing stations this weekend alongside police.  

    “We promised to find new effective ways to force people to pay their court fines. That’s exactly what we’re delivering. We know wheel clamping is already a successful enforcement tool and we want to build on that.

    “Those who have suffered emotional harm or have had their property lost or damaged by an offender’s actions should not be left out of pocket.  

    “Victims are our priority, and their needs underpin all our work to restore law and order, which we know is working.   

    “There’s been a long-standing slackness when it comes to bringing in fines and I’ve given very strong instructions to the Ministry of Justice to find ways to collect them.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Politics – What the heck Winston? Greenpeace queries NZ First support for Seymour’s Overseas Investment Bill

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace is asking NZ First leader Winston Peters what the heck his party is doing supporting an amendment Bill which could lead to greater corporate control of Aotearoa.
    NZ First has supported ACT leader David Seymour’s amendment Bill to the Overseas Investment Act, through its first reading. Submissions on the Bill closed this week.
    Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop says: “ACT is trying to change the Overseas Investment law to make it easier for multinational corporations to buy up and exploit conservation land, lakebeds, coastal zones, wāhi tapu sites and other sensitive land across Aotearoa.”
    “Shockingly, ACT is even trying to remove the mandatory requirement that the Government check whether a corporation has been involved in serious criminal activity before giving them access to New Zealand’s sensitive land and natural resources.”
    The Act currently mandates that the Government apply the Benefit to New Zealand test and Investor Test before giving consent to the sale of land that is classified as “sensitive” and allows them to decline consent if either of these tests are failed.
    Sensitive land is outlined in the Act and includes conservation areas, lake beds, marine and coastal zones, offshore islands, wāhi tapu and other culturally significant sites, as well as land adjoining these areas.
    The Bill proposes that instead of applying a public benefit and investor test, the Government applies a narrower “national interest” test which Greenpeace says completely fails to guarantee any meaningful consideration of environmental, cultural, or public interest values.
    “NZ First currently supports a Bill that would make it easier for multinational corporations to loot and destroy Aotearoa and funnel the profits to offshore shareholders leaving New Zealanders to deal with the mess – polluted rivers, drained aquifers and degraded ecosystems,” Toop says.
    The Bill also scraps the requirement that water quality and sustainability be assessed before allowing overseas interests to extract, bottle and sell New Zealand’s freshwater.
    “NZ First claims to put New Zealand first. But this ACT party Bill firmly puts offshore corporations first and New Zealanders last. Winston Peters should withdraw his party’s support for the Bill before it’s too late.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal crash at Merseylea

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Fatal crash at Merseylea

    Friday, 25 July 2025 – 8:25 am.

    Sadly, a man has died following a crash at Merseylea overnight.
    Police and emergency services were called to the scene about 3am, after a cement truck crashed while travelling along Railton Road.
    Initial inquiries indicate the prime mover was travelling in a north westerly direction, approaching a slight bend, when it has veered off the road and crashed into a bank.
    Members of the public stopped and contacted emergency services.
    Medical attention was provided to the truck driver and his passenger, but sadly the passenger died at the scene.
    The driver was taken to the Launceston General Hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
    The crash is under investigation and anyone with information or relevant dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 131 444 and quote ESCAD 21-25072025.
    Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of both men. A report will be prepared for the coroner.

    MIL OSI News –