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  • MIL-OSI Australia: CFA volunteer and educator awarded AFSM medal

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    CFA firefighter Lisa Hicks was recognised in today’s Australia Day Honours, receiving an Australian Fire Service Medal for her 49 years of dedicated service to CFA and her community. 

    Lisa Hicks has been a dedicated member of CFA for almost 50 years. During this time, she has served in a range of roles in Narre Warren North and Pakenham Upper brigades and supporting roles in Cardinia Group.   

    She is currently the secretary and community safety coordinator of Pakenham Upper brigade and group community safety coordinator and is employed full-time as a brigade administrative support officer (BASO). She has supported incident control centres (ICC) and incident management teams for 30 years as a public information officer and is an endorsed crew leader and is still operational. 

    “When I’m in an ICC, I know what the firefighters are facing and that helps me to understand what they need to make informed decisions. And as a crew leader, I see it through the eyes of a firefighter on the ground and know what I need from an ICC,” Lisa said.   

    Lisa also delivered the Fire Safe Kids Program to local schools and kindergartens for the past 20 years and is involved in a working group to update the program.

    “Fire Safe Kids has been an amazing journey,” Lisa said. “Although each class is different, the children are like sponges absorbing the information. When you deliver the information in a fun way, they learn better. I recently worked with all the schools in Cardinia and asked the kids to do a home fire safety plan and make sure they have working smoke detectors.”

    She was instrumental in establishing and maintaining the Cardinia Group compressed air breathing apparatus refilling station. She supervised the build and testing of the facility, development of documentation and the training of all refilling operators.   

    In her role as a BASO she has supported brigades across the Cardinia Group to recruit new members over many years. She has a strong understanding of the operational and non-operational requirements of brigades.  

    As a dedicated firefighter for almost 50 years, Lisa has made a significant contribution on the frontline of many major fires, including the 1983 Ash Wednesday fire at Upper Beaconsfield. When the fire started in Belgrave South, she responded on Narre Warren North brigade’s tanker and was on one of the first trucks on scene. Despite having only just married Steve Hicks, captain of Narre Warren North, she spent the next fortnight working long hours on opposite shifts to her husband. She fought through all stages of this major fire, including the response, containment, blacking out, patrolling, and supporting the local community, brigade, family, and friends. 

    “As we headed to Belgrave South, the column of smoke just kept growing – it looked bad. None of us had experienced anything like it before. It seemed to change direction at will,” Lisa said.  

    “It was a hot, windy day and nothing was going to stop the fire. We couldn’t hold it, so we were sent further along to try to get ahead of it. Unfortunately, that was impossible so we just did what we could, wherever we could. We never stopped fighting until late that night when we changed crews. 

    “Through the heartache of the loss of fellow firefighters, we took comfort that this was a turning point for CFA to make sure it was never repeated. We now have crew protection, diesel pumps, better radio communication, strike teams and incident control centres.” 

    Another catastrophic fire, the Bunyip Ridge fire, ripped through the Cardinia Group area in February 2009 following a lightning strike three days earlier. In the lead-up to the fire, Lisa supported key district pre-planning meetings and activities to prepare for the extreme weather.  She ensured the Pakenham ICC was fully operational and Cardinia Group brigades were fully stocked and prepared. Over the next few weeks, Lisa worked continuously, undertaking fire brigade activities wearing her two hats – that of a CFA employee and CFA volunteer. Perhaps the most important support she gave was offering a friendly face and focusing on the wellbeing of our brigade leaders and volunteers.  

    On 1 March 2019, multiple lightning strikes started fires across the Bunyip State Park and Gembrook areas. Over the next five days, four fires combined to form one large blaze with the Bunyip fires burning until the end of the month. Through March, Lisa was in high demand by her brigades and the Cardinia Group. She was constantly picking up and dropping off replacement turnout gear, maps, incident action plans, water, foam, and countless other items to brigades and the divisional command point.  

    Lisa’s husband Steve received an AFSM last year. 

    “It’s amazing that both Steve and I have now received this award. To be nominated for an AFSM was an honour, and I’m even more honoured to receive one,” Lisa said. 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Volcano Watch — Recent lava fountains highlight Pele’s Hair hazards

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Volcano Watch — Recent lava fountains highlight Pele’s Hair hazards

    Residents and visitors alike have been watching episodic lava fountains in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea since late December 2024. While beautiful and safe to view, this activity has left residents of communities nearby wondering about the dusting of glittery threads on their property. 

    Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

    On January 16–17, persistent lava fountaining at Kīlauea summit, coupled with Kona wind conditions, resulted in Pele’s hair falling on nearby communities and within parts of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This photo was taken near Kīlauea Visitor Center, where strands of the fine volcanic glass had accumulated into tubular tumbleweeds of Pele’s Hair reaching up to 56 centimeters (22 inches). USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

    Pele’s Hair is the name for the strands of volcanic glass that are created when globs of liquid lava are stretched apart during an eruption. These golden strands can be more than a meter (3 feet) long and less than 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) thick. They are very light weight and can be wafted up in the hot or warm eruption plume, allowing them to be carried by wind and fall in areas far from eruption sites. 

    Tradewind conditions would typically take these particles downwind in a southwest direction from Kīlauea summit, into the Kaʻū Desert area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. However, during episode 4, from January 15–18, there were no tradewinds. The lack of wind allowed the eruption plume, and all the particles in it, to spread out to the north dropping Pele’s Hair fell in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National, Volcano Golf Course, Volcano Village, Mauna Loa Estates, and Ohia Estates. In some areas, the hair tangled into tumble-weed like structures up to 60 cm (about two feet) long. 

    You may be wondering if there are steps you need to take regarding vehicles, pets and children being outside, grazing livestock, or water catchment systems if you live in an area that has been affected by Pele’s Hair.

    Much of the general guidance about volcanic ash exposure and cleanup can be applied to Pele’s Hair, though the two are not exactly the same. Ash is defined as particles smaller than 2 millimeters (0.079 inches) in diameter. While Pele’s Hair is usually thicker and longer, it is likely that ash-sized particles are also falling with Pele’s Hair. And fragile Pele’s Hair can also easily break into ash-sized pieces. Pele’s hair doesn’t wash off of grassy areas as easily as ash and might impact grazing animals, but there are no studies of these impacts. If you are concerned, considered supplementing your animals’ feed or relocating them to an area where Pele’s Hair did not fall.  Pele’s Hair could be beneficial to pasture growth in the long term.

    The recent eruption episode deposited less than 1 millimeter (a fraction of an inch) of Pele’s Hair in communities near Kīlauea’s summit. This amount usually does not require any action but it’s good to be aware and prepared in case more Pele’s Hair falls in the future or accumulates over time.

    Take a look at any flat surfaces outside on your property to evaluate the amount of Pele’s Hair that has accumulated. The hood of a vehicle that was parked outside, for example.  If you do notice any material on your vehicle, it’s a good idea to rinse the particles off with water—especially from windows and door handles as it can scratch paint and metal surfaces. 

    Both Pele’s Hair and volcanic ash are abrasive and can irritate eyes, skin, and respiratory systems. Limiting exposure is the best way to avoid being impacted; consider wearing protective clothing or equipment (gloves, eye protection, facemask) if you cannot limit your exposure. Rainfall and wind will eventually remove the Pele’s Hair, or plants will bind it into the soil. 

    The amount of Pele’s Hair that fell recently was small enough to be handled by most general filtration systems. However, if you are concerned about Pele’s Hair getting in your water catchment system during future lava fountain episodes, there are steps you can take to prevent that from happening. Disconnect the downpipe that connects your gutter system to your tank when Pele’s Hair is falling. This will prevent particles from entering your tank. A rainfall or rinsing will clean much of the material off your roof and flush it out of your downpipe. Then, reconnect your downpipe to your tank again. 

    Pele’s Hair deposition depends on the type of eruptive activity and wind conditions. Five fountaining episodes have taken place so far at Kīlauea summit and monitoring data show patterns suggesting that this type of activity could continue. If you live near the eruptive activity, please stay aware and reach out to askHVO@usgs.gov if you have any questions or concerns. 

    Volcano Activity Updates

    Kīlauea is erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

    The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began in Halemaʻumaʻu crater on December 23 ended its 5th episode at 4:30 AM HST January 23 after 14 hours of eruptive activity from the north vent. Kīlauea summit has been inflating since the eruption ended. Resumption of eruptive activity is possible within days if summit inflation continues at current rate. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. Earthquake rates in the Southwest Rift Zone and upper to middle East Rift Zone remained comparable to the previous week. Ground deformation rates outside of the summit region remained steady. 

    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

    No earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week.

    HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

    Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Ultimate Microsoft 365 community event returns May 6-8

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Ultimate Microsoft 365 community event returns May 6-8

    It’s an incredible time for our customers as we continue to see the future of work come to life with Microsoft 365 Copilot product announcements and enhancements. But as much as we focus on pushing the boundaries of technology, we never lose sight of the fact that this journey is about you: our customers who use these tools to power work, teams, and businesses––and our partners who have built their businesses around helping people get the most out of Microsoft solutions. We’re always listening to your feedback, learning from your experiences, and working to make our products better for you.

    When it comes to collaboration, we know how important it is to bring together teams, customers, partners, and individuals across both digital and hybrid spaces. However, there’s still something special about meeting face to face. That’s why I’m excited to welcome you back to the Microsoft 365 Community Conference (#M365Con).

    Taking place May 6 through May 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the Microsoft 365 Community Conference is your front-row seat to the future of work. Whether you’re a longtime Microsoft enthusiast or new to the ecosystem, we’ll meet you where you are and help you go further.

    Expect a jam-packed agenda with a variety of sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities. We’ll share more details on the agenda and speakers soon. For now, following are the key details you should know.

    What you can expect

    You’ll do more at #M365Con than sit back and listen—you’ll actively participate in an experience that’s designed to inspire, engage, and empower, with more than 200 sessions, including keynotes, breakouts, workshops, and roundtables. More than 100 sessions will be led directly by Microsoft.

    Keynotes will explore the future of work and the Microsoft 365 product roadmap that’s redefining how we work today. Breakout sessions will dive deeper into Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 apps including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Viva, and more. And if you’re eager to get hands-on and technical, workshops will explore topics in depth, improving your skills and enhancing your expertise.

    Attendees will also have more opportunities to get up close and personal with Microsoft’s product makers, who are building the tools you use every day. You can ask your burning questions, share product feedback, and engage in open dialogue about what matters most to you.

    #M365Con is also an opportunity for our partners to gain new insights about what’s in store for the future of work, strengthen relationships, and attend with customers to explore the right solutions to level-up their AI transformation. This is a chance to connect with top Microsoft leaders, explore partner-focused content, and deepen collaboration by engaging with key customers and Microsoft executives.

    There’s no doubt that the Microsoft 365 Community Conference isn’t just an event––it’s a springboard for game-changing ideas, connections, and growth that stays with you long after the sessions end.

    Who you’ll hear from

    This event brings together an exciting team of Microsoft executives and product makers as well as the depth and breadth of the global Microsoft 365 community, including an amazing roster of Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). You’ll also have access to industry experts and solution-providers from across the tech world, who will share how Microsoft tools fit into the broader landscape of digital transformation.

    But perhaps most importantly, you’ll hear from a community of your peers. From discussing the latest product features, to sharing success stories or troubleshooting challenges in the era of generative AI. These conversations will help you learn from the experiences of others.

    Who should attend?

    If you use Microsoft 365 in your work or business, or are passionate about staying at the forefront of technology, the Microsoft 365 Community Conference is for you. This event welcomes everyone—from IT professionals and business leaders to educators and enthusiasts—who want to harness the full potential of Microsoft tools.

    Whether you’re responsible for driving adoption of AI at work, seeking ways to optimize workflows, or aiming to elevate your business with the latest innovations, you’ll find sessions and resources tailored to your needs. It’s also an incredible opportunity for those who teach about or build their businesses on Microsoft products, as well as anyone who simply loves discovering how technology can transform the way we work.

    What you’ll take home with you

    When you leave the Microsoft 365 Community Conference, you’ll take back much more than presentation notes and LinkedIn connections. You’ll gain:

    • Knowledge about the tools you use and best practices to strengthen your business, add value to your team, and build your career.
    • A sense of how AI is already transforming the way we work and what’s on the horizon.
    • A clear view of the Microsoft product roadmap—what features you can use now and what will soon be available to you.
    • The best business solutions for driving successful business outcomes, uncovered through collaborating one-on-one with key customers and Microsoft executives.
    • A stronger connection to our global community of tech enthusiasts who are passionate about helping their teams and businesses achieve their best work together.

    Microsoft 365 Community Conference

    Join us May 6 through May 8 in Las Vegas.

    If you’re ready to take your career and your business to the next level, now’s the time to register. Save $150 with our exclusive customer code SAVE150, plus save more with early bird pricing through March 3.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: 5 ways that AI modernization is transforming trade financing

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: 5 ways that AI modernization is transforming trade financing

    The newest wave of business and operating model transformation in corporate banking is underway in one of the oldest domains of international commerce: trade finance. Underpinning the great majority of global commerce, trade finance provides the financial instruments and products for importers and exporters to conduct business reliability and with minimum risk. Long underinvested in, trade finance is now undergoing rapid and fundamental change, thanks to the advent of cloud and AI technologies. 

    Helping banks and other financial institutions modernize and take full advantage of cloud and AI technologies is central to our work at Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services. We offer a secure, compliant, scalable infrastructure tailored to support financial services and unlock new benefits and opportunities. 

    Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services

    Unlock business value and deepen customer relationships

    How data became the third leg of bank business models 

    From its inception, banking has always been a business of data—its movement and processing, and the insights derived therefrom.  

    As financial intermediaries, banks survived for centuries based on data at the heart of a two-sided business model: taking deposits (liability ledger) and making loans (risk assets). Profit was the lucrative spread between these two pillars. Business cycles and financial crises have come and gone but this fundamental model has not changed. 

    Technology has been integral to data management since the rudiments of data processing automation and Management Information System (MIS) dashboards. The rise of the modern real-time data economy, however, completely alters the environment in which banks operate.  

    Retail banking was first to transform by monetizing fragmented data in correlation with context and other factors. That beginning marked a signpost to a new space where the value of insights became the third important leg of bank business models. With the power of AI and the simplicity of natural language copilots, we are at the start of a new epoch which marks a profound transformation in banking. 

    Developing this trajectory, it is clear that Business-to-Business (B2B) flows contain much richer datasets to be monetized across a broader spectrum of economic activity, from local Main Street to global supply chains. Corporate banking is the epicenter of this next wave of B2B value creation through its main business lines: working capital management, payments and transaction banking, and, in particular, trade finance.  

    Unlocking B2B data insights is driving banking transformation 

    Trade finance is a natural starting place for bank modernization. It is unusually rich in untapped B2B details, it is super relevant to a bank’s overall commercial banking proposition, and it offers the most easily addressed “low hanging fruit” for return on investment (ROI) due to the prevalence of so many manual processes. 

    Note that this near-term upside should not be confused with the industry’s longer-term policy agenda on “trade digitization,” which focuses on transitioning from traditional, paper-based processes to digital formats. Global bodies such as the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT), the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will, in due course, develop legal frameworks that facilitate this transition. But before that, there is a clear business case within banks to adopt currently available new technologies in a race to transform client experience, improve operating efficiency, and gain marketplace advantage from B2B data insights. 

    Banks are naturally rich in B2B data as a consequence of their existing franchises and the daily flow of transactions through their processing systems. Yet, insights from the graph of these non-linear B2B relationships languish trapped and untapped in legacy silos. With this in mind, Microsoft has been leading the development of new AI-focused technologies for knowledge workers in today’s modern banking environment. These include natural language copilots, starting with Microsoft 365 Copilot, custom copilots built with Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Agentic AI for more complex tasks. Concurrently, solutions like Microsoft Fabric can unify data for analysis and action from disparate sources irrespective of the technical environments in which they sit.  

    Microsoft’s data tools unlock data insights and help make trade finance processes more efficient and accessible. Importantly, they are all designed with the same security, compliance, and content entitlements that are already established within banks, so getting started is easier. 

    A benefits-driven roadmap for trade finance modernization 

    The roadmap that banks are adopting for trade finance modernization follows five simple steps, starting with the basics of helping colleagues do their work better: 

    1. Generative AI copilots can transform operations and drive new efficiencies in many powerful ways. For example, copilots can help front-office trade sales and relationship managers identify new financing opportunities when advising clients. Natural language queries can convert a daunting amount of manual research into simple and repeatable investigative questions. A client’s Annual Report, 10-K filings, and other sources can be analyzed in real time with opportunities summarized for action.
      Microsoft’s Financial Meeting Prep on Microsoft Teams, launched with LSEG, shows the simplicity of how this could work in trade finance. Financial Meeting Prep helps organize more effective meetings through a single view of all relevant content. It drives better meeting outcomes and improves engagement, job satisfaction, and revenue growth. By the same token, trade finance product managers can transform how they conduct research in developing and managing new products with Copilot for project. Mundane tasks, like generating monthly product performance reports, can be automated with conversational copilots that are embedded in familiar tools like Copilot in Excel and Copilot for Power BI. This provides all users with proactive drilldown capabilities to discover desired insights without reversion to a lot of manual rework.
    2. Improved internal collaboration can be achieved with modern office tools. Many banks have legacy processes designed for linear workflows—for example, sending credit applications as email attachments to multiple stakeholders for approval. This process is cumbersome, often involving a lot of back and forth to reconcile a “golden truth” of client exposure sourced from multiple systems. Redesigning these team workflows with modern technology like Copilot Pages provides a single, persistently updated canvas that allows for multiparty interactive collaboration that integrates all relevant data.  
    3. Operational efficiencies can be greatly enhanced with AI. Consider Letters of Credit processing, a mainstay of classical trade finance which remains paper-based to this day, with literally billions of pieces of paper circulating between parties at any given time. Banks must examine all these documents for compliance—a costly effort requiring a skilled workforce. To ease this burden, Microsoft partners leverage Azure technologies to automate much of the work, freeing bank staff to deal with exceptions rather than the bulk of mundane examination. Microsoft Document Intelligence Read Optical Character Recognition (OCR) dematerializes trade documents while AI algorithms spot compliance issues, detect signs of trade-based money laundering (TBML), and meet other requirements to complete a transaction before payment. The result is improved quality and profitability, as well as new data insight APIs from digitized trade documentation. The next wave of this process will apply semi-autonomous Agentic AI that further understands context and can complete multiple assignments digitally. 
    4. Knowledge Management tools using natural language can advance the effectiveness of staff and banking operations. Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technology will reason over a bank’s broad SharePoint catalogue of material and surface only relevant information for a given request. This will be especially useful in training bank staff who are not familiar with the day-to-day technicalities of trade finance. For example, legal documentation can be surfaced as needed for each appropriate use case. In certain circumstances, this could be extended as curated material directly to clients. Using natural language copilots can simplify how staff and clients learn and understand trade finance, which historically has been a specialized field.  
    5. Customer service tools can enhance the customer experience. One of the greatest areas for improvement with natural language processing and copilots is client service problem resolution. Agent-first workflow tools, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center, immeasurably improve efficiency by putting all the facts at an agent’s fingertips. Accessing a bank’s catalogue of products, an agent can also upsell solutions while reducing time spent on “swivel chairing” between different systems. These tools can also be designed to enable client self-help functions that reduce mundane repetitive calls to the bank, like status of a shipment or payment. Client queries with an agent can be in written form, spoken through Interactive Voice Response (IVR), or conversed with an avatar.  

    Get started on your modernization journey 

    Trade finance AI is not just for big banks that finance global supply chains. In fact, the impact of AI automation could be greater for regional and smaller banks where skilled staff are fewer and transactions are less frequent, but where client needs require receivables discounting, performance bonds, or other working capital assistance. Moreover, increasing demand for trade financing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing nations is a significant driver of market growth.  

    The benefits of modernization impact banks of every size and geography. To help understand how your organization can explore the new opportunities, begin by engaging with your Microsoft representative. They can help develop strategies and solutions that deliver immediate and long-term benefits to meet your bank’s unique needs.

    Empower your organization with Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services

    Peter Hazou

    Director of Business Development, Financial Services, Microsoft

    Peter Hazou is Directory of Business Development at Microsoft, responsible for corporate and commercial banking. A career banker, he was the EMEA Regional Head of GTB at HSBC and the CEEMEA Regional Head for GTS at Citigroup, and previously served as Head of Strategy for transaction banking at UniCredit in Milan. He began his career in New York as a credit officer at Manufacturers Hanover Trust.

    See more articles from this author

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: How using AI to integrate data sources can improve shopper experiences

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: How using AI to integrate data sources can improve shopper experiences

    Transforming the customer experience requires a solid foundation of data that is accurate, accessible, and secure. A strong data estate also helps future proof organizations, letting you realize the full potential of the latest technology innovations, like AI, and ensure a unified and effective experience across the customer journey.

    Retailers collect vast amounts of data from multiple sources—inventory and staffing, product development, sales, marketing, and more. By unifying this data, retailers can better understand customer preferences, anticipate their needs, and provide memorable shopping experiences that build loyalty. Meanwhile, consumer goods (CG) companies can better monitor manufacturing equipment to reduce downtime, monitor supply chains, anticipate new product trends, and better meet customer needs. It also effectively boosts revenue and balances costs by providing business leaders with insights that drive better decision-making and resource management.

    Get the e-book to optimize shopper experiences >

    Data challenges holding organizations back

    Gaining a unified view of data comes with several key challenges. Fragmented data is a common cross-industry challenge for both retailers and CG companies. Retailers pull omnichannel data from various sources, including e-commerce sites, in-store sales, social media, supply chain systems, and customer service interactions. For consumer goods companies, data comes from research and development (R&D), marketing, sales, industrial equipment (including sustainability data), and supply chain management tools. All of this data is scattered across many sources and comes in a variety of formats, making integration a complex and time-consuming task.

