NewzIntel.com

Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Ivey Appoints Laurie Hoyt to Baldwin County Circuit Judgeship

    Source: US State of Alabama

    MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday announced the appointment of Laurie Hoyt to serve on the Baldwin County Circuit Court.

    “A longtime resident of Baldwin County, Judge Hoyt is well versed in the law, both criminal and civil,” said Governor Ivey.  “She brings to the bench a broad range of legal experience spanning from private practice to representing the public’s interests in a major state agency.  I am confident she will honorably serve the people of Baldwin County as the newest circuit judge on the 28th Judicial Circuit.”

    “I am honored and grateful that Governor Ivey appointed me to serve as the next Circuit Court Judge in Baldwin County,” said Judge Hoyt.  “I look forward to serving the citizens of Baldwin County and working hard on their behalf.”

    Hoyt assumes the judgeship position vacated by Baldwin County Circuit Court Judge Carmen Bosch who announced her retirement on June 4, 2025.

    Hoyt began her legal career at the firm of James Dorgan, PC, in Fairhope, while also serving as an adjunct substitute Business Law professor at Spring Hill College.  Afterwards, she devoted 18 years as an attorney with the Alabama Department of Human Resources.  As an Assistant Attorney General, she represented the Department in all legal matters, including juvenile and domestic relations cases and complex litigation, and administrative personnel hearings and administrative child abuse/neglect hearings in Baldwin and Escambia counties.

    Hoyt received her Bachelor of Science degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile in 2002 and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University College of Law in 2006.

    Laurie Hoyt and her husband, Baldwin County District Judge Michael Hoyt, have three children and live in Daphne, Alabama.

    Hoyt’s appointment is effective immediately.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Notorious Landlord Mike Nijjar and PAMA Management for Violating California Housing Laws and Exploiting Tenants

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Bonta today filed a lawsuit against a group of property management and real estate holding companies owned by Southern California rental-housing tycoon Swaranjit “Mike” Nijjar, his sister Daljit “DJ” Kler, and other members of his family. The lawsuit filed today, after a three-year investigation, alleges Nijjar’s companies, commonly known as PAMA Management, egregiously violated numerous California laws by subjecting tenants to unsafe units marked by cockroach and rodent infestations, leaking roofs, overflowing sewage, and other problems. The lawsuit also alleges that the companies discriminate against applicants with Section 8 housing vouchers, overcharge some tenants for rent, and use leases that deceive tenants about their legal rights, among other violations. Most tenants living in PAMA properties have low or fixed incomes, and many are faced with the horrible choice between enduring serious and sometimes catastrophic conditions or becoming homeless. In the complaint filed today in Los Angeles County, Attorney General Bonta seeks penalties, full restitution for financial harm to tenants, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and injunctive relief barring Mr. Nijjar, PAMA, and related companies from continuing these unlawful and appalling business practices. 

    “PAMA and the companies owned by Mike Nijjar and his family are notorious for their rampant, slum-like conditions — some so bad that residents have suffered tragic results. Our investigation into Nijjar’s properties revealed PAMA exploited vulnerable families, refusing to invest the resources needed to eradicate pest infestations, fix outdated roofs, and install functioning plumbing systems, all while deceiving tenants about their rights to sue their landlord and demand repairs,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Nijjar and his associates have treated lawsuit after lawsuit and code violation after code violation as the cost of doing business and have been allowed to operate and collect hundreds of millions of dollars each year from families who sleep, shower, and feed their children in unhealthy and deplorable conditions. Enough is enough — today, I step in. I am grateful to all the people who came forward, including the DOJ Consumer Protection Team, California reporters who sounded the alarm, local code enforcement officers who tirelessly respond to tenant complaints, and, most of all, PAMA tenants who spoke out about their distressing experiences.” 

    Background 

    The Nijjar family and their related companies own and manage over 22,000 rental housing units statewide, primarily in low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties — but also spanning up to Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. Code enforcement officers in these communities routinely cite the Nijjar family’s properties for violating minimum habitability standards. In recent years, the family’s companies have settled dozens of lawsuits alleging habitability defects and unsafe conditions; these lawsuits have involved hundreds of tenants, including some children who have become seriously injured at PAMA properties. In 2016, an infant died in a fire at one of PAMA’s mobile homes in Kern County — which was not permitted for human occupancy. 

    Through this all, it has been business as usual for Mike Nijjar and his corporate entities, which continue to buy new properties, ignore tenants’ pleas for repairs, and operate under an expanding list of company names that makes it difficult for tenants to understand who they are renting from. Tenants may know them by the names of their current and recent property management companies: not only PAMA Management, but also, I E Rental Homes, Bridge Management, Equity Management, Golden Management, Hightower Management, Legacy Management, Mobile Management, Pro Management, and Regency Management. 

    Following extensive reporting from the press and stakeholders, the California Department of Justice began an investigation into PAMA in late 2022 that uncovered widespread habitability violations and other egregious violations of tenants’ rights. 

    Violation of Basic Habitability Standards 

    The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleges that, through their failure to properly maintain units, PAMA and related companies put tenant safety and health at immediate risk. While PAMA units suffer from extensive maintenance issues, among the most common are:

    • water intrusion from leaking roofs and outdated plumbing; 
    • structural damage caused by water intrusion and deferred maintenance;
    • malfunctioning plumbing, including surfacing sewage; and 
    • cockroach and rodent infestations. 

    These violations are not just a mistake; they are part of ongoing business practices. PAMA defers necessary investments in maintenance in favor of quick and cheap repairs; uses unskilled handymen even for specialized work; provides little to no training to staff, many of whom have no experience in property management; and fails to track maintenance requests in any systematic, routine fashion — requests are often lost or never completed. PAMA is aware of these issues and knows their operations lead to uninhabitable conditions, yet these business practices have persisted for years.

    Deceptive Lease Terms

    The lawsuit also alleges that PAMA and related companies entered into tens of thousands of leases with unlawful and deceptive terms that attempt to invalidate rights guaranteed by law. Such rights include the tenant’s right to sue their landlord and present their case to a jury; to make repairs that the landlord neglected and deduct the cost of such repairs from rent; and to have the landlord exercise a duty of care to prevent personal injury or personal property damage.

    PAMA also violated California law by refusing to provide Spanish translations of these leases and other important documents, despite intentionally soliciting Spanish-speaking tenants through dual-language advertising and the hiring of Spanish-speaking employees to fill vacant units and communicate with tenants.  

    Discrimination against Tenants with Section 8 Vouchers

    The lawsuit further alleges that PAMA and related companies discriminate against applicants with Section 8 vouchers who are looking for a home. Section 8 vouchers help low-income families rent housing from private landlords, allowing the family to pay part of the rent while the government pays the rest. In California, it is unlawful to discriminate against a tenant or housing applicant based on their source of income, including their receipt of Section 8 rental assistance. Management companies related to PAMA have violated the law by telling applicants with vouchers that there is a waiting list for units, or that no rental units are available, even when units are in fact available and are being rented to applicants without Section 8 vouchers. 

    Unlawful Rent Increases and Other Misconduct

    The Attorney General’s lawsuit also alleges violations of California’s Tenant Protection Act (TPA) at over 2,000 units, where PAMA and related companies shifted certain mandatory utilities costs — which used to be paid by the landlord — onto their tenants. For tenants protected by the TPA, it is unlawful for landlords to ignore the rent cap when requiring tenants to pay new or increased fees or utility charges. The complaint alleges that these companies began charging tenants for shared utilities, like water, through a ratio utility billing system, known as “RUBS,” forcing tenants to pay for utility charges beyond their control. The combination of these new utility fees and annual rent increases resulted in total increases of up to 20% — more than double the TPA’s rent cap. Furthermore, PAMA and related companies violated the TPA’s notice requirements by failing to include in tenants’ leases legally mandated disclosures to let a tenant know whether the TPA’s protections — which include rent-increase controls and limitations on evictions — apply to them. 

    In addition to the violations above, the lawsuit alleges that PAMA and related companies issued unlawful eviction notices to dozens or hundreds of tenants, and also that the companies have failed to comply with basic real-estate licensing requirements since 2020.

    Anyone – including current or former tenants – who has information that might be relevant to this case are encouraged to share their stories with our office by going to oag.ca.gov/report. To learn more about your rights as a tenant, please visit here.  

    A copy of the complaint can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fugitive Physician Sentenced to Prison in Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: US State of California

    A California physician was sentenced today in Los Angeles to 54 months in prison for health care fraud arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare. She is a fugitive and was sentenced in absentia.

    According to court documents, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From approximately January 2012 to July 2018, she falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies. These certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would falsify the forms to make appear that she had seen the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home health care, when she had done neither. Baltaian received cash payments related to these referrals and also separately billed Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications.

    Between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to the government estimated at $1,497,159.64.

    Baltaian pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud on Nov. 21, 2024. At sentencing, she was also ordered to pay $1,497,159.64 in restitution.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

    The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Matthew Belz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive Physician Sentenced to Prison in Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A California physician was sentenced today in Los Angeles to 54 months in prison for health care fraud arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare. She is a fugitive and was sentenced in absentia.

    According to court documents, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From approximately January 2012 to July 2018, she falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies. These certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would falsify the forms to make appear that she had seen the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home health care, when she had done neither. Baltaian received cash payments related to these referrals and also separately billed Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications.

    Between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to the government estimated at $1,497,159.64.

    Baltaian pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud on Nov. 21, 2024. At sentencing, she was also ordered to pay $1,497,159.64 in restitution.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

    The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Matthew Belz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley-Wyden Report Exposes How Organ Procurement Organizations Game the System, Fail to Adequately Address Conflicts of Interest

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), current Ranking Member, released the results of their bipartisan investigation into nonprofit Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO), which are responsible for obtaining donated organs for transplant and research in the United States. 
    The senators’ staff report reveals additional transparency is needed to strengthen the integrity of the organ procurement network and ensure the health and safety of organ donors and recipients. The investigation confirms the senators’ long-standing concerns, outlining examples of abuse to boost performance ratings and inadequate efforts by OPOs to identify and resolve conflicts of interest.  
    Building on their nearly two decades of work to bring accountability to the organ donation system, Grassley and Wyden launched their investigation in the 118th Congress. As of 2024, 170 million Americans are registered organ donors. Since 1988, nearly 1.1 million life-saving transplants in the U.S. have been made possible from more than a half-million organ donors.  
    “As millions of American families know first-hand, the organ donation system is a matter of life and death. It’s critical to restore integrity to this system and to strengthen the public’s trust in it. Our investigation uncovered clear examples of OPOs exploiting a loophole in direct opposition to congressional intent. We also uncovered OPOs’ failure to clearly and effectively address conflicts of interest. Together, we are working to ensure the stewardship of precious organs is transparent, accountable and effective in order to save lives,” Grassley said. 
    “Americans expect the national organ transplant system to be fair and efficient so as many patients as possible receive the life-saving donation they need,” Wyden said. “Organ procurement organizations are a key link in this chain, and this investigation demonstrates there’s still more work to be done to improve the system. I look forward to building on our work to make the organ procurement network accountable and successful on behalf of American families who are counting on a transplant.” 
    Full text of the investigative report and records can be found HERE.   
    In the course of its investigation, staff reviewed internal research protocols and conflicts of interest documents produced by seventeen OPOs, including One Legacy, Donor Alliance, LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services, Indiana Donor Network, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, Mid-America Transplant, New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network, LifeBanc, Lifeline of Ohio, Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, Midwest Transplant Network, Versiti Wisconsin, LifeShare Network, Gift of Life Donor Program, Tennessee Donor Services and New Mexico Donor Services. 
    Pancreata Loophole:
    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can re-certify OPOs if they meet certain standards. However, CMS has never decertified an OPO, allowing organizations to face little-to-no consequences for underperformance. To enhance accountability, CMS released a final rule in 2020 to update OPOs’ performance metrics. 
    The rule created a loophole allowing pancreata recovered for research to be counted toward recertification, without clear verification the organs were actually used to advance research. Since the CMS rule was finalized five years ago, pancreata recovered for research by OPOs has increased more than four-fold, without a matching increase in researchers’ demand. 
    Grassley and Wyden have sounded the alarm on the pancreata loophole for over three years, beginning with an April 2022 letter to then-Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra and CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure. 
    The investigation also found serious concerns regarding OPOs’ relationships with third-party research clearinghouses and biobanks. After handing over procured pancreata to third party research arrangements, OPOs had little-to-no ability to verify the organs were utilized for research or that the research conducted was appropriate. OPOs surveyed by the senators reported an 850% increase in pancreata recovered for research without reporting a clear and corresponding research benefit. 
    This undermines HHS oversight and allows underperforming OPOs to inflate their performance at the cost of critically ill patients. The loophole directly violates congressional intent, including the Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004.  
    Conflicts of Interest:
    Grassley and Wyden asked eight OPOs to disclose their conflicts of interest policies. Their investigation found CMS does not require uniform conflict of interest policies and procedures, which caused key differences between conflict of interest definitions, as well as who is covered under conflict of interest policies. 
    Despite overwhelming evidence OPOs should address allegations of conflicting business and financial relationships, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is not required to collect details on financial relationships, board member compensation or affiliated businesses. The investigation also found that OPTN and its former sole contractor, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), failed to act following formal complaints about financial conflicts of interest. 
    Recommendations:
    CMS should clarify the requirements and expectations of OPOs reporting pancreata to be counted toward certification or recertification, to ensure OPOs are following the law and congressional intent.
    CMS should further clarify OPO conflict of interest policies to make clear that OPO governing boards and medical advisory boards, as well as CMS surveyors, monitor actual and potential conflicts.
    OPOs should clearly define policy coverage, scope of conflicts and disclosure procedures.
    OPOs should ensure board involvement, oversight and recording.  
    Background: 
    Grassley and Wyden have long sounded the alarm regarding conflicts of interest within the transplant system. In 2020, they wrote to HHS saying, “OPOs have greater financial incentives to focus more on tissue recovery compared to their incentives to recover lifesaving organs.”   
    A 2022 Senate Finance Committee hearing and staff report highlighted a 2012 case involving the Alabama Organ Center (AOC) and its Executive Director who, according to a whistleblower complaint, participated in a “money laundering” scheme and violated AOC’s own “Standard Operating Procedure.” Following multiple apparent financial conflicts between OPOs and outside entities, Grassley and Wyden sent a letter in 2023 requesting answers on certain OPOs’ financial interests and business relationships.   
    Grassley and Wyden are also the authors of bipartisan Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, which marked the first reforms to the U.S. organ donation system in nearly 40 years. 
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Whitehouse Introduce Bill to Reauthorize Critical Juvenile Justice Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDPA) Reauthorization Act to reauthorize key delinquency prevention programs and bolster federal protections for incarcerated minors.
    “Kids in our juvenile justice system ought to be treated fairly and given the tools they need to succeed,” Grassley said. “Our bipartisan bill builds off decades of work to strengthen the core tenets of this critical program, and I thank Senator Whitehouse for his continued partnership to protect and improve outcomes for at-risk youth.” 
    “Senator Grassley has been a steadfast partner in strengthening protections for kids in the justice system. I’m proud to continue our bipartisan work to equip state and local communities with resources to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system and to give young people a better chance to get their lives on track after getting out,” Whitehouse said.
    The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act would:
    Reauthorize the Charles Grassley Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Program through 2030. This program:
    Empowers local stakeholders to better meet their communities’ needs,
    Improves the effectiveness of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups, and
    Strengthens federal protections for kids in the justice system.

    Renew the Youth PROMISE Grants and the Tribal Youth Program to support at-risk or delinquent youth at the local level.
    Download bill text HERE.
    Background:
    In 2018, Grassley and Whitehouse championed the first reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in nearly 16 years. Their landmark legislation made significant updates to the 1974 law, including measures to expand program oversight, promote screening for mental illness and substance abuse, prohibit the shackling of pregnant youth in juvenile detention, ensure the separation of juvenile and adult offenders and provide detained children access to adequate legal representation.
    Last year, Grassley joined Iowans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of JJDPA and was honored by Iowa youth for his work to reform the juvenile justice system.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Watchdog Confirms Grassley Oversight: Biden-Harris Gave Suspected Terrorists Protected Status through Afghan Evacuee Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG) today issued a report confirming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) longstanding concern that the Biden-Harris administration failed to properly vet all Afghan evacuees after the U.S.’s botched withdrawal from the region. 
    According to the DOJ OIG report, 55 Afghan evacuees with hits on the terrorist screening database were encountered by U.S. officials. Of those, at least 21 were added to the database after entry into the United States and an additional two evacuees were already on the database prior to entry into the country. As of July 2024, eight evacuees in the United States remained on the terrorist watchlist with four of them subject to active FBI investigation. Notably, last year, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan evacuee, was arrested for planning an Election Day terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS.
    “I’ve sounded the alarm about the need to thoroughly vet Afghan evacuee applicants since August 2021. The Biden-Harris administration, my Democrat colleagues in Congress and many in the media were quick to dismiss glaring red flags that a nonpartisan national security analysis now confirms,” Grassley said. “As if it wasn’t already obvious, the Biden-Harris administration endangered American lives by allowing suspected terrorists to enter the United States and roam free for years. My oversight of this matter will continue.”
    Read the full DOJ OIG report HERE.
    Background:
    While the previous administration left key allies stranded, refused to thoroughly vet evacuees and ignored congressional inquiries, Grassley spearheaded dogged congressional oversight. Further, Grassley took steps to protect Afghan allies and hold the administration accountable for an Afghan evacuee charged with the Election Day terror plot.
    After calling out then-FBI Director Christopher Wray’s failed leadership – including the Bureau’s inability to vet Afghan evacuees – Grassley urged FBI Director Kash Patel to release updated data on national security concerns posed by some Afghan evacuees. 
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Support Grows for AI Whistleblower Protection Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) welcomed growing support for his AI Whistleblower Protection Act from leading whistleblower and AI groups. This week, 22 groups, including the National Whistleblower Center, sent a letter backing Grassley’s legislation to Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), whose committee has jurisdiction over the legislation. 
    Grassley’s bill provides explicit whistleblower protections to those developing and deploying AI. Currently, AI companies’ alleged use of restrictive severance and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) create a chilling effect on current and former employees looking to make whistleblower disclosures to the federal government, including Congress.   
    “Transparency brings accountability. Today, too many people working in AI feel they’re unable to speak up when they see something wrong. Whistleblowers are one of the best ways to ensure Congress keeps pace as the AI industry rapidly develops. We need to act to make these protections crystal clear, and I’m proud to see so many groups supporting my legislation to increase accountability and protect AI whistleblowers,” Grassley said. 
    The groups highlight the importance of whistleblowers as increased use of AI brings potential misuse, ethical lapses and unintended consequences.  
    “Employees and industry insiders—rather than regulators—have consistently been among the first to warn about risks of the technologies they’re building. In Silicon Valley, engineers have exposed powerful AI models released without proper safeguards, former staff have surfaced data on youth digital harms, and researchers have stepped forward when serious risks were ignored. Their disclosures—often about conduct that was dangerous but not yet illegal—gave the public and policymakers the evidence needed to act,” the groups wrote. 
    In their letter, the groups state some employees may be deterred from reporting issues due to fear of retaliation or professional repercussions. In June 2024, over a dozen current and former employees from leading AI companies publicly stated that confidentiality agreements and fear of retaliation prevented them from raising legitimate safety concerns. 
    “Congress has the opportunity to protect individuals who come forward in good faith and to reinforce the principle that safety, ethics, and accountability must accompany innovation … [t]he AI Whistleblower Protection Act helps ensure that those working to develop and deploy AI systems are not punished for acting in the best interest of the public. Strong whistleblower protections are a cornerstone of responsible governance and essential to guiding AI development in a way that upholds our shared democratic values,” the groups continued. 
    In addition to the National Whistleblower Center, the letter was signed by the Americans for Responsible Innovation, Center for Democracy & Technology, Center for Humane Technology, Center for Youth and AI, CoFund, Demand Progress, Design It For Us Coalition, Encode AI, Government Accountability Project, National Consumers League, National Decency Coalition, National Employment Law Project, NoSo November, Psst.org, Public Knowledge, Secure AI Project, The Anti-Fraud Coalition, The Tech Oversight Project, The Signals Network, Working Partnerships USA and Young People’s Alliance. 
    Download the groups’ letter HERE. Download text of the bill HERE. 
    Background:
    Last year, Grassley sent a letter to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman raising concerns about the alleged use of illegally restrictive NDAs, as well as the company’s employment, severance and non-disparagement agreements. 
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Judiciary Committee Unanimously Advances Bipartisan Bill to Combat Online Child Sex Abuse Material

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously voted to advance the bipartisan STOP CSAM Act to crack down on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. 
    “The STOP CSAM Act takes direct aim at the terrible spread of online child sexual abuse material – and gives law enforcement and victims stronger tools to fight back. I was glad to move it out of the Judiciary Committee and anticipate the committee will have future opportunities to mark up additional legislation in this space,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said.
    The Grassley-backed bill, led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would promote greater transparency in the tech industry and empower victims to seek justice against culpable platforms. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) cosponsor the legislation. Read the full bill text HERE.
    The Judiciary Committee additionally voted to advance the following nominations:
    Stanley Woodward, Jr., to be Associate Attorney General, by a vote of 12-10; 
    Elliot Gaiser, to be an Assistant Attorney General, by a vote of 12-10; 
    Joseph Edlow, to be Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, by a vote of 12-10; 
    John Squires, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by a vote of 20-2; and 
    Ronald A. Parsons, Jr., to be U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, by voice vote.
    A recording of the executive business meeting can be found HERE.
    Read Grassley’s opening statement HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Using science and technology to reduce tailings ponds

    Under the leadership of former premier Peter Lougheed, Alberta harnessed advances in technology to drive development and innovation in the oil sands. That work was critical in allowing Canada and the world to benefit from some of our province’s greatest natural resources. Fifty years later, Alberta is again looking to innovators and knowledge-keepers to help develop long-term solutions to the mine water challenge.

    Over the last year, the Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee has met with industry operators, technology providers, Indigenous community members, scientists and others to review evidence and explore viable options to improve mine water management and tailings pond reclamation in Alberta’s oil sands region.

    The committee has submitted its first recommendations to begin addressing this challenge while protecting the environment and downstream communities. Alberta’s government accepts these recommendations and will immediately begin exploring them further to help create an accelerated plan to reclaim the water and eventually return the land for use by future generations.

    “We need to start finding a path to more effectively manage oil sands mine water and tailing ponds. Doing nothing while mine water continues accumulating is not a sustainable approach. I want to thank the committee for their thoughtful work. We will immediately start to carefully evaluate these recommendations and determine how they can safely be put into action.”

    Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

    “These effective and evidence-based recommendations help provide a roadmap to accelerate action to address tailings ponds and oil sands mine water. This will help Alberta better manage and reduce mine water while still delivering the most responsible energy in the world.”

    Tany Yao, steering committee chair and MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo

    “This committee’s recommendations are an important step forward. We cannot keep ignoring this challenge but need to find practical and effective solutions forward.”

    Chief Jim Boucher, steering committee member, president, Saa Dene Group of Companies, and former chief of Fort McKay First Nation

    The committee’s initial recommendations focus largely on improving water use efficiency, developing new measurement standards, and better managing or even reducing water accumulation at mine sites. The following recommendations reflect a year of rigorous, thoughtful analysis and engagement:

    • Recommendation 1 calls for changes to help keep more water out of tailings ponds. Currently, much of the water collected has not actually been used in the oil sands extraction or separation processes. The recommendation calls for measures to more easily keep melting snow, runoff and other water separate, and for government to create clearer standards for this water’s safe release.
    • Recommendation 2 advises government to promote more water-sharing between mine sites to minimize new withdrawals from the Athabasca River.
    • Recommendation 3 advises government to focus on managing oil sands mine water within the watershed, not moving water across watersheds.
    • Recommendation 4 advises government that deep well disposal be considered to manage low volumes of otherwise untreatable oil sands mine water and some legacy mine water, once all other options have been fully explored. Deep well disposal involves injecting oil sands mine water deep unground beneath many layers of impermeable rock, providing permanent storage that also protects the drinking water and land above.
    • Recommendation 5 calls for government to develop a standardized method for measuring naphthenic acids, naturally occurring organics that are sourced from oil sands bitumen. Though no jurisdiction is known to have ever implemented such a method for regulatory purposes, being able to measure them is considered essential in assessing the effectiveness of mine water treatment options.

    Read the recommendations in detail on Alberta.ca, along with a letter from Committee Chair Tany Yao. The committee’s work continues, and more recommendations will be shared in the near future.

    Over the next six months, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas will work with the Alberta Energy Regulator and others to evaluate and explore these recommendations to put a plan in place that is realistic, safe and backed by research and evidence.

    Government is committed to continue listening to Albertans and the people who brought forward solutions. The ongoing leadership and participation of Indigenous communities are vital to shaping how we manage tailings and protect the land and water for future generations.

    Quick facts

    • In Alberta and around the world, mining operations produce tailings. Tailings – a mixture of water, sand, clay and residual bitumen – are the byproduct of the extraction process.
    • The committee assessed and evaluated options against feasibility criteria, including regulatory and policy alignment, environmental impact, economic viability, technical feasibility, and Indigenous community impacts.
    • The province’s oil sands tailings ponds now contain more than 1.4 billion cubic metres. This includes non-process affected water, such as rainwater, surface runoff, muskeg dewatering, non-saline groundwater depressurization, and other water that has not been directly utilized in oil sands extraction or separation processes.
    • Oil sands operators are responsible for reclamation, but research and evidence on how best to reclaim these sites is still being refined.
    • Oil sands mine operations in Alberta have reduced the amount of fresh water used per barrel by 23 per cent since 2017.

    Related information

    • Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Kelly, Clarke, Watson Coleman, Fitzpatrick introduce the Bipartisan Protect Black Women and Girls Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

    WASHINGTON – The Co-Chairs of the Caucus on Black Women and Girls – U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) – and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) reintroduced the bipartisan Protect Black Women and Girls Act. The bill would establish a task force to examine the socioeconomic conditions and experiences of Black women and girls.

    “Black women and girls deserve every opportunity to thrive but are too often held back by years of systemic racism and sexism. We must do more than simply acknowledge these disparities and instead put forth holistic solutions,” said Rep. Kelly. “The Protect Black Women and Girls Act establishes a task force to examine every part of life, from education to healthcare to economic opportunities. With this bill, we are delivering coordinated policy efforts to dismantle barriers facing Black women and girls and ensure they can lead happy, healthy lives.”

    “For too long, Black women and girls of every walk of life have been denied access to deserved opportunities for no reasons beyond their sex and race. Unfairness and inequality will never have a place in our nation, and we have a moral responsibility to take meaningful action to root them out in every space they arise,” said Rep. Clarke.  “The Protect Black Women and Girls Act represents a significant step toward ridding our nation of a sin that has persisted within it for centuries, and I am proud to work alongside my fellow co-chairs to see it enacted.”

    “I’m proud to stand with my fellow co-chairs Rep. Kelly and Rep. Clarke in introducing this crucial piece of bipartisan legislation,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “The Protecting Black Women and Girls Act is an important step toward addressing the root causes of the disproportionate challenges Black women and girls face. We must all work together to do more for this nation’s Black women and girls to ensure they have equal opportunity to thrive.”

    “This legislation is about using the full force of federal policy to confront disparities that have gone unaddressed for far too long,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “By establishing a cross-agency task force, we’re working to ensure that federal programs are not only equitable in intent, but effective in practice—targeting systemic barriers in healthcare, education, economic mobility, housing, and civil rights. Our goal is simple: to build a smarter, more accountable federal response that delivers measurable progress for Black women and girls nationwide.”

    The Protect Black Women and Girls Act is endorsed by In Our Own Voice, The Black Women Health Imperative (BWHI) and Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA).

    “At a time when our civil rights are under threat like never before, the Protect Women and Girls Act is the urgent response needed in order to address the disproportionate impact Black women are facing across this administration’s multifaceted attacks on the economy, reproductive and public health, education, the environment and more,” said Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. “We are thankful to co-chairs Rep. Kelly, Rep. Watson Coleman, Rep. Clarke and the entire Congressional Caucus of Black Women and Girls for their tireless efforts in support of this legislative action. In Our Own Voice is proud to endorse the Protect Black Women and Girls Act, a critical piece of legislation that will help improve outcomes for Black women, girls and gender-expansive people in the U.S.”

    “The Black Women’s Health Imperative stands in full support of the Protect Black Women and Girls Act,” said Dr. Ifeoma Udoh, Executive Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Science at BWHI. “Our work as an organization addresses the programming and policy which impacts the pipeline to healthcare, education and leadership for Black women with our partners and collaborators. This bill presents an opportunity to address these gaps and ensure that we can solve the problems structurally that impact the fully holistic lives of Black women and girls.”

    “Black Mamas Matter Alliance proudly endorses the Protect Black Women and Girls Act introduced by Congresswoman Robin Kelly. This critical and groundbreaking legislation reflects the core values and heart of our mission we champion — advancing Black Maternal Health and driving equitable change and opportunity for Black women and girls,” said Angela D. Aina, Co-Founder and Executive Director of BMMA. “The bill centers and prioritizes the wellbeing of Black women and girls, acknowledges the daily social and structural harms we endure, and calls for restorative justice as a pathway to healing and transformation. By naming and addressing the systemic inequities that impact our lives, this Act is a critical step toward building a future where Black women and girls are seen, protected, valued, and empowered to thrive.”

    The Protect Black Women and Girls Act would establish an Interagency Task Force to:

    • Identify and assess the efficacy of policies and programs at the federal, state and local levels designed to improve outcomes for Black women and girls;
    • Make recommendations to improve these policies and programs;
    • Cover issues involving Black women and girls in education, economic development, healthcare, justice, civil rights and housing;
    • Submit recommendations to Congress, the President, and each state or local government on policies, practices, programs and incentives that should be adopted to improve outcomes;
    • Direct the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to conduct a study and collect data on the effects of specified economic, health, criminal justice and social service factors on Black women and girls.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter Introduces the Truth in Gender Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter Introduces the Truth in Gender Act

    Carter Introduces the Truth in Gender Act

    Washington, June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) introduced the Truth In Gender Act, a bill codifying President Trump’s Executive Order entitled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

    The Executive Order brings back common sense and restores biological truth to the federal government by recognizing women as biologically female and men as biologically male.

    “Biological men cannot be women, and biological women cannot be men. That’s a scientific fact. President Trump was spot on when he signed this executive order, and now we have the chance to codify it into law. With a clear definition of the two genders, we will be able to further protect female spaces from biological men masquerading as women and the radical liberal politicians, like Jon Ossoff, who put them there,” said Rep. Carter.

    Read the full text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Thales invests €55 million euros to anchor next-generation resilient navigation in France

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Thales invests €55 million euros to anchor next-generation resilient navigation in France

    • Thales strengthens its European leadership in resilient navigation, for air, land and sea, by enhancing its Châtellerault and Valence industrial sites in France.
    • The Group will invest €55 million in order to meet growing demand for secure navigation solutions for both the civil and military sectors.
    • This industrial ramp-up will quadruple the production capacity of the Châtellerault site, while in Valence, the serial production of TopStar-M GNSS receivers and the TopShield anti-jamming solution will be launched, and a new sovereign production line for inertial micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) will be established.

    Thales, the European leader in resilient navigation, today announces a major €55 million investment to strengthen its industrial sites in Châtellerault and Valence, France. This investment, which will be made between 2025 and 2028, will meet the growing demand for high-performance navigation solutions, both civilian and military, and will strengthen its sovereign and cutting-edge industrial base.

    A comprehensive range of solutions for resilient navigation

    In a context of increasing jamming and spoofing of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals, Thales is deploying a complete range of resilient navigation solutions that combine precision, autonomy, and security. These technologies are essential to ensure operational continuity, whether for critical military missions or civil aviation safety.

    By integrating two technological pillars combining inertial systems and GNSS signal reception, Thales enables reliable navigation even in contested environments. Autonomous navigation capability is maintained at all times due to the high performance of the TopAxyz inertial navigation systems. Signal reception integrity is ensured by combining the encrypted, multi-constellation TopStar-M receiver with the TopShield anti-jamming solution. These innovations are supported by France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) under the OMEGA (Operation for the Modernization of GNSS Equipment of the Armed Forces) programme. The performance and unique combination of these solutions make Thales the European leader in resilient navigation.

    A strengthened, sustainable, and sovereign industrial base

    At Châtellerault, the production capacity of inertial navigation systems will be increased fourfold, with a gradual ramp-up through 2028. This site, with sixty years of expertise in laser gyroscopes, and as the only European supplier equipping civil aircraft, will thus be able to meet growing demand and to provide solutions for aircraft, land vehicles, ships, and munitions.

    In Valence, mass production of TopStar-M receivers and TopShield systems will begin in 2026. A new production line dedicated to inertial MEMS sensors—a breakthrough technology combining compactness and high performance—will be created, establishing the site as the spearhead of France’s sovereign MEMS technology sector for defense. The launch of this new production line will be accelerated with the support of Tronics Microsystems for certain industrial expertise.

    A strong human and regional commitment

    More than 800 employees are currently working at the two sites, and 150 new hires are planned by 2028. These investments strengthen Thales’ regional footprint and actively contribute to positioning France at the forefront of the navigation industry.

    “Thales, a leader in resilient navigation, is reinforcing its industrial base in France, and thanks to this investment, it will have a sovereign and sustainable industrial capability, delivering the most advanced and competitive solutions to meet growing needs across both civil and military customers” said Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Avionics, Thales.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: DG Okonjo-Iweala welcomes President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic to the WTO

    Source: World Trade Organization

    Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met with the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, on 11 June at the WTO. They discussed the Dominican Republic’s robust macroeconomic performance, acknowledging that it is the fastest growing economy in Latin America. Its success is driven by ongoing diversification and modernization, in particular through digital transformation and services trade, they emphasized. DG Okonjo-Iweala complimented the Dominican Republic on its active role at the WTO and underlined the importance of the country ratifying the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies so that it can enter into force as soon as possible.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: DDG Hill: WTO members’ engagement vital to unlocking the benefits of digital trade

    Source: World Trade Organization

    In her closing remarks, DDG Hill noted that digital technologies were powering the global economy, including international trade. Citing WTO data, she highlighted the dynamic growth of digitally delivered services exports, which in 2024 accounted for 14.5% of global exports in goods and services. She also underscored the transformative impact of digital technologies – not only speeding up trade, but also leading to the creation of entirely new categories of data-driven goods and services.

    DDG Hill said digital trade has been not only a growth engine, but also a tool of inclusion, in particular for small and women-led businesses. She pointed out in this regard that while middle-income countries increased their share of global digital services exports by 24% between 2015 and 2022, low-income economies continue to face hurdles.

    DDG Hill emphasized that in times of economic uncertainty, stability and predictability in international trade are more important than ever. She pointed to the role of longstanding WTO agreements – such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) but also the Trade Facilitation Agreement or the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – in supporting digital trade. These rules remain the cornerstone of the international trading system not only by providing basic disciplines, but also by cutting “red tape”, increasing access to digital goods and fostering innovation and technology diffusion.

    DDG Hill acknowledged that current WTO rules do not capture certain nuances of digital technologies, from cybersecurity to consumer protection and e-payments. She noted, however, that WTO members are trying to grasp these and other aspects of the digital economy through insightful discussions within the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. DDG Hill highlighted in this regard the deep level of engagement by many members, including developing economies, in recent discussions on the opportunities and challenges posed by digital trade.

    “Finding a balance between openness and protection, innovation and integrity is the defining digital governance challenge of our time,” said DDG Hill. She cited a joint WTO–OECD study, which found that convergence towards balanced data flows with appropriate safeguards is the optimal solution that could boost global exports by 3.6% and global GDP by 1.77%. She mentioned in this context the plurilateral agreement on e-commerce is one of the tools that seek to strike such a balance. The agreement – supported by 71 WTO members – lays down rules aiming at facilitating and building trust in e-commerce, while ensuring an open digital trade environment.

    DDG Hill further noted the potential of artificial intelligence to help level the playing field for small businesses by lowering market entry barriers, simplifying compliance, and boosting efficiency. She cited the WTO Secretariat report on AI – “Trading with intelligence” – which finds that AI has the potential to benefit low- and lower middle-income countries as much as high-income counterparts in terms of export growth potential. In her view, building digital skills, infrastructure, and supportive regulatory frameworks will be key to harnessing this potential.

    Looking ahead to the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), which will take place in March 2026 in Yaoundé, DDG Hill acknowledged the complexity of the international trading landscape and emphasized the value of discussions on e-commerce. “A meaningful reform of the system seems to be a top priority for many members, and failing to agree on a roadmap towards such a reform would be a missed opportunity,” DDG Hill said. “It would also be a missed opportunity to neglect the most dynamic component of international trade over the past few decades”.

    DDG Hill concluded that trade and digital technologies – when aligned thoughtfully – can be a force for good. “This is why it is particularly important that the WTO remains a vital platform for dialogue, for monitoring developments, and for shaping the rules of tomorrow,” DDG Hill said.

    More information on the event can be found on the TradeExperettes’ website.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Meet Bloomberg’s C++ Guild

    Source: Bloomberg Press Statements

    Headline: Meet Bloomberg’s C++ Guild

    C++ is at the heart of Bloomberg’s infrastructure, powering everything from low-level libraries to highly performant financial applications, analytics, and trading systems. Maintaining a best-in-class C++ environment requires a collaborative approach to knowledge sharing and continuous education, and that’s where Bloomberg’s C++ Guild comes in.

    The C++ Guild is one of 12 guilds Bloomberg has created to provide structured forums for people to share technical knowledge, tools, code, and best practices. The C++ Guild, in particular, is dedicated to strengthening Bloomberg’s use of the language and related areas such as training, ISO standardization, and application design. Guild members’ influence also extends across the industry through tech talks at key conferences and meetups, open source contributions, and through the standardization process. Through these efforts, the Guild ensures that Bloomberg remains a C++ innovator, while empowering the broader tech community to drive the language forward.

    However, the Guild isn’t just a technical forum. It’s also a catalyst for professional growth. Members gain opportunities to sharpen their expertise, learn from industry leaders, and become recognized technical experts themselves. We asked individuals from this community to share more about the C++ Guild and discuss how it has shaped each of their careers.

    First, let’s meet Aurelien Cassagnes, a Tokyo-based Team Lead in Bloomberg’s Feeds Engineering group. He started in 2015 as an intern and then served as an individual contributor (IC) for eight years before becoming a team lead in 2024.

    How did you get involved with the C++ Guild? And what is your role in the Guild?
    I knew someone else from the APAC region was involved in the C++ Guild’s API Reviews Working Group, so I decided to join that same group to keep our efforts focused.

    The API Reviews Working Group is tasked with defining best practices for the most fundamental APIs used at Bloomberg and ensuring compliance. It also brings together engineers with different skills and backgrounds to review far-reaching internal libraries or code that is used in open source projects that Bloomberg publishes. For example, before the release of BlazingMQ, a modern high-performance open source message queuing system, the C++ Guild’s API Reviews group was extensively involved in reviewing its code.

    How did you become a co-lead of a Working Group?
    My group lead and I discussed my available bandwidth to focus on this guild, while still being able to deliver for my team. I later decided to also join the Conferences Working Group in order to bring back some of the expertise in the region, as it’s quite challenging to source events locally.

    The two prior co-leads of the API Reviews Working Group were happy with the work I was doing there and they trusted me to lead the local chapter. I started some other local initiatives to grow the guild, such as making sure that our teams know what services we provide and finding opportunities for our engineers to participate in Standards Committee meetings or write C++ standards proposals. Those efforts were ultimately rewarded with being picked as a Guild Leader, which is a title I wear as proudly as Team Lead.

    We recently launched another working group locally to handle the writing of a standards proposal. All in all, having participated in multiple groups has shown me the power of building a strong network in the guild.

    What do you tell engineers about why they should get involved in the C++ Guild?
    Guilds are the perfect place to stretch your engineering muscle beyond your day-to-day tasks. You’ll work alongside world-class experts who are excited to share their skills. So if you are looking for a venue to grow as an engineer, this is a great place. The guild is not only for you to receive; we are also interested and open to see what you want to contribute. The guild is an investment, and you get tenfold the time and effort you put in.

    How has the C++ Guild community supported your career development?
    As the guild looked to expand its presence in APAC, they trusted me to lead the local chapter, and thus was positively noticed and supported by my manager. Because I was invested in finding opportunities for our engineers, I took even more initiative and nominated and sent my people to events, and this was also noticed. I have no doubt that these were some of the milestones that were considered when my managers decided to make me a team lead. It’s safe to say that I feel a whole lot more complete as an engineer thanks to being in the guild.

    Last year, you attended CppCon. Why is it important for Bloomberg engineers to attend, participate, and speak at technical conferences?
    While we are immersed in our day-to-day work, it’s easy to forget that best practices and the bar for excellence in C++ is a moving target. But the language keeps evolving. Bloomberg aims to lead this movement, and is committed to being a strong voice in the C++ Standards conversation. So we want our engineers to be engaged in the community, to learn from it, and to give back.

    This starts by fostering a culture of curiosity and openness. Question the status quo, understand where we are, and improve on it. We invest in our engineers so they have the opportunity to share what they know with the community at a conference or a local meetup, get feedback, and take their ideas to the next level. Ultimately, when an engineer presents a proposal on stage at CppCon, they will reach and influence the community at scale, so we make sure we utilize that opportunity for both our business’ and the individual’s growth.

    “Guilds are the perfect place to stretch your engineering muscle beyond your day-to-day tasks. You’ll work alongside world-class experts who are excited to share their skills. So if you are looking for a venue to grow as an engineer, this is a great place.”

    – Aurelien Cassagnes

    Elena Vorobyeva is Team Lead on the Sessions Infrastructure team, part of Platform Security. She first joined Bloomberg as a contractor on the Real-time Data team. She eventually accepted a permanent position working on application middleware, and then market data.

    Tell us about how you got involved with the C++ Guild?
    I am the Lead of the C++ Guild’s Conference Working Group. When I first joined the guild in 2019, there were several groups within the Guild that were in need of leadership. I chose to lead the Conference Working Group because national and international conferences create possibilities for community-wide professional development and education. I also enjoy sharing my own fascination with and knowledge of C++.

    What is your Working Group charged with?
    The Conference Working Group is responsible for managing conference-related activities. Each year, we recommend which conferences related to C++ that the Engineering department should sponsor. We decide which sponsorship level best aligns with Bloomberg’s objectives. We also provide support and assistance to individuals participating in these conferences, whether as first-time attendees or seasoned presenters. This ensures that our team members are well-prepared and can make the most of their conference experience.

    Why is it important for Bloomberg engineers to attend, participate in, and speak at technical conferences?
    Each year, Bloomberg participates in more than a dozen C++ conferences around the globe. We also have many engineers involved in WG21, the ISO C++ Committee that helps shape the international standard for the C++ language. Bloomberg has one of the world’s largest C++ codebases, and as that investment grows, it is important to show our commitment to this language, which leads in both performance and safety.

    Bloomberg’s engineers are widely recognized as thought leaders and experts in the field. At conferences and on committees, we also have a chance to discover insights, share perspectives and get inspiration from experts outside the company.

    Conferences are also an excellent way to show potential talent that Bloomberg is not only a financial services company, but also a leading software company. In addition to presenting our work, we get to share our unique company culture, where people can stretch professionally and contribute to the evolution of technology. People from other companies tell us that they are fascinated that every Bloomberg employee they talk to tells the same story: we love where we are, and we trust that we are appreciated.

    Our own employees come home from these conferences with a renewed appreciation for what Bloomberg offers, both professionally and as a place to work and grow. The chance to present their work to outside audiences offers people a moment to step back and understand what they have accomplished and how much that matters to the greater C++ community.

    How has the C++ Guild community supported your career development?
    The Guild community continues to introduce me to a network of talented and driven people outside of my own department. The meetups and events organized and supported by the Guild have given me the opportunity to deepen my technical knowledge in C++ and other related areas. Being involved in the Conference Working Group has allowed me to mentor colleagues across the company. I feel like I am helping to create – while also being given – a comprehensive platform for both personal and professional growth.

    What makes guilds a great way for engineers to learn new skills and develop their interests in emerging technologies?
    Guilds provide a dynamic environment to share information both throughout our company and externally as well. Interaction with a diverse array of Working Groups allows contributors to focus on many aspects of professional development. In the C++ Guild, deeply technical Working Groups collaborate to conduct in-depth exploration of current topics such as Reflection, Inter-Thread Communication, and API review, while others focus on community and organization, event planning, presentation, and project management. This variety ensures that every engineer can find a group that aligns with their own interests and career goals, and can also learn from the research and work of others. In addition, people can flexibly commit to join the Guild and participate when they have time or an interest in doing so. Everybody is welcome!

    “The meetups and events organized and supported by the Guild have given me the opportunity to deepen my technical knowledge in C++ and other related areas. Being involved in the Conference Working Group has allowed me to mentor colleagues across the company. I feel like I am helping to create – while also being given – a comprehensive platform for both personal and professional growth.”

    – Elena Vorobyeva

    Jessica Winer is a Junior Software Engineer working on Bloomberg’s Asset and Investment Management (AIM) Enterprise product. She is responsible for creating a highly configurable automated user experience for Post Trade. She joined Bloomberg three years ago.

    Tell us about how you got involved with the C++ Guild? How long were you at Bloomberg before you got involved with the community?
    When joining Bloomberg, I was particularly drawn to the company’s “Choose your own adventure” style of career development. I’ve tried to take full advantage of a wealth of opportunities offered to me to have impact across the firm. I have been able to dive into the deep end of technical projects, have gotten lost in the weeds, and climbed my way out. And I’ve been able to take projects from ideas to reality even at this early stage of my career. My Team Lead pointed me towards guilds as an avenue for exposure and technical exploration. As a new member of the C++ Guild, I have gotten to work with engineers across the company.

    What initiatives have you been actively involved in?
    I have gotten involved in a few different working groups, such as the Recommended Libraries Working Group, where I learned about weighing the qualities of different tools to solve a specific technical problem.

    As part of the Testing Working Group, I’ve learned about testing best practices across Bloomberg, and have contributed to tools to increase testing coverage. This group is particularly interesting to me, as I have been co-leading a local department working group for testing for over a year, where we have been creating a cross-department solution for Gherkin-style system tests which can be run automatically on a daily interval. Through the Guild, I realized that a lot of the questions we were deliberating in our department were already being discussed Bloomberg-wide.

    Most recently I have been working in the Conferences Working Group, learning more about the organization of conferences and Bloomberg’s involvement externally.

    Are there any conferences you have attended as a speaker or presented your work?
    My first conference through Bloomberg was CppCon 2023, which is the world’s largest C++ conference. While I enjoyed learning from brilliant minds and expanding my knowledge in formal sessions, it was truly incredible to meet members of the C++ Standards Committee, who are helping to evolve the language, as well as Bjarne Stroustrup, who created the language. These people all went out of their way to welcome us into the community. After attending CppCon, I co-created a presentation on system design with a colleague, which we presented at ACCU 2024 in Bristol, UK.

    What’s one thing you wish people knew about the Guilds?
    Guilds are meant to be a learning opportunity for those at the company. You don’t already have to be a domain expert to join. You will become part of a network of brilliant engineers and domain expertise will follow.

    In 2024, you attended CppCon. Why is it important for Bloomberg engineers to attend, participate in, and speak at technical conferences?
    Conferences are a great opportunity to meet brilliant engineers both in and outside of Bloomberg. Attending conferences gives you dedicated time to learn from others and to improve your technical skills.

    “When joining Bloomberg, I was particularly drawn to the company’s “Choose your own adventure” style of career development. I’ve tried to take full advantage of a wealth of opportunities offered to me to have impact across the firm. I have been able to dive into the deep end of technical projects, have gotten lost in the weeds, and climbed my way out. And I’ve been able to take projects from ideas to reality even at this early stage of my career.”

    – Jessica Winer

    Conor Spilsbury is a Senior Software Engineer within the Trade Automation and Execution organization, where he works on Bloomberg’s Listed Securities Execution Management System, EMSX, a real-time, high throughput, multi-asset transactional trading platform used by financial institutions around the world to manage their daily trading activity. He has worked at Bloomberg for five years, having joined as an entry-level engineer in the infrastructure team after finishing his master’s degree in mathematics. He is now working on deepening the integration between EMSX and AIM, our buy-side OMS, as part of Bloomberg’s enterprise offerings.

    How did you get involved with the C++ Guild?
    I am always looking for what more I can be doing – both in my own team and beyond. Six months after I joined Bloomberg, I read a post in one of the internal newsletters looking for help in organizing Guild activities. My managers at Bloomberg have always encouraged and supported me to participate.

    The Guild is responsible for a C++ newsletter that is regularly sent to engineers at Bloomberg. We use this to share recent updates in the C++ community, including changes to our build tools, tooling or library updates, advertising upcoming conferences that engineers can attend, internal transfer opportunities, internal talks from Bloomberg employees or special guests (e.g., the C++ Guild recently hosted Sean Baxter to talk about the Circle Compiler), and ultimately highlighting opportunities for engineers to get involved in the C++ community itself.

    The newsletter has been running for five years now and we still experiment with what we can include in it. For example, we’re also trying to do more to promote ways to contribute to “inner source” projects and have been running a “Feature of the Month” column which shares a tip about a C++ feature. The most recent newsletter included tips on C++23’s ‘std::expected’.

    How did you become co-chair?
    As the Guild has grown, we have expanded the domains that we work on, which means there are all kinds of new opportunities for engineers to get involved in. The Guild is organized into dedicated Working Groups, each of which is focused on a particular domain.

    I found myself making contributions to multiple different WGs and have led two of them; I’ve contributed to API Reviews, Communications, Membership, Recommended Libraries, Testing, and organized our presence at an internal conference called “Guild Week” over multiple years, and even delivered talks at this conference.

    One of the primary forms of responsibility for me in recent years has come from being involved in Membership and supporting new members to get involved. This has also led me to presenting talks about Guild to other internal communities at Bloomberg.

    After a few years of making increasingly larger contributions across multiple working groups, I put myself forward to be the next chair of the Guild and I was fortunate to receive a lot of support.

    What are some of the ways the C++ Guild’s members influence C++ utilization both within and outside the company ?
    One of our goals is to bring engineers across the company together to work on influencing the direction of C++ at Bloomberg and improving the development experience internally. We do this by establishing best practices and guiding principles based on community feedback and contributions.

    For example, our Tooling Working Group maintains and improves our tools for C++ development along with standardizing this tooling. They are currently working on implementing the Common Package Specification as described by our very own Bret Brown at CppCon 2023 in collaboration with KitWare.

    In addition, Bloomberg has many active contributors to new features in the C++ programming language, and we have a Working Group that coordinates our efforts with the wider international standardization working group for C++, WG21. For example, Dan Katz, our previous Guild co-chair, is a co-author on the paper that proposes to add Reflection into C++26, which will be a major milestone for the language.

    How has the C++ Guild community supported your career development?
    I’ve been able to gain a lot more technical knowledge, including expert insights, best practices, and industry trends that have helped me deepen my understanding of the language and stay up-to-date with the latest developments both internally at Bloomberg and externally in the wider community.

    Being involved in the Guild is also a unique opportunity to have company-wide impact and to gain leadership experience whilst remaining an individual contributor as opposed to going down a Team Lead or Management track. I’ve taken the lead in organizing Guild initiatives, setting direction, and mentoring others to achieve our goals. This experience has not only helped me become a more effective team player but also given me the confidence to take on new challenges in my own role. I’ve been able to bring this experience back to my team and make more meaningful contributions as a result.

    The community has also provided me with opportunities to meet and connect with engineers in other departments, which has been a great way to expand my network and learn about new areas of the company. It’s amazing how often I’ve been able to find the exact person I need to answer a question or provide guidance.

    I found this particularly useful when I was looking for a new challenge and decided to move teams internally to an entirely new domain. Thanks to the Guild, I had already established relationships with engineers who could offer valuable advice and introductions. As it turns out, the first time I met two of my current teammates in EMSX was when the three of us were attending CppCon, a C++ industry conference!

    At CppCon 2024, I gave my first talk at a conference which was a really rewarding experience. In particular, collaborating with colleagues as we went back and forth improving the talk together.

    How do you encourage employees to get involved?
    Some engineers will join the Guild with a clear idea of what they want to work on, but others may not know where to start. In either case, the most important thing is to bring enthusiasm and a curiosity to learn more. To help with this, we have a Membership Working Group that pairs each new member with an experienced Guild member to support them. It all comes down to trying out new things, volunteering to get involved in an initiative, or pitching something new and sharing ideas.

    Ultimately, the more perspectives represented by engineers in the Guild, the better. Our goal is to reach engineers across the entire company in all of our departments and at every experience level to improve their experience.

    “Being involved in the Guild is also a unique opportunity to have company-wide impact and to gain leadership experience whilst remaining an individual contributor as opposed to going down a Team Lead or Management track.”

    – Conor Spilsbury

    Check out some open roles with our engineering teams that utilize C++.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Celebrating the Q1 2025 recipients of Bloomberg’s FOSS Fund

    Source: Bloomberg Press Statements

    Headline: Celebrating the Q1 2025 recipients of Bloomberg’s FOSS Fund

    Open source software is foundational to Bloomberg’s engineering culture. As an open source-first company with a deep commitment to philanthropy, Bloomberg believes it is imperative to strengthen the broader technology ecosystem by sustaining the projects that power its products and services.

    These principles led the firm to launch the Bloomberg Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Contributor Fund in January 2023. The initiative is designed to empower the company’s technologists to vote on directed grants to open source projects that they use, admire, and believe in, in order to support the communities and people behind them that keep the web running.

    The FOSS Contributor Fund, led jointly by Bloomberg’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO) and Corporate Philanthropy teams, actively engages technologists across the firm in the allocation of funding to open source projects. It also provides financial support to maintain or expand projects, gives recognition to well-deserving technologies, and fosters a greater sense of ownership, responsibility, and pride within Bloomberg’s internal open source community.

    Let’s meet the Q1 2025 recipients who have been awarded Bloomberg FOSS Contributor Fund grants of $10,000 each: OpenMetadata and Wikimedia Foundation.

    OpenMetadata: OpenMetadata is an open and unified metadata platform for data discovery, observability, and governance. Since managing data across modern systems can be messy, OpenMetadata helps clean that up by providing a standard for metadata management, getting the right data to the right people, informing data lineage, and collectively managing risk and compliance. It’s helping organizations understand and trust their data, enabling teams to make better decisions, faster.

    “We are deeply honored to receive the Bloomberg FOSS Fund grant as recognition of the OpenMetadata community and validation of the amazing work our contributors are doing,” said OpenMetadata committer Sriharsha Chintalapani. “At OpenMetadata, our mission is to democratize data discovery, observability, and governance for every data team. It’s the reason why thousands of companies — from startups to Fortune 500s — rely on OpenMetadata everyday to unlock the value of their data. This grant will be put back into our community to ensure our ecosystem evolves at the pace of modern data and AI.”

    Wikimedia Foundation: Wikimedia is the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and a constellation of other free knowledge projects. Wikipedia is one of the world’s most visited websites and a cornerstone of open knowledge on the internet. It’s maintained by volunteers who can edit text, data, references, and images. It’s also a reminder that not all open source impact is technical – some of it is cultural and educational.

    “The Wikimedia Foundation is grateful to receive this grant from Bloomberg’s FOSS Fund. As the host of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia free knowledge projects, this funding will support the technology that makes Wikipedia possible and improvements to how people read and share knowledge on the site,” said Lisa Seitz Gruwell, Wikimedia Foundation’s Chief Advancement Officer. “This recognition from Bloomberg’s staff is testament to Wikipedia’s value as the world’s largest open source free knowledge project, made possible by a global community of nearly 260,000 volunteers committed to making trustworthy knowledge accessible to all.”

    Alyssa Wright of Bloomberg’s OSPO shares, “OpenMetadata and Wikimedia Foundation join 24 other impactful open source projects that have been recognized by the Bloomberg FOSS Contributor Fund over the past two years. This program plays a pivotal role in how Bloomberg supports open source, and my team is proud to give back to the communities that make modern software possible.”

    The FOSS Contributor Fund represents one key facet of Bloomberg’s broader, sustained commitment to supporting the open source ecosystem. Wright explains, “We do a great deal to support the open source ecosystem, empowering our engineers to be active and leading contributors, and providing support to the foundations and communities vital to open source. Corporate Philanthropy is an incredible partner in this work.”

    Francesca Romano of Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy team comments, “What sets Bloomberg’s open source strategy apart is how deeply it’s shaped by our long-standing commitment to philanthropy. Charitable giving and service are central to our culture, and we apply that same spirit to open source and the critical digital infrastructure that drives innovation. Through initiatives like our FOSS Contributor Fund, we’re proud to invest in a stronger, more sustainable and impactful open source ecosystem.”

    Additional FOSS Contributor Fund recipients will be announced throughout the year, each one a reflection of the vital role open source plays in powering innovation both within Bloomberg and in the shared digital world around us.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Bloomberg Engineers Help Brooklyn Robotics Reach FIRST Worlds

    Source: Bloomberg Press Statements

    Headline: Bloomberg Engineers Help Brooklyn Robotics Reach FIRST Worlds

    Giving back and supporting others is a cornerstone of Bloomberg’s culture — deeply embedded in how the firm works, collaborates, and shows up for communities. Whether through mentoring students, volunteering time, or rallying around causes that matter, Bloomberg employees are encouraged to use their skills and resources to uplift others.

    Read on to learn how a group of engineers came together to reinforce that spirit of generosity and turn individual contributions into collective impact.

    Engineering the Future: Bloomberg Powers the 2025 NYC FIRST Robotics Regional

    Bloomberg recently served as the lead sponsor of the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition’s New York City Regional, hosted by NYC FIRST, where more than 50 high school teams from across the tri-state area showcased their engineering skills to help protect one of the ocean’s most diverse habitats.

    Among the competitors were 21 Bloomberg-sponsored teams, including Team 333 – The Megalodons from John Dewey High School in Brooklyn.

    The Megalodons earned a prestigious Regional Engineering Inspiration Award, securing them a coveted spot at the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, where they competed on the global stage. But for this school team, winning was just the beginning — the real challenge was securing the funds to make the journey to Houston a reality.

    When Competition Ends, Community Begins

    In a powerful show of solidarity, a group of Bloomberg software engineers — who spent the season mentoring teams that didn’t make it to the finals — came together to help. Engineers, including Josh Greenman, Brian Maher, Joe Pokorny, Bharath Sreenivas, and ZQ Yeo, donated their Dollars For Your Hours (DFYH) contributions to support the Megalodons’ journey to Houston. It’s a testament to the deep sense of community and compassion that defines Bloomberg’s Engineering culture.

    “Brian and I have mentored the Megalodons for six and 10 years respectively, and we’re always eager to support our team’s journey,” said Josh Greenman, FIRST Engineering Mentor. “At Bloomberg, FIRST mentors are a family — we rally behind the teams that make it to Champs, whether our own or not, to ensure every student gets to experience that inspiration. The growth we see in these students, sparked by curiosity and nurtured through mentorship, is what truly inspires us in return.”

    These efforts reflect a core value at Bloomberg: using technical skills and professional support to empower the next generation. More than 1,800 Bloomberg employees have volunteered nearly 30,000 hours with FIRST programs in New York City, New Jersey, San Francisco, and London since 2004, mentoring students, designing workshops, and supporting competitions across the U.S. and beyond.

    “Supporting programs like FIRST Robotics is how we bring Bloomberg’s values to life — combining skills, mentorship, and community to empower future leaders,” said Vanessa Luna of Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy team. “Watching our engineers rally around the Megalodons is a powerful reminder of the impact we can make when we collectively invest in people and purpose.”

    At this year’s NYC Regional event, 13 Bloomberg engineers served as mentors, and 50 employees volunteered on site. Adam Wolf, Bloomberg’s Global Head of Engineering, attended with his family, witnessing firsthand the power of STEM mentorship and the community that forms around it.

    “Giving students the confidence to solve real-world problems, work as a team, and see themselves as future engineers and leaders is incredibly rewarding,” said Wolf. “I am always inspired watching our engineers mentor and support these teams, using our skills to give back and help shape what’s next.”

    From Brooklyn to Houston: A Team Effort

    For the Megalodons, reaching Houston meant more than just competing — it was a moment to represent their school, their city, and their journey. They were joined at the FIRST Championship by six other Bloomberg-sponsored teams, including:

    • Team 1796 – RoboTigers, Queens Technical High School (Long Island City, NY)
    • Team 694 – StuyPulse, Stuyvesant High School (New York City, NY)
    • Team 1880 – Warriors of East Harlem, East Harlem Tutorial Program (East Harlem, NY)
    • Team 2601 – Steel Hawks, Townsend Harris High School (Flushing, NY)
    • Team 5298 – E-Tech Chargers, Energy Tech High School (Long Island City, NY)
    • Team 8739 – Redhawk Robotics, High School for Construction Trades, Engineering & Architecture (Queens, NY)

    These students joined thousands of peers from around the world in Houston from April 17–20, 2025, where they competed in high-stakes matches, learned from others, and inspired one another through their shared passion for science, technology, engineering, and math.

    Engineering Culture in Action

    FIRST Robotics is more than a competition — it’s a launching pad for future engineers, technologists, and leaders. Bloomberg’s support spans sponsorship, mentorship, and education initiatives that open doors for students who may not otherwise have access to advanced STEM experiences.

    “Those who support FIRST Robotics do so because we share a passion to excite and grow future engineers,” said Engineering Manager Joe Pokorny. “When we have a chance to support others, like this year’s Megalodons – whether it be through time, services, or donations – we band together as one tight-knit team. Seeing these kids realize what they can achieve is such a great experience.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Building pathways together: Bloomberg, TIAA/Nuveen, and City Tutors invest in the next generation

    Source: Bloomberg Press Statements

    Headline: Building pathways together: Bloomberg, TIAA/Nuveen, and City Tutors invest in the next generation

    On a recent spring evening, more than 100 students, mentors, and professionals came together at Bloomberg’s Global Headquarters for a career-focused gathering hosted in partnership with TIAA/Nuveen and City Tutors. This gathering was part of Bloomberg’s Your Path, Your Future program, an initiative designed to introduce young people to careers in industries where Bloomberg has expertise — including technology, data, news, and finance — and to connect young people with experienced professionals who can help them navigate the path to success. 

    Designed with students at the center, the evening featured a dynamic panel, small-group breakout sessions, and direct networking opportunities with professionals. Participants asked thoughtful questions, shared personal stories, and gained exposure to real career journeys. Mentors left energized by the insight, determination, and readiness they saw in the room. 

    “We created Your Path, Your Future to help young people see what’s possible and to connect them with the people and experiences that can help them get there,” said Nancy Cutler, who leads Corporate Philanthropy for the Americas at Bloomberg. “Partnering with City Tutors and TIAA/Nuveen shows the power of working together around a shared purpose to scale our impact and create more pathways to success.”

    Building on years of collaboration, the evening marked Bloomberg’s first in-person event with City Tutors, a nonprofit working to expand opportunities for young people across New York City. Attendees included undergraduates, recent grads, and master’s students from across CUNY’s 25 campuses, many of whom are balancing school, work, and caregiving while pursuing their career goals.

    “Our community carries more than most—juggling school, work, caregiving, and the hopes of their families. And still, they show up with hunger, curiosity, and the drive to grow. What made this night special was that the professionals from Bloomberg and TIAA/Nuveen truly saw that. They saw themselves in our students. They responded with care, openness, and real respect. Our learners left feeling seen, and excited to imagine themselves in places like this, not as visitors, but as future colleagues,” said Garri Rivkin, Executive Director, The City Tutors.

    Since 2021, more than 160 Bloomberg employees have volunteered with City Tutors, with 68 currently serving as active mentors. This event built on that momentum and on Bloomberg’s broader efforts to expand access to careers in technology, news, and finance through mentorship and community engagement. 

    A shared investment in talent and community

    For Bloomberg and TIAA/Nuveen, this was an opportunity to connect with homegrown NYC talent. These students and young professionals brought insight, skill, and determination, and left the evening with new tools and perspectives to fuel their career journeys. The evening served as both a showcase of shared commitment and a celebration of what’s possible through partnership.

    “This meaningful partnership with Bloomberg and The City Tutors aligned perfectly with TIAA/Nuveen’s Igniting Brighter Futures initiative, which exposes high school and college students, many of whom are first-generation college students, to a range of careers in the financial services and asset management industries,” said Amy O’Brien, Global Head of Responsible Investing at Nuveen. “Through our Igniting Brighter Futures initiative, we aim to inspire and provide life skills that help prepare students for success and a pathway to and through college and into the workforce.”

    TIAA/Nuveen’s participation added to the experience, reflecting a strong partnership between the two companies and a shared commitment to supporting future leaders. Together, Bloomberg and TIAA/Nuveen created a space where the learners could ask questions, gain visibility into career paths, and begin building meaningful professional relationships.

    A night of perspective and possibility

    That spirit of possibility could be felt throughout the evening. Participants arrived prepared with questions, goals, and a hunger to learn. They left not only with answers, but also with greater confidence, clarity, and a better understanding of the steps ahead. These conversations offered insight into real career journeys and the value of building connections along the way.

    “I got a glimpse of real office culture and saw how welcoming everyone was. It wasn’t about being the most talented but about embracing new perspectives,” said Mitu Akter, Baruch College student

    Mentors also walked away with a renewed sense of purpose, inspired by the students’ energy and reminded of how impactful one conversation can be. “It was an amazing event. The panelists offered thoughtful guidance, personal stories, and practical advice that really resonated. The students were highly engaged and eager to build connections. You could feel the energy in the room—it was truly inspiring,” said Rebecca Emery, Bloomberg mentor.

    As the evening came to a close, one message stood out: Your Path, Your Future is more than a program. It was a commitment to community, to collaboration, and to the next generation of leaders. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Transforming fixed income data management with AI and human expertise

    Source: Bloomberg Press Statements

    Headline: Transforming fixed income data management with AI and human expertise

    With the increasing complexity of global finance, speed must be matched with accuracy and context.

    Recognizing this, for some use cases, Bloomberg has adopted a “human-in-the-loop” workflow in which human intelligence augments automated systems. This approach allows subject matter experts with deep domain knowledge to supervise AI-driven data extraction, ensuring that the outputs meet the high-quality standards expected by professionals working in the financial sector. 

    For Bloomberg’s fixed income data, this combination has proven particularly effective in addressing the complexities of term sheets, creating innovative solutions to ingest this data that better serve both internal teams and customers. 

    The challenging role of term sheets in fixed income 

    The corporate bond market encompasses a multitude of structures tailored to the needs of various investors, financing companies across the economy. Bloomberg plays a crucial role throughout the issuance process, providing yield calculators, risk metrics, trade ticketing, and reference data. Corporate bond data is vital for investors to make informed decisions on whether to purchase debt instruments from corporate entities. Given that there is no official centralized data source, Bloomberg serves as a key provider of this information to clients.  

    Clients are increasingly looking to electronify and automate the new issuance process to improve efficiency and reduce operational risk. As automation advances, the timeliness of data becomes even more critical, allowing investors to make faster, more informed decisions. 

    As one industry report highlights: “The top operational priority for buy-side, and many sell-side, traders in a year of record bond issuance is to streamline and electronify the primary market bond investment process.” 

    Processing the term sheets that outline the basic terms and conditions of each bond has historically been a labor-intensive task, requiring analysts to manually extract key data points. However, as the volume and complexity of financial instruments have grown, this manual approach has become unsustainable. 

    To address this challenge, Bloomberg’s Data team has developed AI-driven systems to automate the extraction of term sheet data. Machine learning models were created to recognize and extract crucial data fields, such as the bond’s term, interest rate, and yield—significantly improving the speed and efficiency of this process. 

    Historically, training these models required a substantial number of annotated term sheets due to variations in reporting formats. Experts reviewed the model outputs, ensuring annotations were precise to prevent incorrect training data from compromising the system’s effectiveness. 

    “This was a complex project,” recalls Esmie Papadimitriou, Team Leader, Fixed Income Data. “We quickly realized that we needed our best people for the annotation work. The deeper their subject matter expertise, the more efficient and effective they are. If annotations were not done well, we could have ended up with incorrect model training and months of wasted work.” 

    Addressing global market variability 

    One of the biggest challenges in automating term sheet processing is accounting for differences across global markets. Term sheets vary significantly in: 

    1. Structure – The length, delivery method, and order of information differ by region. 
    2. Language – In EMEA and APAC, term sheets are often written in local languages, requiring specialized models to interpret them accurately. 
    3. Content Interpretation – Local market conventions impact how certain terms are expressed or omitted, necessitating domain expertise to ensure accurate data extraction.

    Bloomberg’s approach to automation factors in these variations by combining machine learning outputs with business logic and market expertise. The system is designed to identify crucial details that are missing—such as the bond issuer, currency, or denominations—and apply appropriate derivations based on the specific market context.  

    “This knowledge has been gathered over decades of working with market participants and has been coded into our automation pipelines,” explains Papadimitriou. “Our pipelines make use of AI-driven content extraction while incorporating domain-specific rules to ensure accuracy.” 

    Combining AI and human expertise to drive innovation 

    While AI enables the rapid processing of large volumes of term sheets, human expertise ensures that the extracted data is accurate, complete, and contextually appropriate. Bloomberg’s domain experts collaborate closely with the firm’s AI engineers to refine models and evaluate their outputs, ensuring the solutions they are used in meet the high standards expected by clients.” 

    “Stronger foundation models have been a game-changer: instead of spending months building and training bespoke systems, we can now deliver high-quality results in weeks — as long as we invest in clear task definitions, robust evaluation datasets, and tight feedback loops,” shared Shefaet Rahman, Global Head of AI Services in Bloomberg’s AI Engineering group. “Our collaboration with the Data department has been critical in turning these into durable assets that scale across workflows, enabling faster innovation without sacrificing precision.” 

    The partnership between Bloomberg’s Fixed Income Data team and Engineering has been instrumental in driving this innovation. “We have people who understand the technology stack and how to work with Engineering,” Papadimitriou emphasizes. 

    Freeing up time while safeguarding data quality 

    This approach has transformed Bloomberg’s fixed income data management. By combining the speed of AI with human oversight, the team has improved the accuracy of its data extraction pipeline while freeing up time to expand coverage into new and emerging markets, such as the Baltics and other Eastern European regions. This allows Bloomberg to anticipate customer needs and provide traders with critical data when they need it, helping them derive insights faster.  

    Linn O’Connor, Global Head of Data Securities, highlights how analysts are now able to focus on higher-value tasks: “It just makes the job more interesting. The tasks are different, and it becomes much more project-based. People are able to do much more to an even higher standard of quality.” 

    Looking ahead 

    As Bloomberg continues refining its AI systems and enhancing its data management processes, subject matter experts remain essential in ensuring that the data provided is accurate, relevant, and aligned with clients’ needs.  

    “AI and automation are powerful tools, but it’s the people behind the technology who make the difference. By working together, we can create innovative solutions that not only meet the demands of today’s market but also prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow,” Papadimitriou notes. 

     By blending cutting-edge technology with human expertise, Bloomberg isn’t just keeping up with the data-driven financial world—it is shaping its future. 

    Interested in learning more about open roles within Bloomberg Data? Explore the opportunities.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Northern Ireland: Racist violence fuelled by disinformation and irresponsible political rhetoric

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In response to the continued racist and violent disorder spreading across Northern Ireland, Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director, said:

    “We are in the midst of a racist pogrom. Families have already lost their homes, and lives may soon be lost unless this violence ends now. We are only a petrol bomb away from someone being killed.

    “This violence is being fuelled by racist hatred – stoked by disinformation on social media and amplified by politicians who irresponsibly conflate immigration with crime and social issues which affect all communities.

    “We need politicians to speak truthfully about immigration, not echo vague concerns from the streets or false claims on social media that profit off lies.

    “According to the 2021 census, only 3.4% people in Northern Ireland are from minority ethnic backgrounds. That means 96.6% are not. We remain the whitest and least diverse part of the UK and Ireland.

    “While immigration has gradually increased over the last decade, crime rates have fallen – except for racially motivated hate crime, which is now higher than sectarian hate crime. People from immigrant and minoritised communities are far more likely to be victims of hate crime than anyone else.

    “Recent research from the Northern Ireland Assembly highlights migrant workers are vital in sustaining essential public services, including hospitals and community care. We must do more to protect their rights to live free from harassment and violence – we should recognise, thank, and celebrate them for their contributions to and enrichment of our communities.”

    View latest press releases

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: Deployment of military is a ‘chilling preview’ of more human rights violations to come

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to President Trump’s remarks that protesters will be met with “very heavy force”, Paul O’Brien, Amnesty International USA’s Executive Director, said: 

    “Now is a good moment to remind President Trump that protesting is a human right and that his administration is obligated to respect, protect, and fulfil the human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly – not suppress them.  

    “The militarised response to protests, including the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles, further escalates tensions and is a chilling preview of even more human rights violations that could be coming

    “The Trump administration must urgently halt the militarised response to protests. The US military is not trained or equipped to police civilians. It increases the risk of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and other violations of free expression and peaceful assembly.

    “The protests, whether against Israel’s genocide in Gaza or the relentless attacks on immigrant communities, are an urgent outcry against a broader pattern of human rights violations: death and destruction, mass deportations, unlawful detentions, expulsions to dangerous conditions in other countries, suppression of dissent, and the denial of due process. 

    “Make no mistake: President Trump’s response to protests has nothing to do with public safety. This is his administration’s way of stoking fear and suppressing opposition. By sending police, ICE, or the military into neighbourhoods to silence voices calling for justice and human rights, President Trump is continuing to send a clear and chilling message: dissent will be punished.  

    “Across the country, people are showing solidarity with immigrants and taking a stand against authoritarian practices. Together, we are making a powerful statement – human rights belong to all of us.”  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ransomware Actors Exploit Unpatched SimpleHelp Remote Monitoring and Management to Compromise Utility Billing Software Provider

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Summary

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is releasing this advisory in response to ransomware actors leveraging unpatched instances of a vulnerability in SimpleHelp Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) to compromise customers of a utility billing software provider. This incident reflects a broader pattern of ransomware actors targeting organizations through unpatched versions of SimpleHelp RMM since January 2025.

    SimpleHelp versions 5.5.7 and earlier contain several vulnerabilities, including CVE-2024-57727—a path traversal vulnerability.1 Ransomware actors likely leveraged CVE-2024-57727 to access downstream customers’ unpatched SimpleHelp RMM for disruption of services in double extortion compromises.1 

    CISA added CVE-2024-57727 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog on Feb. 13, 2025.

    CISA urges software vendors, downstream customers, and end users to immediately implement the Mitigations listed in this advisory based on confirmed compromise or risk of compromise.

    Download the PDF version of this report:

    Mitigations

    CISA recommends organizations implement the mitigations below to respond to emerging ransomware activity exploiting SimpleHelp software. These mitigations align with the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) developed by CISA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The CPGs provide a minimum set of practices and protections that CISA and NIST recommend all organizations implement. CISA and NIST based the CPGs on existing cybersecurity frameworks and guidance to protect against the most common and impactful threats, tactics, techniques, and procedures. Visit CISA’s CPGs webpage for more information on the CPGs, including additional recommended baseline protections. These mitigations apply to all critical infrastructure organizations.

    Vulnerable Third-Party Vendors

    If SimpleHelp is embedded or bundled in vendor-owned software or if a third-party service provider leverages SimpleHelp on a downstream customer’s network, then identify the SimpleHelp server version at the top of the file /SimpleHelp/configuration/serverconfig.xml. If version 5.5.7 or prior is found or has been used since January 2025, third-party vendors should:

    1. Isolate the SimpleHelp server instance from the internet or stop the server process.
    2. Upgrade immediately to the latest SimpleHelp version in accordance with SimpleHelp’s security vulnerability advisory.2
    3. Contact your downstream customers to direct them to take actions to secure their endpoints and undertake threat hunting actions on their network.

    Vulnerable Downstream Customers and End Users

    Determine if the system is running an unpatched version of SimpleHelp RMM either directly or embedded in third-party software.

    SimpleHelp Endpoints

    Determine if an endpoint is running the remote access (RAS) service by checking the following paths depending on the specific environment:

    • Windows: %APPDATA%JWrapper-Remote Access
    • Linux: /opt/JWrapper-Remote Access
    • MacOs: /Library/Application Support/JWrapper-Remote Access

    If RAS installation is present and running, open the serviceconfig.xml file in /JWrapper-Remote Access/JWAppsSharedConfig/ to determine if the registered service is vulnerable. The lines starting with indicate the server addresses where the service is registered.

    SimpleHelp Server

    Determine the version of any SimpleHelp server by performing an HTTP query against it. Add /allversions (e.g., https://simple-help.com/allversions) to query the URL for the version page. This page will list the running version.

    If an unpatched SimpleHelp version 5.5.7 or earlier is confirmed on a system, organizations should conduct threat hunting actions for evidence of compromise and continuously monitor for unusual inbound and outbound traffic from the SimpleHelp server. Note: This is not an exhaustive list of indicators of compromise.

    1.  Refer to SimpleHelp’s guidance to determine compromise and next steps.3
    2. Isolate the SimpleHelp server instance from the internet or stop the server process.
    3. Search for any suspicious or anomalous executables with three alphabetic letter filenames (e.g., aaa.exe, bbb.exe, etc.) with a creation time after January 2025. Additionally, perform host and network vulnerability security scans via reputable scanning services to verify malware is not on the system.
    4. Even if there is no evidence of compromise, users should immediately upgrade to the latest SimpleHelp version in accordance with SimpleHelp’s security vulnerabilities advisory.4

    If your organization is unable to immediately identify and patch vulnerable versions of SimpleHelp, apply appropriate workarounds. In this circumstance, CISA recommends using other vendor-provided mitigations when available. These non-patching workarounds should not be considered permanent fixes and organizations should apply the appropriate patch as soon as it is made available.

    Encrypted Downstream Customers and End Users

    If a system has been encrypted by ransomware:

    1. Disconnect the affected system from the internet.
    2. Use clean installation media (e.g., a bootable USD drive or DVD) to reinstall the operating system. Ensure the installation media is free from malware.
    3. Wipe the system and only restore data from a clean backup. Ensure data files are obtained from a protected environment to avoid reintroducing ransomware to the system.

    CISA urges you to promptly report ransomware incidents to a local FBI Field Office, FBI’s Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3), and CISA via CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center (report@cisa.gov or 888-282-0870).

    Proactive Mitigations to Reduce Risk

    To reduce opportunities for intrusion and to strengthen response to ransomware activity, CISA recommends customers of vendors and managed service providers (MSPs) implement the following best practices:

    • Maintain a robust asset inventory and hardware list [CPG 1.A].
    • Maintain a clean, offline backup of the system to ensure encryption will not occur once reverted. Conduct a daily system backup on a separate, offline device, such as a flash drive or external hard drive. Remove the device from the computer after backup is complete [CPG 2.R].
    • Do not expose remote services such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on the web. If these services must be exposed, apply appropriate compensating controls to prevent common forms of abuse and exploitation. Disable unnecessary OS applications and network protocols on internet-facing assets [CPG 2.W].
    • Conduct a risk analysis for RMM software on the network. If RMM is required, ask third-party vendors what security controls are in place.
    • Establish and maintain open communication channels with third-party vendors to stay informed about their patch management process.
    • For software vendors, consider integrating a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) into products to reduce the amount of time for vulnerability remediation.
      • An SBOM is a formal record of components used to build software. SBOMs enhance supply chain risk management by quickly identifying and avoiding known vulnerabilities, identifying security requirements, and managing mitigations for vulnerabilities. For more information, see CISA’s SBOM page.

    Resources

    Reporting

    Your organization has no obligation to respond or provide information back to FBI in response to this advisory. If, after reviewing the information provided, your organization decides to provide information to FBI, reporting must be consistent with applicable state and federal laws.

    FBI is interested in any information that can be shared, to include boundary logs showing communication to and from foreign IP addresses, a sample ransom note, communications with threat actors, Bitcoin wallet information, decryptor files, and/or a benign sample of an encrypted file.

    Additional details of interest include a targeted company point of contact, status and scope of infection, estimated loss, operational impact, transaction IDs, date of infection, date detected, initial attack vector, and host- and network-based indicators.

    CISA and FBI do not encourage paying ransom as payment does not guarantee victim files will be recovered. Furthermore, payment may also embolden adversaries to target additional organizations, encourage other criminal actors to engage in the distribution of ransomware, and/or fund illicit activities. Regardless of whether you or your organization have decided to pay the ransom, FBI and CISA urge you to promptly report ransomware incidents to FBI’s Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3), a local FBI Field Office, or CISA via the agency’s Incident Reporting System or its 24/7 Operations Center (report@cisa.gov) or by calling 1-844-Say-CISA (1-844-729-2472).

    SimpleHelp users or vendors can contact support@simple-help.com for assistance with queries or concerns.

    Disclaimer

    The information in this report is being provided “as is” for informational purposes only. CISA does not endorse any commercial entity, product, company, or service, including any entities, products, or services linked within this document. Any reference to specific commercial entities, products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favor by CISA.

    Version History

    June 12, 2025: Initial version.

    Notes

    1. Anthony Bradshaw, et. al., “DragonForce Actors Target SimpleHelp Vulnerabilities to Attack MSP, Customers,” Sophos News, May 27, 2025, https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2025/05/27/dragonforce-actors-target-simplehelp-vulnerabilities-to-attack-msp-customers/.
    2. For instructions for upgrading to the latest version of SimpleHelp, see SimpleHelp’s security vulnerability advisory.
    3. To determine possibility of compromise and next steps, see SimpleHelp’s guidance.
    4. For instructions for upgrading to the latest version of SimpleHelp, see SimpleHelp’s security vulnerability advisory.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The 3rd Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo Brings Significant Results

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TIANJIN, June 12 (Xinhua) — The 3rd Tianjin International Shipping Expo opened Thursday in north China’s Tianjin Municipality, with agreements signed on 70 key projects with a total investment of over 40 billion yuan (about 5.6 billion U.S. dollars), organizers said.

    These projects cover important sectors such as marine equipment manufacturing, port and shipping logistics, trade, clean fuels and shipping finance.

    The projects will greatly enhance the city’s role as a northern international shipping hub and accelerate the integration of port, industry and urban development, a Tianjin Investment Promotion Authority official said.

    The EXPO, which includes nine thematic zones with a total area of over 50,000 square meters, is attended by over 440 enterprises, renowned ports and industry associations. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: More and more people are discovering the real China – Chinese Foreign Ministry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) — More and more people around the world are discovering the authentic, diverse and all-round development of China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Thursday.

    As the diplomat noted at a regular briefing for journalists, this is the result of China’s unwavering promotion of high-level opening up to the outside world, consistent facilitation of exchanges between citizens of China and other countries, China’s commitment to high-quality development, as well as the accelerated promotion of new-quality productive forces and innovative development.

    The official made the remarks while commenting on foreign observers who say Chinese technology, video games and culture are conquering the world, making the country “cooler” and improving its image abroad.

    “From traveling in China to shopping in China, from the DeepSeek neural network to Chinese fashion toys, movies and TV series, more and more people are learning about China and getting to know our country,” Lin Jian said. According to him, many are discovering that they have a lot in common with the Chinese people and that there are many ways to emotionally connect with the Chinese, as well as with people from other countries, if you break through the “information cocoon.”

    “This fully demonstrates that the desire for beautiful things and a good life knows no boundaries or nationalities. This is something that no force can stop,” he added.

    “This is even more a result of the fact that China has consistently been a stable and determined force in a volatile and turbulent world, driving global development through Chinese-style modernization,” the official said.

    China will open up more to the world, expand its innovation horizons and deepen cooperation to share more opportunities and benefits with the rest of the world, and provide people around the world with more opportunities to experience an increasingly “cool” China, Lin Jian added. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Minister Calls for More Success Stories to Be Written in China-Africa Cooperation Chronicle

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    CHANGSHA, June 12 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for more successful examples of China-Africa cooperation to promote China-Africa friendship and bring hope for independent development and better livelihoods to the African continent.

    Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, cited the experience of Gambian agricultural entrepreneur Musa Darboe, who benefited greatly from Chinese hybrid rice technology.

    Wang Yi made the remarks on Wednesday during a conversation with Darboe at a reception to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province.

    At the reception, M. Darboe shared his experience of how the introduction of hybrid rice cultivation technology developed by Chinese scientist Yuan Longping has significantly increased rice yields in Gambia. According to him, thanks to the help of Chinese agricultural experts in Africa, he has achieved prosperity and his homeland has said goodbye to hunger.

    M. Darboe, who brought rice from The Gambia to China as a sign of respect for Yuan Longping, expressed his willingness to learn more about China’s agricultural technology and modernization experience and to promote the deepening and expansion of Gambian-Chinese cooperation.

    Wang Yi noted that one of the key priorities of China’s friendship with African countries is to improve the living conditions of ordinary Africans. He assured that China will continue to strive to achieve the common good and common interests, and bring more tangible benefits to the people of the African continent.

    Hunan Province is the birthplace of Yuan Longping, a rice scientist who made significant contributions to the development of rice farming in China and is known as the “father of hybrid rice.” Yuan Longping passed away in 2021 at the age of 91. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Head of the Presidential Administration of Mongolia G. Zandanshatar appointed as the country’s new Prime Minister

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    ULAN BATOR, June 13 (Xinhua) — Mongolian Presidential Administration Chief of Staff Gombojavyn Zandanshatar was appointed as the new prime minister of Mongolia on Friday following a plenary session of the State Great Khural (parliament) of the country.

    His candidacy was submitted to the deputies for consideration by the President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, and 92.3 percent of legislators voted for it.

    G. Zandanshatar, 55, graduated from the Irkutsk Institute of National Economy (now Baikal State University) in 1992 with a degree in financier and economist. That same year, he also received a master’s degree in economics and finance from the same university.

    Since 2004, he has been elected as a deputy of the State Great Khural four times. In 2009-2012, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the head of government affairs, and in 2019-2024, he worked as the Chairman of the Parliament.

    On June 9 this year, the ruling Mongolian People’s Party endorsed the candidacy of 55-year-old G. Zandanshatar as the country’s next prime minister. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Armenia Plans to Build $500 Million Artificial Intelligence Factory

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    YEREVAN, June 12 (Xinhua) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan considers the project to build an artificial intelligence factory to be the largest and most important technological investment in the country, he wrote on his microblog on a social network on Thursday.

    “FirebirdCloudAI is the largest and most important technology investment, the “stargate” of Armenia. The idea arose when Jensen Huang /founder and CEO of NVIDIA — Xinhua/ visited Yerevan in 2023. Today, it becomes a reality. An AI factory equipped with thousands of Blackwell GPUs will drive innovation across Armenia,” the Armenian Prime Minister wrote.

    On June 12, Armenian High-Tech Industry Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan announced that the country plans to build a large artificial intelligence factory with an investment of $500 million. The minister noted that this is a joint project of Firebird and NVIDIA, as well as the Armenian government.

    At a government meeting, N. Pashinyan said that he proposed to partners to consider the possibility of implementing this investment program on the territory of the Academic City being created in the country. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China and EU central banks pledge to strengthen cooperation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) — The central banks of China and the European Union have vowed to strengthen cooperation amid a complex and volatile international environment.

    The corresponding intention was voiced at the first annual meeting of the governors of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the European Central Bank (ECB), which was co-chaired in Beijing on Wednesday by PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng and ECB President Christine Lagarde.

    The meeting included an in-depth exchange of views on topics such as the financial and economic situation in China and the eurozone, reform of the international monetary system and global financial regulation, as well as key areas of cooperation between the two central banks.

    The parties signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the PBOC and the ECB, which provides for the establishment of a mechanism for annual meetings at the level of the heads of state, as well as further improvement of the cooperation framework in such areas as information sharing, communication on central bank policies and technical cooperation.

    Pan Gongsheng assured that China remains committed to advancing high-quality development through high-level opening-up and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other economies including the EU to jointly tackle global challenges.

    He also stressed that the PBOC expects to continue to maintain exchanges and cooperation with the ECB, effectively making use of the mechanism of the executive meetings as an important platform to strengthen policy communication and advance the cooperation between the two financial institutions to a new height.

    For her part, K. Lagarde pointed out the importance of deepening Chinese-European cooperation, noting that the signing of the memorandum of understanding is a confirmation of the ongoing dialogue with the PBOC. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Immediate need to protect primary residences and address the housing crisis in the European Union – E-002171/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002171/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Elena Kountoura (The Left)

    In recent years, the housing crisis has taken on alarming proportions in many EU Member States, affecting an ever-increasing number of citizens who are unable to meet housing costs and their loan obligations.[1] In Greece in particular, the economic crisis dating back many years has led thousands of households to lose their primary residence through auctions.[2]

    Despite repeated calls for the protection of borrowers,[3] especially the vulnerable, in many cases their loans are sold to funds and debt management companies (servicers) at prices significantly lower than the original debt, without them having the opportunity to repurchase them on correspondingly favourable terms. Furthermore, the aggressive and inhumane collection practices applied by such actors intensify the pressures on borrowers and guarantors.[4]

    :

    • 1.What measures does the Commission intend to put in place to ensure full protection of primary residences at EU level, in particular for vulnerable citizens?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to propose guidelines or legislative measures to prohibit the transfer of mortgage loans to servicers and funds, given the aggressive recovery practices they often follow?
    • 3.Does the Commission intend to propose the establishment of an EU framework for the early detection of repayment difficulties and the automatic activation of support measures, through the adoption of legislation allowing borrowers who have proven difficulty in meeting their loan obligations to have a priority right to redeem their loans at a discount or to secure more favourable repayment terms?

    Submitted: 30.5.2025

    • [1] In recent years, the social and economic impacts of this state of affairs have worsened, especially for vulnerable groups of the population, such as low-wage earners, single-parent families, people with disabilities, pensioners and young people. Forced evictions and auctions violate fundamental rights and lead to wider consequences, such as homelessness, social exclusion and the disruption of social cohesion and family life.
    • [2] The removal of primary residence protection resulted in a 5.8 % reduction in the homeownership rate between 2019 and 2023, from 75.4 % of the population to 69.6 %.
    • [3] With the establishment of minimum standards in the EU, such as a general moratorium on evictions, debt restructuring mechanisms, mandatory acceptance of the arrangement by servicers and funds, more favourable repayment terms, state guarantees, etc.
    • [4] Loan guarantors, who are often family members or close acquaintances, are also severely affected, facing the possible loss of their own home or property.
    Last updated: 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –