Category: Artificial Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC MD 1360

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Mesoscale Discussion 1360
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1108 PM CDT Wed Jun 18 2025

    Areas affected…portions of central Missouri

    Concerning…Severe potential…Watch unlikely

    Valid 190408Z – 190545Z

    Probability of Watch Issuance…5 percent

    SUMMARY…A couple instances of marginally severe hail may occur
    over the next couple of hours. A WW issuance is not expected.

    DISCUSSION…An embedded 500 mb impulse is overspreading MO,
    contributing to locally higher deep-layer shear (e.g. 40+ kts of
    effective bulk shear per 03Z mesoanalysis), as well as deep-layer
    ascent. As such, a few transient supercells have developed, with
    MRMS mosaic radar data suggesting that some of these storms are
    producing hail that is approaching severe limits. Mid-level lapse
    rates are not particularly steep, as shown by the 00Z SGF observed
    soundings, which depicts near 7 C/km mid-level lapse rates atop a
    stabilizing boundary layer. While an instance or two of 1+ inch
    diameter hail may be observed, the aforementioned tall/thin CAPE
    (with MLCAPE around 1000 J/kg) and modest deep-layer shear suggest
    that severe hail should be overall isolated. As such, a WW issuance
    is not expected.

    ..Squitieri/Smith.. 06/19/2025

    …Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product…

    ATTN…WFO…LSX…SGF…EAX…

    LAT…LON 37959434 38589392 38979245 38769109 38219066 37589103
    37339210 37379301 37569393 37959434

    MOST PROBABLE PEAK HAIL SIZE…UP TO 1.25 IN

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Straight from the source – June 2025

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    In between writing Straight from the source each month, I’m quite active on LinkedInExternal Link, sharing regular reminders and messages. I hope you’ve also been seeing my updates to the not-for-profit (NFP) sector there, especially about lodging the 2023–24 NFP self-review return.

    I’ve met and spoken to many NFPs at various events across Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin and Alice Springs over the last 6 weeks, and I’m always encouraged by the passion and commitment of people making a difference in the community.

    My message remains constant: ‘we’re here to help you get it right!’

    NFP self-review return helping NFPs identify their correct status

    The NFP self-review return was introduced to enhance transparency and integrity across the NFP population who self-assess as income tax exempt. As anticipated, with the first year of lodgment now behind us we’ve seen some shifts in the NFP population, with some NFP organisations identifying their correct taxable status at law.

    While our data is still being assessed, our preliminary observations indicate that as of 31 May 2025:

    • Over 29,000 NFPs have lodged their self-review return for the 2023–24 income year – these organisations will have their future year returns pre-populated making it easier to lodge the 2024–25 return. Around 97% of NFPs who have lodged have confirmed their eligibility to an income tax exemption.
    • Around 4,000 NFPs have registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) as a charity, having realised they cannot self-assess as income tax exempt.
    • Almost 1,000 NFPs have lodged a non-lodgment advice (NLA) with the ATO to indicate that they are taxable NFPs with taxable income less than $416. Around 600 NFPs have lodged income tax returns disclosing combined total income in the millions.
    • Many NFPs have also cancelled their ABN because the NFP no longer exists, which is a legislative requirement of holding an ABN.

    We expect a continued shift in the NFP population as organisations continue to review their purpose, activities and identify their correct taxable status. Here is what you need to know.

    Charitable NFPs

    NFPs with solely charitable purposes must be registered with the ACNC and endorsed by the ATO to access an income tax exemption. There’s no provision in the tax law for a charitable organisation to self-assess an income tax exemption. So, unless you’re registered with the ACNC, you are a taxable NFP.

    Charitable NFPs should pay particular attention to the following points:

    • ensure you’re compliant with the ACNC governance standards, external conduct standards and that your Annual Information Statement (AIS) is lodged with the ACNC as non-lodgment can affect your income tax status and access to other tax concessions
    • meet all your tax and employer obligations as this is a requirement of maintaining your taxable status
    • reach out for assistance early if you’re having difficulty with any of your tax, super and registry obligations.

    Lodgment obligations for NFPs with an active ABN that self-assess as income tax exempt

    Since 1 July 2024, NFPs that have an active ABN and self-assess as income tax exempt have been required to lodge an annual NFP self-review return. The self-review return is due between 1 July and 31 October each year. It can be lodged using Online services for business, through the self-help phone service or by a registered tax agent.

    To demonstrate that the entity is operating as an NFP, it needs to have and follow requisite NFP clauses in their governing documents. We’ve provided additional time through to 30 June 2026 for NFPs to update their governing documents. To be eligible for this additional time your organisation must not have made any distribution of income or assets to particular individuals or members.

    NFPs that haven’t lodged their first self-review return are required to lodge their 2023–24 return as soon as possible. Once the 2023–24 return is lodged, we can prepopulate future returns to make compliance even easier.

    If you haven’t yet lodged your 2023–24 return, when you log into online services this tax time you will see you have 2 NFP self-review returns due. You need to lodge your return for 2023–24 first, as they need to be lodged sequentially. Here are some handy tips:

    • Refer to our update, connect and lodge flowchart on the ATO website for a step-by-step guide on how to update your ABN details and set up access to Online services for business. You can find the flowchart by visiting ato.gov.au/NFPlodgmentsteps.
    • If you’re having trouble lodging online, you can still lodge your return using our automated self-help phone service on 13 72 26.
    • Check out our tailored guidance that supports NFPs at ato.gov.au/NFPtaxexempt and we encourage you to subscribe to our NFP newsletter at subscribe.news.ato.gov.auExternal Link. You’ll be kept up to date with how to meet your tax and super obligations.
    • We also maintain a dedicated NFP Advice Service on 1300 30 248. If you have a question, you can call our team.

    Taxable NFPs

    If you don’t meet the requirements of the self-assessing income tax exempt categories, or you’re charitable, haven’t registered with the ACNC and have been endorsed by us, you’re a taxable NFP.

    Taxable NFPs may have to lodge income tax returns and pay income tax, or in some instances notify us of a non-lodgment advice.

    The following points are important for taxable NFPs:

    • Identify all sources of income. This may include income from your members such as membership fees, income from non-members and income earned from other sources such as bank interest.
    • Use our mutuality guide to find out if you can apply the mutuality principle when calculating taxable income. The guide will help you to identify your members and non-members, and how to correctly classify revenue and expenses.
    • If you’re a taxable NFP company and your taxable income is $416 or less, you can meet your lodgment obligation by downloading and completing the non-lodgment advice form.
    • If you do have income tax to pay but can’t pay on time, reach out to us early to discuss support options you can access to meet your tax and super obligations.

    Other news

    Engage early if you have a debt to pay – NFPs aren’t exempt from our debt collection action. Our key message is for NFPs to seek early support from us when they’re having difficulty meeting their reporting and/or payment obligations. Employer obligations is a significant focus area for us given the NFP sector employs 10% of Australia’s workforce.

    Giving fund reforms – Treasury has opened consultation on Giving fund reforms and invites your feedback on the following proposed changes:

    • renaming ancillary funds to giving funds in the tax law
    • aligning the annual distribution rate between public and private giving funds
    • increasing the annual distribution rate
    • allowing funds to smooth distributions across years.

    Submissions to this consultation can be made up until 1 August 2025 and the paper is available on the Treasury website at Giving fund reforms: distribution rate and smoothingExternal Link.

    Read the government’s announcement on the Treasury website for more information at Supporting philanthropic givingExternal Link.

    ATO Vulnerability Framework – Our draft ATO Vulnerability Framework to support people experiencing vulnerability has been published and is open for public consultation.

    You’re invited to share your feedback to help us refine our final version so that it reflects the needs and experiences of the people it’s designed to support. Responses can be submitted up until 18 July 2025.

    Super guarantee rate – A reminder that the super guarantee (SG) rate will increase to 12% on 1 July 2025. This is the final scheduled increase. The 12% rate will need to be applied for all salary and wages paid to eligible workers on and after 1 July. This is even if some or all of the pay period it relates to is before 1 July. Employers need to remember to pay SG in full, on time and to the right fund. The next quarterly due date is 28 July. Contributions must be paid quarterly but can be paid more frequently.

    In summary

    We remain committed to supporting NFPs through education and guidance as part of our transitionary approach. Our goal is to help organisations understand and meet their tax, super and registry obligations with confidence.

    We encourage early engagement, and when organisations reach out before issues escalate we can work together to find practical solutions. We want to avoid situations where delaying action to meet lodgment and payment obligations can lead to more complex challenges.

    Our focus continues to be on prevention and tailored support. Whether it’s understanding income tax obligations, applying the mutuality principle, or accessing support when facing financial difficulty, we’re here to help you get it right.

    Let’s keep the conversation going – because when we work together, we can ensure the NFP sector remains strong, sustainable and compliant.

    I look forward to speaking with many of you at future events.

    Take care and stay safe
    Jennifer

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI: Complexity stops investors opening SMSFs: moomoo launches one-stop service for them

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Moomoo Australia and New Zealand chief executive officer Michael McCarthy.

    SYDNEY, June 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Investors want to open self-managed super funds, to invest in cryptocurrency, and make use of artificial intelligence, found investment platform moomoo Australia and New Zealand in its recent survey of share investors.

    But a key finding was that the complexity and cost of opening a SMSF is stopping those interested in opening a fund from doing so.

    SMSF complexity holds investors back

    Moomoo aims to simplify the complex setup of SMSFs, which is why 24% of interested Australians say they haven’t opened a fund. At the same time, moomoo and its partners offer a transparent range of fees to reassure the 21% of people that cite costs as their reason for not opening a SMSF.

    A key third reason interested Australians hold back from opening a SMSF is not knowing what to invest in (24%). So, moomoo is providing a broad range of news and content, including from SMSF experts, to help investors manage their super to deliver for the long term.

    “There are clear, legitimate reasons that even those Australians familiar with share investing and interested in opening a self-managed super fund, haven’t done so. We answer these concerns head on with our trading account service, administration partner services, and sophisticated investing resources,” says moomoo Australia and New Zealand chief executive officer Michael McCarthy.

    Not only can investors use moomoo to set up a SMSF trading account, but also our partners for investment guidance, and other services including fund setup, rollovers, reporting, compliance and ongoing management.

    They want to make use of artificial intelligence

    Most Australian share investors (67%) would use artificial intelligence in their SMSF investing, found moomoo Australia.

    Specifically, survey results show a third would use AI for their SMSF investment strategy, while 37% would use it to analyse individual investments. A third would also use AI to help manage the fund, and almost 30% to meet compliance requirements. Just over a quarter of respondents would use AI tools to meet all four needs.

    “Australians’ recognition of the power of AI to lessen the burden of managing a SMSF is particularly interesting given that they cite the complication of opening a SMSF as a leading reason for not doing so,” explains Mr McCarthy.

    “This need comes at the right time for moomoo, with our AI assistant launching this month. Combined with the platform’s other AI-powered features, including our trend projection and market monitoring automation, we’re using the full power of artificial intelligence to really help investors make easier, smarter, more informed trades.”

    An appetite for cryptocurrency

    Australians interested in opening a SMSF are far more likely to trade Bitcoin than those who already own a self-managed super fund, found moomoo Australia.

    Almost two thirds (60%) of those interested in SMSFs are either trading or want to trade cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin (88%) and Ethereum (56%). Almost a third are interested in stablecoins and altcoins.

    But for the more conservative current SMSF owners, just over half (55%) are trading crypto or would like to. And they’re far more diversified in their interest, with 40% trading or wanting to trade Bitcoin, a third focused on memecoins and a sizeable minority (27%) on stablecoins.

    “There is strong investor interest in cryptocurrency. And the moomoo platform provides for them, with access to more than 26,000 securities across the Australian, US and Hong Kong markets, including a broad range of crypto-based stocks and exchange-traded funds,” says Mr McCarthy.

    About the survey

    Moomoo Australia surveyed 153 sharemarket investors experienced in trading and managing superannuation (independent of the moomoo platform). About one third of respondents held a self-managed super fund, with 22% interested in opening one.

    Characteristics of those that own or would like to own a SMSF are quite similar. Generally, aged over 45, they work full time with a household income between $50,000 and $150,000. Those not yet running a SMSF have less share-trading experience (about one year) and are less confident in their investment knowledge (describing themselves as ‘intermediate’).

    Australians that invest in shares and hold a self-managed super fund, or want to:

    • are either intermediate (41%) or advanced (35%) in their level of investment knowledge
    • believe their retirement balance can be up to $200,000 (23%), $500,000 (32%), $1m (26%)
    • would use AI investing tools (67%), to strategise (33%) and analyse investments (37%)
    • believe AI is great for SMSF reporting (37%), management (37%), but isn’t secure (31%).

    Those that haven’t yet set up a SMSF:

    • haven’t done so because they’re satisfied with their current fund (55%), see the process as too complex (23%) or don’t believe they have enough funds (23%)
    • would want to invest in Australian stocks (76%), property (55%), crypto (39%), ETFs (30%)
    • would not invest in crypto (36%), futures (24%), bonds (18%), non-US global stocks (18%).

    About moomoo

    Through moomoo, investors can access local and international markets, choosing from more than 26,000 shares and ETFs – more securities than most broking platforms in Australia – to shape their own retirement investment strategy. We’ve partnered with four administration service providers – Intello, Superannuation Warehouse, Just Superfund, SMSFai – to provide a one-stop service to clients.

    Moomoo Australia is a next-generation investment platform that integrates investment transactions, up-to-date news, real-time market data, and an active trading community. It offers investors access to securities across the Australian, United States and Hong Kong markets.

    Moomoo is owned by Futu Holdings, a global fintech operation listed on the Nasdaq. It operates in seven world markets including Japan and the United States.

    Media contact (to arrange interviews and photos)

    Moomoo Australia and New Zealand senior content manager Byron Smith, phone 0411 272 701, email pr@au.moomoo.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96e9e2b9-ad94-4bd6-aa93-c67fc0855d76

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Suva, Fiji, June 13, 2025 [Image 23 of 26]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on


    SUVA, Fiji (June 13, 2025) Operations Specialist 1st Class Ashley Stanley, left, with the Pacific Partnership 2025 (PP-25) team, bids farewell to students of Waiqanake District School after a rugby match as part of PP-25 in Suva, Fiji, June 13, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.13.2025
    Date Posted: 06.17.2025 04:59
    Photo ID: 9116988
    VIRIN: 250613-N-ED646-3680
    Resolution: 6937×4624
    Size: 6.58 MB
    Location: SUVA, FJ

    Web Views: 8
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Suva, Fiji, June 14, 2025 [Image 1 of 6]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on


    SUVA, Fiji (June 14, 2025) U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Derek Chipmon, left, a public health planner with the Pacific Partnership 25 (PP-25) team, is given an apiary tour by a local beekeeper in Suva, Fiji, during PP-25, June 14, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.14.2025
    Date Posted: 06.18.2025 23:14
    Photo ID: 9119926
    VIRIN: 250614-N-ED646-7410
    Resolution: 7597×5063
    Size: 9.36 MB
    Location: SUVA, FJ

    Web Views: 0
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Suva, Fiji, June 14, 2025 [Image 2 of 6]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on


    SUVA, Fiji (June 14, 2025) U.S. Navy Lt. Corey Day, left, entomologist assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command, and Lt. j.g. Derek Chipmon, center, public health planner with the Pacific Partnership 25 (PP-25) team, are given an apiary tour by a local beekeeper in Suva, Fiji, during PP-25, June 14, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.14.2025
    Date Posted: 06.18.2025 23:14
    Photo ID: 9123236
    VIRIN: 250614-N-ED646-5507
    Resolution: 8640×5760
    Size: 14.06 MB
    Location: SUVA, FJ

    Web Views: 0
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI: Altius Inspiro Wins 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Award for Network Security

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MANILA, Philippines, June 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altius Inspiro, a leader in digital CX and outsourcing solutions, has proudly received the 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Award, presented by the Business Intelligence Group. This esteemed accolade underscores the company’s groundbreaking innovation in fortifying systems, infrastructure, and data against a constantly evolving threat landscape.

    The Fortress Cybersecurity Awards honor organizations that go beyond compliance to develop secure systems and processes using innovative, measurable, and proactive approaches to cybersecurity. Altius Inspiro stood out for its remarkable achievements in strengthening digital resilience and advancing security practices.

    Through cutting-edge enhancements, Altius Inspiro redefined network security by implementing robust measures such as two-factor and multi-factor authentication systems, coupled with intrusion prevention strategies to mitigate threats before they materialize. By consolidating technologies under a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Cloud Platform, the company not only improved performance but also generated significant cost efficiencies. Additionally, the integration of AI-powered threat detection tools, including Microsoft Sentinel, allowed the organization to proactively anticipate and counteract cybersecurity risks, resulting in a marked improvement in their cybersecurity metrics and overall resilience.

    Ryo Ohashi, President and CEO of Altius Inspiro, expressed his gratitude for this recognition, stating, “This award emphasizes our relentless dedication to staying ahead of digital threats. Our teams work tirelessly to innovate and deliver advanced cybersecurity solutions that protect the systems and data of our clients, partners, and communities. This recognition serves as validation of their commitment to building trust and ensuring resilience in an increasingly complex digital world.”

    Altius Inspiro’s strides in cybersecurity demonstrate not only a commitment to safeguarding digital ecosystems but also its leadership at the forefront of industry innovation. This award solidifies the company’s position as a trusted partner in navigating the challenges of the modern threatscape.

    About Altius Inspiro, Inc. 

    Altius Inspiro is a global leader in digital customer experience management and business process outsourcing, serving Fortune 1000 companies across diverse industries. With a reputation for operational excellence and digital innovation, the company delivers next-generation CX solutions powered by strategy, advanced analytics, and technology. Altius Inspiro is a subsidiary of Altius Link, Inc., supported by shareholders KDDI Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. 

    For more information, visit www.inspiro.com.

    Contact:

    Raymond Boholano
    Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications
    raymond.boholano@inspiro.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: TEMPUS AI SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Tempus AI, Inc. – TEM

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW ORLEANS, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until August 12, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Tempus AI, Inc. (NasdaqGS: TEM), if they purchased the Company’s shares between August 6, 2024 and May 27, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

    Get Help

    Tempus investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nasdaq-tem/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

    About the Lawsuit

    Tempus and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

    On May 28, 2025, Spruce Point Capital Management, LLC reported numerous issues with the Company’s management, operations and financial reporting, including that: (i) Tempus CEO Eric Lefkofsky and his associates have a history cashing out of companies before public shareholders incur losses or lackluster returns; (ii) Tempus’ actual AI capabilities are overstated; (iii) board members and other executives have been associated with troubled companies with restated financial results; (iv) signs of aggressive accounting and financial reporting are present; (v) there are issues with the AstraZeneca and Pathos AI deal that merit scrutiny; and (vi) the Company’s recent financial guidance revision reveals weakness in core operations.

    On this news, the price of Tempus’ shares fell $12.67 per share, or 19.23%, from a closing price of $65.87 per share on May 27, 2025, to a closing price of $53.20 per share on May 28, 2025.

    The case is Shouse v. Tempus AI. Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-06534.

    About ClaimsFiler

    ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

    To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI China: China releases new grassland vegetation map of ‘roof of the world’

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

    Pregnant Tibetan antelopes are pictured under a rainbow in Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, June 16, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China has released its most detailed map yet of grassland vegetation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, using a scale of 1:500,000.

    The map, developed by a team led by Wang Yanfen, a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), was officially unveiled on Tuesday during an academic seminar on grassland vegetation mapping.

    Experts at the seminar noted that the map, based on field surveys and multi-source remote sensing data, accurately depicts plant formation distributions and holds significant implications for climate adaptation, sustainable development, and future research on ecosystem functions across the plateau.

    The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the “roof of the world” and “Asia’s water tower,” serves as a vital ecological security barrier for China. Its ecosystem is dominated by grasslands, which are ecologically fragile and highly sensitive to global climate change.

    Over the past 50 years, intensified climate change and growing human activity have altered vegetation distribution patterns, rendering existing maps outdated.

    The launch of the second scientific expedition on the plateau in 2017 provided a new opportunity to update the grassland vegetation map.

    Wang said that 65 plant formations or formation groups have been identified, and compared to previously published versions, the new map reveals significant vegetation changes over the past 40 years.

    For instance, the proportion of alpine meadows that prefer wet and cold conditions has increased from 50 to 69 percent in the grasslands, which strongly confirms the ongoing trend of warming and wetting on the plateau, she added.

    In the process of preparing the map, the research team integrated in situ surveys, multi-temporal satellite remote sensing data, and artificial intelligence technology.

    This approach synthesized spectral, structural and functional characteristics of plants alongside environmental factors like terrain and hydrothermal conditions, Wang explained.

    This innovative approach overcomes the challenges of accurately identifying and classifying plant communities in complex high-altitude environments, which has traditionally been a difficult task.

    “Unlike conventional mapping techniques, it places greater emphasis on the intrinsic relationship between plant community attributes and their corresponding habitat characteristics, thereby ensuring objectivity and efficiency in the mapping process,” said Wang.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: US companies cut more workforces: data

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

    U.S. public companies have reduced their white-collar workforces by a collective 3.5 percent over the past three years, according to employment data-provider Live Data Technologies, with one in five companies in the S&P 500 having shrunk over the past decade.

    “The cuts go beyond typical cost-trimming and speak to a broader shift in philosophy,” reported The Wall Street Journal about the development. “Adding talent, once a sign of surging sales and confidence in the future, now means leaders must be doing something wrong.”

    New technologies like generative artificial intelligence are allowing companies to do more with less. But there’s more to this movement. From Amazon in Seattle to Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina, and at companies big and small everywhere in between, there’s a growing belief that having too many employees is itself an impediment. “The message from many bosses: Anyone still on the payroll could be working harder,” noted the report.

    All of the shrinking turns on its head the usual cycle of hiring and firing. Companies often let go of workers in recessions, then staff up when the economy picks up. Yet the workforce cuts in recent years coincide with a surge in sales and profits, heralding a more fundamental shift in the way leaders evaluate their workforces, it added. 

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Russian investment fund to cooperate with Chinese digital trade platform

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

    The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Qifa, a Chinese-founded B2B digital trade platform operating across the Russia-China corridor, inked a strategic partnership on Wednesday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to advance cross-border digital trade and expand bilateral commerce.

    The collaboration agreement, signed on the sidelines of the forum, underscores joint efforts to modernize trade processes through technological integration. “RDIF and Qifa, a Russia-China B2B digital trade platform, have agreed to partner in developing digital trade and scaling bilateral trade volumes,” the fund stated in a press release.

    According to RDIF, the initiative will harness AI-driven solutions to streamline trade workflows, enhancing transparency and operational efficiency for businesses. This, in turn, is expected to drive product assortment expansion and cost optimization — key levers for accelerating trade growth in line with bilateral strategic objectives.

    “China leads in trade volume with Russia, with a robust e-commerce ecosystem already in place. RDIF’s focus on facilitating market access for Sino-Russian enterprises makes this partnership with Qifa an important step in elevating cross-border digital trade,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, in a statement.

    The 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum runs from June 18 to 21 this year, gathering delegates from over 100 countries and regions. 

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 19, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 19, 2025.

    Australian citizens in Iran and Israel are desperate to leave. Is the government required to help?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney As thousands of Australian citizens and permanent residents stuck in Iran and Israel continue to register for repatriation flights, the government is scrambling to find safe ways to evacuate them. With

    Popular period-tracking apps can hold years of personal data – new NZ research finds mixed awareness of risk
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Friedlander, PhD Candidate in Sociology, University of Waikato Shutterstock/Krotnakro Period-tracking apps are popular digital tools for a range of menstrual, reproductive and general health purposes. But the way these apps collect and use data involves risk. Many apps encourage users to log information well beyond their

    Migrating bogong moths use the stars and Earth’s magnetic field to find ancestral summer caves each year
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Warrant, Professor of Zoology at the University of Lund, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, University of South Australia Vik Dunis/iNaturalist, CC BY-NC It’s a warm January summer afternoon, and as I traverse the flower-strewn western slopes of Australia’s highest mountain, Mount

    Jaws at 50: how a single movie changed our perception of white sharks forever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University Shane Myers Photography/Shutterstock It’s been 50 years since Steven Spielberg’s movie Jaws first cast a terrifying shadow across our screens. At a low point during production, Spielberg worried he’d only ever be known for “a big fish story”. The

    Robot eyes are power hungry. What if we gave them tools inspired by the human brain?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam D Hines, Research Fellow, Centre for Robotics, Queensland University of Technology A hexapod robot navigating outdoors. Adam Hines Robots are increasingly becoming a part of our lives – from warehouse automation to robotic vacuum cleaners. And just like humans, robots need to know where they are

    Winter viruses can trigger a heart attack or stroke, our study shows. It’s another good reason to get a flu or COVID shot
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tu Nguyen, PhD Candidate, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Irina Shatilova/Shutterstock Winter is here, along with cold days and the inevitable seasonal surge in respiratory viruses. But it’s not only the sniffles we need to worry about. Heart attacks and strokes also

    School playgrounds are one of the main locations for bullying. How can they be set up to stop it?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University Dan Kenyon/ Getty Images Children spend thousands of hours in playgrounds at school. A lot of this time does not have the same levels of teacher preparation and supervision as classrooms do. Research shows

    Would you cheat on your tax? It’s a risky move, the tax office knows a lot about you
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert B Whait, Senior Lecturer in Taxation Law, University of South Australia Soon, more than 15 million Australians should be lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office in the hope of receiving at least a small refund. About 60% of taxpayers use an accountant to

    Companies are betting on AI to help lift productivity. Workers need to be part of the process
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Llewellyn Spink, AI Corporate Governance Lead, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney The Conversation, CC BY-NC Australia’s productivity is flatlining, posting the worst vitals we’ve seen in 60 years. Politicians and chief executives are prescribing artificial intelligence (AI) like it’s the new penicillin – a wonder

    Is Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover satire or self-degradation? A psychology expert explores our reactions
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Muller-Townsend, Lecturer in Psychology, Edith Cowan University Island Records Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover has fans divided. Carpenter poses on all fours, her glossy blond hair grasped by a male figure cropped from the frame. Her wide-eyed expression intensifies an ambiguous performance of subservience,

    Kicked out for coming out: more than half of LGBTIQ+ flatmates face discrimination for their identity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brodie Fraser, Senior Research Fellow, He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Sangar Akreyi/Getty Images People who belong to the LGBTIQ+ community say flatting is fraught with difficulties that go well beyond learning new routines and sharing space with strangers. Our new research

    Tracing the Drax family’s millions – a story of British landed gentry, slavery and sugar plantations
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Lashmar, Reader in Journalism, City St George’s, University of London ‘Planting the sugar-cane’: vast fortunes were made from the trades in both sugar and human slaves in the Americas. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library Rich

    Nineteen Eighty-Four might have been inspired by George Orwell’s fear of drowning
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young

    What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olivier Sterck, Associate professor, University of Oxford Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems. Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven

    Grok’s ‘white genocide’ responses show how generative AI can be weaponized
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Foulds, Associate Professor of Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Someone altered the AI chatbot Grok to make it insert text about a debunked conspiracy theory in unrelated responses. Cheng Xin/Getty Images The AI chatbot Grok spent one day in May 2025 spreading debunked conspiracy

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: an ‘impatient’ Jim Chalmers on taking political risks in Labor’s second term
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images While the world’s media is largely focused on conflict in the Middle East, the focus for many Australians remains at home, with the government preparing the long task ahead of trying to lift Australia’s productivity. Last week,

    View from The Hill: Jim Chalmers wants to get on with economic reform and tax is in his sights
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Jim Chalmers speaking to the National Press Club June 18, 2025. Screenshot from the ABC Broadcast, CC BY-NC Jim Chalmers cast his Wednesday National Press Club speech as a second instalment in a two-part presentation that was kicked off by

    Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people

    95 lawyers demand stronger NZ stand over Israel amid Middle East tensions
    Asia Pacific Report Ninety-five New Zealand lawyers — including nine king’s counsel — have signed a letter demanding Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and two other ministers urge the government to take a stronger stand against Israel’s “catastrophic” actions in Gaza. The letter has been sent amid rising tensions in the region,

    Gay and bisexual men will soon be able to donate blood and plasma
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasmin Mowat, Clinical Project Manager, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney AnnaStills/Getty Images Many gay and bisexual men have been excluded from donating blood and plasma (the liquid portion of blood) for decades because of rules developed during the HIV crisis in the 1980s. The Australian Red Cross’ blood

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 19, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 19, 2025.

    Australian citizens in Iran and Israel are desperate to leave. Is the government required to help?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney As thousands of Australian citizens and permanent residents stuck in Iran and Israel continue to register for repatriation flights, the government is scrambling to find safe ways to evacuate them. With

    Popular period-tracking apps can hold years of personal data – new NZ research finds mixed awareness of risk
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Friedlander, PhD Candidate in Sociology, University of Waikato Shutterstock/Krotnakro Period-tracking apps are popular digital tools for a range of menstrual, reproductive and general health purposes. But the way these apps collect and use data involves risk. Many apps encourage users to log information well beyond their

    Migrating bogong moths use the stars and Earth’s magnetic field to find ancestral summer caves each year
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Warrant, Professor of Zoology at the University of Lund, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, University of South Australia Vik Dunis/iNaturalist, CC BY-NC It’s a warm January summer afternoon, and as I traverse the flower-strewn western slopes of Australia’s highest mountain, Mount

    Jaws at 50: how a single movie changed our perception of white sharks forever
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Long, Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University Shane Myers Photography/Shutterstock It’s been 50 years since Steven Spielberg’s movie Jaws first cast a terrifying shadow across our screens. At a low point during production, Spielberg worried he’d only ever be known for “a big fish story”. The

    Robot eyes are power hungry. What if we gave them tools inspired by the human brain?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam D Hines, Research Fellow, Centre for Robotics, Queensland University of Technology A hexapod robot navigating outdoors. Adam Hines Robots are increasingly becoming a part of our lives – from warehouse automation to robotic vacuum cleaners. And just like humans, robots need to know where they are

    Winter viruses can trigger a heart attack or stroke, our study shows. It’s another good reason to get a flu or COVID shot
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tu Nguyen, PhD Candidate, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Irina Shatilova/Shutterstock Winter is here, along with cold days and the inevitable seasonal surge in respiratory viruses. But it’s not only the sniffles we need to worry about. Heart attacks and strokes also

    School playgrounds are one of the main locations for bullying. How can they be set up to stop it?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University Dan Kenyon/ Getty Images Children spend thousands of hours in playgrounds at school. A lot of this time does not have the same levels of teacher preparation and supervision as classrooms do. Research shows

    Would you cheat on your tax? It’s a risky move, the tax office knows a lot about you
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert B Whait, Senior Lecturer in Taxation Law, University of South Australia Soon, more than 15 million Australians should be lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office in the hope of receiving at least a small refund. About 60% of taxpayers use an accountant to

    Companies are betting on AI to help lift productivity. Workers need to be part of the process
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Llewellyn Spink, AI Corporate Governance Lead, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney The Conversation, CC BY-NC Australia’s productivity is flatlining, posting the worst vitals we’ve seen in 60 years. Politicians and chief executives are prescribing artificial intelligence (AI) like it’s the new penicillin – a wonder

    Is Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover satire or self-degradation? A psychology expert explores our reactions
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Muller-Townsend, Lecturer in Psychology, Edith Cowan University Island Records Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover has fans divided. Carpenter poses on all fours, her glossy blond hair grasped by a male figure cropped from the frame. Her wide-eyed expression intensifies an ambiguous performance of subservience,

    Kicked out for coming out: more than half of LGBTIQ+ flatmates face discrimination for their identity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brodie Fraser, Senior Research Fellow, He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago Sangar Akreyi/Getty Images People who belong to the LGBTIQ+ community say flatting is fraught with difficulties that go well beyond learning new routines and sharing space with strangers. Our new research

    Tracing the Drax family’s millions – a story of British landed gentry, slavery and sugar plantations
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Lashmar, Reader in Journalism, City St George’s, University of London ‘Planting the sugar-cane’: vast fortunes were made from the trades in both sugar and human slaves in the Americas. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library Rich

    Nineteen Eighty-Four might have been inspired by George Orwell’s fear of drowning
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young

    What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olivier Sterck, Associate professor, University of Oxford Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. At the same time, major donors such as the US and the UK are pulling back support, placing increasing strain on already overstretched aid systems. Global humanitarian needs have quadrupled since 2015, driven

    Grok’s ‘white genocide’ responses show how generative AI can be weaponized
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Foulds, Associate Professor of Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Someone altered the AI chatbot Grok to make it insert text about a debunked conspiracy theory in unrelated responses. Cheng Xin/Getty Images The AI chatbot Grok spent one day in May 2025 spreading debunked conspiracy

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: an ‘impatient’ Jim Chalmers on taking political risks in Labor’s second term
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images While the world’s media is largely focused on conflict in the Middle East, the focus for many Australians remains at home, with the government preparing the long task ahead of trying to lift Australia’s productivity. Last week,

    View from The Hill: Jim Chalmers wants to get on with economic reform and tax is in his sights
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Jim Chalmers speaking to the National Press Club June 18, 2025. Screenshot from the ABC Broadcast, CC BY-NC Jim Chalmers cast his Wednesday National Press Club speech as a second instalment in a two-part presentation that was kicked off by

    Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone beyond his initial aim of destroying Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. He has called on the Iranian people

    95 lawyers demand stronger NZ stand over Israel amid Middle East tensions
    Asia Pacific Report Ninety-five New Zealand lawyers — including nine king’s counsel — have signed a letter demanding Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and two other ministers urge the government to take a stronger stand against Israel’s “catastrophic” actions in Gaza. The letter has been sent amid rising tensions in the region,

    Gay and bisexual men will soon be able to donate blood and plasma
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasmin Mowat, Clinical Project Manager, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney AnnaStills/Getty Images Many gay and bisexual men have been excluded from donating blood and plasma (the liquid portion of blood) for decades because of rules developed during the HIV crisis in the 1980s. The Australian Red Cross’ blood

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Mark Kenny, Democracy Sausage, Australian National University podcast

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    Mark Kenny:

    G’day there and welcome to Democracy Sausage from the Australian National University. I’m Mark Kenny director of ANU’s Australian Studies Institute and I’m delighted to welcome back to Democracy Sausage federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers. G’day there Jim.

    Jim Chalmers:

    It’s nice to see you again, Mark, thanks for having me back on your podcast.

    Kenny:

    It’s a great pleasure. There’s a fair bit happening in the world, it seems like the pace of events is such really, I don’t know. You have spoken about this, written about it a few times as well, the rate of change, the number of events that are happening globally and the significance of them and the combination of them. I think and the way things tend to sort of – we end up with these compound problems, don’t we, or compound challenges. I wonder how tiring that is for you but also how in a sense it makes things feel like they are moving so fast.

    Take the election for example, a big moment in Australia and a huge historic result as you were, I think, at some pains to grapple with as the numbers tumbled out on election night as you were sitting there on the ABC. But the election itself even seems – even though the 48th parliament hasn’t sat yet – the election feels likes it was quite a while ago now.

    Chalmers:

    Old news.

    Kenny:

    It’s extraordinary, isn’t it?

    Chalmers:

    It really is.

    Kenny:

    And not in a good way necessarily because most of these events we’re talking about aren’t things that we would automatically dial‑in if we could. Wars breaking out and various calamities, environmental and so forth. How does it feel to you? Does it feel to you like, in politics now, there’s this sense that governments age more quickly because of, just the sort of cadence of events and exposure, and having to explain it and navigate it all?

    Chalmers:

    It feels almost exactly as you’ve described it, the pace of change and churn is accelerating. And in my part of the shop I think about the fact that even in the last not even 2 decades we’ve had 4 major economic shocks now – a GFC, COVID, an inflation shock and now the shock that comes from these escalating trade and geopolitical tensions. And so the world is moving fast, the global economy is in lots of ways a perilous place because of this cascading change that we’re seeing that we need to respond to.

    And so I do feel like our responsibility really in this environment is, there’s an element of making our economy more resilient in the face of all this uncertainty and volatility but also a sense of working out how do we make our people, our economy, a beneficiary of all this churn and change.

    It would be naive I think to assume that this change is temporary, short term and that we will return to some long period of normalcy like we saw after the end of the Cold War. And so this really dominates our thinking – the international environment, the pace of change, the way that change is accelerating really is the primary influence on the way we think about this second term.

    Kenny:

    Yeah you have written about this in the past. You’ve got a reputation, quite rightly, as a thinker and someone who reads a lot and thinks a lot about the big historical trends and the forces that are happening underneath it. How do you reflect on that period that you talked about – that you just made reference to – the period after the Cold War? Of course we always hear it described as framed by the end of history argument and all of that. Now sort of, I suppose, what are we, quarter of a century after the 90s have ended. How do we look back on that now? How do you look back on it?

    Chalmers:

    Well I look at it in sort of 3 periods. There’s the period from the end of the Second World War to the end of the Cold War.

    Kenny:

    Which we are saying is about sort of ‘89, ‘90 that sort of time.

    Chalmers:

    Yeah, that’s right. And you know momentous change in that period, dominated by the Cold War essentially. Then you had the end of the Cold War until the GFC, and others have described that as the Great Moderation.

    Kenny:

    I suppose you’d say until September 11 though wouldn’t you almost –

    Chalmers:

    Yeah in security terms, you’ll forgive me for having sort of an economic lens –

    Kenny:

    – an economic frame, yeah.

    Chalmers:

    But sure in the first decade of the 2000s, the world changed dramatically and the thing for us as Australians is we were among the primary beneficiaries of that period of moderation between the end of the Cold War and the early 2000s. We, the Australian economy, partly by choice, by intelligent policy choices in the ‘80s and ‘90s but also the way that the world was structured was very beneficial for Australia.

    And now we think about these 4 shocks in 2 decades and also against the backdrop of all of this technological change, demographic change, our industrial base is changing and the world is fragmenting. And so now we have to work out collectively, not just as a government but as Australians, how do we become the primary beneficiaries of all of this churn and change in the same way that we were the primary beneficiaries of that period of calm from the end of the Cold War.

    Kenny:

    Yeah, because during that period I suppose the rules held. There was a thing called the international rules‑based order, there was a sense in which there was at least a predictability about the framing of whatever might happen. Whereas now we don’t have that. We have this sort of sense of, particularly with the US being in a sense the chief architect and enforcer of that international order, having itself begun to walk away from it in quite dramatic ways, economic ways of course with tariffs and everything which we can come to.

    But that really – on top of things like pandemics and financial crises and the like – it really makes it, it means that we basically now have what replaced the predictability of the rules is the unpredictability of what follows, almost as a permanent dynamic.

    Chalmers:

    I think that’s a good way to describe it. Unpredictability is a good way of thinking even about these trade tensions that we’ve got right now because from day‑to‑day, week‑to‑week, the state of the negotiation between the US and China is changing. It’s the unpredictability that is making people wary, making investors wary and decision makers wary. It’s the sense of a lack of stability and predictability, I think as you rightly point out.

    And we’ve got this big fragmentation in the world and we shouldn’t over‑interpret that but we shouldn’t under‑interpret it either. The world is fragmenting, it has a huge influence on how we think about our own economy. And again it’s against these – we’ve got all these short term volatility – we see the gold price, the oil price bouncing around, stock markets have been bouncing around before and since so‑called Liberation Day, but that kind of masks a bigger structural change in the global economy.

    There’s a big change in the way that the world conducts its business now. And the responsibility on us as decision makers in government, but also in the private sector and the community more broadly, is to work out how do we make our people beneficiaries of that rather than victims of it.

    Kenny:

    And as you said in the early 2000s for example we were in a very good position to be beneficiaries. I remember covering budgets during that time and they were constantly framed by revenue upgrades, mostly from resources, and the budget was constantly in better shape than it was predicted to be.

    Now we are talking about a different world, much less predictable one. But I think I’ve heard you say, and I put the question to you I suppose rhetorically but where would you rather be in the circumstance that we’re in now, would it be Australia or somewhere else? We are still pretty well positioned.

    Chalmers:

    For sure. I hope it’s not talking out of school, but when Governor Phil Lowe and I used to go to these G20 conferences and we would sit there and we’d – when we were speaking in between the sessions or having a cup of tea or something we’d say, we’d look around the room and you’d say, who would you rather be in this group than us. And it’s an important bit of perspective and what I try to do in the speech at the National Press Club is to say we shouldn’t choose between these false binaries.

    There’s a bunch of people that will always talk the economy down. There’s a bunch of people – and maybe politicians are sometimes guilty of this – who will only ever talk the place up. Let’s just put it into its proper perspective.

    Australia in lots of ways is outperforming the world. The fact that we’ve got inflation down, while keeping unemployment low, we’ve got real wages growing again, the combination of things that we’ve got in our economy is something that a lot of our peer countries would like to see in their own economies. And we can recognise that at the same time as we can recognise our economy is not productive enough, the budget needs to be more sustainable, we need to be more resilient in the face of all this global uncertainty that you and I are talking about today.

    And so I think it’s not just possible to have those views simultaneously, it’s imperative that we do. That we have the proper perspective about our economy. Our economy in global terms is performing quite well, particularly our labour market, which in lots of ways to me is the most important thing, how people are actually earning and providing for their loved ones –

    Kenny:

    It’s like how the economy works for people.

    Chalmers:

    It’s the people‑facing part of the economy matters the most to me. And in some of those areas it’s been extraordinary, we’ve got the lowest average unemployment of any government in the last 50 years, at the same time as we’ve got inflation down and got real wages up.

    So it’s a long way of saying, let’s have some perspective about the economy. I’m going to try and get better at saying here is all the things that are going really well that we’re really pleased about, here are the things where we need to be doing better if we want to lift living standards for people in our country. Productivity, budget sustainability, resilience in the world, these are the things where we can acknowledge and work together on making things better.

    Kenny:

    Well let’s go to that productivity thing, because the Prime Minister recently at the Press Club and then you in the speech to the Press Club as well talking about productivity. And I think you have made the point before that the first term, how did you put it, the first term was basically –

    Chalmers:

    Primarily.

    Kenny:

    – primarily about fighting inflation but with an eye to productivity and the second term is about lifting productivity with an eye to keeping inflation under control. Is that sort of broadly what you were saying?

    Chalmers:

    Yeah it is, and I said that the morning after the election on the Insiders panel. I’d sat kind of in one corner of the ABC studio for about 6 or 7 hours in the evening and rocked up to the other corner of the studio in the morning. And that is how I see it.

    Kenny:

    Imagine what it’s like for David Speers.

    Chalmers:

    Exactly. I guess the point that I’m trying to make is we already have a productivity agenda. It’s substantial, it’s ambitious. But the bulk of our first term was about fighting inflation. And in the second term I think we still care about inflation, cost of living, real wages, still a huge focus of us but we will focus more on productivity, more on the supply side of the economy.

    When we talk about productivity, I think it’s important to remember it comes back to what we were just saying about the labour market more broadly. Productivity can come across as this kind of cold and soulless concept. It’s about how efficiently we use inputs to create outputs in our economy.

    Kenny:

    Is it widely understood, do you think, in the electorate when politicians and economists talk about productivity? What’s your – you’re an MP right, you represent people, you have your own electorate, you’re dealing with constituents all the time, right. What’s the general understanding of this as a term?

    Chalmers:

    It’s not a word that people use when they bail you up at Coles or Woolies. I acknowledge that. But it’s really the most important thing that will deliver higher living standards for people. And so I try not to think of productivity as that cold and soulless concept. Productivity is about a more dynamic economy, which lifts living standards, and a more dynamic society where we create more opportunities for more of our people.

    And what I’m trying to do is I’m trying to broaden the national policy and political conversation beyond the tired old fights over things like industrial relations. Productivity is about how we adapt and adopt technology, it’s how we transform our energy resources, it’s about making our businesses more competitive, it’s about the care economy, it’s about human capital, how we invest in people.

    Kenny:

    A lot of these things are things that as you say, they’re good, everyone would agree they’re all public goods. They’re things that should happen and so forth. Many of them – particularly if we think about human capital and getting more from people because they can contribute more and that adds to dynamism in the economy and creativity and opportunities all those brilliant things – but in a sense they’re long‑term investments that are required aren’t they?

    We are sitting here in a university. University education and training, obviously been a strong priority of the government. But it needs that’s the – I guess what I’m getting at is these aren’t things that you can just sort of flick a switch and make happen, right. They take long‑term planning and thinking and commitment and funding.

    Chalmers:

    Well 2 things about that. I mean, first of all there are 2 visions for productivity. And this is not the place for partisan reflections but there’s a view that says we’ll only get productivity if we make people work harder and longer for less. That is essentially our political opponent’s view of productivity.

    We think we’ll get productivity if we invest in people, their ability to adapt and adopt technology in a more modern economy. And so the way that our opponents think about productivity, that will never be our jam. That will never be – that’s not what we are on about.

    We are not trying to screw down people’s wages and working conditions. We think there’s a better way to go about it. But I think you’re absolutely bang on when you talk about – I think of it as the delayed gratification when it comes to productivity policy. There are some elements of economic policy where you get a bang for your buck sooner.

    Productivity is one of those things you got to chip away at and I’ve tried to point out, there’s not one thing as you rightly say, you can’t just flick one switch. If there was one switch we could flick somebody would have flicked it already to make our economy more productive. You’ve got to chip away, you’ve got to have a broader idea of productivity and you’ve got to work with people and bring people together. And that’s what we intend to do.

    Kenny:

    Let’s take a quick break and be back in a moment. Welcome back. I’m talking with Treasurer Jim Chalmers, ANU alum, among many things. Dr Chalmers, the productivity matter we were just talking about, there’s going to be this roundtable, the Prime Minister has announced, and you’ve spoken about at the Press Club as well.

    Obviously, the criticism that people will make if they want to will be another talk fest. We see these from time to time. From what I understand you’re girding against this, you’re trying to design it in ways that will mean that it has to deliver something more than kind of rhetoric and disagreement in a sense.

    Chalmers:

    Exactly right. I mean first of all I acknowledge it’s kind of unusual to have the Prime Minister and the Treasurer at the National Press Club 8 days apart but it’s deliberate. Because what we’re trying to do is in the Prime Minister’s great speech that he gave at the Press Club. And what I’m trying to do as well, is to say we’ve got a big agenda, it’s ambitious, our priority is delivering what we took to the election but we’ve got an obligation to work out what comes next.

    And the best way to do that, the tone that Anthony sets in our government is to try and do that together. And I know when you bring people together there will always be an element of people who want to say that it’s failed before it’s even happened. And it might be that people bring the same old talking points and maybe progress is hard to come by. But that’s not a reason not to have a crack at it and see where there might be common ground.

    Kenny:

    There’s an acceptance right across the board that productivity is an issue. That lifting productivity is the ticket to higher living standards and to insulating the economy as well against some of these external shocks. So it’s a good starting place, but then you get as you say, people sort of usually retreating in to certain camps defending their position and looking for gains from others.

    Chalmers:

    There might be a bit of that but let’s see how far we can get if we don’t take that approach. I think broadly people do understand it would be better if our economy was more productive, our budget more sustainable and that we are more resilient in a world that is as uncertain as it is.

    I think that is broadly understood and what I want to try to do at this roundtable is to go beyond problem ID into ideas. I want people to bring specific things and I want them to help build consensus, not just leave it to the government to build consensus.

    Kenny:

    So in other words within the framework of this round table you are looking for people to be talking to each other?

    Chalmers:

    Each other yeah.

    Kenny:

    So that the unions for example talking with employers. And together perhaps agreeing on something they can agree on, which will shift the needle as they say.

    Chalmers:

    And there are so many areas where this is so important. I mean technology, artificial intelligence is going to be a game changer in our economy.

    Kenny:

    It is for everyone right.

    Chalmers:

    Yeah and we need to work together to work out how do we get the best version of that. And so that is our hope and let’s be blunt about it, it remains to be seen how much appetite there is for that. But I think we owe it to ourselves to try to work out where there’s common ground. That’s what the round table is all about.

    People have been terrific about it in the conversations I’ve had with them so far, already there’s a heap of interest. People will be able to feed in, even if they’re not in the Cabinet room that week and so I think it’s set up to succeed, it remains to be seen whether it will.

    Kenny:

    So we’re going to be looking for the productivity of the productivity roundtable.

    Chalmers:

    That’s right, or we’ll get the Productivity Commission to measure it.

    Kenny:

    Yeah because it’s not – you can’t measure it just by butchers paper can you, and annoying‑smelling textas. It’s literally about, I mean the term people often use is concrete, but what’s substantive or concrete comes from it, and can actually result in policy changes. And you’re confident that that can actually achieve something?

    Chalmers:

    I’m confident about that. We’ve got a big agenda on productivity, even this week the Cabinet agreed some next steps. We’ve got the Productivity Commission working on a bunch of stuff. We really have everything we need to succeed except consensus and I hope that seeking consensus is not a naive undertaking. I feel cautiously confident that we can make some progress but it remains to be seen.

    Kenny:

    Consensus of course was the big word in the 1980s with Bob Hawke in particular and the summits that were held and so forth. And we know of course Kevin Rudd had his 2020 – I can’t remember what it was called exactly.

    Chalmers:

    2020 Summit I believe.

    Kenny:

    I think it was summit. This is much more, I suppose surgical in a sense.

    Chalmers:

    Deliberately. We did the Jobs and Skills Summit at the start of our government and I don’t like how that’s been caricatured, the outcomes of that. I actually think we made a lot of progress then.

    But rather than hundreds of people in the room, we will host a small group in the Cabinet room. We won’t do a lot of problem ID, the problem is broadly understood. We want people to bring their ideas. We want them to be responsible and realistic about that. We want them to see the whole chessboard when it comes to our national economy, not just their own kind of specific narrow interests.

    Kenny:

    Yeah because that’s always the frustration for governments isn’t it, it’s all very well for various interests to be pushing their position and perhaps that’s the way our economy and our society has been set up. But our governments have to try to look at the whole – as you say – chessboard, and figure out the implications of each of those moves and what it does to the whole.

    Chalmers:

    And even in budget terms, it’s very easy to call for huge tax cuts. It’s very easy to call for huge new outlays in one area or another. I don’t dismiss people who call for those things but we have to make it all add up at the end of the day. And so hopefully the kind of guidance we give people about how they approach this opportunity in the Cabinet room in the second half of August, hopefully people take that seriously. I think we will make more progress if they do.

    Kenny:

    Yeah. Now I mentioned before how you were there on election night and you were watching the events unfold. Do you think in the frame of what we have just been talking about the fact that it is such a stonking majority that the government has. And whilst it’s not impossible for the government to be turfed out at the next election, it’s not impossible but it doesn’t seem very likely to anyone who has been watching the game for a long time.

    I mean it is just, that would be such a dramatic turnaround from the current situation. I’m not asking you to comment on that particularly but what I am interested in is whether that changes the dynamic in a thing like this productivity roundtable and in the way generally people are looking at things. There’s a sort of a, I think a level of predictability, about who it is that these interests groups will be dealing with for this term and probably the next. Is that an opportunity for everyone?

    Chalmers:

    First of all, I don’t believe that a third term is assured. I don’t think those assurances –

    Kenny:

    I know you have to say it and I agree.

    Chalmers:

    No, no I believe it. There’s no assurances in politics. There’s no assurances in politics. I do think that there is a sense of relief that the election’s resolved and resolved decisively. I do think that there’s an element of that in the broader community and in the stakeholders I deal with. A little bit of an element of predictability in a very unpredictable world to join up where we began this conversation. So there is, I think that.

    For us, you mentioned sitting on the set on election night. The kind of 3 stages I progressed through were firstly surprise, secondly relief. An overwhelming sense of relief. And then thirdly most importantly a sense of gratitude and the reason I mentioned that sense of gratitude is because whether this government has 3 more years to live or 6 more years to live, I am more determined than I’ve ever been to make the most of the opportunity.

    Because when you think about where we were at at the end of 2024, it was conceivable that we could lose the election and the clarifying impact of that when you think about the clock is ticking on all of us. The clarifying impact of what could have been a close run thing but turned out to be a decisive thing. Surprised, relieved and grateful and determined to make the most of this opportunity for however long it lasts.

    Kenny:

    James McGrath, who you were on with, seemed to be moving through those stages slightly more slowly. His weren’t identical stages, they were the opposite I suppose. But he took some time it seemed to me to accept what the numbers were saying. But nonetheless as you say it was a very dramatic night. Just dwelling on that for a moment, how did you feel or how do you feel now reflecting on the sort of brutality of the way your fellow Queenslander Peter Dutton was ejected from politics altogether in that process? There’s a finality about it.

    Chalmers:

    First of all, on James, I genuinely felt for James. We’ve lost our share of national elections too and it’s just, it dawns on you at some point that you’ve got to do opposition for another 3 years and it’s a horrendous –

    Kenny:

    Slog.

    Chalmers:

    So I respect James and I felt for him sitting next to him, and it was a rugged night for him. Yeah, the brutality of 2 leaders of 2 of the 4 biggest parties in the parliament hit the fence on election night. That’s an extraordinary thing. And a brutal thing.

    The thing you will notice, I hope you notice, is I don’t dance on anyone’s political grave. I think politics is tough enough as it is when you’re in it that you shouldn’t dump on people when they’re out of it. And there’s a psychological thing about your own local community telling you they don’t want you anymore, I can only imagine that that is especially rugged for him. But I don’t want to dance on his political grave.

    I hope he doesn’t mind me saying that I’ve been in touch with him since he lost. We had a friendly exchange. He played politics as hard as anyone, if not harder than most. And so we acknowledge that too but I genuinely wish him well and his family. Politics is hard yards for everyone and to be disposed of with that level of brutality I can only imagine is really tough.

    Kenny:

    Yeah. I think it should be said that people who dealt with him, with Peter Dutton at a personal level, his colleagues. And he was popular at a personal level because there was a warmth about him and I’ve certainly said this in things I’ve written in the past as well. He was as you say, a very hard political player but he wasn’t like some other leaders that I won’t mention that weren’t particularly popular with their colleagues. Nonetheless, an extraordinarily badly‑designed campaign, it’s just unbelievable.

    Look in the brief amount of time we’ve got left, can I explore this idea that the Prime Minister has used a bit and you’ve used in your speech as well, made reference to this idea of progressive patriotism. I’m quite fascinated by this. I think the idea that the political right has had a mortgage on patriotism in the past I think is wrong. But it’s an ill‑defined concept at least or it’s a work in progress. How would you frame it?

    Chalmers:

    First of all you’re being characteristically humble, Mark, in not pointing out to all of your listeners that you have been grappling with, publicly, with some of these concepts for some time. I have listened to you and read you with interest in the past about this concept about patriotism. And really what Anthony is talking about when he talks about progressive patriotism is this sense that we can have Australian answers to these very difficult global questions.

    His progressive patriotism is really about Australian exceptionalism. It’s about the fact that we’ve built together, not just governments, but as a country, we’ve built together Medicare and superannuation, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and all these sorts of things, which around the world other countries envy.

    And so a sense of patriotism which is progressive, which is exceptional and what I try to say in my contribution to this in tipping my hat to him. And this idea that he has prosecuted, is it’s also very pragmatic, it’s very practical. It’s not especially ideological. It’s progressive in the sense that it’s about being more inclusive, looking to the future not just to the past. But it’s practical, it’s pragmatic, it’s about problem solving. That’s what we intend to bring to this reform task in the second term.

    Kenny:

    Yeah so things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, universal health insurance, Medicare, that sort of roped in to this, right. I guess what I’m trying to get at is what’s beyond what we already do and know, what’s the use of the term if it is just to describe in a sense what we already do?

    Chalmers:

    I think it’s about recognising this huge opportunity that Australia has because of the progress we’ve made together, because of the way that we think about ourselves and each other. The responsibilities that we have to each other, we don’t believe in this kind of scorched‑earth view of the world that says when the world economy is going berserk it’s everyone for themselves.

    And so I think that’s central to it, that’s the progressive part of it, this sense that we’re all in it together at the worst times and in the worst crises. And also a sense of confidence and optimism that despite everything that’s coming at us from around the world we have it within us to respond effectively, not just to play defence, not just to play off the back foot, but to make this work for us. And that’s the mindset that we all need to have.

    Four shocks in 2 decades, all of this churn and change in the world, a lot of progress we’ve made as Australians. A lot to be proud of, but a lot that we need to do together and we have everything we need, as I said before, except this sense of consensus about the way forward and if Anthony’s second term is to be anything it’s about the search for that.

    Kenny:

    One of the things that’s really challenged the consensus, this will probably be the last question here, but one of the things that’s challenged that consensus, probably the most dramatic challenge to any sort of political consensus over the last 15 years or so has been the argument over climate change. It has just been so divisive and so unproductive to go back to a theme we have been talking about before. Just the amount of time that’s been wasted and policy reversals and division and so forth.

    You’ve studied, I mean you wrote your PhD about Paul Keating’s period you’ve thought about this a lot, right. The idea of the great reform era of the ‘80s and ‘90s, the things that have been done there. Most of those things of course as is well known can’t be done again, they don’t need to be done again.

    But the big reform question now it seems to me and I’m interested in your thoughts about this is decarbonisation of the economy. It’s the transition. We often hear that you shouldn’t waste a crisis. I guess you could also say you shouldn’t waste a huge majority, right. Is this a mandate to accelerate the process of Australia’s economic transition because that’s about resilience as well isn’t it?

    Chalmers:

    The energy transformation is a big part of our reform agenda, and we come at that with ambition not because we’ve got a big majority but because we’ve got a big responsibility. And we do have a big opportunity to be again as the whole world’s energy sources transform and transition, Australia’s got a really compelling role to play in that. I’m excited about our critical minerals, I’m excited about our human capital base, our renewables sector.

    And so I think one of the reasons why we’ve been, I say we, charitably, why the kind of ideology of the extremes on climate change has dominated the conversation. But in the investor communities I knock around in, this is not seen as an especially ideological thing. This is seen as to be about the future of our economy. The future of our industrial base, how we attract and deploy capital more efficiently. This is a very mainstream idea apart from the ideological extremes of X and social media.

    Kenny:

    We understand that Sussan Ley is reviewing all policies and one of those policies it turns out is apparently, is the commitment to net zero. Or at least that’s what a number of people are urging the Coalition to do, is to walk away from commitment to net zero by 2050. What’s your feeling about that?

    Chalmers:

    I think if they walked away it would show they haven’t learnt anything from the last couple of elections. And it feels like from my distance I’m not an expert on the internals of the Liberal and National parties, but it feels like they are setting themselves up for a big barney on this.

    And that’s not good for the way we think about our economy, the way we think about attracting capital and investment, the way we think about certainty in our economy, that would be a bad thing. First of all, if they spent the next 3 years fighting about this but also if they walked away from something that most sane people see as a sensible way to go for an economy like ours.

    Kenny:

    Jim, thanks so much for coming on Democracy Sausage again, for being back here on your old alma mater, the campus of ANU. It’s been a great pleasure talking to you and we’ll look forward to doing so again at some point.

    Chalmers:

    I really enjoyed being back, Mark, and having another great chat, thanks so much.

    Kenny:

    That’s Democracy Sausage for this week. Until next week bye for now.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Travis AFB sends KC-46 across the Pacific to train with Misawa F-16s 

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — This past week, aircrews assigned to the 9th Air Refueling Wing and 60th Air Mobility Wing flew a KC-46A Pegasus to Misawa Air Base, Japan, showcasing the indispensable role of air refueling during an off-station training in support of F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 14th Fighter Squadron (FS).

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s desertification control efforts embrace high-tech solutions

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

    From employing biotechnological techniques to deploying a range of AI-powered automated machines, China has actively embraced innovations to replace strenuous manual labor in its efforts to build ecological barriers against desertification.

    Tuesday marked World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Often described as the “cancer of the earth,” desertification is a global challenge affecting more than 100 countries and regions. China, one of the countries most severely impacted, has made significant strides in halting desert expansion through its decades-long afforestation campaign.

    This aerial drone file photo taken on Sept. 6, 2023 shows the border area between the Tengger Desert and a sand-controlling forest belt in Zhongwei, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

    Winding through towering sand dunes along the edge of the Tengger Desert, China’s fourth-largest, the Lanzhou-Baotou Railway, built in 1958, has not only remained well-maintained and free from encroaching sand over the decades but has also helped transform the barren landscape. Its shelter belts have fostered the growth of biocrust, bringing new life to the once-desolate land.

    The green belt protecting this vital transport artery stands as a near-miracle in the arid landscape. Over the past 60 years, massive human efforts have been mobilized in Zhongwei City, in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to create “straw checkerboard,” a dune stabilization technique where straw is laid out in a checkerboard pattern on the desert surface. These grids have provided a foundation for vegetation to take root and gradually transform the sand into green.

    Nicknamed the “Chinese Rubik’s Cube,” the technique is now widely adopted both across China and internationally to increase soil surface roughness, effectively reducing wind erosion in sandy areas.

    Workers build straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

    Within the checkerboards, the sand surface gradually forms a soil crust that helps prevent wind-driven movement. To speed up this process, Chinese researchers have developed lab-cultured cyanobacteria that accelerate the formation of biological soil crusts.

    “Under natural conditions, the formation of biological soil crusts takes 10 to 20 years. With the application of cyanobacteria, that process can be shortened to just one year,” said Zhao Yang, a researcher at the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    Zhao added that the technology has already been applied across more than 267 hectares in Ningxia, with plans to further expand its coverage in the coming years.

    By spraying cyanobacterial liquid onto the sand surface and combining it with the straw checkerboard technique, stable artificial biological soil crusts can form within 10 to 16 months. In treated areas, wind erosion has been reduced by over 95 percent, the survival rate of sand-fixing shrubs has increased by 10 to 15 percent, and the need for seedling replacement has dropped by nearly 40 percent, significantly cutting the overall cost of sand control, Zhao explained.

    Tang Ximing, chief engineer at the Zhongwei state-owned forestry farm, recalled that with summer ground temperatures as high as 70 degrees Celsius, survival rates of saplings planted in decades ago were just over 40 percent. But the planting efforts have never been baffled.

    Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, demonstrates an upgraded electric seedling planter invented by himself in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

    In 2023, Tang developed an electric drilling device that allows workers to plant saplings into a 50-centimeter-deep layer of moist sand within the checkerboards in under 10 seconds. Previously, even skilled forestry workers needed three to four minutes to dig a single tree pit manually.

    Technology is accelerating China’s desertification control efforts, which are shifting from labor-intensive planting methods to innovative strategies powered by advanced technologies and intelligent machine fleets.

    Ordos City in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has introduced an integrated smart system that combines remote-controlled desertification monitoring with real-time data from satellite imagery, drone surveys, and ground sensors. This system enables precise tracking of dynamic indicators such as vegetation coverage and soil moisture levels of afforested areas.

    Meanwhile, in the green belt surrounding the Hunshandake Sandland — the nearest desert threat to Beijing — planting machines continuously shuttle back and forth, laying checkerboards and sowing grass seeds, making desert afforestation as efficient as plowing farmland.

    “Creating straw barriers and sowing grass seeds were once two separate manual steps in sand-fixing planting. Now, the new machine combines both processes,” said Wang Lei, director of the intelligent equipment research institute of the Inner Mongolia-based M-Grass Ecological Environment (Group) Co., Ltd.

    This photo taken on Nov. 4, 2024 shows a chamber for accelerated seed breeding at M-Grass Ecological Environment (Group) Co., Ltd. in Hohhot, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Bei He)

    He added that these intelligent devices outperform manual labor by more than 20 times in terms of work efficiency.

    China initiated the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program in 1978 to combat desertification across the northwest, north and northeast of the country. The world’s largest afforestation project is still undergoing.

    Currently, 53 percent of China’s treatable sandy land has been effectively managed through afforestation. The country is not only the first in the world to achieve “zero growth” in land degradation and a “double reduction” in desertified and sandy land areas, but has also transformed its role from a recipient of international desertification control aid to a key contributor to global ecological governance.

    Tang said the forestry farm receives many foreign visitors each year, eager to learn sand prevention and control techniques. He recently demonstrated how to create straw checkerboards and use his electric drilling tool to plant saplings for a group of guests from Mongolia.

    China has actively fulfilled its commitments under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification by establishing the International Knowledge Management Center on Combating Desertification in Ningxia in December 2019. The center aims to share China’s expertise and experience in desertification control with countries worldwide.

    During a visit to Mongolia, Tang saw that the country lacks seedling nurseries. However, it has leveraged its geographical proximity to China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to support seedling cultivation.

    In 2024, Inner Mongolia exported a total of 2.8 million saplings to Mongolia, with exports expected to soar to 10 million this year for the green building in Mongolia.

    Zhang Tianliang, a seedling exporter based in Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, noted that his company recently exported species such as larch, spruce and golden-leaf elm. These trees are highly adaptable to dry, poor soils and severe cold, making them well-suited for cultivation in Mongolia, Zhang explained. 

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) participated in a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing to discuss the Department of Defense’s (DOD) budget for Fiscal Year 2026. During the hearing, Senator Tuberville and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed utilizing AI for military modernization and improving standards for military personnel. Additionally, Senator Tuberville and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General J. Daniel Caine, discussed the future of war fighting.

    Read Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON LIBERATING LOS ANGELES AND MILITARY PERSONNEL QUALITY OF LIFE

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for being here today. Mr. Secretary, thanks for looking out for the law enforcement and the millions of people in California that still love this country and want this country to survive and not the radicals that wave non-American flags, that protest in the streets, tear things down. It is ridiculous and thank you for doing what you’re doing, you and President Trump. It’s getting out of hand.”

    [I’m] chairman of the [Senate Armed Services] Personnel [sub]committee. Thanks for your recruiting. You’re doing great. Keep looking out after the quality of life [of our troops]. Please do that. We’ve done research after research. We did give a raise. We wanna continue to give raises. These first-year staffers in this building make tens of thousands [of] dollars more than first-year military personnel. That’s not right. We need to change that. It’s an all-volunteer army and thank you for working towards that.” 

    ON MILITARY STANDARDS

    TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Secretary, your opening remarks mentioned the force-wide review of military standards. What’s the status of that review?”

    HEGSETH: “It is ongoing and very close to fruition. We’ve reviewed standards, specifically on Combat MOSs first to ensure that we haven’t seen a reduction in pursuit of quotas or any other agendas. So, standards are being moved back to where they were at their highest level, gender neutral. And then we’re looking at overall fitness standards, overall grooming standards, overall basic standards across our formations that we believe have slipped certainly under the previous administration, but over decades. But we’re being very careful about it too. We don’t wanna make big changes that are wide-sweeping that have unintended consequences. So, we’re looking service by service, but also trying to simplify and clarify as much as possible. High standards, clear standards that set us apart.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thanks for your help on putting me on the Air Force Board of Visitors […] and I look forward to going out soon, it is very important. We understand we do have problems in the Air Force Academy, and we’re going to get those straightened out, one way or another. So, thanks for you and President Trump for putting me on the board of visitors.”

    ON THE FUTURE OF WARFIGHTING

    TUBERVILLE: “General Caine, over the last few years, we’ve seen major efforts to refocus our services for future fights, Marine Corps force design, and the Army’s Transformation Initiative—[these] are major changes to the Joint Force. Can you describe the Joint Staff’s level of involvement in these efforts?”

    CAINE: “Sure. Thanks for the question. As the services carefully consider what they need to look like, one of my primary jobs is a global integrator. And so, I look at all of these capabilities as well as capacities. And then through a series of formal products that we deliver to the secretary have a chance to give the secretary my views on this. I appreciate the leadership of both of those services, all of the services, and the combatant commanders to identify what the fight of the future looks like and what the force mix of the future needs to look like. So, we’re deeply involved in all that.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.”

    ON MILITARY SERVICE AND SPORTS

    TUBERVILLE: “This is right up my alley here. One important aspect of recruiting is how our services are represented in elite sports. We have made progress here, but we still have to work and work some things out. But West Point this year had a young man that was drafted to play baseball. In the past time when President Trump was in [office], he allowed them to go, do their thing, and [play] baseball, then come back and fulfill their service, but we are disallowing a young man at West Point to go to Major League Baseball. Could you look into that Mr. Secretary?”

    HEGSETH: “Coach, we will review that. Yes.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) participated in a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing to discuss the Department of Defense’s (DOD) budget for Fiscal Year 2026. During the hearing, Senator Tuberville and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed utilizing AI for military modernization and improving standards for military personnel. Additionally, Senator Tuberville and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General J. Daniel Caine, discussed the future of war fighting.

    Read Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON LIBERATING LOS ANGELES AND MILITARY PERSONNEL QUALITY OF LIFE

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for being here today. Mr. Secretary, thanks for looking out for the law enforcement and the millions of people in California that still love this country and want this country to survive and not the radicals that wave non-American flags, that protest in the streets, tear things down. It is ridiculous and thank you for doing what you’re doing, you and President Trump. It’s getting out of hand.”

    [I’m] chairman of the [Senate Armed Services] Personnel [sub]committee. Thanks for your recruiting. You’re doing great. Keep looking out after the quality of life [of our troops]. Please do that. We’ve done research after research. We did give a raise. We wanna continue to give raises. These first-year staffers in this building make tens of thousands [of] dollars more than first-year military personnel. That’s not right. We need to change that. It’s an all-volunteer army and thank you for working towards that.” 

    ON MILITARY STANDARDS

    TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Secretary, your opening remarks mentioned the force-wide review of military standards. What’s the status of that review?”

    HEGSETH: “It is ongoing and very close to fruition. We’ve reviewed standards, specifically on Combat MOSs first to ensure that we haven’t seen a reduction in pursuit of quotas or any other agendas. So, standards are being moved back to where they were at their highest level, gender neutral. And then we’re looking at overall fitness standards, overall grooming standards, overall basic standards across our formations that we believe have slipped certainly under the previous administration, but over decades. But we’re being very careful about it too. We don’t wanna make big changes that are wide-sweeping that have unintended consequences. So, we’re looking service by service, but also trying to simplify and clarify as much as possible. High standards, clear standards that set us apart.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thanks for your help on putting me on the Air Force Board of Visitors […] and I look forward to going out soon, it is very important. We understand we do have problems in the Air Force Academy, and we’re going to get those straightened out, one way or another. So, thanks for you and President Trump for putting me on the board of visitors.”

    ON THE FUTURE OF WARFIGHTING

    TUBERVILLE: “General Caine, over the last few years, we’ve seen major efforts to refocus our services for future fights, Marine Corps force design, and the Army’s Transformation Initiative—[these] are major changes to the Joint Force. Can you describe the Joint Staff’s level of involvement in these efforts?”

    CAINE: “Sure. Thanks for the question. As the services carefully consider what they need to look like, one of my primary jobs is a global integrator. And so, I look at all of these capabilities as well as capacities. And then through a series of formal products that we deliver to the secretary have a chance to give the secretary my views on this. I appreciate the leadership of both of those services, all of the services, and the combatant commanders to identify what the fight of the future looks like and what the force mix of the future needs to look like. So, we’re deeply involved in all that.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.”

    ON MILITARY SERVICE AND SPORTS

    TUBERVILLE: “This is right up my alley here. One important aspect of recruiting is how our services are represented in elite sports. We have made progress here, but we still have to work and work some things out. But West Point this year had a young man that was drafted to play baseball. In the past time when President Trump was in [office], he allowed them to go, do their thing, and [play] baseball, then come back and fulfill their service, but we are disallowing a young man at West Point to go to Major League Baseball. Could you look into that Mr. Secretary?”

    HEGSETH: “Coach, we will review that. Yes.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russia is becoming a notable partner of China in the economy – Russian President V. Putin

    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

    St. Petersburg, June 19 /Xinhua/ — Russia is becoming a significant economic partner of China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in response to a question from Xinhua News Agency Director General Fu Hua during a meeting with heads of international news agencies on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is being held in St. Petersburg from June 18 to 21.

    “Russia is becoming a very visible partner for the People’s Republic of China in the economic sphere,” he noted.

    According to V. Putin, the volume of bilateral trade turnover of 240 billion US dollars is decent. In addition, Russia and China have planned investment projects worth 200 billion dollars. “And they are all realistic, they will all be implemented, I have no doubts,” he said.

    At the same time, the Russian President emphasized that the expansion of Russia’s economic cooperation with China is not connected with “some kind of turn” toward Asia. According to him, this is a natural direction of cooperation, and relations with China were not built yesterday. “This is not a matter of opportunism. All this is happening to a large extent, I must say frankly, due to the growth in the volume and quality of the Chinese economy, and, I hope, the growth in the volume and quality of the Russian economy,” the Russian leader added.

    Speaking about the priorities of bilateral cooperation, V. Putin named the financial sphere. “We need to ensure, of course, reliable financial flows that ensure growing volumes of trade turnover,” he said.

    The Russian President also spoke about the need to focus more on high-tech areas: the construction of heavy helicopters, space, and aircraft manufacturing. He praised China’s achievements in information technology. “I was surprised and pleased when the Chinese achieved simply demonstratively outstanding results in the development of artificial intelligence. It turned out to be 10 times cheaper than our competitors, and 10 times more effective – this is the result that our Chinese friends have achieved,” he noted.

    As V. Putin emphasized, military-technical cooperation is developing between Russia and China, which, according to him, is extremely important in order to “guarantee stability in world affairs.” “We have a whole plan for cooperation in this area, and the Ministry of Defense has its own plans for interaction. We regularly conduct exercises and will conduct them this year,” the president said.

    The Russian leader also declared his readiness to exchange military technologies with China. “We know about the wishes of our Chinese friends. This is not just about buying and selling, but about exchanging technologies. We are ready for this and will work in all directions,” he concluded. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Demanding Meaningful Stablecoin Guardrails, Reed Votes Against So-Called “GENIUS Act”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — Citing a lack of consumer and taxpayer protections and serious crypto corruption and national security concerns, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) voted against the so-called GENIUS Act (S.1582), which passed the U.S. Senate on a vote of 68-30.

    The controversial bill places a government stamp of approval on “stablecoins,” which are crypto dollars that could be minted by big retailers, big tech companies, foreign companies, and even President Trump’s family. In a similar way that banks allow customers to send and receive money, stablecoins claim to do the same in a faster and cheaper way.

    Exposing taxpayers, consumers, and the financial system to high levels of risk, the GENIUS Act says that stablecoin companies would not need to comply with dozens of the same consumer protection laws that apply to similar firms and that help prevent scams and fraud.

    This legislation repeats some of the same mistakes that led to the 2008 financial crisis, fostered by the mistaken belief that stablecoin issuers are simple and safe companies that are unlikely to get into trouble and do not need significant regulation to protect customer funds.

    Rather than provide meaningful protections for consumers, the legislation weakens existing state laws on cryptocurrency to make it possible for stablecoin companies to operate with near-zero capital, meaning that companies could be unable to weather a financial crisis.  This leaves U.S. taxpayers exposed to bailouts if crypto markets crash.

    Furthermore, the bill makes it possible for stablecoin companies to avoid getting an independent audit and makes it virtually impossible for the government to revoke a stablecoin company’s charter, even if the company engages in fraudulent activity. And if a stablecoin company goes bankrupt, consumers must get in line to get their money back and hope that they will make a full recovery.

    The bill coincides with the launch of the Trump family’s own stablecoin venture called “USD1,” which has already been used by a foreign government to funnel at least $2 billion to the President.  The bill actually includes an express provision greenlighting the ability to name a stablecoin “USD,” as President Trump has done.

    Another beneficiary of this bill is Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin that is based in El Salvador and is used by North Korea, Russian arms dealers, ransomware attackers, the Iranian military, drug cartels, and many other criminal organizations.  Russia, Iran, and North Korea will continue to have venues to use dollar alternatives to bypass U.S. sanctions.

    The GENIUS Act allows Tether to operate freely in the United States with minimal oversight and without providing sufficient tools for the government to stop its abuse for weapons proliferation, war, human trafficking, scams, and other illegal activity.

    Senator Reed says that Congress should be fostering innovation while protecting consumers and national security, however unless these issues are fixed, the GENIUS Act would not balance these two important goals.

    “The so-called GENIUS Act is deeply flawed and doesn’t do enough to protect consumers, national security, and U.S. taxpayers.  Instead of strengthening consumer protections and building clear guardrails that prevent America’s adversaries from using stablecoins to their advantage, this bill greenlights President Trump using his office to line his own pockets while looking the other way at North Korea’s crypto abuses,” said Senator Reed.  “As the popularity of stablecoins continues to grow, we need to provide real guardrails and authorities for regulators.  Nevertheless, Senate Republicans have prioritized the wants of President Trump over the needs of American consumers.”

    Senator Reed has taken to the Senate floor twice recently to outline his concerns with the GENIUS Act, including in a speech Monday night. In remarks on the Senate floor last Thursday, Senator Reed called on Republicans to work across the aisle to better serve American consumers and strengthen crypto guardrails.

    The full transcript of those remarks follows:

    Mr. President, I rise today to discuss S. 1582, the so-called GENIUS Act.

    Several weeks ago, when the Majority Leader said we would have votes on amendments, I took him seriously and was one of the first to file. 

    We could have been voting on my amendments and those of my colleagues at any time in the last few weeks, but that hasn’t happened.  That is regrettable, because the GENIUS Act, as it is currently drafted, is fundamentally flawed. 

    The GENIUS Act exposes taxpayers, consumers, and the financial system to unacceptable risk.  And it creates venues for criminals, terrorists, and rogue governments to finance their illicit activities.  

    Among other things, this bill places the U.S. government’s stamp of approval on Tether—the world’s largest stablecoin, which is based in El Salvador and favored by North Korea, Russian arms dealers, ransomware attackers, the Iranian military, the drug cartels, and so many other criminal organizations. 

    It takes already weak state laws, makes them weaker, and applies them nationwide…making it possible for stablecoin companies to operate with near-zero capital and unable to weather a financial crisis.  It’s possible for stablecoin companies to avoid getting an audit.  It’s impossible for the government to revoke a stablecoin company’s charter—even if it turns out to be a Ponzi scheme or if an executive dips into customer funds.

    The GENIUS Act buys into the belief that the billionaires running the industry know what they’re doing and that the marriage of complex financial products and complex technology simply can’t fail.  The one thing the billionaires know how to do is protect their interests. 

    Not surprisingly this bill leaves open the door to bailouts, which we have seen time and time again for other lightly regulated nonbanks that got into trouble, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, AIG, and Bear Stearns. 

    When there is a run on a stablecoin…and there will be a run one day…the industry will run to the American taxpayer for a bailout, and the GENIUS Act paves the way for that to happen with no limits on the Federal Reserve’s authority to prop up the industry.

    Finally, this bill perpetuates Donald Trump’s naked corruption.  It actually greenlights the name of Trump’s stablecoin—USD1—and allows Trump’s hand-picked regulators to write the rules of the road governing his most recent business venture. 

    Mr. President, we need to provide real guardrails for financial regulators to protect consumers, real tools for national security agencies to address this new technology, and real authority for the government to intervene before a crisis gets out of hand. 

    Real guardrails and real tools . . .  not words on a page that give only the “aura” of regulation and protection with no teeth. 

    My amendments and those offered by colleagues on the both sides of the aisle would help provide these tools and authorities.  However, it appears that we won’t have the opportunity to consider a single one of them and fix this bill.

    I urge my colleagues to oppose this highly flawed bill.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s vision for deeper financial opening-up highlighted at Shanghai Lujiazui Forum

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

    China’s vision for deeper financial opening-up highlighted at Shanghai Lujiazui Forum

    SHANGHAI, June 18 — Multiple government officials have delivered speeches at the annual Lujiazui Forum being held in east China’s Shanghai, pledging efforts to promote high-standard financial opening-up despite mounting global geopolitical uncertainty.

    Among the most high-profile measures being discussed at the forum is a plan to establish an international operations center for the digital RMB, which was unveiled by Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The move aims to promote the internationalization of the digital currency, as well as the development of financial market services, while supporting innovation in the field of digital finance.

    The center’s establishment is one of eight new measures set to be piloted in Shanghai, Pan said. Others include the development of free trade offshore bonds to expand financing channels for companies, and the optimization of the free trade account system to facilitate cross-border trade and investment for enterprises.

    Zhu Hexin, deputy governor of the PBOC and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), said that to advance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, policies will be implemented nationwide to encourage foreign investment in research institutions and ease cross-border financing for technology-based enterprises.

    The policy of integrating funding pools for multinational companies in both domestic and foreign currencies will be promoted nationwide to facilitate the utilization of funds within multinational corporate groups, according to Zhu.

    A package of innovative foreign exchange policies will be implemented in China’s pilot free trade zones, including policies to optimize new international trade settlements and expand the Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) pilot program, Zhu said.

    On Wednesday, SAFE unveiled a notice to solicit public advice on deepening reforms of the foreign exchange management of cross-border investment and financing, with the notice also pledging to facilitate cross-border financing further.

    China will exempt foreign-invested enterprises from registration requirements for domestic reinvestment, and this pilot policy will be expanded nationwide.

    On the capital market, Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, emphasized the role that foreign funds and institutions play in China’s capital market, calling for the promotion of the broad opening-up of markets, products and institutions.

    Following Wu’s speech, the securities regulator announced that it would allow qualified foreign investors to participate in on-exchange exchange-traded fund (ETF) options trading from Oct. 9 this year for hedging purposes only.

    China has made steady progress in financial liberalization in recent years. According to Li Yunze, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the country has optimized its model of “pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list for foreign investment,” while most restrictions on foreign access to China’s banking and insurance sectors have now been removed.

    Looking ahead, the country plans to continue improving its business environment for foreign investors, aiming to foster a more welcoming, inclusive atmosphere in which foreign institutions can leverage their strengths and grow sustainably, Li added.

    Initiated in 2008, the Lujiazui Forum has become a platform for dialogue among policymakers, financial experts and business leaders from around the world. This year’s forum, themed “Financial opening-up and cooperation for high-quality development in a changing global economy,” runs from Wednesday to Thursday.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI: Reliance Global Group Announces Up To $6.75 Million Private Placement Priced At-The-Market Under Nasdaq Rules

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAKEWOOD, NJ, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reliance Global Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: RELI) (“Reliance,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”), today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the issuance and sale of an aggregate of 1,488,096 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) and short-term warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,976,192 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $1.68 per share (or per pre-funded warrant in lieu thereof) and accompanying short-term warrants in a private placement priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. The short-term warrants will be exercisable immediately upon issuance at an exercise price of $1.43 per share and will expire two years from the effective date of the Resale Registration Statement (as defined below). The offering is expected to close on or about June 20, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. 

    H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. 

    The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company from the private placement is expected to be approximately $2.5 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The potential additional gross proceeds to the Company from the short-term warrants, if fully-exercised on a cash basis, will be approximately $4.25 million. No assurance can be given that any of such short-term warrants will be exercised. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

    The shares of common stock, pre-funded warrants and short-term warrants described above were offered in a private placement under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) and Regulation D promulgated thereunder and, along with the shares of common stock underlying the pre-funded warrants and short-term warrants, have not been registered under the Act or applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the shares of common stock, the pre-funded warrants, the short-term warrants and the shares of common stock underlying the pre-funded warrants and short-term warrants may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The securities were offered only to accredited investors. Pursuant to a registration rights agreement, the Company has agreed to file one or more registration statements with the SEC covering the resale of the shares of common stock and the shares issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants and warrants (the “Resale Registration Statement”).

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    About Reliance Global Group, Inc.

    Reliance Global Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: RELI) is an InsurTech pioneer, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud-based technologies, to transform and improve efficiencies in the insurance agency/brokerage industry. The Company’s business-to-business InsurTech platform, RELI Exchange, provides independent insurance agencies an entire suite of business development tools, enabling them to effectively compete with large-scale national insurance agencies, whilst reducing back-office cost and burden. The Company’s business-to-consumer platform, 5minuteinsure.com, utilizes AI and data mining, to provide competitive online insurance quotes within minutes to everyday consumers seeking to purchase auto, home, and life insurance.  In addition, the Company operates its own portfolio of select retail “brick and mortar” insurance agencies which are leaders and pioneers in their respective regions throughout the United States, offering a wide variety of insurance products. Further information about the Company can be found at https://www.relianceglobalgroup.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” and similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including, but not limited to, statements regarding:

    • the expected closing of the private placement and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions;
    • the Company’s intended use of proceeds from the offering;
    • the potential additional gross proceeds from the exercise of the short-term warrants;
    • the effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement;
    • and the Company’s growth strategy and expectations regarding its operations, platforms, and market positioning,

    are forward-looking statements and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

    These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions, including, among others: that the offering will close on the anticipated timeline; that market and economic conditions will remain stable; that the Company will be able to deploy the net proceeds effectively; and that investors will exercise the short-term warrants in full or in part. There can be no assurance that these assumptions will prove correct.

    There are numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These include, among others: the risk that the offering may not close as expected or at all; the risk that the Company may not receive the anticipated proceeds from the short-term warrants; risks associated with the Company’s ability to use the proceeds effectively; general business, economic, competitive, regulatory and market factors; the impact of adverse capital and credit market conditions; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as amended, and in other reports filed or to be filed by the Company with the SEC.

    You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Contact:
    Crescendo Communications, LLC
    Tel: +1 (212) 671-1020
    Email: RELI@crescendo-ir.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Narda-MITEQ Awarded Prototype to Optimize Power Dividers in Growler Aircrafts for DoN

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Program Manager Air (PMA)–265 and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), in partnership with NSTXL through the S²MARTS OTA, have announced a prototype award to optimize Power Dividers for the EA–18G aircraft. NAVAIR is qualifying a new design and source of supply for the Power Dividers, which are utilized in the ALQ-218(V)2 Tactical Jamming Subsystem Receiver (TJSR). The prototyping and qualification will be awarded to Narda-MITEQ.

    Prior to the award, NAVAIR participated in an event in which organizations interested in submitting could engage with NAVAIR and ask questions about the opportunity, as well as clarify government needs. The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), the agreement vehicle for the opportunity, hosted the event as well as an industry networking event to encourage teaming. OTAs are a modern, efficient prototyping vehicle suitable for opportunities like Power Dividers that need to move quickly.

    The S2MARTS OTA is managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). NSTXL is a consortium manager focused on revolutionizing government innovation. With accelerated prototyping processes through OTAs, DoD can make leading technologies like power dividers available to the Warfighter faster than ever.

    About S2MARTS
    The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS), managed by NSTXL, is the premier rapid OT agreement vehicle for the Department of Defense (DoD) in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas. The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division created S²MARTS to grow and engage an elite network of innovators, shorten the path to defense prototype development, and advance national security efforts.

    For media inquiries contact:
    NSTXL Press
    press@nstxl.org

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Narda-MITEQ Awarded Prototype to Optimize Power Dividers in Growler Aircrafts for DoN

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Program Manager Air (PMA)–265 and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), in partnership with NSTXL through the S²MARTS OTA, have announced a prototype award to optimize Power Dividers for the EA–18G aircraft. NAVAIR is qualifying a new design and source of supply for the Power Dividers, which are utilized in the ALQ-218(V)2 Tactical Jamming Subsystem Receiver (TJSR). The prototyping and qualification will be awarded to Narda-MITEQ.

    Prior to the award, NAVAIR participated in an event in which organizations interested in submitting could engage with NAVAIR and ask questions about the opportunity, as well as clarify government needs. The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), the agreement vehicle for the opportunity, hosted the event as well as an industry networking event to encourage teaming. OTAs are a modern, efficient prototyping vehicle suitable for opportunities like Power Dividers that need to move quickly.

    The S2MARTS OTA is managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). NSTXL is a consortium manager focused on revolutionizing government innovation. With accelerated prototyping processes through OTAs, DoD can make leading technologies like power dividers available to the Warfighter faster than ever.

    About S2MARTS
    The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS), managed by NSTXL, is the premier rapid OT agreement vehicle for the Department of Defense (DoD) in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas. The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division created S²MARTS to grow and engage an elite network of innovators, shorten the path to defense prototype development, and advance national security efforts.

    For media inquiries contact:
    NSTXL Press
    press@nstxl.org

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Embassy Bancorp, Inc. Announces Annual Cash Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Embassy Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: EMYB) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared an annual cash dividend of $0.48 per share, payable on July 15, 2025, to shareholders of record on June 27, 2025. This represents an over 14% increase over last year’s dividend and our 16th consecutive year of paying a dividend.

    “I’m proud to share our annual dividend and the continued strength of our performance,” said David M. Lobach, Jr., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “Our consistent dividend payments reflect not only our financial stability but also our unwavering commitment to delivering long-term value to our shareholders.

    Over the past year, we’ve been honored with several prestigious recognitions. For the 10th consecutive year, we were named Reader’s Choice Best Bank by The Morning Call, serving the Lehigh Valley. We were also recognized as Best Bank and Best Mortgage Company in Lehigh Valley Style Magazine’s Who’s Who in Business. Additionally, we earned a 5-star rating from Bauer Financial and were ranked 45th among the top 100 publicly traded community banks with assets under $2 billion by American Banker Magazine, based on a three-year average return on equity.

    These accolades are a testament to our deep-rooted focus on customer service, community engagement, and the dedication of our exceptional team. As an independent, community-focused bank, we remain committed to our founding vision: to serve the Lehigh Valley with integrity, responsiveness, and a long-term perspective. We believe this positions us well for continued growth and success for all our stakeholders.”

    About Embassy Bancorp, Inc.

    With over $1.7 billion in assets, Embassy Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of Embassy Bank For the Lehigh Valley, a full-service community bank operating ten branch offices in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. As of June 30, 2024, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Summary of Deposits indicates that the Bank holds the 4th spot in deposit market share in Lehigh and Northampton Counties combined. For more information, visit www.embassybank.com.

    Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

    This document may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results and trends could differ materially from those set forth in such statements due to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and experience to differ from those projected include, but are not limited to, the following: ineffectiveness of the company’s business strategy due to changes in current or future market conditions; the effects of competition, and of changes in laws and regulations, including industry consolidation and development of competing financial products and services; interest rate movements; changes in credit quality; difficulties in integrating distinct business operations, including information technology difficulties; volatilities in the securities markets; and deteriorating economic conditions, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in Embassy Bancorp, Inc.’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The statements are valid only as of the date hereof and Embassy Bancorp, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update this information.

    Contact: Lynne M. Neel (610) 882-8800

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Russia: B2B platform KIFA and RDIF agree to develop digital trade between China and Russia

    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

    St. Petersburg, June 18 (Xinhua) — KIFA, a B2B digital trade platform operating in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, have agreed to partner to jointly develop digital trade between China and Russia and further expand trade between the two countries.

    The corresponding agreement was signed on Wednesday on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

    “In the new reality, high technology is becoming one of the key factors for success, and KIFA is proud of its contribution to the modernization of trade and economic relations between China and Russia. Trusting strategic cooperation with RDIF, in turn, will play one of the key roles in this process. Together we will be able to implement ambitious projects aimed at strengthening economic ties between our countries,” said Sun Tianshu, founder of the KIFA B2B platform and Chairman of the Board of Directors of KIFA PJSC.

    “China is the leader in terms of trade turnover with Russia, and a stable system of mutual trade has been built between our countries, including in the field of e-commerce. RDIF is focused on supporting the entry of Russian and Chinese companies into the markets of the two countries, in this regard, the partnership with KIFA is an important stage in the development of digital cross-border trade. Providing entrepreneurs of the two countries with broad opportunities for simple and effective interaction in a digital environment with a transparent process at all stages and gaining access to new large markets will make a significant contribution to the further increase in bilateral trade volumes,” said RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev.

    As noted, the development of digital trade between China and Russia and its modernization thanks to advanced tools and the use of artificial intelligence make it possible to achieve more transparent, efficient and convenient processes for each entrepreneur. The expansion of the range of goods and the reduction of costs, in turn, stimulate the growth of trade turnover between China and Russia, which is one of the strategic objectives of bilateral relations.

    KIFA is a leading innovation platform that modernizes cross-border trade through the application of digital technology and artificial intelligence, and creates a new digital trading world between China and Russia. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2025 Article IV Consultation with Mauritius

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 18, 2025

    • The Mauritian economy continues to exhibit resilience with growth at 4.7 percent in 2024 and contained inflation. The growth outlook remains favorable, though risks are to the downside.
    • Mauritius needs to recalibrate the macroeconomic policy mix to rebuild fiscal space. The monetary policy framework needs to be strengthened while continued monitoring of macro-financial risks is essential to maintain financial stability.
    • Advancing key reforms to foster external competitiveness and private sector-led growth while enhancing climate resilience will reduce external imbalances.

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the Article IV Consultation for Mauritius.[1]

    Mauritius’ economy remains resilient. Real GDP grew by 4.7 percent in 2024, from 5.0 percent in 2023, driven by services, construction, and tourism. Headline inflation (12-month average) declined to
    2.5 percent in March 2025 from 7.0 percent in 2023, helped by easing international food and energy prices and lower fuel excise duties. The external current account deficit widened in 2024 to
    6.5 percent of GDP, mostly reflecting higher imports and freight costs. Gross foreign reserves increased to US$8.5 billion by end-2024, covering almost 12 months of imports. Looking ahead, the country needs to address fiscal and structural challenges, notably the high public debt, significant public investment needs, low productivity, and an ageing society.

    The outlook for growth is favorable. Real GDP growth is projected to soften to 3.0 percent in 2025 due to weakening external demand, easing tourism activity, and the drought. Over the medium term, growth is expected at around 3.4 percent, reflecting demographic headwinds and labor shortages. Inflation is projected to average 3.6 percent in 2025 and remain within BOM’s target range over the medium term. The external current account deficit is projected to reduce to 4.7 percent of GDP in 2025—reflecting lower oil prices, as exports grow modestly amid the slowdown in global demand—and to increase in 2026 due to subdued exports, but gradually decline thereafter. The primary fiscal deficit (excluding grants) for FY24/25 is projected to worsen by 3.4 ppt of GDP relative to FY23/24, to 6.5 percent of GDP, mostly driven by higher compensation of employees, social benefits, and grants and transfers. The stock of public sector debt is projected at around 88 percent of GDP at end-June 2025, and to gradually decline in the medium term.

    Risks to the outlook are on the downside, including from global uncertainty, tariff wars, higher-than-anticipated fuel and food prices, and extreme climate shocks.

     

    Executive Board Assessment[2]

    The economy has recovered solidly from the pandemic and the outlook is favorable, but fiscal and structural challenges remain. The recovery has been driven by services, construction, and tourism. The medium-term outlook is favorable but held back by demographic headwinds and labor shortages. Mauritius is facing fiscal and structural challenges from high public debt, significant public investment needs for climate, low productivity, and an ageing society. Risks to the outlook are on the downside including from high global uncertainty, highlighting the importance of addressing fiscal and external imbalances to increase the resilience of the economy.

    Fiscal policy should pursue frontloaded growth-friendly consolidation to shore up fiscal credibility, helping rebuild fiscal space while protecting the most vulnerable. Tax revenue should be increased and current and ESFs’ spending contained while safeguarding critical social spending and growth-enhancing capital spending. Pension system reform remains key to support fiscal sustainability, especially given the ageing of Mauritius’ population. Strengthening public financial management, including by streamlining ESFs, will support fiscal consolidation, transparency, and good governance.

    BOM should start to gradually phase out its ownership of MIC and strengthen the implementation of the monetary policy framework by resuming uncapped issuance of 7-Day BOM bills (at the key policy rate). BOM should stand ready to tighten the monetary policy stance should inflationary pressures reemerge. BOM should adopt amendments to the BOM Act, including to ensure fiscal backing, to protect central bank independence. Ministry of Finance and BOM are encouraged to strengthen the commitment on their mutual agreement for BOM independence. Mauritius should continue to rely on exchange rate flexibility and FX purchases when opportunities arise, and in line with the monetary policy framework, to help further build foreign reserves buffers to ensure ability to respond to large external shocks. 

    Mauritius’ external position at end-2024 is assessed as weaker than the level implied by fundamentals and desirable policies, and structural reforms to foster external competitiveness are needed to reduce external imbalances. Steady progress in strengthening the AML/CFT framework is welcome and should be sustained, including provisions related to non-resident and cross-border activity. Financial sector risks should continue to be closely monitored including of the real estate sector. Ongoing efforts to improve external sector statistics, including measurement of the GBCs sector, should be sustained. Statistical gaps and discrepancies should be addressed to improve the quality and credibility of macroeconomic statistics.

    Mauritius should advance structural reforms that boost investment and innovation to secure longer-term private sector-led growth. Priorities include strengthening workers’ skills through better education and narrowing gender gaps as well as advancing climate adaptation efforts to support economic resilience.

     

    Mauritius: Selected Economic Indicators

     
     

    2020

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

     
           

    Est.

    Proj.

    Proj.

    Proj.

    Proj.

    Proj.

    Proj.

     
     
                               
     

    (Annual percent change, unless otherwise indicated)

       

    National income, prices and employment

                             

    Real GDP

     

    -14.5

    3.4

    8.7

    5.0

    4.7

    3.0

    3.4

    3.4

    3.4

    3.4

    3.4

     

    Real GDP per capita

     

    -14.6

    3.6

    8.9

    5.1

    4.9

    3.2

    3.6

    3.6

    3.6

    3.7

    3.8

     

    GDP per capita (in U.S. dollars)

     

    9,011

    9,087

    10,235

    11,188

    11,883

    12,448

    13,287

    14,183

    15,128

    16,131

    17,190

     

    GDP deflator

     

    2.6

    3.2

    9.6

    6.6

    3.8

    3.8

    3.7

    3.7

    3.6

    3.6

    3.6

     

    Consumer prices inflation (period average)

     

    2.5

    4.0

    10.8

    7.0

    3.6

    3.6

    3.6

    3.5

    3.5

    3.5

    3.5

     

    Consumer prices inflation (end of period)

     

    2.7

    6.8

    12.2

    3.9

    2.9

    3.9

    3.5

    3.5

    3.5

    3.5

    3.5

     

    Unemployment rate (percent)

     

    9.2

    9.1

    6.8

    6.1

    5.8

    5.9

    5.9

    5.9

    5.9

    5.9

    5.9

     
                               
       

    (Annual percent change)

       

    External sector

                             

    Exports of goods and services, f.o.b.

     

    -23.8

    5.2

    45.7

    4.0

    3.0

    1.7

    2.3

    7.1

    6.2

    6.5

    7.4

     

    Of which: tourism receipts

     

    -73.8

    -23.8

    313.1

    29.7

    6.0

    -4.6

    5.3

    7.7

    8.6

    8.1

    7.7

     

    Imports of goods and services, f.o.b.

     

    -29.1

    16.0

    32.9

    -0.3

    6.4

    0.7

    4.7

    5.3

    4.9

    4.3

    5.3

     

    Nominal effective exchange rate (annual average)

     

    -8.0

    -8.0

    3.6

    0.5

    -1.4

     

    Real effective exchange rate (annual average)

     

    -7.6

    -7.5

    6.2

    1.7

    -0.6

     

    Terms of trade

     

    5.1

    -12.0

    -5.1

    8.3

    0.0

    2.3

    2.0

    0.7

    0.5

    0.5

    0.4

     
                               
             

    Money and credit

                             

    Net foreign assets

     

    16.4

    18.6

    -3.6

    -0.3

    18.3

    1.5

    2.7

    2.5

    2.1

    2.2

    3.0

     

    Domestic credit

     

    7.9

    15.6

    13.1

    9.7

    13.7

    7.2

    6.5

    6.3

    6.1

    6.0

    5.9

     

    Net claims on government

     

    8.8

    34.8

    24.6

    26.1

    31.3

    13.2

    7.7

    6.0

    5.3

    4.5

    3.7

     

    Credit to non-government sector

     

    2.7

    0.4

    -0.6

    8.0

    8.3

    6.0

    6.9

    7.2

    7.1

    7.1

    7.1

     

    Broad money

     

    17.7

    8.6

    4.1

    7.8

    12.9

    6.4

    7.6

    8.5

    8.4

    8.4

    7.9

     

    Income velocity of broad money (M2)

     

    0.8

    0.8

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

    0.9

     
                               
       

    (Percent of GDP, unless otherwise indicated)

       

    Central government finances 1

                             

    Overall borrowing requirement 2

     

    -22.1

    -5.5

    -4.7

    -6.1

    -10.4

    -5.4

    -3.7

    -3.4

    -2.9

    -2.4

    -2.0

     

    Primary balance (excluding grants) 

     

    -16.5

    -4.9

    -2.7

    -3.1

    -6.5

    -3.0

    -1.3

    -0.3

    0.1

    0.4

    0.5

     

    Revenues (incl. grants)

     

    21.6

    24.2

    24.5

    24.0

    25.7

    27.0

    27.3

    27.5

    27.5

    27.5

    27.4

     

    Expenditure, excl. net lending

     

    40.4

    31.1

    29.4

    29.7

    35.2

    32.3

    31.2

    30.3

    29.9

    29.4

    28.9

     

    Domestic debt of central government

     

    67.5

    61.9

    57.3

    58.7

    64.4

    65.8

    65.7

    65.3

    64.5

    64.0

    63.7

     

    External debt of central government

     

    15.8

    14.0

    13.8

    12.7

    14.8

    14.9

    14.8

    14.7

    14.6

    14.3

    13.9

     
                               

    Investment and saving 4

                             

    Gross domestic investment

     

    18.2

    19.8

    19.8

    20.2

    21.0

    22.0

    22.4

    22.5

    22.5

    22.5

    22.5

     

    Public

     

    4.1

    4.1

    3.9

    3.9

    3.8

    4.1

    4.2

    4.3

    4.3

    4.3

    4.3

     

    Private 3

     

    14.1

    15.7

    15.8

    16.3

    17.2

    17.9

    18.2

    18.2

    18.2

    18.2

    18.2

     

    Gross national savings

     

    11.6

    12.6

    17.1

    22.4

    23.4

    23.8

    25.0

    26.1

    26.5

    26.2

    26.4

     

    Public

     

    -7.9

    -5.6

    -2.0

    -2.4

    -4.5

    -4.0

    -1.7

    -0.7

    -0.1

    0.4

    0.8

     

    Private

     

    19.5

    18.2

    19.2

    24.8

    28.0

    27.8

    26.7

    26.8

    26.6

    25.9

    25.6

     

    External sector

                             

    Balance of goods and services

     

    -10.7

    -16.1

    -14.8

    -11.7

    -13.2

    -12.3

    -13.0

    -12.2

    -11.6

    -10.5

    -9.6

     

    Exports of goods and services, f.o.b.

     

    35.1

    36.7

    47.6

    45.3

    43.9

    42.7

    41.0

    41.2

    41.1

    41.2

    41.7

     

    Imports of goods and services, f.o.b.

     

    -45.8

    -52.7

    -62.4

    -56.9

    -57.2

    -55.0

    -54.0

    -53.4

    -52.7

    -51.7

    -51.2

     

    Current account balance

     

    -8.9

    -13.1

    -11.1

    -5.1

    -6.5

    -4.7

    -6.1

    -5.0

    -4.3

    -3.7

    -3.0

     

    Capital and financial account

     

    3.3

    23.3

    13.4

    -0.9

    14.5

    6.1

    9.1

    6.7

    5.9

    5.2

    4.6

     

    Overall balance

     

    -4.4

    10.2

    2.8

    -5.5

    7.3

    1.4

    2.9

    1.8

    1.6

    1.5

    1.6

     

    Total external debt

     

    110.7

    134.0

    132.2

    131.6

    139.2

    128.9

    119.3

    110.8

    102.2

    94.1

    87.1

     

    Gross international reserves (millions of U.S. dollars)

     

    7,242

    7,805

    7,740

    7,254

    8,510

    8,675

    9,163

    9,475

    9,781

    10,083

    10,420

     

    Months of imports of goods and services, f.o.b.

     

    14.3

    11.6

    11.6

    10.2

    11.8

    11.6

    11.6

    11.4

    11.3

    11.2

    11.1

     
                               

    Memorandum items:

                             

    GDP at current market prices (billions of Mauritian rupees)

     

    448.9

    478.8

    570.3

    638.3

    694.0

    742.3

    796.0

    853.3

    914.0

    979.0

    1,048.7

     

    GDP at current market prices (millions of U.S. dollars)

     

    11,408

    11,484

    12,908

    14,101

    14,953

    15,641

    16,662

    17,748

    18,890

    20,082

    21,326

     

    Public sector debt, fiscal year (percent of GDP)4

     

    91.9

    86.1

    81.8

    81.5

    88.3

    89.1

    88.1

    86.9

    85.3

    83.9

    82.7

     
                               

    Foreign and local currency long-term debt rating (Moody’s)

     

    Baa1

    Baa2

    Baa3

    Baa3

    Baa3

    Baa3

     
                             

    Sources:  Country authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

                             

    1GFSM 2001 concept of net lending/net borrowing, includes special and other extrabudgetary funds. Fiscal data reported for fiscal years (e.g, 2019=2019/20).

         

    2 Following the GFSM 2014, Sections 5.111.5.116, the transfers from the BOM to the

    Central Government are considered as financing.

               

    Excludes changes in inventories in 2022 and outer years.

                                                                                                 

    4 The public debt series has been reclassified starting in the 2024 AIV Mission to allow

    consolidation of central government securities held by non-financial
    public corporations

                                                                       
                                                                                                                 

     

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Kwabena Akuamoah-Boateng

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/18/pr-25204-mauritius-imf-concludes-2025-article-iv-consultation

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI USA: This weekend kicks off the summer camping season at Oregon State Parks

    Source: US State of Oregon

    ALEM, Oregon— This weekend kicks off the official summer camping season, but the work to prepare Oregon’s more than 250 state parks and campgrounds has been going all year long.

    Behind the scenes, park rangers have moved mountains of sand, cleared thousands of downed trees and repaired roofs, bridges and trails around the state to keep parks well maintained and ready for visitors.

    Visitors might think that parks stay pristine because they look just like they left them, but maintaining beautiful landscapes in some of Oregon’s harshest climates takes some work:

    • Cape Lookout State Park cleared more than 1.5 million pounds of sand after winter winds buried one camp loop in six-inch drifts. The park is not alone. Many coastal parks must dig out campsites, sidewalks and parking lots after the winter season.
    • Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area removed a dump truck load of slime, algae, branches, leaves and trash, which coated the campground when the lake receded. The lake floods every year, and rangers clean up the muck left behind.
    • In the Mountain Region and other areas where it freezes, rangers reinstall plumbing components and restart the plumbing to the campgrounds, buildings and picnic shelters, which includes restarting water to thousands of campsite spigots.
    • At Fall Creek State Recreation Area east of Eugene, rangers cleared eight dump truck loads of fir needles, cones, branches and debris to make the roads passable at Winberry Park when it reopened this spring.
    • Nehalem Bay State Park cleared nearly 180 downed trees in one winter storm alone. Parks across the state repaired winter storm damage, including clearing downed trees, repairing roads, fixing roofs and mending bridges.
    • In the Columbia River Gorge, parks cleared thousands of pounds of woody debris from paved trails and created wood chips to spread around trees and shrubs.

    Overall, Oregon State Parks rangers spend nearly 800,000 hours a year cleaning bathrooms, building and repairing trails and bridges, fixing old and new pipes and wiring, keeping parks safe, preserving Oregon’s history and natural resources and sharing knowledge on everything from mushrooms to the night sky.

    “Rangers work tirelessly to keep these landscapes beautiful and accessible for the approximately 56 million visits each year at Oregon State Parks. We’re thankful for the work they do every day,” said Oregon Governor Tina Kotek.

    Oregon State Parks welcome as many as 17,000 guests on the busiest nights, which means moving a city roughly the size of Canby in and out of campgrounds on almost a daily basis statewide.

    “Oregon State Parks are like small cities. They run sewer, water and electrical systems; maintain roads and structures, all while managing campgrounds. When one system goes down, our staff manage the necessary emergency repairs to keep parks open. I’m proud of the work they do to keep parks safe, welcoming and ready for everyone to enjoy,” said Oregon Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Sumption.

    Help rangers this season by following all safety signs and barriers; staying on trail and checking campfire restrictions in advance at stateparks.oregon.gov. Interested in what rangers do? Check out the Oregon State Parks episode of “Odd Jobs” by SAIF Corporation at https://youtu.be/NUqCmEe38Uw?feature=shared

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 437

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL7

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 437
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    450 PM EDT Wed Jun 18 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Southeast Indiana
    Northern Kentucky
    Southwest Ohio

    * Effective this Wednesday afternoon and evening from 450 PM
    until 1000 PM EDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts
    to 75 mph possible
    Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
    A tornado or two possible

    SUMMARY…A fast moving line of thunderstorms over Indiana will
    track eastward this afternoon and evening. Damaging winds along the
    leading edge of the storms is the primary risk.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 70
    statute miles east and west of a line from 55 miles northwest of
    Columbus OH to 45 miles south of Cincinnati OH. For a complete
    depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
    (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

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

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 432…WW 433…WW
    434…WW 435…WW 436…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    26035.

    …Hart

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW7
    WW 437 SEVERE TSTM IN KY OH 182050Z – 190200Z
    AXIS..70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    55NW CMH/COLUMBUS OH/ – 45S LUK/CINCINNATI OH/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 60NM E/W /25NE ROD – 37SSE CVG/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..65 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.

    LAT…LON 40558229 38438313 38438571 40558495

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU7.

    Watch 437 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (5%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    High (70%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Mod (30%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (30%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Low (20%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (90%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Energy Secretary Wright Testifies Before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on FY2026 Budget Request

    Source: US Department of Energy

    WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.

    Earlier this month, Secretary Wright testified before the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee to outline the department’s FY2026 request. He also appeared last month before both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy and Water Development to outline department priorities and provide a comprehensive overview of the budget.

    The FY2026 Budget delivers on President Trump’s directive to restore American energy dominance, unleash every American energy advantage, and bring commonsense back to Washington. It returns non-defense discretionary spending to the most disciplined levels since 2017 and redirects over $15 billion away from the Green New Scam— a reckless Biden-era agenda that drives up costs, weakens reliability, and undermines U.S. energy strength. The department remains committed to being responsible stewards of American taxpayer dollars while protecting the affordable, abundant, and reliable energy our nation depends on. For more details, view the budget toplines here.

    Secretary Wright’s opening remarks:

    Thank you, Chairman Lee, Ranking Member Heinrich, and Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before you today as Secretary of Energy to discuss the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request for the Department of Energy.

    Under President Trump’s leadership, our priorities for the Department are clear—to achieve American energy dominance, bolster our national security, meet our Cold War legacy cleanup commitments and unleash historic innovation, including AI, for our nation and world.

    We are driven by a bedrock conviction that an affordable, reliable, secure energy supply is the foundation of a strong and prosperous nation. When America leads in energy, we lead in prosperity, security and human flourishing.

    We are committed to advancing our critical missions while cutting red tape, increasing efficiency, and ensuring we are better stewards of taxpayer dollars.

    The President’s FY26 budget will ensure taxpayer resources are allocated appropriately and cost-effectively. We will invest DOE’s resources in technologies and sources that support affordable, reliable, and secure energy and provide a return on investment for the American taxpayers. DOE has several tools at its disposal that can advance these emerging energy technologies, and I thank the committee for their leadership in establishing a new “Energy Dominance Financing Program” for DOE’s Loan Program Office as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. This will enable DOE to return to its core mission of supporting projects that are most critical to America’s energy security while maintaining responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars—something DOE failed to do in the previous administration.

    It is deeply concerning how many billions of dollars were rushed out the door without proper due diligence in the final days of the Biden administration. DOE is undertaking a thorough review of financial assistance that identifies waste of taxpayer dollars, protects America’s national security and advances President Trump’s commitment to unleash American energy dominance. As a result, we recently announced the termination of 24 projects totaling over $3.7 billion in taxpayer-funded financial assistance. These projects failed to meet the economic, national security or energy security standards necessary to sustain DOE’s investment, and the taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize them.

    Instead, we are advancing a policy of energy addition—fully leveraging affordable, reliable and secure resources that have powered our country for generations. The United States is blessed with an abundance of coal, oil, and natural gas, and our Administration is committed to using them to meet growing energy needs of the American people.

    Every one of these resources was unleashed through the world-changing power of American innovation. Our National Labs are the engine that drives research and development to expand our energy dominance. We will prioritize research that supports true technological breakthroughs and maintains America’s global competitiveness.

    America must play a leading role commercialization of reliable, safe and secure nuclear energy, and we are taking steps to accelerate innovation in this sector. DOE is working to advance the rapid deployment of next-generation nuclear technology, including small modular reactors.

    I am proud to report that we have officially ended the previous administration’s reckless pause on LNG export permits and have returned to regular order for reviewing and approving new permits. DOE will also work to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—a national asset that protects our security in times of crisis—and I want to thank this committee for prioritizing funding to refill the SPR in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

    We are advancing President Trump’s pledge to lower the cost of living and expand choice by rightsizing DOE’s approach to home efficiency standards and regulations. Under the President’s direction, we’ve begun slashing more than 47 regulations as part of the largest deregulatory effort in history. These actions are projected to save the American people approximately $11 billion while restoring consumer freedom and lowering costs.

    The responsible stewardship and modernization of the nation’s nuclear weapons systems is paramount for this Administration. DOE is focused on addressing critical upgrades for the U.S. nuclear stockpile and maintaining our engine powerhouses for submarines and aircraft carriers. Both tasks will become even more crucial in the next few years.

    Our nuclear innovation as a nation began with the Manhattan Project, and the next Manhattan Project is clearly AI. DOE has a significant role to play in driving AI innovation for scientific discovery and national security. Our agency has world-class high-performance computing capabilities, including four of the world’s top ten supercomputers.

    Harnessing our energy potential to power global AI leadership while meeting growing demand will be the challenge of our time. But America doesn’t back down from big challenges or big builds.

    As Secretary of Energy, I am honored by the responsibility to help meet the American people’s growing energy needs and lead the world in energy development. I appreciated the opportunity to work with many of you on this committee to unlock America’s full energy potential and drive down costs for families with the One Big Beautiful Bill, and I look forward to continuing to work together to achieve President Trump’s energy dominance agenda.

    Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the committee today.

    MIL OSI USA News