    The result? Disconnected insights that prevent business leaders from making timely, informed decisions.

    Without a unified data source, retailers struggle to understand customer preferences, predict shopping trends, or manage inventory accurately, while CG companies face machine downtime, supply chain disruptions, and extended product lifecycle management cycles. This lack of cohesion hinders business growth, as it’s harder to provide personalized offers or stock the right products. It also affects profit margins, as data silos lead to inefficiencies and redundancies that could be eliminated.

    On top of that, fragmented data can weaken customer loyalty when the shopping experience becomes inconsistent and lacks personalization. It also makes it harder for customer-facing employees at all levels to access, manage, and store information accurately, raising security and compliance concerns.

    In retail, consider a furniture store as an example. A shopper browses the website, showing interest in specific items and adding a few to their cart. Later, they visit the physical store, hoping to see those items in person. However, the store associate has no record of the shopper’s online activity and can’t offer personalized recommendations. Frustrated by the lack of connectivity between the online and in-store experiences, the shopper leaves without purchasing, impacting revenue and customer loyalty.

    In consumer goods, a company operating large factories might struggle to track real-time performance and maintenance needs without connected data on equipment. When a machine breaks down, production halts, causing costly delays. By integrating real-time data into a unified system, the company could better anticipate issues, schedule preventative maintenance, reduce downtime, and improve efficiency and profitability.

    These challenges can significantly hinder growth for retailers, CG companies, and those in both categories. For retailers, the disconnect between online and in-store experiences can lead to missed sales opportunities, customer frustration, and diminished brand loyalty. For CG companies, the inability to accurately forecast demand, track sustainability data, and gain actionable insights creates inefficiencies that hurt profitability, reputation, and competitiveness. Ultimately, the lack of a unified data strategy stifles growth by preventing companies from making informed decisions, optimizing operations, and delivering seamless customer experiences.

    Using data to create seamless, connected customer experiences

    Fragmented operational data significantly impacts the customer experience, and retailers and CG companies need a comprehensive data estate to remain competitive and meet growing expectations.

    A unified platform for data helps consolidate all relevant data into a single source of truth, providing a 360-degree view of the business and its customers. This robust data foundation enables businesses to integrate AI and other advanced technologies to be better equipped to unlock insights, enhance personalization, and optimize the customer journey.

    A comprehensive data view also allows retailers to anticipate better and meet customer needs. Returning to the furniture store scenario, imagine if the shopper’s online purchasing history was available to the in-store associate. When the shopper arrives, the associate can seamlessly guide them to their preferred items in the store and even offer a relevant promotion.

    In the CG scenario, having a single source of truth for data would make it easier to predict maintenance needs for equipment, reducing costly downtime and ensuring production stays on track to meet demand. In both scenarios, bringing data together helps create a more seamless, responsive experience that drives customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and overall business performance.

    Activating the power of data across your retail organization

    The value of data unification goes far beyond the retail stores and the factory floors. A single, unified data platform also simplifies data access and management across the organization. Whether employees are in brick-and-mortar locations, in headquarters, or working remotely, they can securely access relevant insights, enabling better decisions at every level and enhancing operational efficiency.

    The advantages of data unification extend beyond front-line operations, providing significant benefits for both leadership and IT teams.

    Explore Retail data solutions in Microsoft Fabric >

    Empowering leaders and executives with insights

    Unified data platforms equip C-suite executives with real-time insights into customer behavior, purchasing trends, and inventory movement. These tools enable leaders to:

    • Make strategic, data-driven decisions that drive revenue growth.
    • Identify high-performing products and emerging market demands.
    • Pinpoint new revenue streams, such as personalized service offerings or targeted loyalty programs.
    • Allocate resources effectively, focusing on impactful areas like expanding popular product lines or enhancing store layouts based on foot traffic data.

    Unlocking advanced capabilities for IT teams

    A consolidated data foundation for IT teams opens doors to innovative technologies that enhance customer experiences. With comprehensive data at their disposal, IT teams can:

    • Implement AI-powered solutions like intelligent product recommendations and predictive restocking alerts.
    • Develop sophisticated digital tools like web-based concierge services to offer real-time personalized assistance.
    • Ensure seamless, efficient customer interactions that strengthen satisfaction and loyalty.

    By harnessing the full power of your data, your organization can empower all employees to make more data-driven decisions, enhance operational efficiency, and improve customer experiences.

    Transform a strong data estate into innovation

    In today’s shopping landscape, you most likely have all the data needed to serve your customers better than ever before. You can turn that data into clear and actionable insights with a robust strategy and the right technology solutions. A unified data platform lets you harness the full potential of your information, helping you streamline operations, improve customer experiences, and drive growth.

    For a deeper dive into how unified data can transform your business, check out our comprehensive e-book. To learn more about how Microsoft solutions help businesses drive efficiency and growth, visit Microsoft Cloud for Retail and learn more about Microsoft for consumer goods.

    Register for a no-cost Microsoft Fabric trial to organize and unify your data and begin unlocking its true potential.

    Optimize Shopper Experiences with a Strong Data Estate

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Xbox Developer_Direct 2025 recap: Everything we announced

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Xbox Developer_Direct 2025 recap: Everything we announced

    In addition to Xbox Cloud Gaming, all the games in our show also support Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning when you buy them through the store on Xbox or Windows, they’re yours to play on Xbox and Windows PC at no additional cost, and your game progress and achievements are saved across Xbox and Windows PC.

    Here’s a summary of everything we announced and covered during Developer_Direct today:

    DOOM: The Dark Ages – Launching May 15, 2025

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, and play it day one with Game Pass*

    [embedded content]

    The team at id Software shared a deep dive into DOOM: The Dark Ages and revealed that the cinematic, epic first-person shooter will launch on May 15, 2025.

    DOOM: The Dark Ages, a prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, is set in a dark fantasy/sci-fi world with DOOM’s immediately recognizable hellish twist. In the segment, three core pillars of the game were explored: Combat, which dug into deadly new weapons of mass destruction the Slayer can wield; Exploration, which offered a glimpse at an incredible new medieval-inspired setting that will take players to never-before-seen dark and sinister realms; and Story, which gave an overview of the characters and stakes the Slayer will face in his journey to turn the tides of a war.

    This is the most ambitious DOOM game to date. id Software is seizing the chance to present both newcomers and long-time fans alike with an epic adventure as the super weapon in a medieval war against hell itself. Find out more about the game, with extra information from the developers in our Xbox Wire article.

    South of Midnight – Launching April 8, 2025

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, cloud, and play it day one with Game Pass*

    [embedded content]

    Compulsion Games took us behind the scenes at their studio in Montreal, Canada to learn more about South of Midnight, their new third-person action adventure game which releases on April 8, 2025.

    In Compulsion’s segment, we learned more about the journey of Hazel, the game’s protagonist, which leads her into a darkly magical world where she discovers her new abilities as a Weaver. Her story is filled with macabre Southern Gothic folklore and encounters with mythical larger-than-life creatures that shape her growth and understanding of her newfound powers.

    You can see more of South of Midnight’s hand-crafted art style, world building, and combat in South of Midnight’s new story trailer and get ready to explore the American Deep South with Hazel by pre-ordering today – and play up to five days early with the South of Midnight Premium Edition. Find out more about the game’s story in our exclusive Xbox Wire article here.

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Launching April 24, 2025

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, and play it day one with Game Pass* (see developer website for other platforms)

    [embedded content]

    We visited Montpellier, France, home of Sandfall Interactive, as they develop their first game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This turn-based RPG is set in a fantasy version of late 19th Century France, where the world is facing an existential threat, one year at a time. The developer shared a deeper look at the game’s innovative mechanics, such as the “Reactive Turn-Based” system, and the unique art direction that brings the game’s world to life. We even got a first look at Expedition 33’s expansive overworld map.

    As the coup de grace, Sandfall Interactive confirmed the game’s release date: our journey to stop the Paintress begins April 24. For more on the team’s creative vision and deep customization options, we’ve got more on Xbox Wire here.

    NINJA GAIDEN 4 – Launching Fall 2025

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, cloud, PlayStation 5, and play it day one with Game Pass*

    [embedded content]

    Team NINJA announced the return of a beloved franchise with the reveal of NINJA GAIDEN 4. After more than a decade, the masters of action at Team NINJA and PlatinumGames have partnered with Xbox Game Studios Publishing to bring us an exciting new chapter in the NINJA GAIDEN series, a series with a long history on Xbox.

    We were introduced to Yakumo, a new protagonist whose objective lies at the heart of a devastated Tokyo. On his mission, Yakumo will not only encounter fiends and demons , but also the legendary master ninja himself: Ryu Hayabusa. Gameplay footage showed that Yakumo will introduce players to a stylish new take on ninja action with Bloodbind Ninjutsu, alongside legacy techniques like the Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop. Ryu will also return as a playable character with a revamped arsenal that stays true to his signature brutality and precision.

    During the segment, developers from both PlatinumGames and Team NINJA shared details about the game’s story, the setting in a near-future Tokyo, and its action-packed combat mechanics. We also got a glimpse into the creative process behind this highly anticipated title, which will be released in Fall 2025, and can be wishlisted on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5. For the latest information, follow Team Ninja on social media (YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram). Check out an exclusive interview with the developers on Xbox Wire.

    NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black – Available Today!

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, and play it day one with Game Pass*

    [embedded content]

    The highly-acclaimed and legendary game from 2008 returns graphically remastered! NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black features the high-speed ninja action of iconic hero Ryu Hayabusa and his deadly Dragon Sword. Embark on a global battle against formidable foes, engage in relentless combat, and play as additional characters Momiji, Ayana and Rachel.

    Looking Ahead

    As with every Developer_Direct, today’s show marks just a selection of the games coming to Xbox this year. Next up is Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming fantasy RPG, which launches on February 18, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, cloud, and will be available on day one with Game Pass. With our own studios and incredible partners working on new experiences, stay tuned to Xbox Wire and Xbox social channels this year to see why there’s never been a better time to be an Xbox player.

    *Game catalog varies by plan – Xbox.com/gamepass.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Podcast: Staying curious at the forefront of AI

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Podcast: Staying curious at the forefront of AI

    Subscribe
    Amazon | Apple | YouTube Music | iHeartRadio | Spotify

    Episodes

    Season 4, Episode 2

    View full transcript

    Season 4, Episode 1

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 11

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 10

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 9

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 8

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 7

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 6

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 5

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 4

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 3

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 2

    View full transcript

    Season 3, Episode 1

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 7

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 6

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 5

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 4

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 3

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 2

    View full transcript

    Season 2, Episode 1

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 6

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 5

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 4

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 3

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 2

    View full transcript

    Season 1, Episode 1

    View full transcript

    Series trailer

    About

    Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business and culture to explore the world’s most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.

    As a 30-year veteran of an industry driven by disruption, Brad Smith hosts candid conversations with his guests that examine, reframe and explore potential solutions to the digital issues shaping our world today, including cybersecurity, privacy, digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence and human rights.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: Neolithic lakeside relics found on Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    A relics site, first discovered in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region in 2019, has been identified as the earliest Neolithic lakeside site in the heartland of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau with the highest altitude and longest duration, according to local authorities.

    This undated combo photo shows the unearthed relics discovered at the Mapu Tsho relics site in the city of Xigaze, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xizang Institute for Protection and Research of Cultural Relics/Handout via Xinhua)

    The findings are the result of a five-year excavation project at the Mapu Tsho relics site in the city of Xigaze. The excavations were jointly carried out by the Xizang regional institute of cultural relics protection and institutions including Lanzhou University and Peking University, between 2020 and 2024.

    The site, located at altitudes of 4,410 to 4,430 meters on the shore of Mapu Tsho Lake, has a distribution area of more than 140,000 square meters. An area of 1,650 square meters was excavated at the site, said the Xizang regional institute of cultural relics protection.

    During the excavations, archaeologists collected large amounts of materials, including the specimens of the phytoliths, residues and ancient DNA of the sediment at the site.

    Through subsequent analysis and research, the results indicated that the cultural remains of the site date back approximately 4,800 to 2,000 years, according to Shargan Wangdue, head of the joint archaeological team.

    He said that the unearthed relics show that the ancestors at the Mapu Tsho site were typical of the people from East Asia and represented indigenous groups of the plateau.

    The excavations and multidisciplinary research of the relics at the site have for the first time identified the “historical origins” of the prehistoric culture in the central part of Xizang 4,000 years ago, said Shargan Wangdue.

    He added that the discovery marks another milestone in Xizang’s Neolithic archaeological research after the Karub ruins in the city of Qamdo and the Qugong ruins in the regional capital of Lhasa.

    “The Mapu Tsho site provides us with practical examples to understand how the prehistoric plateau people utilized lake resources and adopted different cultural and economic strategies to adapt to different developmental stages through cultural integration,” said Shargan Wangdue.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Summer maintenance in the spotlight on State Highway 29

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Crews continue to tackle a significant programme of summer maintenance on State Highway 29 (SH29).

    Work to rebuild and resurface the road across 9 sites began in October 2024, with 3 sites near Hanga Lane, Old Kaimai Road and Gargan Road now complete. 

    Resurfacing got underway near Kaukumoutiti Stream Bridge last week, north of Soldiers Road, with 2 final night shifts required on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 January.  

    Works will take place between 7pm and 6am, with stop/go in place. There will be a reduced speed limit of 50km/h during the day. Some periods of stop/stop, of up to 30 minutes, will also be required to complete work within the narrow bridge area. People are advised to expect delays.  

    Drainage and asphalt resurfacing work will get underway near McLaren Falls Road on Tuesday 28 January* to Tuesday 11 March (*this work was originally scheduled to start Monday 20 January). 

    The drainage work will be carried out first, with work occurring during the day, Monday to Friday. 

    Temporary traffic management will be in place including the closure of the entire passing lane starting at Poripori Road and finishing just after McLaren Falls Road (Monday to Friday only, opening at the weekends), plus a reduced speed limit of 50km/h through the site, and 30km/h at the intersection with McLaren Falls Road. 

    Once drainage works are complete, asphalting is expected to get started in February and will involve lane closures, a reduced speed limit of 50km/h and periods of stop/go at night. 

    Road users should be prepared for delays and allow extra time for their journeys. 

    Further sites getting underway next week include chip sealing near Kaimai School (Tuesday 28 January), near Hanga Lane (Wednesday night) and near Ruahihi Road (Thursday night).  

    Works at each site will take place across 1 night, between 7pm and 6am, with stop/go in place. There will be a reduced speed limit of 30km/h during the day. People are advised to expect delays.  

    These will be followed by the next round of full Kaimai Range overnight closures.  

    The Kaimai Range will see night closures (for all traffic) over 2 weeks, from Sunday 9 February to the morning of Friday 14 February (5 nights) and from Sunday 16 February to the morning of Friday 21 February (5 nights), between 8pm and 4.30am each night.  

    During the day SH29 will be open but may be under a temporary speed restriction. 

    The detours for this closure are significant and add considerable time to journeys. People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner and allow extra time for their journey, or if possible, delay travel over SH29 on these nights.   

    The detour routes are:  

    • South: SH28, SH5, SH30, SH33, SH2 via Rotorua  

    North: SH24, SH27, SH26, SH2 via Karangahake Gorge

    More information

    Meanwhile resurfacing work on SH29, between Cambridge Road and the SH29/SH36 roundabout, is scheduled for late February and will include a 1-night full lane closure. Details will be provided closer to the time. 

    Following this, resurfacing on the SH29 Toll Road is also scheduled for March 2025. 

    These works form part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.  

    Once complete, drivers will have smoother and safer journeys along this section of the SH29 corridor.  

    People are encouraged to plan ahead and see where disruptive works are by using the NZTA Journey Planner. 

    Journey Planner(external link)

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Weekend wet weather set to hit South Island highways

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    People travelling in Tasman and the West Coast are encouraged to keep an eye on weather and road conditions this weekend.

    The MetService has weather warnings in place for both regions.

    A Heavy Rain Warning is in place for Westland from midday Saturday through until 6 pm on Sunday. This will affect State Highway 6 between Hokitika and Haast.

    A Heavy Rain Watch has also been issued for Tasman, west of Motueka, from 9 pm Saturday until 6 pm Sunday. This will affect State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill and Golden Bay.

    Heavy rain increases the risks of slips, rockfalls, and localised flooding. It can also see roads closed at short notice

    Wet roads can be slippery. Drivers must be alert and prepared for road hazards, and drive to the conditions. Increase following distances, avoid sudden braking, reduce speed, and use headlights if visibility is poor. Be safe, be seen.

    Road users should also check road and weather conditions before they travel:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI: Prospera Energy Inc. Announces Loan Amendment and Shares for Debt Settlement

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prospera Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PEI, OTC: GXRFF) (“Prospera“, “PEI” or the “Corporation“)

    Loan Amendment Update
    The Corporation is pleased to announce the amendment of its $12,200,000 promissory note, originally dated July 7th, 2024, in collaboration with its principal lender. As part of this amendment, an additional $750,000 has been added to the principal balance, increasing the total to $12,950,000 as of January 23rd, 2025. The original terms of the note remain unchanged, including a 12% interest rate and a two-year maturity period. This amendment is subject to TSXV acceptance.

    The proceeds from the increased loan will be utilized to execute a twelve to fifteen-well workover program in Prospera’s Heart’s Hill and Luseland properties. This program targets low-risk production opportunities by selecting capital efficient projects, driving additional cash flow and production sustainability.

    Shares for Debt
    Prospera has entered into an additional agreement to settle a trade payable with a critical vendor totaling $75,000 through the issuance of 1,250,000 common shares at a deemed price of $0.06 per share. This vendor is a key partner and is committed to the company’s future development plans. The shares will be subject to a trading restriction of four months and a day from the date of issuance and are subject to TSXV acceptance.

    About Prospera
    Prospera Energy Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian energy company specializing in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Prospera is dedicated to optimizing recovery from legacy fields using environmentally safe and efficient reservoir development methods and production practices. The company’s core properties are strategically located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including Cuthbert, Luseland, Hearts Hill, and Brooks. Prospera Energy Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol PEI and the U.S. OTC Market under GXRFF.

    For Further Information:
    Shawn Mehler, PR
    Email: investors@prosperaenergy.com

    Chris Ludtke, CFO
    Email: cludtke@prosperaenergy.com

    Shubham Garg, Chairman of the Board
    Email: sgarg@prosperaenergy.com

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
    This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Corporation and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “expects” and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Corporation, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

    Although Prospera believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Prospera can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures.

    The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Prospera. As a result, Prospera cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward- looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and Prospera does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

    Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: China has invested billions in ports around the world. This is why the West is so concerned

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudio Bozzi, Lecturer in Law, Deakin University

    Shutterstock

    On his way to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to officially open a new US$3.6 billion (A$5.8 billion) deepwater mega-port in Peru called Chancay.

    China’s state-owned Cosco shipping giant had purchased a 60% stake in the port for US$1.6 billion (A$2.6 billion), which gave the company exclusive use of the port for 60 years.

    Days later, the first ship departed for Shanghai loaded with blueberries, avocados and minerals.

    Chancay is part of China’s vision of a 21st century maritime Silk Road that will better connect China’s manufacturing hubs with its trading partners around the world. This has involved a heavy investment in ports in many countries, which has the West concerned about China’s expanding influence over global shipping routes.

    Newly re-elected US President Donald Trump made clear these concerns when he claimed China was “operating” the Panama Canal and the US intended to take it back.

    China does not operate the canal, though. Rather, a Hong Kong company operates two ports on either side of it.

    A booming port expansion

    The scale and scope of the maritime Silk Road is impressive. China has invested in 129 ports in dozens of countries through its state-owned enterprises, mostly in the Global South. Seventeen of these ports have majority-Chinese ownership.

    According to one estimate, Chinese companies invested US$11 billion (A$17.7 billion) in overseas port development from 2010–19. More than 27% of global container trade now passes through terminals where leading Chinese firms hold direct stakes.

    China has entered Latin America aggressively, becoming the region’s top trading partner. Its port strategy has clearly signalled a long-term goal to access the exports essential to its food and energy security: soybeans, corn, beef, iron ore, copper and battery-grade lithium.

    Last year, for example, Portos do Paraná, the Brazilian state-owned enterprise that acts as the port authority in the state of Paraná, signed a letter of intent with China Merchants Port Holdings to expand Paranaguá Container Terminal, the second-largest terminal in South America. China may invest in even more Brazilian ports, as 22 terminals are scheduled to be auctioned before the end of 2025.

    In Africa, Chinese investment grew from two ports in 2000 to 61 facilities in 30 countries by 2022.

    And in Europe, Chinese enterprises have complete or majority ownership of two key ports in Belgium and Greece – the so-called “dragon’s head” of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe.

    What’s driving this port strategy?

    China’s emergence as a maritime and shipping power is central to Xi’s ambition for global economic dominance.

    For one, China requires stable access to key trading routes to continue meeting the demand for Chinese exports globally, as well as the imports Beijing needs to keep its economy humming.

    Controlling ports also enables China to create economic zones in other countries that give port owners and operators privileged access to commodities and products. Some fear this could allow China to disrupt supplies of certain goods or even exert influence over other countries’ politics or economies.

    Another key driver of this strategy is the metals and minerals needed to fuel China’s rise as a tech superpower. Beijing has concentrated its port investment in regions where these critical resources are located.

    For example, China is the world’s largest importer of copper ore, mainly from Chile, Peru and Mexico. It is also one of the world’s major lithium carbonate importers.), mainly from Chile and Argentina. And its port deals in Africa give it access to rare earths and other minerals.

    In addition, tapping into Latin America counteracts the trade tensions China has experienced recently with Europe. It also preempts concerns about possible US tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by Trump.

    Military concerns

    These moves have prompted concern in Washington that China is challenging US influence in its own backyard.

    China maintains that its seaport diplomacy is market oriented. However, it has established one naval base in the strategically located African nation of Djibouti. And it is believed to be building another naval base in Equatorial Guinea.

    According to a recent report by the Asia Society Policy Institute, strategy analysts believe China is seeking to “weaponise” the Belt and Road Initiative.

    One way it is doing this is by requiring the commercial ports it invests in to be equally capable of acting as naval bases. So far, 14 of the 17 ports in which it has a majority stake have the potential to be used for naval purposes. These ports can then serve a dual function and support the Chinese military’s logistics network and allow Chinese naval vessels to operate further away from home.

    US officials are also concerned China could leverage its influence over private companies to disrupt trade during a time of war.

    How is the West responding?

    While China’s investments are raising suspicions, the West’s willingness to invest in ports at this scale is limited. The US International Development Finance Corporation, for instance, has a much slower, rigorous process for its investments, which generally leads to fairer outcomes for both investors and host nations.

    However, some Western companies are acquiring stakes in established and newly built ports in other countries, albeit not to the extent of Chinese enterprises.

    The French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM’s global port development strategy, for example, includes investments in 60 terminals worldwide. In 2024, it acquired control over South America’s largest container terminal in the Port of Santos, Brazil.

    Trump has threatened tariffs as one way of countering China’s global sea power. An advisor on his transition team has proposed a 60% tariff on any product transiting through the Chancay port in Peru or any other Chinese-owned or controlled port in South America.

    Rather than making nations reluctant to sign port deals with Beijing, however, this kind of action just erodes Washington’s regional influence. And China is likely to take retaliatory measures, like banning the export of critical minerals to the US.

    Host nations like Peru and Brazil, meanwhile, are using the competition for port investment to their advantage. Attracting interest from both the West and China, they are increasingly asserting their autonomy and adopting a strategy of using ports to “play everywhere” on the global stage.

    Claudio Bozzi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. China has invested billions in ports around the world. This is why the West is so concerned – https://theconversation.com/china-has-invested-billions-in-ports-around-the-world-this-is-why-the-west-is-so-concerned-244733

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bill To Crack Down On Prescription Drug Advertisements, Boost Price Transparency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    January 23, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today introduced the bipartisan Drug-price Transparency for Consumers (DTC) Act, a bill that would require price disclosures on advertisements for prescription drugs in order to empower patients and reduce Americans’ colossal spending on medications.  The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that prescription drugs advertised directly to consumers accounted for 58 percent of Medicare’s spending on drugs between 2016 and 2018, while a 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that two-thirds of advertised drugs offered “low therapeutic value.”  By requiring direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for prescription drugs to include a disclosure of the list price, patients can make informed choices when inundated with drug commercials and pharmaceutical companies may reconsider their pricing and advertising tactics.  In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has sued to keep the prices of their drugs out of their TV advertisements.
    “Pharmaceutical advertising is a uniquely American phenomenon that contributes to the astronomical cost of prescription drugs. With billions of dollars in targeted spending, patients are bombarded with commercials for the latest ‘wonder-drug’ but kept in the dark about one crucial factor—price.  This practice of pushing patients toward the most expensive drugs drives up the cost of health care while undermining the role of doctors.  A healthy dose of transparency is the prescription Big Pharma needs,” Durbin said.  “Senator Grassley and I have introduced the DTC Act to shine light on the real costs of medications in these outrageous commercials.”
    “Knowing what something costs before buying it is just common sense,” Grassley said.  “Disclosing the list price of prescription drugs in advertisements is a no-nonsense way to empower health care consumers to make informed decisions about their care.  It also spurs competition, which leads to lower prescription drug costs.”
    Each year, the pharmaceutical industry spends $6 billion in DTC drug advertising to fill the airwaves with ads, resulting in the average American seeing nine DTC ads each day.  Studies show that these activities steer patients to more expensive drugs, even when a patient may not need the medication or a lower-cost generic is available.  Studies show that patients are more likely to ask their doctor, and ultimately receive a prescription, for a specific drug when they have seen ads for it.  For these reasons, most countries have banned DTC prescription drug advertising—the United States and New Zealand are the only industrialized nations to permit this practice.
    Additionally, a Kaiser survey found that 88 percent of Americans support this price disclosure policy for advertisements.
    Below are some key findings from the GAO report:
    Two-thirds of pharma’s spending between 2016 and 2018 on DTC ads ($12 billion out of $18 billion total) was concentrated on just 39 drugs.  During this period, these advertised drugs accounted for 58 percent of Medicare’s spending on drugs ($320 billion out of $560 billion). 
    In 2019, Humira had $500 million in DTC advertising, contributing to $2.4 billion in Medicare costs.
    Among the top 10 drugs with the highest cost to Medicare, four were also in the top 10 for advertising spending (Humira, Eliquis, Keytruda, Lyrica).
    Cosponsors of the DTC Act include U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
    The DTC Act is endorsed by AARP, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Physicians, Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, and Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing.
    For years, Durbin and Grassley have advanced legislative proposals to require pharmaceutical companies to disclose the list prices of their prescription drugs when choosing to run DTC advertisements, including passing a bipartisan amendment through the Senate in 2018. 
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Meets With Former Congressman Sean Duffy, President Trump’s Nominee For Secretary Of Transportation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    January 23, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with former U.S. Congressman Sean Duffy, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Secretary of Transportation.  During their meeting, Durbin asked Duffy about President Trump’s recent executive order directing agencies to immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and what that means for the future of transportation and infrastructure projects already underway.  Durbin also advocated for ongoing infrastructure projects in Illinois, including the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension and the Chicago Hub Improvement Project to modernize Chicago Union Station and its surrounding infrastructure. 
    Durbin also raised the importance of Amtrak funding, and emphasized how many freight railroads run through Chicago as the rail hub of North America.  Projects across the state, including the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program in Chicago and the Springfield Rail Improvements Project in Springfield have sought to alleviate congested rail corridors and chokepoints.  Both projects received additional federal grant awards this past fall. 
    “Today, I had a productive meeting with former Congressman Sean Duffy, who has been nominated to serve as Secretary of Transportation,” Durbin said.  “I shared the importance of funding ongoing infrastructure projects in Illinois like the CTA’s Red Line Extension Project and the Chicago Hub Improvement Project.  If confirmed, I hope he will build upon the work started by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and ensure none of these projects are unnecessarily delayed.”
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott, Lankford, Foxx Introduce Bill to Protect Parents’ Rights

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, today introduced the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act. The legislation would protect the right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children by applying the strict scrutiny test. 
    “Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it’s in the classroom or at home,” said Senator Scott. “Yet, far too often, parents are being pushed out of their child’s lives, and kids are paying the price. I will always fight to put parents back in the driver’s seat and ensure they remain the lead decision maker in their child’s life.”
    “Parents deserve to raise their children without the looming threat of government infringement. The Families Rights and Responsibilities Act will shield parental rights while instituting a necessary, fundamental check against the government whenever it decides to enforce policies that fail to extend due deference to parental decision-making,” said Congresswoman Foxx. “I’m immensely proud to introduce this legislation alongside Senator Scott to further safeguard the rights of parents.”
    “Parents know and love their children best, and they have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and care of their children. Yet parental rights have been eroded by government actions that view children as the property of the state and that exclude parents from critical educational and health care decisions,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Matt Sharp. “ADF applauds Sen. Scott, Sen. Lankford, and Rep. Foxx for introducing the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act, and stepping into the gap to protect the parent-child relationship that forms the bedrock of our society. This bill rightfully restrains federal government overreach by reaffirming the role of parents to guide the upbringing, education, and health care of their children. Now and always, it’s parents who know their children best, not the government.”
    The bill is cosponsored by Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), as well as Representatives Randy Weber (R-Texas), John Rose (R-Tenn.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Clay Higgins (R-La.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), and Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.).
    BACKGROUND
    The Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act works to:
    Affirm that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children;
    Prevent the federal government from substantially burdening this fundamental right, without first passing the strict scrutiny test; and
    Allow parents to raise a violation of the bill as a claim or defense in judicial or administrative proceedings at the federal and state levels.
    During the previous administration, proposed Title IX regulations would have allowed the federal government to require schools to treat boys as girls, and vice versa, without informing parents. This would have constituted a blatant violation of parental rights, and the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act would provide legal recourse for parents to challenge this violation.
    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Enabling communities to thrive

    Source: Scottish Government

    Funding for regeneration.

    A scheme helping pupils to learn in a football environment is one of a range of regeneration projects set to share £62 million from the 2025-26 draft Scottish Budget.    

    The funding would help Spartans Community Foundation in Pilton, Edinburgh, complete construction of a permanent classroom. This would replace temporary cabins where students who may struggle in school receive lessons in literacy, numeracy, entrepreneurship, art and physical education. The project also assists young people to access jobs, apprenticeships and college placements as they leave school.

    Other regeneration schemes earmarked for support in the draft Budget include:

    • clearing three derelict sites in the Lochee area of Dundee to make way for affordable homes
    • restoring Arbroath’s Courthouse as a centre offering careers advice and skills training
    • redeveloping Glen Urquhart Public Hall into a community hub

    Visiting Spartans to hear about the organisation’s work within the local community, Employment and Investment Minister Tom Arthur said:

    “Regeneration is a key priority for the Scottish Government – as it contributes to growing the economy and creating jobs.

    “This inspiring scheme run by Spartans illustrates how local people can identify the issues they want tackled and then come up with the solution, at which point the Scottish Government is able step in with support.

    “The new classroom will help more young people leave school with qualifications, find jobs and further education opportunities, as well as enjoy free football sessions. It is an example of delivering economic growth and tackling poverty at the grassroots.

    Background

    Recent projects to regenerate northern Edinburgh include the transformation of derelict industrial units at Granton Waterfront into communal spaces and the ongoing development of a community hub with an early years centre, library and space for North Edinburgh Arts on Pennywell Road.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS attends thematic meetings at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (with photos/video)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    FS attends thematic meetings at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (with photos/video)
    FS attends thematic meetings at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (with photos/video)
    ***************************************************************************************

         The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, concluded his visit to Davos, Switzerland, yesterday (January 23, Davos time). He attended thematic meetings at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting and met with political, business and financial leaders from around the globe.     In the morning, Mr Chan participated in a discussion session titled “Stemming Financial Fragmentation” and served as one of the panelist’s. The session focused on addressing the risks of financial fragmentation amid rising geopolitical tensions.     Mr Chan noted that while geopolitics may subject regional and global financial markets to greater volatility, Hong Kong boasts a robust financial system and strong buffer, maintains a free and open business environment, and steadfastly upholds the linked exchange rate system. A recent survey conducted by a foreign chamber of commerce in Hong Kong revealed that international investors and companies remain optimistic about the city’s business prospects. He emphasised that Hong Kong’s financial markets have undergone remarkable transformation on various fronts, including the stock market and asset and wealth management business which have achieved significant growth since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is actively embracing financial innovation, including the development of digital assets, with appropriate regulations in place to promote the responsible and sustainable growth. In response to questions, Mr Chan stated that China’s economy is steadily advancing, with solid progress towards high-quality development. The country is also committed to accelerating high-level openness and mutually beneficial cooperation as its national policy.     Later, Mr Chan participated in a thematic meeting organised by the Giving to Amplify Earth Action launched by the WEF, where he spoke on promoting investment in climate projects. He noted that Hong Kong, as an international financial centre, plays to its strengths as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”: on one hand, Hong Kong provides financial support for green and transition projects through its comprehensive financial services; on the other hand, it actively seeks to facilitate cooperation among the public, private and philanthropic sectors. Examples include hosting international conferences such as “Wealth for Good in Hong Kong”, which brings together decision-makers from global funds (including family funds) to promote synergies between global wealth and climate projects, thereby fostering impact investments. Through these efforts, Hong Kong seeks to make greater contributions to regional and global sustainable development.     Mr Chan also continued his meetings with various political and business leaders yesterday. He held bilateral discussions with the Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia, Mr Khalid Al-Falih, and the Minister of Finance of Egypt, Mr Ahmed Kouchouk, respectively. During these meetings, they exchanged views on international and regional landscapes, and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral investment and trade relations. Mr Chan said that Hong Kong actively seeks to develop trade relations with “Global South” countries, and extended invitations to the Ministers to lead business delegations to Hong Kong to explore mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities.     In the afternoon, Mr Chan met with the President and the Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Templeton, Ms Jenny Johnson, to discuss the business expansion plans of the international fund group in the region. They also exchanged views on the current global economic and financial market landscapes.     Mr Chan is scheduled to depart from Switzerland today (January 24, Davos time) and will return to Hong Kong on Saturday morning (January 25, Hong Kong time).

     
    Ends/Friday, January 24, 2025Issued at HKT 9:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Section of road within frontier closed area near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok opens today (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Section of road within frontier closed area near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok opens today (with photos)
    Section of road within frontier closed area near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok opens today (with photos)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Government has, with effect from today (January 24), opened a specified section of road within the frontier closed area (FCA) near Lin Ma Hang Village in Sha Tau Kok, by exempting the requirement to apply for a closed area permit for the public travelling by green minibus passing through this section of road, with a view to facilitating travel for members of the public and tourists to Lin Ma Hang Village and Robin’s Nest Country Park.     A spokesman for the Security Bureau stated, “Robin’s Nest Country Park was established in November last year. Having considered public views on opening the relevant section of road within the FCA near Lin Ma Hang Village and after careful study of the feasibility, the Government decided to implement special arrangements to open the relevant road portion.”     The Hong Kong Police Force published in the Gazette today that, pursuant to section 38A(1) of the Public Order Ordinance, the requirement to apply for a closed area permit would be exempted for any person travelling to and from Lin Ma Hang Village by green minibus passing through the road within the FCA between Wang Lek and the entrance of Lin Ma Hang Village. Starting from today, members of the public and tourists can take green minibus No. 59K (Sheung Shui Station – Lin Ma Hang) from Sheung Shui MTR Station to reach Lin Ma Hang Village through the relevant section of road within the FCA. After alighting, members of the public can visit tourist attractions such as MacIntosh Forts and Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine directly via the Lin Ma Hang Country Trail and can continue towards the direction of Sha Tau Kok via the Robin’s Nest Country Trail to enjoy the scenery around Yan Chau Tong and Shenzhen Wutong Mountain.      “We hope this measure can facilitate visits by members of the public and tourists to Robin’s Nest Country Park and nearby areas for sightseeing and experiencing Hong Kong’s rich geological features and historical heritage,” the spokesman said. The spokesman added that this exemption is only applicable to persons travelling by green minibus through the relevant section of road within the FCA and does not apply to private vehicles, taxis or other vehicles without a valid closed road permit, or to members of the public using other means of travel such as walking or cycling.     “In fact, there are various ways to visit Robin’s Nest Country Park, not limited to the above road within the FCA. Members of the public and tourists may choose other transportation means and routes, including New Territories green minibus No. 55K (Sheung Shui Station – Sha Tau Kok), KMB bus No. 78K (Sheung Shui Station – Sha Tau Kok), or KMB bus No. 277A (Lam Tin Station – Sha Tau Kok), to arrive at the Tam Shui Hang stop of Sha Tau Kok Road (Shek Chung Au), and then to the entrance of the Lin Ma Hang Country Trail through Shan Tsui Village Road. Public transport operators will closely monitor passenger demand and reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to enhance frequency according to actual passenger growth,” the spokesman said.     For more information on Robin’s Nest Country Park, please visit the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk) or the Enjoy Hiking website (www.hiking.gov.hk).

     
    Ends/Friday, January 24, 2025Issued at HKT 9:01

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview – ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    CRAIG REUCASSEL, HOST: Dr. Anne Aly is the Minister for Early Childhood Education. She joins us now. Morning, Minister.

    MINISTER ANNE ALY: Good morning, Craig.

    REUCASSEL: Do you understand Kirsten’s frustration with the way this pay rise works?

    ALY: I do. I understand that for smaller organisations, smaller early childhood education centres, this can be quite an arduous task, which is why we’ve included $10 million for the sector to help them navigate the process. So, there’s $10 million out there. I heard that Kirsten’s looking at paying $4,500. That’s one option. There are a whole range of other options as well, and I would encourage her and the committee to contact the Department and they can steer them in the right direction of where they can get the assistance for applying for that grant.

    REUCASSEL: So, my understanding is that this is – my understanding is that $4,500 is an industry organisation that’s linked and has been actually directed through the department. Are there free options here or is there always some kind of payment required by – I think this is a small centre of about 40 children, so, you know, it’s not a large one.

    ALY: No, you’re right. But there are other options and I’d encourage them to contact the Department and have a look at some other options. I did just want to address the issue of it being a grant. Grants are a very normal way for the government to distribute funding. This is a $3.6 billion investment into the sector and the reason that it was done as a grant is to ensure that accountability, to ensure that the money goes into the pockets of that critical early childhood education workforce sector and that it is done efficiently and with accountability and with transparency.

    REUCASSEL: Yeah, I understand the efficiency and making it transparent and making sure that we’re aware it’s going to the right people is very important. But as you say a big part of it was getting into the pockets of the early childhood educators. What proportion of early childhood educators have received this grant at this date?

    ALY: So, right now, at this date, over 50 per cent of services have applied. Now that’s 50 per cent of services have applied in two months. I think that’s pretty good tracking when you look at it in that way. There are around 31,000 – we estimate around 31,000 workers have received that pay rise.

    REUCASSEL: Okay. Now in terms of this, if Kirsten’s organisation is slow at getting this done, you know, because they’re a small, you know, community run, not-for-profit, just say they get it in six months’ time. Do the workers get paid back for that six-month time? Is there retrospective?

    ALY: Absolutely, absolutely. You know, recognising that for some smaller organisations that perhaps don’t have agreements in place, that is why we backdated the grant. So, they’ve got right up until the end of this financial year to apply. And if they apply before the end of this financial year, every single worker that they have at their centre will get their pay backdated to December 1st of last year.

    REUCASSEL: Kirsten’s other frustration with this was she said, here’s the kicker, it’s going to end in two years. Are we going to see child care workers at the end of two years basically getting a 10 to 15 per cent pay cut?

    ALY: Well, let me tell you why we did it in this way, Craig, because there is a rationale to it. Okay. So, one of the first things that we did in government was we introduced legislation. Tony Burke, the relevant Minister, introduced legislation to the Fair Work Commission that enabled them to undertake what’s called gender under evaluation decisions. Right now, with the Fair Work Commission, there is a gender under evaluation process in place that will determine what is a fair and just increase to the award wage of early childhood educators. That process is going to take two years, which means that it will be sometime in the middle of next year. We recognise that there is a workforce crisis, that families and children and parents are missing out of early childhood education and care because of worker retention. That is why this grant is called a worker retention grant. So, we decided we would fund a wage increase for two years through a grant process, which is a normal way of getting government money out, until the Fair Work Commission can make this determination with its gender under evaluation case.

    REUCASSEL: Ok, so I understand. So, you’re hoping that the Fair Work’s gender under evaluation survey comes in place before the end of this two years, and therefore the wages are increased so that there’s not a sudden drop there. Do you think you were clear enough when you were setting this out at the beginning, because one of Kirsten’s complaints, and to be honest, maybe this is a criticism of the media, not necessarily of the government, was that they had no idea. This wasn’t how it was presented. It was presented, hey, there’s this pay rise coming for child care workers, you know, as if it’s just going to appear in their pay. And it didn’t necessarily suggest the problems. I mean, I look at the press release that was put out by yourself and the Honourable Jason Clare when this came out. It talked about this being phased in over two years. It didn’t necessarily say it was ending in two years. I must admit it didn’t give the impression of what was behind this.

    ALY: Well, you know, to be honest, I can’t control how the media reports the announcements that we make. I know –

    REUCASSEL: No, but as I said, I’m talking about your press release. Your press release also was fairly misleading.

    ALY: There are a couple of -there are quite a few press releases out there as well as information on the Department website. I know that in every media interview that I’ve done, I’ve explained that it’s a two-year grant, that every interview that Jason Clare has done, he’s explained that it’s a two year grant and every statement that the Prime Minister has made has explained that it is a two year grant. It is called a worker retention payment for a reason, because it is specifically to retain that critical workforce with the understanding that there is a current case before the Fair Work Commission that will take two years to work through.

    REUCASSEL: Yesterday when we discussed this, Georgie Dent from the Parenthood called in and said that it has been successful in actually retaining workers or getting workers. Has it kept workers in the early childhood sector? Has it overcome the kind of shortage there?

    ALY: Well, as Georgie said, there’s been a 22 per cent drop in job vacancies in the early childhood education care sector. Now, in the time that I’ve been the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Care, every single centre that I went and visited had vacancies. To see a 22 per cent drop in vacancies since the announcement of the wage increase is pretty phenomenal. So, it is doing what it was intended to do.

    REUCASSEL: Thank you for speaking to us, Minister. I think I understand it more. We’ll see whether it’s calmed Kirsten down, despite the amount of paperwork that has to be done at this point. But thanks for at least explaining it. And I do want to check in maybe at the end of this process. I want to find out how many child care centres have managed to do the application because, you know, we want it to be 100 per cent. This is meant to be getting to all child care workers, not just some.

    ALY: Absolutely. And that’s our intention, that every single worker who does this vital work deserves this pay rise.

    REUCASSEL: Alright. Thanks for speaking to us. Anne Aly is the Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education there. 

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Declaración del procurador general Brown sobre el bloqueo temporal por parte del tribunal federal de la orden inconstitucional sobre la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento en todo el país

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — Un juez federal aprobó hoy la moción del estado de Washington para obtener una orden de restricción temporal en todo el país contra el intento inconstitucional del presidente Donald Trump de negar la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento a los hijos de inmigrantes que nacerán en los Estados Unidos. La orden del juez impide que las agencias federales implementen la orden ejecutiva del presidente sobre la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento mientras el tribunal examina inicialmente el caso.

    Al aprobar la moción del procurador general, el tribunal aceptó que es probable que la demanda de los estados prevalezca en base al fondo del asunto. Esta orden garantiza que las familias inmigrantes a nivel nacional estén protegidas de cualquier amenaza inmediata de que sus hijos pierdan la ciudadanía. El gobierno federal no puede adoptar ninguna medida para negar la protección de la ciudadanía a los niños que nazcan en los Estados Unidos mientras procede la demanda.

    “Esperamos que esta orden ejecutiva inconstitucional y antiestadounidense nunca entre en vigor gracias a las medidas que están adoptando los estados en nombre de sus residentes”, dijo Brown. “La ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento deja en claro que la ciudadanía no puede estar condicionada a la raza, la etnia o el origen de los padres. Es la ley de nuestra nación, reconocida por generaciones de juristas, legisladores y presidentes, hasta la acción ilegal del presidente Trump. Por eso intervenimos para proteger a los habitantes de Washington de cualquier daño”.

    Antecedentes del caso

    El procurador general Nick Brown presentó el 21 de enero una demanda federal multiestatal y solicitó una orden de restricción temporal contra la orden ejecutiva inconstitucional del presidente Donald Trump que intenta revocar unilateralmente la ciudadanía de estadounidenses de todo el país, incluidos miles de bebés que nacen en el estado de Washington cada año.

    A la demanda, presentada en el Tribunal de Distrito de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito Occidental de Washington, se unieron Oregón, Arizona e Illinois. La denuncia sostiene que la orden ejecutiva del presidente Trump para poner fin a la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento en el país viola la Decimocuarta Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos y Ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad federal. La demanda argumenta que el presidente no tiene autoridad para contradecir a la Constitución y que ninguna disposición constitucional ni ley le otorgan el poder de determinar quién debería o no recibir la ciudadanía estadounidense al nacer.   

    Obtenga más información sobre la demanda en inglés aquí y en español aquí.

    Colleen Melody, jefa de la División de Derechos Civiles Wing Luke, los subprocuradores generales Lane Polozola, Daniel Jeon y Alyson Dimmitt Gnam, y las asistentas legales Tiffany Jennings y Anna Alfonso están a cargo del caso por parte del estado de Washington.

    -30-

     

    El Procurador General de Washington sirve a la gente y al estado de Washington. Como el bufete de abogados más grande del estado, la Oficina del Procurador General brinda representación legal a cada agencia, junta y comisión estatal en Washington. Además, la Oficina sirve a la gente directamente al hacer cumplir las leyes de protección al consumidor, derechos civiles y protección ambiental. La Oficina también procesa casos de abuso de ancianos, fraude a Medicaid y maneja casos de depredadores sexuales violentos en 38 de los 39 condados de Washington. Visite www.atg.wa.gov para obtener más información.

    Contacto de prensa:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Teléfono: (360) 753-2727

    Contactos generales: Haga clic aquí

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense Contractor Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme Involving $100 Million in Government Contracts

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Russell Thurston, a former executive vice president at Cambridge International Systems, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he participated in a bribery scheme with other Cambridge employees and former Naval Information Warfare Center employee James Soriano.

    According to Thurston’s plea agreement, Cambridge – acting through Thurston and multiple other Cambridge employees – gave various things of value to Soriano, including expensive meals at restaurants in San Diego; a ticket to the 2018 Major League Baseball All Star Game held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; and a job at Cambridge for Soriano’s friend, Liberty Gutierrez. According to Gutierrez’s plea agreement, Gutierrez did minimal work at Cambridge and gave Soriano $2,000 a month from her Cambridge salary.

    In return, Soriano, acting in his position as a contracting officer’s representative at Naval Information Warfare Center, influenced the procurement process to ensure that Cambridge was awarded two large task orders. Soriano further ensured that Cambridge was able to capture a steady stream of government funds by influencing a series of projects on those task orders to be approved. According to Cambridge’s plea agreement, as a result of the conspiracy, the government obligated more than $32 million on one of the task orders and over $100 million on the other.

    Soriano also allowed Cambridge employees to draft various procurement documents for him, even when Cambridge was competing for contracts against other bidders. Thurston and Soriano also worked together to remove document properties so that other government employees would not know of Cambridge’s involvement in drafting the documents.

    According to Thurston’s plea agreement, Thurston received periodic pay bonuses from Cambridge – which totaled between $150,000 and $250,000 – based on the profits Cambridge received from the bribery conspiracy.

    Thurston is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on April 11, 2025.

    “The integrity of our nation’s procurement system relies upon the honest dealing of government contractors,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “This guilty plea shows a commitment to that principle by holding accountable a defendant who repeatedly bribed a government employee to benefit himself at the expense of others.”

    “This investigation clearly established Mr. Thurston’s guilt and his plea is a positive step toward accountability for his role in the crime,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. “DCIS remains committed to working jointly with the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to investigate and deter public corruption within the Department of Defense.”

    “Mr. Thurston’s actions directly undermined the Department of Defense contracting process that ensures our warfighters get the best gear for their missions while ensuring our taxpayer dollars are responsibly allocated,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Our men and women in uniform volunteer to put their lives on the line in defense of the United States and they deserve better than to be put at unnecessary risk. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to partnering with fellow law enforcement agencies to protect our servicemembers from this sort of corruption.”

    “Using a position of public trust as a means to inequitably grant access to federal programs for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge, Weston King. “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of those who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”

    Cambridge was separately charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 24-cr-00759-TWR. Cambridge was ordered to forfeit the $1,672,102.23 in profits it obtained from the bribery conspiracy and pay a $2.25 million fine.

    Soriano was charged as a co-defendant and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud and false statement in filing a tax return in 24-cr-0341-TWR. Soriano was also separately charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 23-cr-2282-TWR. Soriano is next scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on May 9, 2025.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Swan, Katherine E.A. McGrath, and Carling E. Donovan.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 24-cr-0341-TWR-2                         

    Russell Thurston                                             Age: 52                                   Mt. Pleasant, SC

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Commit Bribery – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

    Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; maximum $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Defense Criminal Investigative Service

    Naval Criminal Investigative Service

    Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General

    Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation

    Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General

    If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098. 

                                                                                   

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Owner of San Diego Surrogacy Consulting Businesses Admits to Stealing Client Funds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Lillian Arielle Markowitz, former owner of three San Diego-based surrogacy consulting businesses, pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraud charges, admitting that she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in client funds from escrow accounts set up to pay for surrogacy-related services.

    According to her plea agreement, Markowitz admitted that she owned three businesses — My Donor Cycle, Surrogacy Beyond Borders, and Expecting Surrogacy — through which she marketed herself as a surrogacy consultant to those seeking to realize their dreams of becoming surrogate parents. Beginning around 2018, when Markowitz and her businesses began to experience financial distress, she devised a scheme to steal money from her surrogacy clients by, among other things, submitting fraudulent requests to the escrow company where her clients’ funds were maintained.

    Markowitz admitted to submitting four fraudulent escrow disbursement requests from the escrow accounts of two couples. One included what Markowitz knew to be a forged client signature, and each one resulted in her obtaining a check from the escrow company without the knowledge or consent of her clients.

    In addition, Markowitz admitted that beginning in January 2019 and continuing through May 2021, she defrauded nine additional clients by falsely promising their funds would be deposited into an escrow account and that they would be accessed only to pay for expenses related to their respective surrogacy journey. In fact, Markowitz deposited these clients’ funds into a business checking account and immediately accessed those funds to cover general business expenses, expenses related to other clients’ surrogacy journeys, and her personal expenses. As a condition of her plea, Markowitz has agreed to make restitution of at least $389,142.00 to her former clients.

    “The path to parenthood through surrogacy can be fraught with emotional and financial challenges,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This defendant selfishly exploited vulnerable clients who were striving to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.”

    “Instead of aiding her hopeful clients on their path to parenthood, the defendant took advantage of their vulnerability, betrayed their trust, and stole their money,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “FBI will continue to investigate these unique fraud schemes to protect the public against those who employ empty promises and prey upon vulnerable individuals.”

    Markowitz is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., by District Judge Todd W. Robinson.

    If you believe that you may be a victim in this case, please contact the FBI San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800.

    This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Pletcher.

    DEFENDANT                                                           Case Number 24-CR-0904-TWR

    Lillian Arielle Markowitz (aka Lillian Frost)             Age: 40                                   Portland, OR

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation         

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Entire Pacific region at risk’, says UNAIDS on Fiji HIV outbreak

    RNZ Pacific

    Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services has declared an HIV outbreak.

    Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu announced 1093 new HIV cases from the period of January to September 2024.

    “This declaration reflects the alarming reality that HIV is evolving faster than our current services can cater for,” he said.

    “We need the support of every Fijian. Communities, civil society, faith-based organizations, private sector partners, and international allies must join us in raising awareness, reducing stigma, and ensuring everyone affected by HIV receives the care and support they need.”

    In early December, the Fiji Medical Association called on the government to declare an HIV outbreak “as a matter of priority”.

    As of mid-December, 19 under-fives were diagnosed with HIV in Fiji.

    The UN Development Programme has recently delivered 3000 antiretroviral drugs to Fiji to support the HIV response.

    World’s largest epidemic
    A report released in mid-2024 showed that in 2023, 6.7 million people living with HIV were residing in Asia and the Pacific, making it the world’s largest epidemic after eastern and southern Africa.

    “Among countries with available data, HIV epidemics are growing in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines,” the report said.

    The regional director of UNAIDS Asia Pacific Eamonn Murphy said rising new infections in Fiji “put the entire Pacific region at risk”.

    “Prioritisation of HIV by the government is critical for not only the people of Fiji, but the entire Pacific,” he said.

    “Political will is the essential first step. There must also be community leadership and regional solidarity to ensure these strategies work.”

    UNAIDS said the 1093 cases from January to September was three times as many as there were in 2023.

    Preliminary Ministry of Health numbers show that among the newly-diagnosed individuals who are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy, half contracted HIV through injecting drug use. Over half of all people living with HIV who are aware of their status are not on treatment.

    Second-fastest growth
    “Fiji has the second fastest growing HIV epidemic in the Asia and the Pacific region,” Murphy said.

    He said the data does not just tell the story about a lack of services, but it indicates that even when people know they are HIV-positive, they are fearful to receive care.

    “There must be a deliberate effort to not only strengthen health systems, but to respond to the unique needs of the most affected populations, including people who use drugs.

    “Perpetuating prejudice against any group will only slow progress.”

    UNAIDS also said the HIV Outbreak Response Plan called for a combination of prevention approaches.

    Since the sexual transmission of HIV remains a significant factor, other key approaches are condom distribution and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a treatment taken by an HIV-negative person to reduce the risk of contracting HIV if they are exposed.

    UNAIDS support
    Through the Australian government’s Indo-Pacific HIV Partnership, UNAIDS is supporting Fiji to scale up prevention approaches.

    United Nations Resident Coordinator in Fiji Dirk Wagener said the outbreak declaration and the launch of high-impact interventions, such as needle syringe programmes and PrEP, marked a critical turning point in Fiji’s efforts to combat the epidemic.

    “The Joint UN Team on HIV, with UNAIDS as its secretariat, stands ready to provide coordinated and sustained support to ensure the success of these strategies and to protect the most vulnerable.”

    The HIV Surge Strategy includes tactics for Fiji to achieve the Global AIDS Strategy targets — 95 percent of all people living with HIV aware their status, 95 percent of diagnosed people on antiretroviral therapy, and 95 percent of people on treatment achieving a suppressed viral load.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches communication tech test satellite

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    China sent a new test satellite for communication technology into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan on Thursday.
    The satellite was launched by a Long March-3B rocket at 11:32 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit successfully.
    According to the launch center, the satellite will be used for satellite communications, radio and television and data transmission services. It will also serve as a platform for testing and validating related technologies.
    This launch was the 558th mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China willing to promote stable economic relations with US

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China is willing to work with the United States to promote stable, healthy and sustainable economic and trade relations, based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

    “Tariff measures are not conducive to the interests of either China or the United States, nor to the rest of the world,” said He Yadong, the spokesperson for the ministry, during a regular press conference. He made the remarks in response to a question about the possible 10 percent tariff increase imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese imports starting Feb. 1.

    Answering a question about TikTok, He said China has always respected and safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises, and opposed actions that violate the basic principles of the market economy and harm the legitimate interests of enterprises.

    “We hope that the United States will listen more to the voices of enterprises and the public, and provide a fair and just business environment for companies from all countries, including Chinese enterprises,” He said.

    China hopes the United States will take more actions conducive to bilateral economic and trade cooperation and the well-being of the people in both countries, He added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Geely launches EV model Geely EX5 in Indonesia

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s automotive company Geely Auto introduced the Geely EX5 as its first model for the Indonesian market.

    “We firmly believe that Indonesia has great potential to become a hub for smart and sustainable mobility. Geely is here to offer mobility solutions that prioritize technology, sustainability, and an exceptional driving experience,” said Evin Ye, vice president of Geely Auto International Corporation, during the Geely EX5 launching in Jakarta on Wednesday.

    According to him, the company plans to establish a knock-down factory for local vehicle production in the archipelagic country and begin manufacturing in the third quarter of 2025.

    Cahyo Purnomo, investment promotion director for East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa at the Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry, said that Chinese investment continues to grow and is an important part of Indonesia’s industrial development, particularly in the field of electric vehicles.

    Geely Auto’s presence is more than just business, according to Cahyo, it also brings the newest electric car technology, which adds to the domestic automotive ecosystem and supports the archipelagic country’s economic progress.

    Geely Auto is a subsidiary of Geely Holding Group, an automotive manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China, that has operated in over 100 countries.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Army announces upcoming deployments

    Source: United States Army

    WASHINGTON –The Department of the Army announced today the spring deployments of the following units:

    The 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), to Europe to replace the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, as part of a regular rotation of forces to support the United States’ commitment to NATO allies and partners. For more information, please contact the 101st Airborne Division public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, at martin.j.meiners.mil@army.mil or 270-798-3468.

    The 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to Korea to replace the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, as part of a regular rotation of forces to support the United States’ commitment to the Republic of Korea. For more information, please contact the 4th Infantry Division public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Joseph Payton, at joseph.w.payton.mil@army.mil or 719-526-7525.

    The 83rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Battalion, 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command, to U.S. Central Command to replace the 22nd CBRN Battalion as part of a regular rotation of forces. For more information, please contact the 20th CBRNE Command public affairs officer, Maj. Steven Modugno, at steven.m.modugno.mil@army.mil or 312-306-2718.

    The 4th Division Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, to U.S. Central Command to replace the 17th Sustainment Brigade, Nevada Army National Guard, as part of a regular rotation of forces. For more information, please contact the 4th Infantry Division public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Joseph Payton, at joseph.w.payton.mil@army.mil or 719-526-7525.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Questions Brooke Rollins at Confirmation Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, questioned Brooke Rollins at the confirmation hearing on her nomination to be Secretary of Agriculture.
    During the hearing, Senator Fischer asked Rollins about her plans to hold America’s trading partners accountable, the role of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in creating new export markets, and the importance of the biofuels market for agricultural producers. Senator Fischer also asked Rollins to commit to working with her to complete the USDA Agricultural Research Service facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Innovation Campus.  

    Click the image above to watch a video of Sen. Fischer’s questioning
    Click here to download audio
    Click here to download video
    Senator Fischer questions Brooke Rollins:
    Senator Fischer: Mrs. Rollins, so good to see you. I really, really appreciated you coming to the office last month, and the great discussion that we had. As you know, the agricultural industry is the economic engine of Nebraska. We grow a lot of corn and beans and wheat and sugar beets and livestock. So, we understand the necessity of having that strong economy for our state, that food security, how important it is for our country.  And I look forward to working with you in the future on that. Brooke Rollins:  Thank you. Senator Fischer:  You noted in your testimony that we must demand strong and steady markets for our agricultural bounty. And this is a statement that I hear consistently from our producers as well. One of those really important markets for Nebraska’s agriculture is biofuels. 
    In his day one actions, President Trump emphasized the need for our country to be energy dominant. The President has long recognized that ag producers have a role to play in producing abundant homegrown energy. And he took steps in his executive order declaring a national energy emergency so that we can continue to allow for the sale of E15 year-round. And I’ve long led an effort to make this policy permanent, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to deliver on that part of the President’s agenda.
    We know that there’s going to be a number of other biofuel decisions that will be made in the coming months that will have significant impacts on the biofuel market. I know you’ve heard from a number of my colleagues on this committee about the importance of that. Can you just speak briefly about how you view the importance of biofuel markets for our farmers?Brooke Rollins: I will and Senator, thank you. Loved being in your office and meeting Fred Fisher. And really look forward to hopefully having more conversations in your office and in your home state of Nebraska, which is one of the shining stars of our country. 
    In the last few months, since the announcement was made that I was going to be hopefully, if confirmed, joining this administration and the Cabinet as the head of USDA, I have had multiple conversations with many of you on the committee and outside the committee. Your governor flew to Texas to give me a couple of hours of his time to make sure I understood specifically within your state, but frankly, how this affects so much of the Midwest and in our corn states.
    My commitment is to defend and protect and fight for all of American agriculture. Clearly, in the last administration, this issue was under the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, so I didn’t manage it under the Domestic Policy Council. But I was certainly in a lot of the meetings, which there were a lot of meetings. President Trump would tell you in the Oval Office about this. His executive order in the last few days, mentioning biofuels is a part of his all-of-the-above strategy to reclaim energy dominance across the world is important. Senator Fischer: President Trump was very generous with his time in his previous time in the Oval Office. And he’s correct, we had a lot of meetings in the Oval Office.Brooke Rollins: I think he said 27.Senator Fischer: Truly, and he would like to get this issue settled as well. I thought maybe we would in the CR, but we’ll continue to push for that. What we’ve seen over the last four years, and what I’ve heard has been a lot of disappointment from Nebraskans about the lack of any kind of trade agenda from the Biden Administration. 
    In fact, for the first time in decades, we’ve had an agricultural trade deficit. And as you said earlier, it’s projected to hit a record breaking $45 billion. I understand there can be a variety of factors that impact a trade deficit, but I am concerned that part of this stems from there not being really any kind of clear agricultural trade agenda from the last administration.
    We cannot see that happen again. Can you talk about how you would both hold our current trading partners accountable, and the role that you will or that you would want to see USDA play in developing these new export markets?Brooke Rollins: Yes, Senator, and that $45 billion, what’s remarkable about that is 42 percent of that is just in the last year. So, the wheels are falling off, and it is very, very important that the wheels get put back on as soon as possible.
    I think those that know me for a long time—but even Senator, you and I have just gotten to know each other in the recent months—know that I am a relentless cheerleader for whatever it is that I have been called to do. And for this moment in my life, and to me, this moment as Scripture says, I am called to take agriculture, to preserve our rural communities, and take our products to the world and work around the clock to ensure that that sort of trade deficit begins to peel back—and hopefully, by the end of our time here in the next four years, is completely gone. And in fact, we are back in the positive and I believe we can do that.
    I mentioned earlier, I think President Trump is the consummate deal maker. His heart, for rural America and for our farmers and ranchers, I think will hopefully lead the way. I certainly will be right next to him, whispering in his ear as we move forward on this and I think and hope and pray that we can begin to solve this immediately.Senator Fischer: Yes. Great. Another area that I focus on is how precision ag technology can help our farmers and ranchers to achieve better yields and reduce environmental impact, and improve economic returns.
    I’ve had a number of bills on that, and I’m going to be reintroducing and including, hopefully, in the Farm Bill that we work on. Additionally, myself and really the entire Nebraska delegation, along with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have been working in a very close partnership with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on the National Center for Resilience and Regenerative Precision Agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Innovation Campus.
    And last May, we broke ground on that facility. And I hope that I can continue to work with you to make sure that we get that facility completed. Can I get your commitment to continue working with me on this facility? Can I get your commitment to come to Nebraska? We had Sonny Perdue out at the ranch and had a great barbecue with neighbors. We can do that and another trip we can get you to Lincoln to see the ARS facility, what we’re doing there.Brooke Rollins: That would be my great honor. Senator Fischer: Great, thank you. Brooke Rollins: Thank you, Senator.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road closed, SH2, Ormond

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Matawai Road/SH2 is closed following a serious crash in Ormond this afternoon.

    Police were alerted to a two vehicle crash near Hatten Lane at around 1.10pm.

    Initial enquiries suggest there are injuries.

    The road is closed while the Serious Crash Unit examine the scene.

    Southbound traffic has diversions however it is not suitable for large trucks. There are no diversions for northbound traffic.

    Motorists are advised to avoid the area, use alternate routes and expect delays.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Appeal for information: burglaries, Rolleston

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Attribute to Senior Sergeant Rachel Walker, Area Response Manager, Canterbury Rural South:

    Rolleston Police investigating reports of burglaries from residential addresses in recent weeks would like to hear from anyone who may have information that could help.

    Three separate incidents have been reported since the 1 January this year.

    Among the items that were stolen were a number of military medals, including a Pacific Star medal, distinctive jewellery and a go-kart. Police are appealing for any information that could reunite these items with their rightful owners.

    If you have any information that could help our enquiries, and you have not yet spoken to Police, please update us online now or call 105.

    Please use the reference number 250123/2449.

    Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    We would also like to remind people to keep their homes as safe as possible if they’re going away this summer.

    Lock up doors and windows and ask a neighbour to check on your home regularly. Consider investing in an alarm system and sensor lights.

    Also ensure you have someone trusted to clear your mail and any other items that may be delivered. If you see any suspicious behaviour, please call 111 immediately.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –