Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English
The number of dead and injured continues to rise following the earthquake in Myanmar. The disaster has worsened an already precarious humanitarian situation, exacerbated by an armed conflict that has lasted several years. To meet these new needs, Switzerland is releasing CHF 2.5 million and is making specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) available to UN agencies.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter J. Dean, Director, Foreign Policy and Defence, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney
International and domestic policy have collided in Australia in recent weeks with a force not seen in decades.
Foreign policy concerns have dominated media headlines, from the Chinese research vessel travelling along the south coast (and the Chinese navy’s circumnavigation of Australia), to the continued war in Ukraine, the resumption of hostilities in Gaza and US President Donald Trump’s mercurial approach to foreign policy.
This has brought home to the Australian public, and its political leaders, how tenuous our geostrategic and economic circumstances are.
This is a policy debate the leaders of both major parties would prefer they didn’t have to have. Debating defence spending is like going down a political cul-de-sac. Once you enter it, it is a dead end with only one way to turn around and get out: spending more money on defence.
Both political leaders understand federal elections are not won on defence policy debates. Polling data has revealed, unsurprisingly, that cost of living is front and centre of voter’s minds.
Defence is central, though, to political credibility and it does influence voters’ perceptions. To be seen as “soft” on national security is to fail one of two major credibility tests of national political leadership (the other being basic economic management).
For the Coalition, national security is perceived as a traditional strength. But in the most recent election, Scott Morrison tried to make security a key election issue and lost control of the agenda, badly damaging his already bruised political image.
This time, neither leader has much of a choice but to engage in defence and national security debates. Global uncertainty has put defence spending in the frame as a key election issue.
Trump and his tariffs were front and centre during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s press conference when he announced the election on Friday morning. The shadow of Trump will stalk both the main candidates wherever they go for the rest of the campaign.
A potential election campaign defence spending arms race is in the making. This is a political reality both that Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton know.
Dutton has had to accept more risk and was the first to blink. He committed A$3 billion, in addition to existing defence spending, to buy a fourth squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
The government responded with an extra $1 billion for defence over the next two years in the budget.
Dutton parried again in his budget reply, pledging to “energise our domestic defence industry” and flagging more announcements to come during the campaign.
This means that along with the cost of living, health and energy, defence will likely be a key election issue.
This defence debate is different from election campaigns of decades past. It is far less about faraway conflicts of political choice, although peacekeeping for Ukraine is still to be decided.
Instead, the contemporary strategic debate is about how global and regional disruptions are impacting the foundations of the Australian economy.
And as the Chinese navy’s unprecedented actions off the coast of Australia, including unannounced live fire exercises, underscored, the real question is about how well-prepared we are to defend the homeland.
Read more:
Should Australia increase its defence spending? We asked 5 experts
The government spends around 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, but with pressures on the existing defence budget, this is widely regarded as not enough.
Since mid-2024, the main question among defence pundits has been whether the number should be 3% of GDP. If so, how quickly can we get there?
The pressure for 3% has only increased with the election of Trump and his demands that US allies pay more for their own defence, especially as the US spends 3.4% of its GDP on defence.
GDP may well be a poor way to measure defence spending, but it has political cache, both domestically and internationally.
Traditional defence spending debates in Australia have largely focused on big platform announcements, such as which planes, ships and tanks a government will buy for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Coalition’s pledge for more F-35s fits this traditional policy mould perfectly.
But this debate has shifted. The latest defence strategy calls for Australia to work strategically to circumvent the strength of major powers, rather than trying to achieve the same strength. This requires a shift in traditional defence thinking.
Even more significantly, defence policy is no longer just about the types of major platforms our military will have decades into the future. Now, the debate is centred more on what can be done to ensure the ADF is ready to “fight tonight” or in the near future.
This focus on preparedness and readiness is at the centre of the 2024 National Defence Strategy the Albanese government brought into place following the 2023 Defence Strategic Review.
Core to this approach is the concept of “national defence”. This includes key national resilience issues such as field, energy and cyber security, industrial resilience, supply chain resilience, innovation, science and technology, and defence workforce. These should be key focuses.
This means the real question in the election campaign should be: what can be done with any additional defence spending to ensure we are addressing these issues more quickly and more efficiently?
Peter J. Dean was co-lead of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) Secretariat. He also works at the United States Studies Centre, an independent research centre at the University of Sydney that receives grant funding from the Australian Department of Defence; Bechtel, HII, and Babcock; Thales; Raytheon; Lockheed Martin; US State Department; the National Endowment for Democracy; the Japan Foundation and the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office. He is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. The author maintains academic freedom and the views expressed in this article are his own.
– ref. Defence is shaping up to be a key election issue, whether politicians like it or not – https://theconversation.com/defence-is-shaping-up-to-be-a-key-election-issue-whether-politicians-like-it-or-not-253440
Source: US State of California
Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes
The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Source: United States Attorneys General 2
Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes
The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.
FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”
“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kruk, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies and Linguistics, The University of Western Australia
Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s crime drama Adolescence has earned widespread praise for its portrayal of incel culture and male violence.
But the show’s portrayal of 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper) being radicalised by misogynistic online content has a lot of parents concerned about their own kids and how they talk online.
For many, this concern is amplified by the fear that, just like the adults in Adolescence, parents are often ignorant of the online language kids use to spread dangerous beliefs.
Journalists have produced a flurry of articles that promise to decode the “hidden meaning” of teen language by focusing on emoji featured on the show. One headline references supposedly “sinister emojis used by incel teenagers”.
Such concerns reflect a long history of moral panic around youth language. But defining or banning emoji won’t solve the deeper issues at play.
Adolescence follows Jamie and his family after the teenager is accused of murdering his classmate, Katie.
The second episode shows Adam (Amari Bacchus), the teenage son of detective inspector Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters), correcting his father’s misunderstanding of a series of emoji Katie posted on Jaime’s Instagram profile.
While Bascome assumes the 💯 and 💥 emoji are flirtatious, Adam explains that, in this context, they are connected to the online “manosphere”.
Bascome is initially resistant to this explanation, but Adam convinces him by citing examples of different meanings associated with different coloured heart emoji; red is specifically used for “love”, while orange means “you’re going to be fine”. He stresses “it all has a meaning”.
This scene highlights key generational divides in the perception and use of emoji. For Adam and Jamie’s parents’ generation, emoji are largely treated as decorative. For teenagers, they can carry important meanings.
It’s important to remember this isn’t the first time we’ve seen concerns about generational communication differences reflecting larger social rifts.
There are numerous examples in the media linking slang with issues of education, moral decline and even crime.
These attitudes have sparked debate over whether Australian schools should ban gen alpha and gen Z slang from classrooms.
While the frustration of parents and teachers is understandable, linguistic research shows aggressively negative attitudes towards teen language demotivate young people, exacerbate inequality and unnecessarily stoke intergenerational tension.
Emoji are highly context dependent. Much like gestures that are used with speech, we need to understand emoji in the specific conversations and communities they are used in. There is no consistent relationship between emoji use and inner emotional state that can be generalised across groups of teens or other emoji users.
Instead of fearing or banning emoji, we can try and understand how and why they are used in various contexts. And there are plenty of online resources to help with this. EmojiPedia, for example, describes the pill emoji 💊 as potentially referencing medicine, drugs, or an awakening to a controversial perspective (the “red pill” beliefs referenced in Adolecensce).
Emoji are intentionally flexible and intended to be used creatively. In fact, Unicode, the organisation that assesses proposals for new emoji, requires that items encoded as emoji are able to hold multiple meanings.
Research has also shown different people react to emoji differently. One survey from 2018 found older men were most likely to view emoji as confusing and annoying, while young women were most likely to view emoji positively in communication.
Intergenerational differences, and the tensions they evoke, are nothing new.
Back in the 2000s, parents and teachers voiced concerns that “netspeak”, with its creative punctuation and capitalisation, would diminish young people’s grasp of “proper” English. This did not come to pass.
Does this mean parents have nothing to worry about when it comes to their kids communicating online? Of course not.
Online misogynistic movements and red pill communities can bring great harm to vulnerable young people. Their growing popularity is something we all have to reckon with – but online language is not to blame.
Parents can’t realistically prevent the radicalisation of young men by simply referencing an emoji dictionary, nor can teachers stamp out the spread of misogyny by banning emoji and slang in classrooms.
Instead, as one scene between Adam and his dad shows, we need to collectively shift our focus towards facilitating open conversations between generations.
By doing so, we can not only better understand our differences, but can reduce the feelings of social isolation that leave young people vulnerable to becoming radicalised.
Lauren Gawne is affiliated with Unicode as a member of the Emoji Standard & Research Working Group.
Jessica Kruk 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. Adolescence has sparked fears over teen slang – but emoji don’t cause radicalisation – https://theconversation.com/adolescence-has-sparked-fears-over-teen-slang-but-emoji-dont-cause-radicalisation-253218
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Statement from the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
We, the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, united as an international community in the fight against organised immigration crime (OIC), meeting within the framework of the Border Security Summit hosted by the United Kingdom, hereby affirm our collective responsibility to address the threat posed by organised criminal groups exploiting online platforms for the facilitation of irregular immigration including human trafficking.
We recognise the role that online platforms can play in the facilitation of OIC. Organised criminal groups are exploiting these platforms to advertise and facilitate illegal immigration services, generating illegal profits at the expense of vulnerable migrants. Inaccurate information is spread online, with claims to guarantee passage with shared ‘success stories’ of being able to remain in country despite illegal entry.
These stories are shared despite the increasing risk of fatalities from clandestine entry by boats and lorries. As online platforms evolve, criminal networks adapt their methods, making a co-ordinated global response essential. We recognise the harm that irregular migration can cause nations’ citizens.
The fight against OIC requires collaboration across borders, sectors, and jurisdictions to effectively counter the global scale of the threat. No single government can combat this threat alone. We call upon all governments, international organisations, and industry partners to join us in this endeavour to work together to prevent the misuse of online platforms for illegal immigration services.
The online environment should not be permissive for immigration crimes. We call on industry partners to design out from platforms opportunities for exploitation and to prevent the proliferation of glorifying illegal migration. Fatalities as a result of people smuggling are increasing globally and we must ensure those seeking illegal entry are aware of the grave risks.
We commit to strengthening our collective efforts to prevent, disrupt, and degrade the capacity of organised criminal groups to exploit online platforms for OIC. Online platforms should not enable facilitation of organised crime, and we are committed to working together to prevent this.
International governments, industry partners, and international organisations should join forces in a global effort to stop criminals from exploiting online platforms.
Platforms should invest in strong detection and moderation tools, while governments must back them with effective laws and international cooperation.
We commit to share trends in use of the online environment by organised criminal groups and the principle approaches for detecting and disrupting the facilitation of OIC online. Following this summit, the UK will provide opportunities for global collaboration, learning from the approach taken to other tech-enabled harms.
Looking ahead, we recognise that addressing OIC in the digital age requires innovation, prevention, and sustained cooperation. Only through collective action can we prevent criminal groups from exploiting online platforms for irregular immigration. Together, we will work to ensure that online spaces remain secure and safe for everyone and do not provide the opportunity for people smuggling services to be advertised and accessed by vulnerable migrants.
In conclusion, we call for ongoing dialogue and swift action to address the challenges posed by OIC online content and the threat it presents to the integrity of our borders. We reaffirm our commitment to a global response that prevents the exploitation of online platforms for criminal purposes.
We call for global action to prevent the spread of OIC content and protect the integrity of online spaces. By acting decisively, we can safeguard vulnerable people and uphold the security of our collective borders.
Source: US State of Connecticut
It was, perhaps, the most talked-about wedding cake in the history of marriage ceremonies.
In 2012, Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., refused to make a custom wedding cake for the marriage of a same-sex couple. The bakery owner objected, saying that the ceremony conflicted with his religious beliefs.
Although the Colorado Civil Rights Commission found the bakery had discriminated against the couple, the U.S. Supreme Court later overturned that decision in 2018. The ruling said the Commission failed to maintain religious neutrality, sidestepping questions about anti-discrimination laws and human rights.
“The case arose when two populations wanted vastly different outcomes,’’ said professor Eric D. Yordy of the W.A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University. “The LGBTQ community was unhappy that the bakery told the couple to find a cake somewhere else. And others felt that the bakery shouldn’t be forced to do something that conflicted with the owner’s religion.’’
Yordy will be the guest presenter at the School of Business’ Equity Now Speaker Series at 6 p.m. April 16. His presentation, which will be virtual, is open to students, faculty, alumni and friends of the university. To register for the program, please visit the Equity Now Website
Despite being a nation that embraces religious freedom, the parameters are still evolving.
“We are a country founded on religious freedom, but this issue is what are the boundaries of religious freedom and how do they impact business?,’’ he said.
The cake dispute is just one of many.
Hobby Lobby, the 1,000-store arts and crafts retailer, was founded on evangelical Protestant beliefs. It found itself in the crosshairs of law and religion when it denied employees access to contraceptives and the morning-after pill. The company argued that the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act serve to protect its religious beliefs. The Supreme Court ruled in the company’s favor.
What might have once been an internal conflict to resolve, today frequently leads to publicity and public outcry.
“With the way the world is now and so much that has happened in the last 20 years with social media, company decisionmakers need to be much more careful about what they’re doing,’’ Yordy said. “They can be crucified by social media. Now more than ever, consequences are bigger. Twenty years ago, most people wouldn’t have known about these disagreements.’’
Yordy is a professor of business covering business law and ethics at Northern Arizona University and he has served in a variety of executive roles there, including as associate dean. He is also the founding director of the college’s Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership, an interdisciplinary initiative to increase ethics work both on campus and in the community.
Yordy and a colleague devised the ethics COVER model, a framework for ethical decision-making that helps users identify and analyze decisions with ethical ramifications by incorporating managerial decision-making and philosophical approaches. It address values, outcomes, and legal requirements.
He has authored or co-authored numerous case studies using the COVER model and other decision-making tools on topics as far ranging as the ethics of reverse mortgages, conflicts of interest, censorship in mobile application development, and the marketing of sugary cereal to children.
“We were seeing a lot of arguments that asked, ‘If everyone else is doing it, is it a bad decision?’ he said. “Well, yes, if you polluted something, even ‘just a little bit,’ it is still unethically sound. One of the questions we pose is: ‘If people heard about what you’re doing, would it influence who they think you are?’ ’’
The Equity Now Speaker Series is produced by the UConn School of Business in coordination with the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, Virginia tech, Indiana University and Temple University. This is the final installment of five programs during the 2024-25 academic year.
Source: US State of California
DRI Relays Inc. (DRI), a subsidiary of TE Connectivity Corporation (TEC), has agreed to pay $15.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by supplying military parts that did not meet military specifications, the Justice Department announced today.
TEC acquired DRI in October 2020. DRI manufactures electrical relays and sockets for numerous military platforms and has manufacturing locations in Long Island, New York, and Bangalore, India. In January 2011, TEC disclosed to the Department of Defense that DRI had not conducted certain required tests on MIL-PRF-83536 relays and MIL-DTL-12883 sockets, and cooperated with the government’s investigation. The United States subsequently alleged that between 2015 and 2021, under various Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and subcontracts, DRI invoiced for military grade electrical relays and sockets when it knew those parts had not met the testing requirements to be deemed military grade.
“It is essential to the safety and operational readiness of our military that contractors comply with applicable military specifications,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly supply equipment to the U.S. military that fails to meet their contract obligations.”
“Maintaining the integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense supply chain is a top priority for the DoD Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The DoD expects its suppliers to adhere to contract specifications and perform required testing on products sold to the U.S. military. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of contractors failing to meet testing protocols and disclose product deficiencies.”
“This settlement demonstrates the resolve of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) and our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of the equipment and materiel procured or used by the United States Army,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith K. Kelly of the Department of the Army CID Fraud Field Office. “Failures to adhere to established standards when providing military parts can place our Soldiers at significant risk and adversely impact the Army’s warfighting capabilities.”
This matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Art J. Coulter of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section. DCIS, Army CID, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency assisted in this investigation.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
LAS VEGAS, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, has expanded its award-winning Cyber Threat Intelligence services, including new feeds and APT Report tiers. ESET’s offerings address modern cybersecurity needs with features like APT monitoring, threat hunting, and built-in AI that automates threat investigation. Announced at ESET World 2025 in Las Vegas, ESET enhanced its services to accommodate the requirements of companies of all sizes that now view threat intelligence as an essential component of a next-gen, prevention-focused cybersecurity stack.
“ESET continues to expand its cyber threat intelligence offerings to accelerate incident response and reduce data breach impacts — delivering a holistic view of threat actors, attack vectors, indicators of compromise, and malware behavior,” said Juraj Malcho, Chief Technology Officer at ESET. “Because cyberattacks know no borders, many organizations mix and match multiple threat intelligence services to gain global visibility and leverage best-in-class capabilities. ESET’s renowned visibility across Europe and Asia gives organizations a distinct advantage in preempting sophisticated threat actors and safeguarding their critical assets.”
New Feeds
ESET has expanded its Cyber Threat Intelligence from eight to 15 threat feeds, delivering actionable, highly curated, metadata-rich, detailed data to defend against timely threats, including ransomware, malicious email attachments, cryptoscams, phishing URLs, smishing, SMS scams, and more. Quality is better than quantity in threat intelligence. Rather than struggling to sift through huge, noncurated external datasets, ESET telemetry is carefully deduplicated and delivered in real time — enabling threat analysts to act immediately and quickly identify emerging business risks and previously unknown threats.
Additional APT Report Tiers
ESET is enhancing its APT Reports to cover new tiers, extending this crucial intelligence to SMBs. The tailored formats cater to various organizational roles. SOC or threat analysts can use Technical Analysis reports and Activity Summary reports for in-depth details on attacks and post-compromise activity along with details about attacks, Indicators of compromise (IoCs), YARA rules, Snort rules, Shodan, Censys queries, and more. Beyond just IoCs, these reports provide context and expert advice. For high-level strategic intel, CISOs can refer to our Monthly Overviews or Digests.
The APT Report Advanced and Ultimate tiers provide access to the ESET AI Advisor, a generative AI chatbot that addresses security inquiries, offers APT summaries, compiles IoCs and TTPs, and generates YARA rules for swift threat understanding and prevention. Leveraging ESET’s 20+ years of AI and ML expertise, AI Advisor enables security and intelligence leaders to better analyze and act upon emerging threats with SOC team-level advisory. Finally, organizations with the APT Report Ultimate tier gain access to ESET Analysts to directly resolve issues and collaborate directly with the company’s security threat hunters who are on the front lines.
Integrations
The development of ESET’s API gateway, ESET Connect, has enabled ESET to double down on integrations and ecosystem partners, which help customers to simplify cybersecurity management, increase visibility across a variety of attack surfaces, and bring industry leaders together under common architectures. ESET Cyber Threat Intelligence is highly interoperable and is already integrated with several key vendors, including Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, Elastic, MISP, Filigran’s OpenCTI, Threat Quotient, Stellar Cyber, and others.
“ESET Cyber Threat Intelligence is built upon our greatest strength — ESET researchers working across 11 research and development centers worldwide,” said Jean-Ian Boutin, Director of ESET’s Threat Research. “ESET does not buy data from others; we generate it ourselves. Our primary source is the vast user base of ESET security solutions — over 110 million users in more than 190 countries. ESET telemetry samples undergo in-depth behavioral and structural analysis, yielding additional useful indicators that enrich our threat intelligence, thus providing a more comprehensive understanding of the threat landscape. By aligning with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, ESET threat intelligence users can operationalize their visibility and response.”
Awareness and information sharing is critical in cybersecurity. ESET researchers have built a multilayered detection engine that processes more than 300,000 unique, new malware samples daily. Top research and discoveries are presented regularly at major global conferences like RSA, Black Hat, and ESET shares information on new threats and campaigns with the public and security enthusiasts via its industry-leading security blog, welivesecurity.com (cited by prominent media, such as BBC, CNBC, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, TechRadar, Wired, and more).
For more details, visit the ESET Cyber Threat Intelligence page.
About ESET
ESET provides cutting-edge digital security to prevent attacks before they happen. By combining the power of AI and human expertise, ESET stays ahead of known and emerging cyber threats — securing businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals. Whether it’s endpoint, cloud, or mobile protection, its AI-native, cloud-first solutions and services remain highly effective and easy to use. ESET technology includes robust detection and response, ultra-secure encryption, and multifactor authentication. With 24/7 real-time defense and strong local support, we keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. An ever-evolving digital landscape demands a progressive approach to security: ESET is committed to world-class research and powerful threat intelligence, backed by R&D centers and a strong global partner network. For more information, visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
Source: United States Attorneys General
DRI Relays Inc. (DRI), a subsidiary of TE Connectivity Corporation (TEC), has agreed to pay $15.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by supplying military parts that did not meet military specifications, the Justice Department announced today.
TEC acquired DRI in October 2020. DRI manufactures electrical relays and sockets for numerous military platforms and has manufacturing locations in Long Island, New York, and Bangalore, India. In January 2011, TEC disclosed to the Department of Defense that DRI had not conducted certain required tests on MIL-PRF-83536 relays and MIL-DTL-12883 sockets, and cooperated with the government’s investigation. The United States subsequently alleged that between 2015 and 2021, under various Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and subcontracts, DRI invoiced for military grade electrical relays and sockets when it knew those parts had not met the testing requirements to be deemed military grade.
“It is essential to the safety and operational readiness of our military that contractors comply with applicable military specifications,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly supply equipment to the U.S. military that fails to meet their contract obligations.”
“Maintaining the integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense supply chain is a top priority for the DoD Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The DoD expects its suppliers to adhere to contract specifications and perform required testing on products sold to the U.S. military. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of contractors failing to meet testing protocols and disclose product deficiencies.”
“This settlement demonstrates the resolve of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) and our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of the equipment and materiel procured or used by the United States Army,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith K. Kelly of the Department of the Army CID Fraud Field Office. “Failures to adhere to established standards when providing military parts can place our Soldiers at significant risk and adversely impact the Army’s warfighting capabilities.”
This matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Art J. Coulter of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section. DCIS, Army CID, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency assisted in this investigation.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding humanitarian aid to the Burmese people and pressure on the junta:
“This weekend’s earthquakes in Burma have heaped new tragedy on a people already beset by grinding hardship. For most of Burma’s independent history, its people have struggled under the jackboot of a totalitarian junta. The search for survivors of these latest disasters adds a new and bitter challenge to the task of unwinding the current military coup.
“The people of Burma have displayed tremendous resilience and commitment to democracy since the 2021 coup. Unprecedented cooperation among Burma’s ethnic groups and pro-democracy movement have put the junta on the back foot. The Tatmadaw’s decision to drop bombs on impacted villages instead of sending urgent material assistance will go down among its most callous offenses.
“To the extent that emergency aid from abroad is reaching the hardest-hit areas around Mandalay, the absence of robust and coordinated American participation will not go unnoticed. Neither will the major and visible role played as of now by the PRC, especially if Beijing continues to enable the Junta’s war against Burma’s people. With U.S. networks of humanitarian workers and regional experts in tatters, pledges of assistance to the people of Burma will be less efficient and less effective.
“As I have repeatedly urged administrations of both parties for years before this weekend’s events, the United States and its allies must apply urgent and concerted pressure on the military to cease its slaughter and restore power to the people of Burma.”
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Chief Executive John Lee
I am pleased to join you today for the opening of the International Water Pioneers Summit. Gathered here are nearly 400 high-profile professionals and senior government officials from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia and around the world. Present here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang’s water supply to Hong Kong and to work together to ensure a sustainable water supply for us all.
Hong Kong’s water story is one of transformation, illustrating how a city with a limited water resource, can turn geographic and resource limitations into engineering triumphs.
Hong Kong’s water story is also one of deep and abiding ties. Because without the strong bonds and blood relations between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the engineering, and the water it made possible, would not have taken place. Certainly not in the 1960s.
As for the engineering, the main challenge was geography. Dongjiang is more than 50km away from Hong Kong. That meant building an 83km water channel, crossing half a dozen mountains. The water had to be lifted, via multi-stage pumping stations, from 2m above sea level to 46m at the highest point.
And the project was completed in less than one year. At 4pm on March 1, 60 years ago, the supply of Dongjiang water to Hong Kong began.
For the past six decades, Dongjiang has provided 70% to 80% of the water needed by Hong Kong.
And the engineering feats continued. Because of our increasing demand for water, the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Scheme, as it is presently known, was expanded three times from the 1970s to the 1990s. It was improved again in the early 2000s. These raised Hong Kong’s annual water supply ceiling from the original 68.2 million cu m, to today’s 820 million cu m, a rise of 12 times.
We are eternally grateful for the enormous commitment and technical ingenuity, by the country and all our compatriots involved.
We like Dongjiang water. For good reason. It meets the highest national standard for surface water used for human consumption. No less essential, it continues to flow, fuelling Hong Kong’s economic miracle, supporting our economy and community, while helping to ensure our city’s sustainable development and long-term prosperity.
The theme of this summit is “Smart Water, High-Quality Development”. That tells me that if we want to ensure a sustainable water supply, we need to invest in its future, and do it innovatively.
Hong Kong has long been recognised for its infrastructure prowess. Indeed, Hong Kong’s infrastructure was ranked among the top 10, globally, in the World Competitiveness Yearbook last year.
Our major water supply projects include High Island Reservoir, Hong Kong’s largest reservoir, and the Tseung Kwan O Desalination Plant, the first waterworks in Hong Kong to adopt advanced reverse osmosis desalination technology.
As an international centre of innovation and technology (I&T), we are keen on applying I&T to water management. Last year, we set up a Digital Water Office to drive the digitalisation of our water supply services.
The office promotes the use of smart devices, digital twin technology and artificial intelligence, to gradually gain full automation of operations in our waterworks installations.
Innovation in infrastructure development will power our water-secure future. Our goal is to establish Hong Kong as an international infrastructure centre, that serves our city and China, our country.
Speaking of our country, let me add that it has built numerous water conservancy projects. And I am sure you will hear more about them in today’s summit.
I am grateful to the organisers of today’s International Water Pioneers Summit. Grateful too, to our distinguished speakers and moderators, here in Hong Kong from all over the world.
While you are here, I invite you to take full advantage of all that Hong Kong has to offer, in arts and culture. You can start right here, in West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong’s largest arts development.
Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a rewarding summit and an enjoyable and memorable stay in Hong Kong.
Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the International Water Pioneers Summit on April 1.
Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Media Contact 202-321-9747
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “How the Global Engagement Center Censored Americans.”
Watch Here
-Remarks-
This subcommittee is tasked with examining the public diplomacy functions of the State Department, commonly referred to as the R family of bureaus and offices. In December of 2024, Congress terminated an office within that family—the Global Engagement Center, also known as GEC—after its exposure coming out of an investigation that was done by this committee. The GEC was initially authorized for the statutory purpose of countering foreign propaganda and disinformation efforts.
Despite that mandate, for years the GEC instead deployed its shadowy network of grantees and sub-grantees to facilitate the censorship of American voices—especially if those voices were conservative and refused to align with the left-leaning establishment politics. Worst of all, this was being done using U.S. taxpayer dollars—your dollars.
In the same month the GEC was terminated, the Biden State Department restructured the office into a “counter-foreign information manipulation and interference hub,” also known as R-FIMI. The question we will be exploring today is whether this restructuring is actually in name only. Put simply: whether you call it GEC or R-FIMI, the State Department should never—and if I can help it, will never again—be in the business of silencing American voices.
Freedom of speech is a God-given right enshrined in the First Amendment of our nation’s Constitution. It is a right that President Trump and his administration are committed to zealously protecting. On his first day in office, President Trump signed the Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship executive order. This executive order makes clear that no federal government employees or taxpayer dollars may be used to engage in or facilitate the unconstitutional censorship of American citizens.
As the chairman of the subcommittee, I plan to introduce legislation that will codify that executive order. I’m hopeful that my colleagues will join me in enshrining these vital First Amendment protections into law.
I want to thank the panel for being here today. Ms. Jankowitz, thank you for your time. You publicly supported and even spearheaded censorship efforts under the previous administration—out of what some called the “Ministry of Truth.” Some had labeled you the Disinformation Czar—or I guess technically, Czarina. It is crucial that the American public receive answers and accountability for the actions taken by their own government to silence their voices.
Mr. Taibbi and Mr. Weingarten, your valiant reporting helped unearth the GEC’s role in the censorship of Americans. Mr. Taibbi, your groundbreaking work on the Twitter Files pulled back the curtain on how the federal bureaucracy colluded with—and in some cases pressured—social media companies to target American citizens engaged in protected political speech. Mr. Weingarten, your impactful work has unearthed how the GEC and its implementing partners deployed blacklists to obliterate conservative news publications—publications that the Biden administration disagreed with.
We, as Americans and as policymakers, must never allow these dark days of mass censorship to happen again. That is my goal.
###
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
“We have terrorist organizations coming after the United States everywhere because the Biden administration has done nothing for four years.”
Washington, D.C. –On Sunday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press to discuss the Trump administration’s return to peace through strength, successful Houthi strikes, pending newsanctions on Russia, and the president’s efforts to level the playing field for American workers through reciprocal tariffs. Highlights below.
Sen. Mullin’s full interview can be found here.
On the success of the strikes against the Houthis:
“There was no war plans that The Atlantic put out. What they did was have a very successful attack against the Houthis, who’s a terrorist organization, that’s been harassing our Navy since 2023. They had attacked our Navy 174 times and the Biden Administration did nothing but sit on their hands. But what the Trump administration did was take the fight directly to the Houthis. So what the conversation should be is why didn’t the Biden Administration do something in the last two years instead of us being focused on this Signal chat. Which there was no classified information given out…
“Tell me where the location was at, what part of the region was it at, what part of the world was this at? We have a lot of conflicts, a lot of issues going on around the world, from Africa to anywhere in the Middle East, to even in Asia, or possibly in Europe. This could have been going on any place in the world. There was no specific information except that a target was gonna be hit. We have terrorist organizations coming after the United States everywhere because the Biden administration has done nothing for four years.”
On President Trump standing up to Russia:
“What President Trump is trying to do is negotiate an end to the deal of individuals dying in Ukraine…
“What President Trump has said right now is, if [Putin] continues to play games, he’s going to get tough on Russia just like he did in 2017.”
On our trade partners needing to abide by a two-way street:
“[Canada] needs us more than we need them. The fact is we have been subsidizing their economy by the tunes of billions of dollars every single year, and they know that. What President Trump is saying is that enough is enough. If you’re gonna have a relationship with the United States, it’s gonna be an even playing field, a two-way street. We want reciprocal tariffs; we want to be treated the same. We want to have access to your economy like you have access to us.”
Source: US State of South Carolina
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a coalition of 25 state attorneys general asking the Trump administration to close a loophole used by adversaries and drug traffickers to flood deadly fentanyl into the United States. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem and Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Pete Flores, the attorneys general call for greater scrutiny of an import pilot program called Entry Type 86, which allows small packages to enter the U.S. with minimal customs screening.
“Fentanyl is killing our family members, friends, and neighbors, and we can’t afford to leave the door open for drug traffickers to exploit weak spots in our system,” said Attorney General Wilson. “The Entry Type 86 program has become a Trojan horse, allowing deadly drugs to flood into our communities with minimal oversight. I’m proud to stand with my fellow attorneys general and President Trump’s administration to demand immediate action to close this loophole and protect American lives. South Carolina will not sit back while drug cartels poison our families.”
In just a 10-year period, imports under the Entry Type 86 program skyrocketed from 153 million packages in 2015 to over 1.2 billion in 2024. Any surge of this magnitude requires further study because of serious concerns about the amount of fentanyl and other deadly drugs that could be coming into the country. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid narcotic up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl – smaller than the tip of a pencil – can be lethal.
In addition, some shippers use the Entry Type 86 program to dodge regulations and avoid paying required duties, raising concerns about security risks, illegal trade, and weaknesses in our supply chain.
Attorney General Wilson joined Kentucky, which led the letter, alongside attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
You can read the letter here.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robyn Klingler-Vidra, Vice Dean, Global Engagement | Associate Professor in Political Economy and Entrepreneurship, King’s College London
Silicon Valley has been a universal symbol of innovation for decades. Because of its reputation, governments around the world have tried to foster their own versions by investing heavily in tech hubs.
These efforts, which include Silicon Beach in Los Angeles, Silicon Island in Malaysia and Silicon Roundabout in the UK, have not always worked. But some places, particularly parts of east Asia, have seen their own Silicon Valleys flourish.
China has the world’s second-largest venture capital market, scores of startups, and cutting-edge tech to challenge Silicon Valley. Japan and Korea have also become some of the most active corporate venture capital investors in the world.
At the same time, these challenger ecosystems possess some of the attributes of Silicon Valley in its heyday. More, in some ways, than Silicon Valley itself does these days.
The scale of Silicon Valley remains unparalleled, at least for now. In 2024, the region’s market capitalisation (the value of companies’ publicly traded shares) had reached US$14.3 trillion (£11 trillion). This is comparable to the entire GDP of China, the world’s second-largest economy.
But Silicon Valley is no longer a counter-cultural world of startups in garages, where small, disruptive organisations build world-changing products on a shoestring. It has morphed into a land of Goliaths, not Davids.
Cups of instant noodles have, for many, been replaced by açaí bowls, and office all-nighters with wellbeing workshops and digital detox retreats. Stalwart investors, such as Sequoia’s Mike Moritz, have complained that Silicon Valley tech workers have become “lazy and entitled”.
Meanwhile, the work ethic and laser focus of tech workers elsewhere has advanced. About ten years ago, Chinese tech’s working hours were described as “996” – working from 9am to 9pm six days a week. They are now referred to as “007”, a schedule where employees work from midnight to midnight, seven days a week.
The history of Silicon Valley is one of hungry challengers disrobing the big, boring incumbents. Apple raised equity investment from Xerox, then a leading print production corporation, and used the access to Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center to take inspiration from the company’s plans for a computer that had a graphical user interface. Apple later refined the software for the Macintosh, giving it its edge.
In 1996, Jobs famously said: “Picasso had a saying – ‘Good artists copy; great artists steal’ – and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
Today, the Goliaths leading Silicon Valley have huge intellectual property portfolios to defend. And they are outraged when their tech is taken. OpenAI, the American company that made ChatGPT, has even asked the US government to declare Chinese AI firm DeepSeek “state controlled” and to outlaw its use in the US. Huawei and Bytedance’s TikTok have faced similar calls in the past.
In western media, much of the focus on the moment DeepSeek disrupted the AI landscape has been about how it rattled Silicon Valley. But there has been less coverage on how it has instigated instant rivals within China.
Days after Deepseek’s release, Chinese tech company Alibaba announced that its AI model was superior. And China recently launched Manus, a fully autonomous AI agent that fully replaces rather than assists humans.
China’s answer to Silicon Valley is what Taiwanese businessman, Kai-fu Lee, calls “gladiatorial entrepreneurship”. This is where founders constantly innovate because as soon as their product is released, they know it will be copied and reverse engineered. The system as a whole benefits from the intense competition, the way Silicon Valley did in its ascent.
Silicon Valley used to be known for its counter culture and its outsized vision of how tech can transform the globe. This is epitomised by Masayoshi Son, a former student of Silicon Valley from east Asia who is the founder and CEO of Japanese firm SoftBank.
He first came to Silicon Valley in the early 1980s and quickly integrated into the Silicon Valley way of business. Son launched his own startup when he returned to Japan, modelled on what he experienced in the few years he lived in California. With this, Softbank was born as a software distributor.
SoftBank’s Vision Fund is now the largest venture capital fund in the world, with over US$100 billion (£77.5 billion) in capital. Son’s giant fund and impatient style of investing have contributed to change in Silicon Valley. Ballooning valuations and the use of exploding term sheets (investment offers that expire within a matter of days) are increasingly the norm.
Son is stylised as a classic outsider. Gambling Man, a recently published book from the former editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber, details how Son is not “really Japanese” (he’s ethnically Korean) and has long touted this challenger narrative.
Now as one of the biggest investors in Silicon Valley, he is pushy, confrontational and has a huge vision for how technologies such as AI can change the world. He is the purveyor of that grand vision and an advocate for the risk-taking that is synonymous with “classic” Silicon Valley.
Meanwhile, China’s AI gladiators innovate constantly in their bid to overtake the once hungry American behemoths who are now forced to call on the state to help shore-up their position. The contrasting trajectories raise questions about who should now become more like whom if they are to win the global technology race.
Robyn Klingler-Vidra 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. East Asia is challenging Silicon Valley – by being like Silicon Valley used to be – https://theconversation.com/east-asia-is-challenging-silicon-valley-by-being-like-silicon-valley-used-to-be-251854
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today chaired the first meeting of the new term of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Task Force.
The task force had an in-depth discussion on the policy measures set out in the Department of Justice’s Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the GBA, and future key initiatives including the establishment of a panel of arbitrators to facilitate arbitrators from the three places in providing legal and dispute resolution services in the bay area as well as the setup of a platform to provide practical legal information on cross-boundary businesses and living.
Mr Cheung emphasised that innovation is important in promoting the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talent training among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, noting that it will further facilitate Hong Kong’s integration into the overall development of the country and enhance the innovation capabilities and radiating effect of the GBA.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi, PhD candidate, Individualized Program, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University
What does it mean for a city to be accommodating to all its citizens?
This requires understanding how individuals feel included and valued in the places they live, and responding to their needs by emphasizing genuine inclusivity. For people with mobility challenges, it means feeling no different from others. This applies both to navigating urban spaces and engaging in social interactions.
Despite efforts to improve accessibility in Canada, many urban spaces still fall short, leaving wheelchair users facing subtle but persistent barriers. We wanted to understand the different challenges and barriers people with disabilities face when using mobility aids.
To do this, we interviewed 12 experienced physiotherapists in Iran to identify gaps in how mobility aid serve the needs of those who use them, and offer recommendations based on their extensive interactions with users.
Given the universal needs of mobility aid users — emotional well-being, social integration and functional independence — and the common challenges they face accessing health-care systems around the world, our findings can are relevant for many people around the world, including in Canada.
To create truly inclusive cities, it is vital for policymakers and experts to go beyond minimum standards and critically examine how our urban spaces continue to exclude people with disabilities.
Marketing professors Vanessa Patrick and Candice Hollenbeck have developed the DARE framework — design, appraisal, response and experience — and propose three levels of inclusive design aimed to make spaces more inclusive for people with disabilities.
Level 1 ensures accessibility through industry regulations, meeting minimum standards. Level 2 fosters engagement and equity, rooted in social justice principles, by validating user experiences and emphasizing empathy. Level 3 aims to minimize mismatches between users and design, promoting human flourishing through seamless interaction among individuals, the design and their environment.
Our study outlines how people perceive the inclusivity of mobility aids based on the cost, how they are built and how effective they are in different environments.
We also considered perceptions of trustworthiness, support and contextual factors, including the social interpretations and representations of these devices. We highlight gaps in users’ needs and provide recommendations to address them. Through this analysis, we identified four key themes that offer valuable insights for enhancing inclusivity.
For some, mobility aids can be an added financial burden. Financial constraints may limit access to mobility aids, often forcing users to seek alternatives or delay rehabilitation, potentially worsening their conditions. For example, individuals might resort to second-hand mobility aids which may not be fitted correctly for them.
Globally, only five to 35 per cent of the 80 million people who need a wheelchair have access to one depending on where they live, with high costs being a primary barrier.
The high cost of advanced electric wheelchairs further restrict access. This marks a gap at the first level of inclusivity in the DARE framework, where market-driven prices fall short of meeting mobility aid users’ needs.
Initiatives like the European Union’s Rehabilitation Policy Action Framework have called for increased governmental financial support for mobility aid users. This framework offers 48 options across six domains to translate political goals into action, such as reallocating health-care funds to expand rehabilitation and improve inclusivity.
In using mobility aids, a user will typically evaluate two aspects: the design features of the aids themselves and how well they function in their environment.
If the mobility aid is slightly mismatched with their requirements, the user may find alternative solutions, such as adding padding to a wheelchair to relieve pressure. However, severe mismatches can lead to negative outcomes and result in unmet mobility needs. Furthermore, inadequate anthropometric and ergonomic adjustments can lead to discomfort.
Similarly, environmental mismatches, such as barriers that disrupt navigation, can reinforce negative stereotypes and condescending attitudes. These barriers can hinder a person’s mobility and ultimately deter them from going out and engaging in social activities.
New developments and technologies can not only address and mitigate certain mismatches but also positively impact users’ psychological and social needs. However, integrating new technologies requires careful consideration, as assistive devices can also attract social stigma.
Therefore, it is important to identify which technological or esthetic features of mobility aids evoke positive emotions and minimize stigma.
Mobility aid users, like everyone, deserve equal consideration in design and planning. Programs like Europe’s Design for All (DfA) and Singapore’s Barrier-Free Accessibility (BFA) promote barrier-free design for all abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Trustworthiness is a critical factor in the use of mobility aids, particularly in unfamiliar settings where users may feel uncertain.
To address this, users seek continuous reassurance about the reliability of their aids, often depending on the support of physiotherapists to navigate mismatches between their needs and their surroundings. Such professional support enhances confidence and mental well-being. Physiotherapists, as trusted experts, can remarkably shape users’ perceptions and acceptance of mobility aids.
Ensuring trustworthy designs is also crucial, as perceived fragility can undermine user trust. Validating experiences, building trust across environments — including trust in physiotherapists and mobility aid products — is essential to alleviating doubts about how effective they might be.
Sociocultural context and the causes of a disability play a significant role in shaping perceptions of mobility aids.
Regardless of users’ personal experiences, others tend to view mobility aids through the lens of prevailing societal attitudes toward disability. For some, mobility aids may reinforce stereotypes about disabilities. This highlights the critical role of esthetics in shaping public perceptions and social interactions.
For example, incorporating esthetic refinements into the design can help counter negative perceptions. By addressing negative representations and promoting designs that reflect dignity and inclusivity, interventions can align with inclusively goals and enhance positive social engagement.
Raising public awareness is key to challenging stereotypes and building empathy. To create an inclusive society, design and planning should consider both the physical and social barriers to accessibility. Achieving this requires a multi-disciplinary effort, and the active participation of people who use mobility aids.
This article was co-authored by Morteza Farhoudi, an inclusive designer specializing in public transportation studies.
Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Carmela Cucuzzella receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
– ref. From barriers to belonging: How supporting inclusivity enhances the well-being of people with disabilities – https://theconversation.com/from-barriers-to-belonging-how-supporting-inclusivity-enhances-the-well-being-of-people-with-disabilities-249339
Source: City of Wolverhampton
To enable people to get involved across the city, the council has waived its standard road closure fees and is inviting residents to celebrate this historic milestone in their own unique way between Bank Holiday Monday 5 May and Sunday 11 May, 2025.
This year’s celebrations honour the momentous announcement made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill at 3pm on 8 May, 1945, signalling the end of the Second World War in Europe after nearly 6 years of brutal conflict. 2025 will also mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on 15 August, 1945, which signified the Allies’ defeat of Japan.
Residents are encouraged to find their own way to mark this occasion including:
To further support community led initiatives, the council has allocated grants of up to £250 per event, thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Applications are now open at Stepway.
Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “VE/VJ Day 80 is a powerful reminder of our shared history and the enduring spirit of community.
“We want to see Wolverhampton come alive with celebrations, from intimate neighbourhood gatherings to grand street parties.
“By waiving road closure fees and providing grant support, we’re making it easier than ever for residents to honour this significant anniversary together. Let’s create lasting memories and pay tribute to those who sacrificed so much.”
For more details of the celebrations, visit the VE/VJ Day 80 website.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
HONG KONG, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Waton Financial Limited (“WTF” or the “Company”), a British Virgin Islands-incorporated holding company that provides of securities brokerage and financial technology services primarily through its Hong Kong subsidiaries, Waton Securities International Limited and Waton Technology International Limited, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of an aggregate of 4,375,000 ordinary shares, no par value per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), at a public offering price of $4.00 per share (the “Offering”).
In addition, the Company has granted the underwriters of the Offering a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 656,250 Ordinary Shares at the initial public offering price (the “Over-allotment”), less underwriting discounts and commissions. The gross proceeds to WTF from the Offering (assuming that the Over-allotment is not exercised), before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by WTF, is expected to be approximately $17,500,000.
The Ordinary Shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “WTF” on April 1, 2025. The Offering is expected to close on April 2, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Offering is conducted on a firm commitment basis. CATHAY SECURITIES, INC. is acting as representative of the underwriters for the offering, with Dominari Securities LLC acting as co-underwriter (collectively, the “Underwriters”). Carey Olsen Singapore LLP, Han Kun Law Offices LLP and Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC are acting as British Virgin Islands legal counsel, Hong Kong legal advisers and U.S. securities counsel, respectively, to the Company. Kaufman & Canoles, P.C. is acting as U.S. securities counsel to the Underwriters for the Offering.
The Offering is being conducted pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-283424) previously filed with and subsequently declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 31, 2025. The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus and other documents the Company has filed or will file with the SEC for more information about the Company and the Offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, electronic copies of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from CATHAY SECURITIES, INC. at 40 Wall Street, Suite 3600, New York, NY 10005, or by telephone at +1 (855) 939-3888.
This press release has been prepared for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, and no sale of these securities may be made in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the Offering will be successfully completed. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “believe”, “plan”, “expect”, “intend”, “should”, “seek”, “estimate”, “will”, “aim” and “anticipate”, or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
About Waton Financial Limited (“Waton”)
Waton Financial Limited is a British Virgin Islands-incorporated holding company with operations primarily conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Waton Securities International Limited and Waton Technology International Limited. Waton provides a suite of financial services, including securities brokerage, asset management, and software licensing and other support services, catering to a diverse clientele of retail and institutional investors. Waton leverages technology and a client-centric approach with the aim to deliver innovative and reliable financial solutions.
For further information, please contact:
Waton Financial Limited
Investor Relations Department
Email: ir@waton.com
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gaston Adoyo, Lecturer and researcher, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Coconut trees are iconic plants found across the world’s tropical regions. They’re called “nature’s supermarket” or the “tree of life” in several cultures because every part of the coconut tree is used. Its leaves can be used to thatch homes, its heart can be eaten and its roots have medicinal uses.
The refreshing liquid found within a young green coconut is a highly prized component of the coconut palm. Coconuts are unique in the world of fruits because they have a large internal cavity filled with water. Other fruits typically store water within individual cells or pulp.
I’m a food scientist who has carried out research on the properties of coconuts.
All coconut palms produce water, though some, like tall varieties, will produce more than others, like dwarf varieties. The water is sourced from the trees’ immature, green coconuts. As the coconut matures, the developing white flesh absorbs the water, resulting in less liquid in a fully ripe brown coconut.
So, how is this water reservoir created, and what factors influence it?
To better understand how coconut water is formed, it is essential to grasp its anatomical structure. The coconut fruit is classified as a drupe, meaning it has three layers: the exocarp (the smooth, green outer layer seen in unripe coconuts), the mesocarp (a fibrous husk beneath the exocarp), and the endocarp (the hard, woody inner shell that protects the white flesh inside).
Within the endocarp, there are two components: the flesh (endosperm, a soft, jelly-like material in immature coconut that hardens as it matures) and the clear coconut water that fills the cavity. This water is a nutritive fluid nourishing the developing seed and is formed naturally during the development of the coconut fruit.
The water is a filtered sap that’s drawn up from the roots and transported through the tree’s vascular system (its water and nutrient transport system), specifically the xylem tissue.
The coconut tree’s extensive root system, ranging from 1 to 5 metres deep, absorbs groundwater – with dissolved nutrients – from the surrounding soil. The absorbed water is then transported upwards through the trunk and branches and finally to the fruit.
The fruit retains this water, stored in the cavity of the coconut. The accumulated water, with its rich nutrients, provides food to the developing endosperm (white flesh).
Therefore, coconut water is neither rainwater nor seawater stored inside, but carefully filtered and nutrient-rich clear liquid formed by the tree itself.
About 95% of coconut water is simply water, making it an excellent hydrating fluid.
The rest of the water is made up of various components, which are useful for us too.
Minerals (like sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium) nourish human nerves and muscles; proteins (amino acids and enzymes) can help in metabolism in both the tree and humans; sugars (fructose and glucose) are responsible for the light sweetness and there are trace amounts of vitamins (vitamin C and B vitamins).
Read more: Is coconut water good for you? We asked five experts
Many factors can influence the amount and quality of water in a coconut.
The age of the coconut is a critical determining factor. Immature, green coconuts (six to eight months) are usually full of water: between 300 millilitres and 1 litre. Mature coconuts (12 months and older) have low water levels as the liquid is partially absorbed by the endosperm.
High rainfall encourages greater accumulation of water, while drought conditions reduce the amount of water that can be transported to the fruit.
Healthy soils packed with minerals lead to high-quality and nutrient-rich coconut water. Poor or salty soils, lacking in minerals that can travel up the coconut tree to the fruit, will lead to low quality water.
Finally, unhealthy or diseased trees produce smaller-sized coconuts with little water.
Coconut trees and coconut water are important to tropical economies across south-east Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean Sea territories, as well as the coastlines of central America and Africa.
Conserving the trees and their environment is therefore essential.
Sustainable farming practices, like soil management – including soil testing and organic composting – should be implemented to maintain the proper nutrient profile, which results in high-quality coconut water.
Read more: The end of coconut water? The world’s trendiest nut is under threat of species collapse
Additionally, protecting freshwater aquifers from saltwater intrusion along coastlines where coconuts grow is crucial for preserving the quality of this refreshing fluid. Drip irrigation and mulching can help maintain soil moisture for the required coconut water production.
Pest and disease management techniques (like intercropping coconuts with bananas or legumes), as well as integrated pest management, can contribute to healthy trees that produce large coconuts with ample water.
– How do coconuts get their water?
– https://theconversation.com/how-do-coconuts-get-their-water-252673
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gaston Adoyo, Lecturer and researcher, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Coconut trees are iconic plants found across the world’s tropical regions. They’re called “nature’s supermarket” or the “tree of life” in several cultures because every part of the coconut tree is used. Its leaves can be used to thatch homes, its heart can be eaten and its roots have medicinal uses.
The refreshing liquid found within a young green coconut is a highly prized component of the coconut palm. Coconuts are unique in the world of fruits because they have a large internal cavity filled with water. Other fruits typically store water within individual cells or pulp.
I’m a food scientist who has carried out research on the properties of coconuts.
All coconut palms produce water, though some, like tall varieties, will produce more than others, like dwarf varieties. The water is sourced from the trees’ immature, green coconuts. As the coconut matures, the developing white flesh absorbs the water, resulting in less liquid in a fully ripe brown coconut.
So, how is this water reservoir created, and what factors influence it?
To better understand how coconut water is formed, it is essential to grasp its anatomical structure. The coconut fruit is classified as a drupe, meaning it has three layers: the exocarp (the smooth, green outer layer seen in unripe coconuts), the mesocarp (a fibrous husk beneath the exocarp), and the endocarp (the hard, woody inner shell that protects the white flesh inside).
Within the endocarp, there are two components: the flesh (endosperm, a soft, jelly-like material in immature coconut that hardens as it matures) and the clear coconut water that fills the cavity. This water is a nutritive fluid nourishing the developing seed and is formed naturally during the development of the coconut fruit.
The water is a filtered sap that’s drawn up from the roots and transported through the tree’s vascular system (its water and nutrient transport system), specifically the xylem tissue.
The coconut tree’s extensive root system, ranging from 1 to 5 metres deep, absorbs groundwater – with dissolved nutrients – from the surrounding soil. The absorbed water is then transported upwards through the trunk and branches and finally to the fruit.
The fruit retains this water, stored in the cavity of the coconut. The accumulated water, with its rich nutrients, provides food to the developing endosperm (white flesh).
Therefore, coconut water is neither rainwater nor seawater stored inside, but carefully filtered and nutrient-rich clear liquid formed by the tree itself.
About 95% of coconut water is simply water, making it an excellent hydrating fluid.
The rest of the water is made up of various components, which are useful for us too.
Minerals (like sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium) nourish human nerves and muscles; proteins (amino acids and enzymes) can help in metabolism in both the tree and humans; sugars (fructose and glucose) are responsible for the light sweetness and there are trace amounts of vitamins (vitamin C and B vitamins).
Read more:
Is coconut water good for you? We asked five experts
Many factors can influence the amount and quality of water in a coconut.
The age of the coconut is a critical determining factor. Immature, green coconuts (six to eight months) are usually full of water: between 300 millilitres and 1 litre. Mature coconuts (12 months and older) have low water levels as the liquid is partially absorbed by the endosperm.
High rainfall encourages greater accumulation of water, while drought conditions reduce the amount of water that can be transported to the fruit.
Healthy soils packed with minerals lead to high-quality and nutrient-rich coconut water. Poor or salty soils, lacking in minerals that can travel up the coconut tree to the fruit, will lead to low quality water.
Finally, unhealthy or diseased trees produce smaller-sized coconuts with little water.
Coconut trees and coconut water are important to tropical economies across south-east Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean Sea territories, as well as the coastlines of central America and Africa.
Conserving the trees and their environment is therefore essential.
Sustainable farming practices, like soil management – including soil testing and organic composting – should be implemented to maintain the proper nutrient profile, which results in high-quality coconut water.
Read more:
The end of coconut water? The world’s trendiest nut is under threat of species collapse
Additionally, protecting freshwater aquifers from saltwater intrusion along coastlines where coconuts grow is crucial for preserving the quality of this refreshing fluid. Drip irrigation and mulching can help maintain soil moisture for the required coconut water production.
Pest and disease management techniques (like intercropping coconuts with bananas or legumes), as well as integrated pest management, can contribute to healthy trees that produce large coconuts with ample water.
Gaston Adoyo 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. How do coconuts get their water? – https://theconversation.com/how-do-coconuts-get-their-water-252673
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Freight services launched at border ports between China, Vietnam
The Tianpeng (China) port and Sam Pun (Vietnam) port began handling freight transportation on Monday, marking a leap of the ports’ function in both personnel exchange and freight transportation.
Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement in celebration of Sikh Heritage Month:
“April marks Sikh Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich history of Sikhism.
“The values of Sikhism echo perfectly those that Canadians and British Columbians hold dear, from the belief that all people are created equal to understanding the importance of serving one’s community. These are the beliefs that the first Sikh migrants to B.C. in the early 1900s brought with them, and they are what have defined the contributions that Sikhs have made to this province.
“Today, nearly 300,000 Sikhs call British Columbia home, making it one of the largest Sikh populations outside of Punjab, India. Even in the face of exclusionary policies and systemic racism, Sikhs have shown resilience and have built thriving communities. They are staunch advocates for justice, compassion and inclusivity, especially in times of crisis. From health care and agriculture to business and politics, today, Sikhs are leaders in all areas of our society.
“The challenges faced by Sikhs in B.C. have changed over the years. Some of the most pressing concerns right now are anti-immigration sentiment, negative stereotyping associated with religious symbols and systemic barriers to accessing services. Our government is committed to fighting back, through investment in community-led initiatives and implementing legislation like the Anti-Racism Act.
“The best way we can eradicate hate and bigotry is by learning about each other’s cultures, highlighting our similarities and celebrating our differences. This Sikh Heritage Month, I encourage all British Columbians to explore the festivities in your communities and learn about Sikh culture and traditions.
“Happy Sikh Heritage Month!”
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
BANGKOK, THAILAND, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VTR Biotech successfully participated in VIV Asia 2025, one of the premier international events for the animal feed and livestock industry. Held at Impact Bangkok, Thailand, from March 12-14, 2025, VTR Biotech presented its cutting-edge solutions at Booth No. 3-4122, focusing on optimizing feed efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness in animal production.
VIV Asia 2025 brought together professionals from the global animal feed, livestock, and food industries, offering a dynamic platform for innovation, knowledge exchange, and business development in animal health and nutrition.
As global demand for sustainable and efficient animal feed solutions continues to grow, VTR Biotech remains at the forefront of developing advanced feed enzymes, including phytase, protease, xylanase, and Macleaya cordata extract. These innovations are designed to enhance feed efficiency, reduce production costs, and improve the overall economic performance of animal feed producers worldwide.
VTR Biotech hosted an exclusive technical session titled “Optimizing Economic Efficiency of Production with Exogenous Feed Enzymes” on March 12, 2025, at Jupiter 5, IMPACT Bangkok. Led by Dr. Juan Antonio Javierre, an expert in feed optimization and biotechnology, the session explored how exogenous feed enzymes can revolutionize animal production by improving both economic efficiency and sustainability.
VTR Biotech’s Feed Solutions at VIV Asia 2025
As Southeast Asia’s livestock industry faces increasing pressure from feed cost inflation and sustainability concerns, VTR Biotech is stepping up to offer innovative solutions. At VIV Asia 2025, VTR Biotech highlighted the need for more efficient feed systems that balance cost with optimal animal health. One of the company’s most exciting developments is its new multifunctional enzyme, which outperforms traditional single enzymes by improving feed utilization and digestibility. This enzyme is designed to support poultry health and reduce feed costs by optimizing nutrient absorption, making it a valuable addition to the feed industry’s toolkit. With these advancements, VTR Biotech is addressing the key challenges of feed efficiency and animal welfare while contributing to the sustainable growth of Southeast Asia’s livestock sector.
VTR Biotech developed a comprehensive portfolio of feed solutions aimed at enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of animal production. With a focus on optimizing feed utilization and reducing production costs, the company offers a range of innovative feed enzymes designed to meet the evolving needs of the animal feed industry.
About VTR Biotech
VTR Biotech is a global leader in biotechnology solutions, specializing in the development of advanced feed enzymes, bioproducts, and plant extracts. With a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, VTR Biotech is committed to supporting animal health, improving feed efficiency, and promoting responsible agricultural practices worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.vtrbiotech.com or www.vivasia.nl.
Contact:
VTR Biotech
Email: vtr@vtrbio.com
Website: www.vtrbiotech.com
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Immigration Department today estimated that around 4.58 million passengers will pass through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air control points during the upcoming Ching Ming festive period from April 3 to 6.
In consultation with the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection and other Mainland authorities, the department estimates that around 3.91 million passengers will pass through land boundary control points.
The number of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points will be relatively higher on April 4 and 6, with around 561,000 and 608,000 passengers respectively.
It is estimated that passenger traffic at the Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay control points will be heavy, with a daily average forecast of about 231,000, 211,000 and 149,000 passengers respectively.
To cope with the anticipated heavy traffic during the festive period, the department has minimised leave for frontline officers for flexible deployment and the operation of extra clearance counters and kiosks.
Additionally, the department, together with Police, the Customs & Excise Department and the MTR Corporation, will set up a joint command centre at the Lo Wu Control Point to make necessary arrangements.
It will also establish close communication with Mainland authorities, including the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection. To ensure a smooth passenger traffic flow, conditions will be closely monitored and appropriate traffic diversion plans will be adopted when necessary.
All land boundary passengers should plan in advance, avoid making their journeys during busy periods and keep track of radio and TV broadcasts on traffic conditions at various control points. The busy times at boundary control points are available on the department’s website.
Passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land boundary control point at any time or place via the Immigration Mobile Application.
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly disapproved of and rejected the untruthful remarks, slanders and smears against various aspects of Hong Kong in the US’ so-called 2025 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, saying it was apparent the report was compiled to serve the political purpose of maintaining US hegemony.
By piling up false stories and narratives, they were clearly crafted to serve the political interest of the US in order to suppress the development rights and security interests of others, the Hong Kong SAR Government added.
In a statement, it strongly condemned the wanton slander and political attacks in the report on Hong Kong where the “one country, two systems” principle is successfully implemented.
“The Hong Kong SAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, and as a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the principle of “one country, two systems”, comes directly under the jurisdiction of the Central People’s Government.
“The US once again told fallacies about Hong Kong by replacing the rule of law with political manipulation and confounding right and wrong, and blatantly interfering in Hong Kong affairs which are entirely China’s internal affairs. The US’ attempt to undermine the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong will only expose its slyness and will never succeed.”
The statement said that the so-called “sanctions” arbitrarily imposed against the officials of the Hong Kong and the central authorities who perform their duties in accordance with the law by the US at the same time as publishing the report smacks of despicable political manipulation to intimidate the relevant officials safeguarding national security.
“These grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs, and seriously violate the international law and the basic norms governing international relations. It once again, clearly exposed the US’ barbarity under its hegemony, which is exactly the same as its recent tactics in bullying and coercing various countries and regions.
“Despising the ‘sanctions’ by the US and not intimidated by such despicable behavior, Hong Kong will resolutely discharge the duty of safeguarding national security, and its government will make every effort to protect the legitimate rights and interests of all personnel.”
The statement also broke down in detail its solemn rejection of the report’s slandering remarks.
As repeatedly stressed by the Hong Kong SAR Government, the laws safeguarding national security in Hong Kong are for safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; and ensuring the full and faithful implementation of the principle of “one country, two systems” under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.
“The US Government has vilified the Hong Kong SAR’s legislative work, as well as law enforcement agencies, prosecutorial and judicial authorities, in claiming that fulfilment of their duties constituted an ‘erosion of rights and freedoms’.
“The fact is that the US has been ignoring the non-interference principle under international law, interfering with other countries’ internal affairs, grooming agents, instigating ‘colour revolutions’, and even creating social unrest and multiple humanitarian disasters through economic and military coercion, causing suffering to people in many countries.”
Referring to the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO), the statement noted that they have an extraterritorial effect.
As the law enforcement department of Hong Kong safeguarding national security, Police are duty bound to pursue the liability of those who have allegedly endangered national security overseas, and those absconders hiding in the US and other Western countries are wanted because they continue to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security.
Police are duty bound to put the persons concerned on the wanted list in accordance with the law, and it is necessary to take all lawful measures, including the measures specified under section 89 of the SNSO, to strongly combat the acts of abscondment, and such action is fully justified, necessary and legitimate.
“The extraterritorial effect for the laws safeguarding national security fully aligns with the principles of international law, international practice and common practice adopted in various countries and regions. Quite a number of countries would also impose similar measures on wanted criminals, including cancellation of passports.”
As regards the electoral system, the statement pointed out that the improved electoral system puts in place legal safeguards to ensure the full implementation of “patriots administering Hong Kong”.
Noting that keeping political power in the hands of patriots is a political rule commonly adopted around the world, it said that regardless of one’s background in Hong Kong, whoever meets the requirements and criteria of patriots can participate in elections in accordance with the law and serve the public by entering into the governance structure after getting elected.
Additionally, reforming District Councils (DCs) is an important part of improving district governance, and the DCs have returned to their rightful positioning under Article 97 of the Basic Law as advisory and service bodies that are not organs of political power, and the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” has been fully implemented, which is of great significance.
The statement highlighted that the Hong Kong SAR Government safeguards independent judicial power and fully supports the Judiciary in exercising its judicial power independently, safeguarding the due administration of justice and the rule of law.
The Court of Appeal in an important judgment decided in May 2024 that there are at least three areas where the court would make judgment while giving the executive deference on assessment on national security: first, where a fundamental right of the person affected by the measure is engaged; second, where the requirement of a fair trial is in issue; and third, where the question of open justice is raised.
The vilification of the US against Hong Kong that the executive influences how the court should interpret laws’ goes completely against the fact, the statement said.
Saying that all cases concerning offences endangering national security will be handled by the prosecution and judicial authorities of Hong Kong in a fair and timely manner in strict compliance with Article 42(1) of the HKNSL, the statement added that so-called ‘indefinite detention’ does not exist at all.
“The US’ detention against an individual whom it sees as a ‘terrorist’ for up to 20 years without charge is the real ‘indefinite detention’.”
The statement emphasised that the Hong Kong SAR Government steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people as protected under the law, noting that since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, human rights in the city have always been robustly guaranteed constitutionally by both the Constitution and the Basic Law.
The HKNSL and the SNSO also clearly stipulate that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, and that the rights and freedoms its residents enjoy under the Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong, shall be protected in accordance with the law.
Just as the case with other places in the world, such rights and freedoms are not absolute. The ICCPR also expressly states that some of them may be subject to restrictions as prescribed by law that are necessary for protection of national security, public safety, public order or the rights and freedoms of others, etc.
Regarding national education, the statement stressed that it is an important part of the curricula for primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens with a view to deepening Hong Kong students’ understanding of the country’s national affairs, history and culture, the Constitution and the Basic Law as well as national security.
“Implementation of national education, including national security education, is the legitimate duty of education authorities all over the world.
“Different places attach great importance to implementing national security education and developing their students’ sense of national identity, including knowledge of their respective constitution, their own history, culture, geography, etc.”
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
Chief Executive John Lee today met Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying at Government House to witness the signing of an arrangement on the management and co-operation of water-related affairs.
The arrangement was signed by Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn and the minstry’s General Office Director-General Tang Liang, on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Ministry of Water Resources respectively.
It will strengthen the governance and protection of the Pearl River Estuary and the rivers along the Guangdong-Hong Kong boundary.
It will also promote co-operation in disaster prevention and mitigation, water supply safety, planning and management of major projects, information sharing, talent cultivation, hydraulic technology and more.
Mr Lee thanked the ministry for its continuous and full support of Hong Kong’s efforts in water supply and flood prevention.
Noting that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, Mr Lee said it is of great significance that the arrangement was signed at this milestone to strengthen co-operation on water-related affairs in the Greater Bay Area.
He said the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to adhere to the principles of water conservation and enhancement of utilisation efficiency, and work together with the ministry to ensure the safety of the water supply to Hong Kong.
It will also join efforts with the ministry to ensure flood control safety of the Pearl River Estuary as well as the rivers along the Guangdong-Hong Kong boundary, in order to provide water resources support and guarantee for the bay area’s high quality development, Mr Lee added.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Thrikasa Technologies will serve as key local distributor, strengthening Maris-Tech’s reach in the Indian defense markets
Rehovot, Israel, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maris-Tech Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTEK, MTEKW) (“Maris-Tech” or the “Company”), a global leader in video and artificial intelligence (“AI”)-based edge computing technology, today announced that it has entered into a new distribution agreement with Thrikasa Technologies (“Thrikasa”), a veteran Indian supplier of computing solutions for rugged environments. Pursuant to the agreement, Thrikasa will serve as a key distribution partner for Maris-Tech’s solutions across India.
With its headquarters in Hyderabad, Thrikasa brings deep experience in delivering advanced technology to defense, aerospace, and critical infrastructure clients across the region. The collaboration will include joint marketing, exhibition participation and coordinated sales efforts, which Maris-Tech expects will allow it to better serve Indian customers with localized expertise and support.
“We are excited to announce this agreement with Thrikasa, a highly respected participant in India’s defense technology ecosystem,” said Israel Bar, Chief Executive Officer of Maris-Tech. “We believe that Thrikasa’s technical knowledge and trusted relationships make them an ideal collaborator, as we continue to establish our presence in India and bring our advanced edge computing and AI video solutions to the Indian market.”
About Maris-Tech Ltd.
Maris-Tech is a global leader in video and AI-based edge computing technology, pioneering intelligent video transmission solutions that conquer complex encoding-decoding challenges. Our miniature, lightweight, and low-power products deliver high-performance capabilities, including raw data processing, seamless transfer, advanced image processing, and AI-driven analytics. Founded by Israeli technology sector veterans, Maris-Tech serves leading manufacturers worldwide in defense, aerospace, Intelligence gathering, homeland security (HLS), and communication industries. We’re pushing the boundaries of video transmission and edge computing, driving innovation in mission-critical applications across commercial and defense sectors.
For more information, visit https://www.maris-tech.com/
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe the Company’s future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect”,” “may”, “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. For example, the Company is using forward-looking statements when it is discussing: the anticipated benefits of the distribution agreement between the Company and Thrikasa and the Company’s expansion of its advanced edge computing and AI video solutions in the Indian market. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: its ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional securities; its planned level of revenues and capital expenditures; belief that our existing cash and cash equivalents, as of December 31, 2024, will be sufficient to fund our operations through the next twelve months; its ability to market and sell our products; its plans to continue to invest in research and development to develop technology for both existing and new products; its plans to collaborate, or statements regarding the ongoing collaborations, with partner companies; its ability to maintain our relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and other partners; its ability to maintain or protect the validity of our intellectual property; its ability to retain key executive members; its ability to internally develop and protect new inventions and intellectual property; its ability to expose and educate the industry about the use of our products; its expectations regarding our tax classifications; its qualification as an emerging growth company or a foreign private issuer; interpretations of current laws and the passages of future laws; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates including those related to recent unrest and actual or potential armed conflict in Israel and other parts of the Middle East, such as the multi-front war Israel is facing; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and its other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Investor Relations:
Nir Bussy, CFO
Tel: +972-72-2424022
Nir@maris-tech.com
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
TORONTO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — POET Technologies Inc. (“POET” or the “Company“) (TSX Venture: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), a leader in the design and implementation of highly integrated optical engines and light sources for artificial intelligence networks, today announced that its executive team accepted the Elite Score award from Lightwave+BTR Innovation Reviews at an exclusive gala reception held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California on Monday night. The reception took place on the eve of the annual Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Company were POET Chairman & CEO Dr. Suresh Venkatesan and Chief Revenue Officer Raju Kankipati. A panel of judges, comprised of experts from the optical communications and broadband communities, recognized the POET Optical Interposer™ as an innovative advancement that will have a significant impact on the industry.
“We couldn’t ask for a better way to start our 2025 OFC experience than to collect this meaningful award,” Venkatesan commented. “Knowing that a recognized authority in our industry has judged our technology as one of the best on the market provides a strong amount of momentum heading into the next few days.”
POET has previously announced that it will demonstrate its latest innovations at the OFC conference. These include POET Teralight™, a line of 1.6T highly integrated transmit and receive optical engines and the new POET Blazar™, an advanced light source solution that will be viewable by invitation only. Among the customers whose products are scheduled to be showcased with POET’s products already integrated is Adtran, which commended the Company on its accolade.
“POET is deserving of industry recognition because of the innovation they have achieved with their optical engines. We value their efforts in helping us to create a next-generation optical module that addresses the demand for greater connectivity,” said Ross Saunders, General Manager, Adtran Optical Engines. Adtran will demo its highly integrated Quattro 100G LR4 in its private demo room that features POET’s optical engines.
The Lightwave+BTR award recognized the inventiveness and applicability of the POET Optical Interposer, the foundation for the Company’s highly integrated silicon-based optical engines and light sources that are designed to power AI hardware applications and data center hyperscalers to the next level of speed and performance.
The trophy will be displayed alongside POET’s other recent awards at the Company’s OFC Booth (#5315) through the conference, which ends on April 3, 2025.
About POET Technologies Inc.
POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical modules, optical engines and light source products to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers. POET’s photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical Interposer™, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET’s Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems. POET’s Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges in 5G networks, machine-to-machine communication, self-contained “Edge” computing applications and sensing applications, such as LIDAR systems for autonomous vehicles. POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Allentown, PA, Shenzhen, China, and Singapore. More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com.
About Lightwave+BTR
Bringing over 36 years of trusted technical insights to today’s optical communications professionals. Through our integrated media portfolio, Lightwave delivers content focused on fiber optics and optoelectronics, the technologies that enable the growth, integration and improved performance of voice, data and video communications networks and services. Our experienced editorial team provides trusted technology, application and market insights to corporate executives, department heads, project managers, network engineers and technical managers at equipment suppliers, service providers and major end-user organizations. Our unique ability to inform our audience’s business-critical decisions is based in our 35+ year relationship with the entire optical community—technology vendors, communications carriers and major enterprises—and our recognition of the interplay among its members. Lightwave’s media portfolio includes the Lightwave Direct email newsletter and LightwaveOnline magazine.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “propose”, “project”, “outlook”, “foresee” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include the Company’s expectations with respect to the success of the Company’s product development efforts, the performance of its products, operations, meeting revenue targets, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Company’s technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Company’s technology in current and future products and expectations regarding its successful development of high speed transceiver solutions and its penetration of the Artificial Intelligence hardware markets.
Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the completion of its development efforts with its customers, the ability to build working prototypes to the customer’s specifications, and the size, future growth and needs of Artificial Intelligence network suppliers. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the failure to produce optical engines on time and within budget, the failure of Artificial Intelligence networks to continue to grow as expected, the failure of the Company’s products to meet performance requirements for AI and datacom networks, operational risks in the completion of the Company’s projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, and the ability of its customers to deploy systems that incorporate the Company’s products. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Company’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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