NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s central bank says mainland-HK payment connect will begin operations soon

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

    BEIJING, June 20 — The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, said on Friday that the cross-border payment connect linking users in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong will begin operations on June 22.

    By linking the mainland’s Internet Banking Payment System and Hong Kong’s Faster Payment System, the payment connect will support participating institutions to provide efficient, convenient and safe cross-border payment services for residents in both the mainland and Hong Kong, the PBOC said in a statement.

    The payment connect system is another important measure unveiled by the central government to support Hong Kong’s development, enhance people’s livelihoods, and promote cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong, according to the statement.

    Through the system, users will be able to initiate cross-border remittances in renminbi and Hong Kong dollars in both locations via mobile and online banking channels, improving the efficiency of cross-border money transfers.

    Additionally, the costs of cross-border money transfers will be lowered as relevant payment infrastructures are connected directly within the system.

    The introduction of the system is also expected to facilitate economic and trade activities on the mainland and in Hong Kong, and to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center, per the statement.

    A launch ceremony for the payment connect was held on Friday, attended by PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng and Eddie Yue, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

    In its next step, the PBOC will enhance regulatory cooperation with the HKMA to ensure the smooth, orderly operations of the system.

    Institutions participating in the payment connect should comply strictly with relevant anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, counter-proliferation financing and cross-border payment settlement laws and regulations, according to the PBOC statement.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill Submits Tank Closure Plan to Regulators

    Source: United States Navy

    JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill (NCTF-RH) submitted Supplement 4 of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) Closure Plan to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), marking a significant milestone in the facility’s permanent closure.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • Amit Shah inaugurates Bengaluru campus of Adichunchanagiri University, hails blend of healthcare and education

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today inaugurated the Bengaluru campus of Adichunchanagiri University (ACU) in Karnataka, hailing it as a milestone in the pursuit of affordable healthcare and education for all.

    Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Shah praised the efforts of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt in upholding the cultural ideal of “Sarva Jan Hitaya, Sarva Jan Sukhaya” — the welfare and happiness of all. He commended the Mutt’s initiatives in running health centres in rural areas, offering free medical treatment to the underprivileged, and setting up educational institutions for children.

    The newly inaugurated campus, constructed at a cost of ₹200 crore, spans 20 lakh square feet over 16 acres and is designed to accommodate 4,000 students. It houses a modern 1,000-bed hospital that offers comprehensive healthcare facilities, including free and affordable treatment for the poor. In his address, the Home Minister said this establishment would emerge as a true centre of service through its integration of education and healthcare.

    Shah paid tribute to Jagadguru Dr. Balagangadharanatha Swamiji for preserving and enhancing the 1,800-year-old spiritual heritage of the sacred Adichunchanagiri Hills by intertwining it with service and education. He also lauded the continued efforts of Dr. Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji in carrying forward this legacy.

    He noted that the Mutt’s work has fostered a deep connection with thousands of families, especially from poor and middle-income backgrounds, by promoting spirituality and Karma Yoga through community service. The Mutt’s holistic outreach is based on nine key pillars — Anna (food), Akshara (education), Arogya (health), Adhyatmika (spirituality), Aashraya (shelter), Aranya (environment), Aakaalu (disaster relief), Anukampa (compassion), and Anubandh (social connection). According to Shah, this inclusive approach has significantly strengthened social unity and serves as a model for other religious and cultural institutions.

    Highlighting the university’s role in combining tradition with innovation, he emphasized its efforts in reconnecting the youth with India’s cultural roots while equipping them with cutting-edge education. He credited Mahaswami Ji with ensuring that students not only receive quality education but also free accommodation, giving them an opportunity to lead dignified lives. The university, he said, has become one of the country’s premier institutions, offering advanced medical care at low cost. The 1,500-bed hospital includes facilities for critical care, cardiology, neurosurgery, oncology, and complex transplants like kidney, liver, and cornea.

    Shah further highlighted the Modi Government’s commitment to healthcare reform. Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks that illness and its related expenses are among the leading causes of poverty, he stated that Modi’s vision had materialized through initiatives like the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which now provides free treatment of up to ₹5 lakh to 60 crore citizens.

    He elaborated on other major health and welfare initiatives launched under PM Modi’s leadership, including the construction of nearly 12 crore household toilets, the Fit India Movement, the celebration of International Day of Yoga, and the Mission Indradhanush vaccination campaign for children up to 15 years of age. He also mentioned the Poshan Abhiyan, which addresses maternal and child nutrition, and the Jan Aushadhi Yojana, through which essential medicines are available at just 20% of market prices at over 15,000 locations.

    In addition, Shah pointed to the dramatic expansion of medical education infrastructure in the country. Since 2014, the number of AIIMS institutions has increased from 7 to 23, medical colleges from 387 to 780, MBBS seats from 51,000 to 1,18,000, and postgraduate medical seats from 31,000 to 74,000.

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lurgan entrepreneur’s skincare brand thrives with help from Go Succeed programme

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Claire Geddis, pictured with Lord Mayor Alderman Stephen Moutray and Lady Mayoress Mrs Moutray, at the recent Lurgan Show.

    A Lurgan based entrepreneur is on a mission to bring the luxury spa experience directly into boutique hotel rooms as the artisan producer invests in a major expansion.

    Claire Geddis, founder of Wild Shore, has developed a unique organic spa collection designed to help people experience the healing power of nature, whether at home or while staying in a hotel that doesn’t have a spa.

    The business whose products have already been shipped as far afield as China, Australia, and the United States, is now targeting hotels and high-end B&Bs across Ireland and beyond, after receiving assistance from the government-backed enterprise support service, Go Succeed.

    Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Alderman Stephen Moutray, said:

    “Claire’s journey is a fantastic example of the innovation and ambition we see in our local business community. Go Succeed is proud to support entrepreneurs like Claire who are taking bold steps to grow their business and represent Northern Ireland on the global stage.”

    Claire selling her products at the Artisan Market in Dromore.

    A former biologist and beauty therapist with 15 years’ experience, Claire combines her scientific background and hands-on knowledge of skincare to handcraft a collection that includes artisan soap, soaking salts, hand and body cream, and a soy candle – all infused with a bespoke blend of five essential oils: lavender, geranium, rosemary, cypress and thyme.

    “Every element is organic and made by hand using certified ingredients sourced from across the world,” said Claire. “At the heart of Wild Shore is a desire to let nature do what it does best. I’ve seen a rise in skin sensitivity, psoriasis and eczema, and I wanted to create something healing and luxurious, without the chemicals.”

    Now scaling up her business, Claire is focusing her efforts on the boutique hotel market, offering a bespoke in-room guest experience.

    “I’m working with boutique hotels to create a special welcome: a small gift box with a mini soap, soak and cream, and a booklet that shares the story behind the products. It instantly elevates the experience, giving guests that spa feeling from the moment they walk in the door – even if the hotel doesn’t have its own spa.”

    Since launching, Claire has showcased her products at events across the UK and Ireland including the Gifted Fair in Dublin’s RDS, the Belfast Holiday Show and will attend the European Horse Championships at Blenheim Palace later this year.

    To take the next step, Claire turned to Go Succeed – Northern Ireland’s free business support service delivered through all 11 councils – for mentoring and practical support.

    “I initially approached Go Succeed to explore financial advice, but the real value was in the mentoring,” she said. “They helped me refocus my business plan and dig deep into the numbers – what was really needed to scale for export. I wouldn’t be where I am now without that support.”

    Go Succeed offers free mentoring, peer networks, business planning support and access to funding opportunities, all designed to help entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.

    Funded by the UK Government, Go Succeed is delivered via each of Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils and provides entrepreneurs with access to mentoring, events, grant funding, planning tools and business networks. Visit www.go-succeed.com to learn more.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Shenyang to host 2025 SCO People’s Diplomacy and Twin Cities Forum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Public Diplomacy and Sister Cities Forum will be held from July 3 to 5 in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, local authorities said on social media on Friday.

    The event, titled “Deepening People’s Friendship and Promoting Sustainable Development,” will be attended by nearly 400 guests from more than 20 SCO countries, a press conference organized by the Shenyang City People’s Government Information Office was announced on Friday.

    The forum will include an exhibition of paintings by children from SCO countries, an exhibition of achievements of SCO countries in the field of people’s friendship and exchanges, as well as an exhibition of achievements in scientific and technical innovations and advanced manufacturing.

    The forum’s agenda will also include a sub-forum on exchanges between sister cities and trade and economic cooperation, a sub-forum on scientific and technological innovations and advanced manufacturing among young people, as well as a sub-forum dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

    The event is expected to see the publication of agreements on actions in the field of sustainable development of people-to-people exchanges between the SCO countries and the Shenyang Initiative following the forum. In addition, a number of agreements or protocols of intent on establishing sister city relations between relevant organizations and cities will be signed.

    The forum will be jointly organized by the SCO China Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People’s Government of Liaoning Province. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Singapore Prime Minister to Pay Official Visit to China /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will pay an official visit to China from June 22 to 26, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

    Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chose China as the destination for his first visit outside ASEAN since taking office in May, fully demonstrating the importance he attaches to developing China-Singapore relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular ministry press conference.

    During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Liu Wong. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will hold talks with him, and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Zhao Leji will meet with him. According to Guo Jiakun, the two sides will hold in-depth exchanges of views on China-Singapore relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest.

    Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Singapore relations have maintained a positive momentum, the Chinese diplomat said. He added that in 2023, the leaders of the two countries announced the establishment of China-Singapore relations as a comprehensive high-quality prospective partnership, which clearly outlined the direction of development of bilateral relations.

    This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Guo Jiakun said. He noted that through this visit, China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with Singapore, deepen cooperation in various fields, jointly uphold the principles of multilateralism and free trade, and promote the further development of China-Singapore relations from a new starting point. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Seasonal flights Kashgar-Khujand to resume in July

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    URUMQI, June 20 (Xinhua) — Passenger flights linking Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tajikistan’s Khujand will resume on July 1 and will be operated regularly during the tourist peak season, the prefectural administration said, citing a statement from the Kashgar base of China’s Chengdu Airlines, which is headquartered in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    The roundtrip flights on this route will be operated by the domestically developed C909 regional passenger airliner, formerly known as the ARJ21, once a week on Tuesdays.

    According to the Kashgar Prefectural Checkpoint Management Office, the restoration of this route will facilitate international trade and economic cooperation and humanitarian exchanges, and will also increase the level of openness of Kashgar to the outside world, giving new impetus to the high-quality development of the regional economy.

    In June 2024, flight EU2977, operated by an ARJ21, departed from Laining International Airport, Kashgar County, to Khujand International Airport, Tajikistan, marking the launch of the route. This is the first route to Central Asia operated by the ARJ21, and the second international air service launched at Laining Airport that year.

    It should be recalled that Laining International Airport is the second largest air checkpoint in Xinjiang and one of the important hub airports of the Belt and Road Initiative. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: At least nine killed in car-truck collision in eastern India

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed on Friday when a car collided head-on with a truck in India’s eastern West Bengal state, local police said.

    The accident took place on National Highway 18 near Namshola in Balarampur police station area of Purulia district, about 284 km west of the state capital Kolkata.

    The car collided head-on with a truck traveling at high speed in the opposite direction. The incident killed all nine people in the car, a local police spokesman said. They were immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.

    A preliminary investigation has revealed that the driver of the vehicle lost control, causing a collision with a truck. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Founder Group Management Comments on Market Conditions in the U.S. for Solar Power Companies’ Stocks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Founder Group Limited (NASDAQ: FGL) (“Founder Group” or the “Company”), a leading engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) solutions provider for solar photovoltaic systems in Malaysia, assures investors that the Company will not be impacted by a U.S. Senate panel’s proposed wind down of solar power tax credits by 2028.

    “Founder Group operates primarily in Malaysia and doesn’t have operations in the U.S. Therefore, the Company should not be affected by the sentiments currently causing selloffs of U.S. solar power stocks,” said Lee Seng Chi, Chief Executive Officer of Founder Group Limited. “Although we are listed on Nasdaq and trade alongside U.S. solar power stocks, we will not be impacted by the possible elimination of those tax credits.”

    “Our revenue is predominantly generated from the Malaysian market hence we are not affected by the changes suggested by President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill,” Mr. Lee continued. “In the near future, our expansion will focus on regional expansion in Southeast Asia only. Expansion to the U.S. is not in our current plans.”

    About Founder Group Limited

    Founder Group Limited is a pure-play, end-to-end EPCC solutions provider for solar PV facilities in Malaysia. The company’s primary focus is on two key segments: large-scale solar projects and commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects. The company’s mission is to provide customers with innovative solar installation services, promote eco-friendly resources and achieve carbon neutrality.

    For more information on the Company, please visit https://www.founderenergy.com.my/.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

    CONTACT INFORMATION:

    For media queries, please contact:

    Founder Group Limited
    info@founderenergy.com.my

    Investor Relations Inquiries:

    Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC
    Scott Powell, President
    1177 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor
    New York, New York 10036
    Office: (646) 893-5835
    Email: info@skylineccg.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

    Is this visitor to Antarctica going crazy or having a good time? Tim Bieber/Photodisc via Getty Images

    As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.

    The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.

    The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.

    Long hours of constant near-darkness take their toll in the Antarctic winter.
    Andrew Smith, via Antarctic Sun, CC BY-ND

    Early views

    The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.

    In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.

    H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.

    The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.

    Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.

    A trailer for the 1982 film ‘The Thing,’ set at an Antarctic research station.

    Real tales

    These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.

    More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.

    In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.

    Mental health

    Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.

    American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”

    Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”

    “When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”

    And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”

    Footage from 1913 shows the force of the wind at Cape Denison, which has been called ‘the home of the blizzard.’

    A traumatic trip

    A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.

    A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.

    Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.

    In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:

    “(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”

    Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.

    After five months of isolation in trying conditions on a remote Antarctic island, 22 men rejoice at their rescue in August 1916.
    Frank Hurley, Underwood & Underwood, via Library of Congress

    Wider problems

    Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.

    In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.

    As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.

    Daniella McCahey 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. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

    Is this visitor to Antarctica going crazy or having a good time? Tim Bieber/Photodisc via Getty Images

    As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.

    The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.

    The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.

    Long hours of constant near-darkness take their toll in the Antarctic winter.
    Andrew Smith, via Antarctic Sun, CC BY-ND

    Early views

    The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.

    In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.

    H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.

    The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.

    Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.

    A trailer for the 1982 film ‘The Thing,’ set at an Antarctic research station.

    Real tales

    These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.

    More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.

    In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.

    Mental health

    Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.

    American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”

    Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”

    “When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”

    And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”

    Footage from 1913 shows the force of the wind at Cape Denison, which has been called ‘the home of the blizzard.’

    A traumatic trip

    A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.

    A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.

    Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.

    In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:

    “(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”

    Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.

    After five months of isolation in trying conditions on a remote Antarctic island, 22 men rejoice at their rescue in August 1916.
    Frank Hurley, Underwood & Underwood, via Library of Congress

    Wider problems

    Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.

    In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.

    As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.

    Daniella McCahey 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. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, at a prayer during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.

    As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.

    The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.

    What is the CREC?

    The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.

    Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.

    While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.

    Pastor Douglas Wilson leads others at a protest in Moscow, Idaho.
    Geoff Crimmins/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News, CC BY-SA

    As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”

    The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”

    CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”

    In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.

    The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.

    Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”

    While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

    Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.

    CREC schools, home schools and colleges

    The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.

    In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.

    Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”

    According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.

    Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.

    The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.

    CREC media

    In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.

    Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.

    The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.

    Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.

    CREC controversies

    Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.

    Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.

    Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.

    Samuel Perry 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. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, at a prayer during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.

    As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.

    The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.

    What is the CREC?

    The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.

    Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.

    While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.

    Pastor Douglas Wilson leads others at a protest in Moscow, Idaho.
    Geoff Crimmins/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News, CC BY-SA

    As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”

    The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”

    CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”

    In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.

    The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.

    Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”

    While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

    Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.

    CREC schools, home schools and colleges

    The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.

    In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.

    Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”

    According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.

    Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.

    The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.

    CREC media

    In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.

    Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.

    The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.

    Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.

    CREC controversies

    Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.

    Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.

    Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.

    Samuel Perry 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. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

    Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need. FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

    Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.

    One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
    receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.

    These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.

    If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.

    As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.

    But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.

    A pattern of withholding care

    Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.

    Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.

    Insurers say that if they decline to cover a medical intervention, patients can pay for it out of pocket.

    This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”

    Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.

    Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.

    Moving toward regulation

    Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.

    That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.

    There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.

    Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.

    But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.

    A role for the FDA

    In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.

    The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.

    Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.

    If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.

    The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.

    Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.

    – ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

    Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need. FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

    Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.

    One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
    receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.

    These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.

    If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.

    As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.

    But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.

    A pattern of withholding care

    Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.

    Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.

    Insurers say that if they decline to cover a medical intervention, patients can pay for it out of pocket.

    This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”

    Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.

    Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.

    Moving toward regulation

    Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.

    That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.

    There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.

    Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.

    But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.

    A role for the FDA

    In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.

    The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.

    Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.

    If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.

    The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.

    Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.

    – ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russia is becoming a key player in the new architecture of the global economy

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The geopolitical fragmentation of the global economy opens up new opportunities for Russia to cooperate with the countries of the Global South and strengthen its own role in global processes. This is stated in the HSE report presented at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as part of the VTB session.

    Analysts emphasize that the global economy is currently divided into three large blocs – the United States, China and non-aligned countries, which is accompanied by a reduction in trade and investment between them by 12% and 20% since 2022. Despite this, developing countries are increasing their share in world trade: the volume of trade between the countries of the Global South has grown from $2.3 trillion in 2007 to $5.6 trillion in 2023. This indicates the formation of new economic ties and growth centers.

    The report notes that the reversal of trade imbalances in 2024 – with the US deficit widening and China’s surplus rising, and the EU moving into positive balance – creates risks of new trade wars and investment reallocation, requiring companies to diversify supplies and expand their partner networks. Logistics challenges caused by conflicts in the Middle East and problems in the Suez and Panama Canals are stimulating the development of alternative routes, including the Northern Sea Route and “green corridors” for the accelerated delivery of critical cargo.

    Particular attention is paid to the role of the so-called connector countries – Malaysia, Vietnam and India, which are strengthening trade ties with individual partners, while Russia, Australia and the EU are reducing their dependence on traditional markets, which contributes to the formation of sustainable regional trade turnover.

    In the Russian context, experts note that human capital is becoming the main resource for economic growth: the average length of education for Russians aged 25–44 is 14 years, which is higher than in the US and Europe, but further investment in science and R&D is needed to realize this potential. In the context of the crisis, Russia has seen an increase in the production of high-tech products, the development of domestic tourism and paid services, as well as an increase in exports, which are less sensitive to sanctions.

    Investment activity is most noticeable in the small and medium enterprise sector and in the production of investment goods, which contributes to the diversification of the economy and the creation of new jobs. Key challenges include tightening monetary policy, rising credit costs, labor shortages and tax pressure, especially in the manufacturing industry.

    The authors of the report emphasize that a balanced budget policy and support for those employed in the public sector are necessary for macroeconomic stability, and sustainable growth is possible only with the simultaneous strengthening of the internal and external sustainability of the economy. In conditions of turbulence, Russia can play a key role in the formation of a new architecture of the global economy, focused on cooperation with the countries of the Global South and the creation of alternative development models.

    The report was prepared as part of the VTB session “In Search of New Sources of Growth: Is a Different Model of Global Financial and Trade Architecture Possible” at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The session was attended by: Andrey Kostin, President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank; Yaroslav Kuzminov, Academic Director of the Higher School of Economics; Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayyed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Qatar; Oleg Deripaska, Founder, En Group; Serhat Keksal, President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank; Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank; Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025 Australian Antarctic Medals announced

    Source: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

    Medical practitioner, Dr Jan Wallace
    Dr Jan Wallace has been a pioneering force in Antarctic medicine, with a career spanning over 40 years as a general practitioner, remote medicine specialist, educator, and mentor.
    She has served across all Australian Antarctic stations, Macquarie Island, and aboard Antarctic vessels, providing medical care in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. Her roles have included not only direct clinical care, but also leadership in research, education, and support for both expeditioners and fellow medical practitioners.
    Dr Wallace’s research into first aid training for expeditioners directly shaped the Australian Antarctic Division’s first aid program, resulting in improved safety and operational protocols.
    She has guided generations of Antarctic medical practitioners and inspired many, including future doctors and women in medicine, to pursue careers in remote and expeditionary healthcare.
    “I felt quite overwhelmed and emotional that my fellow expeditioners considered me worthy of a nomination,” Dr Wallace said.
    “I am particularly proud that the medal citation mentions that my research into expeditioner first aid training has improved safety for our teams down south.”
    Dr Wallace’s dedication, compassion, and pragmatic leadership have helped set the standard for Antarctic medical care, strengthened the wellbeing of the Australian Antarctic community, and ensured the next generation of practitioners are well prepared for the unique challenges of polar medicine.
    “Receiving this honour is the cherry on top of my amazing Antarctic journey over many years, which would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many others in the Antarctic family,” she said.

    Dr Jan Wallace (seen here at Mawson station) has been a pioneering force in Antarctic medicine. Photo: Geoff Wallace

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 3rd China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange kicks off 2025-06-20 19:28:59 The third China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange kicked off in Guiyang City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on June 19, 2025.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      By Wang Hui and Xing Yang

      The third China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange kicks off in Guiyang City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on June 19, 2025.

      GUIYANG, China, June 20 — The third China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange kicked off in Guiyang City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on June 19, 2025. More than 160 participants including defense policy officials, relevant experts and scholars, and representatives of think tanks from China, ASEAN countries, and Timor-Leste attended the event.

      Themed on “Jointly Promote Regional Peace and Build a Safe and Secure Home”, the three-day event is hosted by the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

      During the event, the representatives had in-depth discussions on the central topic of “Shared Future: Current Situation and Vision of China-ASEAN Defense Cooperation”. They reviewed the positive progress made in China-ASEAN defense cooperation, analyzed new opportunities and challenges in the current regional security situation, and shared views on how to deepen mutual trust, expand fields of cooperation, innovate in cooperation mechanisms, and effectively respond to common security threats. They will also have deeper exchanges on four key topics, namely “Roles of ASEAN in the Evolving International Landscape”, “Institutional Innovation in Regional Security Architecture”, “Cooperation in Maritime Security and Crisis Management”, and “Military Applications and Governance of Emerging Technologies”.

      The first China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange was held in October 2019.

      Participants from home and abroad attend the third China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange in Guiyang City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on June 19, 2025.

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Singaporean PM to visit China

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

    Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will pay an official visit to China from June 22 to 26 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.

    Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chooses China as his first visit destination outside ASEAN since taking office in May, and this fully demonstrates the great importance he attaches to the development of China-Singapore relations, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.

    During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Wong. Premier Li Qiang will hold talks with Wong, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will meet with him. The two sides will engage in an in-depth exchange of views on China-Singapore relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern, Guo said.

    Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Singapore relations have maintained positive momentum, Guo said, adding that in 2023, the leaders of the two countries announced the establishment of an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership between China and Singapore, which provides direction for the development of bilateral relations in the new era.

    This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Guo noted, adding that China looks forward to enhancing strategic communication with Singapore through this visit. It is also looking forward to deepening cooperation with Singapore in various fields, jointly upholding multilateralism and free trade, and promoting the greater development of China-Singapore relations at a new starting point. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Joint Media Statement of the 21st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-21)

    Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

    1. The 21st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-21) was held on 20 June 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia, chaired by H.E. Dr. Laksana Tri Handoko, AMMSTI Chair and Chairman of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia. The Meeting was attended by ministers, high level representatives from all 10 ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste and the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
     
    2. The Meeting congratulated Indonesia on successful hosting of the 21st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-21) and the 87th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI-87) and related meetings, held from 16 to 20 June 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
     
    Download the full statement here.
    The post Joint Media Statement of the 21st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI-21) appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, Central Asia embrace new cooperation opportunities

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

    XI’AN, June 20 — The rhythmic clatter of wheels on rail tracks echoed the fading tinkle of camel bells, heralding a renaissance of the ancient and timeless Silk Road, invigorated by blossoming cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

    With the second China-Central Asia Summit having concluded in Astana, Kazakhstan earlier this week, both sides are seizing fresh opportunities for trade and economic cooperation, vowing to uphold multilateralism, consolidate the multilateral trading system, and deepen cooperation in key areas such as agriculture and energy.

    Since the inaugural summit held two years ago in Xi’an, a historic city in northwest China, cooperation between China and Central Asia has drawn these land-linked economies closer to each other, yielding mutually beneficial outcomes across various sectors.

    ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY

    Xi’an, once a bustling gateway to the Silk Road, is witnessing the revival of this ancient trade route, with a recently launched international tourist train service making exchanges between China and Kazakhstan easier.

    As a hallmark achievement of the 2023 summit, this 3,000-kilometer journey connects Xi’an in Shaanxi Province with Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Traversing snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, what makes this train route truly special is the opportunities it provides for cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries. Such cultural interactions can, notably, also translate into valuable business opportunities.

    During the train’s maiden journey in 2025, Yuan Li, head of a Xi’an-based home furnishings company, immersed herself in Central Asian culture. She drew design inspiration from Kazakh embroidery to enrich her business options, saying that her company would invite artisans from both China and Kazakhstan to co-design a Silk Road-themed home collection.

    This train route is one of many vivid examples of enhanced regional connectivity between China and Central Asian countries. In December 2024, the commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. The railway is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, serving as a strategic link between China and Central Asia.

    Once completed, the railway will become a strategic corridor benefiting all the three countries and their peoples, contributing to regional economic and social development and playing a significant role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade exchanges, and high-quality development of the Belt and Road.

    On a broader scale, cooperation between China and Central Asia is bringing Asia and Europe closer together and at a faster pace, thanks to the China-Europe freight train service. This train service passes through cities like Almaty and Tashkent, transforming them into bustling transit hubs. It now reaches 229 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.

    Central Asia serves as a hub connecting China with the Eurasian continent, and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has promoted connectivity in infrastructure, energy and trade, said Xu Xiaotian, a researcher with Heilongjiang University in northeast China. “Through economic integration, security collaboration and cultural exchanges, China and Central Asian nations are establishing a tighter network of cooperation,” Xu said.

    “China’s cooperation with Central Asian countries contributes to mutual development and strengthens ties in science, education, culture and socio-economic fields, which are crucial for the stability, development, well-being and prosperity of the entire region,” said Rashid Yusupov, director of the Center for Belt and Road Studies of Kyrgyz State University.

    SHARED PROSPERITY

    In March, a shipment of 16,000 apple seedlings from the city of Weinan, Shaanxi Province, entered Tajikistan through the Karasu Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang. This marked the province’s first-ever export of apple saplings to Tajikistan. Historically, Central Asia is one of the regions from which apples migrated to China.

    According to Liu Zhanyuan, an official with Xi’an customs, these saplings will be planted in an apple orchard commemorating the friendship between China and Tajikistan. The orchard is a project to implement the outcomes of the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit.

    “By sharing advanced apple cultivation techniques and management expertise with Tajikistan, the project will help local farmers improve apple yields and quality,” Liu added.

    The apple orchard project exemplifies the deepening ties between China and Central Asia, where cooperation across various sectors is translating into tangible economic benefits.

    According to China’s General Administration of Customs, China-Central Asia trade reached 94.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking an increase of 5.4 billion year on year. In the first four months of this year, bilateral trade hit 173.05 billion yuan (about 24.13 billion U.S. dollars), a 37.3-percent surge compared to the same period last year.

    China and Central Asian countries have not only seen a significant increase in trade value but also expanded their economic cooperation into various sectors — creating a comprehensive and multifaceted mutually beneficial economic relationship, Xu said.

    Looking ahead to future cooperation between China and Central Asia, Li Ziguo, an expert with the China Institute of International Studies, said that driven by a new wave of technological revolution, digital economy and e-commerce are emerging as new growth areas for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

    Moving forward, a series of big data cooperation projects will provide a more efficient and stable network environment for information exchange and resource sharing between China and Central Asian countries, thereby further unlocking digital dividends in areas such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and e-commerce, Li added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by FS at HKEX 25th Anniversary Celebrations (English only)(with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the HKEX 25th Anniversary Celebrations today (June 20):
     
    Deputy Director Yin Zonghua (Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)), Deputy Commissioner Li Yongsheng (Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR), Carlson (Chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), Mr Carlson Tong), Bonnie (Chief Executive Officer of the HKEX, Ms Bonnie Chan), Kelvin (Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Dr Kelvin Wong), ladies and gentlemen,
     
    Good evening. I’m delighted to be here on this special anniversary occasion. Delighted, too, that I get to strike the gong, in just a few minutes, with Carlson.
     
    First and foremost, my warmest congratulations to HKEX on its 25th anniversary. The transformation of HKEX reflects the extraordinary rise of our country and Hong Kong, over the past quarter of a century, underlining our pivotal role in supporting the opening-up of the Mainland’s financial markets.
     
    It’s a testament, too, to the bold and progressive reforms that have reshaped our listing regime. The HKEX itself is part of that reform, where the demutualisation of its predecessors and the listing of HKEX had opened up vast new horizons for growth and development. Since then, landmark initiatives such as the Connect Schemes, as well as the introduction of Chapter 18A and 18C, continue to unlock value and create fresh opportunities for market participants. 
     
    As we celebrate these and many other achievements, it is also important to look ahead. With a solid foundation built over the past 25 years, what’s next?
     
    Let us bear in mind that HKEX is far more than just another listed company. It is a cornerstone of our financial system, a trusted partner of the Government and regulators, and a key participant in safeguarding Hong Kong’s financial security and enhancing market competitiveness. In this connection, allow me to share a few observations important to the continuing success of HKEX and our financial sector.
     
    First, internationalisation. Hong Kong has long been the premier listing venue for Mainland companies. Today, nearly 60 per cent of our 2 600 listed companies are from the Mainland. They account for over 80 per cent of total market capitalisation.
     
    Amid growing geopolitical challenges, Hong Kong has become a safe harbour for international investors seeking to diversify their portfolios. With stronger market liquidity and an increasingly global investor base, HKEX can also emerge as a preferred listing platform for companies from ASEAN, the Middle East and other regions — especially those that find it challenging to access capital markets in the US or Europe.
     
    I am pleased to note that HKEX has already taken critical steps in this direction, including recognising more overseas exchanges to enable dual-primary and secondary listings. These efforts can only enhance the diversity, depth and resilience of our market.
     
    Second, embracing innovation. HKEX consistently demonstrates leadership in expanding product offerings. The development of our exchange-traded products’ market is a prime example. Since the launch of the Tracker Fund in 1999, our ETP market has grown significantly — covering a wide range of asset classes, including equities, bonds, derivatives and, most recently, digital assets. ETPs now account for over 15 per cent of total stock market turnover.
     
    The opportunities in digital assets are vast. From tokenisation and smart contracts to the trading of real-world assets — it’s a new frontier for global finance, and Hong Kong must be at the forefront.
     
    Equally promising is the development of innovative financial products to support the green transition, including carbon trading and other climate-focused instruments.
     
    Third, enhancing market infrastructure and transaction efficiency. 
     
    That includes shortening the settlement cycle. While markets in the US and Europe have already adopted or are moving to the T+1 settlement cycle, much of Asia is still assessing the path forward. HKEX, I’m pleased to say, should be technically ready for T+1 settlement by year’s end. I look to Hong Kong to become a first mover in the region.
     
    And if Hong Kong is to maintain its status as a world-class financial centre, we must also continue to reduce transaction costs and enhance market efficiency.
     
    Ladies and gentlemen, at this time of profound change and new challenges in global financial markets, Hong Kong must act decisively to capture the emerging opportunities.
     
    With its strong foundation, strategic vision, global connectivity and staunch government support, HKEX is doing just that. And I am confident it will continue to lead and help our markets scale new heights.
     
    Once again, congratulations HKEX on your landmark 25th listing anniversary. I wish you continuing success in the years to come. Hong Kong, and this speaker, is banking on it.
     
    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: SkyCrest Capital Launches “Pension Plan” to Redefine Structured Asset Execution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Denver, USA, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SkyCrest Capital today announced the official launch of its strategic structured asset execution initiative—the “Pension Plan”—set to go live on Monday, June 23, 2025. Built upon the firm’s proprietary SAX-iCore AI structural engine, the Pension Plan is designed to provide individual traders and investors with an intelligent, system-based path to long-term asset growth—one that eliminates emotional bias, predictive speculation, and reliance on intermediaries.

    This initiative marks a critical advancement in SkyCrest Capital’s long-term vision to transition financial markets from forecast-driven behavior toward structure-based execution. By replacing subjective decision-making with AI-generated structural rhythm, the firm positions itself not merely as a service provider, but as a builder of financial infrastructure for the future.

    Addressing Gaps in Traditional Finance

    While structured financial products have long existed in institutional finance, most individual investors remain excluded—facing challenges such as high entry thresholds, limited access to real-time information, and dependence on brokers. SkyCrest Capital’s Pension Plan seeks to change that by democratizing structural execution for retail users.

    The firm believes the future of financial infrastructure must be:
    AI-powered + user-executed + structurally replicable.

    SkyCrest Capital views this not as a product offering, but as the rollout of a new financial capability model—one that allows individuals to verify structural performance in real market environments and reclaim control over their asset rhythm.

    About the Pension Plan

    The “Pension Plan” is not simply positioned as a post-retirement income solution. Instead, it redefines the concept of a pension as early-stage time-choice freedom, enabling users to begin accumulating structural financial growth well before traditional retirement age.

    Participants in the Pension Plan will gain access to:

    Daily AI-driven structural signal delivery

    Automated rhythm-based execution cycles

    Full-cycle account growth tracking

    Compounding analytics and structural scoring reports

    Key Launch Details:

    Launch Date: Monday, June 23, 2025

    Execution System: SAX-iCore AI Structural Platform

    Eligible Participants: Individual traders, retail investors, and small asset managers

    Entry Model: No fixed capital threshold; performance scored based on execution discipline

    Assessment Cycle: Long-term program with quarterly structural rhythm evaluations

    Upon completing a 40-day structural execution cycle, participants will receive:

    A personalized Structural Execution Report

    Rhythm consistency analytics

    Portfolio configuration insights for the next phase

    Eligibility evaluation for SkyCrest’s Structured Fund Access

    Industry Attention and Institutional Validation

    The Pension Plan has already attracted attention from several industry entities, including hedge strategy research institutions in New York, an AI wealth management platform in Silicon Valley, and a structural ETF innovation fund in Asia. These organizations are currently participating in ongoing validations and risk-control assessments of the plan’s structure.

    SkyCrest Capital emphasizes that the Pension Plan is more than a user initiative—it serves as a strategic launchpad for the firm’s next-generation AI financial strategies, de-intermediated wealth management protocols, and structural fund authorization mechanisms.

    A Paradigm Shift in Financial Execution

    By launching the Pension Plan, SkyCrest Capital reaffirms its position as a system architect, structural executor, and rhythm enabler. The firm offers no promises of speculative gains—only discipline, structure, and the opportunity to co-create a new standard in financial outcomes.

    This initiative marks a fundamental shift in approach:
    SkyCrest Capital does not provide advice—it provides structure.
    It does not seek trust—it builds proof through performance.
    It does not follow the old system—it builds the infrastructure of what’s next.

    Media Contact

    SkyCrest Capital PR Department
    Website: https://www.skyskinla.com/
    Contact: Audrey Sinclair
    Email: service@skyskinla.com

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: RBI imposes monetary penalty on Fino Payments Bank Limited

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated June 06, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹29.60 lakh (Rupees Twenty Nine Lakh Sixty Thousand only) on Fino Payments Bank Limited (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Licensing of Payments Banks’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

    The Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2024) of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2024. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions.

    After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:

    The bank breached the regulatory ceiling of end of the day balance, as applicable for a payments bank, in certain accounts on several occasions.

    The action is based on the deficiencies in the regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2025-2026/574

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CHP investigates local measles infection case

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    CHP investigates local measles infection case 
    The case involves a 28-year-old female. She sought treatment from a private doctor on June 11 for fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. She developed a skin rash on June 13 and attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital twice, once on the same day and again on the following day. She was admitted for treatment on June 14. Her blood sample tested positive for antibodies of measles virus upon laboratory testing. She remains hospitalised and is in stable condition.
     
    An epidemiological investigation revealed that the patient was uncertain whether she had received a measles vaccination. She had no travel history during the incubation period. Her six household contacts are currently asymptomatic. During the communicable period, the patient had visited the Kowloon City Baptist Church Kindergarten, located at 206 Argyle Street in Kowloon City. The CHP is conducting medical surveillance on approximately 170 staff members and students of the kindergarten concerned.

    As measles is highly infectious, the CHP will set up an enquiry hotline (2125 2372) for contact tracing of the case. The CHP appeals to those who visited the Kowloon City Baptist Church Kindergarten between 11.30am and 12.30pm on June 9 or 10 to call the hotline. Officers of the CHP will assess their conditions and offer health advice. The hotline will operate from 9am to 1pm tomorrow (June 21) and June 22, and from 9am to 5pm between June 23 and 27.
     
    The investigations are ongoing. 
    The number of measles cases in some overseas countries remains at a high level this year. The outbreaks in North America (including the United States and Canada), Europe and neighbouring areas (including Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines) are ongoing due to the relatively low vaccination rate. Furthermore, an increasing number of measles cases have also been recorded in Japan and Australia this year. For those who plan to travel to measles-endemic areas, they should check their vaccination records and medical history as early as possible. If they have not been diagnosed with measles through laboratory tests and have never received two doses of measles vaccine or are not sure if they have received a measles vaccine, they should consult a doctor at least two weeks prior to their trip for vaccination.
    ???
    Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
     For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP’s measles thematic pageIssued at HKT 19:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: All-India House Price Index (HPI) for Q4:2024-25

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    Today, the Reserve Bank released its quarterly house price index (HPI)1 (base: 2010-11=100) for Q4:2024-25, based on transaction-level data received from the registration authorities in ten major cities2. Time series data on all-India and city-wise HPIs are available at the Bank’s database on Indian economy (DBIE) portal (https://data.rbi.org.in/DBIE/#/dbie/home> Statistics > Real Sector > Prices & Wages).

    Highlights:

    • All-India HPI increased by 3.1 per cent (y-o-y) in Q4:2024-25 as compared with 3.1 per cent growth in the previous quarter and 4.1 per cent growth a year ago; annual HPI growth varied widely across the cities – ranging from a high growth of 8.8 per cent (Kolkata) to a contraction of 2.3 per cent (Kochi).

    • On a sequential (q-o-q) basis, all-India HPI increased by 0.9 per cent in Q4:2024-25; Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kolkata and Chennai are the major cities recording a sequential rise in house prices during the latest quarter.

    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    

    Press Release: 2025-2026/573

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Nominate Next-Gen Scientists Driving AI and Biotech Innovation Singapore | 20 June 2025 APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation

    Source: APEC – Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

    The search is underway for outstanding young scientists whose cross-border research in artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology is addressing some of the Asia-Pacific’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

    Nominations are now open for the 2025 APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education, or ASPIRE, under the theme “Toward AI-Bio Convergence: AI-based Inclusive Biotechnology Solving Social Challenges.” In line with APEC 2025’s focus on digital innovation and inclusive growth, this year’s theme highlights the potential of AI-powered biotechnology to improve health equity, food security, sustainable agriculture and environmental resilience across the region.

    “This year’s ASPIRE theme reflects the growing need for policy-relevant science that bridges disciplines and borders,” said Rahima Kandahari, Chair of the APEC Policy Partnership on Science, Technology and Innovation (PPSTI).

    “By highlighting the convergence of AI and biotechnology, we aim to draw attention to innovations that can deliver practical, inclusive solutions to complex regional challenges, and also reinforces the importance of scientific cooperation and innovation in advancing shared APEC goals.”

    Each APEC economy may nominate one scientist under the age of 40 for the annual prize. Nominees will be evaluated for their excellence in scientific research, evidenced by scholarly publications, and their dedication to cross-economy collaboration, particularly on interdisciplinary projects aligned with the year’s theme.

    “Korea places great importance on empowering young researchers to develop innovative solutions to address complex global challenges. That is why we are proud to support this year’s ASPIRE, which recognizes excellence in cross-border, interdisciplinary science,” said Sunghoon Hwang, Director General of the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea.

    “AI-bio convergence is a key emerging technology with the potential to transform how economies address longstanding issues such as aging populations, health inequities and sustainable agriculture,” Hwang added.

    Now in its 15th year, the prize supports APEC’s broader goals of enhancing science and technology cooperation, strengthening innovation ecosystems, and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth. Past winners have contributed to advancements in fields such as nutrition, renewable energy, nanotechnology, and public health.

    Recent awardees include Dr Zheng Liu of Singapore, who won the 2023 ASPIRE for his pioneering work on two-dimensional materials for sustainable energy and advanced electronics; and Dr Jingzheng Ren of Hong Kong, China, who received the 2022 prize for developing new models that balance economic development with environmental sustainability. Both exemplify the power of cross-border scientific collaboration to solve regional and global challenges.

    The winner of this year’s prize will receive USD 25,000, with prize funding provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea, and will be recognized during the upcoming meeting in Korea on 13 August 2025.

    Nominations must be submitted by 1 July 2025 at 17:30 Singapore time. For eligibility requirements and submission guidelines, please visit the ASPIRE 2025 web page or contact your economy’s PPSTI representative.

     

    For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Skunk Captured in Kaka‘ako

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    Skunk Captured in Kaka‘ako

    Posted on Jun 19, 2025 in Main

    NR25-15
    June 19, 2025

    HONOLULU – A live skunk was captured last night at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park by Honolulu police after they responded to a call reporting that a skunk was running around the park near Keawe St. Police contacted the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and three agriculture inspectors were dispatched at about 10:30 p.m. When the inspectors arrived at the scene, police officers had contained the skunk in a plastic trash bin. Inspectors took custody of the skunk and it has been humanely euthanized to test for the rabies virus.

    The origin of the skunk is not known; however, the park is adjacent to Honolulu Harbor where skunks have been previously captured after apparently hitchhiking aboard cargo ships. Skunks were spotted and captured by stevedores at Honolulu Harbor in February 2018, January 2021, July 2021 and June 2022.

    On Maui, a live skunk was captured at Kahului Harbor in December 2020 and one was captured at a trucking company in August 2018. Also on Maui, the Department of Land and Natural Resources captured a skunk at Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary in August 2022. In February 2023, a Hilo resident caught a skunk in a mongoose trap. All previously captured skunks have tested negative for rabies.

    Skunks are prohibited in Hawai‘i. They are avid egg-eaters and would pose a threat to Hawai‘i’s native ground-nesting birds if they become established. They inhabit the mainland U.S., Canada, South America, Mexico and other parts of the world. In the U.S., they are recognized as one of the four primary wild carriers of rabies, a fatal viral disease of mammals that is often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Hawai‘i is the only state in the U.S. and one of the few places in the world that is free of rabies.

    Sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species should be reported to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

    # # #

    Skunk Found at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park

    Skunk found at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News release on skunk captured at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    News release on skunk captured at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park

    Posted on Jun 19, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

        

         

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
     GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

    ʻOIHANA MAHIʻAI

     

    SHARON HURD
    CHAIRPERSON

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    DEAN M. MATSUKAWA
    DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRPERSON

    KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

     

    SKUNK CAPTURED AT KAKA‘AKO WATERFRONT PARK

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

    June 19, 2025

    NR25-15

    HONOLULU – A live skunk was captured last night at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park by Honolulu police after they responded to a call reporting that a skunk was running around the park near Keawe St. Police contacted the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and three agriculture inspectors were dispatched at about 10:30 p.m. When the inspectors arrived at the scene, police officers had contained the skunk in a plastic trash bin. Inspectors took custody of the skunk and it has been humanely euthanized to test for the rabies virus.

    The origin of the skunk is not known; however, the park is adjacent to Honolulu Harbor where skunks have been previously captured after apparently hitchhiking aboard cargo ships. Skunks were spotted and captured by stevedores at Honolulu Harbor in February 2018, January 2021, July 2021 and June 2022.

    On Maui, a live skunk was captured at Kahului Harbor in December 2020 and one was captured at a trucking company in August 2018. Also on Maui, the Department of Land and Natural Resources captured a skunk at Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary in August 2022. In February 2023, a Hilo resident caught a skunk in a mongoose trap. All previously captured skunks have tested negative for rabies.

    Skunks are prohibited in Hawai‘i. They are avid egg-eaters and would pose a threat to Hawai‘i’s native ground-nesting birds if they become established. They inhabit the mainland U.S., Canada, South America, Mexico and other parts of the world. In the U.S., they are recognized as one of the four primary wild carriers of rabies, a fatal viral disease of mammals that is often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Hawai‘i is the only state in the U.S. and one of the few places in the world that is free of rabies.

     

    Sightings or captures of illegal and invasive species should be reported to the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 808-643-PEST (7378).

    # # #

    Attachments: Two photos of the skunk

    Media Contact:
    Janelle Saneishi
    Public Information Officer
    Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture
    Phone: 808-973-9560
    Cell: 808-341-5528
    Email:     [email protected]
    Website:     http://hdoa.hawaii.gov

    Confidentiality Notice:  This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information.  Any review, use, disclosure, or distribution by unintended recipients is prohibited.  If you are not the intended recipient(s), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025-71 AG ANNE LOPEZ CONCLUDES MAUI WILDFIRE ANALYSIS

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    2025-71 AG ANNE LOPEZ CONCLUDES MAUI WILDFIRE ANALYSIS

    Posted on Jun 19, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    Video of today’s news conference is on the Department of the Attorney General’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiAttorneyGeneral/videos/1206910971211978

     

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.

    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

     

    ANNE LOPEZ

    ATTORNEY GENERAL

    LOIO KUHINA

     

     

    ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ CONCLUDES INVESTIGATION INTO THE AUGUST 8, 2023 MAUI WILDFIRES

     

    News Release 2025-71

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

    June 19, 2025

     

    HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez today announced the conclusion of the Department of the Attorney General’s investigation of state and county government response to the August 2023 Lahaina Fire. Attorney General Lopez also announced the official transition of future wildfire analysis, mitigation and coordination efforts to the new state fire marshal and the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO).

     

    “Shortly after the August 8, 2023 Maui wildfires, Governor Josh Green, M.D., and I agreed that understanding how the state and county agencies responded during and in the immediate aftermath was crucial to secure the safety of the residents and visitors now and into the future,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, was the most capable organization that could provide the state with an objective, evidence-based understanding of the response of state and county agencies and provide recommendations and best practices for Hawaiʻi going forward. FSRI has done just that.”

     

    On April 17, 2024, the Department released FSRI’s Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report (Phase 1) that provided a minute-by-minute accounting of state and county

     

    actions. On September 13, 2024, FSRI’s Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report (Phase 2) was released, which incorporated a science- and evidence-based analysis of the events, including subjects such as preparedness efforts, weather and its impact to infrastructure, and other fires simultaneously occurring on Maui. This report included 84 findings, and 140 recommendations designed to mitigate the issues identified by FSRI and make recommendations to move forward. At the same time, the department released all of the images, audio and documents* received and prepared by FSRI, totaling 850 gigabytes of data.

     

    In January, FSRI’s Lahaina Fire Forward-Looking Report (Phase 3) was released. This report prioritized the 84 findings and 140 recommendations from the Phase 2 report, to improve Hawaiʻi’s ability to be better prepared for and respond to wildfires. Governor Green requested that FSRI identify its top 10 immediate priorities.

     

    The top two recommendations for actionable success were: (1) the state should engage HWMO to share a leadership role with the state in this effort, and (2) hire a state fire marshal to ensure continued work and long-term planning. HWMO has been engaged and has already started work. In the last legislative session, the governor introduced a bill to amend Hawaiʻi’s state fire marshal statute to empower the fire marshal to have more independence and broaden the fire marshal’s responsibilities. Following robust legislative hearings, the legislature passed H.B. 1064.

     

    “I am proud of the work that my department and FSRI have completed over the last two years,” said Attorney General Lopez. “I will now be handing off the work to State Fire Marshal Dori Booth and HWMO. I am fully confident in their ability to collaborate and lead state and county agencies, communities, and other nonprofits into a safer, healthier future.”

     

    Since the Phase Three report was released, FSRI has begun work in collaboration with the Maui Fire Department (MFD) and Kauaʻi Fire Department (KFD) to complete their Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover plans. These analyses will be conducted in cooperation with MFD and KFD alongside local residents and businesses and will ultimately identify where the relevant risks to the community are and how county fire departments can effectively address them. Following this work, a comprehensive Community Risk Reduction plan will be developed that provides realistic actions that can be taken by individuals, community organizations and governmental agencies to mitigate risk and increase resiliency.

     

    “Our role in the Lahaina fire independent analysis is complete and we have provided forward looking recommendations. Now we’re collectively transitioning from research to implementation for a more fire safe Hawai‘i,” said Derek Alkonis, Research Program Manager at FSRI. “UL Research Institutes and FSRI will continue supporting next steps in operational readiness and community risk assessment planning.”

     

    “We are proud to be part of this next chapter for Hawai‘i,” said Elizabeth Pickett, co-director of HWMO. “Our job now is to support the state in developing a cohesive wildfire strategy that brings together public agencies, private partners, and expertise from our academic and community partners — so that we’re all working in sync, informed by best practice, and building upon existing efforts and local knowledge. Some departments will be stepping into new roles, while others — who’ve been doing this work for decades — will finally get the support and alignment they’ve long needed. This is about learning together, building systems that last, and finally connecting our collective efforts into one coordinated path forward. Becoming a wildfire-ready and wildfire-resilient state starts with thoughtful, informed and collaborative planning. This is good governance at its best.”

     

    “We recommended HWMO because of their deep experience, trusted relationships, and ability to coordinate across agencies,” said Alkonis. “They’re embedded in Hawai‘i’s wildfire network and well-positioned to align efforts quickly. HWMO was selected in part because of its long-standing and ongoing leadership in the area of wildfire prevention and vegetation management — they’ve been deeply engaged in this work for years and are well-equipped to move the state forward on some of its most urgent needs. Their work complements the new State Fire Marshal’s Office and helps drive action on the priorities we identified — a strong example of collaborative leadership for wildfire resilience.”

     

    “It’s an honor to serve as Hawai‘i’s state fire marshal at this pivotal moment,” said Dori Booth. “The 10 wildfire priorities identified in the Phase Three report provide a critical foundation, and my role — as well as the work of the full office when it is in place — will both support those efforts and extend beyond them. We are building the State Fire Marshal’s Office from the ground up, with a focus on regulatory clarity, modernized codes and standards, and a legislative framework that strengthens long-standing efforts already underway, while also guiding future improvements identified through the statewide wildfire strategy now in development. I’m grateful to all of the agencies and partners contributing to this effort, and I look forward to working closely with the State Fire Council, county fire departments, HWMO, and others to ensure a coordinated, capable, and resilient fire safety system for Hawai‘i.”

     

    All of the images, audio and documents* included in the media database containing approximately 850 gigabytes of data can be found on the Department of the Attorney General’s Maui Wildfire Investigation page here.

     

    *Only images of the deceased and the personal identifying information of individuals were redacted.

     

    About Fire Safety Research Institute

    Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, strives to advance fire safety knowledge and strategies in order to create safer environments. Using advanced fire science, rigorous research, extensive outreach and education in collaboration with an international network of partners, the organization imparts stakeholders with knowledge, tools, and resources that enable them to make better, more fire safe decisions that ultimately save lives and property. To learn more, visit fsri.org. Follow FSRI on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

     

    About UL Research Institutes

    UL Research Institutes is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing the UL public safety mission through scientific discovery and application. With best-in-class experts, we are the world’s premier safety science research organization. We conduct rigorous independent research, analyze safety data and explore at the edges of technology to be the first to uncover and act on emerging risks to human safety. To learn more, visit ul.org.

     

    # # #

     

    Media contacts:

    Dave Day

    Special Assistant to the Attorney General

    Office: 808-586-1284                                                  

    Email: [email protected]        

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

     

    Toni Schwartz
    Public Information Officer
    Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
    Office: 808-586-1252
    Cell: 808-379-9249
    Email:     [email protected] 

    MIL OSI USA News –