NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Membership Updates for July 2025

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: Membership Updates for July 2025

    IADC welcomes 8 new Members:

    • ASIATIC ENERGY – Mahesana, Gujarat, India

    • BASRA VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER – Al Hussien District, Basra, Iraq 

    • BETATEC HOP PRODUCTS – Malvern, Worcestershire, UK 

    • BRUNO SILVA CARNEIRO MAPURUNGA – Mojave, California, US

    • DUKE MARINE TECHNICAL SERVICES USA INC – Katy, Texas, US

    • FARSUND DRILLING SOLUTION AS – Farsund, Agder, Norway 

    • INTERNATIONAL UPSTREAM ENERGY CONSULTANTS LLC FC – Pecos, Texas, US

    • STEPWISE AS – Stavanger, Norway

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Richard R. Barker Concludes Service as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

     Spokane, Washington – On July 7, 2025, Richard R. Barker stepped down as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Barker will be returning to private practice in Spokane after a distinguished career in public service.

    Acting United States Attorney Barker has over a decade of experience as a career prosecutor, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2014.  During his career, Barker has held the positions of First Assistant United States Attorney, Tribal Liaison, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Coordinator, Digital Asset Coordinator, and Public Affairs Officer.  From 2014 – 2019, Barker served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the nation’s capital, where he served as a dedicated homicide prosecutor.  In early 2019, Barker joined the Eastern District of Washington, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) in the Spokane office.

    Acting United States Attorney Barker has dedicated his career to serving victims of violent crime, while handling numerous homicide and violent crime cases. Late last year, Barker was lead counsel with AUSA Michael J. Ellis in the trial of Zachery Holt and Dezmonique Tenzsley for the double murder of two Tribal members and the attempted murder of a federal officer on the Colville Indian Reservation. In 2023, Barker successfully prosecuted Ronald Craig Ilg, who attempted to hire hitmen on the dark web to harm his wife and a former work colleague.  Earlier this year, Barker was lead counsel with AUSA Nowles Heinrich and Echo Fatsis in the successful trial of Luis Esquival Balonos, who was convicted on multiple drug trafficking charges stemming from more than one hundred pounds of illegal drugs being distributed on and around the Colville Indian Reservation and into Montana. Barker, who carried an active caseload while leading the office, was the first Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney in nearly two decades to try a case to a verdict while serving in the U.S. Attorney role.

    Throughout his career, Acting United States Attorney Barker also handled several significant drug trafficking prosecutions.  In 2023, Barker, with co-counsel AUSA Stephanie Van Marter, prosecuted the “Fetty Bros” Drug Trafficking Organization, which was distributing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and other drugs into Eastern Washington and using extreme violence to insulate their organization. In his efforts to further address the fentanyl crisis, Barker worked with now former U.S. Attorney Waldref and the City of Spokane to create a Special U.S. Assistant Attorney position focused on prosecuting those responsible for illegal narcotics impacting the Spokane area.

    As First Assistant United States Attorney, Barker supervised the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s litigating units, which include the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. As the Chief Deputy to the U.S. Attorney, Barker helped establish the District’s dedicated Appellate Division and worked closely with the Office’s administrative team to obtain additional DOJ resources for increasing public safety throughout Eastern Washington.

    Throughout his service, Former Acting U.S. Attorney Barker built strong relationships with Washington’s Native American communities and worked tirelessly to honor federal treaty rights with Tribal Nations in Eastern Washington and address the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous people. In early 2024, Barker played a key role in hiring the district’s first MMIP AUSA, who is fully dedicated to prosecuting cases of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People.  For Barker’s dedication to working with Native American communities and improving public safety, he received a Department of Justice Director’s Award in 2024.

    “Serving as a federal prosecutor has been the highlight of my career,” said Barker. “It has been an honor to represent the United States and seek justice for victims and their families. Spokane has truly become home for me and my family, and I look forward to remaining active in the legal community as I return to private practice right here in Eastern Washington.”

    Former U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref stated, “Acting U.S. Attorney Barker is an exceptional leader, a talented trial attorney, and a fearless advocate for justice. His service to the Department of Justice and dedication to protecting the communities of Eastern Washington is second to none. He led the District with distinction, focusing every day on doing the right thing for victims and the community and maintaining an unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law.”

    Outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barker will continue to serve as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, where he has taught courses in Trial Advocacy and Conflicts of Law. Barker also serves as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

    Stephanie Van Marter will be assuming the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “I’m honored to pass the torch to Acting U.S. Attorney Van Marter,” said Barker. “Steph has dedicated her career to the Department of Justice, and she will lead this office with the same honor, integrity, and commitment to justice as those who have served before her.” A formal announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding Ms. Van Marter’s new role will be issued in the coming days.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: UPDATE – Introducing Aptean Fresh Produce ERP: The Next Generation of Produce Pro Software

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Unifying Decades of Fresh Produce Expertise with Cutting-Edge Technology in a Powerful, Cloud-Based ERP Solution

    ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aptean, a global leader in mission-critical enterprise software solutions, announces the launch of Aptean Fresh Produce ERP, the evolution of its industry-leading Produce Pro Software. Designed to tackle the unique challenges of the fresh produce industry, this powerful solution combines decades of deep industry expertise with Aptean’s global innovation and cutting-edge technologies, ushering in a new era of productivity, intelligence and adaptability for companies.

    For over 30 years, Produce Pro Software has been a trusted ERP platform for fresh produce distributors, wholesalers, foodservice providers, growers, packers, shippers, processors, and terminal markets across North America. Renowned for setting the gold standard in operational efficiency, traceability and compliance, Produce Pro transformed how the fresh industry leverages technology to compete and grow. That legacy continues, strengthened by Aptean’s powerful technology ecosystem, delivering next-generation solutions that drive innovation, efficiency and growth for fresh produce businesses.

    Built on the robust Microsoft Business Central platform, Aptean Fresh Produce ERP delivers a secure, scalable, cloud-native solution designed for modern produce operations. AI-powered capabilities transform complex data into real-time, actionable insights, empowering teams to make better decisions faster. With seamless Microsoft integration and a sleek, user-friendly interface, daily operations have become more efficient, intelligent, and more connected than ever.

    “Aptean Fresh Produce ERP isn’t just an upgrade—it’s the future of fresh produce technology,” said Marc Hatfield, Regional Account Director for Fresh Produce at Aptean. “We have taken everything customers love about Produce Pro and supercharged it with Aptean’s advanced technology and cloud-native architecture. Designed for a fast-moving, high-stakes market, this next- ERP empowers produce operations stay ahead.”

    Aptean Fresh Produce ERP offers:

    • Proven Legacy: Over 30 years of produce-specific innovation, now elevated.
    • Cloud-Powered Performance: Secure, scalable and continuously optimized with Microsoft Cloud.
    • AI-Driven Insights: Transforming complex data into real-time intelligence for sharper decision making.
    • User-Friendly Design: A sleek, modern interface built for seamless team adoption and enhanced productivity.
    • Seamless Integration: Native compatibility with Microsoft 365 and Aptean’s complementary suite, including TMS, EDI, Ecommerce and BI.
    • Future-Ready Adaptability: Designed to evolve with your business and keep pace with demands.

    “Aptean Fresh Produce ERP is a smarter way forward—intuitive, intelligent and built to grow with your business,” said Hatfield. “It unites the proven functionality of Produce Pro Software with the power of the cloud, offering greater scalability, accessibility and ongoing innovation. Backed by Aptean’s deep software expertise and a suite of integrated technologies like TMS, EDI, Ecommerce, BI and more—fresh produce businesses evolve and thrive with solutions made specifically for them.”

    To learn more, visit: aptean.com

    About Aptean
    Aptean is a global provider of industry-specific software that helps manufacturers and distributors effectively run and grow their businesses. Aptean’s solutions and services help businesses of all sizes to be Ready for What’s Next, Now®. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and has offices in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Decision on Enhancing ASEAN Relations with External Parties

    Source: ASEAN

    1. Reaffirming the role of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in ensuring consistency and coherence in the conduct of ASEAN’s external relations.
     
    2. Recalling the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ decision under Paragraph 79 of the Joint Communiqué of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on 2 August 2021, to commence a comprehensive review of the moratorium on new Dialogue Partnerships, in conjunction with the development of the ASEAN Community Vision Post-2025.
     
    Download the full statement here.
    The post ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Decision on Enhancing ASEAN Relations with External Parties appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Antidepressant withdrawal: new review downplays symptoms but misses the mark for long-term use

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Horowitz, Visiting Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry, UCL

    marevgenna/Shutterstock.com

    A new review of antidepressant withdrawal effects – written by academics, many of whom have close ties to drug manufacturers – risks underestimating the potential harms to long-term antidepressant users by focusing on short-term, industry-funded studies.

    There is growing recognition that stopping antidepressants – especially after long-term use – can cause severe and sometimes debilitating withdrawal symptoms, and it is now acknowledged by the UK government as a public health issue.

    One of the main reasons this issue took decades to recognise after the release of modern antidepressants onto the market is because medical guidelines, such as those produced by Nice (England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), had for many years declared withdrawal effects to be “brief and mild”.

    This description was based on studies run by drug companies, where people had only taken the medication for eight to 12 weeks. As a result, when patients later showed up with severe, long-lasting symptoms, many doctors didn’t take them seriously because these experiences contradicted what the guidelines led them to expect.

    Our recent research helps explain this mismatch. We found a clear link between how long someone takes antidepressants and how likely they are to experience withdrawal symptoms – and how severe these symptoms are.

    We surveyed NHS patients and found that people who had used antidepressants for more than two years were ten times more likely to have withdrawal effects, five times more likely for those effects to be severe, and 18 times more likely for them to be long lasting compared with those who had taken the drugs for six months or less.

    For patients who used antidepressants for less than six months, withdrawal symptoms were mostly mild and brief. Three-quarters reported no or mild symptoms, most of which lasted less than four weeks.

    Only one in four of these patients was unable to stop when they wanted to. However, for long-term users (more than two years), two-thirds reported moderate or severe withdrawal effects, with one-quarter reporting severe withdrawal effects. Almost one-third of long-term users reported symptoms that lasted for more than three months. Four-fifths of these patients were unable to stop their antidepressants despite trying.

    About 2 million people on antidepressants in England have been taking them for over five years, according to a BBC investigation. And in the US at least 25 million people have taken antidepressants for more than five years. What happens to people in eight-to-12-week studies is a far cry from what happens to millions of people when they stop.

    Studying what happens to people after just eight to 12 weeks on antidepressants is like testing car safety by crashing a vehicle into a wall at 5km/h – ignoring the fact that real drivers are out on the roads doing 60km/h.

    History repeating itself?

    Against this backdrop, a review has just been published in Jama Psychiatry. Several of the senior authors declare payments from drug companies. In what looks like history repeating itself, the review draws on short-term trials – many funded by the pharmaceutical industry – that were similar to those used to shape early treatment guidelines. The authors conclude that antidepressants do not cause significant withdrawal effects.

    Their main analysis is based on eleven trials that compared withdrawal symptoms in people who had stopped antidepressants with those who had continued them or stopped taking a placebo. Six of these trials had people on antidepressants for eight weeks, four for 12 weeks and just one for 26 weeks.

    They reported a slightly higher number of withdrawal symptoms in people who had stopped antidepressants, which they say does not constitute a “clinically significant” withdrawal syndrome. They also suggest the symptoms could be explained by the “nocebo effect” – where negative expectations cause people to feel worse.

    In our view, the results are likely to greatly underestimate the risk of withdrawal for the millions of people on these drugs for years. The review found no relationship between the duration of use of antidepressants and withdrawal symptoms, but there were too few long-term studies to test this association properly.

    The review probably underestimates, in our view, short-term withdrawal effects too by assuming that the fact that people experience withdrawal-like symptoms when stopping a placebo or continuing an antidepressant cancels out withdrawal effects from antidepressants. But this is not a valid assumption.

    We know that antidepressant withdrawal effects overlap with side-effects and with everyday symptoms, but this does not mean they are the same thing. People stopping a placebo report symptoms such as dizziness and headache, because these are common occurrences. However, as was shown in another recent review, symptoms following discontinuation of a placebo tend to be milder than those experienced when stopping antidepressants, which can be intense enough to require emergency care.

    So deducting the rate of symptoms after stopping a placebo or continuing an antidepressant from antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is likely to underestimate the true extent of withdrawal.

    The review also doesn’t include several well-designed drug company studies that found high rates of withdrawal symptoms. For example, an American study found that more than 60% of people who stopped antidepressants (after eleven months) experienced withdrawal symptoms.

    The authors suggest that depression after stopping antidepressants is probably a return of the original condition, not withdrawal symptoms, because similar rates of depression were seen in people who stopped taking a placebo. But this conclusion is based on limited and unreliable data (that is, relying on participants in studies to report such events without prompting, rather than assessing them systematically) from just five studies.

    We hope uncritical reporting of a review based on the sort of short-term studies that led to under-recognition of withdrawal effects in the first place, does not disrupt the growing acceptance of the problem and slow efforts by the health system to help potentially millions of people who may be severely affected.

    The authors and publisher of the new review have been approached for comment.

    Mark Horowitz is the author of the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines which outlines how to safely stop antidepressants, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and z-drugs, for which he receives royalties. He is co-applicant on the RELEASE and RELEASE+ trials in Australia funded by the NHMRC and MRFF examining hyperbolic tapering of antidepressants. He is co-founder and consultant to Outro Health, a digital clinic which helps people to safely stop no longer needed antidepressants in the US. He is a member of the Critical Psychiatry Network, an informal group of psychiatrists.

    Joanna Moncrieff was a co-applicant on a study of antidepressant discontinuation funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research. She is co-applicant on the RELEASE and RELEASE+ trials in Australia funded by the NHMRC and MRFF examining hyperbolic tapering of antidepressants. She receives modest royalties for books about psychiatric drugs. She is co-chair person of the Critical Psychiatry Network, an informal group of psychiatrists.

    – ref. Antidepressant withdrawal: new review downplays symptoms but misses the mark for long-term use – https://theconversation.com/antidepressant-withdrawal-new-review-downplays-symptoms-but-misses-the-mark-for-long-term-use-260708

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • PM Modi pays tribute to Namibia’s Founding Father Dr. Sam Nujoma at Heroes Acre Memorial

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage to Namibia’s Founding Father and first President, Dr. Sam Nujoma, at the Heroes Acre memorial during his state visit to the country.

    Remembering Dr. Nujoma as a visionary leader, the Prime Minister said he devoted his entire life to Namibia’s struggle for independence and laid a strong foundation for the nation as its first President. “His inspiring contribution to nation-building continues to motivate people across the world,” PM Modi noted.

    Dr. Nujoma shared a close bond with India. His presence during the establishment of Namibia’s first-ever diplomatic mission — the SWAPO office — in New Delhi in 1986 is fondly remembered as a symbol of enduring friendship between the two nations.

  • Heavy rains lash Delhi-NCR, IMD issues red alert amid traffic chaos

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A sudden spell of heavy rain battered Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday, leading to widespread waterlogging, traffic disruptions, and a red alert from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

    The IMD, in its latest advisory, warned that the weather system moving eastward is expected to bring moderate rainfall across most parts of the region, with isolated pockets likely to witness heavy downpours over the next few hours.

    Light to moderate rain had already begun in several eastern parts of Delhi by evening, and conditions were rapidly intensifying.

    Authorities have flagged a high risk of localized flooding on roads, particularly in low-lying areas across Delhi-NCR. Several underpasses in vulnerable zones may face temporary closures due to rising water levels, while traffic movement across key stretches is expected to slow down significantly.

    The IMD cautioned that heavy rain could lead to occasional reductions in visibility, especially for motorists navigating slippery and waterlogged roads, raising the risk of accidents and extended traffic snarls. Daily life and outdoor business operations are also likely to be impacted.

    In addition to urban disruptions, the downpour could potentially damage plantations, horticultural assets, and standing crops. Temporary structures and weak constructions, particularly in informal settlements, may suffer partial damage due to strong winds and water seepage.

    The IMD has urged residents to follow all advisories issued by civic authorities and to avoid non-essential travel. People are advised to stay indoors, keep doors and windows securely shut, and avoid taking shelter under trees during the storm due to the risk of lightning.

    Meanwhile, the IMD also issued an orange alert for the national capital, forecasting moderate rainfall accompanied by light thunderstorms and lightning across Delhi and adjoining areas. The day’s maximum temperature was expected to settle around 35°C, with the minimum hovering near 24°C.

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Paul Chan promotes HK in Seoul

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan attended a seminar on the development of capital markets in Hong Kong and Korea as well as a business luncheon on the second day of his visit in Seoul, Korea.

     

    At the Hong Kong-Korea Capital Markets Conference, Mr Chan highlighted that Hong Kong’s financial market has shown strong resilience over the past two years, with continued capital inflows, a robust stock market and a significant increase in bank deposits.

     

    He added that amid profound changes in the global political and economic environment, Hong Kong is regarded as a safe harbour for global capital, characterised by transparent, stable and predictable policies, and its efficient connectivity with China and other Asian markets.

     

    He also shared information with the conference participants about Hong Kong’s strategies and initiatives in developing digital assets, including licensing regimes for digital asset platforms and stablecoins.

     

    At the Korea–Hong Kong Business Luncheon, with the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Tokyo) as the cohost, Mr Chan noted that in the first half of this year alone, Hong Kong welcomed over half a million Korean visitors, a year-on-year growth of 25%.

     

    Additionally, he stated that the number of foreign and Mainland companies reached a record high in 2024, with the number of Korean companies growing by 9% in particular.

     

    “For Korean enterprises, Hong Kong’s unique advantage of connecting with both the Mainland and the world can create new opportunities in finance, innovation and technology, digital economy, film and entertainment, and more.”

     

    After meeting Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byung-hwan, the Financial Secretary held discussions with representatives from the Korea Venture Capital Association and the private equity sector.

     

    During such discussions, Mr Chan learnt about Korea’s industry ecosystem and asset allocation strategies, while introducing them to the investment opportunities in Hong Kong across the stock market and the innovation and technology landscape.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • PM Modi awarded Namibia’s highest civilian honour during state visit

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday was conferred with Namibia’s highest civilian honour, ‘The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’, during his one-day state visit to the African nation.

    The award was presented by the President of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, at a special ceremony, marking a new milestone in the ties between the two nations.

    Accepting the award, the PM dedicated it to the 1.4 billion people of India and to the historic and enduring partnership between India and Namibia. “I accept this honour with deep gratitude, and I dedicate it to the people of India and the timeless bond our two countries share,” the Prime Minister said, expressing his heartfelt thanks to Nandi-Ndaitwah and the people of Namibia.

    PM Modi is the first Indian leader to receive this honour.

    Established in 1995, the award recognises distinguished service and leadership. It is named after the Welwitschia Mirabilis, a unique desert plant found only in Namibia that symbolises resilience, longevity and the enduring spirit of its people.

    This is PM Modi’s 27th international honour, the fourth during his ongoing five-nation tour and the second in less than 24 hours.

  • MIL-OSI: JA Mining Redefines Global Cloud Mining with Sustainable Zero-Fee Contracts and Predictable Daily Returns

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    London, UK, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JA Mining is a UK-certified digital asset mining platform dedicated to changing the way individuals and institutions participate in cryptocurrency mining through scalable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly cloud solutions. JA Mining provides a convenient entry point for Bitcoin (BTC), Dogecoin (DOGE) and Ripple (XRP) mining to users around the world without the need for expensive hardware, complex setup and excessive energy consumption.

    Unlike traditional mining operations that require large capital expenditures and constant technical oversight, JA Mining allows users to earn passive cryptocurrency income through automated mining contracts – all of which is guaranteed by renewable energy and advanced system security.

    A Platform Built for Modern Investors

    As the industry moves towards compliance and transparency, JA Mining stands out with a fully licensed operating structure under the UK regulatory framework. The company integrates McAfee® and Cloudflare® cybersecurity systems to protect user data, while providing the following services:

    • Zero management fees: 100% of mining output belongs to users, with no hidden fees.
    • Guaranteed uptime and 24/7 technical support: Ensure uninterrupted daily mining operations.
    • Multi-currency support: Users can use multiple currencies such as BTC, USDT, DOGE, LTC, and XRP.
    • $100 instant bonus: All new users can get a $100 mining bonus and earn $1 per day without any upfront investment.

    Get started in three easy steps

    1. Sign up: New users only need to provide an email address to create an account. No KYC is required to start a free trial.

    2. Start free mining: $100 bonus can start automatic mining, zero cost, zero risk.

    3. Choose a contract plan: To increase your income, users can choose a fixed income contract that suits different budgets and schedules.

    Example Contract Yields (Updated July 2025):

    LTC Classic Miner – $200 | 2 Days | $7/day → Total: $14

    DOGE Innovative Miner – $2,420 | 3 Days | $86.88/day → Total: $260.63

    DOGE Quality Choice – $12,500 | 3 Days | $535/day → Total: $1,605

    BTC Intelligent Innovation – $55,600 | 2 Days | $4,770/day → Total: $9,540.96

    BTC Efficient & Excellent – $258,000 | 5 Days | $24,664.80/day → Total: $123,324

    For more plans, please visit the official website: https://jamining.com

    JA What’s unique about JA Mining?

    • Easy to use: The platform is optimized for beginners and professionals, with an intuitive dashboard and one-click mining interface.
    • Guaranteed profitability: Fixed-term contracts provide predictable daily income that can be withdrawn or reinvested.
    • Hands-free operation: All technical management, including hardware maintenance and energy optimization, is handled by JA Mining’s data centers.

    Built for a green future of crypto mining

    JA Mining’s model is based on environmentally friendly principles – utilizing solar and wind-powered mining facilities across Europe, North America, and Asia. This not only reduces carbon emissions, but also attracts environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-conscious investors who are seeking ethical income-generating opportunities in the digital asset space.

    The company’s growing adoption in global markets, driven by both retail users and institutional partners, marks a shift in its revenue model from speculative trading to stable mining.

    About JA Mining

    JA Mining is a UK-certified cloud mining platform focused on delivering secure, transparent, and energy-efficient mining services. The platform enables users worldwide to generate daily passive income through automated contracts powered by clean energy and protected by enterprise-grade security. With a user-centric design and flexible investment options, JA Mining makes digital asset mining accessible to everyone—from first-time users to experienced investors.

    Media Contact:

    Full Name: Anna W Hitchens

    Position: Manager

    Phone: +44 7751696528

    Email: info@jamining.com

    Website: https://jamining.com

    Download App:https://jamining.io/jamining/

    Company Address:
    JA Financial Services Limited, 11 The Elms, Leek Wootton, Warwick, England, CV35 7RR, London, UK

    Disclaimer: This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, legal advice, or investment recommendations. Stock Trading involves risk and market volatility. Please research or consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions. Jamining.com and associated parties are not liable for any financial loss incurred.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: PureWager Group, LLC Announces Strategic Partnership with BoscaSports to Revolutionize Gaming in U.S. and International Markets

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHERIDAN, Wyo., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PureWager Group, LLC, a leader in gaming technology and recent recipient of an exclusive online gaming license with the Odawa Indian Tribe, today announced a strategic partnership with BoscaSports, a global innovator in digital betting displays and platform solutions. This collaboration will deploy state-of-the-art sportsbook, iGaming, and retail kiosk technologies across U.S. tribal markets and international jurisdictions (future announcements coming soon).

    Backed by 22X Ventures, PureWager’s investment partner, the alliance merges BoscaSports’ proven retail and racing expertise with PureWager’s gaming technology platform to create a seamless, omnichannel experience for operators and bettors worldwide.

    A Partnership Built for Growth  

    The partnership will focus on three key areas:

    1. U.S. Markets: Integration of BoscaSports’ retail solutions with PureWager’s digital platform, enhancing in-venue and online experiences for tribal and commercial operators.

    2. International Expansion: Joint deployment of sportsbook and iGaming solutions in selected international markets through local partners.

    3. Global Innovation: Co-development of AI-driven betting tools, automated multilingual content, and hybrid retail-digital ecosystems for emerging markets.

    “This partnership is a game-changer for the tribal gaming industry and beyond,” said Elliott Banks, Co-Founder of PureWager. “BoscaSports’ retail technology and our digital platform create a turnkey solution that empowers operators to engage customers everywhere—from casinos to mobile devices.”

    Why It Matters

    – Partnerships-Meet-Scale: Combines PureWager’s exclusive licenses and market access agreements with BoscaSports’ 7,000+ global deployments.

    – End-to-End Solutions: Delivers integrated retail solutions, mobile betting, and live-odds displays under one platform.

    – Economic Impact: Drives job creation and revenue-sharing opportunities for tribal and non-tribal communities, and international partners.

    Looking Ahead  

    The partnership’s first phase will launch in late 2025, with PureWager-powered BoscaSports kiosks debuting in Odawa tribal venues and select non-US retail locations.

    About BoscaSports  

    BoscaSports is a Dublin-based provider of dynamic betting displays and platform solutions, serving 7,000+ deployments around the globe, including Goodwood Racing (Trinidad & Tobago) and UK Tote. Learn more: www.boscasports.com.

    About PureWager Group

    PureWager Group is a global gaming technology company reimagining the sports betting experience through real-time interaction, personalized engagement, and responsible innovation. Co-founded by Wayne Stevenson and Elliott Banks, the company is preparing for a national rollout of its proprietary platform in regulated and sovereign markets across the United States.

    About 22X Ventures

    22X Ventures is a private equity firm investing in transformative companies that align with its mission to create sustainable value across industries and communities. The firm focuses on growth-stage companies with high disruption potential and clear market advantages. Learn more www.22xventures.com.

    Media Contact:

    Minh Le
    Public Relations Manager
    22X Ventures & PureWager Group
    Email: info@22capitalpartners.com
    Phone: 703-629-1131

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: IMCA Member Survey 2025 – the results are in!

    Source: International Marine Contractors Association – IMCA

    Headline: IMCA Member Survey 2025 – the results are in!

    IMCA is committed to continuously improving the value we provide to our Members.

    This is why we launched our IMCA Member Survey in March to hear your views about IMCA, and the value you get from IMCA membership.

    This feedback is essential to help us shape our future initiatives, to refine the benefits of IMCA membership, and ensure IMCA continues to deliver the value that you need.

    So, thank-you to everyone who filled in the survey. Your input has given us a wealth of data and insights covering every aspect of our work.

    While we continue to analyse the results, we want to share a few of the headline findings, and to let you know about some new initiatives we are introducing in response to your feedback.

    •  Some Members told us that they found it hard to make the most of their IMCA Membership, either because they weren’t sure how, or because they didn’t have the time. Members also told us that they struggled to attend IMCA’s in-person events. We have launched a new series of online IMCA Member briefings to help Members understand and access the benefits of IMCA Membership, and we will explore other ways of making our events more accessible in 2026.
    • Just one-third of IMCA Members are aware of IMCA’s advocacy work on behalf of the marine contracting sector – with the International Maritime Organization, with the European Union, and with national governments and regulators. We will step up our communication of this work, and will launch a new Advocacy Hub on the IMCA website to share news and resources from our campaigns.
    • Members gave us excellent feedback on new services that IMCA could introduce to serve its Members, and key industry issues that IMCA should focus on over the next two to three years. These areas included training and continuing professional development, attracting the next generation of talent to join our industry, guidance on meeting new environmental regulations, and supporting Members as they implement AI and new technology in their operations. We will feed these insights into the development of IMCA’s new strategy, which will be launched at the end of this year.

    We will publish a more detailed report on the results of the Member Survey, and the actions we are taking in response, as part of our Annual Impact Report, which will be published this Autumn. 

    IMCA Member survey headline results

    Who did we hear from?

    We received survey responses from 525 people working for 272 Member businesses and organisations. The responses from different regions, different types of Member (contractor, supplier, etc), and from different divisions (marine, diving, etc) was in proportion with IMCA’s global membership, making this a strong, representative sample.

    • This is good, but we want to do even better in 2026. We aim to engage with every one of our 800+ Member companies next year – through our annual IMCA Member Survey, through more frequent and targeted ‘pulse’ surveys, by making our events more accessible, and by expanding our network of regional experts and Member engagement directors.

    More than 85% of respondents said they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their company’s IMCA Membership.

    We asked Members to say, on a scale of one to 10, how likely they would be to recommend IMCA membership to a colleague. The results gave us an average score of 8.5 out of 10, and a ‘net promoter score’ of 46.1

    • These are very strong results, and demonstrate the value of IMCA Membership across our different divisions and areas of work. However, we are not complacent, and using the insights contained in this Member survey we aim to improve on these numbers in 2026.

    Diving Equipment Manufacturer, Middle East & India

    IMCA is influential because it plays a central role in shaping industry standards, promoting safety, and guiding best practices across the global marine contracting and diving community. Its guidelines are widely respected and adopted, giving contractors and operators a common framework to work within. IMCA’s influence extends beyond documentation – it creates a platform for collaboration, drives regulatory conversations, and brings stakeholders together to elevate operational quality and safety. For many of us in the industry, IMCA is a benchmark for compliance, credibility, and continuous improvement.

    Which Member benefits do IMCA Members value the most?

    Benefit of IMCA Membership

    Average score (/10)

    Access to IMCA’s technical guidance, information notes, and codes of practice

    9.0

    Safety flashes and statistics

    9.0

    Briefings on legal, policy, and regulatory topics

    8.3

    The opportunity to attend IMCA events and technical seminars

    8.0

    IMCA’s advocacy with energy companies, governments, regulators, and the International Maritime Organization

    8.0

    The opportunity to support IMCA’s work, including through IMCA Committees and Working Groups

    8.0

    Networking and business development

    7.8

    Dynamic Positioning practitioner assessment and diving supervisor CPD (continuous professional development)

    7.5

    Running the eCMID vessel auditing system

    7.0

    The publication and sale of logbooks for key offshore personnel

    6.8

    The certification of diving-related supervisory roles

    6.5

    We asked Members to rate the importance of IMCA Member benefits by giving each benefit a score of between one and 10. We were pleased to see that Members valued our core services – our industry-leading technical library, our focus on driving improvements in safety at work, our program of technical seminars and regional events, and our advocacy work on legal, policy, and regulatory issues – most highly. None of this work would be possible without the support, time, and expertise of our Members, whether through volunteering on IMCA Committees or Working Groups, or submitting data and incidents to us to support the safety of the offshore sector as a whole.

    “IMCA has a proven pedigree in representing all areas of the offshore Energy contractor base to establish harmonised working practices and the sharing of information.” – Contractor, Europe

    Where can we do better?

    While 71% of Members said they felt involved with IMCA, 19% did not. Barriers to greater engagement were lack of time, the location of IMCA events, and because Members did not know how to get involved.

    To help address these challenges, we have launched a new series of online IMCA Member briefings to help Members understand and access the benefits of IMCA Membership, and we will explore other ways of making our events more accessible in 2026.

    “A vital association which helps to maintain specific safe working standards with a considerable variety of documentation support” – Diving Company, South America

    While one-third of Members were aware of IMCA’s advocacy work on behalf of the marine contracting sector – with the International Maritime Organization, with the European Union, and with national governments and regulators – 41% were either mostly or completely unaware.

    • We will step up our communication of this work, and will launch a new Advocacy Hub on the IMCA website to share news and resources from our campaigns.

    “IMCA sets Industry best practices for its members and the marine industry as a whole, which is also seen as best practice by global regulators.” – ROV supplier, Europe 

    For further information on the IMCA Member Survey please contact IMCA’s Membership Services Group at membership@imca-int.com.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Launches 100x Leverage, 100% Deposit Bonus, No slippage, No Spread- No KYC Required

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BexBack, a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform, is offering an unbeatable opportunity for traders with 100x leverage, a 100% deposit bonus, and a $50 welcome bonus, with no KYC required. This platform is designed to help traders take advantage of the ongoing volatility in the cryptocurrency market and maximize their potential returns.

    Why Choose BexBack?

    • 100x Leverage: Amplify your potential profits by trading with leverage. For example, a 1 BTC deposit could allow you to trade 100 BTC.
    • 100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds with a 100% deposit bonus. Use this bonus to increase your trading position and potential profits.
    • No KYC: Start trading immediately with no complex identity verification processes.
    • $50 Welcome Bonus: Available after depositing more than 100 USDT or 0.001 BTC and completing a transaction.
    • Fast and Easy Trading: No slippage, no spread, and fast execution make BexBack a top choice for experienced and new traders alike.

    Why BexBack Stands Out

    • Global Presence: With offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, BexBack is trusted by over 500,000 traders globally.
    • Secure and Efficient: BexBack is licensed as a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) and offers 24/7 multilingual support.
    • Comprehensive Trading Options: Trade more than 50 digital assets, including BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, and XRP, all with up to 100x leverage.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Out!

    If you missed the previous bull run, don’t let this opportunity slip by. Sign up on BexBack now to unlock the full potential of 100x leverage, the 100% deposit bonus, and the $50 welcome bonus. Start trading today and capitalize on the market’s volatility.

    Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers!

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8ed431c-25b9-46ae-a2ee-65c36e031bd0

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    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf8b6872-16b1-40f3-93eb-47760cd7446b

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa: Countries unite to scale up South-South cooperation for agrifood systems transformation

    Source: APO


    .

    A regional event on strengthening South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) in Africa opened today with a call for greater collaboration to unlock shared benefits. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and hosted by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the two-day event has brought together government ministers, technical experts, private sector leaders and development partners to promote more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems in Africa through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

    South-South Cooperation is the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries in the Global South, while Triangular Cooperation involves a third party, often a resource partner or multilateral organization, that facilitates or supports these exchanges. Together, SSTC provides an innovative model to accelerate progress on agrifood systems transformation. 

    A strategic moment for collaboration

    As FAO marks its 80th anniversary, the Regional Policy Dialogue on Strengthening South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) for Agrifood System Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa offers a timely opportunity to advance partnerships that deliver concrete results at scale.

    Speaking at the opening session, Stephen Justice Nindi, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of the United Republic of Tanzania, highlighted the value of African-led solutions and inter-regional collaboration. “It is my great pleasure and honour to welcome all of you,” he said. “Accelerating sustainable food systems and agricultural transformation is a top priority for the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania.”

    FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel highlighted FAO’s long role in South-South Cooperation. “This dialogue is especially meaningful as FAO marks its 80th anniversary this year. SSTC is an expression of the solidarity and shared responsibility that FAO was founded upon.” He then shared three priorities to guide SSTC work: “One, SSTC needs to be embedded directly into national plans, budgets, and policies to ensure it is a core strategy, not a side project. Two, we must look beyond traditional donors to the private sector, academia, and farmer organizations to bring new energy and resources. And three, we should rigorously measure our results to prove their value and secure future investment.”

    Director of FAO’s SSTC Division Anping Ye highlighted that FAO Member Nations hold the solutions to many of the challenges the world faces, and FAO’s role is to support countries to work together. “It is the goal and the responsibility of the FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation team to provide qualified or high-quality services to our member countries,” he said.

    A powerful solution in uncertain times

    The dialogue focuses on six key priorities: strengthening institutional coordination to consolidate SSTC policy frameworks and mobilise resources; promoting scalable innovations in agriculture through cross-country collaboration; enhancing climate resilience and food systems through SSTC mechanisms; facilitating multi-regional partnerships across Africa, Asia and Latin America; aligning SSTC with national strategies and FAO’s Country Programming Frameworks; and formulating practical roadmaps to support the institutionalisation of SSTC and improved inter-ministerial collaboration.

    Day one features country case studies and panel discussions on institutionalising SSTC in national and regional frameworks, including models from Uganda, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Financing strategies and partnership models are also under discussion, including the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, which has directly benefited over 100,000 people so far.

    Day two will focus on aligning SSTC with national plans, technology transfer and action planning. Breakout groups will work on monitoring, evaluation, and roadmaps for scaling up SSTC efforts within country frameworks.

    Expected outcomes include concrete policy recommendations, strengthened country partnerships, and commitments to follow-up actions such as the creation of inter-ministerial platforms or joint initiatives.

    FAO’s strong track record in Africa

    Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where nearly 80 percent of FAO’s SSTC efforts have taken place. Through partnerships with countries including Brazil, China, Morocco, Venezuela and Viet Nam, FAO has helped transfer knowledge, tools and technologies tailored to African priorities.

    Examples include the deployment of over 290 Chinese experts and 200 scalable technologies in Africa through the FAO-China Trust Fund; technology and knowledge sharing from Viet Nam, supported by Spain, to boost Namibia’s aquaculture sector; Brazil’s successful school meals model adapted in countries such as Senegal and Ethiopia; Moroccan technical support that helped Guinea and Eswatini improve agricultural monitoring and investment planning; and Venezuela-funded rice systems development projects that improved rice production in 10 African countries including Guinea and Nigeria.

    These projects demonstrate how SSTC can drive productivity, support smallholder farmers, and strengthen national institutions. As the Dialogue continues, FAO and its partners remain committed to expanding SSTC as a key mechanism for achieving sustainable development and resilient agrifood systems in Africa.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: From Seoul to Seke – The Shared Struggles of a Generation

    Source: APO


    .

    Exploring how young people across continents face different barriers to the same fundamental choice

    By Young Hong, Deputy Regional Director, UNFPA East and Southern Africa

    I never imagined that one day I would be advocating for the right to have children, while listening to young people across continents tell me why they feel they cannot.

    From the misty foothills of Nepal, where I once worked with adolescent girls rebuilding their lives after child marriage, to the bustling cities of South Korea, where couples delay or forgo parenthood under the weight of economic  pressure, and now to the vibrant communities of East and Southern Africa, where young people are navigating early pregnancies they never planned, one truth permeates across these regions. The power to choose if, when, and how to start a family remains out of reach for far too many.

    In South Korea, many young people are delaying or abandoning the idea of having children not because they don’t want to, but because housing costs, job insecurity, and social pressures make parenthood feel unattainable. Meanwhile, in Malawi and across much of East and Southern Africa, young people are being pushed into parenthood far too soon, without the knowledge or support to make informed decisions.

    Two vastly different realities yet both point to the same crisis: a crisis not of fertility, but of choice. Across Asia, and especially in my home country, we’re witnessing what headlines call a birth rate crisis. But the real crisis is deeper and more human – it’s a crisis of opportunities, of choice, of agency. When systems fail to support young people whether by denying them access to contraception or the conditions to raise a family with dignity, the result is the same: lives shaped by limitations, not aspirations.

    When I recently moved to East and Southern Africa as UNFPA’s new Deputy Regional Director, I was struck by the contrast. Here, the challenge is not too few births, but too many too soon. There is a young woman named Amina in rural Tanzania, just 16, already a mother. Her pregnancy wasn’t planned, it was the result of a lack of information, contraception, limited access to quality education, or even immediate economic need, and a world where saying no wasn’t always an option.

    Two regions. Two stories. One truth. Around the world, too many young people are being denied the power to choose their own futures.

    World in a mirror

    According to UNFPA’s State of World Population 2025 report, 1 in 5 people under age 50 expect they will not have the number of children they want. In Asia, many delay or forgo parenthood due to crushing housing costs, rising education cost, limited child care support,  job insecurity, climate anxiety, and persistent  gender inequality. In Africa, particularly in our region, nearly 72 million youth are not in school, employment or training, and 1 in 3 say they or their partner have experienced unintended pregnancy. These are not opposing trends, but they are mirror images of the same systemic failure. 

    And yet, young people remain at the center of public debates. In East Asia, this generation is labeled selfish for choosing careers over children. In East and Southern Africa, girls continue to struggle to live with the life-time consequences of pregnancy they did not understand. In both cases, youth are blamed for demographic shifts they did not design, which they are burdened from fixing without the resources, knowledge, rights, or respect.

    Turning the world around

    We need to flip this reality. The solution to so-called population crises is not coercion or blame – it’s care. It’s trust. It’s an investment.

    UNFPA is doing just that. In Zambia, we’re supporting youth-led centers where young people access comprehensive sexuality education and speak openly about their dreams. In South Sudan, mobile clinics reach girls in conflict zones with reproductive health services. In Lesotho, young men are stepping up as champions for family planning. And later this year, UNFPA will launch a global Youth Reproductive Choices Survey to listen, not prescribe, what young people need to thrive.

    One young activist in Nairobi said, “We’re not afraid to have children. We’re afraid we won’t have a future to raise them properly.” That fear, whether whispered in a café in Seoul or shouted from a township in Johannesburg, must guide our response.

    That means policies grounded in fairness across generations. It means affordable housing, quality education,   and decent jobs for youth. It means dismantling online misogyny and supporting parental leave not just for mothers, but for fathers too.  It means ensuring that contraception is available without shame, and that fertility treatments are accessible without ruinous costs. It means the society believes in young people and respects their decisions.  

    As a Korean, as a UNFPA leader, and yes, as someone named Young, I believe in youth. Not just as an age, but as a force: dynamic, hopeful, and deserving of choice.

    This World Population Day, let’s stop framing young people as a demographic problem. Let’s see them as the designers of their own future that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable. Whether in Seoul or Seke, Lusaka or Busan, it’s time to trust them. To listen. To give them the power to plan their families and their lives on their own terms. 

    Because when we do, we don’t just solve population challenges. We build a better world.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNFPA – East and Southern Africa.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Water suspension in Queen’s Hill set

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    From 10pm on July 12 to 8am on July 13, the supply of fresh and flushing water to residents in the Queen’s Hill area will be temporarily suspended, the Water Supplies Department announced today.

     

    The water suspension period is necessary because works will be carried out to connect new temporary water mains to the existing water supply system, with a view to decommissioning the water mains with bitumen lining at Ping Che Road, which supplies water to the Queen’s Hill area, the department explained.

     

    The preparations for connecting the temporary water mains will enter a final stage on July 12 for its commissioning this Sunday on July 13.

     

    Affected areas will include Queens Hill Estate, Shan Lai Court, as well as 68 villages on Sha Tau Kok Road (from Hung Leng Tsuen to Sha Tau Kok Town), Ping Che Road (from Hung Leng Tsuen to Wun Chuen Sin Kwoon), Ng Chow Road, Wo Keng Shan Road and at Luk Keng.

     

    To expedite the work processes so that the suspension can be shortened, the department will mobilise a workforce of about 200 to carry out the connection works.

     

    While affected consumers are advised to finish major daily cleaning and store water as needed before 10pm on Saturday, the department said it will provide temporary water supply during the suspension period.

     

    Moreover, to allow households to make early preparations, the department and the North District Office have liaised with members of the North District Council, Rural Committees as well as District Services & Community Care Teams regarding the water suspension, in order to put in place appropriate assistance measures.

     

    The department added that before the resumption of water supply by 8am on Sunday, it will flush the related water mains to ensure that the water quality is clear. As such, when the water supply resumes, drinking water in the water mains may contain air bubbles, making the water look milky.

     

    It is normal if individual consumers encounter milky or slightly turbid water in the early stage of the water resumption, the department pointed out, noting that the water will become clear again as the air bubbles dissipate.

     

    It further suggests that consumers first remove strainers of water taps, continuously run the taps for a few minutes and reinstall the strainers after the water becomes clear. Alternatively, they can let the water stand in a container for a while.

     

    Separately, the department emphasised that it will also strive to replace the temporary water mains with permanent underground water mains by end of this year. The section of temporary water mains will then be relocated for reuse.

     

    For enquiries, call the Water Supplies Department at 2824 5000.

     

    Residents of Queens Hill Estate may call 2537 0001, while Shan Lai Court residents may call 2713 9530.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Element to Announce Q2 2025 Results and Host Conference Call on August 7, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Element Fleet Management Corp. (TSX: EFN) (“Element” or the “Company”), the largest publicly traded, pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world, will hold its Q2 2025 results conference call and webcast for investors and analysts on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Element’s financial results for the period will be issued after market close on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 and will be available on the Company’s website at elementfleet.com/investor-relations/public-disclosures.

    The conference call and webcast can be accessed as follows:

    Call Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025
    Call Time: 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)

    A taped recording of the conference call may be accessed through September 7, 2025, by dialing 1-855-669-9658 (Canada/U.S. Toll Free) or 1-412-317-0088 (International Toll) and entering the access code 3828575.

    About Element Fleet Management Corp.

    Element Fleet Management (TSX: EFN) is the largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world. As a Purpose-driven company, we provide a full range of sustainable and intelligent mobility solutions to optimize and enhance fleet performance for our clients across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Our services address every aspect of our clients’ fleet requirements, from vehicle acquisition, maintenance, route optimization, risk management, and remarketing, to advising on decarbonization efforts, integration of electric vehicles and managing the complexity of gradual fleet electrification. Clients benefit from Element’s expertise as one of the largest fleet solutions providers in its markets, offering economies of scale and insight used to reduce operating costs and enhance efficiency and performance. At Element, we maximize our clients’ fleet so they can focus on growing their business. For more information, please visit: https://www.elementfleet.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Fortinet Report: OT Cybersecurity Risk Elevates within Executive Leadership Ranks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the findings from its global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report. The results represent the current state of operational technology (OT) cybersecurity and highlight opportunities for continued improvement for organizations to secure an ever-expanding IT/OT threat landscape. In addition to trends and insights impacting OT organizations, the report offers best practices to help IT and OT security teams better secure their cyber-physical systems. 

    “The seventh installment of the Fortinet State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report shows that organizations are taking OT security more seriously. We see this trend reflected in a notable increase in the assignment of responsibility for OT risk to the C-suite, alongside an uptick in organizations self-reporting increased rates of OT security maturity,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions, at Fortinet. “Alongside these trends, we’re seeing a decrease in the impact of intrusions in organizations that prioritize OT security. Everyone from the C-suite on down needs to commit to protecting sensitive OT systems and allocating the necessary resources to secure their critical operations.”

    Key findings from the global survey include:

    • Responsibility for OT security continues to elevate within executive ranks: There has been a significant increase in the global trend of corporations planning to integrate cybersecurity under the CISO or other executives. As accountability continues to shift into executive leadership, OT security is elevated to a high-profile issue at the board level. The top internal leaders who influence OT cybersecurity decisions are now most likely to be the CISO or CSO by an increasingly wide margin. Now more than half (52%) of organizations report that the CISO/CSO is responsible for OT, up from 16% in 2022. For all C-suite roles, this has spiked to 95%. Additionally, the number of organizations intending to move OT cybersecurity under CISO in the next 12 months has increased from 60% to 80% in 2025.
    • OT cybersecurity maturity is affecting the impact of intrusions: Self-reported OT security maturity has made notable progress this year. At the basic Level 1, 26% of organizations report establishing visibility and implementing segmentation, up from 20% in the previous year. The largest number of organizations state their security maturity is at the Level 2 access and profiling phase. The report also found a correlation between maturity and attacks. Those organizations that report being more mature (higher of Levels 0–4) are seeing fewer attacks or indicate that they are better able to handle lower-sophistication tactics, such as phishing. It’s worth noting that some tactics, such as advanced persistent threats (APT) and OT malware, are difficult to detect, and less mature organizations may not have the security solutions in place to determine they exist. Overall, although nearly half of organizations experienced impacts, the impact of intrusions on organizations is declining, with a noteworthy reduction in operational outages that impacted revenue, which dropped from 52% to 42%.
    • Adopting cybersecurity best practices is having a positive impact: In addition to the Levels of maturity affecting the impact of intrusions, it appears that adopting best practices such as implementing basic cyber hygiene and better training and awareness are having a real impact, including a significant drop in business email compromise. Other best practices include incorporating threat intelligence, which spiked (49%) since 2024. Additionally, the report saw a significant decrease in the number of OT device vendors, which is a sign of maturity and operational efficiency. More organizations (78%) are now using only one to four OT vendors, which indicates that many of these organizations are consolidating vendors as part of their best practices. Cybersecurity vendor consolidation is also a sign of maturity and corresponds to Fortinet customer experiences with the Fortinet OT Security Platform. Unified networking and security at remote OT sites enhanced visibility and reduced cyber risks, leading to a 93% reduction in cyber incidents vs. a flat network. The simplified Fortinet solutions also led to a 7x improvement in performance through reductions in triage and setup.1

    Best Practices
    Fortinet’s global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report provides actionable insights for organizations to strengthen their security posture. Organizations can address OT security challenges by adopting the following best practices:

    • Establish visibility and compensating controls for OT assets: Organizations need the ability to see and understand everything that’s on their OT networks. Once visibility is established, organizations then need to protect critical devices and ones that may be vulnerable, which requires protective compensating controls that are designed for sensitive OT devices. Capabilities such as protocol-aware network policies, system-to-system interaction analysis, and endpoint monitoring can detect and prevent compromise of vulnerable assets.
    • Deploy segmentation: Reducing intrusions requires a hardened OT environment with strong network policy controls at all access points. This kind of defensible OT architecture starts with creating network zones or segments. Standards such as ISA/IEC 62443 specifically call for segmentation to enforce controls between OT and IT networks and between OT systems. Teams should also evaluate the overall complexity of managing a solution and consider the benefits of an integrated or platform-based approach with centralized management capabilities.
    • Integrate OT into security operations (SecOps) and incident response planning: Organizations should be maturing toward IT/OT SecOps. To get there, OT needs to be a specific consideration for SecOps and incident response plans, largely because of some of the distinctions between OT and IT environments, from unique device types to the broader consequences of an OT breach impacting critical operations. One key step in this direction is to have playbooks that include your organization’s OT environment. This kind of advanced preparation will foster better collaboration across IT, OT, and production teams to adequately assess cyber and production risks. It can also ensure that the CISO has proper awareness, prioritization, budget, and personnel allocations.
    • Consider a platform approach to your overall security architecture: To address rapidly evolving OT threats and an expanding attack surface, many organizations have assembled a broad array of security solutions from different vendors. This has yielded an overly complex security architecture that inhibits visibility while placing an increased burden on limited security team resources. A platform-based approach to security can help organizations consolidate vendors and simplify their architecture. A robust security platform with specific capabilities for both IT networks and OT environments can provide solution integration for improved security efficacy while enabling centralized management for enhanced efficiency. Integration can also provide a foundation for automated responses to threats.
    • Embrace OT-specific threat intelligence and security services: OT security depends on timely awareness and precise analytical insights about imminent risks. A platform-based security architecture should also apply AI-powered threat intelligence for near-real-time protection against the latest threats, attack variants, and exposures. Organizations should ensure their threat intelligence and content sources include robust, OT-specific information in their feeds and services.

    Report Overview

    • The Fortinet 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report is based on data from a global survey of more than 550 OT professionals, conducted by a third-party research company.
    • Survey respondents were from different locations around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mainland China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.
    • Respondents represent a range of industries that are heavy users of OT, including: manufacturing, transportation/logistics, healthcare/pharma, oil, gas, and refining, energy/utilities, chemical/petrochemical, and water/wastewater.
    • Most of those surveyed, regardless of title, are deeply involved in cybersecurity purchasing decisions. Many respondents are responsible for operations technology at their organization and/or have reporting responsibility for manufacturing or plant operations.

    Additional Resources

    1 Fortinet, Fortinet OT Security Platform Customer Success Stories, November 5, 2024.

    About Fortinet
    Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

    Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAgent, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiEndpoint FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSEC, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Could England and Wales introduce jury-free trials? Here’s how they work in other countries

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natalie Hodgson, Assistant Professor in Law, University of Nottingham

    The right to trial by jury is a fundamental part of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. But under new proposals to address a record backlog of almost 77,000 Crown Court cases, some cases could now be heard by judge alone.

    Sir Brian Leveson has delivered part one of his independent review of the criminal courts, making 45 recommendations to address delays in the criminal justice process. One of his recommendations is that serious offences could be tried by a judge alone without a jury. Our evidence to the review explored how judge-alone trials have been used in other countries.

    Currently, a person can only be tried without a jury at Crown Court if there is a risk of jury tampering. Under Leveson’s proposal, judge-alone trials will be expanded to cases where a defendant requests to be tried without a jury, serious and complex fraud offences and where the case is likely to be lengthy or particularly complex.

    To understand how this might work, we can to look to other countries where judge-alone trials are used. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US all permit judge-alone trials in circumstances similar to what Leveson is recommending. A defendant can choose to be tried by a judge instead of a jury in certain circumstances.

    Defendants tend to express a preference for trial by judge alone if they are concerned that prejudicial media coverage or the nature of the offences might bias jurors against them. Leveson recommends that judges should decide whether a defendant’s request for a judge-alone trial should be granted, but stops short of identifying the factors that a judge should consider.

    Leveson leaves open the question of whether judge-alone trials should be available for all offences, or whether certain offences should be exempt. Some countries limit which offences can be heard without a jury. For example, in the Australian Capital Territory, a defendant cannot request a trial without a jury for murder or certain sexual offences.

    In New South Wales, judges are advised against permitting a judge-alone trial when the offence involves consideration of “community standards”. This recognises that members of the community have an important role to play in deciding whether a defendant has acted “reasonably”, “negligently” or “dishonestly”. For example, if a person is charged with manslaughter the jury may need to consider whether the defendant’s actions were “unreasonable”, which is best determined by members of the community.

    Are judge-alone trials unfair to defendants?

    Lawyers often raise concerns about judge-alone trials being unfair to defendants. Based on what we know from other countries, there is no strong evidence that this is the case. However, that is not to say that concerns about unfairness are unwarranted.

    If judges convict at higher rates than juries, that might suggest that judge-alone trials are unfair. However, the best available study, conducted in New South Wales, found that judges were actually slightly less likely than juries to find a defendant guilty.

    Juries do not explain their verdicts. In all countries which use judge-alone trials, judges must give reasons for their decisions. Knowing why a defendant was found guilty might make trials even more fair, providing a basis for an appeal against conviction if an error was made.

    One key issue with judge-alone trials is inadmissible evidence. Ordinarily, jurors are sent out of the courtroom while the judge and lawyers make decisions about what evidence the jury is allowed to hear. Evidence might be excluded because it is irrelevant, prejudicial or was collected in breach of the defendant’s rights. In these scenarios, the jury is never made aware of the evidence.

    However, in a judge-alone trial, the judge sees all the evidence, even if they decide that some of it should not be used. There is a risk that judges might be subconsciously impacted by inadmissible evidence in reaching their verdict.

    Judge-alone trials also raise issues about diversity of decision-makers. In England and Wales, only 11% of judges are from an ethnic minority background compared to 18% of the population. Ideally, juries contain people from a range of backgrounds. Some defendants might feel more confident that they will be tried fairly by a jury than a judge.

    Ultimately, one way to safeguard against concerns about unfairness is to give defendants the ability to choose whether or not they would like to be tried by a judge alone. Leveson’s recommendations suggest that most judge-alone trials would occur at the request of the defendant. However, judge-alone trials could be ordered against the defendant’s wishes in cases involving fraud or that are long and complex.

    Juries play an important role in the legal system in England and Wales. Through jury service, members of the community contribute to the administration of justice. The inclusion of a range of viewpoints and experiences in determining criminal verdicts enhances the legitimacy of the justice system.

    It is important that we continue to have juries in criminal trials. However, that is not to say that judge-alone trials cannot or should not play a role. The current backlog means that victims and defendants are having to wait years for their day in court. We desperately need to address this, and allowing defendants to elect a judge-alone trial may help to reduce delays to justice.

    While judge-alone trials are not inherently unfair, any rollout in England and Wales should be closely monitored and evaluated. It is important that we do not sacrifice fairness for efficiency as we work to address the issues affecting our justice system.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Could England and Wales introduce jury-free trials? Here’s how they work in other countries – https://theconversation.com/could-england-and-wales-introduce-jury-free-trials-heres-how-they-work-in-other-countries-259489

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Anand will hold a virtual call back during her travel to Malaysia

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 9, 2025 – The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will hold a media call-back by teleconference during her travel to Malaysia.

    Media Availability
    Date    : July 10, 2025
    Time: 10:15 a.m. ET (22:15 MYT)
    Location: Teleconference

    Notes

    This event is for accredited members of the Press Gallery only. Media who are not members of the Press Gallery may contact pressres2@parl.gc.ca for temporary access.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada reaffirms longstanding space collaboration with Japan

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    July 9, 2025 – Longueuil, Quebec

    During a recent visit to Japan, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) President Lisa Campbell met with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) President Hiroshi Yamakawa to explore new avenues for collaboration and opportunities for enhanced partnerships.

    The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding and productive relationship between the two space agencies ranging from their partnership in the International Space Station, the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, and the renewal of their commitment to sharing valuable Earth observation data – a collaboration that started in 2021.

    Canada and Japan have a long history of cooperation. Together, the CSA and JAXA are working on complementary lunar exploration technologies to help establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. Looking ahead, both countries are focused on developing next-generation technologies to ensure a sustainable and secure future in space.

    The CSA delegation also took part in the SPACETIDE conference to showcase the Canadian space program and its vibrant industrial capabilities, while engaging with the Japanese space sector. The objective was to broaden awareness and lay the groundwork for potential future Canada–Japan industry relations and business development.

    As the global space environment grows more complex, strong international partnerships are essential. Canada remains committed to working closely with like-minded countries like Japan to advance peaceful exploration, strengthen industry ties, and support innovation that benefits humanity as a whole.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • Lord’s Test: Jofra Archer makes hotly-anticipated return to England team for 3rd Test against India

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    England’s Jofra Archer has been named in the team to face India in the third test of the series at Lord’s, England’s cricket board (ECB) announced on Wednesday, as the fast bowler prepares for his first test in more than four years.

    Archer will replace fellow seamer Josh Tongue, the only change England have made, for the third test that starts on Thursday. Tongue picked up only four wickets and conceded more than 200 runs in the two innings.

    Archer has not played in the longest format since England faced India in Ahmedabad in February 2021. The 30-year-old has taken 42 wickets in 13 tests and although he was added to the squad for the second test, he was not included in the team.

    However, England coach Brendon McCullum said Archer was in the frame for the third test after putting his fitness woes behind him.

    A series of physical problems kept delaying his return to red-ball cricket, including elbow injuries, back issues and a thumb injury.

    “Really exciting, it’s great for English fans, but also for Jof. It’s been a long time coming for him. I think the way in which he’s handled the injury setbacks over that period has been very commendable,” England skipper Ben Stokes told reporters.

    “And then the way in which he’s got himself back onto the field and playing cricket over a long period of time now. It was exciting to have him back in the squad and in contention for last week, but now we can say he’s in the playing 11.

    “Jof’s going to be pretty proud of himself that he’s managed to get himself back here after two pretty big injury scares.”

    Stokes had also said they would consider fresh legs with such a quick turnaround time between the second and third test, especially after England’s bowlers bowled 234 overs in the second test that India won by 336 runs.

    England struggled to take wickets against India, who scored more than 1,000 runs in a test match for the first time in history in the second match and the hosts will hope Archer’s pace can be a lethal weapon at Lord’s.

    England will also be wary of India’s record at Lord’s, where they have more wins (three) than any other venue in England.

    The series is tied at 1-1 after England won the first test at Headingley before India won a test for the first time at Edgbaston on Sunday.

    ENGLAND TEAM

    Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ​​​​​​​‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    ‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Brussels – As European leaders and companies are pushing for increased imports of US liquefied gas (LNG), a new report by Greenpeace USA, Earthworks, and Oil Change International highlights the climate threats and financial risks posed by five major new liquefied gas export projects proposed for the US Gulf Coast, most of them still awaiting a final investment decision.[1]

    “What we found was crystal clear – any further investment in LNG is not compatible with a livable climate,” said Andres Chang, Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace USA and lead author of the report. “The massive growth in infrastructure along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has already created significant public health and ecosystem impacts, threatening entire coastal communities. But it doesn’t stop there. We believe this report shows that, if built, these projects would put global climate goals even further out of reach.”

    The report analyses five major US LNG projects – Venture Global CP2, Cameron LNG Phase II, Sabine Pass Stage V, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG Midscale 8-9, and Freeport LNG Expansion – and finds that each would fail the climate test derived from models in the US Department of Energy’s 2024 LNG Export public interest studies.[2] Each would increase greenhouse gas emissions by edging out renewable energy and driving up global fossil fuel use, undermining the world’s ability to meet the Paris Agreement targets and driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The report suggests that future US administrations could therefore revoke export authorisations issued under current US President Trump.

    Pressured by Trump and facing the threat of sweeping tariffs, the EU Commission is proposing increased LNG imports.[3] It has also agreed to look into direct public investments by the EU and its member states in gas export facilities outside the EU – including potentially the five US LNG projects analysed in this report – in its Affordable Energy Action Plan released in February 2025.[4]

    “Increasing US gas imports will deepen Europe’s dependence on the US, making the EU and national governments even more vulnerable to Trump’s political extortion. EU leaders must break free from fossil fuel dependency and take control of Europe’s future by investing in a renewable, secure and peaceful energy system. A ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the EU would be the right first step, certainly not funding projects abroad,” said Thomas Gelin, Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner.

    Another result of Trump’s pressure is the calls by some Member States and other EU policymakers to weaken the EU methane regulation, which was adopted just last year, in order to continue importing US liquefied gas despite the fact that its production – mostly coming from fracking – is associated with particularly high methane emissions.[5][6]

    “This report adds to a rapidly growing body of evidence that financing U.S. LNG is not a sound decision for insurers, investors, or purchasers – something the EU and America’s Asian allies must keep in mind as President Trump pressures them to increase their imports of U.S. LNG under threat of sweeping tariffs. Countries with climate commitments, such as those in the EU, should be very wary of the climate cost of importing US LNG,” said Dr Dakota Raynes, Senior Manager of Research, Policy, and Data at Earthworks.

    European energy companies have already signed long-term purchase agreements for four of the projects analysed in the report. These contracts extend well beyond 2035, the year by which Europe must phase-out fossil gas if it is serious about meeting its international climate commitments. These companies include SEFE (Germany), BASF (Germany), GASTRADE S.A. (Greece), DTEK (Ukraine), TotalEnergies (France), PKN Orlen (Poland), Gap (Portugal) and Equinor (Norway) – several of which are fully or partially state-owned.[7] 

    “Fossil fuel dependency has long externalized its true costs, forcing communities to bear the burden of pollution, sickness, and economic instability,” says James Hiatt, founder and director of For a Better Bayou. “For decades the oil and gas industry has known about the devastating health and climate impacts of its operations, yet it continues to expand, backed by billions in private and public financing. These harms are not isolated – they’re systemic, and they threaten all of us. This report is a call to conscience. It’s time we stop propping up deadly false solutions and start investing in a transition to energy systems that sustain life, not sacrifice it.”

    Greenpeace calls on EU leaders to stop new long-term purchase agreements for liquefied gas and drop the proposal for direct financial investments in gas export facilities. Instead, the EU should impose a ban on all new fossil fuel projects, including new liquefied gas import terminals, stop all public investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and agree to end fossil gas by 2035 at the latest.

    ENDS

    Notes

    Read the full report: Failing the climate test: LNG projects awaiting final investment decision do not stand up to US Government analysis

    Read the European media briefing

    Watch the press conference recording

    [1] At the time of drafting of the report, all five were awaiting a final investment decision. On June 24, 2025, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG announced a positive final investment decision.

    [2] December 2024 | ENERGY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF US LNG EXPORTS

    [3] Trump says EU must buy $350B of US energy to get tariff relief – POLITICO

    [4] Action Plan for Affordable Energy 

    [5] The Member States are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Hungaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

    [6] Liquefied natural gas carbon footprint is worse than coal | Cornell Chronicle

    [7] Source: Sierra Club US LNG Export Tracker, date as of 4 June 2025

    Contacts

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    Katie Nelson, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681, (GMT -8)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Exploring questions of meaning, ethics and belief through Japanese anime

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Ronald S. Green, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Coastal Carolina University

    A still from the Japanese anime ‘Spirited Away.’ Choo Yut Shing via Flickr, CC BY

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    Anime and Religious Identity: Cultural Aesthetics in Japanese Spiritual Worlds

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    As a scholar who studies Japanese religion and has a lifelong love of visual storytelling, I started using anime in my class to spark conversations around the Buddhist ideas of karma and Shintō notions of “kami,” or spirits in nature.

    When I introduced the idea of karma, a scene from “Mob Psycho 100” – a Japanese manga and anime series from 2016 to 2022 about a shy teenage boy with powerful psychic abilities – came up in discussion. It sparked a conversation about how our intentions and actions carry real moral weight. In Buddhism, karma is not just about punishment or reward in a future life. It is believed to play out in the present – shaping how we relate to others and how we grow or get stuck as people.

    Later, when I explained kami in Shintō, a quiet moment from “Mushishi” helped students think differently about the world around them. “Mushishi” is a slow-paced, atmospheric anime about a wandering healer who helps people affected by mysterious spiritlike beings called mushi. These beings are not gods or monsters but part of nature itself – barely seen, yet always present. The series gave students a visual language for imagining how spiritual forces might exist in ordinary places.

    The Japanese animation movie ‘Mushishi.’

    Over the years, two moments convinced me to create a full course. First was my students’ strong reaction to Gyōmei Himejima, the Pure Land Buddhist priest in “Demon Slayer.” He is a gentle but powerful guardian who refuses to hate the demons he must fight. His actions lead to honest and thoughtful conversations about compassion, fear and the limits of violence.

    One student asked, “If Gyōmei doesn’t hate even the demons, does that mean violence can be compassionate?” Another pointed out that Gyōmei’s strength does not come from anger, but from grief and empathy. These kinds of insights showed me that anime was helping students think through complex ethical questions that would have been harder to engage through abstract theory alone.

    The second moment came from watching “Dragon Ball Daima.” In this 2024 series, familiar heroes are turned into children. This reminded me of Buddhist stories about being reborn and starting over, and it prompted new questions: If someone loses all the strength they had built up over time, are they still the same person? What, if anything, remains constant about the self, and what changes?

    What does the course explore?

    This course helps students explore questions of meaning, ethics and belief that anime brings to life. It examines themes such as what happens when the past resurfaces? What does it mean to carry the weight of responsibility? How should we act when our personal desires come into conflict with what we know is right? And how can suffering become a path to transformation?

    What materials does the course feature?

    We start with “Spirited Away,” a 2001 animated film about a young girl who becomes trapped in a spirit world after her parents are transformed into pigs. The story draws on Shintō ideas such as purification, sacred space and kami. Students learn how these religious concepts are expressed through the film’s visual design, soundscape and narrative structure.

    Later in the semester, we watch “Your Name,” a 2016 film in which two teenagers mysteriously begin switching bodies across time and space. It’s a story about connection, memory and longing. The idea of “musubi,” a spiritual thread that binds people and places together, becomes central to understanding the film’s emotional impact.

    “Attack on Titan,” which first aired in 2013, immerses students in a world marked by moral conflict, sacrifice and uncertainty. The series follows a group of young soldiers fighting to survive in a society under siege by giant humanoid creatures known as Titans. Students are often surprised to learn that this popular series engages with profound questions drawn from Buddhism and existential thought, such as the meaning of freedom, the tension between destiny and individual choice, and the deeper causes of human violence.

    The characters in these stories face real struggles. Some are spirit mediums or time travelers. But all of them must make hard decisions about who they are and what they believe.

    As the semester goes on, students develop visual or written projects such as short essays, podcasts, zines or illustrated stories. These projects help them explore the same questions as the anime, but in their own voices.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    Anime has become a global phenomenon. But even though millions of people watch it, many do not realize how deeply it draws on Japanese religious traditions. In this course, students learn to look closely at what anime is saying about life, morality and the choices we make.

    Through these characters’ journeys, students learn that religion is not just something found in ancient texts or sacred buildings. It can also live in the stories we tell, the art we create and the questions we ask about ourselves and the world.

    Ronald S. Green 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. Exploring questions of meaning, ethics and belief through Japanese anime – https://theconversation.com/exploring-questions-of-meaning-ethics-and-belief-through-japanese-anime-260035

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI: Banzai Appoints Dean Ditto as Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SEATTLE, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Banzai International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNZI) (“Banzai” or the “Company”), a leading marketing technology company that provides essential marketing and sales solutions, today announced the appointment of Dean Ditto, CPA, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective July 14, 2025. Mr. Ditto replaces Interim Chief Financial Officer, Alvin Yip, who will continue with the Company in the role of Chief Accounting Officer.

    Dean Ditto has over 30 years’ experience as a strategic financial leader with a track record of implementing critical business initiatives that drive profitable growth at both public and private companies. Prior to joining Banzai, Mr. Ditto was Chief Financial Officer of Akerna Corp. a SaaS technology company where he led a corporate restructuring plan that produced cost savings of $6 million annually. Previously, he was CFO of Mydecine Innovations Group, Inc., a biotech and life sciences company, where he raised $40 million through public and private offerings to support drug and IP development and operations. As CFO of Sigue Corporation, a closely-held Fintech provider, Mr. Ditto worked to improve the business planning, budgeting and financial analysis processes. He has also served in financial leadership roles at OSI Systems, Dental Lab Holdings, KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Countrywide Home Loans, Giant Bicycle USA, and Ford Motor Company. Mr. Ditto holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Management from Albion College, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

    “On behalf of our board and management team, I would like to welcome Dean to the position. We are privileged to have someone of his caliber and financial skill set serve as our CFO,” said Joe Davy, Founder and CEO of Banzai. “I would like to thank Alvin for his contribution in leading us to this inflection point, and welcome Dean’s capabilities in scaling public technology companies. His achievements as well as expertise in financial management of listed companies will make a significant addition to the strategic operation and development of Banzai going forward.”

    Mr. Ditto added, “I am excited to be appointed as CFO as we prepare Banzai for the future in a rapidly evolving market. I look forward to working with Joe, the executive team, and the finance team as we continue to execute on our strategic and financial priorities focused on value-added growth and our commitments to all shareholders.”

    About Banzai

    Banzai is a marketing technology company that provides AI-enabled marketing and sales solutions for businesses of all sizes. On a mission to help their customers grow, Banzai enables companies of all sizes to target, engage, and measure both new and existing customers more effectively. Banzai has over 90,000 customers including RBC, Dell Technologies, New York Life, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Thinkific, and ActiveCampaign. Learn more at www.banzai.io. For investors, please visit https://ir.banzai.io.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “target,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “propose,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar variations and expressions. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Examples of forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding Banzai International, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”): future financial, business and operating performance and goals; annualized recurring revenue and customer retention; ongoing, future or ability to maintain or improve its financial position, cash flows, and liquidity and its expected financial needs; potential financing and ability to obtain financing; acquisition strategy and proposed acquisitions and, if completed, their potential success and financial contributions; strategy and strategic goals, including being able to capitalize on opportunities; expectations relating to the Company’s industry, outlook and market trends; total addressable market and serviceable addressable market and related projections; plans, strategies and expectations for retaining existing or acquiring new customers, increasing revenue and executing growth initiatives; and product areas of focus and additional products that may be sold in the future. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and development of the industry in which the Company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Therefore, investors should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the markets in which the Company operates, customer demand, the financial markets, economic, business and regulatory and other factors, such as the Company’s ability to execute on its strategy. More detailed information about risk factors can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors,” and in other reports filed by the Company, including reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

    Investor Relations
    Chris Tyson
    Executive Vice President
    MZ Group – MZ North America
    949-491-8235
    BNZI@mzgroup.us
    www.mzgroup.us

    Media
    Nancy Norton
    Chief Legal Officer, Banzai
    media@banzai.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese universities deepen educational cooperation with Central Asian countries

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    XI’AN, July 9 (Xinhua) — When Dilnaz from Kazakhstan received her master’s degree in late June this year, her entire student life in China flashed before her eyes. During her two years of master’s studies, she had the opportunity to study at two campuses of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU): one in Almaty and the other in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (Northwest China), a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers.

    Studying in two countries was an amazing and unforgettable experience, Dilnaz said. It was made possible by the launch of an international education program two years ago at SZPU, a renowned engineering university in China.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, within the framework of the first China-Central Asia summit, an agreement was signed between NWPU and the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi /KazNU/ to open a Kazakhstani branch of NWPU. Already in October of the same year, eight Kazakhstani students, including Dilnaz, became the first master’s students of this branch in Almaty. They studied in the specialties of materials science, information and communication engineering, computer science and technology, which are the strongest disciplines at NWPU.

    In recent years, as China deepens cooperation with Central Asian countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, education has become a key area of bilateral cooperation. A number of Chinese universities have opened branches in Central Asian countries, giving new impetus to the development of higher education cooperation between China and Central Asia.

    For example, in July 2024, a branch of Beijing Language and Culture University was officially opened in Kazakhstan, and in the same month, a branch of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University was opened in Tashkent, which became the first Chinese university branch in Uzbekistan. In May of this year, Xi’an University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Osh Technological University of Kyrgyzstan (OshTU) signed an agreement in Xi’an to establish an architectural institute at OshTU.

    In the more than 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries, bilateral relations have achieved leaps and bounds, as evidenced by the continuous strengthening of political mutual trust and the intensification of trade and economic exchanges and people-to-people contacts, which has created conditions for the opening of branches of Chinese universities in Central Asian countries, noted Gu Wei, a research fellow at the Institute of International Studies of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

    According to her, the entry of Chinese universities into the international arena with the establishment of foreign branches meets the needs of Central Asian countries in training highly qualified personnel and will contribute to the deepening of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

    In May 2025, SZPU, together with KazNU, established the China-Kazakhstan Elite Engineering Institute, signing an agreement on joint training of bachelors in artificial intelligence under the “2 2” scheme with the issuance of double diplomas. This project became a new breakthrough for the two universities in the field of training specialists, creating a new architecture of high-level international cooperation.

    “These achievements clearly demonstrate the deep coordination and joint development of the parties in the field of training specialists and scientific and innovative activities, actively promoting cultural mutual enrichment and scientific cooperation,” noted Vice-Rector of SZPU Yue Xiaokui.

    As the Minister of Education of the People’s Republic of China Huai Jinpeng reported in May at the first Meeting of Ministers of Education “China-Central Asia”, at present more than 18 thousand young people from Central Asia are studying in Chinese universities. -0-

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Nine killed in western India bridge collapse

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    NEW DELHI, July 9 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed and more than six injured on Wednesday when several vehicles fell into a river after a bridge collapsed in India’s western Gujarat state, local police said.

    A section of the 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning, disrupting road connectivity between Anand and Vadodara.

    Police said nine bodies had been recovered from the river. The injured were taken to a local hospital. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS continues visit to Seoul, Korea (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit to Seoul, Korea, today (July 9). He attended a seminar on the development of capital markets in Hong Kong and Korea, as well as a business luncheon cohosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also held several meetings respectively with the Chairman of the Financial Services Commission of Korea, Mr Kim Byung-hwan, and leaders in the investment sector to exchange views on the landscapes and developments of the financial markets and investment circles, and to promote further collaboration between the two markets.

    In the morning, Mr Chan attended and delivered a keynote speech at the Hong Kong-Korea Capital Markets Conference, organised by CSOP Asset Management. Conference participants included the Chairman of the Korea Financial Investment Association, Mr Seo Yoo-seok, as well as representatives from local pension funds, insurance companies, brokerage firms and other institutional investors and financial institutions.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ2: Raising students’ awareness of their hometowns and ancestral origins

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ2: Raising students’ awareness of their hometowns and ancestral origins 
    Question:
     
    It has been reported that every year around Ching Ming Festival, a large number of members of the public travel north with their children to pay tribute to their ancestors and visit their ancestral hometowns. On raising students’ awareness of their hometowns and ancestral origins, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) given that in the reply to my question in 2022, the Government has indicated that it would keep in view the suggestions from various sectors of society for follow-up action regarding the suggestion of adding the item on “native place” back to the Student Information Form of students of kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, of the progress of the relevant work, including whether it will explicitly require students to fill in the correct information about their native places; if so, of the specific implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) whether the Education Bureau will consider incorporating the element of “exploring one’s roots” into the teaching according to the students’ native places, so as to raise their awareness of their hometowns and ancestral origins; if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that; and
     
    (3) as there are views that the activities under the Government’s Clansmen Culture Promotion Scheme are all organised by clansmen associations, it is difficult for such activities to cover the student level, whether the Government will consider launching clansmen cultural activities targeted at students; if so, of the specific plan; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
    The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to nurturing students’ sense of nationhood, encouraging schools to implement national education through a “multipronged and co-ordinated” approach and organising diversified student activities in a manner of “organic integration and natural connection”, with a view to enhancing students’ understanding of the same cultural roots the Mainland and Hong Kong share. A number of related learning elements have been incorporated into the curricula of primary and secondary levels. For instance, Primary Humanities covers the concepts of family members, family names, native places and hometowns, etc. It helps students understand the history and development of their hometowns, so as to enhance their awareness of their ancestral origins and foster the affection for their native places and clansmen. Junior Secondary History includes the topics on the development of various local Chinese organisations, including clansmen associations, to help students learn about the services and contributions of relevant organisations, promoting the virtues of philanthropy and mutual support.
     
    “We treasure our historical legacy and never forget our roots”. Filial piety and fraternal duty are important values in Chinese culture. Enhancing students’ understanding to their native places and ancestral origins contributes to cultivation of their inheritance of Chinese culture, national identity and sense of belonging to the country.
     
    In fact, the understanding of nowadays primary and secondary school students on their native places or family backgrounds and histories is not solely derived from school education or classroom learning. It is more shaped by the students’ life experiences, such as tomb sweeping and visits to relatives in the hometown as aforementioned, family gatherings, or travelling to hometown, etc. In addition to the diversified learning activities organised by schools, such as hometown cuisine sharing sessions and tours for students to explore their roots, many school sponsoring bodies and schools in Hong Kong are named after clansmen associations or hometowns. As a result, students are generally familiar with the concept of “native places” and the sentiments associated with it.
     
    Our reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon Lau Chi-pang is as follows:
     
    (1) and (2) There are still different opinions and views in society on requiring students to fill in their “native place” in the personal information column of the student handbook. Some believe that requiring students to fill in their “native place” in the personal information on the Student Information Form is conducive to “native place” education and cultivating students’ affection for home and country. At the same time, some pointed out that the “native place” column in the Student Information Form is a type of personal information. When collecting the data, schools must comply with the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, clearly stating the purpose of collection. Data collection must also be appropriate and commensurate with the objectives. It is learnt that more and more schools have resumed adding the “native place” column to the Student Information Form currently.
     
    In fact, by understanding their native places, students can trace their family histories, learn about the cultural characteristics of different regions, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the country, as well as the multicultural nature of the world. However, the implementation strategies can be flexible and varied according to the school situation. Requiring students to report their “native places” in the personal information section of the student handbook is just one such way. Enforcing a unified and mandatory implementation method would not contribute to increasing the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
     
    To enhance students’ understanding of the same cultural roots the Mainland and Hong Kong share, it is considered that the implementation strategies should be comprehensive. A more effective approach would be integrating the curricula of secondary and primary schools for students to learn within and beyond the classroom in a co-ordinated way. For instance, the Primary Humanities curriculum covers the learning content of family names, native places, hometowns, etc. Teachers incorporate the learning element of “exploring one’s roots” to inspire students to gain a deeper understanding of their native places, and deepen their understanding of their hometowns and ancestral origins. This also enables students to acquire knowledge of the scenic spots and specialty products of their hometowns, learning to show concern over the development and changes in their hometowns.
     
    Schools incorporating related learning element in a multipronged way is a practice worth promoting. For example, at the teacher professional conference of the Primary Humanities recently, teachers shared their open lessons titled “My Family: Learn About Family Names, Native Places and Hometowns” and exchanged their experiences. Some schools choose their students’ native places as the destinations of sister school exchanges and in the Mainland exchange programmes, so as to allow students to learn about the country’s development through life experience. These are common practices.
     
    Some schools include a “native place” field in the Student Information Form, which enables teachers to understand the backgrounds and needs of students and devise suitable learning activities to better cater for learner diversity and improve the effectiveness of learning and teaching. This is also an effective practice.

    However, we also understand that some schools, for various reasons such as diverse opinion among stakeholders over collection of personal data or inapplicability to ethnic minority students, etc, have not included the “native place” field in the Student Information Form.
     
    The EDB understands that school contexts vary and will not rigidly require all secondary schools, primary schools and kindergartens to add the “native place” field to the Student Information Form. Hong Kong is a diverse and inclusive society and there are students of different ethnicities studying together in campus. Individuals from different cultural backgrounds engage with and respect on each other. Therefore, we encourage schools to enhance communication with stakeholders to gain parents’ understanding and support. At the same time, schools should deliver education on “native places” in a multipronged approach, with a view to helping students develop an understanding of their connection to their families and hometowns, recognise their cultural roots, and cultivate respect for and understanding of the cultures of different regions.
     
    (3) To deepen the public’s understanding of and sense of belonging to their hometowns, thereby fostering the spirit of loving the country, Hong Kong and their hometowns, the Chief Executive launched in his 2023 Policy Address the
    “Clansmen Culture Promotion Scheme” (the Scheme) for a period of three years, for application by clansmen associations to subsidise their organisation of activities to promote and preserve hometown culture, unite clansmen in Hong Kong and facilitate exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland. There is no restriction on the form of the activities, as long as they are non-profit-making in nature and in line with the objectives of the Scheme. Clansmen associations applying for the subsidy may, having regard to their needs, explore collaboration with other event organisers, including schools, in organising the activities. Taking a project approved under the first year of the Scheme as an example, the Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organisations conducted the “Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage in Schools” programme at the end of last year to host cultural workshops in various primary and secondary schools. Nearly 1 000 students and parents were engaged. 
     
    In conclusion, to cultivate students’ sense of belonging to their hometowns, we must adopt a “multipronged and co-ordinated” approach that integrates learning within and beyond the classroom, linking curriculum with real-life experiences. Education on “native places” is an important element. Enhancing students’ awareness of their native places and ancestral origins involves more than school education. It also needs the efforts and co-ordination on all fronts such as public education, family education and even the social atmosphere. It requires the concerted efforts and enhanced collaboration of different stakeholders in society to advance this initiative. Various departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, including the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the EDB, will continue to be responsible for the relevant promotional work, and explore practicable measures by listening to the views of different stakeholders, including relevant organisations, community groups, schools and parents, so as to forge a consensus among different sectors and create a conductive atmosphere. We will collaborate closely with various stakeholders to cultivate in the young people the spirit of “treasuring their historical legacy and never forgetting their roots”.
     
    Thank you, President.
    Issued at HKT 19:25

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor – News Release – Gov. Green Signs Landmark Legislation Pertaining to Maui Wildfires Settlement and Fire Marshal

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    Governor Josh Green, M.D., today enacted legislation to solidify the global settlement for claims relating to the August 2023 Maui wildfires and to further codify the role of Hawai‘i’s first State Fire Marshal in nearly 46 years.

    “Today we are re-envisioning the path forward in the roadmap of wildfire prevention and recovery,” said Governor Green. “We are taking action from both ends of the wildfire spectrum — building a more robust fire prevention framework within the state and enacting historic legislation that will aid in timely access to compensation following disaster. This crisis impacts us on many fronts, and it is time we tackle it the same way, from multiple directions.”

    HB 1001: RELATING TO SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS RELATED TO THE MAUI WILDFIRES
    House Bill 1001 (Act 301) establishes the Maui Wildfires Settlement Trust Fund to provide dedicated funding for those affected by the 2023 Maui wildfires. The bill appropriates $807.5 million to support the state’s contribution in the settlement of claims, which shall be deposited into the trust fund. Additional contributions to the state fund include funding from the County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, Charter Communications/Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom and West Maui Land Company.

    Governor Green sought to establish this funding to provide timely compensation for survivors’ claims as an alternative to lengthy litigation, ensuring those affected do not have to wait years to rebuild their lives. Recipients of compensation from the settlement trust fund shall agree to release the state and any additional parties that contribute to the fund from all further liability arising from the Maui wildfires.

    “This legislation is a huge win and sets a new precedent for swift settlement of claims for wildfire victims,” said Governor Green. “It should not take years for people to see compensation or begin rebuilding. This is about healing, restoring trust and helping families recover as quickly as possible in the place they call home.”

    The measure emphasizes providing meaningful compensation by specifying that property and casualty insurance companies can only recover payments made to a policyholder through a statutory lien. This provision demonstrates the state’s commitment to prioritizing the individuals affected by the wildfire to receive claims directly.

    The settlement agreement totals $4.037 billion and resolves claims of liability against multiple defendants, including the County of Maui. The agreement aims to reduce the legal load of the judicial system while avoiding the high costs associated with litigation.

    HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION
    In accordance with the Fire Safety Research Institute’s three-phase report — developed to improve fire preparedness and response following the August 2023 Maui wildfires —  House Bill 1064 (Act 302) effectuates the recommendations provided in “Phase 3” of the report. Phase 3 focuses on the forward-looking portion of the investigation and proposes improvements to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which was originally established under Act 209, Session Law of Hawai‘i 2024.

    Under Act 302, the Office of the State Fire Marshal is transferred to the Department of Law Enforcement and will be led by the State Fire Marshal. The legislation further clarifies the roles, duties, and discretionary authority of both the Office and the State Fire Marshal, supporting the state’s efforts to provide coordinated, statewide fire prevention and readiness strategies. To enhance coordination between the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the State Fire Council, the bill outlines responsibilities and the organizational structure related to matters such as reporting and recommending amendments to the state fire code.

    The bill requires the Fire Chief of each county to investigate and maintain an annual record of fire occurrences. These records must be submitted to the Office of the State Fire Marshal for centralized analysis. The county submissions will assist the State Fire Marshal in compiling biennial statistical reports, including those made available to the public and those submitted to the Legislature.

    “Last month, I appointed Dori Booth as Hawai‘i’s new State Fire Marshal, reviving a critical public safety position that has been vacant for nearly 46 years,” said Governor Green. “This appointment marks a turning point as we redefine the role — empowering the office with clear authority and resources to better protect our state through fire prevention strategies and analysis.”

    “My first month in office has been both eye-opening and incredibly encouraging,” said State Fire Marshal Dori Booth. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet with dedicated state and county partners, as well as private stakeholders, who are all working tirelessly to enhance fire prevention, readiness, and resiliency across our islands. These conversations have been instrumental in shaping my initial assessments and understanding the unique strengths each organization brings to the table. The feedback I’ve received has affirmed the vital role the Fire Marshal’s Office can play — not only in supporting these existing efforts, but also in unifying them to build a stronger, more resilient Hawai‘i. HB 1064 is a meaningful step forward, and I’m honored to stand with so many committed partners as we move toward a safer future together.”

    Lastly, HB 1064 establishes the State Fire Marshal Selection Commission and defines its roles and structure. The selection commission will be given the authority to appoint and remove the State Fire Marshal, evaluate the State Fire Marshal’s performance, and address matters of public interest.

    “With the State Fire Marshal position re-established for the first time in nearly five decades, this legislation gives the office the structure, authority, and support it needs to succeed,” said Senator Brandon Elefante (Senate District 16 – ‘Aiea, ‘Aiea Heights, Hālawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades, and Pearl City), who chairs the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee. “It’s a significant step in building a stronger, more coordinated approach to fire prevention and public safety across Hawai‘i.”

    There is $2.2 million appropriated in fiscal year 2026 and an equal amount for fiscal year 2027 to support the establishment and operations of the Office and State Fire Marshal.

    Video of the bill signing can be seen here.
    The slide deck presented by the Governor can be viewed here.
    Photos of the bill signing ceremonies, courtesy Office of the Governor, will be uploaded here.

    MIL OSI USA News –