NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI: Varonis Appoints New Country Manager in Japan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI and TOKYO, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Varonis Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRNS), the leader in data security, today announced Toshi Namiki’s appointment as Country Manager for Japan.

    With more than 25 years of experience in software and cybersecurity, Toshi has led international high-value sales for Deep Instinct, Forescout Technologies, and global leaders Palo Alto Networks and VeriSign. He brought cutting-edge technology to Japan by working with regional partners, helping companies adopt state-of-the-art solutions, and driving innovation throughout the Japanese tech landscape.

    “I’m thrilled to join Varonis to help our customers stop breaches and protect what matters most — their data,” Toshi said. “Japan’s top industries, including manufacturing, technology, and automotive, possess vast amounts of data and must secure this information in the AI era. Varonis helps organizations ensure security before, during, and after AI deployment.”

    “With data generated at an unprecedented scale across many environments, complying with governance standards and protecting data is crucial,” said Scott Leach, Varonis Vice President of APAC. “Toshi’s proven ability to implement advanced solutions will be instrumental as we increase our local presence.”

    Varonis continues to expand its operations in the APAC region to help customers comply with local regulatory frameworks, including the Act on the Protection of Personal Information. This law requires companies to take security steps to protect personal data from unauthorized access, loss, or damage.

    Additional Resources

    About Varonis
    Varonis (Nasdaq: VRNS) is the leader in data security, fighting a different battle than conventional cybersecurity companies. Our cloud-native Data Security Platform continuously discovers and classifies critical data, removes exposures, and detects advanced threats with AI-powered automation.

    Thousands of organizations worldwide trust Varonis to defend their data wherever it lives — across SaaS, IaaS, and hybrid cloud environments. Customers use Varonis to automate a wide range of security outcomes, including data security posture management (DSPM), data classification, data access governance (DAG), data detection and response (DDR), data loss prevention (DLP), AI security, and insider risk management.

    Varonis protects data first, not last. Learn more at www.varonis.com.

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Tim Perz
    Varonis Systems, Inc.
    646-640-2112
    investors@varonis.com 

    News Media Contact:
    Rachel Hunt
    Varonis Systems, Inc.
    877-292-8767 (ext. 1598)
    pr@varonis.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Altus Group Releases its 2024 Sustainability Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altus Group Limited (“Altus” or “the Company”) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate (“CRE”), today released its annual Sustainability Report, which highlights the Company’s sustainability initiatives and progress in 2024.

    “As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, sustainability continues to guide who we are and how we operate,” said Camilla Bartosiewicz, Chief Communications Officer at Altus Group. “This report brings our values to life – highlighting the tangible progress we made in 2024 in reducing emissions, investing in our people, and upholding strong corporate governance. These efforts are not only core to our identity as a responsible corporate citizen and employer of choice, but are critical to managing enterprise risk and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.”

    Key 2024 highlights:

    • Climate action: reduced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 5% in 2024, benefitting from strategic right-sizing of office space, which resulted in a 12% reduction in office footprint.
    • Talent management: expanded people programs to foster career advancement and employee success, earning external recognition for an inclusive, high-trust and high-performance culture.
    • Cybersecurity and data responsibility: continued enhancement of cybersecurity and data standards to uphold data responsibility and maintain stakeholder trust.
    • Governance: welcomed new board members, adding diverse perspectives and skills that enhance board effectiveness.

    To download Altus Group’s 2024 Sustainability Report please visit https://www.altusgroup.com/about-us/sustainability/. More information on Altus Group’s corporate governance program is also detailed in the Company’s 2024 Management Information Circular dated March 26, 2025 which has been filed to SEDAR+ and is posted on Altus Group’s website under the Investors section.

    About Altus Group

    Altus Group is a leading provider of asset and fund intelligence for commercial real estate. We deliver intelligence as a service to our global client base through a connected platform of industry-leading technology, advanced analytics, and advisory services. Trusted by the largest CRE leaders, our capabilities help commercial real estate investors, developers, lenders, and advisors manage risks and improve performance returns throughout the asset and fund lifecycle. Altus Group is a global company headquartered in Toronto with approximately 1,900 employees across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit altusgroup.com.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    Elizabeth Lambe
    Director, Global Communications, Altus Group
    1 (416) 641-9787
    elizabeth.lambe@altusgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Nemec, Professor of Indian Religions and South Asian Studies, University of Virginia

    An illustration from an Arabic translation of a story in the ‘Pañcatantra,’ a collection of animal fables. Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    In today’s volatile world, where wars can be fought over territory, commerce can be abruptly subjected to tariffs, and friendly nations can turn hostile after a single election, political leadership is more consequential than ever. So, one must ask, what makes a leader effective, and how should we choose who should lead?

    Classics such as Aristotle’s “Politics,” Confucius’ “The Analects” and Machiavelli’s “The Prince” offer compelling visions of proper governance. But there is another ancient source of political wisdom – the classical Indian tradition – which is not as well known in the West.

    I am a scholar of Indian religions, and in my 2025 book “Brahmins and Kings,” I examine various narrative works written in Sanskrit – the classical language of India – which deal with political theory. Among them, Viṣṇuśarman’s “Pañcatantra” stands out. It is a striking collection of animal fables from perhaps around 300 C.E. in which birds, lions and others speak and reason as humans do.

    The “Pañcatantra” stories are parables that teach how to negotiate sometimes brave, sometimes cruel, sometimes clever and sometimes naïve friends and enemies alike. These stories weigh three ethical positions and settle on one as best for politics.

    Doing what’s right

    First, one might seek to guide leaders by the “ethic of deontology.” This theory suggests people are duty-bound to act morally, because being good is an end in and of itself.

    Although Indian theorists knew this ethic well, they were also aware that those with power often need inducement for doing the right thing, for – as the saying goes – power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Doing “the right thing,” “for its own sake,” can be naïve in the political arena.

    So goes the story in the third book (of five) in the “Pañcatantra,” titled “War and Peace.” A kingdom of owls was crushing the crows in battle, until a clever crow, a counselor named Ciraṃjīvin, or “Long-life,” cooked up a ruse.

    He smeared the blood of his lost brethren on his body, plucked his own feathers and scarred himself with wounds. Approaching the king of the owls in this sorry state, he claimed the crows had violently thrown him out for suggesting they should sue for peace.

    Now, he lamented, his only wish was revenge – alliance with his former enemies so as to punish his erstwhile companions. The counselors to the king of the owls advise him that it is simply right to harbor those in distress, so the owl king does so on principle.

    Patiently licking his manufactured wounds in the owls’ kingdom, Ciraṃjīvin then spied all its defenses and weaknesses, divined the opportune time for the crows to invade, and led them to conquer the owls.

    A friend in need is a friend, indeed

    If the story of the owls and the crows teaches that naïvely choosing what’s right is unwise, then why not drop morality altogether? Why not ruthlessly pursue whatever produces results? This is the second view of political leadership: double-cross, cheat, bully, cajole, break the conventions and rules – do whatever works!

    An 18th-century ‘Pañcatantra’ manuscript page.
    Philadelphia Museum of Arts via Wikimedia Commons

    Indian political theorists thought of this, too, and their very definition of good political rule is that it produces results for the people. But they also rejected unbridled ruthlessness, because they knew that such Machiavellianism was too blunt an instrument for political affairs.

    Consider the “Pañcatantra’s” second book, titled “On Securing Friends.” Here we meet another crow, this one named Laghupatanaka, or “Light Wing” – a nimble but lonely bird who witnesses friendship in action. He sees a hunter trap a dule of doves in his net. But their leader directs the bevy to pull all together.

    As one they lift up the net and wing it a distance, the fowler chasing all the while on the ground. Soon, they land where they can meet up with their friend, a mouse named Hiraṇyaka, or “Eager for Gold,” who chews through the net as a dove never could, and they escape before the fowler arrives.

    Laghupatanaka knows he, too, might be hunted. So he seeks out Hiraṇyaka, though they are said to be “natural enemies” because crows eat mice. But Laghupatanaka promises loyalty, and he never betrays Hiraṇyaka, even though he is the stronger one.

    Gradually, they add to their company a wise turtle and a beautiful deer and prosper together on a paradise island until a trapper invades their home. Each plays a role in fooling their foe, who captures the turtle, while the deer, heeding the turtle’s good counsel, manages a sly escape.

    To free the turtle, the deer plays dead while the crow mimics pecking at his eye. The trapper leaves the turtle behind, distracted by this bigger prize. Then Hiraṇyaka the mouse cuts the net holding the turtle, who crawls away as the decoy deer and the crow each take flight.

    Deer, crow, turtle and mouse each possess an innate ability, and together they save all from harm.

    The moral of this story is clear: Teamwork is effective, and successful leaders, no matter how powerful, thrive by relying on friends. As the well-known adages go: Two minds are better than one; many hands make for light work; a friend in need is a friend, indeed.

    Business is business, but how?

    A sketch illustrating a ‘Pañcatantra’ story.
    The Earliest English Version Of The Fables Of Bidpai; The Moral Philosophy Of Doni (1888) via Wikimedia Commons

    Nevertheless, it’s a competitive world, and some friends are greedy or false, as the story of the owls and the crows suggests. But if both pure morality and pure Machiavellianism are sometimes unwise, what third option could there be?

    Consider the story of the first book of the “Pañcatantra,” the tale of the foolish lion king who is tricked into fighting a natural ally. The king of the forest was once frightened by the sound of a bull. His advisers, the jackals, rightly judge the bull to be harmless, and they convince the two to meet. In time, the lion and bull became close friends – so much so that the lion stopped hunting, and the animals in his retinue began starving.

    The jackals then went to the king with a ruse: They told him that the bull was plotting to kill him; they manipulated the bull in similar fashion. In the fight that followed, the lion was injured, but the bull was killed. There was enough meat to feed everyone, and the jackals were promoted, because the lion king falsely believed they helped him avert a plot.

    Now, one might wrongly conclude that the moral of this story is power through strength. But the “Pañcatantra” makes clear that there’s more to it: The bull was a true friend who had helpfully counseled the king. It was the jackal advisers who betrayed the lion with their manipulative story, which won them undue power and wealth at the cost of a friend.

    Enter the third, and best, of the trio of political theories: virtue ethics. Leaders should cultivate wisdom. Chasten passions and impulses, the Indian texts counsel, in order to be able to distinguish opportunity from danger, friend from pretender, good advice from folly. Be discerning so as to see the world as it is and can be. Be good in order to do well in the world.

    Wisdom in action

    In Indian political theory, then, the answer is as simple as heeding the wisdom of parable stories: Do what is right, with the right measure, at the right time. Needless to say, this is more easily said than done. And one cannot force a leader to be chastened or wise.

    Voters can, however, favor those who pursue self-restraint. For if leaders must be thoughtful to be wise – and thus open the road to results – then voters should seek those who listen and learn so as to be able to know just what to do and when.

    This is the counsel that the classical Indian tradition offers contemporary voters. But to see who has just this virtuous discretion, voters will need a touch of that wisdom themselves.

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

    – ref. What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom – https://theconversation.com/what-ancient-animal-fables-from-india-teach-about-political-wisdom-249341

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz To Republicans: Leave Social Security Alone

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke out on the Senate floor against the Trump administration’s cuts to Social Security services which have left seniors and disabled people around the country worried about their ability to get their monthly checks. Schatz spoke during the Senate’s debate on the Republican tax bill which seeks to cut essential services for Americans in order to pay for the biggest tax cuts for billionaires in history.

    “Leave Social Security alone,” said Senator Schatz. “Donald Trump wants to gut the most successful anti-poverty program in American history. Over the past three months, his administration has made sweeping cuts to Social Security in ways that are already being felt across the country. Wait times have doubled to as many as 4 or 5 hours. Local field offices are closing. Websites are crashing. And people are understandably panicked about getting checks or missing payments altogether.”

    Senator Schatz added, “The idea that we are going to balance the budget on the backs of seniors who have paid into an earned benefit is immoral. It is wrong.”

    A transcript of Senator Schatz’s remarks is below. Video is available here.

    Leave Social Security alone. Leave Social Security alone. Donald Trump wants to gut the most successful anti-poverty program in American history. Over the past three months, his administration has made sweeping cuts to Social Security in ways that are already being felt across the country. Wait times have doubled to as many as 4 or 5 hours. Local field offices are closing. Websites are crashing. And people are understandably panicked about getting checks or missing payments altogether.

    But according to Commerce Secretary Lutnick, there is nothing to worry about. “Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t. She would think something got messed up and she’d get it next month. She wouldn’t complain.”

    Well, when your son in law is a billionaire, a missed check is not a very big deal. But when you’re a senior on the island of Oahu, where the average rent far exceeds the average benefit. I want you to understand that the average benefit is about $1,900. The average rent is more than $2,000. 300,000 people in the state of Hawaii depend on Social Security. And for the vast majority of them, Social Security is either all of their income or most of their income.

    The idea that we are going to balance the budget on the backs of seniors who have paid into an earned benefit is immoral. It is wrong. And I speak on behalf of all of my constituents who depend on it. It’s not just the 300,000. It’s all of the family members. I speak on behalf of my mother- and father-in-law, George and Ping Kwok. George Kwok worked all his life in a kitchen. Sometimes he was an employee. He eventually ended up owning a place called Kwok’s Chop Suey. He sold it and bought a home for his mom and helped to send his daughter to college. Then he started to get blind and he burned his hand in a fryer. And so he was unable to work and he took Social Security Disability. He deserves that money. Leave Social Security alone.

    Social Security cuts were always the third rail in American politics. Anyone on any side of the aisle with any sense of how to get elected knew not to touch that third rail. But they are grabbing this third rail with both hands.

    I want to quote a couple of my constituents. One constituent wrote to me. “We are elderly and we are concerned about the potential of cutting Social Security checks. We paid into the system our entire working lives and fear we can’t afford food, water, bills, and medical care. What will happen with these cuts and the cost of living going up? What will be our safety net? We are afraid of what’s to come.”

    Another wrote, “I worked for 36 years for the federal government, including four years as active duty Air Force in Vietnam. I contributed to Social Security with the explicit understanding that I would get Social Security as a portion of my retirement. Cutting Social Security means I lose about a third of my retirement with no recourse. I am 77 years old with health issues and hadn’t planned on getting another job. My wife was a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines for 50 years and also depends on Social Security for her retirement. It is completely unfair when she paid into Social Security for more than 50 years just to be abandoned when she is 70-years-old.”

    Another constituent: “I’m a 73-year-old woman who, unlike billionaire Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s mother-in-law, cannot afford to miss or reduce my Social Security payment. It is my sole income and I need it to pay rent and buy food. I worked hard all my life and contributed my fair share of taxes towards Social Security. I’m not asking for a free ride. I earned my Social Security.”

    I am not asking for a free ride. I earned my Social Security. Leave Social Security alone.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz: Donald Trump Is Ruining The Economy On Purpose, Everyone Will Pay More For Everything

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke out on the Senate floor today after President Donald Trump announced a new tariff plan that will levy the largest tax hike on middle-class families in a generation and force families to pay an average of $5,000 more each year.

    “Donald Trump is ruining the economy on purpose,” said Senator Schatz. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be paying more for everything – groceries, food, cars, homes, toys, electronics, everything that you buy. This is about the ability for people to pay for college. This is about the ability for people to retire with dignity and comfort. Trillions of dollars of wealth are being demolished. These are everyday people panicked about how much more expensive their next trip to Walmart or Costco will be, or when they’ll lose their job.”

    The full text of Senator Schatz’s remarks can be found below. Video is available here.

    Donald Trump is ruining the economy on purpose. He is ruining the economy on purpose. I’m not sure if there’s ever been an American president, let alone a chief executive of any country that has ruined the economy on purpose. The stock market had its worst day in five years yesterday, and I just checked before I delivered these remarks. Just five minutes ago, 1600 down on the Dow Jones, the S&P down 5 percent, Nasdaq 4 percent, the Russell 5 percent. What does that mean as a practical matter? It means if you spent all your life working and saving and investing, and you are on the edge of retirement, and let’s say you’ve got $312,000 plus your Social Security income, you just lost 30 grand in two days because of Donald Trump. You lost 10 percent of what you earned over a lifetime. Now, for Howard Lutnick and Elon Musk and Donald Trump and everybody that surrounds him at Mar-a-Lago, they can ride this out. They can short it, they can buy crypto. They can do all kinds of wonderful things to make sure that they can ride this out. Regular people cannot ride this out.

    The dollar hit a six-month low. Layoffs have already started. Consumers are cutting back on spending. And by the way, the data is there. But also just talk to anybody. Just talk to anybody about how they feel about spending right now. And the likelihood of a recession went up 20 percent in a day. JPMorgan now says it’s more than 60 percent likely.

    So what is this even for? Why are people so freaked out? Why is the entire world, from friends and partners to adversaries and enemies, scrambling to retaliate against the United States, the indispensable nation? It’s so that Donald Trump can raise trillions of dollars in revenue to pay for the biggest tax cuts for billionaires in the history of the planet.

    Starting tomorrow, we’ll be paying more for everything – groceries, food, cars, homes, toys, electronics, everything that you buy. Estimates have home prices ballooning by almost $20,000 per unit. Cars will cost $6,000 more. An iPhone, 250 bucks more. Clothing prices will go up by roughly 20 percent. Also, what we’re going to be a textile manufacturer? That’s our goal as a country is to make t-shirts and socks?

    Workers will be laid off, but I guess it’ll all be worth it in the end because this is paid for. What does that mean? It means that in their big budget plan, they need to cut taxes for billionaires, but they don’t have enough money to finance that. And so they’re using tariff revenue to balance out the money that they’re going to shovel to a bunch of billionaires.

    Trump is very famous for having few firm, fixed political beliefs. He’s changed his mind about just about everything, but not on tariffs. He’s a self-proclaimed “tariff man.” He’s repeatedly said that the word tariff is the most beautiful word in the English language. And for years, he’s lavished praise on the 20th century tariffs, which, by the way, helped to deepen the Great Depression. So he’s very happy about all of this. Like there should be no mistaking this is what he intends to do. And this is one of the differences between Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0. He’s doing all the things. He’s actually going through with it. This is not mean tweets and like normal behavior. This is all of the crazy stuff he’s saying is now being effectuated as public policy, as economic policy, as fiscal policy. He’s going through with it. You can no longer be dismissive of these resistance types, these Democrats, these shrill, these partisans, these people who can’t keep their head on straight. These people who just want to punish Donald Trump for saying: “man, that guy is kind of crazy. He’s going to crash the economy.” He’s literally crashing the economy on purpose.

    The idea that other countries will just graciously pay the tariffs is a fantasy. Much like Trump’s claim that Mexico would pay for the wall. In reality, it’s American importers who pay the tariffs, and then they pass it on to consumers, which is exactly what happened the last time Trump tried to do this. Economists who studied the tariffs that Trump imposed during the first term on certain goods from China found that it was consumers. It was you that paid the price. So here’s roughly how it worked this time around. There’s going to be math involved here. If these tariffs are expected to raise $6 trillion, as Trump says, that would mean collecting something like $600 billion every year over the next ten years. Broken out by household people are looking at $5,000 a year in added costs.

    I bet you Donald Trump doesn’t know anyone personally. Maybe he’s met people, but like in terms of the people he hangs out with that he spends time with, that he likes that he works with, he probably doesn’t know anyone for whom $5,000 is an unmanageable, increased cost. But I know a lot of people like that. In fact, a lot of people in my home state are like that.

    They cannot absorb a $5,000 increase in the cost of everything. And that is before you consider the hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and the devastation of small businesses and farmers and others. One small business owner in Iowa put it this way, “Trump’s calling it Liberation Day. Maybe something like Liberation Day liberated from reality.” Farmer in Kansas agreed.

    “These tariffs are just absolutely bad news that caused the prices for everything that we buy to go up and the prices for everything that we sell to go down.” Everything that we buy is more expensive. Everything that we sell is cheaper. Does that sound like a smart economic plan?

    It’s bad news any way you cut it. But even worse, more confusing, more idiotic, more infuriating is when you look at how they arrived at these rates. These are not actually reciprocal tariffs. Reciprocal tariffs being like essentially country X assesses tariffs in the amount of 15 percent so we reciprocate. We do 15 percent back. This is how they did it.

    They used a one size fits all formula to remake the global trading system. They took our trade surplus with any given country. So the way you do it to do reciprocal tariffs is country X says 10 percent, we go back at 10 percent. What they did is say let’s take our trade surplus, which means what we export minus what we import divided by total exports. And then cut it in half. Why they didn’t cut it in a third? Why they didn’t, you know, do some coefficient other than 50 percent?  I don’t know, but it’s purely arbitrary. So we have an $18 billion trade deficit with Indonesia. We import $28 billion worth of goods from them. 17.9 divided by 28 is 64. Divide that by two and you get 34, which is surprise, surprise, exactly the rate that Trump set for Indonesia. Half of the differential between export exports and imports literally makes no sense. Like you’ve got a bunch of economists right, left and center going WTF? I cannot believe this is bad policy. But also it’s like childish, childish math.

    The White House formula is so bonkers at the same economist that pointed that it pointed to as the basis for the rationale immediately were critical: “they pulled two numbers out of thin air that perfectly cancel each other out. This type of reductionist analysis is very troubling and scares me,” said economics professor Anson Soderbery, whose paper the White House cited even their sources are saying, don’t use my name to justify this nonsense.

    Another economist said that the White House had misunderstood his research, which specifically cautioned against excessively high tariff rates like Trump’s. “Making rates higher is a bad idea for the United States. We use supercomputers to find the optimal tariffs. The Trump administration seems to have taken a bit of a shortcut here. Also, our results suggest that the EU should not be tariffs and yet they set high tariffs against them. Finally, our range of optimal tariffs are substantially lower than the ones the administration just announced.” So if you can believe it, we’re in a situation where economists are using supercomputers to find optimal tariff rates. While the president of the United States is using a formula. And I’m not exaggerating that a fifth grader could solve. Now, whether it’s the Signal chat or this formula, this administration’s incompetence is on display every day.

    It’s why we now have tariffs in places like Herd Island and McDonald Island, where there are no living human beings, only penguins. Or, as the New York Times noted, “Trump’s decision to put a 32 percent tariff on Switzerland stunned politicians and business leaders in the alpine country. Switzerland has an open trade policy and recently abolished all industrial tariffs.” It’s not reciprocal. If they’re not tariffing us. For countries like Brazil, where we have a trade surplus, they still slap 10 percent. Israel reduced their tariffs to zero, still got the 10 percent. This is not a case of a bunch of Democrats crying wolf just to warn the Republicans. The markets are speaking. They are terrified. And this isn’t about a bunch of billionaire corporations and their profitability.

    This is about the ability for people to pay for college. This is about the ability for people to retire with dignity and comfort. Trillions of dollars of wealth are being demolished. These are everyday people panicked about how much more expensive their next trip to Walmart or Costco will be, or when they’ll lose their job. People are already stockpiling supplies. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, JPMorgan described the impact of the tariffs over the next few months like this. “On a static basis, today’s announcement would raise just under 400 billion in revenue, or about 1.3 percent of GDP, which would be the largest tax increase since 1968. The resulting hit to purchasing power could take real disposable personal income growth in the second and third quarters into negative territory, and with it, the risk that real consumer spending could also contract in these quarters. This impact alone could take the economy perilously close to slipping into a recession.”

    Now countries are already responding. So it’s not like this is a static situation which can’t get worse because the retaliations are going on. And this idea that all this is just a leverage play, look, there’s 200 countries that we have some sort of trading arrangement with and Donald Trump is very unpopular so asking a leader of a country or a parliament of a country to waive their tariffs at the end, at the end of a economic gun because Trump is bullying them. It’s like not good domestic politics for them. The best domestic politics for them is to stand up to Donald Trump’s bullying. And that’s bad for all of us. We’re not going to wave our way through 194 trading partners.

    China just imposed a 34 percent reciprocal tariff for our 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods. And in a truly bizarre turn of events, we forced our allies and adversaries to try to find ways to work together. Earlier this week, for the first time in years, China, Japan and South Korea discuss possible of working together on free trade as a response to Donald John Trump.

    This is the most shocking image. This red line continuing to go down precipitously, but among the other most shocking images, there’s a picture of high leaders from Korea… first of all, Korea and Japan are in a better place now. But they are, you know, there have been some diplomatic challenges over the decades and the generations, but they’re in a reasonably good place.

    So just to see them shaking hands is a big deal. But to see them shaking hands, literally holding hands with a high official from China to indicate they’re in this together against us. So it is true that Donald Trump is uniting the world. The problem is he’s uniting the world against us.

    Look, there is a. Real objective here that we’ve been working on for the last four, eight years. And whether it’s chips or it’s cars or it’s clean energy, we’ve actually increased the amount of domestic manufacturing in the United States of America with good industrial policy and targeted trade policy. But this is mayhem. This is mayhem. John Kennedy, the current senator from Louisiana, said it exactly right. He said tariffs are like whiskey. A little bit can be refreshing, can be useful too much – I’m paraphrasing – very bad things happen. Very bad things are happening.

    In the time I took to deliver these remarks, probably some number of tens of billions of dollars of additional wealth from working people was just wiped out. And I want to make one final point, and this is the most important point Republicans can and should stop this, with an exception of maybe 3 or 4 members, almost every Republican senator hates tariffs.

    The question is whether they will stand up to Donald Trump, who has taken this decidedly protectionist, anti-market, super harmful direction. But all we need Republicans are in charge of the Senate is for them to exert their constitutionally given authority over the assessing of tariffs. There is bipartisan momentum in that space. But we are not there because what I’m reading and what I’m hearing is they’re willing to give this a couple of months and let me give you a bunch of free advice to my Republican friends.

    If you’re going to stand up to him in two months, do it now.

    Your people are suffering. People are being laid off. People are about, by the way, most of people, most of what is happening in terms of Trump’s plummeting popularity is what they are seeing on their screens. But in the next week or so, it’s not what they’re seeing in their screens. It’s what they’re seeing when they try to buy something.

    It’s what they’re seeing amongst their friends who are being laid off. This is about to get very real, and I advise you against my own political interests, but in the country’s interests, if you’re going to stand up to him in June, my God, do it now. I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Statement On Voting Against Senate Budget Resolution

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement after voting against the Republican Senate budget resolution.

    “Tonight, Senate Republicans voted to give even more money to billionaires while slashing programs that help regular people get by—things like Medicaid, food assistance, and education. Working families are struggling with rising costs, but instead of offering real solutions, Republicans are trying to take away the support people count on—just to fund more tax cuts for the ultrawealthy.

    “And to make matters worse, Donald Trump’s new tariffs are already sending shockwaves through the economy. The stock market is tumbling, prices are going up, and working families are the ones who’ll get hit hardest. It’s chaos, and Republicans are doubling down with a budget that makes things even worse.

    “We will continue to fight for an economy where everyone—not just the wealthiest few—has a fair shot. The American people deserve better than this billionaire-first budget.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice of Annual General Meeting in Karolinska Development AB (publ)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The shareholders of Karolinska Development AB (publ), reg. no. 556707-5048, (“Karolinska Development” or the “Company”) are invited to the Annual General Meeting, on Thursday May 15, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. (CEST), at Nanna Svartz väg 2, 171 65 Solna, Sweden.

    The Board of Directors has resolved that shareholders shall have the right to exercise their voting rights in advance through postal voting pursuant to item 13 in the articles of association. Therefore, shareholders may choose to exercise their voting rights at the AGM by attending in person, by postal voting or through a proxy.

    Participation in person

    A shareholder who would like to participate at the AGM in person must:

    both be entered in the register of the shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB by Wednesday May 7, 2025,

    and give notice of his or her intention to participate to the Company no later than Friday May 9, 2025, at the address Karolinska Development, “AGM”, Nanna Svartz väg 6A, 171 65, Solna, Sweden, or through email eva.montgomerie@karolinskadevelopment.com. When giving notice to participate, please provide name, personal identity number or company registration number, telephone number and number of represented shares.

    Participation by postal voting

    Shareholders who wish to participate in the AGM by postal voting must:

    both be registered in the register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB as per Wednesday May 7, 2025,

    and notify their intention to participate by submitting their postal vote in accordance with the instructions below, so that the postal vote is received by Karolinska Development no later than Friday May 9, 2025.

    Shareholders may exercise their voting rights at the AGM by voting in advance through postal voting pursuant to item 13 in the articles of association, referring to Chapter 7, Section 4 a of the Swedish Companies Act.

    For advance voting, a special form must be used. Forms in Swedish and English are available for download on the Company’s website, www.karolinskadevelopment.com.The advance voting form is valid as notification of participation at the AGM.

    The completed advance voting form must be received by the Company no later than Friday May 9, 2025. The completed form shall be sent to Karolinska Development by e-mail to eva.montgomerie@karolinskadevelopment.com or by regular mail to Karolinska Development, “AGM”, Nanna Svartz väg 6A, 171 65, Solna, Sweden. The shareholder may not provide special instructions or conditions in the advance voting form. If so, the vote (i.e. the advance vote in its entirety) is invalid. Further instructions and conditions are provided in the form for advance voting.

    Those who wish to withdraw a submitted postal vote and instead exercise their voting rights by participating in the AGM in person or through a proxy must give notice thereof to the AGM’s secretariat prior to the opening of the AGM.

    Participation by proxy

    If the shareholders are represented by proxy, a written proxy must be issued and submitted to the Company at the above address well in advance of the AGM. The proxy is valid during the period set forth in the proxy, however, at most five years from the issuance. If a proxy is issued by a legal entity, a copy of the legal entity’s registration certificate or similar document evidencing signatory powers must be enclosed. Proxy forms in Swedish and English are available for download on the Company’s website, www.karolinskadevelopment.com.

    Nominee registered shares

    For shareholders who have their shares nominee-registered through a bank or other nominee, the following applies in order to be entitled to participate in the meeting. In addition to giving notice of participation, such shareholder must re-register its shares in its own name so that the shareholder is registered in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB as of the record date Wednesday May 7, 2025. Such re-registration may be temporary (so-called voting rights registration). Shareholders who wish to register their shares in their own names must, in accordance with the respective nominee’s routines, request that the nominee make such registration. Voting rights registration that have been requested by the shareholder at such time that the registration has been completed by the nominee no later than Friday May 9, 2025, will be taken into account in the preparation of the share register.

    Proposal for agenda

    1.    Election of chairman of the meeting
    2.    Preparation and approval of the voting list
    3.    Approval of the agenda
    4.    Election of one or two persons to verify the minutes
    5.    Determination of whether the meeting was duly convened
    6.    Presentation of the annual report and the auditor’s report and the group annual report and the auditor’s group report
    7.    Resolutions regarding
    a)   adoption of the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet, and consolidated profit and loss statement and consolidated balance sheet
    b)   appropriation of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet
    c)   discharge from liability for the directors and the CEO
    8.    Resolution regarding the number of directors and auditors and deputy auditors to be appointed
    9.    Resolution in respect of the fees for the Board of Directors and for the auditors
    10.    Election of chairman of the Board of Directors, directors and auditors and deputy auditors
    11.    Principles for appointing members and instruction for the Nomination Committee
    12.    Resolution on approval of the Board of Directors’ Remuneration Report 2024
    13.    The Board of Directors’ proposal regarding authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on transfer of own shares
    14.    The Board of Directors’ proposal regarding authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issues of shares
    15.    Closing of the meeting

    Items 1 and 8–11: The Nomination Committee’s proposal regarding chairman at the meeting; number of directors, auditors and deputy auditors to be appointed; fees for the Board of Directors and auditors; election of chairman of the Board of Directors, directors, auditors and deputy auditors and principles for appointing members and instruction for the Nomination Committee

    The Nomination Committee has consisted of Yan Cheng (chairman), appointed by Worldwide International Investments Ltd; Jack Li, appointed by invoX Pharma Ltd; Jan Dworsky, appointed by Swedbank Robur Microcap fond; Hans Wigzell, appointed by Insamlingsstiftelsen för främjande och utveckling av medicinsk forskning vid KI; Peter Markborn, appointed by Styviken Invest AS.

    The Nomination Committee proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves as follows:

    Lawyer Annika Andersson (Cirio Law Firm) is appointed to chair the Annual General Meeting.

    The number of directors will be five and no deputies will be appointed.

    The number of auditors will be one and no deputy auditor will be appointed.

    The chairman will be paid a fixed amount of SEK 400,000 to be paid out in proportion to board meetings attended. All other directors will be paid a fixed amount of SEK 200,000 to be paid out in proportion to board meetings attended. The fees to the directors remain unchanged compared to previous year.

    The auditors will be paid as per invoice.  

    Re-election of the directors Ben Toogood, Anna Lefevre Skjöldebrand, Philip Duong and Will Zeng, and election of Anders Härfstrand as director for the time until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting.

    Re-election of Ben Toogood as new Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    Anders Härfstrand was born 1956. He holds a M.D and Ph.D from the Karolinska Institute. His other appointments include work as founder of Härfstrand Consulting AG, Switzerland, co- founder of P4BIOS, USA and consultant to CIS Biopharma, Switzerland. Anders Härfstrand has many years of experience from the pharmaceutical industry with a global track record of success in building commercial operations, marketing and sales management, and product development. His previous assignments include member of the executive management of Pharmacia, Pfizer-Japan and Serono, CEO for various European biotech companies as well as chairman of the board and board member of public and private companies in the USA and Europe. He has also been a former board member of Karolinska Development. Anders Härfstrand holds no shares in Karolinska Development. He is independent in relation to the Company, its executive management and the Company’s major shareholders.

    The composition of the Board of Directors meets the independence requirement of the Swedish Corporate Governance Code.

    The Nomination Committee proposes that voting shall take place individually.

    Re-election of Ernst & Young Aktiebolag as auditor in accordance with the audit committee’s recommendation, currently with Oskar Wall as auditor in charge, for the time until the end of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. The audit committee has prior to the 2025 Annual General Meeting carried out a procurement process as procurement of audit in accordance with applicable legislation shall take place after the same accounting firm has been auditor for a ten-year period.  

    The Nomination Committee shall have five members. Every year, the five largest owners (voting power, as set forth in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB as of the last banking day in August) shall appoint one member each. The chairman of the Board of Directors shall convene the first meeting. If a shareholder does not exercise its right to appoint a member, the shareholder next in order of voting power, who has not already appointed a member or has a right to appoint a member, shall have the right to appoint a member to the Nominating Committee. The members of the Nomination Committee shall be made public as soon as the members have been appointed, and in no case later than six months prior to the Annual General Meeting. The members shall among themselves appoint the chairman of the committee. If a member resigns or is prevented from pursuing his/her assignment, the shareholder that has appointed such member shall appoint a new member. In the event that the shareholding in the Company is materially changed, before the Nomination Committee has completed its assignment, the Nomination Committee may decide to change the composition of the Nomination Committee, as determined by the Nomination Committee (considering the principles applicable for the appointment of the Nomination Committee). Any change in the composition of the Nomination Committee shall be announced as soon as possible. No fees shall be paid to the members of the Nomination Committee. Out of pocket expenses shall be reimbursed by the Company. The mandate of the committee shall be until the members of the succeeding committee have been announced.

    The Nomination Committee is to make proposals to the Annual General Meeting regarding the election of Chair of the Annual General Meeting, number of board members, Chair of the Board and other board members and remuneration to the board members. The Nomination Committee is also to make proposals regarding the Company’s auditor, remuneration to the Company’s auditor and election of members of the Nomination Committee or principles for the selection of a Nomination Committee. The Nomination Committee shall conduct an annual evaluation of this instruction and when necessary propose to amend it to the Annual General Meeting. The Nomination Committee shall otherwise carry out the tasks that, according to the Swedish Corporate Governance Code, are the responsibility of the Nomination Committee.

    Item 7 b: Appropriation of the Company’s result according to the adopted balance sheet

    The Board of Directors and the CEO propose that the amount at disposal of the Annual General Meeting, in total SEK 1,235,972,877, shall be carried forward.

    Item 12: Resolution on approval of the Board of Directors’ Remuneration Report 2024

    The Board of Directors proposes that the AGM approve the Board of Directors’ remuneration report for 2024 in accordance with Chapter 8, Section 53 a of the Swedish Companies Act.

    Item 13: The Board of Directors’ proposal regarding authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on transfer of own shares

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to authorize the Board of Directors, for the period until the next Annual General Meeting, on one or more occasions, with or without deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, to resolve on transfer of all shares of series B held by the Company at any given time. The Company holds 244,285 shares of series B at the time of the publication of this notice. Transfer may take place on Nasdaq Stockholm or otherwise. Transfer on Nasdaq Stockholm shall be made at a price per share within the registered price interval at any given time, being the interval between the highest bid and lowest ask price. Otherwise, transfer shall be made on market terms. Payment for shares shall be made in cash, in kind or by set-off.

    The purpose of the authorization for transferring own shares and the reasons for potential deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, is to give the Board of Directors the possibility to adjust the Company’s capital structure, to use repurchased shares as payment for, or financing of, acquisitions or investments in order to create increased value for the shareholders.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders with not less than 2/3 of votes cast as well as shares represented at the meeting.

    Item 14: The Board of Directors’ proposal regarding authorization for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issues of shares

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to authorize the Board of Directors, for the period until the next Annual General Meeting to resolve, on one or more occasions, with or without deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, and for payment in cash, by set-off or in kind, to issue new shares of series B up to a number that, at the time of the first resolution under this authorization, corresponds to twenty (20) per cent of the total share capital; provided however that any such issue must not result in the Company’s share capital exceeding the Company’s maximum allowed share capital as set out in the articles of association.

    A resolution in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal requires support from shareholders with not less than 2/3 of votes cast as well as shares represented at the meeting.

    Miscellaneous

    The annual report, auditor’s report, remuneration report and other documents that are to be made available in accordance with the Swedish Companies Act, are available at the Company on Nanna Svartz väg 2, 171 65, Solna, Sweden and at the Company’s website, www.karolinskadevelopment.com, no later than three weeks before the AGM, and will be sent to shareholders who so request and provide their postal address.

    The Board of Directors and the CEO shall, if requested by any shareholder and if the Board of Directors is of the opinion that it can be done without causing material harm to the Company, provide disclosures about conditions that may impact assessment of an item of business on the agenda, about conditions that may impact assessment of the Company’s or a subsidiary’s financial situation, and about the Company’s relationship with another group company.

    As per the date of this notice, there are 270,077,594 shares, representing a total of 293,074,943 votes outstanding in the Company, distributed among 2,555,261 shares of series A (with 25,552,610 votes) and 267,522,333 shares of series B (with 267,522,333 votes). As per the date of this notice, the Company holds 244,285 treasury shares of series B.

    Processing of personal data

    For information on how your personal data is processed in connection to the Annual General Meeting see the privacy policy available on Euroclear Sweden AB’s website: https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf

    Solna in April 2025
    Karolinska Development AB (publ)
    The Board of Directors

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Zero Hash Further Enhances its Leading Position as the Crypto-as-a-service provider for Brokerage Firms

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zero Hash, the leading infrastructure for stablecoins and crypto, today announced that it is one of the first in the industry to complete an independent assessment of its infrastructure against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity (“Reg SCI”) requirements. While not subject to Reg SCI, Zero Hash has taken the effort to voluntarily confirm that its systems exceed the most stringent capacity, integrity, security, resiliency, and infrastructure standards in financial markets.

    This milestone reinforces Zero Hash’s unrivaled position as the go-to infrastructure provider for the explosion of digital assets adoption among broker-dealers, asset managers, and financial institutions globally. Zero Hash powers many of the leading brokerage and neo-banks including Interactive Brokers, tastytrade, Current and MoneyLion. The rigorous third-party assessment was conducted by Schellman Compliance LLC, which verified that Zero Hash exceeds Reg SCI’s high standards and maintains industry-leading, robust, secure, and resilient systems.

    “Although Zero Hash does not deal in securities, many of our customers are overseen by the SEC. This assessment further demonstrates what sets us apart – our unwavering commitment to providing the most comprehensive, scalable, and secure solutions for our customers and end users,” said Scott Minneman, Chief Information Security Officer at Zero Hash. “We are powering the future of finance. Having Reg SCI verification further secures our position as the partner of choice for the world’s largest financial institutions embracing digital assets.”

    About Zero Hash
    Zero Hash is the leading crypto and stablecoin infrastructure provider that seamlessly connects fiat, crypto, and stablecoins in one platform, enabling a better way to move and transfer money and value globally.

    Through its embeddable infrastructure, start-ups, enterprises, and Fortune 500 companies build a diverse range of use cases, including cross-border payments, commerce, trading, remittance, payroll, tokenization, wallets, and on/off-ramps.

    Zero Hash Holdings is backed by investors, including Point72 Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and NYCA.

    Zero Hash Trust Company LLC will be established in North Carolina and hold a non-depository trust charter issued by the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks.

    Zero Hash LLC is a FinCen-registered Money Service Business and a regulated Money Transmitter that can operate in 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC are licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. In Canada, Zero Hash LLC is registered as a Money Service Business with FINTRAC.

    Zero Hash Australia Pty Ltd. is registered with AUSTRAC as a Digital Currency Exchange Provider, with DCE registered provider number DCE100804170-001. Zero Hash Australia Pty Ltd. is registered on the New Zealand register of financial service providers, with Financial Service Provider (FSP) number FSP1004503. Zero Hash Europe B.V. is registered as a Virtual Asset Services Provider (VASP) by the Dutch Central Bank (Relation number: R193684). Zero Hash Europe Sp. Zoo is registered as a VASP by the Tax Administration Chamber of Poland in Katowice (Registration number RDWW – 1212).

    Media Contacts
    Zero Hash
    Shaun O’Keeffe
    (855) 744-7333
    media@zerohash.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SUNDAY SHOWS: President Trump’s Bold Vision for Economic Prosperity

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    This morning, officials from the Trump Administration took to the networks to outline President Donald J. Trump’s reciprocal trade plan as he ends the globalist policies of economic destruction that have shipped American jobs and industries overseas at the expense of American workers.
    Here’s what you missed:
    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent on Meet the Press
    On tariffs during President Trump’s first term: “A 20% tariff on China led to a 0.7% price level increase over four years. I think that’s pretty good — if we can take in 20% in tariffs and it’s a 0.7% increase … Households saw real net wages go up, so if wages go up faster than prices — which is not what happened over the past four years.”
    On making goods in America: “We saw during COVID that [our] supply chains are not resilient … President Trump has decided that we cannot be at risk like that for our crucial medicines, for our semiconductors, for shipping.”
    Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Face the Nation
    On trade as an issue of national security: “We don’t make medicine in this country anymore. We don’t make ships. We don’t have enough steel and aluminum to fight a battle … We got to stop having all the countries of the world ripping us off.”
    On trade imbalances: “In 1980, we were a net investor, meaning we owned more of the rest of the world than they owned of us — and now, they own $18 trillion of us, net … Eventually, we’re not going to own America and we are going to be owned by the rest of the world.”
    National Economic Director Kevin Hassett on This Week
    On so-called free trade: “China entered the WTO in 2000. In the 15 years that followed, real incomes declined about $1,200 cumulatively over that time … We got the cheap goods at the grocery store, but then we had fewer jobs.”
    Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on State of the Union
    On using tariffs to level the playing field: “This whole concept is about rebuilding an American economy around American goods, around American industry … Mexico won’t take our corn. Australia won’t take our beef … It is time for a change.”
    On the EU’s refusal to take American ag exports: “They are using fake science and unsubstantiated claims to not take our products … We produce the safest, the most secure, the best food in the world.”
    On the agricultural trade deficit: “In the last four years, the cost of inputs for our farmers went up 30%. In the last four years, we had an agricultural export deficit that increased from zero when President Trump left to $49 billion.”
    Attorney General Pam Bondi on Fox News Sunday
    On lawfare: “Just since January 20th, we’ve had over 170 lawsuits filed against us. That should be the constitutional crisis right there — 50 injunctions … trying to control his executive power.”
    Senior Counselor Peter Navarro on Sunday Morning Futures
    On the need for tariffs: “It’s all these things that these foreign countries do that are designed, explicitly, to cheat us, and are sanctioned by the WTO. So, President Trump says, ‘No more’ … We’re headed towards a strong America that makes things again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa’s Strategic Diplomacy Fuels Mining Sector Growth

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 7, 2025/APO Group/ —

    African nations are leveraging strategic partnerships to attract investment and strengthen their mining sectors. As competition between Western and Eastern powers intensifies over critical minerals, Africa has emerged as a key player in global supply chains, balancing geopolitical interests while maximizing economic benefits. With global markets racing to secure resources for the energy transition and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the upcoming African Mining Week will facilitate collaboration between African governments and international stakeholders.

    U.S.–DRC Partnership to Unlock Mineral Wealth

    In March 2025, the U.S. State Department reaffirmed (https://apo-opa.co/43JPLr8) its interest in engaging with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to unlock its estimated $1.2 trillion in untapped mineral resources. Cooperation between the two countries could yield a transformative impact on the sector, with U.S. financing and technical expertise unlocking the potential of the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s largest copper producer. The U.S. has already played an active role in the financing and development of the Lobito Corridor, facilitating mineral transport and trade between the DRC, Angola, Zambia and international markets.

    EU Expands Mining, Green Energy Investments

    This month, the European Union (EU) pledged €4.7 billion (https://apo-opa.co/42q3265) to South Africa to support raw material value addition, the energy transition, local vaccine manufacturing and green hydrogen production. South Africa, home to the world’s largest deposits of platinum group metals (PGMs), will leverage this funding to enhance PGM production to meet growing demand for electrolysers used in green hydrogen applications. This follows South Africa’s $1 billion green hydrogen partnership with Denmark and the Netherlands established in 2023. Neighboring Namibia has also attracted European investment, with the EU committing €25 million to Namibia Hydrogen Fund Managers in September 2024 to propel the country’s green hydrogen sector. Meanwhile, Uganda is taking steps to develop its mining sector with the support of the EU and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, having launched the Sustainable Development of the Mining Sector project earlier this month. 

    China Strengthens its Position in African Mining

    China remains one of the largest investors in African mining, with both state-owned and private firms driving sector growth. In September 2024, China pledged $50 billion over three years for infrastructure and mineral development across the continent. Key projects in the DRC include CMOC’s $2.5 billion expansion of the Tenke Fungurume Mine and Sinohydro and China Railway’s $7 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal in copper and cobalt mining. China has also invested heavily in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector and pledged $1 billion to upgrade the Tazara Railway, improving East Africa’s mineral exports.

    Growing Global Interest in Africa’s Mining Sector

    Beyond the U.S., EU and China, countries like Canada, Australia and the UAE are ramping up mining investments in Africa. Canadian firms are expanding their footprint in West Africa’s gold sector, Australian companies are backing lithium and rare earth projects in southern Africa and the UAE is securing stakes in critical mineral supply chains through strategic joint ventures. African Mining Week, taking place October 1-3 in Cape Town, will provide a platform for African nations to engage global investors, strengthen cooperation and accelerate resource development.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025 National Multicultural Festival dates announced

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The three-day event is one of the most loved community events on the ACT calendar.

    Mark your calendars – the 2025 National Multicultural Festival will be held from 7 to 9 February 2025.

    Australia’s largest celebration of cultural diversity, the three-day event is one of the most loved community events on the ACT calendar.

    As with previous years, the festival will bring together numerous multicultural communities who share culture, history and heritage through food, art, song and dance.

    The dates were locked in by Minister for Multicultural Affairs Mick Gentleman this morning.

    You can expect a host of talented performers across the weekend, workshops and mouthwatering food stalls. And for those who wish to take part, applications for performers and stallholders will open soon.

    A favourite among locals and visitors alike, the festival provides a significant boost to the Territory’s economy.

    The attendance for the 2024 festival was the highest ever, with a total attendance of 417,359 people across the weekend, up from 380,563 in 2023.

    It also brings many people to Canberra. This year, 19,181 people visited the ACT, equating to 33,940 visitor nights and a total economic benefit of $21.2 million.

    The full program and timetable will be released closer to the date.

    Applications for showcase performance leaders for next year’s festival will open soon.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: More funding for ACT community organisations

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Additional funding will help community organisations to continue assisting Canberrans.

    A new ACT Government funding package will give a one-off financial boost to non-government health sector organisations.

    This will help community organisations that face financial pressures. These may be because of increased costs or service demand.

    The extra funding will support these organisations to deliver vital services over the next year.

    Organisations receiving funding include:

    • Arthritis ACT
    • Asthma ACT
    • Australian Breastfeeding organisation
    • Capital Region Cancer Relief
    • Companion House
    • Diabetes Australia
    • Directions Health Care
    • Epilepsy ACT
    • Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation
    • Haemophilia Foundation
    • Interchange Health Co-op
    • KidSafe ACT
    • MSI Australia
    • Palliative Care ACT
    • RSI Overuse Foundation
    • Women’s Health Matters.

    Community Assistance and Temporary Supports program

    This package also includes more funding for the Community Assistance and Temporary Supports (CATS) program.

    The program provides support for people experiencing difficulties with daily living. These could be due to a short-term health issue, illness or injury.

    Organisations included in funding for CATS include:

    • ADACAS
    • Anglicare
    • Capital Region Community Services
    • Carers ACT
    • Community Services #1
    • Life without Barriers
    • Northside Community Services.

    Chifley Health and Wellbeing Centre

    More funding will help ensure gym services to continue at the Chifley Health and Wellbeing Centre.

    The gym closed in April 2024. Since then, the government has worked to find a new service provider to ensure this valued service can continue.

    The government is speaking with the preferred providers and expects to announce a new service provider soon.

    With this funding, the new provider will be able to re-establish the service as quickly as possible.

    The ACT Government will continue to engage with the wider sector on the findings of previous reports and recommendations.

    It continues to seek better understanding of community needs, the costs involved in delivering services to the community, and the cost pressures non-government organisations face in the ACT.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Concrete firm fined by court

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    China Concrete Company Ltd today was today fined $212,000 after it carried out works at its two concrete batching plants in Yau Tong without a specified process licence and failed to comply with an air pollution abatement notice.

    The two plants, located at 20 and 22 Tung Yuen Street, were found to have contravened the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. The company pleaded guilty to 28 summonses at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court and was fined a total of $212,000.

    The Environmental Protection Department said it had made every effort to combat the plants’ illegal operations. To date, it has issued 39 summonses for criminal prosecution against the company.

    Thirty of those charges have now resulted in conviction, while the remaining nine cases of non-compliance are still in progress.

    Under new amendments to the Air Pollution Control Ordinance due to take effect on April 11, the Director of Environmental Protection will be empowered to issue closure notices to premises if the director has reasonable cause to believe that unlicensed SP operations are taking place.

    Stressing that the legal amendments have proved decisive in addressing the Tung Yuen Street plants’ illegal operations, the department said China Concrete Company Ltd had given notice that it would cease all concrete batching and related operations early this month.

    The department said that if the two plants are found to have continued conducting unlicensed operations after the legal amendments take effect, it will take stringent action in accordance with the law.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election Diary: Jim Chalmers highlights expectations of May interest rate cut – after the election

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Amid the chaos of the tariff crisis and the dark clouds internationally, there is a potential silver lining for Australian mortgage holders.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Monday pointed out that the markets were expecting several cuts in Australia’s interest rates this year, including one next month. There has been one cut so far, in February.

    “Markets are now expecting around four interest rate cuts in Australia this calendar year”, Chalmers told a news conference. There was even a “more than 50% expectation in the markets that the next Reserve Bank interest rate cut in May might be as big as 50 basis points”.

    While saying he didn’t predict or pre-empt Reserve Bank decisions, Chalmers nevertheless highlighted what the markets are expecting.

    The next meeting of the Reserve Bank is on May 19-20, so a cut would be after the May 3 election.

    Chalmers said the “whole world” was trying to get their heads around the impacts of these “bad decisions” on tariffs.

    Releasing updated Treasury modelling of the impact, Chalmers said it expected big hits to American growth and to Chinese growth, as well as a spike in American inflation.

    “We expect more manageable impacts on the Australian economy but we still do expect Australian GDP to take a hit, and we expect there to be an impact on prices here as well”.

    Chalmers stressed the uncertainty around the modelling and about the economic impacts more generally. “Clearly, a series of decisions are still to be taken around the world when it comes to how countries may or may not retaliate to the decisions taken and announced by President Trump”.

    The Treasury modelling says: “The effects on the Australian economy are expected to be modest, however, some parts of the agriculture, energy, mining and durable manufacturing sectors will be more adversely affected than others”.

    “Australia’s real GDP is estimated to decline by 0.1 per cent and inflation to increase by 0.2 percentage points in 2025 relative to a baseline scenario with no tariffs. Over the medium-term Australia’s GDP is permanently lower; while the effect on inflation is temporary.

    “The direct effects of the United States tariff changes (from bilateral trade) are expected to be small.

    “Most of Australia’s exposure to US tariffs comes from reduced demand for Australian exports from major trading partners including China, Japan, South Korea, and India.

    “The indirect effects of US tariffs on Chinese demand accounts for almost 80 per cent of the total impact on Australian GDP.”

    Government to promise $1 billion for mental health, with emphasis on youth

    Returning to Labor’s core issue of health, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday will promise $1 billion for free mental health services that would fill gaps in the system.

    This includes

    • $225 million for 31 new and upgraded Medicare Mental Health Centres

    • More than $200 million for 58 new, upgraded or expanded headspace services

    • $500 million for 20 Youth Specialist Care Centres for young people with complex needs, and

    • $90 million for more than 1,200 training places for mental health professionals and peer workers.

    The government says the new network of Youth Specialist Care Centres would ensure young people in “the missing middle” received needed specialist help. It would mean those with complex mental health needs such as personality disorders, eating disorders and early psychosis would be able to ongoing and intensive care outside hospital.

    Dog day for Dutton

    Saying you got it wrong is never harder than in an election campaign. Peter Dutton bowed to the inevitable in dropping his plan to force Canberra public servants back into the office, but fronting the media for the mea culpa on Monday was painful.

    “I have apologised for the decision we took in relation to work from home,” he said. He added, with false optimism, “Labor’s run this scare campaign and I think we bring an end to that today.”

    It wasn’t the only pain of the day for the opposition leader, who needs – to borrow his own election slogan – to get his campaign “back on track”. The message from Newspoll, the poll many Liberals take most notice of, was bad. Labor had extended its lead in a week, from 51%-49% in two-party terms to 52%-48%. This is close to the result of the 2022 election, and can only alarm the Liberal campaigners.

    Some Liberals, disappointed with the Coalition campaign so far, are recalling John Howard’s mantra: you can’t fatten the pig on market day. “There’s not much evidence the work has been done,” one says.

    As of late Monday, Dutton had still not produced the modelling for his controversial gas reservation scheme, which has made it more difficult for candidates to explain the policy to voters.

    On another front, the Liberals have also failed to do their work properly in vetting candidates. They’ve had to disendorse their candidate for the Sydney Labor seat of Whitlam, Ben Britton.

    Previously Britton had said women should be removed from combat positions in the defence force. “Their hips are being destroyed because they can’t cope with the carrying of the heavy loads and the heavy impacts that’s required for doing combat-related jobs,” he said, among other comments attacking “diversity and equity quotas” for weakening Australia’s defence.

    In previous elections, parties have had to remove candidates after previous embarrassing comments have turned up. Surely the Liberals would have learned to be scrupulous in vetting. But in the New South Wales Liberal organisation, it seems to take a long time for the messages to get through.

    .

    Michelle Grattan 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. Election Diary: Jim Chalmers highlights expectations of May interest rate cut – after the election – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-jim-chalmers-highlights-expectations-of-may-interest-rate-cut-after-the-election-253733

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council helps to deliver social change

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Council was delighted to support cultural diversity and inclusion awareness events across Southern Regional College (SRC). In an increasingly interconnected world, students at the college immersed themselves in the vibrant tapestry of cultures that enrich Northern Ireland.

    The events featured a dynamic mix of workshops, discussions and performances, all designed to showcase the rich diversity within local communities. Students had the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from the Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Community Development and Good Relations Team, Victim Support NI and the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI).

    Artsekta, an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to transforming communities through shared creative experiences, brought the essence of global cultures to life with captivating dance performances from Mexico, China and India. These performances were followed by insightful talks on the traditions and heritage of these countries. Student Celine Maria Corhea also spoke on her Romanian roots and gave fellow students an insight into her heritage.

    Victim Support NI and the PSNI addressed sensitive topics which included discrimination, prejudice and social challenges which continue to remain present within our communities. Discussions centred on how individuals can safely confront negativity and introduced students to various local support services available for those who witness or experience hate crime in their community.

    Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Councillor Sarah Duffy, said; “ABC Council is delighted to work in partnership with SRC to support their cultural diversity and inclusion events. Communities across our borough are passionate about celebrating diversity, fostering inclusivity and working towards a shared and brighter future for all and we as a council are proud to play our part.”

    Speaking on the events, Michael Availa from Victim Support NI commented; “With hate crime rising across NI, the Hate Crime Advocacy Service wants to ensure that SRC students are keenly aware of how to identify, report and seek support for hate incidents and that the community is resilient. Having worked with SRC over the last year, it is very clear that its students are ‘ahead of the curve’ on these issues and readily embrace diversity.”

    The events at SRC’s Armagh and Lurgan campuses were funded by The Executive Office District Council’s Good Relations Action Plan and delivered in partnership with Artsekta, Victim Support, PCSP, the Community Development and Good Relations Team and SRC.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Diamond Equity Research Initiates Coverage on Almonty Industries, Inc. (TSX: AII) (ASX: AII) (FWB: ALI) (OTCQX: ALMTF)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, NY, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diamond Equity Research, a leading equity research firm with a focus on small capitalization public companies has initiated coverage of Almonty Industries, Inc. (TSX: AII) (ASX: AII) (FWB: ALI) (OTCQX: ALMTF). The in-depth 49-page initiation report includes detailed information on the Almonty Industries’ business model, services, industry overview, financials, valuation, management profile, and risks. 

    The full research report is available below.

    Almonty Industries Inc. Initiation of Coverage

    Highlights from the report include:

    • Sangdong Mine Potentially Set to Become the World’s Largest Non-Chinese Tungsten Source: Almonty’s flagship Sangdong Mine in South Korea is poised to transform the global tungsten landscape, with projected output exceeding 40% of non-China supply and 5% of global supply by 2027. In our view, Sangdong is not just Almonty’s crown jewel, but also a cornerstone asset for rebuilding Western tungsten supply chains, given its expected 90+ year mine life and strong by-product upside potential from molybdenum.
    • High-Grade Molybdenum Asset Adds Material Upside from Late 2026: Located just below Sangdong’s skarn horizons, the AKM Molybdenum Project adds meaningful diversification. The project has a maiden inferred resource of 21.5 Mt @ 0.26% MoS₂ and is fully permitted within the existing Sangdong mining lease. A $19/lb floor-price offtake agreement with SeAH M&S de-risks the development and ensures predictable cash flows. Production is targeted for late 2026/early 2027, with an anticipated 60-year mine life based on historical government data.
    • Strong and Visible Cash Flow Backed by Long-Term Contracts: Almonty has secured a 15-year offtake agreement with a floor price of US$235 per MTU, equating to approximately US$580 million in guaranteed revenue over the contract life. This agreement, with no price cap, provides exceptional cash flow visibility and allows Almonty to benefit fully from market upside. The contract emphasizes the credibility of Sangdong as a reliable source of high-grade tungsten and reflects deep buyer confidence in Almonty’s long-term delivery capabilities and quality of asset.
    • Resilient Tungsten and Molybdenum Outlook Driven by Structural Supply Shortages and Rising Strategic Demand: Tungsten and molybdenum markets are experiencing sustained upward pricing pressure due to structural supply constraints, geopolitical export restrictions, and robust industrial demand. Tungsten prices have rebounded strongly, with APT reaching near-decade highs. Similarly, molybdenum prices surged to historical peaks ($40/lb in early 2023) due to critically low global inventories and supply disruptions. Given limited substitution possibilities, rising applications in defense, aerospace, infrastructure, and clean energy technologies, we believe these market dynamics could support elevated tungsten and molybdenum prices, benefiting producers like Almonty.
    • Critical Material Status, Export Bans, and NATO Mandates Drive Demand Shift: Tungsten has been designated a critical raw material by the U.S., EU, Australia, Canada, and South Korea due to its high economic importance and supply risk. The U.S. Department of Defense will ban Chinese, Russian, North Korean, and Iranian tungsten for military procurement starting in 2027, while the EU has extended anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese tungsten carbide. Almonty’s Portuguese material is already commanding premiums of over 15% as Western buyers prioritize ESG-aligned sources. China’s own export controls on tungsten and molybdenum, effective February 2025, further restrict global access. In our view, these developments create a powerful structural tailwind for Western-aligned producers like Almonty.
    • Proven Operational Track Record and Industry Trust Anchor the Business Model: Almonty has a 128-year history in tungsten mining and previously sold operations for 21x earnings during the 2007 supply squeeze. Its Panasqueira Mine in Portugal has been producing for over a century, while the Los Santos Mine is scheduled to restart in 2026. Management has consistently met all development milestones, raised AUD 18.45 million in 2024, and continues to co-invest alongside shareholders. We view this track record as a major differentiator, supporting the company’s ability to win contracts, secure financing, and execute on scale.
    • Valuation: Almonty Inc. presents a unique investment opportunity, offering exposure to a portfolio of high-grade tungsten and molybdenum assets with clear near-term production visibility. Key upcoming milestones, including the commencement of production at the Sangdong tungsten and molybdenum projects, downstream processing initiatives, and the Panasqueira expansion opportunity, are expected to potentially drive meaningful growth in revenues and profitability. Furthermore, the company operates in a low-risk, transparent jurisdiction and has secured long-term offtake agreements with global partners, providing additional stability and cash flow visibility. We have applied a Net Present Value (NPV) valuation using a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) approach, incorporating expected production volumes, life-of-mine estimates, throughput capacities, ore grades, recovery rates, and commodity price forecasts. Using an 8% discount rate, we arrive at a valuation of C$4.00 per share, contingent on successful execution by the company.

    About Almonty Industries, Inc.  

    Almonty Industries Inc. is a global leader in tungsten mining, with strategically positioned assets in geopolitically stable regions including South Korea, Portugal, and Spain. The company is set to become the largest tungsten producer outside China upon the commissioning of its flagship Sangdong Mine. 

    About Diamond Equity Research

    Diamond Equity Research is a leading equity research and corporate access firm focused on small capitalization companies. Diamond Equity Research is an approved sell-side provider on major institutional investor platforms.

    For more information, visit https://www.diamondequityresearch.com.

    Disclosures:

    Diamond Equity Research LLC is being compensated by Almonty Industries, Inc. for producing research materials regarding Almonty Industries, Inc. and its securities, which is meant to subsidize the high cost of creating the report and monitoring the security, however the views in the report reflect that of Diamond Equity Research. All payments are received upfront and are billed for research engagement. As of 04/07/25 the issuer had paid us $50,000 for our company sponsored research services, which commenced 03/07/2025 and is billed annually. Diamond Equity Research LLC may be compensated for non-research related services, including presenting at Diamond Equity Research investment conferences, press releases and other additional services. The non-research related service cost is dependent on the company, but usually do not exceed $5,000. The issuer has not paid us for non-research related services as of 04/07/2025. Issuers are not required to engage us for these additional services. Additional fees may have accrued since then. Although Diamond Equity Research company sponsored reports are based on publicly available information and although no investment recommendations are made within our company sponsored research reports, given the small capitalization nature of the companies we cover we have adopted an internal trading procedure around the public companies by whom we are engaged, with investors able to find such policy on our website public disclosures page. This report and press release do not consider individual circumstances and does not take into consideration individual investor preferences. Statements within this report may constitute forward-looking statements, these statements involve many risk factors and general uncertainties around the business, industry, and macroeconomic environment. Investors need to be aware of the high degree of risk in small capitalization equities, including the complete loss of their investment. This report does not explicitly or implicitly affirm that the information contained within this document is accurate and/or comprehensive, and as such should not be relied on in such a capacity. All information contained within this report is subject to change without any formal or other notice provided. Investors can find various risk factors in the initiation report and in the respective financial filings for Almonty Industries, Inc. Please review initiation report attached for full disclosure page.  

    Contact:
    Diamond Equity Research
    research@diamondequityresearch.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Six pre-sale consents issued in Q1

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Lands Department issued six pre-sale consents for residential and non-residential developments in the first quarter of this year.

    Among these, five were issued for residential developments, involving a total of 2,749 residential units.

    Three of the projects are expected to be completed next year. Two of these are phases of developments – specifically a phase in Chai Wan comprising 592 units, and another in Tin Shui Wai involving 525 units. The third project, in Sha Tin, covers 240 units.   

    A development in Yau Tong involving 748 units, and another in Fanling comprising 644 units, are expected to be completed in 2027.

    The remaining pre-sale consent is in relation to a non-residential development.

    At the end of last month, 21 applications for pre-sale consent for residential developments, comprising a total of 7,090 residential units, were being processed.

    In addition, the department was handling 11 applications for consent to assign, involving 3,436 residential units and four non-residential units.

    Three applications for pre-sale consent for non-residential developments were also being processed.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: More EV chargers on the way

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Recently installed chargers are making electric vehicle charging more accessible.

    A new round of ACT Government grants will fund the delivery of 39 more electric vehicle chargers (EV) across the city by 2025.

    Installing more public chargers will support the ACT’s efforts to electrify Canberra’s transport system. It will help reach the ACT Government’s goal of 180 public EV chargers by 2025.

    Providing more DC fast chargers will plug gaps in Canberra’s existing charger network. Having a good mix of DC fast chargers and slower AC chargers means that people can charge in a way that suits their needs. This includes charging quickly when needed or using an AC charger for longer visits like work, school, or sport.

    The 39 chargers will be installed in places where Canberrans and visitors need them most, including:

    • near tourist hot spots
    • shopping centres
    • high-density residential areas.

    New chargers for ANU and Marketplace Gungahlin

    Three new DC fast chargers have been installed at ANU and Marketplace Gungahlin respectively to help make charging more accessible.

    Each set of three chargers are 150kW and can charge six vehicles at once. They are close to nearby apartments and employment hubs.

    People who live in apartments and townhouses have extra barriers to installing home chargers. This is why the ACT Government is prioritising putting public chargers in areas of high-density housing.

    The government will also work with grant recipients to deliver charging bays in priority locations that will be accessible to EV drivers with mobility issues.

    “It’s important to place EV charging infrastructure in convenient locations where people want to go, be it a university, shopping centre, tourism destination or somewhere they visit as part of their daily routine,” Greg Schumann, ENGIE ANZ Director of Green Mobility said.

    A growing network of chargers

    The successful providers for the first projects to be supported by this new funding are ActewAGL, BP, ENGIE and EVIE.

    “We’re committed to keeping Australian EV drivers charged up, by rolling out a national network of bp pulse charge points,” Frédéric Baudry, President bp Australia and Senior Vice President Mobility, Convenience, & Midstream, Asia Pacific said.

    “We know that the ACT is home to more EV drivers than anywhere else in Australia, and with the support of the ACT Government, we’ll be bringing the best of our charging and convenience offers to these drivers on the go when they visit bp.”

    There are currently 156 public EV charging stations operating across the ACT. 39 public EV chargers with 65 charging bays* have been delivered through previous government funding. A further 21 chargers are still to be delivered under the previous grant round by the end of 2024.

    Find more information on the Public EV Charging Infrastructure Fund visit the Everyday Climate Choices website.

    A map of public charging stations in the ACT, and across Australia, is available at www.plugshare.com.

    * This figure is an indication of the number of future chargers as of May 2024. The number and location of future chargers supported by government funding is subject to change.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Pope Francis participates in the Jubilee of the sick: God does not leave us alone, we can turn to him and entrust our pain to him

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Sunday, 6 April 2025

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “Happy Sunday to everyone. Thank you very much”. In St. Peter’s Square, the voice of Pope Francis echoes once again, as this morning he decided to take part in the Jubilee of the sick and the world of healthcare.Before unexpectedly appearing before the multitude that crowded St. Peter’s Square for the mass, the Bishop of Rome received the sacrament of confession in the Vatican Basilica, gathered in prayer and passed through the Holy Door.Then he went out into the square: a long applause greeted the Pontiff, who arrived in the churchyard in a wheelchair. The greeting was followed by the blessing at the end of the mass that concluded the seventh of the great events of the Jubilee of Hope.The liturgical Celebration was presided over by Archbishop Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World), who read the Pope’s homily prepared for the occasion.Commenting on the readings proposed by the liturgy of the V Sunday of Lent, the Pontiff underlined how “the dramatic and moving stories” taken from the book of Isaiah and the Gospel of John (i.e. the words that God addresses to Israel in exile in Babylon and the forgiveness of the adulteress by Jesus), invite us “today to renew our trust in God, who is ever near to us and ready to save us. No situation of exile, no violence, no sin, no fact of life can prevent him from standing at our door and knocking, ready to enter as soon as we open to him. Indeed, it is precisely when the trials become more difficult that his grace and love embrace us all the more in order to raise us up”.And “illness”, wrote the Pontiff in his homily, “is certainly one of the harshest and most difficult of life’s trials, when we experience in our own flesh our common human frailty. It can make us feel like the people in exile, or like the woman in the Gospel: deprived of hope for the future. Yet that is not the case. Even in these times, God does not leave us alone. By becoming man, he knows what it is to suffer. Therefore, we can turn to him and entrust our pain to him, certain that we will encounter compassion, closeness and tenderness”.But not only that. “In his faithful love, the Lord invites us in turn to become “angels” for one another, messengers of his presence, to the point where the sickbed can become a “holy place” of salvation and redemption, both for the sick and for those who care for them”, added the Bishop of Rome.Addressing doctors, nurses and all health care workers, the Pope added: “in caring for your patients, especially the most vulnerable among them, the Lord constantly affords you an opportunity to renew your lives through gratitude, mercy, and hope. He calls you to realize with humility that nothing in life is to be taken for granted and that everything is a gift from God; to enrich your lives with the sense of humanity we experience when, beyond appearances, only the things that matter remain: the small and great signs of love. Allow the presence of the sick to enter your lives as a gift, to heal your hearts, to purify them of all that is not charity, and to warm them with the ardent and gentle fire of compassion”.”I have much in common with you at this time of my life,” continued Archbishop Fisichella reading the Pontiff’s homily, “dear brothers and sisters who are sick: the experience of illness, of weakness, of having to depend on others in so many things, and of needing their support. This is not always easy, but it is a school in which we learn each day to love and to let ourselves be loved, without being demanding or pushing back, without regrets and without despair, but rather with gratitude to God and to our brothers and sisters for the kindness we receive, looking towards the future with acceptance and trust”.”The hospital room and the sickbed can also be places where we hear the voice of the Lord and in this way, we renew and strengthen our faith,” we read further in the text, which the Pope concluded with a quote from Benedict XVI, a Pontiff, Pope Francis emphasized, “who gave us a beautiful testimony of serenity in the time of his illness — wrote that, “the true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering” and that “a society unable to accept its suffering members… is a cruel and inhuman society”. “It is true: facing suffering together makes us more human, and the ability to share the pain of others is an important step forward in any journey of holiness,” the Pontiff concluded.At midday, the Holy See Press Office then released the text, in written form only, of the Angelus, where the Bishop of Rome remarked: “As during my hospitalization, even now in my convalescence I feel the “finger of God” and experience His caring touch. On the day of the Jubilee of the sick and the world of healthcare, I ask the Lord that this touch of His love may reach those who suffer and encourage those who care for them”.Then the prayer for doctors, nurses and health workers, “who are not always helped to work in adequate conditions and are sometimes even victims of aggression. Their mission is not easy and must be supported and respected. I hope that the necessary resources will be invested in treatment and research, so that health systems are inclusive and attentive to the most fragile and the poorest”.Finally, the appeal for peace “in the tormented Ukraine, stricken by attacks that are claiming many civilian victims, including a lot of children”. The same, the Pope added, “is happening in Gaza, where people are reduced to living in unimaginable conditions, without shelter, without food, without clean water. May the weapons be silenced and dialogue resumed; may all the hostages be freed and aid brought to the population. Let us pray for peace throughout the Middle East; in Sudan and South Sudan; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Myanmar, hard hit by the earthquake; and in Haiti, where violence rages, and two religious sisters were killed a few days ago”. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 6/4/2025)
    Vatican Media

    Vatican Media

    Vatican Media

    Vatican Media

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/MYANMAR – Humanitarian aid to the homeless becomes an opportunity for dialogue and prayer

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Archdiocese of Mandalay

    Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) – The homeless in Mandalay and Sagaing are exposed to heavy rain and strong winds. These weather events are making life difficult for the thousands of people camping on the streets. According to rescue teams such as the Mandalay Catholic Emergency Rescue Team of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, the rain and wind are putting additional strain on those living in makeshift tents on the streets. Meanwhile, the electricity grid has also been affected by the heavy rains in the country, resulting in numerous outages. Archbishop Marco Tin Win, the priests of the archdiocese, and the religious in Mandalay are sharing the daily lives of the refugees, sleeping outdoors in makeshift tents. Catholic Joseph Kung tells Fides: “The urgent work now is to care for and assist those who have found themselves on the streets. The death toll seems to be almost complete. Among the homeless, who need drinking water and food, there is now a risk of diarrhea, respiratory, and skin diseases due to poor hygienic conditions.”The team of Catholic volunteers is collecting donations and distributing relief items such as food, water, medicine, emergency shelter, and hygiene items to the homeless. “The grounds of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mandalay, which was damaged by the earthquake, have become a refuge for the earthquake victims, regardless of ethnicity or religion: they are Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus, and the parishioners have worked hard to alleviate the suffering of the victims,” Father Peter Kyi Maung, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, tells Fides.Volunteers went to bring humanitarian aid to Sagaing, along with Archbishop Tin Win, who is constantly travelling, offering comfort and speaking and praying with the displaced and sick. “This suffering has also become an opportunity for profound interreligious dialogue, as the majority of the affected population is Buddhist,” reports Father Peter.In the future, it is said, specific aid for the reconstruction of churches and pastoral buildings will be essential. The archdiocese is in the process of completing its damage assessment. The damage affects the rectory in Mandalay, the archbishop’s residence, the St. John Paul Educational Institute, the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mandalay (whose the bell tower is severely damaged), and the churches of St. Francis Xavier, St. John, and St. Michael in Mandalay. St. Michael’s Church (in Thanwin Township), St. Joseph’s Church (in Lafon), Our Lady of Loudes Church (in Yamethin), St. Vincent de Paul Church (in Zawgyi), as well as the Mother Teresa Home for the Sick, the intermediate Seminary in Mandalay, and the minor Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin. Given the situation on the ground, the episcopal ordination ceremony of Bishop Augustine Thang Zawm Hung, who is to be consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of Mindat in neighboring Chin State, cannot take place in Mandalay as planned and will take place on April 27 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon.Given this dramatic situation, “a ceasefire is all the more necessary,” says Fr. John Aung Htoi. “We respect the young generation who have lost their lives fighting against the military junta over the past four years and understand their reluctance. But in the current situation, I believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is essential for the good of the country.” “As a Catholic community in Myanmar,” the priest continued, “we urgently call for a ceasefire after such a natural disaster. I believe that the dignity of any organization will not be damaged by efforts to stop the war and care for so many people in need. It is necessary to begin with a ceasefire that paves the way for peace and allows everyone to participate in the reconstruction of the country.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 7/4/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Australia card payments market to grow at 6.3% in 2025, forecasts GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Australia card payments market to grow at 6.3% in 2025, forecasts GlobalData

    Posted in Banking

    The Australian card payments market is projected to reach AUD1.1 trillion ($726.4 billion) in 2025e, growing at 6.3% compared to the previous year. This growth is driven by the rising consumer spending and increasing consumer preference for cashless transactions, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s report, “Australia Cards and Payments: Opportunities and Risks to 2028,” reveals that card payment value in Australia registered a growth of 7.2% in 2024, supported by nearly 100% banked population and strong payment acceptance infrastructure. The value grew further to register an estimated growth of 6.3% in 2025 to reach AUD1.1 trillion ($726.4 billion).

    Poornima Chinta, Senior Banking and Payments Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Australia’s payment card market is well developed with each individual holding over two cards along with the highest frequency of card payments in the Asia-Pacific region, which stands at 238 in 2024. Widespread adoption of contactless payments, growing preference for electronic payments, and the burgeoning ecommerce market are all contributing to this growth.

    A well-developed payment infrastructure, with strong POS terminal uptake, is also a major driver for the rise in card payments. The number of POS terminals per one million inhabitants in Australia rose from 36,012 in 2020 to 40,046 in 2025. In addition to the traditional POS terminals, companies are offering POS solutions designed to target SMEs. For instance, Fiserv launched its Clover POS solution in March 2025, specially targeting SMEs operating in the hospitality, service, and retail sectors.

    Debit card payments held a significant share of the total card payments market, accounting for 58.9% in the total payment value in 2024. The growing popularity of debit cards can be attributed to their convenience and the increasing consumer inclination towards budgeting and managing expense.

    Credit and charge cards, on the other hand, accounted for the remaining 41.1% share in value in 2024. Consumer reluctance towards taking credit-card debt and the growing uptake of BNPL solutions such as Afterpay and Klarna are posing a threat to the credit and charge card market.

    Contactless cards are also widely used in Australia with strong penetration and awareness. Australian consumers and financial institutions alike have embraced the technology, with extensive acceptance infrastructure in the country being the major reason why these cards are so popular.

    According to GlobalData’s 2024 Financial Services Consumer Survey*, 77% of the respondents in Australia indicated having access to a contactless card and used it for payments.

    Chinta concludes: “The Australian card payments market is expected to continue its upward growth trajectory driven by the convenience of electronic payments, widespread payment infrastructure, and the increased accessibility of contactless technology. The card payments market is anticipated to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% between 2025 and 2029 to reach AUD1.4 trillion ($924.4 billion) in 2029.”

    *GlobalData’s 2024 Financial Services Consumer Survey was carried out in Q2 2024. Approximately 67,292 respondents aged 18+ were surveyed across 41 countries.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Crime series – Lajamanu

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information in relation to a crime series that occurred in Lajamanu overnight.

    Around 9:10pm yesterday evening, police received reports of multiple armed youths throwing rocks and hitting buildings with bars at a worker’s camp in Lajamanu.

    Across the next few hours, the youths returned multiple times, allegedly unlawfully entering compound buildings and causing damage, each time fleeing prior to police arrival.

    Around 5am this morning, police were notified that several male youths had entered the yard of the clinic and stolen an ambulance, which they used to ram through the compound gates and flee the area. The clinic had also allegedly been burgled prior to the ambulance being stolen.

    It is alleged there were several youths in the ambulance when it left Lajamanu, and additional youths were subsequently picked up as it travelled through Kalkarindji.

    The stolen ambulance travelled across the Western Australian border, where it allegedly rammed two WA Police vehicles in Halls Creek. Fortunately, no WA Police member was injured, but the police vehicles did sustain damage.

    The ambulance was subsequently located abandoned in Halls Creek, and five youths are currently in WA Police custody.

    Investigations remain ongoing and police urge anyone with information to contact police on 131 444 or attend your local police station. Anonymous reports can also be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti

    Source: Government of India

    Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti

    A Journey of Women Empowerment and Child Care

    Posted On: 07 APR 2025 4:13PM by PIB Delhi

    ­­­­Introduction

    Government’s sustained initiatives on education, skilling and employment of women have resulted in increased opportunities for their employment, and more and more women are now in gainful employment, working within or outside their homes. Past few decades have shown a rapid increase in nuclear families. Thus, the children of such working women, who were earlier getting support from joint families while they were at work, are now in need of day care services which have to provide quality care and protection for the children. Lack of proper day-care services is, often, a deterrent for women to go out and work. To address these difficulties faced by the working mothers in giving due child care and protection to their children, day-care crèche facilities are being provided through Palna Scheme. Crèche services formalise the child care responsibilities hitherto considered as part of domestic work. Formalization of care work supports the “decent work campaign” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent work and economic growth. This will also enable more mothers, who will be free from unpaid child-care responsibilities, to take up gainful employment.

    In 2022, erstwhile National Creche Scheme was reorganized and renamed as Palna Scheme under the sub scheme ‘Samarthya’ of ‘Mission Shakti’.  Palna is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme ensuring the participation of State/ UT government to ensure better day-to-day monitoring and proper implementation of scheme, and is implemented with a funding ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State Governments and UTs with legislature except North East & Special Category States where ratio is 90:10. For UTs without legislature, 100% funding is provided by the central government.

    Region

    Centre’s Share

    State/UT Share

    General States

    60%

    40%

    North-Eastern and Special Category States

    90%

    10%

    UTs with Legislature

    60%

    40%

    UTs without Legislature

    100%

    0%

     

    Objectives of the Palna Scheme

    The objective of the Palna scheme is to provide quality crèche facility in safe and secure environment for children (from ages 6 months – 6 years), nutritional support, health and cognitive development of children, growth monitoring & immunization. Crèche facilities under Palna are provided to all mothers, irrespective of their employment status.

    Apart from the aforementioned primary objective, another objective of the component would involve monitoring compliance of the stipulations laid down in Section 11A of the Maternity Benefit Act regarding setting up of crèche facilities by the establishments. For this purpose, the States/UTs would explore the possibility of hosting an application/portal in convergence with the Labour & Employment Departments of their respective States/UTs for facilitating establishments to register on the portal and furnish details in respect of the crèches set up in accordance with the Act.

    Integrated Package of Services under Palna

    The Palna component under the Mission Shakti scheme aims to deliver a comprehensive set of services to children aged 6 months to 6 years. These services are designed to support early childhood care, development, and nutrition in convergence with Mission Poshan 2.0.

    Key services include:

    • Day care facilities, including sleeping arrangements
    • Early stimulation activities for children below 3 years
    • Pre-school education for children aged 3 to 6 years
    • Supplementary nutrition, sourced locally
    • Growth monitoring, health check-ups, and immunization support

     

    As part of enhancing access to childcare facilities, the Ministry of Labour & Employment has amended the Maternity Benefit Act to mandate all establishments with 50 or more employees to provide a crèche facility.

    Anganwadi cum Crèche (AWCC)

    There are two types of Crèches under Palna: Standalone Crèches and Anganwadi-cum-Crèches (AWCCs). As per Mission Shakti guidelines, for Standalone Creches, there is a provision of one Creche Worker and one Creche Helper. Similarly, for AWCCs, in addition to the already existing Anganwadi Worker and Anganwadi Helper, a provision for a Creche Helper and a Creche Worker has been made in Mission Shakti Guidelines. Anganwadi centres are the world’s largest childcare institutions dedicated to providing essential care and support to children ensuring delivery of care facilities till the last mile. Anganwadi cum Crèche initiative aims to increase ‘women work force participation’ in the economy. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is targeting to establish 17,000 new Anganwadi cum creches under the Palna Scheme in 2024-25. As of March 2025, 11,395 AWCCs across 34 States/UTs have been approved, as per proposals received from various States and UTs.

    Crèche Workers under supervision of Anganwadi worker do proper care and safety of children attending the Creche:

    • Provide proper arrangements for sleep and rest of children.
    • Ensure personal hygiene and Creche helper keep personal hygiene of every child and keep washrooms clean, help for toilet training.
    • Inculcate proper toilet habits and toilet training.
    • Facilitate regular health check-ups and referrals in liaison with Asha/AWWs/Primary Health Centre (PHC)/AWC.
    • Ensure that the food is hygienically and age appropriately cooked, stored/preserved and fed to the children at appropriate intervals.
    • Follow all laid out safety procedures for taking/handing over the child and w.r.t. quality of toys and other materials given to the children.

    The Anganwadi Cum creche scheme shall be implemented with the intra-ministerial convergence specially with Integrated Child Development Services and Poshan. It complies with legislations under Labour Laws as well as Maternity Benefits Act. As of February 2025, 1,761 AWCCs are operational with 28,783 current beneficiaries.  Besides this, 1,284 Standalone Creches are also operational across the country with 23,368 current beneficiaries.

     

    Creche Operation under Palna Scheme

    The Mission Shakti Guidelines state that the crèche timings need to be flexible depending on the local requirements. Crèches shall be open for 26 days in a month and for seven and half (7.5) hours per day as per the work schedule of majority of the mothers in the area. The Standard Operating Procedures for AWCCs also state that the Creche timings may be decided by State/ UT governments as per local need, however, it has to be ensured that timing should facilitate working mothers.

    The Creche Workers and Creche Helpers under Palna are honorary workers. There is no provision of salary or wages to the Creche Workers or Creche Helpers. However, the scheme guidelines have provision for grant of honorarium to Creche Workers and Creche Helpers. The amount of honorarium is governed through the type of Creche, and is detailed as below:

     

    Type of Creche

    Creche Worker

    Creche Helper

    Standalone Creche

    Rs. 6,500

    Rs. 3,250

    AWCC

    Rs. 5,500

    Rs. 3,000

     

    Palna as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme is implemented through the respective State/ UT Government. The respective States/ UTs may provide additional amount of honorarium to Creche Worker/ Helpers, as a Top-Up from their own funds. There is no bar or restriction from the Central Government about this.

     

    The funds allocated and released under Palna scheme since its introduction, are detailed as under:

                            (Amount in Crores)

    Financial Year

    2022-23

    2023-24

    2024-25

    Amount Allocated

    35

    85

    150.11

    Amount Released

    4.68

    64.15

    43.66*

                                                                                                                                         *Data as on December 19, 2024

     

    To maintain quality care and individualized attention, each crèche is ideally limited to a maximum of 25 children. To ensure ease of access and continued breastfeeding for infants, crèches must be situated close to either the:

    • Residential areas of the children
    • Workplaces of the mothers (preferably within 0.5–1 km walking distance)

    This proximity supports parental engagement and provides convenience in emergencies or regular pick-up and drop-off.

    Conclusion

     

    By providing a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment for children aged 6 months to 6 years, the Palna scheme ensures that children receive holistic care, nutrition, education, and health services. With convergence across key ministries and flexibility to adapt to local needs, Palna strengthens the foundation for a healthier, more inclusive, and gender-sensitive society.

    References

    https://wcdhry.gov.in/gallery/haryana-creche/

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2100650

    https://missionshakti.wcd.gov.in/statisticsPalna

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1989473

    https://wcd.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/WCD/universal-tab/palna_scheme_under_mission_shakti.pdf

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2115235

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/183/AU4233_BcWNDn.pdf?source=pqals

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/184/AU3455_1Tt0mw.pdf?source=pqals

    https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2024/mar/doc202435319501.pdf

    https://missionshakti.wcd.gov.in/public/documents/whatsnew/Approved_AWCC_Sop.pdf

    https://wcd.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/WCD/universal-tab/palna_scheme_under_mission_shakti.pdf

    ****

    Santosh Kumar | Sarla Meena | Rishita Aggarwal

    (Release ID: 2119769) Visitor Counter : 62

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Chinese Culture Festival 2025 to be held June to September to unveil millennia-old Chinese culture through fusion of art and literature (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Chinese Culture Festival 2025 to be held June to September to unveil millennia-old Chinese culture through fusion of art and literature  
    The CCF is now in its second edition. The opening programme, “Dongpo: Life in Poems” by the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, is directed by internationally acclaimed choreographer and visual artist Shen Wei. The production is an innovative work that integrates traditional Chinese poetic culture with contemporary artistic language and arts appreciation concepts. It blends modern dance with various traditional Chinese culture elements, such as poetry writing, traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, seal engraving and guqin, which delicately deconstructs the thoughts and emotions in the poetic works by Su Dongpo, a literary master in the Song dynasty, thereby initiating an artistic dialogue spanning thousands of years. The programme is sponsored by the Agricultural Bank of China Limited Hong Kong Branch.
     
    As a core part of the CCF, this year’s Chinese Opera Festival (COF) features six quality programmes covering Peking opera, Yuediao opera, Qinqiang opera, Yue opera, Cantonese opera and Kunqu opera. The COF will start off with the China National Peking Opera Company’s new historical Peking opera, “Cession for Consolidation of the Song Regime”. Set during the late Five Dynasties and Ten-Kingdoms period, it tells the story of Qian Chu, the King of Wuyue, honouring the rightful rule of the Song reign by voluntarily submitting his territory. The production conveys the profound themes of valuing people, pursuing peace and stability, and strengthening the communal spirit of Chinese national identity. Furthermore, there will be fantastic shows from a number of renowned art groups and artists, including the Henan Provincial Yue Diao Art Protection and Inheritance Center, the Xi’an Performing Arts Group’s Youth Experimental Troupe of Qinqiang Opera, the Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe of Shaoxing and the Zhejiang Jingkun Art Center (Kun Opera Troupe). The performances will feature winners of the China Theatre Plum Blossom Award such as renowned Peking opera artists Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu, Yuediao opera inheritor Shen Xiaomei, Qinqiang artists Dou Fengqin, Tan Jianxun, Qu Qiaozhe, Wang Xincang, Qi Aiyun and Zhang Tao, as well as acclaimed Yue opera performers Wu Fenghua, Wu Suying and Chen Fei.
     
    The COF this year also features classic plays inspired by the “Romance of Three Kingdoms”, one of the four great classic novels of Chinese literature. With virtuoso Yuen Siu-fai as artistic director, the Cantonese opera plays “Zhou Yu Thrice Humiliated” and “The Battle at Changbanpo” bring together some of the finest local Cantonese opera talent across three generations to perform. The Peking opera classic “A Meeting of Heroes, Invoking the East Wind and The Huarong Pass”, the Yuediao epic historical drama “Jiang Wei Surrenders” and Qinqiang classic piece “Returning to Jingzhou” will also be staged, bringing opera fans back to the Three Kingdoms era of fierce rivalry. The COF will also present an array of free extension activities such as meet-the-artists sessions, masterclasses, talks, a backstage tour, a demonstration performance and an exhibition so that interested parties can gain a deeper understanding of Chinese opera culture.
     
    More on literary and art, “the City under the Moon – Dance Drama ‘Azure After the Rain’” by the Shanghai Dance Theatre highlights the resilient spirit and sentiments of the famous Song dynasty poetess, Li Qingzhao, and her contributions to the inheritance of Chinese literary classics from a contemporary perspective. By blending music, dance and stage art, the dance drama creates the aesthetics of the Song dynasty and its life of the literati, and resonates with today’s audiences through traditional Chinese culture. The original Chinese dance drama, “A Dream of Red Mansions”, by the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts is another production that upholds principles and innovation. Its plot centres around the love triangle between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, and restructures the storylines from the perspective of the 12 Beauties of Jinling, paying homage to fine traditional Chinese culture while rekindling the national classic with views from the young generation. The programme is jointly presented by the LCSD and the Bauhinia Culture Group. These two programmes are also programmes of the “Chinese Performing Arts Hong Kong Season” Series.
     
    China was the first country in the world to grow and produce tea. In 2022, “traditional Chinese tea-making techniques and related customs” was inscribed onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This year’s CCF features a “Tea Culture” series, with the “Tan Dun WE-Festival”, curated by Hong Kong’s Ambassador for Cultural Promotion, internationally renowned composer and conductor, Tan Dun, as one of the pre-festival programmes. In addition to the Tan Dun | “Tea: A Mirror of Soul” by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, there are also performances of dialogues between traditional and modern percussion, as well as ancient Dunhuang music and dances, which include “Xiangxi Tujia Women’s Daliuzi & Hong Kong Women’s Percussion Ensemble” (the world premiere of “TEA-liuzi”) and “Lost Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Manuscripts: ‘The Vanishing Mogao Caves’”. These performances enable music lovers to appreciate the charm of tea, while telling the good story of China’s intangible cultural heritage in the new era. The “Tea Culture” series also includes other stage performance, exhibitions, talks and demonstrations.
     
    The City in Focus of this year’s CCF is Xi’an, a capital of 13 ancient dynasties with profound cultural heritage. It has preserved a large number of precious historical and cultural relics from the Qin, Han, Tang and other dynasties. The CCF brings to Hong Kong a representative opera genre of the region, Qinqiang, with the Xi’an Performing Arts Group’s Youth Experimental Troupe of Qinqiang Opera presenting the classic piece “Zhou Ren on the Way Home”, which conveys the spirit of loyalty and righteousness with its wide vocal range and resounding tones. Other programmes include “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Great Unity – Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province” exhibition jointly organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, showcasing invaluable archaeological relics; the Acrobatic Ballet “Swan Lake” by the Xi’an Acrobatic Troupe jointly presented by the LCSD and the Bauhinia Culture Group; and “Xi’an Guyue” music exhibitions by the Music Office of the LCSD, which all reveal Xi’an’s culture to the audience and foster cultural exchange.
     
    This year’s CCF continues to collaborate with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Hong Kong Member Association to organise a number of stage performances, including the stage play in Cantonese “Tea-horse Road‧Ballad of the Fallen Dragon” under the “Tea Culture” series; “Ancient Styles‧Modern Chants Classical Literature x Contemporary Dance”; “Melodies of Chinese Poetry” concert; “Taisheng and Huayin Lao Qiang: Big Uncle, Second Uncle are All His Uncles” concert, and “Classics Revisited – Highlights of Peking Opera and Kunqu”. All these demonstrate the power of unity of the local cultural sector, as well as their solid competence and boundless creativity in promoting Chinese culture. The “Legacy and Vision: Conversations with Chinese Cultural Masters” lecture series also returns, featuring top experts from various culture and artistic fields to share their insights. Meanwhile, outstanding local works recognised by the China National Arts Fund will be staged in the CCF, such as the Cantonese Music Assembly’s “Cantonese Rhyme, Poetic Homeland – Sentiment of Chinese Music in the Greater Bay Area by Ricky Yeung Wai-kit & Sha Jingshan” recital, Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble’s Museum Series: “The Sounds from Cultural Relics” and Miranda Chin Dance Company’s “Hé The Rite of Spring”.
     
    The CCF promotes high-quality provincial and local stage productions. Among them is the “Ancient Chinese Puppetry with Timeless Charm” by the Quanzhou Marionette Show Inheritance and Protection Center from Fujian Province, in which performers move delicate puppets around by controlling strings in their skilful hands to perform classic short plays. In the “Concert by Shanghai Xuhui Chiangqiao Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Ensemble”, the representative inheritors of Jiangnan silk and bamboo music from Shanghai, along with talented young Shanghainese musicians, will perform classical string and wind pieces. Other programmes include the opening programme of the International Arts Carnival 2025 – Kungfu Drama “Soul of Shaolin” by the Henan Provincial Shaolin Wushu Center; the “Innovative Music-making Journey to China: MO x e-Orch” concert by the Music Office; the “Silk Road Resonance” by the Hong Kong Music Lover Chinese Orchestra and Xinjiang Art Theater Traditional Orchestra Ensemble; the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s 49th Orchestral Season Opening Concert “Silken Notes of the Pipa”; the Hong Kong Dance Company’s 2025/26 Dance Season Opening Programme Grand Dance Poem “A Dance of Celestial Rhythms”, and more.
     
    Apart from stage performances, the CCF will also present a number of film programmes. “Tracing Qin and Han Through Cinema” features eight representative local works set in the Qin and Han dynasties, including “The Great Conqueror’s Concubine” (1994) (4K Digitised Version), which was directed by Stephen Shin, as the opening film, while “Cantonese Opera Films: The Legend of Guan Gong” features five selected Cantonese opera films, including the rarely screened colour film “General Kwan Escorts His Sisters-in-Law on a Thousand Mile Journey” (1957). The “Chinese Opera Film Shows” of the COF will present a series of “Three Kingdoms” themed Chinese opera films from the 1950s to 1980s. The Hong Kong premiere of director Yonfan’s latest documentary, “Crossing Years” (2024) will be held, capturing renowned Chinese artist Huang Yongyu’s conversation with Yon about his life before Chinese New Year’s Eve in 2012.
     
    For the dates and venues of the above-mentioned programmes, please see the Annex. Tickets will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk 
         To offer the public with more opportunities to enjoy distinctive Chinese cultural programmes, in addition to the above-mentioned performing arts events, this year’s CCF will continue to launch various free exhibitions and activities. They include the “Mystery of Chinese Writing” Roving Exhibition, “Genesis and Spirit – Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition on Jiangxi’s Ganzhou “Hakka” Culture” (tentative title), “Amazing Oracle Bone Script” Exhibition, “The Power of Chinese Characters” Exhibition, “Tea Culture” series’ “The History and Art of Tea” Exhibition, and more. The LCSD will hold the “Encountering Chinese Culture” Carnival presenting stage performances at the Sha Tin Town Hall and the New Town Plaza on June 22 (Sunday), as well as the library-on-wheels, intangible cultural heritage booths and performances, etc. In addition to the spectacular lantern displays of different themes, the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival 2025 to be held in September and October will also arrange a wide range of activities. Details of the above activities will be announced later.
     
    To enhance participation of students in the CCF, this year’s “Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series” will include activities tailor-made for students in different art forms, such as dance, Chinese opera, stage plays, music, multi-arts and film screenings, etc, together with the “Chinese Opera En Route to Campus” to encourage students’ participation and enhance their interest in Chinese culture.
     
    Renowned Hong Kong composer Chris Babida is commissioned to compose original theme music for the CCF. The composition features dizi and erhu as the main instruments accompanying Chinese percussion, and is infused with a mix of Western and pop music styles, giving a contemporary flavour to the traditional Chinese music. The work exemplifies the diversity of Hong Kong, a melting pot where East meets West. The theme music will be featured as the background music for the trailer of the CCF, which can be viewed on the CCF website.
     
    The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public’s national identity and cultural confidence. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from both the Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2025, please visit the above-mentioned CCF website.
    Issued at HKT 18:45

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Red flags hoisted at Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Attention TV/radio announcers:

    Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

         Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

         The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (April 7) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Concrete batching plants in Yau Tong convicted for violating Air Pollution Control Ordinance

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Concrete batching plants in Yau Tong convicted for violating Air Pollution Control Ordinance 
    A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the department has been making unremitting efforts to follow up on the illegal operations of the two CBPs. To date, the EPD has issued a total of 39 summonses for criminal prosecution against the company, with 30 charges successfully convicted so far, while the remaining nine cases of non-compliance are still in process.
     
    Moreover, new amendments to the APCO, taking effect on April 11, empower the Director of Environmental Protection to issue a closure notice to premises if he or she has reasonable cause to believe that unlicensed SP operations are taking place. The amended APCO has proven decisive in addressing the illegal operations by the two CBPs. The EPD has received a notification from the China Concrete Company Limited earlier indicating that they will cease all operations of the concrete batching process and related operations by early April. The EPD has been closely monitoring the situation, and its latest observations revealed that the two CBPs will cease operation.
     
    The spokesperson added, “The EPD will continue to closely monitor the situation. Should the two CBPs be found to continue the unlicensed operations after the amended APCO takes effect, the department will take stringent action in accordance with the law.”
    Issued at HKT 18:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd is trying to make a strategic layout in Middle East as a production base for overseas market

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BEIJING, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leishen Energy is actively exploring overseas markets, especially in Middle East, and it is expected to build a manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia next year. The Middle East is a bridge linking the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, due to its special geographical location, the Middle East has been an important channel for interaction between the East and the West since ancient times, and also plays an important role in global geopolitics.

    Known as the “Kingdom of oil”, Saudi Arabia has the second and eighth largest crude oil and proven reserves in the world. Saudi Arabia is the largest and most potential market in the Middle East. In recent years, in order to get rid of its high dependence on the oil industry, Saudi Arabia is vigorously promoting economic transformation and social opening up. Since the introduction of the “Vision 2030″ in 2016, Saudi Arabia has carried out drastic economic and social reforms. You can see that Saudi Arabia is constantly reducing various market restrictions to attract foreign investment.”

    To build a factory in Saudi Arabia is not only in line with the national strategic positioning of Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030, but also an important strategic layout of Leishen Energy’s overseas market. When the factory lands in Saudi Arabia, Leishen Energy can radiate and penetrate more markets from the Middle East to Africa, Europe and the United States in the future.

    Leishen Energy Holding Co., Ltd.

    Contact email: zhiping.yu@r-egroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PM greets everyone on occasion of Ram Navami

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 06 APR 2025 8:28AM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi greeted everyone on occasion of Ram Navami today. 

    In separate posts on X, he said:

    “सभी देशवासियों को रामनवमी की ढेरों शुभकामनाएं। प्रभु श्रीराम के जन्मोत्सव का यह पावन-पुनीत अवसर आप सबके जीवन में नई चेतना और नया उत्साह लेकर आए, जो सशक्त, समृद्ध और समर्थ भारत के संकल्प को निरंतर नई ऊर्जा प्रदान करे। जय श्रीराम!”

    “Ram Navami greetings to everyone! May the blessings of Prabhu Shri Ram always remain upon us and guide us in all our endeavours. Looking forward to being in Rameswaram later today!”

     

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2119440) Visitor Counter : 26

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PM meets Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 05 APR 2025 9:43PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Sajith Premadasa today in Colombo.

    He wrote in separate posts on X:

    “Glad to meet Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Sajith Premadasa. Appreciated his personal contribution and commitment to strengthening India-Sri Lanka friendship. Our special partnership receives support in Sri Lanka cutting across party lines. Our cooperation and robust development partnership are guided by the welfare of the people of our two countries.

    @sajithpremadasa”

    “இலங்கை எதிர்க்கட்சித் தலைவர் திரு சஜித் பிரேமதாச அவர்களைச் சந்தித்தமையையிட்டு நான் பெருமகிழ்வடைகின்றேன். இந்திய இலங்கை நட்புறவை வலுவாக்குவதற்கான அவரது தனிப்பட்ட அர்ப்பணிப்பு மற்றும் பங்களிப்புக்காக பாராட்டுகள் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.எமது விசேட பங்குடைமைக்கு இலங்கையில் கட்சி வேறுபாடுகளின்றி சகலராலும் ஆதரவு வழங்கப்படுகின்றது. அத்துடன், நமது ஒத்துழைப்பும் வலுவான அபிவிருத்தி பங்குடைமையும் நமது இரு நாட்டு மக்களினதும் நலன்களால் வழிநடத்தப்படுகின்றன.

    @sajithpremadasa”

     

     

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2119401) Visitor Counter : 78

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US college students showcase Chinese language skills at speech contest

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Performers perform Shaolin martial arts during the Greater Houston Spring Festival Gala in Houston, Texas, the United States, Jan. 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    “You are a distant long road, the light in the fog and mountains. I am a child, walking in your eyes.” Ari Watts, a junior student majoring in neuroscience at North Central College in Chicago’s western suburban city of Naperville, was singing the Chinese song titled “As wished” in perfect Chinese Saturday.

    Some 60 U.S. students from eight colleges in the Midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa gathered at North Central College to show off their Chinese skills at the 2025 Midwest College Chinese Speech Contest.

    Addressing the opening ceremony, Chinese Deputy Consul General in Chicago Zhang Yiqi said that “China is willing to offer support and provide convenience for the American public, American youth in particular, to learn Chinese.” She urged U.S. students to go to China to see for themselves.

    “Understanding is what helps us to make the world a better place, whether you’re in business, whether you’re in education, whether you’re in social work, (or) whether you’re in health care, that perspective is critical,” said Abiodun Goke-Pariola, president of North Central College. “So I commend you for the curiosity that has made you step outside your comfort zone.”

    Students attending the contest each gave a three-minute speech in Chinese, showed their proficiency in Chinese singing and dancing skills, and recited tongue twisters and Tang poems. One of them performed the “Butterfly Lovers,” a Chinese legend akin to “Romeo and Juliet,” on the violin.

    “All of your hopes and all of your dreams are something that I hope to accomplish, and I hope to walk the path that you walk,” Watts told Xinhua about her understanding of the song “As wished.”

    “I really like that sort of meaning and also the melody, the way that it’s sung, it’s just very pretty,” said Watts.

    Meredith Newcomb, a junior at North Central College, recalled her China travels, calling them “life changing.” “It was a really special experience to be able to have at such a young age,” she told Xinhua.

    “I think the opportunity to be able to learn from people from different places and to open your mind to what the world can be is a very valuable one. And I was very grateful to have it at such a formative age,” Newcomb said, adding she would love to go back one day, as “there’s a lot of China.”

    The contest was jointly organized by Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago and North Central College.

    “We have been organizing the contest for 25 years, and the theme of the contest this year is ‘We are the world,’” Northwestern University professor and organizing committee co-chair Gu Licheng told Xinhua.

    The contest aims to “promote Chinese teaching progress at the university level in the U.S. Midwest, encourage students to learn Chinese and become interested in Chinese language and culture,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News –