NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with the Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, Datuk Prof. Dr. Mohd Faiz Abdullah, at the ISIS Malaysia office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During their meeting, Dr. Kao highlighted the important role that Track 2 Institutions such as ISIS Malaysia could play in regional diplomacy, particularly in supporting of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship priorities this year through platforms such as the annual Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR).

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Health and safety remains top concern for directors and officers worldwide, according to Willis

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 80% of directors and officers consider health and safety risks to be very important or extremely important to their organisation, according to the latest Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Survey by Willis, a WTW business, (NASDAQ:WTW), in collaboration with Clyde & Co. Physical workplace risks were deemed the most important by 43% of respondents, followed by employee mental health and wellbeing consequences stemming from work (28%) and from personal matters (12%).

    For the first time since 2018 civil litigation and third party claims were included among the top seven concerns, with 63% of directors and officers surveyed considering these significant risks to their Directors and Officers. Smaller organisations (<$50 million in revenue) and those with revenues between $1 and $5 billion mentioned litigation more often. The largest organisations surveyed (>$5 billion in revenue) included diversity, equity and inclusion as well as bribery and corruption as top risks, while excluding the financial distress, bankruptcy and insolvency concerns of smaller organisations.

    Climate change is no longer considered a top seven risk in several regions, including Asia, North America and the Middle East. In contrast, diversity, equity and inclusion, a risk that was included in the survey for the first time this year, has made its way into the top seven for Great Britain, North America and Africa. Social risks as a whole feature prominently in the list of concerns and, when looked at over a five-year period, the increase in concern is notable. For example, breach of human rights within or by business operations has risen from 23% of responders considering it a very or extremely important concern in 2021 to 62% in 2025. Similarly, concern about supplier business practices has risen from 27% in 2021 to 59% in 2025.

    In general, there is a strong alignment between perceived material risks and board expertise and priorities. However, there is a notable exception when it comes to cybersecurity and data privacy, with many boards indicating more time is needed. Data loss and cyber-attacks, including extortion, are considered to be very important or extremely important for 77% of those surveyed. Artificial intelligence lags behind (only 51% of respondents consider it to be very or extremely important and considered by the fewest number of respondents to be material to the business while also being the lowest ranked issue on which respondents considered the board to have the relevant expertise), but this perception may change in the future as new use cases and regulations develop.

    Angus Duncan, global D&O coverage specialist at Willis, said: “The latest survey results underscore the diverse challenges directors and officers face today, highlighting how fraught the landscape has become. Despite increasing concerns over litigation risks, cost remains the dominant driver for D&O insurance purchasing decisions. This trend persists even as regulatory scrutiny and shareholder activism increase global liability exposures. By taking a proactive approach, companies can optimise their D&O coverage while mitigating financial and reputational risk. Our data helps clients anticipate emerging risks before they become serious exposures.”

    James Cooper, Partner and Head of Financial Institutions and D&O, Clyde & Co said: “The risk landscape for directors and officers is fast evolving and complex, driven by a multitude of factors from geopolitics to tech advancements and a challenging economic climate. Identifying the most critical risks and understanding where pressure points may appear is crucial in successfully navigating existing and emerging challenges. So too is ensuring that protections such as D&O insurance reflect this changing environment and can adequately cover areas where leaders may feel more exposed such as cyberattacks or data loss.”

    The report can be downloaded here.

    About the survey:

    Respondents include 765 global senior decision makers working in services, finance and insurance, healthcare, industry, energy and utilities and transportation and retail. Company size includes revenues of $5 billion or more (10%), $1 to 5 billion (15%), $50 million to $1 billion (33%) and less than $50 million (33%).

    About WTW

    At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance.

    Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you.

    Learn more at wtwco.com.

    About Clyde & Co

    Clyde & Co is a leading global law firm, helping organisations navigate risk and maximise opportunity in the sectors that underpin global trade and commercial activity, namely: insurance, aviation, marine, construction, energy, trade and natural resources. Globally integrated, the firm has 490 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people overall in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. For more information please visit www.clydeco.com

    Media contact

    Sarah Booker:
    Sarah.Booker@wtwco.com / +44 7917 722040

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Rosanna Law mourns Jimmy Lo

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law has expressed sorrow over the passing of lyricist Jimmy Lo and extended her deepest condolences to his family.

    A prominent figure in Hong Kong’s music scene, Mr Lo wrote lyrics for over 3,000 songs, touching the lives of many in the city and leaving a lasting impression on its collective memory.

    Revered as the “Maestro of Lyrics”, Mr Lo’s classics include Dynasty, Every time it changes and Fatherland.

    The Government commented that Mr Lo’s songs are masterpieces of poetic craftsmanship and profound emotion. It said that he skillfully interweaved lyrics and mood, conveying a multitude of emotions to listeners, and that his works continue to resonate with audiences and stand the test of time.

    Paying tribute, Miss Law said: “With his superb writing skills, Mr Lo’s lyrics were imbued with profound emotion and philosophy. His works were sometimes meticulous and sometimes grand, touching the hearts of countless listeners.

    “He dedicated his life to creating classic songs for Hong Kong’s music industry, leaving behind a precious collective memory for us all. His passing is a tremendous loss to Hong Kong’s cultural community.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Aurora Mobile’s GPTBots.ai and ZANROO Forge Alliance to Ignite AI Innovation in Southeast Asia

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHENZHEN, China, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced that its leading enterprise AI agent platform, GPTBots.ai, has recently entered into a strategic partnership with ZANROO MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. (“ZANROO”), a fast-growing marketing technology company in Southeast Asia. This collaboration intends to drive the adoption and application of AI solutions in the region through joint business scenario solutions, thematic campaigns, and regional joint branding efforts.

    GPTBots.ai and ZANROO are excited to embark on this strategic partnership, which promises to unlock new opportunities for AI solutions in Southeast Asia. Chris Lo, Founder and CEO of GPTBots.ai, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying, “We are thrilled to partner with ZANROO, a company with strong and rich experiences in the Southeast Asian market. This alliance will enable us to deliver exceptional AI solutions and drive digital transformation in the region.”

    Carter Lim, COO of ZANROO, also shared his perspective on the partnership, highlighting the potential for growth and innovation that this alliance brings. “This partnership with GPTBots.ai is a significant step forward for ZANROO. Together, we will leverage our combined expertise to create innovative AI solutions that address the unique needs of Southeast Asian businesses. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration that will shape the future of AI in the region,” he said.

    The partnership between GPTBots.ai and ZANROO will focus on several key areas:

    1. New AI-Driven Business Solutions: The two companies will collaborate to develop AI-powered solutions tailored to the unique needs of Southeast Asian businesses. By combining the advanced AI solutions of GPTBots.ai with ZANROO’s deep understanding of the local market, they aim to create innovative applications that boost operational efficiency and enhance customer engagement.
    2. Strategic AI Awareness Campaigns: To raise awareness and promote the adoption of AI technologies, GPTBots.ai and ZANROO will launch a series of thematic campaigns. These campaigns will showcase the latest AI advancements and their practical applications, leveraging both online and offline channels to reach a broader audience in the region.
    3. Unified Regional Brand Presence: Building a strong regional brand is a cornerstone of the partnership. By integrating their brands and collaborating closely, GPTBots.ai and ZANROO will create a unified presence in Southeast Asia. This joint branding effort will not only enhance their market visibility but also strengthen their competitive edge in the region.

    This strategic partnership marks a significant step in GPTBots.ai’s global expansion strategy. By working closely with ZANROO, GPTBots.ai will unlock new opportunities for AI solutions in Southeast Asia, ultimately contributing to the region’s digital transformation and intelligent upgrades.

    About ZANROO

    Founded in 2013, ZANROO has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing marketing technology companies in Southeast Asia. Specializing in data technology, ZANROO leverages online, offline, and real-time data to enhance human-computer interactions. The company offers a comprehensive suite of data analytics software that collects consumer data from various platforms, including social media, to help brands design and execute their marketing campaigns. By integrating and unifying data from multiple sources, ZANROO provides actionable insights that drive more effective marketing strategies.

    About GPTBots.ai

    GPTBots.ai is a complementary general-purpose LLM AI bot featuring private data input and continuous fine-tuning, which can replace ‘rule-based’ chatbots, improve user experience, and reduce costs. GPTBots.ai aims to provide users with an end-to-end business platform that can seamlessly integrate robots into existing applications and workflows via plug-ins. GPTBots.ai also allow users to have great access to, and more efficiently and effectively using, AIGC to improve overall corporate productivity and output quality.

    To know more, please visit https://www.gptbots.ai.

    About Aurora Mobile Limited

    Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises’ digital transformation.

    For more information, please visit https://ir.jiguang.cn/.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    For more information, please contact:

    Aurora Mobile Limited 
    E-mail: ir@jiguang.cn

    Christensen

    In China
    Ms. Xiaoyan Su
    Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
    E-mail: Xiaoyan.Su@christensencomms.com

    In U.S.
    Ms. Linda Bergkamp
    Phone: +1-480-614-3004
    Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Declare your city genocide free’ – lessons from NZ’s nuclear-free movement

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    Today I attended a demonstration outside both Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Israeli Embassy in Wellington.

    The day before, the Israelis had blown apart 174 children in Gaza in a surprise attack that announced the next phase of the genocide.

    About 174 Wellingtonians turned up to a quickly-called protest: they are the best of us — the best of Wellington.

    In 2023, the City made me an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian for service across a number of fronts (water infrastructure, conservation, coastal resilience, community organising) but nothing I have done compares with the importance of standing up for the victims of US-Israeli violence.

    What more can we do?  And then it crossed my mind: “Declare Wellington Genocide Free”.  And if Wellington could, why not other cities?

    Wellington started nuclear-free drive
     The nuclear-free campaign, led by Wellington back in the 1980s, is a template worth reviving.

    Wellington became the first city in New Zealand — and the first capital in the world — to declare itself nuclear free in 1982.  It followed the excellent example of Missoula, Montana, USA, the first city in the world to do so, in 1978.

    These were tumultuous times. I vividly remember heading into Wellington harbour on a small yacht, part of a peace flotilla made up of kayakers, yachties and wind surfers that tried to stop the USS Texas from berthing. It won that battle that day but we won the war.

    This was the decade which saw the French government’s terrorist bomb attack on a Greenpeace ship in Auckland harbour to intimidate the anti-nuclear movement.

    Also, 2025 is the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and the death of Fernando Pereira. Little Island Press will be reissuing a new edition of my friend David Robie’s book Eyes of Fire later this year. It tells the incredible story of the final voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

    “Eyes of Fire: the Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior” . . . a new book on nuclear-free activism on its way. Image: Little Island Press

    Standing up to bullies
     Labour under David Lange successfully campaigned and won the 1984 elections on a nuclear-free platform which promised to ban nuclear ships from our waters.

    This was a time when we had a government that had the backbone to act independently of the US. Yes, we had a grumpy relationship with the Yanks for a while and we were booted out of ANZUS — surely a cause for celebration in contrast to today when our government is little more than a finger puppet for Team Genocide.

    In response to bullying from Australia and the US, David Lange said at the time:  “It is the price we are prepared to pay.”

    With Wellington in the lead, nuclear-free had moved over the course of a decade from a fringe peace movement to the mainstream and eventually to become government policy.

    The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 was passed and remains a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

    New Zealand took a stand that showed strong opposition to out-of-control militarism, the risks of nuclear war, and strong support for the international movement to step back from nuclear weapons.

    It was a powerful statement of our independence as a nation and a rejection of foreign dominance. It also reduced the risk of contamination in case of a nuclear accident aboard a vessel (remember this was the same decade as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine).

    The nuclear-free campaign and Palestine
     Each of those points have similarities with the Palestinian cause today and should act as inspiration for cities to mobilise and build national solidarity with the Palestinians.

    To my knowledge, no city has ever successfully expelled an Israeli Embassy but Wellington could take a powerful first step by doing this, and declare the capital genocide-free.  We need to wake our country — and the Western world — out of the moral torpor it finds itself in; yawning its way through the monstrous crimes being perpetrated by our “friends and allies”.

    Shun Israel until it stops genocide
     No city should suffer the moral stain of hosting an embassy representing the racist, genocidal state of Israel.

    Wellington should lead the country to support South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), end all trade with Israel, and end all intelligence and military cooperation with Israel for the duration of its genocidal onslaught.  Other cities should follow suit.

    Declare your city Nuclear and Genocide Free.

    Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz and is a frequent contributor to Asia Pacific Report.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Ashleigh Gillon

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    ASHLEIGH GILLON, HOST: Well, Peter Dutton has addressed the Lowy Institute, outlining his foreign policy agenda. The Opposition Leader discussed the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas, and he also said the Coalition will grow Australia’s trading relationships and nurture international relationships.

    Joining us live with reaction is the Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Minister, thank you for your time. Mr Dutton said earlier that one of his first acts as Prime Minister would be to call the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to affirm Australia’s support for Israel. He attacked your handling of this relationship, saying instead of treating Israel like the ally it is, this government, he said, has treated Israel like an adversary. As a friend of Israel, do you support the strikes that’s carried out on the Gaza Strip in recent days, which has led to hundreds of people dying?

    PENNY WONG, FOREIGN MINISTER: That’s a very long question and first, it’s good to be with you, Ashleigh. And I think what we saw from this speech from Peter Dutton is, as he said, you know, past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour. And I’d agree with him, because what we know about Peter Dutton is he’s lost in our region. We know that he made fun of the Pacific. He was part of the government that withdrew from the Pacific, leaving a vacuum for others to fill. We’ve seen him both in opposition and also in government, beating the drums of war. This is a man lost in our region. In terms of what we are seeing in the Middle East, where we are seeing, unfortunately, the ceasefire that Mr Dutton opposed has broken. We continue to urge all parties to observe the ceasefire for hostages to be returned, we want humanitarian aid to flow. We have been clear in that position alongside the majority of the international community, and it was Mr Dutton who is out of step.

    GILLON: Let’s turn to Mr Dutton’s comments on Ukraine. He again criticised your government’s willingness to send Australian peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, saying Australia doesn’t have the ability to have a presence in multiple theatres. Why would Australia send troops halfway around the world to Ukraine when the US has said it won’t? And Russia has made it very clear any such move would lead to grave consequences, in its words, for Australia.

    FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first, I’d say a few things about what Mr Dutton said. He made a lot of criticism in relation to Ukraine, and I think everyone can see what he’s trying to do, which is, he’s trying to back up an argument which the facts don’t support. The reality is, if you ask President Zelenskyy what sort of friend and supporter he has in Australia and in this government, I think he’d be very clear about that, and he has been very clear about that. What I’d say is that the Prime Minister has articulated very clearly the reason why we want to back Ukraine, why it is something that matters to us. It’s because Russia’s behaviour is both illegal and immoral and is a breach of the UN Charter. And a permanent member of the Security Council has used its veto to justify a breach of the UN Charter. Now, that matters to middle powers like Australia. Now, what we have said is that if a request is made, we would consider it. Unfortunately, Mr Dutton, he had a chance to back Australia again, but as always, he wants to pick a political fight. Back Australia – he never chooses that path, always wants to pick a political fight.

    GILLON: I’m sure you were pleased to hear Mr Dutton say the PBS wouldn’t be up for negotiation with the Trump Administration if he does become Prime Minister. But what actually can Australia do to avoid potential tariffs on Australian medicine exports to the US? Our efforts, as we know so far, when it’s come to aluminium and steel, have failed.

    FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, first on the PBS, you can never trust Mr. Dutton on the PBS. We know that the only reason the PBS was protected when the US Free Trade Agreement was first struck was because of the Labor Party back in 2004. We know what Mr Dutton’s record is when it comes to health. And what the Prime Minister has said is this government, this Labor Government, is very clear. We are not up for negotiation on the PBS. We will fight to protect it. Full stop and end of story.

    In terms of the position of President Trump and the administration, I think every Australian can see President Trump’s second administration is taking a much harder position. A much harder position. In excess of 30 countries got exemptions the last time around, in the first Trump Presidency, on steel and aluminium, not one now. So, it’s very clear from that they’ve taken a much harder position. We will continue to engage, we will continue to negotiate, and we also continue to be very clear that the American pharmaceutical companies may be doing what they did some 20 years ago where they came after the PBS, this government is not for moving.

    GILLON: I’m keen for your thoughts on a developing story today. Malaysia has just announced it’s come to an agreement with the exploration firm Ocean Infinity. It’s going to be resuming the search for the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Has Australia received a briefing from either Malaysia or Ocean Infinity on where exactly they’re searching? Is there any support that we can be providing via the Australian Transport Safety Bureau?

    FOREIGN MINISTER: Oh, look, we have been part of the engagement on the search for MH370 for a very long time. We’ll continue to engage as Malaysia requires. Obviously, this is a tragedy, and it was a tragedy that so many families still carry with them. And so we continue to look for justice and resolution for those who lost their loved ones on that flight.

    GILLON: Well, considering our prolonged involvement in this, does the government have a view as to where it would be best to begin this search? As you know, there’s been a lot of speculation that the wreckage lies in the Seventh Arc in the Indian Ocean.

    FOREIGN MINISTER: Look, I’m not going to speculate about the location of this aircraft. Obviously, there’s been a lot of years, a lot of experts involved. What we hope is that it can be found and that there can be some closure for those who lost loved ones and for whom the lack of resolution here is a continued source of pain.

    GILLON: Foreign Minister Penny Wong, really appreciate you making the time. Thank you.

    FOREIGN MINISTER: Great to speak with you, Ashleigh.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE meets Heilongjiang official

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee today met CPC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee Secretary Xu Qin to exchange views on strengthening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Heilongjiang.

    Mr Lee said he was pleased to see Mr Xu again since they last met in Harbin in February. He stressed that Hong Kong will continue to leverage its advantage as a bridge between the Mainland and the world under “one country, two systems” to serve Mainland enterprises in going global while attracting more foreign investment to the country.

    The Chief Executive highlighted that Heilongjiang’s successful hosting of the 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 sets an excellent example for the 15th National Games to be jointly held by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau in November. He added that Heilongjiang’s integration of winter sports with cultural tourism development, along with its full promotion of the ice and snow economy, provides inspiration for Hong Kong’s cultural tourism development.

    Separately, as the Individual Visit Scheme has been extended to include Harbin, whilst direct flights between Harbin and Hong Kong have been launched, Mr Lee noted these developments will further foster economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between Heilongjiang and Hong Kong.

    He welcomed Heilongjiang enterprises and talent to organise and participate in various activities in Hong Kong and encouraged Heilongjiang tourists to visit to experience the city’s unique charm.

    The Beijing Office and Liaoning Liaison Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to serve as a bridge to promote deeper co-operation between Hong Kong and Heilongjiang, jointly making new and greater contributions to the country’s high-quality development, the Chief Executive added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs receives courtesy call from New Zealand Ambassador to ASEAN

    Source: ASEAN

    Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, H.E. Nararya Sanggramawijaya Soeprapto, receives Ambassador of New Zealand, H.E. Joanna Anderson, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ ASEAN Secretariat today. DSG Nararya expressed appreciation to Ambassador Andersen for the courtesy call at the start of her tenure in ASEAN. During their discussion, DSG Nararya provided an overview of CCAD and discussed ongoing cooperation between ASEAN and New Zealand, as well as potential support for the upcoming ASEAN-New Zealand Plan of Action 2026-2030.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: New Zscaler AI Security Report Reveals an Over 3,000% Surge in Enterprise Use of AI/ML Tools

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • ChatGPT is the most popular AI/ML application, accounting for nearly half of all AI/ML transactions (45.2%) and is also the most-blocked AI application, followed by Grammarly, and Microsoft Copilot as the second and third most-blocked applications, respectively
    • Agentic AI and open-source model DeepSeek are creating new opportunities for threat actors to weaponize AI and automate and scale their attack
    • The top five countries generating the most AI/ML transactions are the United States, India, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan
    • The Finance & Insurance and Manufacturing industries generate the most AI/ML traffic, with 28.4% and 21.6% share of all AI/ML transactions in the Zscaler cloud, respectively, followed by Services (18.5%), Technology (10.1%), Healthcare (9.6%), and Government (4.2%)

    SAN JOSE, Calif., March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the leader in cloud security, today released the ThreatLabz 2025 AI Security Report, based on insights from more than 536 billion AI transactions processed between February 2024 to December 2024 in the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™platform, the largest in-line security cloud, which discovered real-world threat scenarios ranging from AI-enhanced phishing to fake AI platforms. This report also explores recent developments in areas that will undoubtedly influence AI in 2025 and beyond, including agentic AI, the emergence of DeepSeek, and the evolving regulatory landscape.

    The report reveals a 3,000+% year-over-year growth in enterprise use of AI/ML tools, highlighting the rapid adoption of AI technologies across industries to unlock new levels of productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Enterprises are sending significant volumes of data to AI tools, totaling 3,624 TB, underscoring the extent to which these technologies are integrated into operations. However, this surge in adoption also brings heightened security concerns. Enterprises blocked 59.9% of all AI/ML transactions, signaling enterprise awareness around the potential risks associated with AI/ML tools, including data leakage, unauthorized access, and compliance violations. Threat actors are also increasingly leveraging AI to amplify the sophistication, speed, and impact of attacks—forcing enterprises to rethink their security strategies.

    “As AI transforms industries, it also creates new and unforeseen security challenges,” said Deepen Desai, Chief Security Officer at Zscaler. “Data is the gold for AI innovation, but it must be handled securely. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform, powered by AI with over 500 trillion daily signals, provides real-time insights into threats, data, and access patterns—ensuring organizations can harness AI’s transformative capabilities while mitigating its risks. Zero Trust Everywhere is the key to staying ahead in the rapidly evolving threat landscape as cybercriminals look to leverage AI in scaling their attacks.”

    Key Insights from the ThreatLabz 2025 AI Security Report

    ChatGPT Dominates AI/ML Transactions, But Security Concerns Remain
    ChatGPT emerged as the most widely used AI/ML application, driving 45.2% of identified global AI/ML transactions in the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. However, it was also the most-blocked tool due to enterprises’ growing concerns over sensitive data exposure and unsanctioned use. Other most-blocked applications include Grammarly, Microsoft Copilot, QuillBot, and Wordtune, showing broad usage patterns for AI-enhanced content creation and productivity improvements.

    “We had no visibility into ChatGPT. Zscaler was our key solution initially to help us understand who was going to it and what they were uploading.”
    —Jason Koler, CISO, Eaton Corporation | See the video case study

    DeepSeek and Agentic AI: Innovation Meets Escalating Threats
    AI is amplifying cyber risks, with usage of agentic AI and China’s open-source DeepSeek enabling threat actors to scale attacks. So far in 2025, we’ve seen DeepSeek challenge American giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, disrupting AI development with strong performance, open access, and low costs. However, such advancements also introduce significant security risks.

    Geographies Leading AI Adoption: US and India
    The United States and India generated the highest AI/ML transaction volumes, representing the global shift toward AI-driven innovation. However, these changes aren’t occurring in a vacuum, and organizations in these and other geographies are grappling with increasing challenges like stringent compliance requirements, high implementation costs, and shortage of skilled talent.

    Finance & Insurance Lead Enterprise AI Traffic by Industry
    The Finance & Insurance sector accounted for 28.4% of all enterprise AI/ML activity, reflecting its widespread adoption, and indicative of the critical functions supported by the industry, such as fraud detection, risk modeling, and customer service automation. Manufacturing was second, accounting for 21.6% of transactions, likely driven by innovations in supply chain optimization and robotics automation. Additional sectors, including Services (18.5%), Technology (10.1%), and Healthcare (9.6%), are also increasing their reliance on AI, while each industry also faces unique security and regulatory challenges posing new risks and possibly impacting the overall rate of adoption.

    The Zscaler AI Advantage
    Built on a true zero trust architecture, Zscaler delivers Zero Trust Everywhere, securing user, workload, IoT/OT communication using business policies, not network policies. Zscaler mitigates AI-powered threats by hiding applications and IP addresses from attackers, inspecting all traffic for threats, and ensuring users access only authorized applications—never full networks. This approach minimizes the attack surface, prevents lateral movement, and stops threats before they can cause harm. Zscaler protects its users against today’s most sophisticated AI-driven threats by implementing the following:

    • Zero Trust Foundation: Minimize the external attack surface through continuous verification and least-privilege access.
    • Real-time AI Insights: Employ predictive and generative AI to deliver actionable insights that enhance security operations and digital performance.
    • Data Classification: Leverage AI-driven classification to seamlessly detect and safeguard sensitive data across Zscaler’s Data Fabric.
    • Threat Protection: Block AI-enhanced threats through continuous monitoring and response powered by the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange.
    • App Segmentation: Restrict lateral movement and reduce the internal attack surface with AI-driven, automatic app segmentation.
    • Breach Prediction: Harness the power of Zscaler Breach Predictor that combines the power of generative AI and multi-dimensional predictive models.
    • Cyber Risk Assessments: Leverages AI-generated security reports to continuously optimize your zero trust implementation.

    Download the Full ThreatLabz 2025 AI Security Report
    Download the full version of the 2025 AI Security Report here for more information about real-world threat scenarios, AI predictions, insights into AI regulations, and AI best practices.

    Methodology
    Analysis of 536.5 billion total AI and ML transactions in the Zscaler cloud from February 2024 to December 2024. The Zscaler global security cloud processes over 500 trillion daily signals and blocks 9 billion threats and policy violations per day, delivering over 250,000 daily security updates.

    About ThreatLabz
    ThreatLabz is the security research arm of Zscaler. This world-class team is responsible for hunting new threats and ensuring that the thousands of organizations using the global Zscaler platform are always protected. In addition to malware research and behavioral analysis, team members are involved in the research and development of new prototype modules for advanced threat protection on the Zscaler platform, and regularly conduct internal security audits to ensure that Zscaler products and infrastructure meet security compliance standards. ThreatLabz regularly publishes in-depth analyses of new and emerging threats on its portal, research.zscaler.com.

    About Zscaler
    Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) accelerates digital transformation so customers can be more agile, efficient, resilient, and secure. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform protects thousands of customers from cyberattacks and data loss by securely connecting users, devices, and applications in any location. Distributed across more than 150 data centers globally, the SASE-based Zero Trust Exchange™ is the world’s largest in-line cloud security platform.

    Media Contact
    Natalia Wodecki
    press@zscaler.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9c2bf5d3-5720-4db8-bf1f-a9675f48840e

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Nuclear free Pacific – back to the future, Earthwise talks to David Robie

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    Pacific Media Watch

    Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths of Plains FM96.9 radio talk to Dr David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report, about heightened global fears of nuclear war as tensions have mounted since US President Donald Trump has returned to power.

    Dr Robie reminds us that New Zealanders once actively opposed nuclear testing in the Pacific.

    That spirit, that active opposition to nuclear testing, and to nuclear war must be revived.

    This is very timely as the Rainbow Warrior 3 is currently visiting the Marshall Islands this month to mark 40 years since the original RW took part in the relocation of Rongelap Islanders who suffered from US nuclear tests in the 1950s.

    After that humanitarian mission, the Rainbow Warrior was subsequently bombed by French secret agents in Auckland Harbour on 10 July 1985 shortly before it was due to sail to Moruroa Atoll to protest against nuclear testing.

    A new edition of Dr Robie’s book Eyes of Fire The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior will be released this July. The Eyes of Fire microsite is here.

    Lois opens up by saying: “I fear that we live in disturbing times. I fear the possibility of nuclear war, I always have.

    “I remember the Cuban missiles crisis, a scary time. I remember campaigns for nuclear disarmament. Hopes that the United Nations could lead to a world of peace and justice.

    “Yet today one hears from our media, for world leaders . . . ‘No, no no. There will always be tyrants who want to destroy us and our democratic allies . . . more and bigger, deadlier weapons are needed to protect us . . .”

    Listen to the programme . . .


    Nuclear free Pacific . . . back to the future.    Video/audio: Plains FM96.9

    Broadcast: Plains Radio FM96.9

    Interviewee: Dr David Robie, deputy chair of the Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) and a semiretired professor of Pacific journalism. He founded the Pacific Media Centre.
    Interviewers: Lois and Martin Griffiths, Earthwise programme

    Date: 14 March 2025 (27min), broadcast March 17.

    Youtube: Café Pacific: https://www.youtube.com/@cafepacific2023

    https://plainsfm.org.nz/

    Café Pacific: https://davidrobie.nz/

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: GlobalData Country Risk Index shows slight drop in Q4 2024

    Source: GlobalData

    The global economy stands at a crossroads, balancing trade policy uncertainty and geopolitical tensions against easing price pressures. The latter is supporting a revival in domestic demand and providing central banks with room for potential rate cuts. Against this backdrop, GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, reports a slight drop in the GlobalData Country Risk Index (GCRI) from 55.6 in Q3 2024 to 55.0 in Q4 2024.

    GlobalData’s latest, “Global Risk Report Quarterly Update – Q4 2024,” highlights that the Americas and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) face high risk scores due to economic instability and geopolitical conflicts. The Asia-Pacific region, while risky, has a lower score than the Americas and MEA, buoyed by strong growth in emerging economies. In contrast, Europe is the least risky region, benefiting from a solid economic recovery and improved investment sentiment.

    Annapurna Pillutla, Economic Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Global economic growth is projected to reach 3.1% in 2024, slightly down from 3.3% in 2023, reflecting both resilience and ongoing challenges. While the US economy continues to expand steadily, China’s real estate turmoil and potential US tariff hikes present key risks. Inflation remains above central bank targets in some regions, adding to the economic uncertainty. Growth in 2025 is expected to follow a similar trajectory, constrained by geopolitical tensions and policy unpredictability.”

    The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs are likely to disrupt the global supply chains and raise business costs. By 2025, these measures could reduce production efficiency and alter trade patterns as companies face higher prices for imported goods and raw materials.

    Europe – Steady recovery amid persistent challenges

    Europe continues to be the world’s least-risk region, with its risk score improving slightly from 41.4 in Q3 2024 to 41.0 in Q4 2024. The region’s economic recovery is marked by a gradual decline in inflation, improved labor markets, and supportive policy rate cuts by the ECB. However, geopolitical tensions, particularly involving Russia and Ukraine, along with political shifts to the far right, an aging population and labor shortages, present ongoing challenges. In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Switzerland, Denmark, and Ireland were identified as the least risky countries, while Ukraine, Turkiye, and Belarus, faced the highest risks.

    Asia-Pacific – Resilience amidst geopolitical challenges

    The Asia-Pacific region’s risk score decreased from 54.0 in Q3 2024 to 53.4 in Q4 2024, indicating ongoing economic recovery. Projected to account for more than half of global growth in 2025, the region benefits from strong domestic demand and increased exports. However, risks persist due to geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea and economic slowdown in China. China’s stimulus measures may offset some impact of US tariffs, while easing inflation and resilient consumption in other emerging economies improve the outlook. Strong growth prospects in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia further enhance regional stability.

    In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, the highest-risk countries included Pakistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Conversely, the countries with the lowest risk were Singapore, Taiwan (Province of China), and Hong Kong (China SAR).

    Americas – Risk decline amid economic gains and political shifts

    Americas’ risk score decreased slightly from 57.0 in Q3 2024 to 56.6 in Q4 2024, reflecting benefits from policy rate cuts and strong consumer spending, particularly in the US. However, high US debt and fiscal challenges in Latin America persist, alongside political instability marked by protests and governance issues. Donald Trump’s return to the presidency adds to the region’s volatility, potentially affecting economic strategies and stability.

    In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Canada, the US, and Costa Rica were the least risky, while Haiti, Venezuela, and Argentina remained the highest-risk nations.

    MEA – Persistent risks amid geopolitical tensions

    The MEA regions risk score slightly decreased from 66.3 in Q3 2024 to 65.4 in Q4 2024, driven by growth in the non-oil sector. However, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, and humanitarian crises continue to pose significant challenges. Africa faces rising debt and natural disasters, exacerbating food insecurity and displacement. In the Q4 2024 GCRI update, Yemen, Syria, and Burundi were among the highest-risk nations globally, highlighting the region’s persistent instability.

    Pillutla concludes: “Geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and market volatility present significant challenges for both policymakers and investors. To effectively manage these risks, a sophisticated approach is necessary, emphasizing adaptation and diversification.”

    About GlobalData

    4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis, and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology, and professional services sectors.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Visit by Foreign Minister, His Excellency Sugiono and high-level Indonesian business delegation to Australia

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Indonesian Foreign Minister His Excellency Sugiono, met today in Sydney to discuss cooperation on shared priorities under the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is Minister Sugiono’s first official visit to Australia since his appointment in October 2024.

    The Ministers highlighted the profound strategic trust and strong friendship that characterises the relationship between Indonesia and Australia.

    Australia and Indonesia are working to strengthen economic prosperity for both countries, advancing shared development priorities, enhancing the links between our people, and deepening longstanding cooperation on defence and regional security.

    The Ministers agreed to update the Plan of Action for the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2025–2029) ahead of the next Annual Leaders’ meeting. This plan will set key priorities for forward cooperation.

    A high-level Indonesian business delegation is also visiting Sydney this week. This builds on momentum from Australia’s largest ever investor mission to Indonesia last month, an initiative under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

    Indonesia’s strong economic growth represents an enormous opportunity for Australian businesses and investors. There is a great appetite amongst Indonesian consumers for Australian education, healthcare and consumer goods. At the same time, Indonesian investment into Australia has increased.

    Minister Sugiono will attend this evening’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between the Australian and Indonesian men’s soccer teams, alongside Indonesian Minister for Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo.

    Quotes attributable to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong:

    “This visit to Australia by Minister Sugiono, Minister Dito Ariotedjo and a high-level Indonesian business delegation demonstrates the breadth of our bilateral relationship across political and strategic cooperation; economic partnership; and the strong links between our people.

    “Deepening our economic engagement with Indonesia is of enormous value to both our countries, and is a key part of Australia’s broader effort to diversify our economy, especially through growing markets in Southeast Asia.”

    Quotes attributable to Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiono:

    “This visit signifies the strong partnership between our two countries which is built on shared values, mutual respect for sovereignty, and our unwavering commitment to take an active part in fostering peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and at the global stage.

    “We will continue to highlight our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through mutually beneficial cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, critical minerals, electric vehicle and battery products, agriculture and food security, education, research, defense and security, and people-to-people contact.”

    Media note: Imagery will be available via the DFAT Multimedia Library

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Result of the Daily Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction held on March 20, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    Tenor 1-day
    Notified Amount (in ₹ crore) 1,50,000
    Total amount of bids received (in ₹ crore) 1,24,009
    Amount allotted (in ₹ crore) 1,24,009
    Cut off Rate (%) 6.26
    Weighted Average Rate (%) 6.26
    Partial Allotment Percentage of bids received at cut off rate (%) NA

    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    

    Press Release: 2024-2025/2421

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Wealth for Good speakers unveiled

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Government today announced the line-up of speakers for the third edition of the Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit, due to take place on March 26.

    This year’s summit, co-organised by the Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau and Invest Hong Kong, has “Hong Kong of the World, for the World” as its theme. The event will strive to forge new connections and leverage Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages under “one country, two systems” to drive innovation, investment and sustainable growth.

    Participants from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere in Asia will join Mainland and Hong Kong attendees at the event to exchange insights on art and culture, philanthropy, technology, and investments in artificial intelligence.

    Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said world-class speakers, and decision-makers from family offices, will gather in Hong Kong to explore how the city’s strategic advantages can shape a bright future and legacy.

    He added that attendees will get a feel for the unparalleled opportunities Hong Kong has to offer as a global family office hub that can drive sustainable growth and touch lives far beyond its own shores courtesy of its strong financial and legal infrastructure, global connectivity, and thriving professional and philanthropic ecosystem.

    Distinguished international speakers at the summit will include the World Economic Forum’s Head of GAEA Luis Alvarado, ADLEGACY Founder Horst Bente, Swarovski International Holding Vice Chairman Robert Buchbauer, Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy Board Chairman Adrian Cheng, Gates Foundation Senior Advisor and Director Steve Davis, and Clinique La Prairie Chief Executive Officer Simone Gibertoni.

    The line-up of speakers also includes BDT & MSD Partners Co-Chief Executive Officer Gregg Lemkau, Pony.ai Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer James Peng, Danantara Indonesia Chief Investment Officer Pandu Patria Sjahrir, Alibaba Group Co-founder and Chairman Joe Tsai, University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Prof Irene Tracey, The Mall Group Chairwoman Supaluck Umpujh, and MiniMax Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Yeyi Yun.

    Part of Hong Kong Super March, the summit is the flagship event of Hong Kong’s Wealth & Investment Mega Event Week, which also includes the Milken Institute Global Investors’ Symposium and the HSBC Global Investment Summit. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS to visit Beijing

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan will depart today for Beijing, where he will attend the China Development Forum before returning to Hong Kong on March 24.

    Mr Chan will give a speech at one of the forum’s sessions, call on relevant central ministries and institutions, and visit enterprises in the city.

    Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui and Chief Executive of the Monetary Authority Eddie Yue will join parts of the trip.

    During the absence of Mr Chan and Mr Hui, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong will be Acting Financial Secretary, while Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan will act as Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: New measures to facilitate travel, residency for HK, Macao, Taiwan residents

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    China’s central government announced Thursday that two new measures aimed at facilitating travel and residency for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on the mainland took effect on Thursday.
    Under the new policy, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents who lose, damage, or forget to carry their travel permits can apply for a temporary electronic permit valid for seven days, allowing them to board flights and trains within mainland cities, the National Immigration Administration said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Former Japan PM Kishida, predecessors in scrutiny over giving gift vouchers

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida distributed gift vouchers to lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) while in office, fueling speculation that gift-giving is a common practice among lawmakers in power, local media reported.

    Kishida’s staff delivered vouchers worth 100,000 yen (about 670 U.S. dollars) each to LDP lawmakers who, at the time, served as parliamentary vice ministers ahead of a meal gathering at the prime minister’s official residence on Dec. 20, 2022, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, citing LDP sources.

    Kishida’s office told Kyodo News, “We always followed the law,” without providing further details.

    The revelation comes at a time when Kishida’s successor, incumbent Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has been under fire for his own distribution of vouchers worth 100,000 yen each to new LDP lawmakers.

    Ishiba reiterated Wednesday that the vouchers his office distributed ahead of a March 3 dinner meeting at the prime minister’s official residence were intended as tokens of appreciation and not meant to support political activities, denying that the move was illegal.

    Japan’s political funds control law bans donations by individuals to politicians for the purpose of political activities.

    Meanwhile, multiple LDP lawmakers and other sources said they also received vouchers worth 50,000 or 100,000 yen at meal gatherings during the tenure of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had been in office from 2012 to 2020, following a brief term from 2006 to 2007, the report said.

    The office of another former prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, Abe’s immediate successor, said that “souvenirs” were distributed, but no laws were broken.

    Opposition party lawmakers are turning up the heat on Ishiba and the LDP as those instances indicate that Japanese prime ministers have regularly distributed money and goods to LDP lawmakers.

    Leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Yoshihiko Noda, who served as prime minister between 2011 and 2012, told reporters he had “never” given out vouchers.

    “This looks to be an issue with the LDP’s political culture. It is shaping up to be a deep-rooted structural one,” Noda told reporters. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China introduces new measures to facilitate travel, residency for HK, Macao, Taiwan residents on mainland

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

    China introduces new measures to facilitate travel, residency for HK, Macao, Taiwan residents on mainland

    BEIJING, March 20 — China’s central government announced Thursday that two new measures aimed at facilitating travel and residency for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on the mainland took effect on Thursday.

    Under the new policy, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents who lose, damage, or forget to carry their travel permits can apply for a temporary electronic permit valid for seven days, allowing them to board flights and trains within mainland cities, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said.

    The NIA has also launched a verification service linking travel and residence permits.

    Individuals can request proof of their permit association via the NIA’s online platform or obtain an official paper document from any immigration office at or above the county level nationwide.

    Government agencies and businesses serving Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents can integrate their systems with the NIA’s authentication platform for automatic verification.

    The NIA has already implemented over 40 service measures for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents across 10 sectors, including transportation, finance and telecommunications, benefiting those residents through free real-time verification services.

    The administration pledged to further enhance immigration policies, expand service accessibility, and offer more tailored support to facilitate the life and development of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents on the mainland.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, US museum leaders gather in Chicago for more cooperation

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Museum leaders from China, the United States and Canada gathered Wednesday at the Field Museum in downtown Chicago to seek more exchanges and cooperation.

    Under the theme of “Now/Next: Make an Impact Together,” leaders from more than 20 museums in China, the United States and Canada exchanged views on topics such as “Museum Collaboration during the New Globalization Era: Opportunities and Challenges,” “Exhibiting Asian Art and Culture in the East and West,” “Research and Exhibiting the Art and Archaeology Collections: Collaborations between Museums and Academia” and “AI, the New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of Museums” at the Pritzker China-U.S. Museum Leadership Forum.

    The Pritzker Art Collaborative and the Chinese Museums Association, the U.S. and Chinese sponsors of the forum, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the forum, aiming to further promote exchanges among the museums in the two countries.

    In his welcome and opening speech, David Pritzker, director and chief curator of the Pritzker Art Collaborative, said the aim of hosting the forum is to build trust and collaboration, as “the best way to build trust is to have shared experience.”

    The Pritzker Art collaborative was originally created to collaborate with the Dunhuang Academy. “During that time we became very close with a number of museums around China and also with the Chinese Museums Association,” Pritzker said.

    By signing the MOU, “we would like to organize more events to bring museum directors in the U.S. and in China together to speak, to share, to get to know one another,” Pritzker said. “The Pritzker Art collaborative can be a bridge to try to make it happen.”

    “Museums are windows for the learning of civilizations,” said Chinese Consul General Wang Baodong in Chicago in his opening remarks. “The forum is a highlight of the China-U.S. cultural dialogue.”

    “We firmly believe that the improvement and development of China-U.S. relations are the common wishes of the people of the two countries,” wang said.

    A program has been funded jointly by the China Museums Association and the Tencent Foundation to bring Chinese museum professionals to the United States for fellowships from six months to one year.

    Douglas Dillon, chairman of the Department of Asian Art of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, expressed the hope that U.S. museum professionals may go to China in the future to get a better understanding of Chinese museums.

    “Chinese museums are developing very fast, in the way they display and the method they restore relics. There are lots that we can learn,” Dillon said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Post-95s inheritor revolutionizes Chinese lion dance

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Under the night sky, luminous lions leap and dance to the rhythm, performing spectacular moves and drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience.

    These luminous lions are the creation of Li Zujie, a post-95 intangible cultural heritage inheritor. Through his efforts, the luminous lions have evolved through three design iterations, not only becoming a viral sensation in China but also finding their way to more than 20 countries and regions worldwide, including Malaysia and Singapore.

    Li was born into a family engaged in lion dance for generations in Suixi county, Zhanjiang city, south China’s Guangdong Province, known as the “hometown of Chinese lion dance.”

    With a long history, the Suixi-style lion dance, as a branch of the Guangdong lion dance, was included in the first batch of China’s national intangible cultural heritage list as early as 2006.

    Li’s father is a national-level representative inheritor of the Guangdong lion dance, while his mother is a representative inheritor of the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage of Suixi lion head crafting techniques.

    Under his parents’ guidance, Li developed a keen interest in lion dance from an early age.

    Li vividly recalled every milestone in his lion dance journey—from the early days of practicing basic skills, to performing as a drummer in his third grade of primary school and finally taking up the lion head for a performance in sixth grade. Each improvement filled him with pride and kindled his hope of adding new highlights to the Suixi lion dance.

    “During winter and summer breaks, I would help my parents with crafting tasks, like installing the lions’ eyes and headdresses,” Li said. His parents’ hands-on instruction in bamboo framing and parameter adjustments quickly honed his crafting skills.

    “Perhaps it was learning lion dance and crafting techniques from such a young age that made me develop a habit of studying the characteristics of different teams’ lion heads and equipment,” Li said. In 2007, at just 12 years old, he was struck by foreign teams using illuminated decorations on their drums during a competition. This sparked his ambition to innovate with lion heads.

    A nighttime performance in 2013 prompted Li to develop luminous lions. “The venue was quite dark, making it difficult for the audience to see our movements clearly. I wondered if attaching light strips to the lion would dramatically enhance the atmosphere and visual appeal of evening performances.”

    Li wasted no time putting his idea into practice. While studying in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, he would go to markets to select materials and learn technical skills after class.

    His hard work paid off. After about six months of experimentation, the first-generation luminous lion prototype was successfully developed.

    By customizing higher-quality LED strips, larger-capacity batteries, and optimizing circuit placement to accommodate dance movements, Li’s team improved the performance of the second-generation luminous lions.

    In recent years, Li and his luminous lions have graced over 20 major galas and events, including the Chinese TV show “Charm China” in 2017, the opening ceremony of the 4th Annual International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week in 2018, and the 2020 Spring Festival Gala at the sub-venue in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

    After the second-generation luminous lions gained fame, Li received a flood of orders and constant performance invitations. Yet he didn’t rest on his laurels. After three years of refinement, he incorporated digital control and programmable lighting technology, enabling the third-generation luminous lions to change colors in sync with music and movement patterns.

    Beyond preserving lion dance traditions and crafting lion heads, Li has leveraged short videos and e-commerce platforms to further spread the Suixi lion dance.

    In March 2018, Li posted his first short video about the Suixi lion dance on the popular short video platform Douyin. To date, his account on the platform has posted over 1,000 videos featuring training and performance clips, lion head crafting processes, and related cultural and creative products, attracting more than 200,000 followers. One video featuring breathtaking lion dance moves garnered over 210,000 likes on Douyin alone, with total views exceeding 100 million across different platforms.

    Online popularity has boosted offline performances and sales. “Since we started producing short videos, we’ve received dozens of performance invitations through online channels, and many people have placed orders for luminous lions after seeing our videos,” Li said.

    Today, Li’s family factory sells over 10,000 lion dance-related products annually, reaching more than 20 countries and regions worldwide. Last year alone, the factory sold over 400 luminous lions. In addition, miniature lion dance-themed cultural products become best sellers in Li’s online store.

    In recent years, Li and his team have actively promoted lion dance through school programs, educational tours, and training classes.

    “Currently, our team has introduced lion dance to three schools, teaching over 100 students. Whenever possible, I make sure to teach in person,” he said.

    Li has contributed wholeheartedly to the preservation of lion dance. “The lion dance industry is no longer just about making a living like in the past. As new-generation inheritors, we should focus more on how to expand the reach of Chinese traditional culture,” Li noted.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Video] Samsung Teases ‘AI Home Experience’ Ahead of “Welcome to Bespoke AI” Event

    Source: Samsung

    ▲ Samsung Electronics’ new Bespoke AI product lineup
     
    On March 26, Samsung Electronics will hold “Welcome to Bespoke AI” in Seoul, