Category: Asia Pacific

MIL-OSI Economics: Cathay’s Lawrence Fong on tackling his folder of unanswered emails

Source: Microsoft

Headline: Cathay’s Lawrence Fong on tackling his folder of unanswered emails

Lawrence Fong used to have a system for emails he was too busy to answer – move them to a folder aptly named “Follow up.” Of course, that follow -up sometimes didn’t happen.   

Last year, Fong started using Microsoft 365 Copilot to quickly draft routine email replies, such as responding to an event invitation or following up on an upcoming deadline. He reckons he now answers up to 20 percent of emails with Copilot in Outlook and has also started using Copilot in Word to draft speeches.  

“It’s very helpful,” said Fong, who is Director, Digital & IT at Cathay, a premium travel lifestyle brand that operates Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s home carrier.  

As businesses make generative AI tools available to employees throughout their organizations, those leading the initiative are experimenting and exchanging notes along with everyone else.  

Some 1,000 Cathay employees are using Microsoft 365 Copilot, with that number set to rise to several thousand this year.   

Cathay’s head of procurement told Fong he used Copilot to summarize a proposal in just a few minutes, instead of taking an hour, marvelling that “the accuracy was very high.” Others used it to summarize meetings and write emails.  

For Fong, Copilot is most useful for summarizing long emails and answering them. It sometimes picks up a minor point or niceties that Fong may miss. It remembers to thank the recipient.   

His favorite prompts are “Draft me a reply” and “Write me an email,” along with “long,” “short,” “formal,” “casual” or “say thank you” depending on the recipient.  

He has a wish list. He wishes Copilot could write emails that sounded more like him. Or write a document with his particular line of reasoning or using the right aviation industry terminology. He has to do some editing, but 80 percent of the text is usually OK.  

“More personalization would be good somewhere down the road,” he said.   

Ultimately, he sees Copilot as expanding access to AI the way PCs democratized computing and smartphones democratized mobility.   

Said Fong: “Everyone can use it in the home, the office, wherever.”   

Top image: Lawrence Fong, Director, Digital & IT, Cathay. Photo: Cathay.

MIL OSI Economics –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft announces latest investment in Europe, $700M for computing capacity in Poland

Source: Microsoft

Headline: Microsoft announces latest investment in Europe, $700M for computing capacity in Poland

This morning, I stood in Warsaw with Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, and announced Microsoft’s latest cloud and AI infrastructure investment in Europe. Building on our initial billion-dollar investment to launch a Polish cloud region in 2023, I announced that Microsoft will spend another $700 million by the middle of next year to expand our computing capacity in the country. And we will deepen our work with Polish National Defense to strengthen Poland’s cybersecurity, including by working together on the development of AI competencies and emerging digital technologies, including new AI and quantum breakthroughs.

This marks the latest critical step for Microsoft’s business, economic, and political relationships in Poland – and in Europe as a whole.

During the past 16 months, we have announced more than $20 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure investments that represent an important part of our datacenter expansion across 15 European countries. Today’s investment in Poland builds on the integrated supply chain we are building with manufacturers across the EU. It calls on suppliers that are manufacturing critical components not only in Poland but in Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It also includes components manufactured and exported from Indiana in the United States. It’s the type of investment that creates jobs and fosters economic growth throughout Europe and across the Atlantic.

Promoting Trans-Atlantic Investment, Trade, and Economic Growth

The American technology sector is creating world-leading AI technology and is focused on being a trusted “partner of choice” around the world. And European policy leaders are focused on mobilizing more capital and increasing productivity by “closing the innovation gap.” Even in a time of fragmenting geopolitics, today’s announcement illustrates that these two technology ambitions are more aligned than divergent.

In multiple ways, our investment in Poland puts both these goals into practice. It demonstrates how vastly the technology sector has changed since I first joined Microsoft as an employee in Paris more than 31 years ago. While we develop and provide world-leading technology products and services globally, we now support these with enormous national investments in infrastructure and large numbers of local employees. More than ever, technology requires coordinated investments that connect countries and span oceans.

Sustained Technology Support During a Decade of Crises

Equally important, technology has become a lynchpin for national needs in times of crisis. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has aptly put recent history in perspective. As she highlighted, Europe faces a competitiveness challenge that comes as the third crisis of the 2020s, after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

It’s worth reflecting on the critical role of technology in helping to support the responses needed for each of these crises.

Five years ago this month, the first pandemic in a century literally started to shut doors around the world. At Microsoft, our employees and partners used new video and productivity technology like Teams to keep the economy moving forward in every corner of Europe. In just days, businesses, schools, universities, hospitals, and governments sustain their operations by moving online.

Two years later, the Russian military invaded Ukraine. At Microsoft, we helped move Ukraine’s critical data and technology services to our datacenters across Europe, ensuring their continued operation outside the range of cruise missile and air attacks. And like several other technology companies, we immediately helped Ukraine’s officials and citizens defend their nation from Russian cyberattacks. As a company, we provided more than $250 million of free technology and financial assistance. And we have sustained this substantial support to this day.

As Europe now launches a new “competitiveness compass,” technology will again play an indispensable role. Especially as working-age populations shrink and aging populations expand, economic growth and prosperity will depend more than ever on new technology. Productivity growth will require it. And the competitiveness of Europe’s many great industries and companies, large and small, will depend on their ability to hone their ongoing leadership in critical scientific domains and put their data to work. Across the continent, European institutions will need to harness the power of AI and the cloud.

A Strong Foundation for Europe’s AI Transition

AI is rapidly becoming what economists call a General Purpose Technology, or GPT. In contrast to single-purpose technologies, GPTs boost innovation and productivity across the entire economy. Throughout history, transformative GPTs like ironworking, electricity, machine tooling, computer chips, and software have not only driven economic growth but sparked new discoveries and inventions, changing the way we live and work.

The good news is that the foundation for Europe’s AI transition is already being laid. Industry leaders are investing tens of billions to construct state-of-the-art infrastructure to help Europe access, adopt, and innovate on the world’s most advanced cloud and AI technology. And companies like Microsoft are developing and offering innovative AI tools and vital services that are ready for use by every sector of every European economy.

As a company, we are developing and operating our AI infrastructure and platform services with a constant focus on Europe’s needs. This is one reason we announced our AI Access Principles in Barcelona a year ago. These eleven principles govern our operations and are designed to ensure that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure is accessible, open, and available on fair terms to the entire European economy.

As we’ve put these principles into practice, we’ve recognized the vital role of open-source software and AI models for European researchers, start-ups, businesses, and governments. We’ve launched the Azure AI Foundry, a platform designed to help developers build, run, and optimize AI-driven applications. The Foundry supports flexible choices and now supports more than 1,800 AI models, from OpenAI’s o3-mini to open-source models like Llama, Mistral, and others, all giving Europe the tools it needs to stay competitive in the fast-moving AI landscape. European developers can then use our Models as a Service offering to distribute their products instantly to our datacenters around the world, so customers can call on them for AI-powered applications.

We also recognize that technology innovation requires investments in people. That’s why we’re investing in our AI Skilling Initiative across Europe. We’re partnering with government, education, industry, and civil society to help bring AI skills to users, developers, and organizational leaders. Through our strategic partnerships, we have already helped to skill 2.9 million Europeans and are on track to engage 8 million people by the end of the year.

Technology Collaboration Built on Interdependence

We readily recognize that European leaders sometimes worry about becoming overly dependent on American technology. We appreciate that such questions are both natural and legitimate. We take them seriously and work hard to address them, including by understanding European values, supporting European needs, and adapting to European rules.

Along the way, we often point to a second technology dimension that too easily is overlooked. The reality is that this dependence runs both ways.

As a company, we’re pouring tens of billions of dollars of investment into acquiring land, constructing massive buildings, bringing additional electricity to the grid, and installing the world’s most advanced computing, networking, liquid cooling, and other technology.

These datacenters are not built on wheels.

Once constructed, these billions of dollars in infrastructure are permanent and subject to local laws, regulations, and governments. Time inevitably brings changes. It’s imperative as a company that we constantly remain focused on earning and sustaining our “license to operate” within each country. With datacenters, this starts with each local community and runs up to officials with EU-wide responsibilities. Our economic dependence on Europe runs deep.

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th birthday less than two months from now, we look back at more than four decades of European presence and support. As a company, we’ve seen many things change. And we ourselves have changed. We’ve put down deep roots, with employees and families in communities and countries across the continent.

But even amid constant change, one thing has been constant. Our support for Europe has been not only steady but steadfast.

MIL OSI Economics –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Inclusive Innovation: The role of AI in accessibility and neurodiversity

Source: Microsoft

Headline: Inclusive Innovation: The role of AI in accessibility and neurodiversity

When Anthony Moufarrege speaks about accessibility, his words carry the weight of lived experience. As Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at Australia Post and someone who has Cerebral Palsy as well as mild dystonia and dyslexia, Moufarrege understands that even small workplace adjustments can make a world of difference.

“There’s a common misconception that workplace adjustments need to be large or complex, but small changes can also have a profound impact for someone with a disability,” he says. “These changes can provide equal opportunities and enable them to thrive alongside their able-bodied peers.”

For example, everyone can experience the more obvious benefits of AI such as meeting recaps and the ability to ask it further questions following a call. For most, this is simply a helpful time saver – but for a person with a physical disability who has spent their entire career using speech-to-text to transcribe meeting notes from memory, the impact is much more profound.

For Moufarrege, generative AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot aren’t just productivity enhancers – they’re enablers of inclusion and empowerment.

Anthony Moufarrege, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Australia Post

“As someone with dyslexia, I find Copilot’s grammar-checking feature invaluable. It helps me ensure my work is grammatically correct, allowing me to efficiently produce professional and polished outputs,” he explains.

“I no longer have to allocate extra time following meetings to organise my notes and thoughts because I can query meeting transcripts at any time, which also reduces the mental load that neurodiverse people like myself often experience.”

Moufarrege shares how Copilot has opened communication for his colleagues who are deaf or have a hearing disability, both in virtual meetings and in-person.

“It wasn’t a use case I initially thought of but when meeting with these colleagues in person, I talk into the Copilot app on my phone and it will relay the message in text,” said Moufarrege.

Australia Post began adopting Copilot in October 2023 as part of Microsoft’s Early Access Program (EAP), which included members of its Accessibility Matters Employee Resource Group. After a successful trial, Australia Post has now expanded to 3,000 licenses.

Copilot is also now offered within Australia Post’s Workplace Adjustment program. This program ensures all team members have access to a simple and dignified process for accessing adjustments to support them in their career.

Empowering individuality and innovation

Julian Ockford is a Rail Operations Planner at professional services company GHD. As someone with dyslexia, Julian would previously labour over every word when writing things like emails or reports. Using Copilot has helped him write with more clarity and confidence, while it also learns his individual style of communication, which Julian says is valuable to ensure it is still authentic to him.

“I’m also feeling more prepared for meetings than previously because I can use AI to quickly search across all organisational content and conversations to ensure I haven’t missed anything. It helps to distil down content to manageable detail and remove the noise,” said Ockford.

“Recently I had to create a technical safety report. Instead of spending a lot of time searching through past documents – which can be overwhelming, particularly if you are neurodiverse – I used Copilot to review similar reports and summarize them into a new, simplified template. This included all the key clauses, saving me hours or even days of work, but most significantly reducing the mental load that I often experience.”

GHD’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Kaddatz says the company is focused on creating an environment that enables every employee to thrive. This includes the accessibility and neurodiversity community, as well as people who have a temporary disability – such as a shoulder operation that restricts the ability to type. Kaddatz says they have seen a clear impact for these people being able to return to work faster.

He also explains that the company has embraced a facilitation-led model rather than prescribing how tools like Copilot should be used.

“Our team includes many curious individuals, particularly scientists and engineers, who thrive on self-led exploration,” said Kaddatz. “The freedom to experiment and share their experiences creates a sense of pride and collaboration. It’s this flexibility that’s driving many of the wellbeing and accessibility benefits we’re seeing from Copilot.”

However, Principal Geotechnical Engineer at GHD, Martin Griffin, cautions that AI use shouldn’t diminish your identity at work, so that you suddenly sound like or work like everyone else.

Martin Griffin, Principal Geotechnical Engineer at GHD

“When Copilot first became available, I was cautious. As someone with autism and a disability, I consider my different way of thinking as a superpower and what’s uniquely me that I can bring to the team and to solving problems. So, this concept of trying to ‘fix it’ with AI did not sit well with me – it needs to be about enhancing what we already bring,” said Griffin.

“I am a visual thinker, so I usually start with an image or mindmap and build text around it. One use case that I’ve found interesting is using Copilot to convert PowerPoint content into Word or vice versa, while quickly shortening or lengthening so it still works with how I think.”

Putting people first

Generative AI’s potential to create more accessible and inclusive workplaces is especially critical in Australia, where there are 5.5 million people – more than 21 per cent of the population – with disability.

“The best advice I can offer is to listen to your people,” said Moufarrege. “When they have the opportunity to share their experiences and express how vital workplace adjustments are to their success, we can drive meaningful change that enables us to have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

MIL OSI Economics –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Press Release: Zion Oil & Gas Announces Renewed Operations Underway for MJ-01 Well Testing & Recompletion Project in Israel

Source: Zion Oil and Gas

Headline: Press Release: Zion Oil & Gas Announces Renewed Operations Underway for MJ-01 Well Testing & Recompletion Project in Israel

Zion Oil & Gas Announces Renewed Operations Underway for MJ-01 Well Testing & Recompletion Project in Israel

Current Unit Program Ends on February 28

DALLAS, Texas, and CAESAREA, Israel, February 18, 2025

DALLAS, Texas, and CAESAREA, Israel, February 18, 2025 – Zion Oil & Gas, Inc. (OTC: ZNOG) is pleased to announce a significant operational milestone as work resumes on the recompletion of the Megiddo-Jezreel 1 (MJ-01) well in Israel. This marks a crucial phase in Zion’s ongoing efforts to unlock Israel’s onshore energy potential.

Operations Update: Crews on the Ground and Progress Underway

Zion’s rig crew arrived in Israel on February 15, 2025, and has commenced critical maintenance and preparatory work. The rig, which was safely “warm stacked” in September, is undergoing necessary maintenance procedures, including fluid changes, lubrication and greasing, and mechanical, electrical, and safety audits to ensure peak functionality.

Following maintenance, the team will begin drilling out the temporary plug at approximately 1,100 meters. This phase is expected to take 2-3 weeks, paving the way for the subsequent well recompletion and testing operations. Once the plug is removed, Zion will proceed with setting a permanent plug at the deeper part of the well to isolate the targeted zones of interest for testing.

Global Coordination & Logistics

Zion Oil & Gas has successfully navigated complex logistical challenges to ensure the timely delivery of essential equipment. Resources are currently enroute from across the globe, including India, Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, the UAE, the United States, and Tanzania. This unprecedented international cooperation underscores the dedication and perseverance of Zion’s team and partners.

“As we move forward with this phase of operations, we are witnessing God’s provision in extraordinary ways,” said Monty Kness, VP of Operations. “The ability to coordinate a project of this scale, with equipment and expertise sourced from multiple continents, is a testament to both our team’s determination and the global support behind our mission.”

Security and Site Preparedness

Zion has maintained continuous security at the MJ-01 site, ensuring a stable and secure operational environment. Additionally, commercial air travel into Israel has steadily resumed, further supporting logistical operations.

“Our focus remains on safety, precision, and execution,” said Zion CEO Rob Dunn. “With boots on the ground and critical equipment in motion, we are committed to seeing this project through knowing God has directed our steps forward.”

Completion Timeline & Next Steps

With all necessary equipment expected to be on-site by mid-March, barring unforeseen circumstances Zion anticipates its well completion and testing operations should be nearing completion in Q2 2025. The team remains confident in its planned operations and will continue to provide updates as milestones are achieved.

Final Opportunity: Unit Program Closing February 28, 2025

Zion Oil & Gas reminds investors that the current Unit Program will close on February 28, 2025. This is the final opportunity to participate before the program concludes.

For every $250.00 UNIT purchased, investors receive:
– Common stock based on the high-low average sale price on OTCQB: ZNOG for the day of purchase (or the next trading day if purchased after 4:00 PM EST).
– 50 Warrants with an exercise price of $0.25 each.
– 50 Additional Warrants for those enrolled in Automatic Monthly Investments (AMI) at $50/month or more (one-time only).
– Warrants are exercisable for 12 months from March 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

To learn more, click HERE.

Faith & Perseverance

John Brown, Zion’s Founder and Chairman, expressed gratitude for the unwavering support from shareholders and believers in its mission. “We remain steadfast in our calling, knowing that each step forward is guided by the Lord. As we embark on this critical phase of operations, we are encouraged by His promises and the faithfulness of our supporters.”

About Zion Oil & Gas, Inc.

Zion Oil & Gas, a U.S. public company traded on OTCQB: ZNOG, is dedicated to exploring for oil and gas onshore in Israel under its Megiddo Valleys License 434 which covers approximately 75,000 acres.

For more information, visit www.zionoil.com.

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”
Eccl 7:8 NIV

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Ps 103:2-5 ESV

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Statements in this communication that are not historical fact, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Zion’s operations and the results therefrom, including testing and completion; Zion’s ability to discover and produce oil in commercial quantities; Zion’s ability to continue as a going concern; operational risks in ongoing exploration efforts; regulatory approvals needed for exploration within our license and the rig’s operation; the effect, if any, of the uncertainties associated with wars and skirmishes between Israel and other organizations and/or countries, and liquidity for shareholders on the OTC market are forward-looking statements as defined in the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that are subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unpredictable factors, many of which are described in Zion’s periodic reports filed with the SEC and are beyond Zion’s control. These risks could cause Zion’s actual performance to differ materially from the results predicted by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in Item 1A in Zion’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in Zion’s filings with the SEC. Zion can give no assurance that the expectations reflected in these statements will prove to be correct and assumes no responsibility to update these statements.

MIL OSI Economics –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. Navy Joins Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo in Indonesia

Source: United States Navy

MNEK emphasizes multilateral maritime cooperation and disaster response protocols. The exercise takes place in conjunction with the International Maritime Security Symposium (IMSS), the largest international symposium organized by the Indonesian Navy. The theme of this year’s IMSS is “Addressing Maritime Security Challenges with Technology and Cooperation.”

“I am proud of what the U.S. Pacific Fleet and our joint force can generate in terms of military power, our ability to synchronize in all domains, and do all of that with our allies and partners,” said Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, during his presentation at the IMSS. “We will continue to be a reliable maritime partner for all like-minded nations and their citizens in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. We do so with unity of purpose, and with a powerful and resolute force.”

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), as well as a P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Commander, Task Force 72, are representing U.S. Navy forces in the exercise.

The theme for this year’s MNEK is “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability.” The theme is designed to encourage multinational naval forces coordination to strengthen Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR), establish civil-military linkage, and enhance a mutual understanding and interoperability toward affected regions.

During a six-day harbor phase, the exercise will include international military workshops on infrastructure repairs and emergency medical response, as well as community outreach and cultural exchanges. That will be followed by a sea phase, during which participating ships and aircraft will conduct coordinated maneuvering and search-and-rescue training.

Komodo 2025 is the fifth iteration of the exercise, which was first held in 2014.

Dewey operates under Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed destroyer squadron and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

MIL Security OSI –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pennsylvania man sentenced for role in burglary of 55 UPS warehouses following ICE investigation

Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

CAMDEN, N.J. – The last of four Pennsylvania men who admitted their roles in a conspiracy to burglarize approximately 55 United Parcel Service warehouses was sentenced, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, announced Feb. 13.

Aboudramane Karamoko, 21, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release in Camden federal court Feb. 13. Three other defendants, all from Philadelphia, were previously sentenced. His accomplices Sekou Fofanah, 20, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release; Shamaire Brown, 19, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release; and Quamaire Brown, 19, was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release.

“Our incredible partnership with multiple agencies nationwide garnered sentencings that hold these thieves accountable for the over $1.6 million worth of merchandise they robbed from consumers,” said ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “We use every investigative tool available to safeguard the interstate and international commerce of the United States as well as our nation’s overall supply chain.”

As part of their sentences, all four defendants were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,600,157.

According to the investigation, at least as early as January 2021 through at least as recently as April 2023, Fofanah, Brown, Brown, Karamoko, and others conspired to commit burglaries of UPS facilities throughout the United States, including warehouses in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Rhode Island, among other States. The defendants gained access to the UPS facilities by breaking the windows of the loading bay doors or prying open loading bay doors. Once inside, they sought parcels marked with “lithium-ion battery” warnings, which indicated that the packages contained high-value electronic devices, such as a cell phones.

Agencies nationwide supported ICE HSI Newark in the investigation leading to the sentencings including HSI offices in Philadelphia, State College, Rhode Island. Supporting New Jersey law enforcement agencies include the New Jersey State Police and the South Brunswick Police Department. Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies who assisted include the Pennsylvania State Police, the Centre County District Attorney’s Office, the State College Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department and the Taylor Borough Police Department. New York agencies include the New York State Police, the Clarkstown Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Rhode Island’s Warwick Police Department, Michigan’s Livonia Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio’s Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and Connecticut’s Brookfield Police Department also assisted in the investigation.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: NNIT A/S: NNIT RELEASES ITS ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Annual Report 2024

2024 was the first full year as the new NNIT – an industry focused specialized IT consultancy focusing on Life Sciences internationally and the public and private sectors in Denmark. The Group continued to grow revenue organically and deliver a profit margin in line with the updated outlook for the year.

2024 key highlights
- Revenue grew by 7.1% (organic growth of 6.0%) to DKK 1,851 million. Despite facing challenges in various regions, especially in the third quarter, we ultimately achieved growth that surpassed the market overall. A strong fourth quarter, and significant wins in US and Denmark towards the end of the year hold promise of good momentum carried into 2025.
- NNIT delivered operating result before special items of DKK 117 million in line with the DKK 116 million in 2023 and resulting in a slightly lower operating profit margin before special items of 6.3% for the year which is 0.4% down as a result of lower utilization.
- Special items amounted to DKK 69 million against DKK 69 million in 2023 and is mainly related to earn-out payments and restructuring cost.
2025 outlook
- During 2025, NNIT expects organic growth to gradually improve alongside profitability.
- The Group expects to generate organic revenue growth of 7-10% through expansion of existing engagements, and partly from the onboarding of new customers.
- The operating profit margin before special items is expected to increase to 7-9% driven by several factors such as optimization of utilization and billability, recovery of the data migration business, full-year impact of the initiatives carried out during 2024 and continuously exploring further cost optimization opportunities.
- The outlook is based on assumptions where the macroeconomic environment and geopolitical uncertainty is expected to remain at the same level as in 2024. Exchange rates are expected to remain stable.
- In 2025, special items are expected to consist of earn-out payments of around DKK 20m with 2025 being the last year of such payments. Restructuring costs will also be a part of special items in 2025, however, the amount is expected to be significantly below the level of 2024.
Pär Fors, CEO of NNIT, comments:
“2024 was an eventful year where we reached several strategic milestones in becoming a pure-play IT consultancy company. Despite macroeconomic uncertainty and a moderate market slowdown in Life Sciences towards the second half of the year, we continued to grow our business organically through existing and new customers. Furthermore, we continued to strengthen our position in the Public sector in Denmark, where we won important strategic contracts. As a result, we delivered according to our latest financial outlook.”

Conference call
February 19, 2025, at 9:30 AM CET:

Webcast link

Dial in information:

DK: +45 7876 8490
SE: +46 31-311 5003
UK: +44 203 769 6819
US: +1 646-787-0157

Participant Access code: 472855

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations
Carsten Ringius
EVP & CFO
Tel: +45 3077 8888
carr@nnit.com

Media Relations
Sofie Mand Steffens
Senior Communications Consultant
Tel: +45 3077 8337
smst@nnit.com

ABOUT NNIT

NNIT is a leading provider of IT solutions to life sciences internationally, and to the public and private sectors in Denmark.

We focus on high complexity industries and thrive in environments where regulatory demands and complexity are high.

We advise on and build sustainable digital solutions that work for the patients, citizens, employees, end users or customers.

We strive to build unmatched excellence in the industries we serve, and we use our domain expertise to represent a business first approach – strongly supported by a selection of partner technologies, but always driven by business needs rather than technology.

NNIT consists of group company NNIT A/S and the subsidiary SCALES. Together, these companies employ more than 1,700 people in Europe, Asia and USA.

Attachments

The MIL Network –
February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Japan steps up funding to WFP to strengthen food security and expand agricultural exports in Malawi –

Source: World Food Programme

LILONGWE – Today the United Nations World Food Programme welcomed the generous contribution of US$ 1.75 million from the Government of Japan to address food insecurity, help vulnerable communities recover from natural disasters and enhance the local agricultural export capacity.

Japan’s Ambassador to Malawi, Yoichi Oya announced the funding at an event in Lilongwe today, alongside representatives from the Government of Malawi.

“Japan remains committed to supporting Malawi’s efforts to overcome food insecurity and foster sustainable development,” said Ambassador Oya. “By addressing immediate needs and investing in agricultural export capacity, we aim to contribute to a brighter future for Malawians.”

The funding will support national efforts to provide food assistance during the lean season, which is expected to be particularly challenging due to recent back-to-back emergencies. With this support, WFP will procure, transport, and distribute 786 metric tonnes of maize, reaching 71,000 vulnerable people. These efforts support vulnerable communities who face severe food insecurity due to consecutive climate shocks, including Tropical Cyclone Freddy (2023), and the El Niño-induced drought (2024).

“This support reflects the strong partnership between Japan and Malawi. It will provide life-saving food assistance while also helping the country build long-term food security and economic opportunities,” said Simon Denhere, WFP Malawi Country Director ad interim.

Beyond emergency relief, Japan is investing US$ 1 million to scale-up Malawi’s sesame export capacity. In partnership with WFP, the Malawi Bureau of Standards will improve certification, testing, and quarantine capabilities to meet international standards. The initiative includes training, facility upgrades, and technical collaboration to boost export opportunities for smallholder farmers.

“The Government of Malawi deeply appreciates Japan’s support in strengthening our national response to food insecurity. This timely gesture complements government’s efforts in providing much-needed relief to vulnerable communities affected by climate shocks while boosting our national food stocks,” said Reverend Charles Kalemba, Malawi’s Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs.

# # #

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

Follow us on X @wfp_media | @wfp_malawi

MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s quiet change to US position on Taiwan is all about the economy

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chee Meng Tan, Assistant Professor of Business Economics, University of Nottingham

The US state department has removed a highly symbolic phrase from its routine update on Taiwan. Its previous briefings said: “We do not support Taiwan independence.” This disappeared on February 13 2025.

That’s not all. Donald Trump’s new government also stated on the same day that it advocated a peaceful and coercion free resolution to the Sino-Taiwan issue and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. These may seem like small tweaks to previous US positions, but they are sending a big signal to China.

Beijing is concerned that the changes in the state department’s factsheet suggest that Trump’s government may be taking a stronger tack than was expected in being prepared to defend, or throw support behind, the island of Taiwan.

The issue for China is that it sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, which it believes should return to Beijing’s orbit. Many Taiwanese see it as a separate state.

China hasn’t ruled out the use of force to make Taiwan part of the republic and has even sent warplanes to defend the Taiwan Strait in the past week. China claims the waterway between the island and the mainland as its own, though this is disputed under the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.

Beijing will be concerned that Washington’s updated wording on Taiwan might mean that the US is less likely to stand idly by if China invades the island than it might have expected. But what’s also interesting is why the US is warming up to Taiwan despite how aggrieved Trump has been by how Taiwan has “stolen” the semiconductor industry from the US.

Trump’s eye on business

Given Trump’s transactional, or business-first approach, towards politics, it is hardly surprising that Washington’s updated statement of support on Taiwan’s independence may be aimed towards enhancing US rather than Taiwanese interests.

Many in Trump’s second cabinet such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are China hawks who view Beijing as a national security threat and advocate a more aggressive stance towards China. One major US concern is China’s growing influence in Asia, which challenges US influence within the region.

Trump announces more tariffs on China in his first weeks in office.

While Washington still appears to tip its hat towards a one-China policy, its updated statement on Taiwanese independence suggests that the US might adopt an aggressive approach to any move by Beijing. The US’s watching brief on the China-Taiwan conflict will mean Beijing will have to think hard before taking any measures towards reclaiming the island right now.

A weakened Beijing?

China’s president, Xi Jinping, had hoped to win international hearts and minds through the Belt and Road Initiative, its global trade plan to build an international network of countries receiving Chinese investment. But as China’s own economy is weakened by a real estate crisis that started in 2021, the aim of showing Xi’s success through economic means is not working out as hoped.

The other avenue for Xi to enhance his reputation as leader is to bring Taiwan back into the Chinese fold. Since the Chinese Communist party came to power in 1949, various Chinese leaders have made reunification with Taiwan a long-term goal. So, if Xi could return Taiwan to China, he could be hailed domestically as one of the greatest leaders the country has ever seen.

If China’s plan to reunify with Taiwan was already a major challenge, Washington’s altered stance on Taiwan independence and overt opposition towards coercion or the use of force makes this task even more difficult for Beijing. This could weaken Xi’s image and undermine his rule further (and may of course be part of Trump’s agenda).

Prepped for the negotiation table

The US and China had spent years in trade negotiations before US tariffs were imposed on China during Trump’s first term, culminating in the phase one deal in January 2020. Trump has already announced an extra 10% of tariffs on Chinese goods in his first month in office.

It is plausible that these statements on Taiwan are aimed at enhancing Washington’s bargaining power in the burgeoning China-US trade war.

In 2016, Trump accused China of “raping” the US with unfair trade policies, and imposed tariffs of up to 25% on Chinese goods coming into the US. During his 2024 presidential campaign trail, Trump went as far as to suggests that tariffs on Chinese goods could go as high as 60%.

Higher tariffs are bad news for China since the country relies heavily on exports for economic growth, especially on high tech “new three” products – electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar panels – to recover its ailing economy.

However, if Beijing is forced to retreat from Taiwan, Xi might have to fall back heavily on the economy to maintain political legitimacy. When that happens, Beijing could be forced to offer concessions to the Americans, such as buying more US products, and to address how subsidies are used to aid Chinese firms to the detriment of US businesses in China.

Overall, it’s likely that someone on Trump’s team has thought about all the implications of tweaking its Taiwan stance, and sees it as working out well for the US economy and, potentially, the Trump government overall. Taiwan is just a pawn in the game.

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

– ref. Trump’s quiet change to US position on Taiwan is all about the economy – https://theconversation.com/trumps-quiet-change-to-us-position-on-taiwan-is-all-about-the-economy-250106

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announces departure of U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BILLINGS — The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana today announced the departure of U. S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, effective yesterday.

Mr. Laslovich has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District of Montana since being sworn into office on June 2, 2022. President Joe Biden nominated Mr. Laslovich for the position on Jan. 31, 2022, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on May 17, 2022.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Laslovich oversaw all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation on behalf of the U.S. government. The district has offices in Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, and Billings.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve as the United States Attorney for the state that raised me. I am profoundly grateful to the talented and hard-working people in this office, as well as our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners who strive every day to uphold the rule of law, keep people safe, and steadfastly defend the interests of the United States of America. I have never been prouder to have served with them, and I will always be rooting hard for their continued safety and success,” Mr. Laslovich said.

During Mr. Laslovich’s tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on prosecuting drug trafficking and violent and sexual abuse crimes occurring on Montana’s six Indian Reservations that are within federal jurisdiction for major crimes; building strong partnerships with other federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement agencies; addressing violent and firearms crimes in communities across the state through initiatives like Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF); and protecting civil rights for all Montanans. The office continued its work to protect children from online and in person sexual predators, abusers, and traffickers, and to catch fraudsters, especially those who prey on elderly and vulnerable persons.

Mr. Laslovich also emphasized the importance of strong working relationships with numerous law enforcement agencies at the local, state, tribal and federal levels. Mr. Laslovich and office representatives met regularly with tribal leadership to discuss various issues. The office also worked closely with other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners and organizations to strengthen trust, communications, and cooperation in working toward the shared goal of keeping people safe and holding offenders accountable.

In Indian Country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked with tribal and federal law enforcement partners to shut down trafficking rings attempting to set up bases on Montana reservations and enlist residents to distribute drugs transported from outside Montana. One of those cases involved dismantling a large, multi-state drug trafficking organization that was based on Crow Indian Reservation property known as Spear Siding and distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl to three other Montana Indian reservations and communities from suppliers in Washington and a Mexican cartel. The case resulted in federal convictions in Montana of 27 persons and was one of the largest federal drug trafficking investigations in Montana.

Additionally, a recent six-month-long enforcement initiative led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Reservation, led to indictments of multiple individuals on drug crimes. The enforcement action was aimed at identifying hot spots and devoting law enforcement resources to communities facing rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths.

During the last three years, federal prosecutors remained committed to making communities across Montana safer by identifying and prosecuting the most dangerous offenders through initiatives like PSN and OCDETF. In Great Falls, a multi-agency investigation into a large fentanyl trafficking ring led to a coordinated take down of suspects and convictions of 10 individuals.

During Mr. Laslovich’s tenure, prosecutions of individuals on federal firearms crimes increased significantly. The average number of defendants charged with illegal possession of a firearm averaged 111 cases a year from 2022 through 2024, compared with an average of 83 cases per year from 2014 to 2021. And the number of defendants charged with carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence or drug trafficking also increased to an average of 56 cases a year from 2022 to 2024 from an average of 40 cases per year from 2014 to 2021.

Additionally, Mr. Laslovich oversaw the launch in Montana of United Against Hate, a Justice Department initiative focused on improving the prevention of hate crimes and hate incidents by building relationships at the local level. Laslovich and the office’s civil rights coordinator and prosecutor held a series of community meetings across the state with law enforcement partners, community and faith organizations, tribal communities, and citizens to discuss identifying and reporting hate crimes and to learn about available resources. Further, the office successfully prosecuted a Basin man on federal hate and firearms crimes after he fired an AK-style assault rifle at the residence of a woman, who identified as lesbian, and was home at the time. The defendant was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The office’s civil team continued its work defending the United States in litigation, collecting debts owed to the federal government, and investigating fraud. As part of that work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reached a civil settlement agreement in 2024 between the federal government and St. Peter’s Health, in Helena, in which St. Peter’s agreed to pay $10,844,201 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payments to federal health care programs for services performed by an oncology doctor.

Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, Mr. Laslovich served as regional vice president for SCL Health Montana-Wyoming since 2017. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. Laslovich was chief legal counsel in the office of the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, where he prosecuted securities fraud cases. During 2011 and 2012, Laslovich also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney on securities cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. He previously worked in the Montana Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Laslovich began his legal career at Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C. in Missoula and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Montana School of Law for two semesters.

As one of the youngest Montanans ever elected to the Montana Legislature, Mr. Laslovich first served in the House of Representatives from 2001 through 2004 and then in the Senate from 2005 to 2010, representing Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Granite, and Powell counties.

Mr. Laslovich received his J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law in 2006 and his B.A., with high honors, from the University of Montana in 2003.

XXX

MIL Security OSI –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Farmer confidence jumps to 10-year high

Source: Federated Farmers

Farmer confidence has risen to its highest level in over a decade, rebounding from record lows in recent years.

Federated Farmers’ latest Farm Confidence Survey shows falling interest rates, rising incomes and more favourable farming rules have all played a major role in that improvement.

“I’ve definitely noticed a significant shift in the mood of rural New Zealand. Farmers are feeling a lot more positive,” Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.

“The last few years have been bloody tough for a lot of our farming families, with falling incomes, rising interest rates and unpaid bills starting to pile up on the kitchen bench.

“At the same time, we’ve also been struggling with an incredibly challenging regulatory environment and farming rules that haven’t always been practical, affordable or fair.

“These survey results paint a clear picture of a sector finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as some of that weight is lifted.”

The January survey shows farmers’ confidence in current general economic conditions has surged from a deeply negative -66% in July 2024 to a net positive score of 2%.

This marks the largest one-off improvement since the question was introduced in 2016.

Meanwhile, a net 23% of farmers now expect better economic conditions over the next year – the highest confidence level since January 2014.

There has also been a sharp lift in profitability, with 54% of farmers now reporting making a profit – double the number in the last survey six months ago.

Langford says it’s important to note that, despite confidence being at its highest point in more than a decade, it’s still only just in the positive.

“It’s been a remarkable recovery in farmer confidence over a short period of time, but I’m very conscious that we were coming off an extremely low base.

“We’ve come a long way, but there’s a long way to go yet. Federated Farmers will keep pushing hard to cut costs out of farmers’ businesses and reduce some of that regulatory burden.”

The survey results show regulation and compliance costs remains the greatest concern for farmers, followed by interest rates and banks, and input costs.

“When it comes to farmer confidence, a lot of it comes down to what’s coming into our bank account, and what’s going out the other side. It’s a simple equation,” Langford says.

“A lot of that is market driven, and farmers are used to riding those highs and lows, but Government rules and regulations have a significant impact on farmers’ costs.

“Those compliance costs really can make or break your season and have a significant impact on a farmer’s confidence to keep investing in their business.

“The Government have made a great start cutting through red tape for farmers and repealing a lot of the most unworkable rules, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Interest rates and banking issues have consistently been a top concern for farmers, which is why Federated Farmers fought so hard for a banking inquiry, Langford says.

“Interest payments are a huge cost for most farming businesses and farmers have been under massive pressure from their banks in recent years.

“We want to see the Government take a much closer look at our banking system and whether farmers are getting a fair deal from their lenders.”

The survey shows farmers’ highest priorities for the Government are the economy and business environment, fiscal policy, and reducing regulatory burdens.

“If the Government are serious about their ambitious growth agenda and doubling exports over the next decade, this is where they need to be focusing their energy,” Langford says.

“For farmers to have the confidence to invest in our businesses, employ more staff, and grow our economy, we need to have confidence in our direction of travel as a nation too.

“As a country, we’re never going be able to regulate our way to prosperity, but with the right policy settings, we might just be able to farm our way there.”

The report’s key findings include:

– General economic conditions (current): Farmer confidence has surged by 68 points since July 2024, rebounding from a deeply negative -66% to a net positive score of 2%. This marks the largest one-off improvement since the question was introduced in 2016.

– General economic conditions (expectations): Optimism is rising, with net expectations increasing by 29 points since January 2024. A net 23% of farmers now anticipate better conditions over the next year-the highest confidence level seen since January 2014.

– Farm profitability (current): The number of farmers making a profit has doubled since the last survey, with 54% of farmers now reporting a profit-up from just 27%. The net profitability score has surged by 60 points, the strongest turnaround since July 2022.

– Farm profitability (expectations): Confidence in future profitability continues to climb, with a net 31% of farmers expecting improvement over the next 12 months-a 41-point increase since July 2024. This is the highest forward-looking profitability score since July 2017.

– Farm production (expectations): A net 16% of farmers expect production to increase in the next year, extending a positive trend. This marks the first time since 2016/17 that there have been three consecutive periods of predicted growth.

– Farm spending (expectations): Spending intentions have strengthened, with a net 23% of farmers planning to increase spending over the next 12 months-up 26 points from July 2024. This is the strongest expected rise since January 2023.

– Farm debt (expectations): 41% of farmers plan to reduce their debt in the next year, up from 23% in July 2024. Lower interest rates, improved confidence, and stronger production forecasts are driving this shift.

– Ability to recruit (experienced): Hiring challenges persist, with a net 16% of respondents reporting difficulty recruiting skilled staff in the past six months, largely unchanged from July 2024. However, this is the least difficult period for recruitment since July 2012.

– Greatest concerns (current): The top concerns for farmers remain Regulation & Compliance Costs, Debt, Interest & Banks, and Input Costs.

– Highest government priorities: Farmers want the Government to prioritise the Economy & Business Environment, Fiscal Policy, and reducing Regulatory Burdens.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Korea-Malaysia summit (November 2024)
Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

Korea-Latvia summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 28 hosted a summit at his office for visiting Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on raising bilateral cooperation and analyzing regional and international situations.

Both leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in sectors such as bio and pharmaceuticals, national security and the defense industry.

Korea-Malaysia summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 25 hosted summit talks in Seoul with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was on an official visit to Korea, and adopted a joint statement on their newly formed strategic partnership.

Both leaders welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement this year and agreed to accelerate efforts to conclude the deal next year. They also pledged to raise cooperation in infrastructure and supply chains for core minerals.
Korea-Peru summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Nov. 16 held a bilateral summit at the Presidential Palace in Lima, Peru, and agreed to bolster cooperation in the defense sector and infrastructure.
The two countries concluded memorandums of understanding on joint production of KF-21 fighter jet parts, development of naval ships (submarines) and cooperation in army ground equipment.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visits to Peru, Brazil for APEC, G20
Korea-ASEAN summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 10 attended the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane, Laos, where he and ASEAN leaders agreed to form a comprehensive strategic partnership and launch joint projects in a range of sectors.

They also agreed to stimulate trade and investment through a bilateral free trade agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, while creating a “conducive and favourable environment” for ASEAN and Korean business such as the ASEAN-ROK (Republic of Korea) Business Council.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Japan summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 10 held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at a hotel in Vientiane, Laos, their first talks since the prime minister assumed office on Sept. 1.

Both leaders agreed on the growing need to raise bilateral cooperation in regional and global issues and expand the horizons for such collaboration on the global stage.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Philippines summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a state visit to the Philippines, on Oct. 7 agreed with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to form a bilateral strategic partnership at their summit held at the presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila.

Both leaders also adopted a joint declaration on higher cooperation in all sectors including national security and economy like nuclear power plants.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Czechia summit (September 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sept. 19 discussed with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague cooperation in strategic sectors including nuclear power plants. Both leaders also shared opinions on developing their bilateral strategic partnership.

Korea-New Zealand summit (September 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sept. 4 at their bilateral summit adopted a joint statement on stronger bilateral relations in trade, economy, science, human exchange, national security and international cooperation.

Both leaders also agreed to elevate their Partnership for the 21st Century concluded in 2006 to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Korea-Germany summit (July 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on July 10 in Washington held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.
President Yoon said he hopes to work more closely with Germany on global issues such as support for Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and the climate crisis. He also hailed Germany’s application to join the United Nations Command.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s US visit for NATO Summit
Korea-Japan summit (July 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on July 10 in Washington held bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.
President Yoon said, “The recent signing by Russia and North Korea of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty and their accelerated closeness in military and economic ties are raising serious concern over global security as well as that of East Asia.”
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s US visit for NATO Summit
MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Korea-Latvia summit (November 2024)
Source: Government of the Republic of Korea

Korea-Latvia summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 28 hosted a summit at his office for visiting Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on raising bilateral cooperation and analyzing regional and international situations.

Both leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in sectors such as bio and pharmaceuticals, national security and the defense industry.

Korea-Malaysia summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 25 hosted summit talks in Seoul with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was on an official visit to Korea, and adopted a joint statement on their newly formed strategic partnership.

Both leaders welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement this year and agreed to accelerate efforts to conclude the deal next year. They also pledged to raise cooperation in infrastructure and supply chains for core minerals.
Korea-Peru summit (November 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Nov. 16 held a bilateral summit at the Presidential Palace in Lima, Peru, and agreed to bolster cooperation in the defense sector and infrastructure.
The two countries concluded memorandums of understanding on joint production of KF-21 fighter jet parts, development of naval ships (submarines) and cooperation in army ground equipment.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visits to Peru, Brazil for APEC, G20
Korea-ASEAN summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 10 attended the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane, Laos, where he and ASEAN leaders agreed to form a comprehensive strategic partnership and launch joint projects in a range of sectors.

They also agreed to stimulate trade and investment through a bilateral free trade agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, while creating a “conducive and favourable environment” for ASEAN and Korean business such as the ASEAN-ROK (Republic of Korea) Business Council.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Japan summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 10 held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at a hotel in Vientiane, Laos, their first talks since the prime minister assumed office on Sept. 1.

Both leaders agreed on the growing need to raise bilateral cooperation in regional and global issues and expand the horizons for such collaboration on the global stage.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Philippines summit (October 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a state visit to the Philippines, on Oct. 7 agreed with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to form a bilateral strategic partnership at their summit held at the presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila.

Both leaders also adopted a joint declaration on higher cooperation in all sectors including national security and economy like nuclear power plants.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s visit to 3 Asian nations
Korea-Czechia summit (September 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sept. 19 discussed with Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague cooperation in strategic sectors including nuclear power plants. Both leaders also shared opinions on developing their bilateral strategic partnership.

Korea-New Zealand summit (September 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sept. 4 at their bilateral summit adopted a joint statement on stronger bilateral relations in trade, economy, science, human exchange, national security and international cooperation.

Both leaders also agreed to elevate their Partnership for the 21st Century concluded in 2006 to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Korea-Germany summit (July 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on July 10 in Washington held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.
President Yoon said he hopes to work more closely with Germany on global issues such as support for Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and the climate crisis. He also hailed Germany’s application to join the United Nations Command.
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s US visit for NATO Summit
Korea-Japan summit (July 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on July 10 in Washington held bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.
President Yoon said, “The recent signing by Russia and North Korea of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty and their accelerated closeness in military and economic ties are raising serious concern over global security as well as that of East Asia.”
- Current Affairs President Yoon’s US visit for NATO Summit
MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/PAKISTAN – Jubilee Year: in the diocese of Multan there is hope for education

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Tuesday, 18 February 2025 jubilee

Multan Diocese – Catholcs Pakistan

Multan (Agenzia Fides) – Among the Catholic population of southern Punjab, in the diocese of Multan, the hope that is nurtured in the Jubilee Year is to have concrete educational opportunities, says Father Jamshed Gill (OP), for many years director of the Pastoral Institute of Multan and now General Councilor for the Asia-Pacific Region of the Dominican Order, to Fides. In one of the largest cities in Pakistan, with more than 1.2 million inhabitants, about half of the more than 80,000 Catholics are destitute and live in the countryside or are among the “poor” who live in the slums on the outskirts of the city. In January, the Catholic community celebrated the solemn inauguration of the Holy Year in the Cathedral of Multan: “It is a Jubilee Year of personal renewal and faith,” said Bishop Yousef Sohan. The presence of many young people and students from the diocese’s schools at the celebration drew particular attention to education. “To restore hope to people and thus opportunities for development and growth, the first step is to work in the field of education,” explained Father Gill, recalling that “the diocese is doing its best to support Catholic schools in the city and in rural villages, but the lack of resources limits the possibilities,” he noted. The Dominicans run a school and a boarding school in Bahawalpur, which is part of the diocese. “But many families cannot afford the fees, even though they are low, so the children are not sent to school,” he reports. There are also boarding schools that charge higher fees, which is why in this case “only middle-class families, almost exclusively Muslims, benefit from these schools.” The disadvantaged are therefore “precisely the poorest Christian families, unable to break out of the vicious circle of economic and also educational poverty,” the religious observes. The pastoral plan of the diocese, launched by the new bishop, states that he will give priority to the education of Catholics. Bishop Sohan, who took office two years ago, wants to strengthen the school sector by opening more schools and supporting and improving existing ones. The diocese directly runs 27 schools that provide education to thousands of children and young people in urban and rural areas. “In the Jubilee Year, special attention will be paid to this commitment: to make hope a reality in people’s lives, the whole community can try to do more in this area and the faithful, the poorest and most marginalized, will welcome it and recognize it as a gift from the Lord,” he concludes. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 18/2/2024)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

February 19, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: Launch of the RBIDATA Mobile App by RBI

Source: Reserve Bank of India

Today, the Reserve Bank of India launched RBIDATA, a Mobile App, that offers macroeconomic and financial statistics relating to the Indian economy in a user-friendly and visually engaging format.

The key features of the app include:

Access to over 11,000 different series of economic data to give a comprehensive view of the Indian economy.
Users can view time series data in graphs/charts and download data for analysis.
The app includes details such as data source, unit of measurement, frequency, recent updates. Additional notes are also provided to help users understand the graphs/charts better.
The ‘Popular Reports’ section features a series of frequently viewed reports.
‘Search’ option allows users to access data directly from home screen, without the need to navigate various sections or publications.
The ‘Banking Outlet’ section helps users find banking facilities within 20 km of their location.
Users can access data about SAARC countries through the ‘SAARC Finance’ link in the app.

This app offers quick access to the Database on the Indian Economy (DBIE – https://data.rbi.org.in) portal and aims to serve the researchers, students, and the general public. It is available for both iOS and Android users (version 12 and above). The app also lets users provide feedback to improve its functionality.

(Puneet Pancholy)
Chief General Manager

Press Release: 2024-2025/2193

MIL OSI Economics –

February 19, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: Construction on the New La Ronge Long Term Care Home Reaches Halfway Mark

Source: Government of Canada regional news

Released on February 18, 2025

The Government of Saskatchewan announced today that construction on the new La Ronge Long-Term Care Home has reached 50 per cent completion.

Construction activities currently underway include completion of building envelope including glazing, interior partition walls, masonry brick installation, electrical and mechanical rough-ins, roof insulation and membrane and interior steel wall layout.

“It is wonderful to see the progress being made on the new long-term care home in La Ronge,” Minister Responsible for Seniors Lori Carr said. “When complete, the new space will ensure seniors and other residents of the north can receive long-term care that meets their needs closer to home and their families.”

The new three-story facility will consist of 80 private rooms with bathrooms, increasing capacity by 64 beds from the current space in the health centre. The home will also feature shared living areas, family rooms, a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, a serenity room and traditional healing space.

“We are very pleased to announce this project reaching 50 per cent completion,” SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit said. “This progress further highlights our commitment to create critical infrastructure that supports the needs of families in northern Saskatchewan. Together, we are building stronger communities that will serve generations to come.”

The new long-term care home will be owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

“We are thrilled to see the continued momentum of this new long-term care home project,” said Andrew McLetchie, Vice President, Integrated Northern Health, Saskatchewan Health Authority. “The SHA is committed to safe, quality care as close to home as possible. With significantly more capacity and amenities than the current facility, this new home will deliver on that commitment to residents of the La Ronge area.”

The Government has committed approximately $100 million to the project. The La Ronge and Area Long-Term Care Funding Committee is working to raise funds to purchase furniture, fixtures and equipment.

“The La Ronge and Area Long-Term Care Fundraising Committee is proud to partner with the SHA to ensure the new facility is fully equipped to meet residents’ needs,” Fundraising Coordinator Jacob Page said. “Through community support, we are raising funds for the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that will make this space welcoming, functional, and culturally inclusive for those who will call it home.”

Ledcor Construction Limited (Ledcor) began construction on the facility in July 2023 and it is expected to be substantially completed by early 2027.

“Ledcor is proud to be working on the new La Ronge Long Term Care facility,” Regional Manager Laird Ritchie said. “This project is an opportunity to enhance the community by creating an inspiring and functional space that will benefit future generations. We are thrilled to have reached the 50 per cent completion milestone and look forward to continuing to apply our expertise to ensure the project’s successful completion and lasting impact. The project team has actively engaged with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), the local band, and the town during the recruitment process. Our commitment to using local trades and suppliers has been warmly welcomed.”

Once residents can be moved into the new home, the current LTC space in the health centre will be renovated to improve program areas including therapies and add an adult day program and new hemodialysis unit.

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For more information, contact:

MIL OSI Canada News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Quantum effects make distant objects move together: new research finds this may happen with ripples in space

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Partha Nandi, Postdoc Fellow, Stellenbosch University

Galaxies, planets, black holes: to most people, everything about our Universe sounds and feels enormous. But while it’s true that much of what happens millions of light years away is large, there are also processes happening at the quantum end of the scale. That’s the branch of science which explains how nature works at very small scales – smaller than atoms. At this level, things behave in surprising ways.

Theoretical physicists Partha Nandi and Bibhas Ranjan Majhi explored the possibility that gravitational waves – ripples in space caused by massive objects moving or colliding – might exhibit quantum properties. They shared their findings with The Conversation Africa.

What are gravitational waves?

Simply put, they’re like tiny ripples in space, similar to the waves you see when you splash water. They occur when really heavy things in space, like stars or black holes, move around or crash into each other. These ripples then travel across space and carry energy.

They’re also far more than that: they are a method of communication. They carry information about massive cosmic events, helping scientists to “listen” to space in a way that wasn’t possible before their existence was confirmed.

In 1916 the legendary theoretical physicist Albert Einstein published a groundbreaking paper that laid out his theory of general relativity. He described gravity not as a force, but as the bending of space and time caused by massive objects. This bending affects how objects move, just like a heavy ball placed on a stretched rubber sheet makes smaller objects roll toward it.

Einstein accurately predicted the motion of planets, black holes, and even how light bends around massive objects – and the existence of gravitational waves rippling in space-time when those massive objects move or collide.

Read more: Curious Kids: what are gravitational waves?

It took nearly 100 years for Einstein’s hypothesis about gravitational waves to be confirmed. That’s when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US detected these waves for the first time. It took such a long time because despite how huge they sound, gravitational waves are minute: they stretch or squeeze space by a factor 1,000 times smaller than the size of an atom. Special tools were needed to spot them and LIGO’s cutting-edge technology was up to the task.

You argue that some gravitational waves are quantum in nature. What does that mean?

“Quantum” is the branch of science that explains how nature works at very small scales – smaller than atoms. At this level, things behave in surprising ways.

For instance, tiny particles can behave like waves. They can also exist in more than one state at the same time, which is called superposition. Additionally, they can be mysteriously linked so that a change in one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. This is called entanglement.

Read more: Quantum entanglement: what it is, and why physicists want to harness it

Photons are a good example. These are particles of light, and scientists have proved that they behave in these “quantum” ways, such as being able to exist in superposition or becoming entangled with each other.

Entanglement is a kind of connection but it’s much deeper than a simple link. When two objects are entangled, they share something called a quantum state. This describes everything about a particle or system. It’s like a blueprint, but instead of fixed details, it gives the chance of finding the particle under different conditions, such as its position or speed.

When two objects share a quantum state, their behaviour becomes mysteriously linked. If you measure one object, the state of the other will immediately adjust to match, no matter how far apart they are. This is what makes entanglement so special and unlike anything we see in the everyday world.

What did your research reveal?

We hypothesised that gravitational waves could have both classical and quantum properties. The ones detected by LIGO so far follow classical behaviour, matching Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

But the current LIGO detectors aren’t sensitive enough to detect quantum effects, and there’s been no way to know whether our hypothesis is correct. So we modelled a detector similar to the latest generation of LIGO, which has mirrors attached to arms that can move and vibrate.

Classical gravitational waves cause the mirrors to move in specific ways, but in our study quantum gravitational waves – tiny ripples caused by particles called “gravitons” – affected the mirrors differently. They can make the mirrors’ oscillation modes become entangled: parts of the motion move together in ways that classical waves cannot create.

To visualise this, imagine two wind chimes far apart, swaying in sync because of an invisible breeze. Here, the quantum gravitational waves are like that breeze. They make distant objects move together in a way that classical gravitational waves cannot.

This suggests that at very small scales, gravitational waves may show quantum features, like entanglement, which can’t be explained classically. We’re not suggesting that all gravitational waves are quantum. However, this does not imply that all gravitational waves are quantum in nature. Instead, those originating from the early universe, approximately 13.8 billion years ago, may carry quantum signatures. These types of gravitational waves may encode information about the early universe, especially around the time of the Big Bang, and how they may have changed over time.

Why is this an important finding?

Confirming the quantum nature of gravitational waves bridges Einstein’s relativity with quantum mechanics, solving a puzzle that has challenged physics for decades: the difficulty of reconciling the principles of general relativity, which describes gravity on a large scale, with the laws of quantum mechanics, which govern the behaviour of particles at the smallest scales.

This breakthrough could revolutionise our understanding of the universe. The quantum nature of gravitational waves could help advanced sensors detect faint cosmic signals and provide insights into the universe’s origins, black hole behaviour, and the fabric of reality. While LIGO has already made great progress in measuring gravitational waves, exploring their quantum side opens up a new field of physics.

Read more: Gravitational waves: will the global south provide the next pulse of gravity research?

It’s important to note that more research will be needed to test and replicate our findings in different experimental settings. We’re far from the only people studying these phenomena and we hope our findings will strengthen the efforts of South African institutions such as the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) and the Astrophysics Research Group at Stellenbosch University which contribute to gravitational wave astrophysics through data analysis, collaboration and theoretical work.

Advances in technology will also play a key role in expanding quantum gravitational wave research opportunities. The LIGO-India observatory, due to become operational by 2030, will be one such possible experimental setting.

– Quantum effects make distant objects move together: new research finds this may happen with ripples in space
– https://theconversation.com/quantum-effects-make-distant-objects-move-together-new-research-finds-this-may-happen-with-ripples-in-space-245050

MIL OSI Africa –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Coffee, tea and cocoa costs see global food import bill soaring past $2 trillion

Source: United Nations 4

14 November 2024 Economic Development

The global food import bill is projected to exceed $2 trillion in 2024 – fuelled by the rising cost of everyone’s favourite hot drinks – according to the latest Food Outlook released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday.

The biannual report, which focuses on developments affecting global food and animal feed markets, highlights that higher costs for cocoa, coffee, and tea are driving the increase, while disparities in import bills persist across income levels.

Cocoa prices have soared nearly four times their ten-year average earlier this year, coffee prices have almost doubled, and tea prices are 15 per cent above long-term levels.

Together, these commodities are responsible for over half of the projected increase in global food import expenditures, which FAO economists anticipate will rise by nearly 23 per cent in 2024.

National disparities

While high-income countries, which make up two-thirds of the global food import bill, will see a 4.4 per cent increase, import expenditures for middle and low-income countries are expected to decline.

Lower-income countries may find some relief in reduced cereal and oilseed costs, although their per capita food intake for wheat and coarse grains is projected to decline, contrasting with an anticipated 1.5 per cent increase in rice consumption.

FAO emphasises the crucial role food exports play in supporting many economies.

For instance, coffee export earnings cover nearly 40 per cent of food import costs in Burundi and Ethiopia, while Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa exports entirely offset its food import bill. Similarly, tea exports account for more than half of Sri Lanka’s import costs.

Mixed forecast

FAO’s forecasts reveal a mixed picture for global food production and trade.

Wheat and coarse grain output is expected to decrease but remain above consumption levels, while rice production is set for a record-breaking harvest in 2024/25 which could enable an increase in global rice consumption, reserves and international trade.

Production of meat and dairy is forecast to grow modestly while global fisheries output is expected to expand by 2.2 per cent, fuelled by aquaculture.

Meanwhile, vegetable oils’ consumption may outpace production for the second consecutive season, leading to stock drawdowns.

The report cautions that extreme weather, geopolitical tensions, and policy changes could destabilise production systems, further straining global food security.

Olive oil prices spike alongside climate stress

A special focus on olive oil details price spikes due to climate-related production declines.

IFAD

Compost made from a mixture of pine trees empty cones and cow dung helps olive trees grow in a sustainable way.

In Spain, wholesale prices for cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil reached nearly $10,000 per tonne in January 2024, almost triple their 2022 levels.

High temperatures, which force olive trees to conserve water for core functions instead of producing fruit, led to a nearly 50 per cent production cut for two years in a row.

Although Spain’s next harvest is expected to surpass the 10-year average, high prices may constrain global consumption.

Producers ought to consider more sustainable water and soil management practices, the report notes.

Given the great potential for expansion in olive oil exports, governments might offer support to olive growers, such as insurance schemes and measures to control the spread of diseases, said FAO Economist Di Yang.

Cheaper fertiliser…mostly

The report also highlights a 50 per cent drop in fertiliser prices since their 2022 peak, thanks to falling natural gas prices and reduced trade barriers.

FAO Economist Maria Antip noted however that phosphate fertilisers have resisted this trend, with ongoing trade barriers and geopolitical tensions posing risks to future supplies, particularly in Latin America and Asia.

Additionally, the report underscores the potential of low-carbon ammonia, a key component of nitrogen-based fertilisers, as a sustainable alternative.

However, while using renewable energy instead of natural gas is viable and investments to do so are underway, scaling up production will require targeted incentives to offset higher manufacturing costs and encourage adoption among farmers.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Quantum effects make distant objects move together: new research finds this may happen with ripples in space

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Partha Nandi, Postdoc Fellow, Stellenbosch University

An illustration of two black holes orbiting each other. Eventually they will merge, producing gravitational waves. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Galaxies, planets, black holes: to most people, everything about our Universe sounds and feels enormous. But while it’s true that much of what happens millions of light years away is large, there are also processes happening at the quantum end of the scale. That’s the branch of science which explains how nature works at very small scales – smaller than atoms. At this level, things behave in surprising ways.

Theoretical physicists Partha Nandi and Bibhas Ranjan Majhi explored the possibility that gravitational waves – ripples in space caused by massive objects moving or colliding – might exhibit quantum properties. They shared their findings with The Conversation Africa.

What are gravitational waves?

Simply put, they’re like tiny ripples in space, similar to the waves you see when you splash water. They occur when really heavy things in space, like stars or black holes, move around or crash into each other. These ripples then travel across space and carry energy.

They’re also far more than that: they are a method of communication. They carry information about massive cosmic events, helping scientists to “listen” to space in a way that wasn’t possible before their existence was confirmed.

In 1916 the legendary theoretical physicist Albert Einstein published a groundbreaking paper that laid out his theory of general relativity. He described gravity not as a force, but as the bending of space and time caused by massive objects. This bending affects how objects move, just like a heavy ball placed on a stretched rubber sheet makes smaller objects roll toward it.

Einstein accurately predicted the motion of planets, black holes, and even how light bends around massive objects – and the existence of gravitational waves rippling in space-time when those massive objects move or collide.

Read more:
Curious Kids: what are gravitational waves?

It took nearly 100 years for Einstein’s hypothesis about gravitational waves to be confirmed. That’s when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US detected these waves for the first time. It took such a long time because despite how huge they sound, gravitational waves are minute: they stretch or squeeze space by a factor 1,000 times smaller than the size of an atom. Special tools were needed to spot them and LIGO’s cutting-edge technology was up to the task.

You argue that some gravitational waves are quantum in nature. What does that mean?

“Quantum” is the branch of science that explains how nature works at very small scales – smaller than atoms. At this level, things behave in surprising ways.

For instance, tiny particles can behave like waves. They can also exist in more than one state at the same time, which is called superposition. Additionally, they can be mysteriously linked so that a change in one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. This is called entanglement.

Read more:
Quantum entanglement: what it is, and why physicists want to harness it

Photons are a good example. These are particles of light, and scientists have proved that they behave in these “quantum” ways, such as being able to exist in superposition or becoming entangled with each other.

Entanglement is a kind of connection but it’s much deeper than a simple link. When two objects are entangled, they share something called a quantum state. This describes everything about a particle or system. It’s like a blueprint, but instead of fixed details, it gives the chance of finding the particle under different conditions, such as its position or speed.

When two objects share a quantum state, their behaviour becomes mysteriously linked. If you measure one object, the state of the other will immediately adjust to match, no matter how far apart they are. This is what makes entanglement so special and unlike anything we see in the everyday world.

What did your research reveal?

We hypothesised that gravitational waves could have both classical and quantum properties. The ones detected by LIGO so far follow classical behaviour, matching Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

But the current LIGO detectors aren’t sensitive enough to detect quantum effects, and there’s been no way to know whether our hypothesis is correct. So we modelled a detector similar to the latest generation of LIGO, which has mirrors attached to arms that can move and vibrate.

Classical gravitational waves cause the mirrors to move in specific ways, but in our study quantum gravitational waves – tiny ripples caused by particles called “gravitons” – affected the mirrors differently. They can make the mirrors’ oscillation modes become entangled: parts of the motion move together in ways that classical waves cannot create.

To visualise this, imagine two wind chimes far apart, swaying in sync because of an invisible breeze. Here, the quantum gravitational waves are like that breeze. They make distant objects move together in a way that classical gravitational waves cannot.

This suggests that at very small scales, gravitational waves may show quantum features, like entanglement, which can’t be explained classically. We’re not suggesting that all gravitational waves are quantum. However, this does not imply that all gravitational waves are quantum in nature. Instead, those originating from the early universe, approximately 13.8 billion years ago, may carry quantum signatures. These types of gravitational waves may encode information about the early universe, especially around the time of the Big Bang, and how they may have changed over time.

Why is this an important finding?

Confirming the quantum nature of gravitational waves bridges Einstein’s relativity with quantum mechanics, solving a puzzle that has challenged physics for decades: the difficulty of reconciling the principles of general relativity, which describes gravity on a large scale, with the laws of quantum mechanics, which govern the behaviour of particles at the smallest scales.

This breakthrough could revolutionise our understanding of the universe. The quantum nature of gravitational waves could help advanced sensors detect faint cosmic signals and provide insights into the universe’s origins, black hole behaviour, and the fabric of reality. While LIGO has already made great progress in measuring gravitational waves, exploring their quantum side opens up a new field of physics.

Read more:
Gravitational waves: will the global south provide the next pulse of gravity research?

It’s important to note that more research will be needed to test and replicate our findings in different experimental settings. We’re far from the only people studying these phenomena and we hope our findings will strengthen the efforts of South African institutions such as the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) and the Astrophysics Research Group at Stellenbosch University which contribute to gravitational wave astrophysics through data analysis, collaboration and theoretical work.

Advances in technology will also play a key role in expanding quantum gravitational wave research opportunities. The LIGO-India observatory, due to become operational by 2030, will be one such possible experimental setting.

Partha Nandi receives funding from the University of Stellenbosch. as a posdoctoral fellowship.

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

– ref. Quantum effects make distant objects move together: new research finds this may happen with ripples in space – https://theconversation.com/quantum-effects-make-distant-objects-move-together-new-research-finds-this-may-happen-with-ripples-in-space-245050

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New local Asian fashion business moves into city centre Pop Up

Source: City of Portsmouth

Local Southsea business SP Collections have moved into the city centre Portsmouth Pop Up shop to sell Asian inspired clothing and jewellery. This start up business is hitting the ground running by trialling high street retail as part of Portsmouth City Council’s pop-up shop scheme that is designed to help local businesses grow.

SP Collections is a fashion brand inspired by the rich heritage of Asian culture offering an elegant range of attire, including sarees, salwar kameez, abayas, long dresses, and jewellery.

Shama Parveen, founder and owner of SP Collections said:

‘I am truly grateful for the pop-up scheme as it provides an incredible opportunity to showcase my products to a wider audience.

Previously, I sold at local pop-up markets, but these occasional events weren’t enough to sustain consistent growth. This initiative offers a fantastic platform for small businesses like mine to connect with new customers in Portsmouth.

SP Collections was born from the desire to bring authentic, Asian-inspired clothing to Portsmouth’s diverse community. We understand the challenges with finding modest, stylish Asian fashion locally. That’s why we’re dedicated to making these beautiful pieces easily accessible, without compromising on quality, style, or authenticity.”

The Portsmouth Pop Up enables local entrepreneurs and small businesses to trade in a high street location without the commitment or cost of a longer-term lease.

Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of the council with responsibility for economic development said:

“Pop Up shop schemes can breathe new life into our high streets, whilst giving independent businesses a great opportunity to have a shop front in a prime retail location.

“One year on since the Portsmouth Pop Up initiative began, it’s great to see its success in supporting local businesses like SP Collections. This is a fantastic example of how we’re working together to strengthen our economy and providing the necessary support businesses need to grow”

The Portsmouth Pop-Up shop, a joint venture between Portsmouth City Council, Cascades, and Flude, opened last year to address the increasing demand for business space in the city. The first tenant, Goly Natural, a local natural skincare business, has been so successful that they plan to establish a permanent shop this year.

Businesses can apply to rent the pop-up shop in Cascades, in Portsmouth’s city centre for a minimum of 13 weeks giving them a chance to engage with customers and launch products and services.

For more information visit Portsmouth Pop Up

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: Q4 2024 Auto and Property Insurance Shopping Increased 20% Compared to Q4 2023

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Both auto and property insurance shopping saw 20% year-over-year increases in Q4 2024, according to TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) research. However, profitability for auto and property insurance was uneven.

While auto insurance has come close to achieving rate adequacy, the property insurance market has been constrained due to limited rate increases and losses from natural disasters, like hurricanes Helene and Milton. What’s more, 2025 is already off to a bad start with wildfires in southern California posing significant losses for insurers.

Both auto and property insurance shopping were driven primarily by consumers’ continued search for lower rates. These findings and more are included in TransUnion’s latest quarterly Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report.

“The current market provides great potential for acquisition,” said Patrick Foy, senior director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s Insurance business. “The best moves insurers can make to procure high quality prospects is to use data segmentation enabling them to market to the best potential customers.”

Traffic court data proves indispensable
Driving record information is one of the most predictive variables for assessing an individual across the policy lifecycle. Legacy approaches, like referencing state motor vehicle records (MVRs), can have gaps and limitations—and are expensive to obtain.

However, traffic court records cost significantly less to access, and they provide a more comprehensive picture of a driver’s past violations. For example, TransUnion’s latest report estimates that 11% of drivers have a ratable violation that can be identified by traffic court records but remain absent from MVRs.

Insurers who access traffic court data through solutions like TransUnion’s TruVision™ Driving History solutions suite, can improve the quality of leads and increase customer lifetime value. These solutions can be deployed at any time across the policy lifecycle.

In addition, understanding generational preferences can help insurers be effective across channels. While younger shoppers prefer a seamless digital experience, Baby Boomers still prefer the phone channel for discussing policy details. TruAudience® suite of marketing solutions can help insurers with identity resolution, audience building and measurement.

Read the latest Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report.

About TransUnion’s Insurance Personal Lines Trends and Perspectives Report
This quarterly publication examines trends in the personal lines insurance industry, including shopping, migration, violation, credit-based insurance stability and more. The Trends and Perspectives Report research is based almost entirely on TransUnion’s extensive internal data and analyses. It includes information on insurance shopping transactions from July 2023 to December 2024. However, the report excludes shopping data from insurance customers in California, Hawaii (auto), Massachusetts (auto), and Maryland (property), where credit-based insurance scoring information is not used for insurance rating or underwriting.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good^® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business

Contact Dave Blumberg
TransUnion

E-mail david.blumberg@transunion.com

Telephone 312-972-6646

The MIL Network –

February 19, 2025

MIL-OSI: Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd. Announces Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Results Highlighting Strong Operating Cash Flow and Stable Gross Margins

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BEIJING, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd. (“Leishen Energy”), a leading provider of clean-energy equipment and integrated solutions for the oil and gas industry, today announced its fiscal year 2024 financial results, showcasing robust performance driven by effective cost management, strategic market expansion, and growing demand for the Company’s innovative product offerings.

Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Highlights

Operating Cash Flow Grows 243%, rising to USD $15.07 million in fiscal year 2024, up from USD $4.39 million in fiscal year 2023, marking a more than 243% year-over-year increase. This sharp rise was driven by robust accounts receivable collections, efficiency gains, and disciplined costs.
Total Revenues were USD $69.07 million, compared to USD $73.08 million in fiscal year 2023, representing a 5.5% decrease year-over-year. The decline was primarily attributable to lower sales of clean-energy equipment in the domestic market, partially offset by growth in the Company’s new energy business.
Gross Profit totaled USD $16.03 million, down from USD $18.38 million in the prior year, reflecting a gross margin of 23.2% (25.1% in fiscal year 2023). The margin decrease was primarily driven by lower margins in oil and gas engineering technical services.
Net Income was USD $7.99 million, compared to USD $11.63 million in fiscal year 2023, reflecting a 31.3% decrease.
Operating Expenses rose from USD $6.49 million in fiscal year 2023 to USD $8.48 million in fiscal year 2024, largely due to higher selling and marketing costs associated with international market expansion, as well as increased research and development.
Net Income Attributable to Leishen Energy was USD $8.10 million, reflecting a decrease of USD $3.76 million year-over-year.

Segment Performance

Clean-Energy Equipment
- Revenue declined by 14.6% year-over-year, to USD $33.82 million, mainly due to reduced domestic orders amid tighter market competition and lower selling prices for certain common products. The segment contributed 49.0% of total revenues.
Digitalization and Integration Equipment
- Revenue was USD $3.08 million, reflecting a modest year-over-year decline. Gross margin improved to 18.2% as the Company continued to streamline costs and enhance efficiency.
New Energy Sales
- Revenue grew 11.3%, reaching USD $25.82 million, driven by increased demand for natural gas. The Company added a major new client in fiscal year 2024, contributing over USD $1.5 million in revenue.
Oil and Gas Engineering Technical Services
- Revenue was USD $6.35 million, representing a decrease of 8.4% from the prior year, due to intensified pricing pressure and customers adopting lower-cost operating models. Despite increased competition, the Company continues to develop new projects at home and abroad.

Management Commentary

“We are pleased to report that while Leishen Energy experienced year-over-year declines in revenue and profitability in fiscal 2024, we have strengthened our position in new energy sales and increased our presence in international markets,” said Hongliang Li, Chief Executive Officer of Leishen Energy. “The successful expansion of our customer base—particularly in overseas regions—and ongoing investments in research and development underscore our commitment to delivering innovative, high-performance energy solutions.”

Zhiping Yu, Chief Financial Officer, added: “As we navigate near-term market pressures, we remain focused on cost optimization and strategic capital allocation. We believe our prudent balance sheet management, coupled with targeted investments in key growth areas, will help us enhance our financial performance and maintain sustainable returns for our shareholders in the years to come.”

Business Outlook

The Company aims to capitalize on the following growth drivers and strategic initiatives in fiscal year 2025 and beyond:

International Expansion: Continued pursuit of overseas projects in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, including joint reserve warehouses of spare parts with major oilfields and new power plant operation and maintenance projects in Africa.
Technology and Innovation: Further investment in research and development to strengthen patented technologies, with 72 patents now held across clean-energy equipment, oil and gas engineering technical services, and new energy production and operation.
Customer Diversification: Ongoing efforts to deepen relationships with long-standing domestic clients while expanding the Company’s international customer pipeline, particularly in digitalization and integration equipment sales.
Operational Efficiencies: Enhancement of cost-control measures, rigorous supply chain management, and new supplier partnerships to mitigate inflationary pressures and disruptions.

LEISHEN ENERGY HOLDING CO., LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
	2024						2023						Variance
	Amount			% of revenue			Amount			% of revenue			Amount			%
Revenues	$	69,073,374			100.0	%	$	73,084,448			100.0	%	$	(4,011,074	)		(5.5	)%
Cost of revenues		(53,038,855	)		(76.8	)%		(54,705,407	)		(74.9	)%		1,666,552			(3.0	)%
Gross profit		16,034,519			23.2	%		18,379,041			25.1	%		(2,344,522	)		(12.8	)%

Operating expenses:
Selling and marketing		2,053,194			3.0	%		775,957			1.1	%		1,277,237			164.6	%
General and administrative		5,979,890			8.7	%		5,553,912			7.6	%		425,978			7.7	%
Research and development		449,542			0.7	%		158,657			0.2	%		290,885			183.3	%
Total operating expenses		8,482,626			12.4	%		6,488,526			8.9	%		1,994,100			30.7	%

Income from operations		7,551,893			10.8	%		11,890,515			16.2	%		(4,338,622	)		(36.5	)%

Other income (loss):
Interest expense		(57,018	)		(0.1	)%		(67,964	)		(0.1	)%		10,946			(16.1	)%
Exchange (loss) gains		(18,107	)		0.0	%		280,538			0.4	%		(298,645	)		(106.5	)%
Gain from equity investment		81,150			0.1	%		80,616			0.10	%		534			0.7	%
Net investment income		445,271			0.6	%		108,671			0.1	%		336,600			309.7	%
Other expenses, net		171,845			0.2	%		71,850			0.0	%		99,995			139.2	%
Total other income, net		623,141			0.8	%		473,711			0.6	%		149,430			31.5	%

Income before income taxes		8,175,034			11.6	%		12,364,226			16.8	%		(4,189,192	)		(33.9	)%

Provision for income taxes		184,818			0.3	%		729,506			1.0	%		(544,688	)		(74.7	)%

Net income		7,990,216			11.3	%		11,634,720			15.8	%		(3,644,504	)		(31.3	)%
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests		(105,655	)		(0.2	)%		(223,870	)		(0.3	)%		118,215			(52.8	)%
Net income attributable to Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd.	$	8,095,871			11.5	%	$	11,858,590			16.1	%	$	(3,762,719	)		(31.7	)%

LEISHEN ENERGY HOLDING CO., LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

	As of September 30,
	2024			2023
	US$			US$
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash	$	5,811,798		$	4,567,608
Restricted cash		1,489,216			–
Short-term investments		17,850,648			7,234,607
Accounts receivable, net		21,826,297			30,742,914
Notes receivable		1,054,528			1,304,004
Advance to suppliers, net		5,896,595			5,637,829
Inventories		5,396,634			7,877,202
Due from related parties		31,535			44,848
Loan receivable – related party		822,878			–
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net		1,567,060			1,351,049
Total current assets		61,747,189			58,760,061

Non-current assets:
Long-term investments		1,758,515			1,670,461
Deferred offering costs		437,653			271,155
Property and equipment, net		4,111,919			3,838,135
Intangible assets		140,070			152,901
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net		668,259			712,065
Loans receivable, non-current		725,699			–
Other non-current assets		44,746			52,351
Total non-current assets		7,886,861			6,697,068

Total Assets	$	69,634,050		$	65,457,129

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Short-term loans	$	50,899		$	1,090,378
Accounts payable		10,731,238			11,758,870
Advance from customers		2,292,728			1,465,285
Taxes payable		3,418,725			2,755,661
Due to related parties		9,239,059			13,387,546
Operating lease liabilities		68,291			62,057
Other payables and other current liabilities		1,339,969			1,303,371
Total current liabilities		27,140,909			31,823,168

Non-current Liabilities:
Long-term loans		1,127,380			49,676
Deferred tax liabilities, net		307,513			1,175,703
Operating lease liabilities, non-current		602,735			650,007
Total non-current liabilities		2,037,628			1,875,386

Total Liabilities		29,178,537			33,698,554

Equity:
Ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 15,500,000 shares issued and outstanding*		15,500			15,500
Subscription receivable		(15,500	)		(15,500	)
Additional paid-in capital		1,617,966			1,617,966
Statutory reserves		1,690,994			1,565,649
Retained earnings		37,339,006			29,368,480
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(861,374	)		(1,746,809	)
Total equity attributable to Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd		39,786,592			30,805,286
Non-controlling interests		668,921			953,289
Total Equity		40,455,513			31,758,575

Total Liabilities and Equity	$	69,634,050		$	65,457,129

About Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd.

The Leishen Group was founded in 2007 and is a China-based provider of clean-energy equipment and integrated solutions for the oil and gas industry, with a commitment to providing customers with high-performance, safe and cost-effective energy solutions. Our major lines of business include (i) sale of clean-energy industry; (ii) new energy production and operation; (iii) digitalization and integration equipment; and (iv) oil and gas engineering technical services. At present, the Group holds more than 70 patents and software copyrights, forming a comprehensive ecosystem of core technical capabilities. Currently, our business operations have expanded beyond the PRC to Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, and our service abilities and quality have been widely recognized and praised by foreign customers. Efficient, safe and energy-saving equipment combined with professional technical services have enabled our brand to gain positive attention and recognition from our customers and enabled us to become a well-known equipment and services provider in the oil and gas industry. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: www.r-egroup.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the Company’s share offering. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the offering will be successfully completed. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “aim”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “going forward”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “predict”, “propose”, “seek”, “should”, “will”, “would” or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations

Michael Wei
Email:hwey@horizonconsultancy.co

The MIL Network –

February 19, 2025

MIL-OSI: Visited App Releases List of Top Travel Destinations in 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The travel app, Visited, by Arriving In High Heels Corporation, has published a travel report which showcases top travel trends around the world with highlight of 2024 travels.

Visited is a travel tracking app, which lets users map out their travel journey, mark famous places visited on travel lists and helps with trip planning for their itinerary feature. It is the ultimate travel bucket list planning app, as it has over 150 travel lists available from ancient sites to golf destinations. The app is available in 30 languages for both iOS or Android and is free to download.

According to Visited’s travel stats, the average global traveler has been to 18 countries. While American travelers have been to 23. Travelers from the United Arab Emirates have visited the most countries, with an average of 30 countries visited. Swiss and Finnish travelers came in second and third as the most well-traveled. The most popular countries to visit are France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK, and the U.S.

The most sought-after places to visit are Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Brazil. The top destinations that American travelers want to travel to include Australia, Greece, and New Zealand. The highest numbers of American users have traveled to Mexico, Canada, France, the UK, and Italy.

The most popular travel destinations in the world in 2024 were in Europe, while the U.S. is in 12^th spot, Turkey is in 10^th spot and Thailand is in 15^th spot. For American travelers, 2024 saw the UK, Portugal and Japan topping the list of the most visited countries.

The most popular travel lists are world wonders, capitals of the world and culinary experiences.

The travel report was compiled based on 2.4 million international users and over 300,000 U.S. users. To see more top travel lists and browse top destinations worldwide, download Visited on iOS or Android. For the full travel report, visit https://visitedapp.com/travel-report-results/

To learn more about the Visited app, visit https://visitedapp.com.

About Arriving In High Heels Corporation

Arriving In High Heels Corporation is a mobile app company with apps including Pay Off Debt, X-Walk, and Visited, their most popular app. Visited Media provides customized travel research services to travel companies.

Contact Information

Anna Kayfitz

anna@arrivinginhighheels.com

The MIL Network –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: WSO2Con 2025 to Showcase How Enterprises Can Embrace ‘Platformless Modernization’ to Drive Innovation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Austin, TX, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WSO2Con 2025 will empower enterprises to embrace ‘Platformless Modernization’ by showcasing real-world strategies, expert insights, and innovations that simplify development, accelerate digital transformation, and future-proof IT infrastructures. Keynotes, customer stories and technical discussions during the three-day event will explore and deep-dive into how enterprises can transform digital innovation by eliminating the complexities of traditional platforms either by adopting an enterprise-grade internal developer platform or leveraging software-as-a-service offerings to build your own. The event will take place from March 18 to 20, 2025, in Barcelona, Spain, at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya.

Delivering a platform experience without the complexity

Platformless modernization aims to redefine how organizations build, deploy, and manage applications. Traditional platforms often come with operational overhead, requiring businesses to maintain infrastructure and navigate complex configurations. A platformless approach removes these burdens, making the platform layer invisible to developers, so they can focus on just building innovative applications and providing better digital experiences to their customers and users.

At WSO2Con 2025, WSO2 executives and industry experts will explore what platformless modernization means for enterprises, offering insights into:
- How businesses can deliver developer-friendly experiences without the overhead of managing platforms
- Strategies for enabling rapid, secure, and scalable application development powered by API management, integration, and identity solutions
- The role of internal developer platforms (IDPs) in modernizing software delivery with AI, Kubernetes, and cloud-native architectures
Insightful keynotes and customer success stories

The conference will feature a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers. In his opening keynote, WSO2’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana will discuss the vision for platformless modernization with WSO2 technical experts providing in-depth sessions on how platformless is shaping the future of integration, API management and identity & access management.

Jeremy Schneider, Senior Partner & Co-Head of Global Software & High-Tech Practice, McKinsey and Company will provide a framework for navigating evolution in the digital economy in his keynote Every Company is a Software Company. In other keynote presentations, Amy Bingham, vice president & chief information officer at Pekin Insurance will share learnings on how Pekin turned a challenging year of unprecedented setbacks into a story of resilience, rebuilding, and long-term success in an increasingly unpredictable world. Jonathan Pearl, executive director – technology product management at financial services company, BNY Mellon, will explore the power of APIs and how they can be used to drive modernization, innovation and collaboration – both internally and externally. He will discuss the key principles and best practices for designing, building, discovering and governing APIs, as well as the cultural and organizational changes needed to successfully support an API first strategy.

Registration for WSO2Con 2025 is still open with a flash sale from February 18 to 21, 2025. To register and view the full agenda, visit https://wso2.com/wso2con/2025/.

About WSO2

Founded in 2005, WSO2 is the largest independent software vendor providing open-source API management, integration, and identity and access management (IAM) products. WSO2’s products and platforms—including our next-gen internal developer platform, Choreo—empower organizations to leverage the full potential of APIs for secure delivery of digital services and applications, enabling thousands of enterprises in over 90 countries globally to drive their digital transformation journeys. Our open-source, API-first approach frees developers and architects from vendor lock-in, enabling rapid digital product creation. Recognized as leaders by industry analysts, WSO2 has over 800 employees worldwide with offices in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Spain, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US, with USD100M in annual recurring revenue. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more. Follow WSO2 on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

Trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

###

The MIL Network –
February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: Coalesce Announces Top System Integrator Partners for 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Coalesce, the data transformation company, today announced its 2024 Systems Integrator (SI) Partners of the Year, recognizing top partners across North America, Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA), and Australia-New Zealand (ANZ) for their outstanding contributions to customer success, data innovation, and solution development. These partners have demonstrated deep expertise in the Coalesce platform, delivering scalable and impactful data solutions for organizations worldwide.

“Our SI partners play a critical role in the success of our customers, and we’re thrilled to recognize this year’s standout partners for their expertise and commitment to helping organizations unlock the full potential of their data,” said Courtney Heithoff, Director of SI Alliances at Coalesce.

And the winners are:

U.S. Partner of the Year – Hakkoda

Hakkoda has been recognized as the U.S. Partner of the Year for its deep commitment to helping enterprises modernize their data strategies using Coalesce. With a strong focus on Snowflake and next-generation data architectures, Hakkoda has consistently delivered exceptional value to customers, leveraging Coalesce’s metadata-driven automation to streamline data transformation and enable organizations to get the most out of their Snowflake investment.

“We are proud to be recognized as Coalesce’s U.S. SI Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year,” said Ryan Tucker, Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder of Hakkoda. “This achievement reflects our joint commitment to delivering innovative, high-impact solutions and helping our clients simplify and accelerate their data architectures with the best tools the Modern Data Stack has to offer. We are excited to continue our collaboration with Coalesce to solve some of the gnarliest challenges in the modern data landscape, and are confident we will continue to drive success and growth for our joint clients in the years ahead.”

U.S. Emerging Partner of the Year – phData

phData has earned the U.S. Emerging Partner of the Year award for its rapid adoption of Coalesce and its ability to drive innovative, scalable data solutions. By integrating Coalesce’s automation-first approach with its robust data engineering and analytics capabilities, phData has helped organizations unlock new efficiencies in their data engineering workflows.

“This award is a testament to the strong partnership we’ve built and the impact we’ve delivered together for our joint customers,” said Sam Mehlhaff, SVP of Marketing and Partnerships at phData. “We’re grateful for the collaboration with the Coalesce team and look forward to driving even more success in 2025.”

EMEA Partner of the Year – Nextview Consulting

Nextview Consulting has been named EMEA Partner of the Year for its outstanding expertise in data strategy, governance, and digital transformation. Nextview has played a crucial role in driving adoption of Coalesce’s platform in the region, helping customers simplify complex data workflows and optimize performance.

“Winning the European Partner of the Year is a testament to our team’s dedication to delivering best-in-class data solutions,” said Ralph Knoops, Managing Data and Analytics Consultant at Nextview. “Coalesce’s platform has been instrumental in our ability to drive efficiency and innovation for our clients.”

EMEA Emerging Partner of the Year – Kemb

Kemb has been recognized as the EMEA Emerging Partner of the Year for its rapid growth and strong execution in data modernization initiatives. By leveraging Coalesce’s metadata-driven approach and intuitive feature set, Kemb has helped organizations across the region modernize their data environments with speed and precision.

“Coalesce has revolutionized how our clients approach data transformation and significantly improved the way they create and update their business logic,” said Konstantin Wemhöner, CDO at Kemb. “We’re excited to continue growing our partnership and helping even more organizations achieve data excellence.”

ANZ Partner of the Year – FIRN

FIRN has been awarded ANZ Partner of the Year for its leadership in bringing Coalesce’s transformative data solutions to the Australia-New Zealand region. FIRN’s expertise in cloud data platforms and commitment to customer success have made it a driving force in the adoption of Coalesce across the region.

“This recognition highlights our commitment to building business value and driving customer growth through innovation, collaboration, and impactful solutions,” said Nick Lupis, Managing Director at FIRN. “We look forward to continuing our successful partnership.”

Commitment to Partner Success

Coalesce’s SI Partner Program is designed to empower partners with the technology, training, and support needed to drive successful data initiatives for their customers. As organizations scale their data operations at an accelerating pace, Coalesce remains committed to fostering strong partnerships that enable successfully delivering data projects now, and in the future.

For more information about Coalesce’s SI Partner Program, visit https://coalesce.io/partners.

Resources
Follow Coalesce on LinkedIn and YouTube
Partner websites: Hakkoda, phData, Nextview Consulting, Kemb, FIRN

About Coalesce
Coalesce revolutionizes data transformations to accelerate the delivery of data projects. Recognizing data transformation’s critical role in the analytics lifecycle, we’ve created an inclusive developer platform that automates most SQL coding without sacrificing flexibility. Our platform boosts data team efficiency tenfold, allowing faster data pipeline development while empowering organizations to concentrate on extracting maximum value from their data. Discover more at Coalesce.io.

The MIL Network –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Philly’s Chinatown has a rich tradition of activism – the Sixers arena fight was just one of many to preserve the neighborhood

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Vivian Truong, Assistant Professor of History, Swarthmore College

Save Chinatown protesters take to the streets on Sept. 7, 2024. Zachary Kreines, CC BY-NC-ND

Visitors commonly view Philadelphia’s Chinatown as a place to eat Chinese food and appreciate Chinese culture. But for longtime members of the Chinatown community, the neighborhood – home to over over 5,000 residents – is also defined by its tenacity and survival.

Chinatown’s rich tradition of activism was on full display for the past two and half years, as residents and allies fiercely opposed the Philadelphia 76ers’ plans to build a basketball arena in the Market East neighborhood at the southern edge of Chinatown.

A city-sponsored community impact study found that the arena could have resulted in the “loss of Chinatown’s core identity and regional significance.” It estimated that half of the neighborhood’s small businesses would have suffered due to increased congestion, potential rent increases and a new demographic less likely to patronize the area’s ethnic businesses.

While the reason for the Sixers’ sudden decision to scrap the Market East arena plan remains unclear, the announcement in January 2025 came as a relief to Chinatown community members who felt they had averted yet another threat to their neighborhood’s existence.

I’m a historian whose research focuses on Asian Americans, cities and social movements, and I’ve seen how urban residents take the existence of Chinatowns in major cities across the country – and even globally, from London to Havana, Cuba, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – for granted. Chinatowns continue to exist and thrive thanks to the residents and allies who fight for them.

The fight over the Sixers arena was only the latest struggle in over 50 years of community organizing in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.

Friendship Gate, erected in the 1980s, serves as a symbolic entrance to Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
Jumping Rocks/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A refuge from xenophobia

Like other American Chinatowns, Philadelphia’s formed during an era of virulent anti-Chinese racism. The neighborhood was established in the 1870s as a refuge for immigrants fleeing the American West, where white railroad workers and miners declared “The Chinese must go!”.

Among the earliest businesses were a handful of laundries and a restaurant on the 900 block of Race Street, just north of Philadelphia’s main commercial district.

In the era of anti-Chinese immigration laws from 1875 to 1943, Chinatowns were associated with opium-smoking, gambling and prostitution. Law enforcement targeted and stigmatized the Philadelphia neighborhood as a center of vice and danger. Meanwhile, city and private developers had their eyes on Chinatown as early as the 1920s.

In 1923, the Bell Telephone Company purchased additional real estate along the corridor for its new high-rise building and parking lot, displacing Chinese residents. In the same decade, the city used eminent domain to demolish blocks of housing to make way for the Broad-Ridge Spur connecting the Eighth Street and Vine Street subway stations. A Philadelphia Evening Bulletin article in 1934 declared Chinatown to be “a thing of the past.”

As the city began to accommodate more car owners, Race Street was remade as a major thoroughfare to the Delaware Valley Bridge, now called the Ben Franklin Bridge. In 1926, the year the bridge was completed, the Bulletin declared that “The Delaware River Bridge has come and Chinatown must go,” echoing the xenophobic slogans that drove Chinese workers out of western states half a century earlier.

But Chinatown persisted.

As restrictions on immigration from China loosened after World War II, more Chinese women immigrated to the U.S. The neighborhood transformed from a bachelor society of aging workers to a growing intergenerational community of families.

‘Save Chinatown’ movement forms

During the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, Philadelphia’s Chinatown youth took inspiration from the Black Power and anti-war movements to fight for their community.

In 1966, the city proposed the expansion of Vine Street into an expressway that would have demolished large swaths of Chinatown, including the beloved Holy Redeemer church and school. Established for Chinese American Catholics in 1941, Holy Redeemer hosted neighborhood meetings and recreational events as well as religious services. The Vine Street Expressway project was one instance of the national phenomenon of urban renewal, which aimed to clear and redevelop areas designated as blighted.

The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation nonprofit worked with Yellow Seeds, a group of radical Asian American youth who opposed U.S. racism and imperialism, and other Chinatown community members to fight construction of the expressway.

These groups comprised the 1970s Save Chinatown movement. They held numerous protests, made frequent media appearances and used the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act to craft their strategy. They demanded an environmental impact statement, which, when issued in 1983, recommended a much smaller expressway than originally designed. Holy Redeemer was saved. The final plans also scrapped two off-ramps that would have cut through the neighborhood. Construction on the expressway was completed in 1991.

Resisting a prison, baseball stadium and casino

The Save Chinatown movement continued through the decades as community members successfully fought the construction of a federal prison in 1993, a baseball stadium in 2000 and a casino in 2008 – all proposed for sites in or bordering Chinatown.

“The future of Chinatown is going to be a huge battle,” activist Debbie Wei stated in a 2002 documentary released after the conclusion of the baseball stadium fight a few years earlier. “We’re going to fight it, and my children are probably going to have to fight it as well.”

‘Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia’s Chinatown’ (2002). Debbie Wei’s reflections on the future of Chinatown begin at 25:28.

Her words were prescient. Her daughter Kaia Chau emerged as a key leader of the campaign against the Sixers arena 20 years later.

Chau co-founded Students for the Preservation of Chinatown with fellow student leader Taryn Flaherty. The group organized teach-ins, galvanized Philadelphia-area students to join protests, and highlighted arena developers’ ties to local universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. By focusing on the developers, students made connections between the arena proposal and the gentrification of West Philadelphia, including the demolition of the University City Townhomes, an affordable housing complex whose residents were mostly Black.

The movement against the Sixers arena became part of a multiracial, citywide fight against displacement. As Rev. Gregory Holston of Black Philly 4 Chinatown, part of the Save Chinatown coalition, put it: “In North Philadelphia, in West Philadelphia, in South Philadelphia, the same process is happening over and over and over again, where people are pushing and displacing people of color out of this city.”

Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood celebrates the Lunar New Year in 2024, the Year of the Dragon.
Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images

Thriving intergenerational community

Activists have also created new housing, educational and arts institutions to keep Chinatown a family-friendly neighborhood.

The location where the prison was planned in 1993 is now Hing Wah Yuen, a 51-unit mixed-income affordable housing complex developed by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation – the same organization that led the fight against the Vine Street Expressway in the 1970s.

After the plans for the baseball stadium were scrapped in 2000, the grassroots Chinatown-based organization Asian Americans United partnered with the arts and culture organization Philadelphia Folklore Project to found the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures School in 2005.

The K-8 school, located in the footprint of the proposed stadium, teaches Mandarin and emphasizes art and music classes that reflect students’ cultural background.

More recently, recognizing the need for more “third places” for youth beyond home and school, student leaders Chau and Flaherty launched the Ginger Arts Center in 2024. The organization provides a recreational space and arts programs for young people in Chinatown.

The community institutions that have sprung up in the wake of defeated development projects illustrate how Chinatown is not a thing of the past, nor is it solely a food and culture destination to be consumed.

Rather, Chinatown is a thriving community that has long fought to survive, reinvent itself and determine its own future – one that carries the legacy of previous generations of resistance.

Read more of our stories about Philadelphia.

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

– ref. Philly’s Chinatown has a rich tradition of activism – the Sixers arena fight was just one of many to preserve the neighborhood – https://theconversation.com/phillys-chinatown-has-a-rich-tradition-of-activism-the-sixers-arena-fight-was-just-one-of-many-to-preserve-the-neighborhood-247549

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The 30th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition of Taichung City Calls for Entries

Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

The 30th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition of Taichung City calls for entries
Eligible Participants: All domestic and foreign artists.
Artwork categories: There are 11 categories, i.e., ink wash painting, calligraphy, seal engraving, glue color painting, oil painting, watercolor painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, crafts, and digital art. Application is required to be completed between April 1 and April 15, 2025.
Please visit the official website of the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition for more information (https://www.dadunfae.taichung.gov.tw/).
Rules and Entry Form:
Application Form
Application_Form
Exhibition Rules
Exhibition_Rules

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Understanding of marine ecosystems is alarmingly low – here’s why ocean literacy matters

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma McKinley, Senior Research Fellow, Cardiff University

PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

Understanding the relationship between humans and the ocean is crucial for making informed and effective decisions that will shape the future of our ocean. With this in mind, achieving lasting global progress in ocean protection requires prioritising ocean literacy.

Right now, there is a disconnect between young peoples’ recognition of the ocean’s vital role in climate change, and the measures required to protect and restore it.

My work as a marine social scientist focuses on ocean literacy. For me, knowledge is one of the most powerful tools to incite the action needed to save ocean health. The development of ocean literacy, through a range of education and engagement initiatives worldwide that embrace different types of knowledge, must be better prioritised.

Only then can we equip young people with what they need to protect our ocean and to know who to hold accountable for its health.

The ocean — stretching past the horizon, beneath the surface, and into the depths — remains largely out of sight, out of mind. But what happens within it affects us. Fostering stronger ocean literacy across society can help us mend this disconnect.

Ocean literacy is defined as “having an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean”. While not a new concept, ocean literacy has gained increasing popularity in recent years, partly due to its inclusion as a potential mechanism for change within the UN Ocean Decade, launched in January 2021.

Young people must be central in efforts to restore ocean literacy across society. It is essential for them to understand the challenges facing the ocean, recognise who is responsible for addressing them, and advocate for more action. Enhancing ocean literacy among this generation encourages a greater appreciation of the ocean’s critical role in our daily lives, now and in the future.

According to a recent global study engaging 3,500 young people from across 35 countries, a large percentage of young people express concern about the ocean’s health.

The non-peer-reviewed report has been published by Back to Blue,
an initiative of the thinktank Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, a grant-making organisation based in Asia.

It highlights that 53% of young people believe that the ocean can protect us from climate change, yet 61% place a higher priority on protecting forests, tackling air pollution and freshwater scarcity. This shows that young people around the world have low ocean literacy.

This echoes a growing number of national ocean literacy assessments. In 2022, a study of ocean literacy in Wales found that although 84% of people indicated that protecting the marine environment was important to them, 40% felt that their lifestyle had no impact on the sea at all. This highlights a concerning level of disconnect and lack of ocean literacy that could undermine our ability to tackle urgent challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.

Swimming, sailing, even just building a sandcastle – the ocean benefits our physical and mental wellbeing. Curious about how a strong coastal connection helps drive marine conservation, scientists are diving in to investigate the power of blue health. This article is part of a series, Vitamin Sea, exploring how the ocean can be enhanced by our interaction with it.

It’s all about accountability

This is not a blame game. However, accountability ensures that governments, industries and people take responsibility for their role in ocean health, driving the transparency and action needed for meaningful education and engagement.

The Back to Blue study found that while half (50%) of young people surveyed were concerned about ocean pollution, very few (17%) wanted increased responsibility from corporations and businesses.

That study, which I advised on, also reveals that young people have high expectations of governments, conservation charities and local communities. Almost half (46%) said that governments should take stronger action to protect ocean health. Yet, expectations of the private sector – some of the biggest ocean polluters – were very low. Young people are misunderstanding where accountability for ocean pollution and the decline in ocean health lies.

Green turtles have been listed as endangered since 1982.
Shane Myers Photography/Shutterstock

The lack of accountability slows progress and perpetuates a cycle of ocean neglect. But, engaging young people in ocean issues will empower them to demand more action and help develop effective solutions.

In some places, ocean literacy is more embedded into students’ learning. More than 500 certified European blue schools are part of the Network of European Blue Schools. And the All-Atlantic Blue Schools Network has established ocean literacy projects and blue school ambassadors in schools in 16 countries, from Angola to the US.

Education can help to engage young people. But only if education systems worldwide integrate ocean literacy from a young age and across all subject areas.

By prioritising ocean literacy, we can empower young people to become informed stewards of the ocean, ensuring that they are not only aware of its vital role in our daily lives but also actively involved in changing the tide.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

– ref. Understanding of marine ecosystems is alarmingly low – here’s why ocean literacy matters – https://theconversation.com/understanding-of-marine-ecosystems-is-alarmingly-low-heres-why-ocean-literacy-matters-248724

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Surfer’s ear: the condition that might leave wild swimmers and surfers with hearing loss

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

Surfer’s ear happens when growths develop on the bones of the auditory canal. speedshutter Photography/ Shutterstock

Cold water swimming, paddleboarding and surfing are all popular pastimes – with millions of people in the UK regularly participating in at least one type of outdoor watersport each year.

But those bravely breaking the waves may not realise they could actually be putting themselves at risk of hearing loss due to external auditory canal exostosis – better known as surfer’s ear.

Surfer’s ear affects the auditory canal – the thin tube which conveys sound waves from our surroundings, channelling them towards the sensory organs which generate our sense of hearing.

These inner portions of the ear are shielded by bone. This is because the anatomical structures that turn air pressure waves into sounds – the eardrum, ossicles and cochlea – are very small, very sensitive and would be easily and irreparably damaged if not protected.

Ideally, our ear canals should be clear and unobstructed. Sure, sometimes they can get clogged up with wax and even sometimes foreign bodies can work their way inside (such as peas, plasticine or even bugs).

Read more:
What bodily secretions like blood, wax and tears can tell us about our health

But surfer’s ear causes an obstruction of the ear canal in a different manner. Growths start to develop on the bone which lines the auditory canal.

As these growths continue to develop, they push into the canal – effectively narrowing the space inside. In doing so, this can prevent the conduction of sound waves getting through to the eardrum. One symptom patients with surfer’s ear may notice as a result is hearing loss.

Other associated problems may arise, too. The ear canal produces wax. Any narrowing of the canal will more easily retain wax, but also water – not just from swimming, but from wet weather or taking a shower. An accumulation of both in the canal can worsen hearing loss and raise the risk of developing an ear infection.

But what causes surfer’s ear in the first place?

The cause appears to lie in repeated exposure to cold water and high winds – which most surfers encounter while riding a wave, or tumbling off one. It appears to be a problem unique to humans, perhaps because of the configuration of their ears.

While researchers aren’t entirely sure why cold exposure causes the bone to grow abnormally, it’s possible that the ear’s natural response to prolonged cold (which irritates the eardrum) is to create a bigger shield for it. Cold water and wind may stimulate bone cells called osteoblasts, causing new bone to grow – offering more protection.

It’s important to note that surfer’s ear is different from swimmer’s ear – a condition which you may be more familiar with. Though both can arise from water immersion.

Swimmer’s ear, also called otitis externa, is a form of ear infection. It typically results in pain and discharge, and can arise from water accumulating in the ear canal, which then acts as a breeding ground for bacteria. Narrowing of the ear canal can worsen the problem, so swimmer’s ear can also be associated with surfer’s ear.

Surfer’s ear is distinct from swimmer’s ear, where water accumulates in the ear canal.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/ Shutterstock

It’s estimated that 3-6% of the general population may have some form of exostosis. But the condition does appear to overwhelmingly affect surfers – with one systematic review finding the condition affected an average of around 68% of surfers.

However, surfer’s ear is not unique to surfers. Any sport which exposes an athlete to cold water and wind might result in the same effect. These include wild or outdoor swimming, windsurfing and kayaking.

There’s also a cultural and geographical difference in prevalence across the globe. It’s estimated that 10% of Australians surf, and potentially raising the risk.

You don’t even have to venture into the water to develop surfer’s ear, either. Some research suggests people living near the coast have an increased risk of developing surfer’s ear as they’re more likely to be exposed to cold winds. Other cases have been observed in patients without a clear cause.

The condition might also be more common in males – though this may be due to a larger proportion of men participating in both the sport and the research.

Preventing surfer’s ear

Some research suggests that using earplugs while in the water can help reduce cold exposure to the ear and lower the risk. There are also specialised hooded wetsuits and bands that can worn as further protective measures.

Surfer’s ear appears to be a long-term complication, and is more likely to develop from regular exposure, not just an occasional cold water dip. More than ten years of surfing appears to be associated with a greater risk, and more severe canal obstruction.

For patients who develop severe symptoms – such as hearing loss and persistent ear infections – surgery may be required. The operation, called a canalplasty, involves chiselling or drilling away the excess bone to widen the canal again. Surfers should avoid heading back into the waves for two to three months after the operation until the site has properly healed.

There’s some indication surfer’s ear may be on the rise – though this could also be because we’re getting better at diagnosing it and nowadays more surfers are aware of the condition.

The risk of developing surfer’s ear in one or both ears is sadly real. Unfortunately, it appears that only by abstaining from surfing can the condition be averted.

So if you do plan to go out into the wind and water – whether that’s surfing, paddleboarding or wild swimming – don’t forget your earplugs.

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

– ref. Surfer’s ear: the condition that might leave wild swimmers and surfers with hearing loss – https://theconversation.com/surfers-ear-the-condition-that-might-leave-wild-swimmers-and-surfers-with-hearing-loss-249201

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The Polytechnic celebrated the Eastern New Year

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Eastern New Year, the year of the Green Wooden Snake, was celebrated in the Polytechnic Tower. The main organizer of the event was the Humanitarian Institute together with the Higher School of International Educational Programs. Representatives of various Polytechnic institutes and St. Petersburg universities took part in the concert program

This year, the celebration was held for the first time at the Youth Trajectory Center, in the Polytechnic Tower. The hosts were Ksenia Kolomeitseva, a student at the Higher School of International Relations, and Artem Kuzmin, a student at the Higher School of Law and Forensic Science.

The Director of the Humanitarian Institute Natalia Chicherina and the Assistant Vice-Rector for International Activities Pavel Nedelko delivered welcoming remarks.

In our multinational student family, we can celebrate the New Year several times. Today, we have a unique opportunity to learn about the bright traditions of this holiday together with representatives of China, Indonesia and Vietnam, – noted Natalia Chicherina.

Polytechnicians talked about the cultural characteristics of their countries, held an interactive competition with souvenirs for the participants. A student of the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy Li Junying gave a presentation in Russian about the traditions and culture of China. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai from IPMET represented Vietnam, a postgraduate student of the Higher School of Physics and Materials Technology of IMMIT Tegu Imanulla gave a report about Indonesia, in which he spoke about national dishes, dances, symbols, good luck charms and much more.

Ye Zizhou, a student at the Graduate School of International Relations, performed a traditional Chinese number symbolizing the wisdom of the Green Snake. Together with Viktoria Dyshko, she showed a modern dance in the K-pop style. Mao Yiling from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education demonstrated traditional martial arts with a sword.

Sofia Kononova from the Higher School of International Relations recited a poem in Chinese. Students from the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy performed two Chinese songs: “Gen Wo Yi Qi Zuo” and “Gongxi Ni”. Students from the Higher School of International Relations sang the composition “Flawless Heaven and Earth” in Chinese.

IMMIT postgraduate students Nguyen Van Tu Anh and Tran Thanh Cong performed the Vietnamese song “Hoa co mua suan”, which translates as “Spring flowers and grasses”, with a guitar.

A master class on making magical aromatic sachets in national herbal bags was held by Li Peiyun from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The art of Chinese calligraphy was taught by Yuan Fengxia from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The Chinese tea ceremony was demonstrated by Zhang Yuwen and Mao Yiling from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The secrets of Chinese knotting and making paper lanterns were shared by Xie Zhaoying from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education.

Celebrating the Eastern New Year is a good tradition of the Polytechnic University. Such events allow us to better understand the culture of other countries. We still don’t know each other very well, so many thanks to all the organizers for the opportunity to communicate with the guys and immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the East, – shared Pavel Nedelko.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 19, 2025


Contact	Dave Blumberg TransUnion

E-mail	david.blumberg@transunion.com

Telephone	312-972-6646

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