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Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Budget 2025 – Budget must deliver for burnt-out St John workforce

    Source: Workers First Union

    Ambulance officers who work for Hato Hone St John say this week’s Budget must include real funding to improve pay and conditions or the Government risks driving more experienced paramedics offshore or back into industrial action.
    Last week, ambulance delegates from across Aotearoa gathered in Auckland for a Workers First conference (photo attached) as the group prepares to enter bargaining again with the partially charity-funded ambulance provider. They also discussed their growing concerns about a workforce crisis that is being made worse by insufficient public health funding.
    Faye McCann, Workers First National Ambulance Coordinator, said that this year’s Budget marks the final year of a four-year ambulance funding agreement, and last year’s negotiations had failed to substantially lift wages, address penal rates that are significantly lower than comparable health professions, or deliver the infrastructure needed to keep the service functioning successfully while meeting growing patient demand.
    “We can’t keep plugging holes with goodwill and expecting ambulance officers to carry the cost of a broken system,” said Ms McCann.
    “Ambulance staff are already burnt out, understaffed, and responding to more mental health and high-risk incidents than ever before. It’s getting worse, especially in Auckland, where short staffing is at crisis levels even as the population grows and demand rises.”
    “Officers are leaving for Australia because the pay is better, the infrastructure is better, and the workload is safer. We’re losing people we can’t afford to lose.”
    Ms McCann said ambulance officers were dismayed that last year’s Budget failed to fulfil the National Party and New Zealand First’s coalition promise to increase the proportion of Government funding for the country’s ambulance services.
    “When it comes to the Treaty Principles Bill or other dodgy political priorities, the coalition agreement framework between parties is treated like it’s enshrined in law – but when it comes to funding emergency services, that promise is suddenly a ‘nice-to-have’,” said Ms McCann.
    She warned that unless this Budget delivers real improvements, ambulance officers could be forced back into the same impossible bargaining position as last year, when St John repeated that they couldn’t improve wages and conditions without additional Government funding.
    “Some funding eventually came, but only after a national strike and a drawn-out, behind-closed-doors process that no one wants to repeat,” said Ms McCann.
    “We’re calling on the Government to fund ambulance services properly so that St John can offer decent wages, fair conditions, and a service that New Zealanders can actually rely on.”
    “Cuts to the broader health budget, or a failure to meet growing cost pressures and rising demand, will mean ambulance officers are the ones bearing the brunt of underfunding, and patients will be worse off for it.”
    “Ambulance services cannot be the casualty of another austerity Budget from this Government.”
    Ms McCann said that Workers First ambulance officers’ ultimate goal remained the full operational funding of emergency health services, and she believed that services like St John and Wellington Free fully supported that aim.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Budget 2025 must prioritise support for small businesses – Buy NZ Made

    Source: Buy NZ Made

    Buy NZ Made is calling on the Government to deliver meaningful support for New Zealand’s small businesses, the backbone of the economy and the heart of our local communities.
    With small businesses making up over 97% of all enterprises in New Zealand and employing more than 600,000 Kiwis, Buy NZ Made Executive Director Dane Ambler says it is essential that the 2025 Budget includes targeted initiatives to ease cost pressures, encourage innovation, and drive local consumer confidence.
    “Small businesses are facing a tough economic climate – rising costs, uncertain demand, and global competition. What they need now is a Government that steps up with strategic, long-term investment in local enterprise.
    “Ideally, we would like to see increased access to low-interest loans, grants, and tax relief for small businesses, especially those recovering from the impacts of inflation and global supply chain disruptions.”
    Ambler says the government’s recent move to a “local-first” approach in procurement to ensure New Zealand-made products and services are given fair consideration in public spending decisions was a good start.
    “Backing small businesses is not just good economics – it’s good nation-building.
    “When the Government supports local, it sends a powerful message to every New Zealander that choosing Kiwi-made products and services creates jobs, strengthens communities, and keeps money circulating within our own economy.”
    Buy NZ Made is encouraging the public and policymakers alike to think local, buy local, and back the businesses that make New Zealand unique.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Budget 2025 – Balancing the books should be at Budget’s core – Federated Farmers

    Source: Federated Farmers

    Federated Farmers is urging the Government to focus its Budget announcements on how it can cut waste and balance the books.
    “The budget will once again need to be more about reducing spending than announcing spending, and farmers will welcome that,” Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.
    “Farmers work hard to balance their books on farm, and we expect to see the Government doing the same.
    “Farming businesses are beginning to experience the benefits of lower inflation and interest rates this year. A balanced budget will mean this stability is more likely to continue.”
    Langford says while big spending isn’t on the cards, one area where there’s a need for a targeted increase in investment is pest management.
    “Ballooning numbers of feral deer, pigs and goats – not to mention the spread of wilding pines – continues to have a big economic cost.”
    Langford says the Department of Conservation spends only about $13 million a year controlling deer, pigs and goats on the public conservation estate, but these pests are costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost food production, export losses and damage on farms.
    “Doubling the pest control spend will have a small overall impact on Crown expense but will see exports increase as farmers lose less pasture to pests.
    “In the context of total Crown expenditure of $180 billion, a decent boost to pest control budgets wouldn’t be significant but would help short-circuit a compounding problem.”
    Langford says it would be great to see work on rural mental health also get over the line and receive extra funding.
    “Again, this would be a small expenditure increase in the grand scheme of things but with significant positive benefits.” 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Surveys – Poll shows overwhelming majority support increase in spending on public services

    Source: Better Taxes for a Better Future

    As the Government prepares to release a Budget that will deliver further cuts to public services an overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support increased spending on those services, according to a new poll commissioned by the Better Taxes for a Better Future campaign.

    The Talbot Mills Research poll asked whether government spending on key public services such as hospitals, schools, and the police should increase (a lot or a bit), stay the same or decrease (a bit or a lot). 83% of respondents supported increases in public spending, and this support remained high across the political spectrum with even 62% of ACT supporters endorsing an increase.

    “This poll shows that there is widespread support for greater investment in our public services to meet the needs of New Zealanders, such as in healthcare, and education,” says Glenn Barclay spokesperson for the Better Taxes campaign.

    “It’s clear that, even in these tough economic times, people across the political spectrum realise investment in public services now is important to help build a better future.”

    The poll also asked if wealthier New Zealanders (e.g.people who earn over $180,000 per year and/or have assets worth more than $5m) should pay more, the same, or less tax than they do at present. A majority (57%) supported the wealthy paying more tax.

    “This may not be a surprising result for Labour, Green and Te Pāti Māori supporters, yet even a majority of National Party supporters favour the wealthy paying more tax,” says Glenn Barclay.

    “The IR report into High Net Worth Individuals in 2023 demonstrated that the wealthiest 310 families in New Zealand had an effective tax rate of 9.4% compared to over 20% for the average New Zealander and it is clear that there is support for rectifying this imbalance,” says Glenn Barclay.

    “The responses to these two questions send a clear message that New Zealanders don’t want to see cuts to essential public services, and the government needs to be looking at other ways to generate the revenue we need to provide services that will enable all New Zealanders to succeed,” says Glenn Barclay.

    “We encourage the Government and opposition parties to be looking at tax changes that would ensure those that have more to contribute, make that contribution. Gathering more revenue from wealth and gains from wealth would put us in a better position to address the challenges we face in delivering public services, addressing poverty and climate change, and funding major infrastructure.”

    The Better Taxes for a Better Future Campaign is a coalition of over 20 organisations led by Tax Justice Aotearoa.

    We believe that tax reform is the only solution to the current challenges facing Aotearoa NZ.  We need the tax system to:

    • be transparent
    • raise more revenue to enable us address the challenges we face
    • make sure people who have more to contribute make that contribution: that we gather more revenue from wealth, gains from wealth, all forms of income, and corporates
    • make greater use of fair taxes to promote good health and environmental health
    • address the tax impact on the least well off in our society.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Yuri Trutnev held a meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of China

    May 20, 2025

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of China

    May 20, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    Yuri Trutnev held a meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of China

    A meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of the People’s Republic of China was held in Moscow. The Russian part of the commission is headed by Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev. The head of the Chinese part of the commission is Vice Chairman of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Zhang Guoqing.

    “Our meeting is taking place immediately after an important political event – the official visit of the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping to Russia and his participation in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The leaders of our countries confirmed their course to strengthen good-neighborliness and cooperation. In late August – early September, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin plans to visit China to participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the celebrations of the anniversary of the victory over Japan and the end of World War II. Relations between Russia and China are an important stabilizing factor in global politics and economics. I am confident that the work of our commission as one of the bridges of cooperation between Russia and China is of particular importance today. In recent years, our countries have faced unprecedented challenges, destabilization of international relations and the global economy. At the same time, Russian-Chinese ties continue to strengthen. In 2024, mutual trade turnover once again set a record, reaching almost 245 billion US dollars. “I am confident that our meeting today will contribute to the implementation of the agreements of the heads of state and government, primarily in the development of cooperation between the Russian Far East and Northeast China,” Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting.

    “In recent years, under the strategic leadership of the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Sino-Russian relations reached the highest level in their history and have become the standard of cooperation between world powers and neighboring countries. Our leaders set a course and direction for our further interaction, sent the whole world a clear signal about the stable and healthy development of Sino-Russian relations at a high level, which introduced stability and positive to a complex international situation. The key task of today’s meeting is to implement agreements between our leaders and conduct appropriate preparations for the upcoming meeting between them, as well as for regular meetings of the heads of government. Currently, individual countries under various pretexts abuse tariff measures, which grossly violating the laws, rights and interests of other states and seriously contradicts the Rules of the WTO, damages the multilateral trading system, undermines the stability of the global economic order. Such actions have a negative impact on the world supplies and production chains. In these conditions, it is important for us to consistently deepen cooperation in all areas, including the interaction of the north-east of the People’s Republic of China and the Far East of the Russian Federation in order to make an even greater contribution to the development of our countries, ”said Zhang Gotsin.

    The results and promising areas of joint work in the Russian Far East and the North-East of the People’s Republic of China were discussed. Over 6 years (from 2018 to 2023), the trade turnover of the Russian Far East with the People’s Republic of China increased by almost 2.5 times and exceeded 1.9 trillion rubles in 2023.

    In the territories of advanced development and in the free port of Vladivostok, 65 investment projects with a total investment volume of 1 trillion rubles are being implemented with the participation of Chinese capital. Projects with the participation of Chinese companies in the total investment volume in the Far East make up 10%. In a number of large projects, Chinese companies are technological partners, carry out work on the construction of new enterprises, and participate in start-up work.

    Work on the creation of a new preferential regime – an international territory of advanced development – is being completed. The regime was developed in cooperation with representatives of China and other countries. The draft law on international territories of advanced development was adopted in the first reading by the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The regime will be created by the end of this year. Chinese companies are showing interest in interaction within the new legal framework. Five companies from China have already applied as residents.

    The development of transport infrastructure was discussed. In 2024, the volume of bilateral foreign trade cargo transportation through border crossings and seaports of Russia and China increased by 9% to almost 176 million tons. In 2024, land checkpoints on the border with China increased cargo turnover from 40.4 to 45.9 million tons. A significant contribution to the growth was made by the opening of two new bridge crossings in 2022: Blagoveshchensk – Heihe and Nizhneleninskoye – Tongjiang. In 2024, 6.2 million tons of cargo were transported through them.

    The construction of a bridge in the area of the settlements of Jalinda (Russia) and Mohe (China) can contribute to the increase in freight traffic. Amur Region and Heilongjiang Province have formed a promising freight base. The location of the bridge has been agreed upon. On the Russian side, key participants in the project and the main technical parameters have been determined.

    The Russian side invited Chinese partners to further develop the Northern Sea Route. In 2024, the number of voyages carried out by Chinese companies in the NSR waters doubled and amounted to 14 voyages.

    On the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a project to create an innovative scientific and technological center on Russky Island is being implemented. Research and development centers in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biomedicine, marine engineering, artificial intelligence and big data are being created. The construction of a pilot building is nearing completion. Chinese organizations and departments, representatives of scientific communities have been invited to participate in the implementation of joint projects in these areas.

    “This September, the anniversary, tenth Eastern Economic Forum will be held in Vladivostok with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation. This event is invariably an important platform for developing cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. China is traditionally one of the main guests of the Eastern Economic Forum. We invite our Chinese colleagues to take part in the work of the tenth Eastern Economic Forum in September this year,” said Yuri Trutnev.

    Summing up the meeting, Yuri Trutnev once again emphasized: “The Russian government is open to dialogue and is ready to provide support to Chinese partners in the Far East.”

     

    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 –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indian National Pleads Guilty to Visa Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant staged armed robberies so that “victims” could apply for immigration benefits in exchange for thousands of dollars

    BOSTON – An Indian national, residing in New York, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to staging armed robberies in furtherance of a visa fraud conspiracy.  

    Rambhai Patel, 37, pleaded guilty to on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Aug. 20, 2025. In December 2023, Patel was charged along with a co-conspirator.

    Beginning in March 2023, Patel and his alleged co-conspirator set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least nine convenience/liquor stores and fast-food restaurants across the United States – including at least five in Massachusetts. The purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the store clerks to claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.  

    During the staged robberies, the “robber” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” paid Patel to participate in the scheme. One purported victim paid $20,000 to participate as a victim in one of the staged armed robberies. In turn, Patel paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.

    At least two purported victim co-conspirators submitted U Visa applications based on being victims of the staged armed robberies.

    Singh is scheduled to plead guilty on May 22, 2025.

    The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington; FBI’s New York and Seattle Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hingham, Marshfield, Randolph, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Starvation of Gaza – a distressing continuation of a decades-old plan

    SPECIAL REPORT: By Jeremy Rose

    Reading an NBC News report a couple of days ago about a Trump administration plan to relocate 1 million Gazans to Libya reminded me of a conversation between the legendary Warsaw Ghetto leader Marek Edelman and fellow fighter and survivor Simcha Rotem that took place more than quarter of a century ago.

    In the conversation, first reported in Haaretz in 2023, Rotem said the Jews who walked into the gas chambers without a fight did so only because they were hungry.

    Edelman disagreed, but Rotem insisted. “Listen, man. Marek, I’m surprised by your attitude. They only went because they were hungry. Even if they’d known what awaited them they would have walked into the gas chambers. You and I would have done the same.”

    Edelman cut him off. “You would never have gone” [to the gas chamber.] Rotem replied, “I’m not so sure. I was never that hungry.”

    Edelman agreed, saying: “I also wasn’t that hungry,” to which Rotem said, “That’s why you didn’t go.”

    The NBC report claims that Israeli officials are aware of the plan and talks have been held with the Libyan leadership about taking in 1 million ethnically cleansed Palestinians.. The carrot being offered is the unfreezing of billions of dollars of Libya’s own money seized by the US more than a decade ago.

    The Arabic word Sumud — or steadfastness — is synonymous with the Palestinian people. The idea that 1 million Gazans would agree to walk off the 1.4 percent of historic Palestine that is Gaza is inconceivable.

    Equally incomprehensible
    But then the idea that my great grandmother and other relatives walked into the gas chambers is equally incomprehensible. But we’ve never been that hungry.

    The people of Gaza are. No food has entered Gaza for 76 days. Half a million Gazans are facing starvation and the rest of the population (more than 1.5 million people) are suffering from high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the UN.

    Last year, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was widely condemned when he suggested starving Gaza might be “justified and moral”.

    The lack of outrage and urgency being expressed by world leaders — particularly Western leaders — after nearly 11 weeks of Israel actually starving the inhabitants of what retired IDF general Giora Eiland has called a giant concentration camp — is an outrage.

    As far as I’m aware there’s been no talk of cutting off diplomatic relations, trade embargos or even cultural boycotts.

    Israel — which last time I looked wasn’t in Europe — just placed second in Eurovision. “I’m happy,” an Israeli friend messaged me, “that my old genocidal homeland (Austria) won and not my current genocidal nation.”

    A third generation Israeli, she’s one of a tiny minority protesting the war crimes being committed less than 100km from her apartment.

    Honourable exceptions
    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Irish President Michael Higgins are honourable exceptions to the muted criticism being expressed by Western leaders, although this criticism has finally been stepped up with the threatened “concrete actions” by the UK, France and Canada, and the condemnation of Israel by 22 other countries — including New Zealand.

    Sanchez had declared Israel a genocidal state and said Spain won’t do business with such a nation.

    And peaking at a national famine commemoration held over the weekend Higgens said the UN Security Council had failed again and again by not dealing with famines and the current “forced starvation of the people of Gaza”.

    He cited UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying “as aid dries up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened. Gaza is a killing field — and civilians are in an endless death loop.”

    Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen argued in his 1981 book Poverty and Famines that famines are man-made and not natural disasters.

    Unlike Gaza, the famines he wrote about were caused by either callous disregard by the ruling elites for the populations left to starve or the disastrous results of following the whims of an all-powerful leader like Chairman Mao.

    He argued that a famine had never occurred in a functioning democracy.

    A horrifying fact
    It’s a horrifying fact that a self-described democracy, funded and abetted by the world’s most powerful democracy, has been allowed by the international community to starve two million people with no let-up in its bombing of barely functioning hospitals and killing of more than 2000 Gazans since the ban on food entering the strip was put in place. (Many more will have died due to a lack of medicine, food, and access to clean water.)

    After more than two months of denying any food or medicine to enter Gaza Israel is now saying it will allow limited amounts of food in to avoid a full-scale famine.

    “Due to the need to expand the fighting, we will introduce a basic amount of food to the residents of Gaza to ensure no famine occurs,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained.

    “A famine might jeopardise the continuation of Operation Gideon’s Chariots aimed at eliminating Hamas.”

    If 19-months of indiscriminate bombardment, the razing to the ground of whole cities, the displacement of virtually the entire population, and more than 50,000 recorded deaths (the Lancet estimated the true figure is likely to be four times that) hasn’t destroyed Hamas to Israel’s satisfaction it’s hard to conceive of what will.

    But accepting that that is the real aim of the ongoing genocide would be naïve.

    Shamefully indifferent Western world
    In the first cabinet meeting following the Six Day War, long before Hamas came into existence, ridding Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants was top of the agenda.

    “If we can evict 300,000 refugees from Gaza to other places . . .  we can annex Gaza without a problem,” Defence Minister Moshe Dayan said.

    The population of Gaza was 400,000 at the time.

    “We should take them to the East Bank [Jordan] by the scruff of their necks and throw them there,” Minister Yosef Sapir said.

    Fifty-eight years later the possible destinations may have changed but the aim remains the same. And a shamefully indifferent Western world combined with a malnourished and desperate population may be paving the way to a mass expulsion.

    If the US, Europe and their allies demanded that Israel stop, the killing would end tomorrow.

    Jeremy Rose is a Wellington-based journalist and his Towards Democracy blog is at Substack.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Palestinians in Gaza are being deliberately asphyxiated by Israeli forces News May 20, 2025

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    While the war and blockade continue to wreak havoc on Palestinians’ health and leave them in desperate need of medical care and food, water, and other necessities, at least 20 medical facilities in Gaza have been damaged or forced partially or completely out of service in the past week alone amid increasing Israeli military operations, intensified airstrikes, and widespread evacuation orders.

    Israeli authorities must stop the deliberate asphyxiation of Palestinians in Gaza and the annihilation of their health care system—actions that are underpinning their campaign of ethnic cleansing.

    “The Israeli authorities’ decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator in Khan Younis. “This plan is a way to instrumentalize aid, making it a tool to further Israeli forces’ military objectives.”

    On May 19, Israeli forces struck the Nasser Hospital compound in Khan Younis, hitting just 100 meters away from the intensive care unit and inpatient department, which are both run by MSF. It’s the third time in two months that the hospital compound has been struck, yet again depriving people of treatment and care. | Palestine 2025 © MSF

    Nasser Hospital compound struck multiple times

    On May 19, between 6 and 6:30 a.m., MSF teams reported hearing almost one strike per minute in Khan Younis. One of these strikes hit the Nasser Hospital compound, 100 meters away from the hospital’s intensive care unit and the inpatient department, which are run by MSF. This is the third time in two months that the Nasser Hospital compound has been struck, once again depriving people of treatment and care. 

    To reduce the risks, our teams were forced to temporarily close both the outpatient department and sedation room for patients awaiting or recovering from surgery, as well as suspend physiotherapy and mental health activities, which are essential for burn patients—most of whom are children. This strike also severely damaged the Ministry of Health’s pharmacy store in Nasser Hospital. This puts additional pressure on supplies at a time when medical stocks are already running critically low due to the siege.

    The strike on May 19 severely damaged the Ministry of Health’s pharmacy store in Nasser Hospital, putting additional pressure on supplies at a time when medical stocks are already running critically low due to the siege. | Palestine 2025 © MSF

    Ongoing bombings and evacuation orders further limit access to care  

    As part of the expansion of their ground operations, Israeli forces have issued widescale evacuation orders, further limiting people’s access to medical care and MSF’s ability to provide it. On May 19, for example, an evacuation order covering almost the entire eastern part of Khan Younis, at the edge of Nasser Hospital, forced people to immediately move toward the Al-Mawasi area.

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Site Management Cluster estimates that over 138,900 people were forcibly displaced between May 15-20. The intensified Israeli bombardments and evacuation orders across Khan Younis have forced MSF to maintain only lifesaving activities in the emergency rooms of Al-Attar and Al-Mawasi clinics. Since yesterday, Al-Hekker clinic in Deir al-Balah has also been closed. Before that, MSF teams had been providing more than 350 consultations per day for pediatric, prenatal and post-natal care, psychological first aid, and outpatient nutrition treatment, among other medical issues.

    A few days earlier, on May 15, Israeli authorities issued an evacuation order to Sheikh Radwan basic health care center in Gaza City, which led to the closure of the facility. Before that, with MSF’s support, Ministry of Health teams were providing around 3,000 consultations per day in an area with an estimated 250,000 people. This was the last fully functional public basic health care clinic in the area.

    According to the Ministry of Health, following the besiegement of the Indonesian Hospital, all public hospitals in North Gaza are now out of service. The MSF field hospital in Deir al-Balah has seen its bed capacity rise to 150 percent over the last few days, forcing it to add additional staff and increase their baseline by 20 beds. According to the UN, there are currently around 1,000 functional hospital beds across the Strip, while prior to the war the bed capacity was 3,500. 

    Attacks on civilians and health care must stop now.

    MIL OSI NGO –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Animal Rights – Roaring call for Government to halt funding of cruel octopus farming

    Source: Animals Aotearoa

    (New Zealand – May 21, 2025) – As calls to ban the practice of octopus farming continue to gain momentum worldwide, the government of New Zealand is set to make a decision about providing more funding to octopus farming on May 21. 168 organisations are united in strongly advising against wasting any additional funding to establish industrialised octopus farming, a practice that would have dangerous implications for the environment, public health, and animal welfare.

    To date, the New Zealand government has awarded one million dollars to the University of Auckland for research to develop octopus farming.  An open letter, led and written by Animals Aotearoa with support from Aquatic Life Institute, is calling on the New Zealand Government to decline any new funding of projects that aim to develop commercial octopus factory farming. The letter, which has been signed by 168 organisations, including members of the Aquatic Animal Alliance (AAA), a global coalition working to improve the welfare of aquatic animals in the food system, explains that while this new form of aquaculture is still in the research phase, it would cause extensive harm should it become reality. Evidence shows that it is both unethical and unsustainable, and current research has not demonstrated any pathway to achieving high-welfare farming or ecosystem-neutral farming for octopuses.

    As outlined in the open letter, octopus farming is highly problematic from an animal welfare perspective and also presents risks to biodiversity and biosafety, environmental degradation, and public health. The letter has three main asks:

    • New Zealand Government cease funding research aimed at establishing octopus farming;
    • Public funds are instead invested in sustainable food solutions, such as plant-based aquatic food systems and alternative proteins; and
    • New Zealand Government prohibits any octopus farming in New Zealand.

    “Choosing to waste precious taxpayer funds in pursuit of factory farming octopuses is misguided at best, and shameful at worst. This atrocious idea is being actively opposed all around the world. It’s immensely cruel to the octopuses, environmentally unsustainable and poses a significant public health risk. Sinking more money into factory farming octopuses is a bad investment in every sense,” says Jennifer Dutton of Animals Aotearoa. “New Zealand should be leaders in ethical and sustainable food systems, instead of exporting cruelty to the world.”

    The environmental, welfare, and public health implications of octopus farming are manifold. These carnivorous animals require diets rich in marine ingredients, exacerbating the pressure on already declining wild fish populations and undermining global sustainable development goals. The overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture has been linked to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, with potential spillover effects into human populations. As widely documented, octopuses are highly intelligent and complex animals that suffer greatly in captivity due to their solitary and inquisitive nature. Several scientists have raised significant concerns about the practice of octopus farming, as conditions of intensive farming and extreme confinement are inherently unsuitable for their well-being, leading to stress, aggression, and unnatural behaviours such as cannibalism. Furthermore, there are no approved humane slaughter methods for these animals.

    As noted, this call for divestment from New Zealand’s government is preceded by legislation worldwide that bans octopus farming and the sale of products from industrial octopus farms, including a federal bill in the United States that is underway, as well as the Washington state law, California law, Bill HB 2262 in Hawaii, and many more. Under New Zealand law, the Animal Welfare Act of 1999 explicitly includes octopuses being recognised as sentient, a legal acknowledgement of their capabilities to experience pain and stress. In addition, RSPCA, Friend of the Sea, and other seafood certifiers have produced statements prohibiting the certification of any form of octopus/cephalopod farming. These certifiers have recognised the necessity of banning octopus farming before it starts, acknowledging that it is impossible to guarantee high welfare conditions for this species due to its behavioural needs, sentience, and strictly carnivorous diet.

    “The Aquatic Animal Alliance, representing over 175 organisations worldwide, strongly urges the New Zealand Government to reject the development of industrial octopus farming. Octopuses are sentient, intelligent animals with complex welfare needs that cannot be met in captivity. Farming them would not only cause immense animal suffering, but also contribute to serious environmental degradation, from the overfishing of wild marine life for feed, to pollution and disease risks in surrounding ecosystems. As a veterinarian, I join the global scientific and advocacy communities in calling for a ban on this unnecessary and harmful industry before it takes root,” said Catalina Lopez, Director of the AAA.

    About Animals Aotearoa

    New Zealand’s Animals Aotearoa is a registered charity whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of farmed animals and end their suffering. In addition to being a member of the Aquatic Animals Alliance, Animals Aotearoa is one of over 90 organisations that make up the Open Wing Alliance, a global coalition of animal advocacy organisations, with the shared purpose of working to substantially improve the welfare of chickens.
    www.animalsaotearoa.org

    About Aquatic Life Institute

    Aquatic Life Institute is an international non-profit organization that works on advancing aquatic animal welfare in both aquaculture and wild capture fisheries globally. The organization works with certifiers, nonprofits, academic institutions, industry stakeholders, governments, and the public to improve welfare of aquatic animals.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Budget 2025: Nervous wait for thousands of public service workers – PSA

    Budget 2025: Nervous wait for thousands of public service workers

    Cost to New Zealand women of pay equity betrayal to become clear

    Embargoed 5am Wednesday 21 May 2025

    Tomorrow’s Budget will lift the lid on how much further public services will be cut and expose the cost to underpaid women from the dismantling of the pay equity process.

    “Public services including our cash strapped health system cannot afford to face further cuts and job losses,” said Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons.

    “More than 150,000 women have been denied the pay rise they deserve from this disappointing decision to gut our pay equity laws with no prior notice before the election or even a Select Committee process so that New Zealand women could have their say. Tomorrow’s Budget will make the scale of the cost to women clear.

    “We sadly predict Government will be starving many public service agencies and our health system of funds, just as they did last year, and that means further damage to the services New Zealanders rely on.

    “And we will see how the ‘billions of dollars’ set aside to fund pay equity settlements for underpaid women, will be freed up to fund the Government’s tax cuts for landlords and make the Budget numbers add up.

    “This will be a mean and nasty Budget, built on taking money from care and support workers and others who had been expecting pay equity settlements before the goal posts were shifted, existing claims scrapped, all under urgency, and without a chance for their voice to be heard.

    “We call on the Government to reverse all cuts to public services, fund our health system properly and put changes to pay equity laws through a proper select committee process.

    “In health, the effective hiring freeze for clinical roles is putting patient care at risk, leaving health workers over worked, stressed and facing increasing risk from angry patients poorly served by the system.

    “Every day we see the price New Zealanders and communities are paying for the Government’s short-sighted and rushed cuts to spending.

    “Just look at last week’s damning report by the Auditor-General into Oranga Tamariki. Savings demanded by the Government meant the agency cut funding to hundreds of community service provider contracts, with little notice, without regard to the harm inflicted on the vulnerable children they support.

    “We have a meth crisis in this country – the Government slashed resources for border protection, which has only made that problem far worse.

    “New Zealanders can’t afford any further cuts to public services. Too much damage has already been done.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: The public service has a much smaller gender pay gap than the private sector. It’s a big achievement

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra

    NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock

    After two years of publishing the gender pay gaps of Australia’s private-sector companies, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has released public-sector employer data for the first time.

    The report shows a stark contrast between the private and public sectors. The Commonwealth public sector has a gender pay gap of 6.4%, far less than the equivalent gap of 21.1% in the private sector.

    The agency attributes a big part of the “substantially better” outcome in the public sector to the achievement of gender balance at managerial and board levels.

    Women’s representation in senior and governance roles doesn’t just narrow the pay gap at the top. It can also change workplace cultures and embed more gender-equitable practices that ripple through to all occupational levels.

    The agency says public-sector employers have achieved this outcome by “long-term and deliberate actions that address gender equality”. These include conducting a gender pay gap analysis and formulating a gender-equality strategy.

    The public sector’s results also illustrate the power of setting targets. The Australian government has set – and now achieved – targets for women to hold 50% of all Australian government board positions.

    Who’s performing well?

    Of the 120 public-sector employers in the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s dataset, 55 have a gender pay gap that falls into the target range of between –5% and +5%.

    Several have a gender pay gap in total remuneration at or very close to zero. These include the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Treasury, Department of Social Services and the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman.

    A handful have a slight positive gender pay gap in favour of women, including the Productivity Commission.

    Where is there room for improvement?

    To support greater transparency, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has published a searchable database of Commonwealth public sector employers. This is broken down by each department and agency.

    The largest gender gaps in median total remuneration are reported by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (50.4%) and Coal Mining Industry Corporation (31.7%).

    Closer to the middle of the pack, the Australian Federal Police reports a gender pay gap of 12.2%. The Reserve Bank of Australia has a gap of 11.5%, and Australia Post 8.6%.

    The data does not include elected officials such as members of parliament.

    All up, half of Commonwealth public-sector employers have a gender pay gap larger than 5%, which the agency deems the acceptable maximum.

    But this is still a better performance than in the private sector, where 60% of companies exceeded the 5% threshold.



    Read more:
    Women’s annual salaries are narrowing the gap. But men still out-earn women by an average $547 a week

    How much less are women earning?

    Women working in Australia’s public sector earn on average A$8,200 less per year than their male colleagues.

    The data cover both the Australian Public Service (APS) (which is directly responsible for the delivery of government services) and non-APS organisations (which deliver services on behalf of the government).

    Within the APS workforce, men’s average total remuneration of $128,503 compares to women’s $121,146. This equates to a 5.7% gap.

    In public-sector agencies outside the APS, this gender pay gap widens to 8.8%. Men’s average salary of $127,354 compares to women’s $116,157.



    Read more:
    Women’s annual salaries are narrowing the gap. But men still out-earn women by an average $547 a week

    In agencies outside the APS, more of this gender gap – 5.6 percentage points – is due to men being paid more in bonuses, overtime and superannuation. Within the APS, these above-base payments contribute only 1.1 percentage points to the overall gap.

    The role of discretionary above-base payments in widening the gap in total remuneration is similar to the dynamics of the private sector, where there is also greater scope for individual negotiation.

    Research shows negotiation practices are laced with gender biases.

    Public sector employers have taken action after conducting gender pay gap analysis.
    Tint Media/Shutterstock

    More standardised recruitment, promotion and wage-setting practices in the public sector, compared with private companies, mean there’s less scope for personal subjectivity and implicit biases in hiring, promotion and salary decisions.

    Turning data into action

    This is the first year the Commonwealth public sector’s performance on gender equality has been published at employer level. It follows changes to legislation in 2022 requiring public sector employers to report their gender equality indicators to WGEA from 2023, similar to the obligations of large private companies.

    The point of publishing gender pay gaps is to spark awareness and motivate employer action.

    Three in four public sector employers report they have taken action after conducting a gender pay gap analysis. Of these actions, one in four employers have corrected instances of unequal pay.

    With a heightened awareness of the benefits of flexible work, almost all public-sector employers (96%) reported “flexible working is promoted throughout the organisation”.

    But there is scope to improve the practical implementation of flexible work policies.

    Only 56% of public-sector employers offer an online option for all team meetings. Only 43% provide support to managers to ensure performance evaluations are not unfairly biased against staff who work remotely or hybrid. And only 5% report that management positions can be designed as part-time.

    With this greater transparency, there will be opportunity to monitor changes in future to look for ongoing improvements in gender-equality practices and outcomes.

    It’s in the interests of fostering a more equitable, productive and effective public sector for all.



    Read more:
    Working from home is producing economic benefits return-to-office rules would quash

    Leonora Risse receives research funding from the Trawalla Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. She has previously undertaken commissioned research for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She is a member of the Economic Society of Australia and the Women in Economics Network. She serves as an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity for the Fair Work Commission.

    – ref. The public service has a much smaller gender pay gap than the private sector. It’s a big achievement – https://theconversation.com/the-public-service-has-a-much-smaller-gender-pay-gap-than-the-private-sector-its-a-big-achievement-256810

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: First Busey Corporation Closes Depositary Share Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LEAWOOD, Kan., May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Busey Corporation (“Busey”) (Nasdaq: BUSE), the holding company for Busey Bank and CrossFirst Bank, today announced the closing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 8,600,000 depositary shares (inclusive of 600,000 depositary shares offered in connection with the partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), each representing a 1/40th ownership interest in a share of its 8.25% Fixed Rate Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (equivalent to $25.00 per depositary share). As a result of the public offering, Busey received proceeds of approximately $207,477,500, net of estimated expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions.

    Piper Sandler & Co., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. acted as joint bookrunning managers for the offering, and Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is acting as the co-manager.

    A shelf registration statement, including a prospectus, with respect to the offering was previously filed by Busey with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 21, 2023. A prospectus supplement relating to the offering has been filed with the SEC. The offering has been made by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained free of charge by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, Busey or any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus supplement if you request it by emailing Piper Sandler & Co. at fsg-dcm@psc.com or calling Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC toll-free at 1-866-718-1649 or Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company at 1-800-966-1559.

    Corporate Profile
    As of March 31, 2025, First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE) was a $19.46 billion financial holding company headquartered in Leawood, Kansas.

    Busey Bank, a wholly-owned bank subsidiary of First Busey Corporation headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, had total assets of $11.98 billion as of March 31, 2025. Busey Bank currently has 62 banking centers, with 21 in Central Illinois markets, 17 in suburban Chicago markets, 20 in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, three in Southwest Florida, and one in Indianapolis. More information about Busey Bank can be found at busey.com.

    CrossFirst Bank, a wholly-owned bank subsidiary of First Busey Corporation headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, had total assets of $7.45 billion as of March 31, 2025. CrossFirst Bank currently has 16 banking centers located across Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. More information about CrossFirst Bank can be found at crossfirstbank.com. It is anticipated that CrossFirst Bank will be merged with and into Busey Bank on June 20, 2025.

    Through Busey Bank’s Wealth Management division, Busey provides a full range of asset management, investment, brokerage, fiduciary, philanthropic advisory, tax preparation, and farm management services to individuals, businesses, and foundations. Assets under care totaled $13.68 billion as of March 31, 2025. More information about Busey’s Wealth Management services can be found at busey.com/wealth-management.

    Busey Bank’s wholly-owned subsidiary, FirsTech, Inc. (“FirsTech”) specializes in the evolving financial technology needs of small and medium-sized businesses, highly regulated enterprise industries, and financial institutions. FirsTech provides comprehensive and innovative payment technology solutions, including online, mobile, and voice-recognition bill payments; money and data movement; merchant services; direct debit services; lockbox remittance processing for payments made by mail; and walk-in payments at retail agents. Additionally, FirsTech simplifies client workflows through integrations enabling support with billing, reconciliation, bill reminders, and treasury services. More information about FirsTech can be found at firstechpayments.com.

    For the fourth consecutive year, Busey was named among 2025’s America’s Best Banks by Forbes. Ranked 88th overall, Busey was one of seven banks headquartered in Illinois included on this year’s list. Busey was also named among the 2024 Best Banks to Work For by American Banker, the 2024 Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pensions and Investments, the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois by Daily Herald Business Ledger, the 2025 Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and the 2024 Best Companies to Work For in Florida by Florida Trend magazine. We are honored to be consistently recognized globally, nationally and locally for our engaged culture of integrity and commitment to community development.

    First Busey Corporation Contacts
    For Financials: For Media:
    Scott Phillips, Interim CFO Amy L. Randolph, EVP & COO
    First Busey Corporation  First Busey Corporation
    (239) 689-7167 (217) 365-4049
    scott.phillips@busey.com amy.randolph@busey.com
       

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Busey’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, and business. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations, and assumptions of Busey’s management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “position,” or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this document, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Busey undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

    A number of factors, many of which are beyond Busey’s ability to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: (1) the strength of the local, state, national, and international economies and financial markets (including effects of inflationary pressures, the threat or implementation of tariffs, trade wars, and changes to immigration policy); (2) changes in, and the interpretation and prioritization of, local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and governmental policies (including those concerning Busey’s general business); (3) the economic impact of any future terrorist threats or attacks, widespread disease or pandemics, or other adverse external events that could cause economic deterioration or instability in credit markets (including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East); (4) unexpected results of acquisitions, including the acquisition of CrossFirst, which may include the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions and the possibility that the transaction and integration costs may be greater than anticipated; (5) the imposition of tariffs or other governmental policies impacting the value of products produced by Busey’s commercial borrowers; (6) new or revised accounting policies and practices as may be adopted by state and federal regulatory banking agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; (7) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of Busey’s assets (including the impact of sustained elevated interest rates); (8) increased competition in the financial services sector (including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and fintech companies) and the inability to attract new customers; (9) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (10) the loss of key executives or associates, talent shortages, and employee turnover; (11) unexpected outcomes and costs of existing or new litigation, investigations, or other legal proceedings, inquiries, and regulatory actions involving Busey (including with respect to Busey’s Illinois franchise taxes); (12) fluctuations in the value of securities held in Busey’s securities portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates; (13) credit risk and risk from concentrations (by type of borrower, geographic area, collateral, and industry), within Busey’s loan portfolio and large loans to certain borrowers (including commercial real estate loans); (14) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits and may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (15) the level of non-performing assets on Busey’s balance sheets; (16) interruptions involving information technology and communications systems or third-party servicers; (17) breaches or failures of information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents; (18) the economic impact on Busey and its customers of climate change, natural disasters, and exceptional weather occurrences such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and droughts; (19) the ability to successfully manage liquidity risk, which may increase dependence on non-core funding sources such as brokered deposits, and may negatively impact Busey’s cost of funds; (20) the ability to maintain an adequate level of allowance for credit losses on loans; (21) the effectiveness of Busey’s risk management framework; and (22) the ability of Busey to manage the risks associated with the foregoing. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

    The MIL Network –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: F&M Bank Announces Resignation of Board Member Jo Ellen Hornish

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ARCHBOLD, Ohio, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — F&M Bank (“F&M”), an Archbold, Ohio-based bank owned by Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMAO), today announced that Jo Ellen Hornish has resigned from the Company’s Board of Directors following its May 20, 2025, board meeting.

    Since 2013, Mrs. Hornish has served as a valued member of the Board, contributing her business acumen and leadership experience to the Company’s strategic vision. Her insights, particularly in the transportation and manufacturing industries, along with her service on the Audit Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, have helped guide the Bank through important growth and development phases.

    “On behalf of the entire Board and executive leadership team, I want to extend our deepest thanks to Jo Ellen for her dedication to F&M,” said Lars Eller, President and CEO of F&M Bank. “Her guidance and steady leadership have been instrumental in shaping the success we enjoy today. We are sincerely grateful for the time, talent, and energy she has devoted to the Board and the communities we serve.”

    Mrs. Hornish, President and CEO of several Defiance, Ohio -based companies, brought a wealth of corporate and community leadership experience to the Board. Her commitment to both local and national philanthropic efforts is also a testament to her deep-rooted values and community spirit.

    F&M extends its sincere gratitude to Mrs. Hornish and wishes her continued success in her future endeavors.

    About F&M Bank:
    F&M Bank is a local independent community bank that has been serving its communities since 1897. F&M Bank provides commercial banking, retail banking and other financial services. Our locations are in Butler, Champaign, Fulton, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Shelby, Williams, and Wood counties in Ohio. In Northeast Indiana, we have offices located in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Jay, Steuben and Wells counties. The Michigan footprint includes Oakland County, and we have Loan Production Offices in Troy, Michigan; Muncie, Indiana; and Perrysburg and Bryan, Ohio.

    Safe harbor statement
    Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements by F&M, including management’s expectations and comments, may not be based on historical facts and are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties inherent in general and local banking conditions, competitive factors specific to markets in which F&M and its subsidiaries operate, future interest rate levels, legislative and regulatory decisions, capital market conditions, or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on our credit quality and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions. F&M assumes no responsibility to update this information. For more details, please refer to F&M’s SEC filing, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings can be viewed at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov or through F&M’s website www.fm.bank.

    Company Contact: Investor and Media Contact:
    Lars B. Eller
    President and Chief Executive Officer
    Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.
    (419) 446-2501
    leller@fm.bank    		 Andrew M. Berger
    Managing Director
    SM Berger & Company, Inc.
    (216) 464-6400
    andrew@smberger.com

    The MIL Network –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Outdated and irrelevant’: what do young Australians think of their schooling?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jun Eric Fu, Senior Research Fellow, Youth Research Collective, The University of Melbourne

    LBeddoe/Shutterstock

    Australia’s school system – and whether it is doing its job – is often under the microscope from politicians, experts and parents.

    The most recent NAPLAN results in 2024 triggered a wave of heated discussions after about one in three students were not meeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks.

    Education Minister Jason Clare is among those who also have serious concerns about rates of students who complete Year 12. In 2024, the retention rate of students between Year 7 and Year 12 was 79.9%. For government school students, it was 74%.

    But what do students themselves think about their schooling? Our new study asked recent school leavers about their experiences.

    Our research

    Our study draws on a 2023 survey as part of the Life Patterns research program, which follows different generations of young Australians after school.

    We surveyed more than 4,000 young people recruited from a diverse sample of 100 government, Catholic and independent schools in urban and regional areas of Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.

    These young people completed high school in 2023 and were asked to comment on their school experiences.

    Students in the study were from public and private schools.
    pio3/Shutterstock

    Students are mostly satisfied, but …

    The participants rated their overall impression of school on a five-point scale, from very satisfied to very dissatisfied. About 60% of them were “quite satisfied” or “very satisfied”.

    Despite this broadly positive picture, many of them also expressed concerns about their education, feeling its current content did not prepare them for life after school.

    As one female student from a capital city told us:

    I feel like school doesn’t prepare us for the real world at all and it freaks me out.

    This sentiment was echoed by another female student from a regional city:

    School seems extremely disconnected from either knowledge or experience that will help with jobs, or life skills that will assist in becoming a good, productive, happy person.

    For many, this disconnect between the education on offer and the education they wanted contributed to a disengagement from school. A male student from a regional city said:

    I am committed to my education and a dedicated student, but find it hard to connect with some of the information we are learning as it seems outdated and irrelevant. I want to learn things that are going to improve my life.

    This follows researchers’ longstanding concerns the education system is not adequately setting students up for life outside school – and the complex social, political and economic changes they will confront.

    Don’t focus on uniforms

    Students also spoke about schools focusing on issues that do not matter to young people, such as students wearing the “correct” uniform or whether or not they have their phone at school.

    As one female student commented:

    Focus on more real issues. The debates about phones allowed at school or uniforms at school seem almost irrelevant when you compare them to the everyday common hardships and problems young people face.

    Too much stress

    A strong theme in young people’s responses was the amount of stress they faced with their studies. These feelings were often linked to heavy workloads (particularly in Year 11 and 12) and the pressure they felt to achieve certain grades.

    A male student from a country town said:

    […] the pressure and the expectations to do well in school is so high and caused a lot of stress and anxiety.

    Another male student from a capital city also felt:

    There is so much pressure on high school and how one exam can change the course of your future which isn’t true.

    This echoes other studies that query the focus on a single score (the ATAR) and supports alternative approaches to measuring education outcomes at the end of Year 12.

    Students said they faced too much stress in their senior years of school.
    GillianVann/Shutterstock

    More mental health support

    Amid ongoing reports of young people struggling with their mental health, mental health also emerged as a major concern in students’ responses.

    A male student from a capital city told us young people were “battling every day” and they needed more free, accessible resources and support from school staff.

    They also saw a connection between the pressures of schooling and mental health concerns. As one female student told us:

    There is too much expected from students at school, leading to burn out and mental illnesses.

    What next?

    Our study shows many young people care deeply about their education. But they also feel it isn’t working for them or preparing them for life beyond school.

    This suggests government institutions and schools need to be doing more to include young people’s perspectives as they design and implement curricula.

    By recognising young people as active stakeholders in schools,
    education shifts from something happening to them to something happening with them. This approach can foster a stronger sense of belonging, ownership and engagement with learning.

    Jun Eric Fu works on the Life Patterns research program, which is funded by the Australian Research Council.

    Julia Cook receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. ‘Outdated and irrelevant’: what do young Australians think of their schooling? – https://theconversation.com/outdated-and-irrelevant-what-do-young-australians-think-of-their-schooling-256889

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Queensland melioidosis outbreak is still growing. What’s keeping this deadly mud bug active?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University

    ap-studio/Shutterstock

    The outbreak of the deadly “mud bug” melioidosis in north Queensland has not yet abated since it began at the start of this year.

    So far there have been 221 cases and 31 deaths from the disease in 2025. This encompasses a 400% increase in cases in Cairns and a 600% increase in Townsville compared to the average over previous years.

    Fortunately, case numbers have begun to drop. Queensland Health reports new cases weekly, and in the most recent reporting period – up to May 6 – seven new cases were recorded, down from a peak of 29 cases in the week to February 16.

    However, people are still contracting and dying from this disease. So what’s keeping it active in Queensland, and are there any promising vaccines on the horizon?

    What is melioidosis?

    Melioidosis is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei which lives in soil, mud and groundwater, usually not causing any harm. But B. pseudomallei can cause disease in humans and animals if it enters the skin via a cut. Or it can be inhaled in water droplets and enter the lungs.

    The disease generally takes one to four weeks to establish itself, meaning people don’t develop symptoms immediately after they’ve been exposed.

    Melioidosis most commonly presents as pneumonia. However chronic skin infections, called cutaneous infections, occur in 10–20% of cases. Melioidosis can also lead to blood infections.

    Symptoms of the pneumonia form include fever, headache, difficulty breathing, muscle pain, chest pain and confusion.

    We don’t understand cutaneous infections as well as we do lung infections with melioidosis. Cutaneous infections are also less responsive to standard antibiotic treatments due to the nature of the chronic wound. For example, the bacteria can form a slimy layer called a biofilm. This can help the bacteria produce proteins which can block the antibiotics from working.

    Melioidosis occurs most commonly in tropical areas, such as Thailand. But it’s also regarded as endemic in northern Australia, occurring in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Nonetheless, the scale of the current outbreak in north Queensland is highly unusual.

    Anyone can contract melioidosis, but certain medical conditions can increase a person’s risk. These include diabetes, liver, kidney or lung disease, cancer, or other conditions which might compromise the patient’s immune system.

    During the current Queensland outbreak 95% of cases have been in people with risk factors such as diabetes or lung disease.

    How is melioidosis spreading in Queensland?

    Melioidosis increases during periods of high rainfall and flooding, and this has been the case in the current outbreak. However, patterns have begun to emerge suggesting the bacterium may now be spreading in other ways.

    Experts have suggested that while the Townsville cases can be explained by flooding and correlate to high levels of rainfall, the Cairns cases do not match with this explanation.

    One suggestion is that the construction of the Bruce Highway upgrade south of Cairns has caused an increase in cases due to clay soil particles becoming airborne during construction.

    It’s not an entirely new idea. The movement of soil during highway construction and urban expansion has been investigated as a potential mode of transmission during previous spikes of melioidosis cases in far north Queensland.

    The infrastructure body responsible for the upgrade has pledged to follow expert health advice as investigations continue.

    Could B. pseudomallei be evolving and becoming more deadly?

    This potential change in how the disease is spreading, and the increased number of cases and deaths, might indicate the organism is evolving to spread more easily and become more deadly. Genome analysis is ongoing to determine this.

    Notably, bacteria found in the environment can acquire genes from other bacteria in soil and water. This may give them enhanced abilities to survive in unfavourable conditions and be more resilient to changes in their natural habitat, as well as potentially infect human hosts more effectively.

    In a warming climate with increased rainfall, the bacterium behind melioidosis is likely to be a prime candidate for this kind of change.

    Melioidosis is caused by the bacterium B. pseudomallei.
    TheBlueHydrangea/Shutterstock

    How about treatments and protection?

    There’s currently only one way to treat melioidosis, which involves receiving intravenous antibiotics in hospital for several weeks, followed by up to six months of oral antibiotics.

    Against a backdrop of urgent calls for more research and increased public awareness around melioidosis, there may be hope on the horizon.

    Researchers at the University of California have developed a vaccine which produces a protein that mimics the proteins in B. pseudomallei, leading to an immune response against this bacterium. The vaccine has been successful in mouse models and will continue to a further animal trial, which, if successful, will lead to human trials.

    It seems melioidosis is a problem that’s not going away.

    If you live in an affected region such as tropical Queensland or the NT, limit exposure to mud and water as much as possible. If you’re spending time in muddy areas, use appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and boots. You can also protect yourself by covering any open wounds and wearing a respirator if you’re working closely with water.

    Monitor for symptoms and see a doctor if you feel unwell. More information is also available from Queensland Health.

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

    – ref. The Queensland melioidosis outbreak is still growing. What’s keeping this deadly mud bug active? – https://theconversation.com/the-queensland-melioidosis-outbreak-is-still-growing-whats-keeping-this-deadly-mud-bug-active-256794

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: For making stars, it’s not just how much gas a galaxy has that matters – it’s where it’s hiding

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Catinella, Professor and Senior Principal Research Fellow, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia

    One of the galaxies mapped by WALLABY: the red shade shows the atomic hydrogen gas content of the galaxy, overlaid on an optical image showing the stars. Much of it is typically found beyond the stellar disk (thin white line), where star formation takes place. Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute) / T. Westmeier

    Galaxies are often described as vast star factories, churning out new suns from clouds of gas. For decades, astronomers have assumed that the more raw material a galaxy holds, the more stars it should be able to make.

    But our latest study, published this month in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA), challenges that assumption. We found that when it comes to forming stars, it’s not just the amount of gas in a galaxy that matters – it’s where that gas is located.

    Getting the ingredients in the right place

    Our research is part of one of the largest efforts to map atomic hydrogen gas in nearby galaxies. This huge project is called the WALLABY survey (or the Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind Survey).

    Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and the basic building block of stars. But surprisingly, a large fraction of this gas in galaxies lies far from where stars actually form – out in the faint outer regions, well beyond the bright stellar disk.

    Think of atomic hydrogen as the flour in a cake recipe. It’s the essential ingredient for making stars. But what really matters for the recipe is not how much flour there is in the bag, but how much ends up in the mixing bowl.

    In the same way, to understand how stars form, we need to focus on the gas that’s in the right place. In a galaxy, that means within the stellar disk, where it can actually be used.

    A closer look

    Until now, most measurements of atomic hydrogen in galaxies have focused on their total gas content, without showing where that gas is located. That’s because earlier observations – especially those made with single-dish radio telescopes – couldn’t detect where in a galaxy hydrogen gas was located.

    However, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope in Western Australia has a very wide field of view and moderate resolution. This means astronomers can use it to efficiently map the hydrogen gas across large areas of the sky and within individual galaxies.

    Using the ASKAP telescope, the WALLABY survey should eventually detect more than 200,000 galaxies and provide detailed hydrogen maps for many thousands of them.

    A puzzle resolved

    Our study, led by PhD student Seona Lee, draws on hydrogen maps for around 1,000 galaxies. This is an unprecedented sample size for this kind of analysis.

    The results reveal a clear trend. The amount of star formation is much more closely linked to the amount of hydrogen gas within the stellar disk than the gas farther out. That outer gas, even when it is plentiful, appears to play little immediate role in fuelling new stars.

    This helps explain a long-standing puzzle – why some galaxies with large gas reservoirs form relatively few stars. It turns out much of their gas may be sitting idle in the galactic outskirts, too far from the regions where stars actually form.

    In short, measuring the total gas content of a galaxy doesn’t give the full picture. To understand star formation, we need to zoom in – not just total up the ingredients, but see where they’re actually being used.

    Parts of this research were supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project number CE170100013.

    – ref. For making stars, it’s not just how much gas a galaxy has that matters – it’s where it’s hiding – https://theconversation.com/for-making-stars-its-not-just-how-much-gas-a-galaxy-has-that-matters-its-where-its-hiding-257011

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK continues to call on North Korea to end grave human rights violations: UK statement at the UN General Assembly

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    The UK continues to call on North Korea to end grave human rights violations: UK statement at the UN General Assembly

    Statement by Archie Young, UK Ambassador to the UN General Assembly, at the UN General Assembly meeting on Human Rights Abuses and Violations in North Korea.

    I thank the briefers for their brave testimonies and tireless advocacy. It is essential that we continue to shine a light on the grave human rights situation in the DPRK, about which the UK remains deeply concerned.

    Human rights abuses against North Koreans remain widespread and systematic. Those who perpetrate these abuses remain unaccountable.

    The regime refuses to acknowledge or act on the 2014 Commission of Inquiry report, which illustrates the multiple human rights violations committed in DPRK. 

    And the DPRK has repeatedly rejected UN resolutions which set out the many concerns shared by the international community, including the operation of prison camps and forced labour, violations of freedom of religion or belief and women’s rights.

    North Koreans are denied freedom of movement, and many workers are sent overseas, often into modern slavery. 

    We urge the DPRK to cease these practices without delay.

    Those wishing to leave do so clandestinely, at huge personal risk. We call on all Members to respect the principle of non-refoulement and not return escapees to DPRK.

    On 7 November last year, the UK issued several recommendations to the DPRK as part of the Universal Periodic Review process, including ratifying the UN Convention against Torture and to reform the judicial system to ensure respect for the right to a fair trial. 

    We are pleased that the DPRK engaged with the Universal Periodic Review in November and encourage them to implement recommendations. 

    We need DPRK to make real and lasting change for the people of the DPRK.

    We have repeatedly made it clear that the primary cause of the DPRK’s humanitarian and food crisis is their continued development of their illegal weapons programme, representing multiple breaches of Security Council resolutions. 

    Indeed, we have heard clearly today also the links between the human rights situation in DPRK and their support for Russia in its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in brazen disregard towards UN sanctions. 

    We condemn these and call on the DPRK to prioritise the well-being of the people in North Korea.

    We strongly encourage the DPRK to grant access to the Special Rapporteur on the situation on human rights in the DPRK and accept technical cooperation from UN human rights mechanisms, and to enable the return of UN agencies, to ensure help reaches those who are most vulnerable.

    The UK continues to call on DPRK to engage in meaningful diplomacy and accept offers of dialogue. 

    We believe diplomacy and negotiations are the best way to secure peace and stability and improve the lives of all North Koreans.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Currenc Group Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Currenc Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) (“Currenc” or the “Company”), a fintech pioneer empowering financial institutions worldwide with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    First Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights

    • Total Processing Value (TPV) through Tranglo was US$1.30 billion for the first quarter of 2025, decreasing by 3.7% year-over-year. Total number of transactions decreased to 2.77 million for the first quarter of 2025 from 2.94 million for the same period of 2024. The decline in TPV was mainly due to the decline in business volume from the Hong Kong market.
    • Total revenues excluding TNG Asia and GEA1 were US$10.0 million for the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 11.5%, primarily due to the 23.1% decline in global airtime revenue.
          For the three-month period ended March 31,  
          2025     2024  
          $     $  
          (dollars in thousands)  
      Remittance revenue excluding TNG Asia & GEA     4,583       5,025  
                       
      Global Airtime Revenue     2,022       2,573  
      Indonesian Airtime Revenue     3,437       3,742  
      Total Revenue excluding TNG Asia & GEA     10,042       11,340  
                       
    • Total remittance revenues excluding TNG Asia and GEA, i.e., remittance revenues contributed by Tranglo, were US$4.6 million for the first quarter of 2025, down 8% year-over-year. The decline in remittance revenue was mainly due to a decrease in remittance revenue from the Hong Kong market. Tranglo’s overall take rate declined to 0.35% in the first quarter of 2025 from 0.37% in the same period of 2024.
    • Currenc’s global airtime transfer revenues were US$2.0 million for the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 23.1%. The growing availability of free Wi-Fi in Southeast Asian countries, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, has led to declining demand for Malaysia-Indonesia airtime transfers, resulting in a decline in global airtime business in the first quarter of 2025. As Currenc expects this trend to continue in Southeast Asian markets, the Company’s management plans to deemphasize airtime transfer and reallocate its resources and capital to expand its new AI product offerings.
    • Total direct costs of revenue were US$6.9 million for the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 20.7%.
    • The direct payout rate for Tranglo’s remittance business was 0.13% for the first quarter of 2025, flat compared to 0.12% for the same period of 2024. Currenc’s overall gross profit margin ratio for the first quarter of 2025 was 31.8%, compared to 33.6% for the same period of 2024.
    • Total operating expenses increased to $7.5 million for the first quarter of 2025 from $5.8 million for the same period of 2024. The increase was mainly due to expenses of $2.2 million in recognition of the incentive shares granted to employees upon the completion of the INFINT SPAC merger.

      As Currenc divested TNG Asia and GEA in August and July 2024, respectively, its operating costs now reflect the operating costs of Tranglo, WalletKu and the Company’s headquarters only. Also, with the rollout of its new AI initiatives, Currenc incurred $0.5 million in operating costs related to these new businesses in the first quarter of 2025. The new AI businesses are expected to contribute incrementally to revenues and positively impact EBITDA in 2025.

      • Tranglo’s operating costs for the first quarter of 2025 were $3.2 million, representing an increase of 14% from $2.8 million in the same period of 2024.
      • WalletKu’s operating costs were $0.2 million for the first quarter of 2025, as compared to $0.4 million for the same period of 2024.
      • Professional fees and director fees were $0.8 million and $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2025, respectively.
    • Other income totaled $1.0 million for the first quarter of 2025, mainly contributed by Tranglo.
    • EBITDA analysis
      For the three-month period ended March 31, 2025   Tranglo     WalletKu     TNG
    Asia 
    and GEA    		     Headquarters
    and
    adjustments    		     Group
         Total    		  
          (dollars in thousands)  
      Net income (loss)     1,160       (136 )     –       (5,511 )     (4,487 )
                                               
      Add:                                        
      Income tax expenses     141       –       –       (93 )     48  
      Interest expense, net     21       –       –       1,066       1,087  
      EBIT     1,322       (136 )     –       (4,538 )     (3,352 )
      Depreciation and amortization     –       –       –       –       554  
      EBITDA     1,322       (136 )     –       (4,538 )     (2,798 )
                                               
    • The Company’s total EBITDA for the first quarter of 2025 was a loss of $2.8 million.
    • Tranglo and WalletKu’s combined EBITDA for the first quarter of 2025 was $1.2 million.
    • TNG Asia and GEA’s combined losses had no impact on the Company’s results from the fourth quarter of 2024 onwards as they were divested before the completion of the de-SPAC merger.
    • Headquarters expenses and adjustments recorded an EBIT loss of $4.5 million, mainly contributed by:
      • $2.2 million in “Operating Expenses” in recognition of the incentive shares granted upon completion of the de-SPAC merger.
      • $0.8 million for professional fees.
      For the three-month period ended March 31, 2024   Tranglo     WalletKu     TNG
    Asia
    and GEA    		     Headquarters
    and
    adjustments    		     Group
    Total    		  
          (dollars in thousands)  
      Net income (loss)     1,070       (123 )     (1,039 )     (2,540 )     (2,632 )
                                               
      Add:                                        
      Income tax expenses     163       –       –       (92 )     71  
      Interest expense, net     –       –       242       1,069       1,311  
      EBIT     1,233       (123 )     (797 )     (1,563 )     (1,250 )
      Depreciation and amortization     –       –       –       –       1,016  
      EBITDA     1,233       (123 )     (797 )     (1,563 )     (234 )
                                               
    • Net loss was US$4.5 million for the first quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the net loss of $5.5 million incurred by headquarters and adjustments.

    Management Comments
    “As demand for digital remittance continues to grow steadily, intensified market competition is compressing pricing,” said Alex Kong, Founder and Executive Chairman of Currenc. “Against this backdrop, we strove to maintain Tranglo’s healthy take rate while delivering TPV of US $1.30 billion in the first quarter of 2025, underscoring the strength of our core remittance platform and our disciplined strategic execution. Looking ahead, we are positioning Currenc for higher‑margin growth through two key initiatives: scaling our AI product offerings and expanding our remittance services into major corridors. We believe this combination of broader reach and AI‑driven innovation will support a more diversified revenue base and a structurally stronger bottom line.”

    Ronnie Hui, Chief Executive Officer of Currenc, commented, “While softer airtime demand weighed on our total revenues, our remittance business remained resilient amid a competitive environment in the first quarter of 2025, supporting a combined EBITDA for Tranglo and WalletKu of US $1.2 million. We are reallocating capital toward accelerating our AI initiatives and building higher‑margin remittance corridors to boost product value and operational scale, priming the Company for quality growth throughout the year. We also enhanced cost management and maintained Tranglo’s payout rate at 0.13%. Operating expenses rose to US $7.5 million, primarily due to a one‑time US $2.2 million share‑based incentive linked to the de‑SPAC merger, as well as costs related to our new AI initiatives. Outside of these expenses, our headquarters’ operating costs remained broadly stable. Going forward, this strengthened bottom line will allow us to invest in AI-driven growth while maintaining financial discipline.”

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    To supplement the Company’s consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, it uses EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure as described below, to understand and evaluate its core operating performance. This non-GAAP financial measure, which may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies, is presented to enhance investors’ overall understanding of the Company’s financial performance and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.

    EBITDA is defined as net loss before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Currenc believes that EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating its operating results. This non-GAAP financial measure eliminates the impact of items that Currenc does not consider indicative of the performance of its business. While Currenc believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful in evaluating its business, this information should be considered supplemental in nature and is not meant as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.

    About Currenc Group Inc.
    Currenc Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) is a fintech pioneer dedicated to transforming global financial services through artificial intelligence (AI). The Company empowers financial institutions worldwide with comprehensive AI solutions, including SEAMLESS AI Call Centre and other AI-powered Agents designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction for banks, insurance, telecommunications companies, government agencies and other financial institutions. The Company’s digital remittance platform also enables e-wallets, remittance companies, and corporations to provide real-time, 24/7 global payment services, advancing financial access across underserved communities.

    For additional information, please refer to the Currenc website https://www.currencgroup.com and the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties, or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    Investor & Media Contact
    Currenc Group Investor Relations
    Email: investors@currencgroup.com

    SOURCE: Currenc Group Inc.

     
    CURRENC GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
     
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
     
        Three months ended March 31,  
        2025     2024  
        US$     US$  
    Revenue     10,055,569       13,104,123  
                     
    Cost of revenue     (6,854,172 )     (8,696,562 )
    Gross profit     3,201,397       4,407,561  
    Selling expenses     –       (3,987 )
                     
    General and administrative expenses     (7,522,252 )     (5,824,208 )
                     
    Loss from operations     (4,320,855 )     (1,420,634 )
    Finance costs, net     (1,087,313 )     (1,311,363 )
    Other income     969,691       189,735  
    Other expenses     (402 )     (19,137 )
                     
    Loss before income tax     (4,438,879 )     (2,561,399 )
    Income tax expense     (48,479 )     (70,529 )
                     
    Net loss     (4,487,358 )     (2,631,928 )
    Net income attributable to non-controlling interests     (187,000 )     (403,056 )
                     
    Net loss attributable to Currenc Group Inc.     (4,674,358 )     (3,034,984 )
                     
    Net loss per share, basic and diluted (1)   $ (0.13 )   $ (0.09 )
                     
    Shares used in net loss per share computation, basic and diluted (1)     35,374,891       33,980,753  
                     
    Other comprehensive loss:                
    Foreign currency translation adjustments     171,532       368,135  
                     
    Total comprehensive loss     (4,315,826 )     (2,263,793 )
    Total comprehensive loss (income) attributable to non-controlling interests     (228,069 )     (407,798 )
    Total comprehensive loss attributable to Currenc Group Inc.     (4,543,895 )     (2,671,591 )
     
    (1) Retrospectively restated to reflect Reverse Recapitalization
    CURRENC GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
     
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
     
        March 31,
    2025    		     December 31,
    2024    		  
          US$       US$  
    ASSETS                
    Current assets:                
    Cash and cash equivalents     62,300,298       63,821,397  
    Restricted cash     40,978       40,742  
    Accounts receivable, net     2,103,924       2,115,681  
    Other financial assets     3,171,000       –  
    Amounts due from related parties     449,094       560,823  
    Prepayments, receivables and other assets     25,874,112       20,948,216  
    Total current assets     93,939,406       87,486,859  
    Non-current assets:                
    Equipment and software, net     1,118,661       1,055,520  
    Right-of-use asset     294,965       349,240  
    Intangible assets     3,000,978       3,386,117  
    Goodwill     12,059,428       12,059,428  
    Deferred tax assets     344,291       342,822  
    Total non-current assets:     16,818,323       17,193,127  
    Total assets     110,757,729       104,679,986  
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT                
    Current liabilities:                
    Borrowings     20,128,362       20,150,058  
    Receivable factoring     480,225       258,415  
    Other financial liabilities     3,329,550       –  
    Accounts payable, accruals and other payables     51,411,453       55,329,740  
    Amounts due to related parties     76,472,666       67,697,074  
    Convertible bonds     1,750,000       1,750,000  
    Lease liabilities     177,505       171,909  
    Total current liabilities:     153,749,761       145,357,196  
    Non-current liabilities:                
    Deferred tax liabilities     784,479       876,912  
    Employee benefit obligation     39,259       45,289  
    Lease liabilities     111,833       156,647  
    Total non-current liabilities:     935,571       1,078,848  
    Total liabilities     154,685,332       146,436,044  
                     
    Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)                
                     
    Shareholders’ deficit:                
    Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 550,000,000 shares authorized 46,527,999 and 46,527,999 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively) (1)     4,653       4,653  
    Additional paid-in capital (1)     67,797,587       65,638,838  
    Accumulated deficit     (136,197,260 )     (131,522,902 )
    Accumulated other Comprehensive Loss     7,873       (108,122 )
    Total shareholders’ deficit attributable to Currenc Group Inc.     (68,387,147 )     (65,987,533 )
    Non-controlling interests     24,459,544       24,231,475  
    Total deficit     (43,927,603 )     (41,756,058 )
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ deficit     110,757,729       104,679,986  
     
    (1) Retrospectively restated to reflect Reverse Recapitalization
    CURRENC GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
     
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
     
        Three months ended March 31,  
        2025     2024  
        US$     US$  
    Cash flows from operating activities:                
    Net loss     (4,487,358 )     (2,631,928 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:                
    Non-cash expense for Share-based compensation     2,158,749       –  
    Depreciation of equipment and software     123,799       142,518  
    Depreciation of right-of-use assets     53,712       41,981  
    Amortization of intangible assets     385,139       831,392  
    Deferred income taxes     (92,426 )     54,704  
    Disposal of fixed assets     401       –  
    Unrealized foreign exchange gain     328,269       (124,690 )
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
    Accounts receivable     33,923       (110,270 )
    Prepayments, receivables and other assets     (4,918,772 )     9,477,057  
    Escrow money payable     –       218,542  
    Client money payable     –       146,847  
    Accounts payable, accruals and other payables     (4,068,655 )     (7,014,740 )
    Interest payable on convertible bonds     –       952,736  
    Amount due from a director     729,198       –  
    Amount due to Immediate holding company     23,766       –  
    Amounts due from related parties     (3,652 )     –  
    Amounts due to related parties     8,245,995       (2,205,121 )
    Net cash used in operating activities     (1,487,912 )     (220,972 )
                     
    Cash flows from investing activities:                
    Decrease in short-term investments     –       615  
    Purchases of property, plant and equipment     (175,158 )     (12,058 )
    Proceeds received from disposal of PPE     596       –  
    Net cash used in investing activities     (174,562 )     (11,443 )
                     
    Cash flows from financing activities:                
    Proceeds from borrowings     –       639,210  
    Repayment of borrowings     –       (95,742 )
    Proceeds from receivable factoring     433,287       586,789  
    Repayment of receivable factoring     (218,974 )     (610,559 )
    Payment of principal elements of lease liabilities     (65,286 )     (46,295 )
    Payment of interest elements of lease liabilities     (7,416 )     (2,952 )
    Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities     141,611       470,451  
                     
    Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents     (1,520,863 )     238,036  
    Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow money receivable at beginning of the period     63,862,139       58,960,384  
    Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrow money receivable at end of the period     62,341,276       59,198,420  
                     
    Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:                
    Income taxes paid     (140,905 )     (15,825 )
    Interest paid     (48,773 )     (346,270 )
    CURRENC GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
     
    EBITDA Analysis for the First Quarter of 2025 and 2024
     
    For the three-month period ended March 31, 2025   Tranglo     WalletKu     TNG Asia and GEA     Headquarters and adjustments     Group Total  
        (dollars in thousands)  
    Net income (loss)     1,160       (136 )     –       (5,511 )     (4,487 )
                                             
    Add:                                        
    Income tax expenses     141       –       –       (93 )     48  
    Interest expense, net     21       –       –       1,066       1,087  
    EBIT     1,322       (136 )     –       (4,538 )     (3,352 )
    Depreciation and amortization     –       –       –       –       554  
    EBITDA     1,322       (136 )     –       (4,538 )     (2,798 )
    For the three-month period ended March 31, 2024   Tranglo     WalletKu     TNG Asia and GEA     Headquarters and adjustments     Group Total  
        (dollars in thousands)  
    Net income (loss)     1,070       (123 )     (1,039 )     (2,540 )     (2,632 )
                                             
    Add:                                        
    Income tax expenses     163       –       –       (92 )     71  
    Interest expense, net     –       –       242       1,069       1,311  
    EBIT     1,233       (123 )     (797 )     (1,563 )     (1,250 )
    Depreciation and amortization     –       –       –       –       1,016  
    EBITDA     1,233       (123 )     (797 )     (1,563 )     (234 )
                                             

    1 TNG Asia and GEA were divested in August 2024 and July 2024, respectively.
    2 Tranglo maintained a positive EBITDA for the first quarter of 2025 and 2024.
    3 Tranglo and WalletKu maintained a combined positive EBITDA for the first quarter of 2025 and 2024.

    ____________________________________
    1 Currenc divested TNG Asia and GEA in August 2024 and July 2024, respectively. As such, from the fourth quarter of 2024 onward, only Tranglo’s (digital remittance and global airtime transfer businesses) and WalletKu’s (Indonesian airtime business) results will be consolidated and reported in the Company’s financial statements.

    The MIL Network –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Prairie Band Casino & Resort Transitions from Viz Explorer to Quick Custom Intelligence’s (QCI) Enterprise Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leader in advanced casino management solutions, is excited to announce that Prairie Band Casino has chosen the QCI Enterprise Platform to enhance its data-driven operations. This significant move from Viz Explorer to QCI demonstrates Prairie Band Casino & Resort’s commitment to improving the guest experience by leveraging superior analytics and real-time operational insights.

    As a prominent gaming destination, Prairie Band Casino & Resort is known for offering exceptional service to its patrons. With the adoption of the QCI Enterprise Platform, the casino will now utilize cutting-edge analytics, player development tools, and streamlined processes to drive performance optimization and guest satisfaction.

    John Tuckwin, Marketing Director for Prairie Band Casino & Resort, shared his enthusiasm for the transition: “Our switch to the QCI Enterprise Platform reflects our ongoing mission to provide an exceptional gaming experience. The platform’s ability to deliver real-time data and comprehensive analytics will allow us to make informed decisions that will enhance both our operational efficiency and the overall satisfaction of our guests. This partnership signifies a step forward in Prairie Band Casino & Resort’s goal to stay at the forefront of gaming technology, further solidifying its position as a premier destination in the region.”

    Andrew Cardno, CTO of QCI, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “We are thrilled to welcome Prairie Band Casino & Resort to our growing network of gaming properties. Their decision to implement the QCI Enterprise Platform underscores their commitment to innovation, and we look forward to helping them streamline their operations and maximize revenue opportunities.”

    Melissa Chiaurro, President of Viz Explorer, also commented on the collaboration:
    “We are thrilled to announce our extended partnership with Prairie Band Casino & Resort and their dedicated team. By integrating the QCI Enterprise Platform, they are poised to gain deeper insights into their operations, enabling more informed decision-making and enhanced customer experiences. This collaboration underscores our commitment to supporting Prairie Band Casino & Resort in achieving their business objectives and delivering exceptional service to their guests. We look forward to the continued success of this partnership.”

    ABOUT Prairie Band Casino & Resort
    Prairie Band Casino & Resort opened January of 1998 and is owned and operated by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. It is located on tribal land just north of Topeka, Kansas. The casino offers more than 1,100 slot machines including Class II games; a 400-seat bingo hall; and 25 table games including blackjack, craps and roulette. There are four dining options, lobby bar, luxury hotel, on-site convenience store and RV park. The 12,000-square-foot Great Lakes Ballroom plays host to concerts and other live performances, and the award-winning Firekeeper Golf Course is only steps away.

    ABOUT QCI
    Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI AGI Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Denver, Dallas, and Phoenix. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.

    ABOUT Andrew Cardno
    Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications.
    Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.

    Contact:
    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence
    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: POET Technologies Announces Upsize and Amendments to Previously Announced Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — POET Technologies Inc. (“POET” or the “Corporation“) (TSXV: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), the designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer™, Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and light sources for the data center, tele-communication and artificial intelligence markets, is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated April 28, 2025, in response to significant interest from a strategic investor and to allow for a more timely execution, it proposes to amend the terms of its previously announced non-brokered public offering to, among other things, increase the offering size to US$30,000,000 and make certain ancillary revisions to the offering structure, which will now be conducted as a non-brokered private placement (as amended, the “Offering”). The Offering Price (as defined herein) remains unchanged and represents a premium to the prevailing market price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the “Exchange”).

    In the revised Offering, the Corporation expects to issue 6,000,000 common shares of the Corporation (the “Common Shares”) and one common share purchase warrant (the “Warrant”) exercisable to acquire up to 6,000,000 Common Shares (the “Warrant Shares”) at a price of C$8.32 per Warrant Share for a period of five years from the date of issue. The combined price of one Common Share and the Warrant (in respect of one Common Share) will be equal to US$5.00 (the “Offering Price”).

    The Corporation intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. No commission or finder’s fee will be paid by the Corporation, and no underwriter or sales agent will be engaged by the Corporation in connection with the Offering. The Corporation expects to complete the Offering on or about May 22, 2025.

    All Common Shares and Warrants issued under the Offering are expected to be distributed outside of Canada in reliance on OSC Rule 72-503 – Distributions Outside of Canada and, accordingly, all Common Shares, Warrants and Warrant Shares issued under the Offering will not be subject to a Canadian statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Offering remains subject to the final acceptance of the Exchange.

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

    About POET Technologies Inc.
    POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical engines, light source products and custom optical modules to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers.  POET’s photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical Interposer™, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET’s Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems.  POET’s Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges across a broad range of communication, computing and sensing applications.  POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Singapore, Penang, Malaysia and Shenzhen, China. More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This news release contains “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “propose”, “project”, “outlook”, “foresee” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include, without limitation, the Corporation’s ability to complete the Offering on the terms announced and within the expected timeline, the Corporation’s expectations with respect to its products, the scalability of the POET Optical Interposer and the success of the Corporation’s products, the Corporation’s use of proceeds for the Offering and the Corporation’s ability to obtain the final approval of the Exchange. Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, management’s expectations regarding the size of the market for its products, the capability of its joint venture to produce products on time and at the expected costs, the performance and availability of certain components, and the success of its customers in achieving market penetration for their products. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the attractiveness of the Corporation’s product offerings, performance of its technology, the performance of key components, and ability of its customers to sell their products into the market. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to the Corporation’s filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Corporation’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Corporation can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Corporation assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by applicable securities laws.

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. 120 Eglinton Avenue, East, Suite 1107, Toronto, ON, M4P 1E2- Tel: 416-368-9411 – Fax: 416-322-5075

    The MIL Network –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Plastics Dialogue sharpens focus on transparency and standards

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Plastics Dialogue sharpens focus on transparency and standards

    Barbados and Morocco delivered opening remarks on behalf of the co-coordinators. They highlighted the successful midterm review in April of the DPP’s work in 2025 and underscored the importance of delving deeper into each focus area to advance potential outcomes. They noted co-sponsors’ interest in the ongoing global efforts to reduce plastics pollution, particularly the negotiations led by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee under the United Nations, which is scheduled to hold its next round of talks in August 2025 in Geneva.
    The co-coordinators reported on the productive discussions held during a workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean on 16 May, highlighting the DPP initiative’s continued efforts to incorporate regional perspectives and to hear from smaller delegations. The first region-focused workshop, held alongside the April DPP meeting, had centred on Africa.
    They noted that regional experts underscored the importance of boosting trade and strengthening institutional regulatory capacities to address plastics pollution. The workshop emphasized strong support for small businesses, calling for technical assistance and financial incentives to help them participate in a more sustainable economy.
    Participants also highlighted the need to promote locally sourced, sustainable substitutes — such as banana peel, bamboo and sugarcane byproducts — alongside green finance mechanisms, while considering consumer awareness of non-plastic substitutes and cultural preferences for certain alternative materials. The discussion further stressed the value of enhanced regional cooperation and a unified regulatory approach to single-use plastics, with platforms such as Mercosur (Southern Common Market) and ALADI (Latin American Integration Association) identified as key avenues for regulatory cooperation and aligning standards. 
    Switzerland and China facilitated thematic discussions on the two focus areas. On the first topic — enhancing cooperation on applicable standards for non-plastic substitutes and alternatives — members heard from a diverse range of institutions and companies. The Codex Alimentarius Committee under the UN Food and Agriculture Organization presented its work on food packaging standards for traded goods, with a focus on food safety.
    Representatives from companies and associations in Peru, the Philippines and the Netherlands shared their experiences and challenges in navigating domestic and international regulations while using nature-compatible and biodegradable materials to replace single-use plastics. The United States also provided a debrief on recent discussions in the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, which explored domestic practices and the potential negative impacts of changes to food packaging regulations. The importance of cross-committee collaboration between the DPP and other WTO bodies was underscored.
    Participants expressed a shared commitment to addressing plastics pollution through the DPP, while cautioning against duplicating the work of existing WTO committees and international standard-setting organizations. Several emphasized the importance of the DPP focusing on its unique contributions — such as facilitating information exchange, sharing domestic experiences, and examining the commercial, environmental and safety dimensions of non-plastic alternatives. Many also underscored the need for international cooperation, the harmonization of standards and certification schemes, and equitable access to sustainable solutions, particularly for developing economies.
    On the second topic — enhancing transparency of trade flows of plastics — members received an update from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), which presented its work on developing statistical guidelines for measuring plastic flows throughout the life cycle. The European Union’s Joint Research Centre also gave a presentation on the bloc’s evolving policy landscape and its strengthened measures to track material flows of plastics across its value chain.
    Participants welcomed the guidelines as useful tools for monitoring the trade flow of goods with embedded plastics, as well as single-use plastic items. They encouraged broader knowledge sharing to include guidelines developed by other organizations and called for greater support to developing and least-developed members in building capacity for data collection.
    In conclusion, Australia thanked members and stakeholders for their inputs, emphasizing that transparency is a critical step toward effective policy design. It noted that the discussions underscored the potential of non-plastic substitutes and alternative materials, while also acknowledging the remaining challenges.
    Co-coordinators will provide updates on the next steps following further consultations.
    More
    DPP co-sponsors have identified eight areas for achieving possible outcomes at MC14. The remaining six areas include: supporting ongoing multilateral negotiations under the United Nations to reduce plastics pollution; exploring strategies to harmonize trade-related measures for single-use plastics; identifying best practices; improving access to relevant technologies and services; building capacity for developing members; and considering the potential development of domestic inventories of trade-related plastic measures.
    Launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution currently consists of 83 co-sponsors, representing almost 90 per cent of global trade in plastics.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Fish Fund Steering Committee advances work on Call for Proposals, welcomes new members

    Source: World Trade Organization

    The agreement on next steps brings the Steering Committee closer to opening its first Call for Proposals. The Fund will receive funding requests for project grants that will support developing and least developed country (LDC) members to implement the Agreement provided they have ratified it.

    The Committee welcomed Barbados, The Gambia, Haiti, Mauritius, Peru, the Philippines, Seychelles, and Sierra Leone as new members to represent beneficiary members while acknowledging the contributions of Djibouti, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Peru, Saint Lucia, and Senegal, who served on the Committee since January 2024.

    Donor representatives to the Fish Fund will rotate at a later stage. Both donors and beneficiaries may rotate their delegates at any time, provided that at least two LDC members remain on the Committee. All Steering Committee members are required to serve a minimum term of one year.

    Eligible and interested members will be able to submit calls for proposals when 101 WTO members have deposited their instruments of ratification. Currently, 99 WTO members have deposited their instruments. After the Call for Proposals is launched, the Secretariat of the Fish Fund will receive proposals for a period of approximately three months, after which all applications will be reviewed and submitted to the Steering Committee.

    Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard said:

    “It is a pleasure to open today’s meeting and see the tremendous progress made as we near entry into force. Everyone’s hard work – donors, beneficiaries, and partners – has paid off.

    The Fund is ready to support the members that have deposited their instruments of ratification and, in so doing, committed to a more environmentally and economically sustainable future and healthier oceans.”

    The Steering Committee also approved the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Framework for the Fish Fund, a key tool to support the effective implementation of future projects.

    Known as the Fish Fund, the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Funding Mechanism was established under Article 7 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022. Developing and LDC members that have ratified the Agreement are eligible to submit projects supporting implementation of the Agreement. The Fish Fund will operate in cooperation with relevant international organizations, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Bank.

    This was the Steering Committee’s fifth meeting since the Fish Fund became ready to accept voluntary contributions from WTO members in November 2022. The contributing members thus far are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

    A total of 111 ratifications from WTO members are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. So far,99 instruments of acceptance of the Agreement have been received. The full list is available here.

    More information on the Fish Fund is available here.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Members discuss possible cotton breakthrough ahead of MC14, World Cotton Day 2025

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Members discuss possible cotton breakthrough ahead of MC14, World Cotton Day 2025

    Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam, who chaired the 43rd Round of Consultations of the Director-General’s Consultative Framework Mechanism for Cotton (DGCFMC), drew members’ attention to the latest meeting of the Steering Committee of the “Partenariat pour le Coton” initiative, which built on a series of national consultations held last year in the Cotton 4+ countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire).
    The meeting took place at the headquarters of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Cairo on 28-29 April. Important suggestions were made regarding advancing the cotton development agenda in the C-4+ countries, and there was productive discussion on available financing options, including concrete proposals to support the cotton-textile-clothing value chain.
    DDG Paugam stressed that, while it has been projected that US$ 5 billion could be unlocked over the next 10 years under the framework of the “Partenariat pour le Coton”, this would require the C-4+ to act as the driving force and to adopt a regional approach to attract and sustain investment.
    A study published in June 2024 highlights the potential of processing 25 per cent of C4+ cotton locally. Although this would require an investment of around US$ 5 billion in facilities and workforce training, it could create 500,000 jobs, especially for women and youth, and would significantly enhance value addition within the region.
    Acknowledging previous concerns about implementation, transparency, and commitment to the Evolving Table on Cotton Development Assistance, DDG Paugam called for a dedicated meeting with donors to explore ways to enhance the effectiveness and impact of this tool. The Evolving Table contains project updates by a number of WTO members and by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
    Chad, the FAO and the International Trade Centre (ITC) jointly announced that the 2025 World Cotton Day will take place on 7 October in Rome, which will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the FAO. The event aims to boost visibility and promote investment in African cotton through the work of the “Partenariat pour le Coton”, as well as to encourage discussion of climate challenges to cotton.
    Afreximbank reiterated the importance of a harmonized project submission template for standardization, transparency, collaboration and monitoring of C4+ cotton projects and proposed joint financing initiatives, shared knowledge platforms, capacity-building, risk mitigation strategies and policy advocacy.
    Members took the floor to share their experiences of activities within the framework of South-South cooperation. They also expressed support for the cotton industry, focusing on job creation, economic diversification, de-risking investments, tailored cooperation, regional strategies and enabling environments. Delegations also discussed industrialization, global value chain integration, investment clarity and progress on regional development projects in the context of the cotton industry.
    On emerging challenges, members learned about the latest developments in cotton-producing countries, as well as new challenges facing the cotton sector in C-4+ countries. The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) shared a presentation about water use in cotton cultivation, which explained that it is a misconception that cotton – a semi-desert crop – requires large quantities of water for cultivation. Nevertheless, ICAC cautioned that climate change is affecting rainfall patterns, and that this is a matter of concern for cotton cultivation.
    The DGCFMC also outlined key next steps. A technical online seminar on second-hand and recycling of clothing by Côte d’Ivoire is scheduled for 19 June. Other members were encouraged to coordinate with the WTO Secretariat to propose similar initiatives. A harmonized “Partenariat pour le Coton” project submission template will be created to enable C-4+ countries to present priority projects at an upcoming technical workshop. The WTO will support monitoring, evaluation and engagement with development agencies. Meanwhile, FIFA’s Football for Schools programme will encourage the use of C-4+ cotton for apparel, to produce T-shirts and polo shirts in West Africa and distribute these items globally by the end of 2025.
    In conclusion, DDG Paugam underscored the need to sustain and build on the current momentum surrounding cotton, especially given that MC14 is approaching. Progress made, consolidated synergies and promising prospects ahead call for redoubling efforts, he said.
    Ambassador Hussain, who facilitated the discussion on addressing the trade aspects of cotton, gave an update on his consultations with members on the way forward for agriculture negotiations, focusing on cotton.
    He noted that the C-4+ countries and other members had stressed the importance of cotton within the agricultural negotiations, and that members had highlighted the need to make significant progress on this issue at MC14, as this would resonate positively in Africa and benefit the WTO as a whole.
    The C-4+ Group also suggested the possibility of decoupling cotton negotiations from the broader agriculture package to facilitate reaching a standalone decision on cotton at MC14. The Group, along with several other developing members, emphasized the importance of adhering to past ministerial decisions and called for progress to be made to reduce cotton-specific trade-distorting domestic support.
    Ambassador Hussain urged members to engage actively in open dialogue, express their concerns clearly, and work together to bridge differences. He proposed to convene a “cotton quad plus” meeting in the coming weeks to facilitate honest and concrete discussions. The “cotton quad plus” forum involves the C-4+ countries and several major cotton players, including Australia, China, Brazil, the European Union, India, Pakistan and the United States.
    The ICAC also provided an overview of the global cotton market for the 2024-25 season, forecasting a production increase of approximately 7 per cent compared to the previous season. World cotton consumption is anticipated to rise by 2 per cent in 2024-25, although trade projections have been revised downward to 9.45 million tonnes for the 2024-25 season. This adjustment reflects a decrease from the previous forecast of 9.94 million tonnes, as reported in April 2024. The ICAC also presented findings from a recent analysis on specialty cotton, which grows annually and currently accounts for about 31 per cent of total global cotton lint production. Specialty cotton, as defined by the ICAC, includes any long or extra-long staple varieties, as well as cotton from specific identity programmes encompassing various certification initiatives worldwide, such as “Better Cotton” and “Cotton Made in Africa”.
    The International Trade Centre (ITC) provided an update on the ITC Cotton Portal, a joint initiative with the WTO to consolidate cotton-related information. The portal, launched at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in 2017, features three main modules: trade statistics, market information and learning. The ITC reported that the portal has around 3,000-4,000 users annually. Planned improvements include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), additional languages, and better data on e-commerce and logistics.
    The ITC Cotton Portal aggregates cotton-related information from the ICAC, ITC and WTO, as well as other sources. For instance, it features a live data feed from ICAC on cotton production, as well as direct links to essential tools that facilitate cotton trade, such as the Export Potential Map.
    The C-4+ agreed concerning the relevance of this tool in contributing to a more efficient cotton trading system by improving transparency and accessibility of trade-related information relevant for cotton producers, traders and policymakers. They called for more training to raise awareness of the platform in Africa and to increase its utilization, as this could help governments in making informed policy decisions. The ITC and the WTO expressed their readiness to pursue discussions with the C-4+ concerning ways to make the portal more accessible and as relevant as possible in developing economies, and especially in Africa.
    The WTO Secretariat introduced a revised background paper compiling all cotton-related information available at the WTO, including members’ notifications, replies to a questionnaire on cotton policy developments and information on tariff and non-tariff measures.
    As part of Cotton Day at the WTO members attended  the opening of an exhibition featuring a data visualization structure that consolidated and presented information on cotton-related activities, telling the story of cotton through interactive maps, infographics, images and dynamic graphics. The exhibition concluded with a reception hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at WTO headquarters.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Azerbaijan: Jail sentence against opposition leader Tofig Yagublu upheld in “sham court hearing”

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Reacting to the Baku Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the nine-year prison sentence against Azerbaijani opposition figure Tofig Yagublu, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

    “It is abundantly clear that Tofig Yagublu’s imprisonment is a political decision. This was not justice – it was another sham court hearing and part of the systematic repression of dissent in Azerbaijan. His ongoing detention is based on fabricated charges, as with many other jailed government critics.”

    Background

    Tofig Yagublu, a veteran opposition politician and member of the Musavat Party and National Council of Democratic Forces, was convicted in March on charges of “fraud” and “forgery,” which he has rejected as politically motivated. He went on a hunger strike from 1 April which he ended after 40 days.  Amnesty International has demanded that the authorities transfer him to an independent, specialized hospital, to ensure that he receives the healthcare he requires.

    For further information about his case, see here.

    MIL OSI NGO –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 Departmental update Strengthening acute care systems saves lives, but urgent action is needed

    Source: World Health Organisation

    On Tuesday, 20 May 2025, Tore Laerdal and WHO Foundation Chair, Thomas Zeltner announced a US $12.5 million commitment from Laerdal Global Health. This contribution includes support for WHO Basic Emergency Care training in 400 hospitals across three African countries, as well as specially designed training kits for ongoing workplace-based training.  

    In association with this core commitment, the WHO Foundation and Laerdal Global Health have also established a funding consortium – Lifeline: the Acute Care Action Fund – and are already in active discussions with other private and public partners to reach a total of $25M to bring this program to 1,000 hospitals in five or more countries, saving an estimated 50,000 lives every year.  

    The Basic Emergency Care (BEC) program was developed in 2016 by WHO, with the collaboration of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine. Since that time, tens of thousands of health workers have been trained in BEC across more than 60 countries.  

    “Strengthening health systems and supporting health workers to deliver effective acute care is essential to UHC and health security. This support to bring the Basic Emergency Care program to scale— particularly at this time of constricting resources— will have critical impact around the world,” said Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage, Life Course. 

    Prior studies in first level hospitals across Africa and Asia showed a 34 to 50 percent reduction in mortality from acute conditions –- including pneumonia, road injuries, diabetic crisis and post-partum haemorrhage – following the implementation of the BEC program. 

    This effort will be a key part of the upcoming Global strategy for integrated emergency, critical and operative care 2026-2035 to be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2026. 

    “,”datePublished”:”2025-05-20T17:00:00.0000000+00:00″,”image”:”https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/ihs/acute-care.jpeg?sfvrsn=f297d609_7″,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”World Health Organization: WHO”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg”,”width”:250,”height”:60}},”dateModified”:”2025-05-20T17:00:00.0000000+00:00″,”mainEntityOfPage”:”https://www.who.int/news/item/20-05-2025-strengthening-acute-care-systems-saves-lives–but-urgent-action-is-needed”,”@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”};
    ]]>

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 News release Global leaders reaffirm commitment to WHO with at least US$ 170 million raised at World Health Assembly 2025 pledging event

    Source: World Health Organisation

    World leaders pledged at least an additional US$ 170 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) at a high-level pledging event Tuesday at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in Geneva. Amid rising global health challenges, leaders reaffirmed their support for multilateral cooperation through these contributions to WHO’s Investment Round (IR). Earlier in the day, Member States approved an increase in Assessed Contributions, adding a separate US$ 90 million a year of income, and marking another important step on WHO’s journey towards sustainable financing.

    The IR is raising funds for WHO’s strategy for global health, the  Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which can save an additional 40 million lives over the next four years. The pledges made today represent significant contributions from both governments and philanthropic partners.

    “I am grateful to every Member State and partner that has pledged towards the investment round. In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “They show that multilateralism is alive and well.”

    Both long-standing allies and new contributors stepped up at today’s pledging event, broadening WHO’s donor base with fresh voluntary funding. Moderated by Mr Moazzam Malik, CEO of Save the Children UK, the event and the World Health Assembly featured pledges from Angola, Cambodia, China, Gabon, Mongolia, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, ELMA Philanthropies (with the WHO Foundation), Fondation Botnar, Laerdal Global Health (with the WHO Foundation), the Nippon Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation announced an additional US$ 13 million and committed to further increases in funding.

    Among the announcements at least US$ 170 million is for the Investment Round, meaning that the funding supports WHO’s base budget from 2025–2028. Eight of the donors included a flexible contribution to WHO, the most valuable sort of funding, and four were first time donors.

    WHO’s fundraising reach has also been extended through individual giving. Through the One World Movement, almost 8000 people from across the world have signed on as ‘Member Citizens’, contributing almost US$ 600 000 in donations, many monthly – a powerful expression of global solidarity and an affirmation that every voice counts.

    The event’s speakers emphasized not only the need for continued investment, but the strategic value of flexible and diversified financing to keep WHO responsive, country-focused, and aligned with national health priorities – as it evolves into a leaner, more agile institution. The event was a pivotal moment in WHO’s journey to more sustainable funding.

    As the IR continues, today’s event is a testament to the role of partnership in times of uncertainty. Contributions from each donor made at today’s pledging event can be found below. Each contribution to WHO brings us one step closer to better health for all united in the mission of “One World for Health”.

    Contributor Additional amount for WHO Investment Round
    Angola US$ 8 million
    Cambodia US$ 400 000
    China Contribution to Investment Round to be confirmed.
    Gabon US$ 150 000
    Mongolia US$ 100 000
    Qatar US$ 6 million
    Sweden €12 million = US$ 13.5 million
    Switzerland Sw.fr. 33 million = US$ 40 million
    Tanzania US$ 500 000 (in addition to US$ 500 000 already announced)
    CIFF US$ 13 million and commitment to further increase
    ELMA Philanthropies US$ 2 million
    Foundation Botnar Sw.fr. 8 million = US$ 9.6 million
    Laerdal Global Health US$ 12.5 million 
    Nippon Foundation, Mr. Sasakawa, (Chairman) US$ 9.2 million
    Novo Nordisk Foundation DKK 380 million = US$ 57 million

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – The EU and the Pacific countries: Between climate change and geopolitical rivalries – 20-05-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    The Pacific Islands region occupies almost 15 % of the Earth’s surface. The European Union (EU) recognises 15 Pacific Island Countries (PICs), mostly small developing states formed by archipelagos consisting of a large number of inhabited islands. The region includes three French Pacific Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) associated with the EU. Population dispersion and economic dependency on a narrow range of industries – particularly tourism and fishing – are common characteristics of these countries. Climate change poses an existential threat to the survival of these countries, whose progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been quite slow. The region has been largely neglected by the major powers, but it has recently emerged as one of the areas where the geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and China is playing out. Beijing’s outreach and influence in the region has been increasing, not least to exert pressure on some countries to abandon their diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. In 2022, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) – the main political and economic policy organisation of the region – launched the ‘2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent’. Traditional players in the Pacific – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK) and the US – welcomed the initiative and consequently launched the ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ initiative. The EU is the third largest donor of development assistance to the Pacific countries. EU relations with the PICs are based on the much wider framework of the Samoa Agreement, which covers relations with 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. The EU has negotiated an EU-Pacific States Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which entered into force with some PICs.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Discusses Communist China, Threats to American Way of Life with Secretary Rubio

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) discussed Communist China’s threats to the American way of life and the importance of maintaining peace through strength. Ricketts underscored that Communist China is the greatest external threat we face as a nation.
    “We need an all-of-government and all-of-society approach on how we face Communist China,” said Ricketts. “This was illustrated in a recent tabletop exercise that we did with Senator Coons and others, talking about a contingency where Beijing tries to do an energy quarantine on Taiwan to force capitulation. Obviously, unlocking America’s energy is one of the ways we can help counter this with LNG and biofuels which are some of our strongest tools to help our allies and partners. Cutting red tape, unleashing American energy in the private sector, we’re positioned to be an energy supplier of choice. But we need the infrastructure in place and that includes a West Coast LNG terminal.”
    Ricketts also stressed the need for complete nuclear disarmament in Iran.
    “Iran is a theocracy with brutal mullahs and corrupt military: They chant ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel,’” said Ricketts. “I think you framed it best Secretary Rubio, when you said earlier this month that they have to walk away from sponsoring terrorists, they have to walk away from helping the Houthis, they have to walk away from building long-range missiles which have no purpose other than use for nuclear weapons. And they have to walk away from enrichment.”
    Ricketts’ comments were made in a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Relations: “Review of the FY26 State Department Budget Request.” The witness was Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
    BACKGROUND:
    Last month, Senator Ricketts led a congressional delegation (CODEL) trip to Taiwan and the Philippines with Senators Coons and Ted Budd (R-NC). During the trip, the three senators met with senior Taiwanese officials including President Lai and Vice President Hsaio. Senators Ricketts and Coons are working as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia Subcommittee to support our allies and partners in the region against Communist China’s aggression, including conducting a recent tabletop exercise and introductions of the PORCUPINE Act and COUNTER Act.
    Last week, Senator Ricketts led a letter to President Trump regarding the administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. The letter supports the Trump administration’s efforts to secure a deal that results in the full dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program, including permanently ending the regime’s capacity to enrich uranium. The letter was signed by 52 Senate Republicans.
    Watch the hearing HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Introduction to the Veterans Wellness Path app

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Veterans Wellness Path is a free and publicly available mobile app designed to support American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans. It was created by the National Center for PTSD, Department of Veterans Affairs, and supports the transition from military service to home, and encourages balance and connection with self, family, community, and environment. Through the app, Native Veterans can complete daily check-ins, browse tips for strengthening relationships, and try exercises to heal the body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

    This app is not a replacement for treatment with a healthcare professional, but it can be used by people who are in treatment as well as those who are not.

    Download Veterans Wellness Path – Mobile App (iOS/Android):
    https://mobile.va.gov/app/veterans-wellness-path

    #mhealth #mentalhealth #nativeveterans #nativeamerican #alaskanative

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXjEG0SlkiI

    MIL OSI Video –

    May 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Minister Meets with Asia Society President

    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, May 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Asia Society President Kang Kyung-wha in Beijing on Tuesday.

    As Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, noted, progress has been made in high-level China-US economic and trade talks recently, which once again proves that equal dialogue, mutual respect and proper resolution of legitimate mutual concerns are in the common interests of China and the US.

    At the same time, the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out that the United States continues to restrain and suppress China’s legitimate right to development. The diplomat stressed that China is resolutely against such unilateral bullying.

    According to Wang Yi, China and the United States should first achieve positive interaction in the Asia-Pacific region, which will help to form the right path for coexistence between the two countries and find effective channels for mutually beneficial cooperation.

    For her part, Kang Kyung-wha said that the Asia Society has accumulated deep knowledge of China’s thousand-year-old cultural heritage and stands ready to continue sharing fact-based, objective perceptions of China and, together with forward-thinking members of the American society, create a platform for dialogue to clear up misconceptions and promote mutual understanding. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 21, 2025
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