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Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Fact Sheet: Investing in Unforgettable Experiences on Prince Edward Island

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French 2

    Information document

    The Government of Canada is investing more than $1.7 million in ten projects to support the continued development of Prince Edward Island’s tourism industry products.

    CUSTOMER NAME PROJECT APECA HELP PROVINCIAL AID
    Municipality of North Rustico Undertake the modernization of the promenade infrastructure to promote connections between communities, active transportation and improve the tourist experience.

    $437,033

    Non-refundable

    $450,000

    Non-refundable
    Tourism Cavendish Beach Stimulate the development of tourism products and create an annual marketing plan for 2023-2024.

    $100,000

    Non-refundable

    $59,000

    Non-refundable
    Tourism Cavendish Beach Stimulate the development of tourism products and create an annual marketing plan for 2024-2025.

    $100,000

    Non-refundable

    $63,000

    Grant
    Tourism Cavendish Beach Engage a consultant to carry out the launch phase of a new and innovative tourism experience in Cavendish.

    $37,000

    Non-refundable

    $35,000

    Non-refundable
    Tourism Industry Association of Administer the PEI Events Innovation Fund to support

    $650,100

    Non-refundable

    		  
    The Island Path Implement a strategic plan and strengthen marketing efforts.

    $30,000

    Non-refundable

    $50,875

    Non-refundable
    Central Coastal Tourism Partnership Lead marketing, product and professional development initiatives in partnership with tourism business operators for the period 2023-2024.

    $25,200

    Non-refundable

    $38,200

    Non-refundable
    Central Coastal Tourism Partnership Lead marketing, product and professional development initiatives in partnership with tourism operators for the period 2024-2025.

    $28,500

    Non-refundable

    $37,500

    Grant
    Central Coastal Tourism Partnership Conduct a destination market readiness program in the Rustico area to exploit tourism potential.

    $33,500

    Non-refundable

    $10,000

    Grant
    Golf PEI Deliver on the 2023-2024 Strategic and Marketing Plan objectives to position PEI as a world-class destination.

    $284,000

    Non-refundable

    $243,000

    Grant
    TOTAL   $1,725,333 $986,575

    Contact persons

    Connor BurtonPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities AgencyConnor.Burton@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

    David FlemingCommunications ManagerAtlantic Canada Opportunities Agencydavid.fleming@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

    April GallantSenior Communications OfficerFisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Province of Prince Edward Islandaldgallant@gov.pe.ca

    Stephanie MoaseCity ManagerMunicipality of North Rusticosmoase@northrustico.com

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 8936, Rohingya Genocide Accountability and Protection Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    H.R. 8936 would authorize appropriations for several Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs to assist Rohingya communities in Burma and in surrounding countries. It also would require the department and USAID to report to the Congress on their implementation of the bill and on related matters. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 8936 would cost $1.1 billion over the 2024-2029 period. Such spending would be subject to appropriation of the specified and estimated amounts.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Horizon Bancorp, Inc. Announces Conference Call to Review Third Quarter 2024 Results on October 24

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) – Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon” or the “Company”) will host a conference call at 7:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, October 24, 2024 to review its third quarter 2024 financial results.

    The Company’s third quarter news release will be published after markets close on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. It will be available at investor.horizonbank.com.

    Participants may access the live conference call on October 24, 2024 at 7:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. ET) by dialing 833-974-2379 from the United States, 866-450-4696 from Canada, or 412-317-5772 from international locations and requesting the “Horizon Bancorp Call.” Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the call.

    A telephone replay of the call will be available approximately one hour after the end of the conference call through November 1, 2024. The telephone replay may be accessed by dialing 877-344-7529 from the United States, 855-669-9658 from Canada, or 412-317-0088 from other international locations and entering the access code 9847279.

    About Horizon Bancorp, Inc.
    Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) is the $7.9 billion-asset commercial bank holding company for Horizon Bank, which serve customers across diverse and economically attractive Midwestern markets through convenient digital and virtual tools, as well as its Indiana and Michigan branches. Horizon’s retail offerings include prime residential and other secured consumer lending to in-market customers, as well as a range of personal banking and wealth management solutions. Horizon also provides a comprehensive array of in-market business banking and treasury management services, as well as equipment financing solutions for customers regionally and nationally, with commercial lending representing over half of total loans. More information on Horizon, headquartered in Northwest Indiana’s Michigan City, is available at horizonbank.com and investor.horizonbank.com.

    Contact:
    Mark E. Secor, Chief Administration Officer
    Phone: (219) 873-2611

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Chess: a game rooted in military strategy that has become a tool of international diplomacy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Becky Alexis-Martin, Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford

    Hushed silence descends as two opponents engage in a battle of wits, memory and strategy. The atmosphere becomes more tense with each shuffle of a pawn or sweeping arc of the queen. The drama is palpable, but there can be only one winner. This year – at the 45th Chess Olympiad finals in Budapest – it was India, whose players won both men’s and women’s gold medals and four individual golds, signalling a new era of Indian domination.

    Chess has become more than just a game. The recent upholding of the bans on Russian and Belorussian players from international competition by the International Chess Federation (Fide) is an example of the soft power of sanctions as a geopolitical tool against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This ban has been welcomed by the US and Ukraine, among others, although Fide was divided on the issue, with 41 delegates voting to uphold the ban while 21 countries favoured lifting the ban and 27 abstained or were absent.

    Over the centuries, chess – which has its roots in military strategy – has become a symbol of geopolitical competition made peaceful. The game’s first incarnation has been traced back to 6th-century India, as military generals sought a pastime to exercise strategic thinking.

    The original game of chess was named chaturanga, which translates from Sanskrit into “the four military divisions”. The game allowed leaders to simulate conflict by using reasoning and logic to contemplate future battles. The term “checkmate” itself derives from “shah mat”, which loosely translates to “the king has lost” in Persian and Sanskrit.

    Cold war rivalries

    Chess was to become the focus of international, cultural and political competition during the cold war. It captured the world’s political imagination as a symbolic battleground between east and west. The Soviet Union supported promising chess players by establishing chess schools. Soviet grandmasters were unbeatable national heroes, from Mikhail Botvinnik to Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky. Their victories were framed as evidence of socialist intellectual superiority.

    But American grandmaster Bobby Fischer disrupted 24 years of Soviet dominance when he beat Spassky at the 1972 World Chess Championships in Rekjavik, Iceland. It would become a critical moment in the cold war.

    For years chess had been seen by both the Soviet Union and the US as a proxy for superpower military competition. Unlike US-Chinese “ping-pong diplomacy” – when goodwill between US and Chinese players in the early 1970s was followed by enhanced diplomatic engagement between the two countries – Fischer’s defeat of Spassky ended more than 20 years of Russian domination of chess.

    The prospect that Fischer might win was seen as so important by the US government that the then secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, personally called Fischer to urge him to go to Rekjavik.

    Years later, Russian former world champion and dissident Garry Kasparov recalled that: “This event was treated by people on both sides of the Atlantic as a crushing moment in the midst of the cold war. Big intellectual victory for the United States, and you know, a hugely painful, almost insulting defeat for the Soviet Union.”

    A game for dissidents

    Chess does not exist in a vacuum. It is shaped by and reflects historical rivalries, the rise of new power and contemporary geopolitics. And along the way, their refusal to maintain the national status quo and instead articulate their concerns about their societies has led to several grandmasters from various countries having to go into political exile.

    Garry Kasparov’s pro-democracy advocacy and criticism of the Russian state led him to flee Russia with his family to New York in 2013. He was chairman of the Human Rights Foundation from until 2024, and has since been added to Vladimir Putin’s terrorist blacklist.

    Kasparov is in good company. Six of Iran’s female grandmasters have been forced to leave their country, fleeing their country’s oppressive patriarchal regime after being barred from national competition for playing without a headscarf.

    Sara Khadem fled to Spain with her family after refusing to wear the hijab during a match in Kazakhstan in 2022. Her family have since gained Spanish citizenship. However, women who cannot find citizenship elsewhere pay a steep price as their talents are not nurtured and they cannot play professionally. Mitra Hejazipour waited three and a half years to gain citizenship. In 2023, she consecutively became a French citizen and the French national women’s champion.

    Ukrainian players continue to use chess as a platform for resistance against the Russian invasion. Prominent players who have spoken out include Vasyl Ivanchuk, Anna Muzychuk and her sister Mariya. Anna has consistently used her global social media following to condemn the invasion and advocate for peace in Ukraine.

    Projects in Rwanda, Uganda and Palestine have demonstrated that chess is more than just a game by bringing together disparate communities. So by sanctioning Russia and Belarus, the International Chess Federation has made an important statement.

    Chess can be a form of cultural diplomacy, a symbol of non-violent conflict resolution, and a platform for dialogue and understanding between people and nations. Chess is its own universal language. It requires no common tongue or expensive kit, yet it offers a formidable tool to promote critical thinking, international cooperation and conflict resolution.

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

    – ref. Chess: a game rooted in military strategy that has become a tool of international diplomacy – https://theconversation.com/chess-a-game-rooted-in-military-strategy-that-has-become-a-tool-of-international-diplomacy-239739

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the annual meeting of G77 Foreign Ministers

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Let me begin by congratulating Uganda on its leadership of the G77 plus China this year.

    And I want to salute your entire membership.

    For 60 years – year in and year out — the G77 plus China has been on the frontlines for fairness, equality, justice and solidarity.

    You have been the engine driving progress to eradicate poverty, to fight inequalities, to root out injustices in our post-colonial world.

    And you have been shining a spotlight on the need for fundamental reforms of the multilateral system.

    Reforms of the international financial architecture and the Security Council to make them more legitimate and more effective. 

    Reforms to make sure our institutions reflect the realities of today’s world and respond to today’s challenges instead of the world and the challenges of 1945. 

    We have taken some steps forward with the adoption of the Pact for the Future, the Declaration on Future Generations, and the Global Digital Compact.

    Of course, not everything we may have hoped for was in the final package. 

    But none of the achievements would have been possible without your insistence and persistence.  If you allow me an image, if you compare the documents that we approved on Sunday with the continued documents of the G7 and the G77, we have to recognize that they are much closer to the documents of the G77.  One 7 makes a lot of difference. 

    I commend the G77 plus China for always pushing for maximum ambition and look forward to working with you as we continue pursuing the justice your countries deserve – and our world needs.

    We still have a long way to go.

    Our world is on a knife’s edge.

    Climate chaos is worsening.

    Conflicts are raging.

    Human rights are floundering.

    Inequality and injustice are eroding trust and undermining the social contract of societies.    

    The rights of women and girls are being snuffed out.

    Entire economies are drowning in debt.  

    The digital divide is fast becoming a gaping chasm.

    And the Sustainable Development Goals are hanging by a thread.

    We need action on a number of fronts in line with what was approved in the Summit of the Future. 

    First, financial justice.

    Finance is the fuel to drive progress on sustainable development.

    Yet so many countries remain locked out from accessing capital for essential investments.

    This situation is unsustainable – and a recipe for social unrest. 

    That is why we have been pushing for fundamental reforms to the outdated, ineffective and unfair international financial system, and an SDG Stimulus to provide developing countries with the resources they need while seeking medium- and long-term solutions.
     
    We must keep working to make Multilateral Development Banks bigger, bolder and better, enabling them to massively scale up affordable financing for sustainable development, namely in developing countries. 

    We must expand contingency financing through the recycling of Special Drawing Rights that until now have essentially benefitted rich countries and not those that have needed it the most.

    We must promote effective long-term debt restructuring that puts people and planet at the centre.

    And we must keep on working for a more inclusive and effective international tax system. I applaud the Ad Hoc Committee for drafting ambitious and practical Terms of Reference for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

    Second, climate justice.

    We urgently need supercharged action to reduce emissions and avoid the worst of climate chaos.

    This must be in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances.

    Every country must create new national climate action plans – or NDCs – well ahead of COP30, that align with 1.5 degrees and put the world on track to phase out fossil fuels – fast and fairly.
     
    G20 countries – which together produce eighty percent of global emissions – have a responsibility to lead. I am working closely with President Lula of Brazil to drive action in the G20.

    And I urge every developing country to make sure new national climate plans double as investment plans and boost sustainable development – harnessing renewables to power prosperity and pull people out of poverty.

    The United Nations is mobilizing our entire system to support these efforts through the Climate Promise initiative.

    We also need a strong finance outcome – including on innovative finance – from COP29. This also means significant contributions to the new Loss and Damage Fund.

    I will continue to press developed countries to honour their promises;

    Doubling adaptation funding to at least $40 billion a year by 2025.

    Showing concretely how the enormous adaptation finance gap will be closed.

    And everyone on earth must be protected by an effective early warning system by 2027.

    We must address the injustices of the energy transition.

    Developing countries are being locked out of the renewables revolution.

    Investments in developing countries outside of China and India are stuck in a time warp reflecting 2015 levels. Africa attracted just 1% of renewable installations last year. It is clear that we must support developing countries to have the resources and the capacity to attract the investments that are necessary for the renewables revolution. 

    The UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals has identified ways to ground the renewables revolution in justice and equity, spur sustainable development, and power prosperity in resource rich developing countries.

    We must ensure that the race to net zero does not lead to developing countries being trampled underfoot.  

    Third, technological justice.

    Technology must benefit all of humanity.

    The Global Digital Compact is a blueprint for how governments, together with tech companies, academia and civil society, can work together to make sure new technologies benefit everybody and to manage the risks they pose – including Artificial Intelligence.

    AI has the potential to be an excellent servant but also a dangerous master.

    I am pleased that the Compact includes proposals building on the resolution led by China on capacity building for Artificial Intelligence.

    The High-Level Advisory Body on AI released its recommendations last week, which include bridging the AI divide through a Global Fund on AI for the SDGs, and an AI Capacity Development Network to boost AI expertise in developing countries.

    We must keep working to ensure AI serves everyone, leaving no one behind and it will not be another factor to increase inequalities in the world. 

    Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Across a very full agenda, the G77 and China are crucial to building a more just, inclusive and prosperous world.  

    The G77 was vital in the adoption of the conclusions of the Summit of the Future but its implementation will not be easy.  There will be a lot of resistance.  The G77 must be an engine to make sure that what we have achieved in the Summit will be translated in effective realities to the benefit of developing countries. 

    You can count on me in that essential cause.

    Thank you.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by FS at Hong Kong Association Luncheon in London (English only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Hong Kong Association Luncheon in London, the United Kingdom, today (September 27, London time):
     
    Adrian (Chairman of the Hong Kong Association, Mr Adrian Cartwright), members of the Hong Kong Association, ladies and gentlemen, friends of Hong Kong all,

         Good afternoon. I’m delighted to join you, once again, over a welcome lunch.

         The one consistent theme of my trip, first to Spain, now in London, has been the many speaking occasions.
     
         Last night’s Hong Kong Dinner was truly splendid and savory, and now I’m pleased to speak to the Hong Kong Association -thank you for the privilege – because you are very much invested in Hong Kong.
     
         I’m always pleased to speak at such times, especially when the topic is Hong Kong, and particularly to an audience as invested in Hong Kong as you are.

    The state of Hong Kong’s economy
     
         I have much to share, but let me start with a quick update on Hong Kong’s economy. 

         â€‹Last year, our GDP grew by 3.3 per cent as we recovered from the pandemic, and we achieved 3 per cent growth in the first half of this year. 

         The three main drivers fueling our economic growth are: exports, investments, and private consumption. Goods exports have seen significant growth, with Hong Kong serving as a major re-export hub for the Mainland, rising by over 7 per cent in the first half of the year. 

         â€‹For exports of services, tourism remains a key component. It is steadily recovering, with around 30 million visitors in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 44 per cent compared to last year. We expect 46 million visitors for the whole of 2024. 

         With improving economic and business prospects, but amid complex external environment, investment, from both the public and private sectors, expanded by more than 3 per cent in the first half of this year. 

         â€‹Private consumption has been bumpy. It is challenging given changes to the spending patterns of tourists and our residents. 

         Our stock market remains one of Asia’s leading exchanges, with a capitalisation in excess of 3 trillion pounds – 11 times our GDP. The measures announced, earlier this week by the Central Authorities to cut rates, reduce reserve requirement ratios and provide more support to the property sector – is boosting market confidence. The effects are already visible on Hong Kong’s stock market, with record high transactions! Before that, the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced measures in April 2024 that would encourage leading Mainland enterprises to list in Hong Kong. 

         Residential property market prices have fallen by over 6 per cent from the end of last year to August this year – and more than 25 per cent compared to its peak in September 2021. We know property market is an important pillar to any economy, so we remain vigilant, and has been monitoring the market closely. So far, our assessment is that it has been an orderly adjustment. 

         This February, we removed all the demand-side management measures for the residential property market. Overall, the property market is now stabilising. 

         The commencement of the monetary easing cycle by the Federal Reserve will provide support to both the economy and the property sector. 
         
         Currently, inflation is at around 1 per cent, and unemployment is lying low, at just 3 per cent. 

         â€‹Overall, we expect Hong Kong to grow between 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent this year. 

         Looking into the future, our economic development will be heading in eight discrete directions: internationally, as finance, trade, shipping, aviation and innovation and technology centres; and, regionally, as Asia Pacific’s legal and dispute resolution centre and intellectual property trading centre. We are committed, too, to becoming the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. 

         Allow me now to highlight two of them: financial services and innovation and technology. 

         Let me start with financial services. Besides traditional areas that we are good at, we are working to become an international green finance and green technology hub. 

    Green and Sustainable Finance
     
         Green transition is a global agenda, bringing along responsibilities and opportunities. 
         â€‹
         Hong Kong has established a clear roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, while reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2035 from our 2005 levels. 

         â€‹We are taking a multi-pronged approach to realise this goal by addressing emission sources: first, achieving net-zero electricity generation by phases; second, enhancing energy efficiency in buildings through the promotion of green building practices; third, promoting green transport, particularly electric vehicles; and fourth, reducing waste. 

         Indeed, the Hong Kong SAR Government (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government) will invest more than 20 billion pounds in the next 15 to 20 years to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. 

         However, the International Energy Agency has projected that the global energy transition finance gap will reach $3 trillion a year by 2030 and rise to $4.5 trillion a year by 2040. 

         â€‹Hong Kong is Asia’s No. 1 for green finance: for instance, we issue, over the past three years, 48 billion pounds of green bonds and debts per year on average, accounting for one-third of Asia’s market. But there is much more that we can achieve. 

         One is on green standards. Earlier this year, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority released the Hong Kong Green Taxonomy (Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance), which is compatible with the Common Ground Taxonomy developed by China and the EU (European Union), to assist the financial sector in assessing the “greenness” of projects. 

         Similarly, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange also impose ESG (environmental, social and governance) disclosure requirements for listed entities. 

         â€‹Just a few days ago, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants released the draft financial reporting standards which it plans to implement in August next year. The proposed Hong Kong standards follow those issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board, ISSB. 

         In the realm of green tech, start-ups are a powerhouse for many green innovative solutions, fully reflecting our younger generation’s passion for the environment and a sustainable future. 

         You might have met the delegation of start-ups from the Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport who are with me on this trip to the United Kingdom. Some of them are engaged in green tech, and while others are engaged in different fields, but they share a common goal: to change people’s lives for the better. 

         We are working to attract more green start-ups in our innovation ecosystem. 

         By the way, our Science Park annually organises an elevator pitch competition where the start-ups have to sell their ideas in just 60 seconds in the lift of Hong Kong’s tallest skyscraper. The winner this year is from Munich seeking to establish a lithium battery recycle plant. 
     
    Innovation and Technology
     
         Let me now turn to innovation and technology. Our focus areas are: AI and big data analytics, biotech and health sciences, fintech and new energy and new materials. 

         The key success factor for the development of AI are algorithms, computing capabilities, data and use case scenarios. Under the “one country, two systems” arrangements, Hong Kong has unique advantages because we are the hub converging the Mainland and international data, and the Greater Bay Area provides us with ample use case scenarios. 

         In order to expedite the development of the eco-system of the aforementioned industries, we have set up the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, HKIC. 

         With six billion pounds at its disposal, the HKIC has a dual mandate. While it seeks financial returns, it also promotes the development of target industries that are crucial for the long-term competitiveness and economic vitality of Hong Kong. The HKIC serves as a tool for the Hong Kong SAR Government to invest and/or co-invest in enterprises, start-ups and important projects. 

         The ​HKIC is “patient capital”. It has already initiated several strategic partnerships in the areas of hard tech, biotech and new energy. 

         What distinguishes the HKIC from other sovereign funds is its investment approach to channel private capital into strategic industries through a collaborative approach, by bringing together like-minded private equity funds, venture capitalists, investors, and even entrepreneurs.

         This is particularly important for start-ups, especially those with original and disruptive technologies because their development cycles are often long, and patient capital is crucial for their success.

         Going forward, the HKIC will expand its collaboration with overseas partners to maximise impact. Next January, the HKIC will host a Roundtable for International Sovereign Wealth Funds, inviting sovereign wealth funds and financial leaders to explore investment opportunities and develop collaborative partnerships. In fact, this September, the HKIC also staged a Hong Kong Start-up Investment and Development Summit. 

         Ladies and gentlemen, I hope to leave ample time for questions, so I will conclude my remarks here. My sincere thanks, once again, to the Hong Kong Association for this welcome opportunity to speak to you. 

         I’m happy now to take your questions. 

         â€‹Thank you.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Blackburn Renew Bipartisan Push to Honor Women that Volunteered in World War II

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    September 27, 2024
    Despite social stigmas and adverse public opinion, hundreds of thousands of women enlisted in volunteer services to contribute to war efforts
    Text of Resolution (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), along with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reintroduced the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES) resolution to honor the women who served in the Navy during World War II.
    After World War I, laws limited women to the role of nurses during war. The Navy Women’s Reserve Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in July 1942, reversed this law and established WAVES, allowing women to volunteer in support of war efforts. Women were then recruited to perform military assignments, including training thousands of aspiring male naval aviators, gunners, and navigators. 
    More than 400,000 women served our country in military capacities in World War II. In fact, women accounted for about 2.5% of the Navy, including almost 80,000 officers and enlisted personnel during the program’s peak.
    “Hundreds of thousands of women helped us win World War II through their service,” said Senator Warren, “Their contributions should not be forgotten, and we should honor their legacy and perseverance.”
    Senator Warren has long been a leader in efforts to honor and fight for women servicemembers and veterans:
    In May 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren led colleagues in reintroducing the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill honoring women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary veteran status.
    In July 2022, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) led 23 of their colleagues in a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), calling on the VA to take immediate administrative action to offer abortions and all abortion-related services to veterans and eligible dependents.
    In October 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) announced a bipartisan resolution to honor and commend the women who served the United States in the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) during World War II. 
    In April 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Susan Collins, Angus King, and Steve Daines today re-introduced the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill to honor women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary veteran status.
    In April 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a bipartisan group of 7 senators to introduce a resolution designating April 18, 2021 as Military Retiree Appreciation Day to commemorate the life-long service of military retirees.
    In November 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren led colleagues in introducing the Senate companion to a House resolution urging the U.S. Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp series honoring women veterans of the Armed Forces and calling for the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp series be issued.
    In April 2019, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Susan Collins, Angus King, and Steve Daines re-introduced the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill to honor women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary veteran status. The bill would recognize former Cadet Nurses’ service to our country and provide them with honorable discharges, ribbon and medal privileges, and certain burial privileges.
    In December 2018,Senators Elizabeth Warren, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Angus King (I-Maine), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced the U.S Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill to honor women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary veteran status.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ideas sought for Haw Par Mansion

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau has invited non-profit-making organisations to submit proposals for the operation, management, conservation and revitalisation, for arts and culture purposes, of Haw Par Mansion for a period of three years for arts and culture use. The mansion is situated at 15A Tai Hang Road, Wan Chai.

     

    Interested organisations must submit their proposals before 5.30pm on January 27, 2025. All proposals must be delivered by hand to the bureau’s Culture Division (2) located at 13/F, West Wing, Central Government Office, 2 Tim Mei Avenue in Tamar.

     

    The bureau will arrange a site visit for interested organisations on October 17, and a briefing session will be held on October 24 for attendees to learn about the application procedure and assessment criteria.

     

    Click here for details.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –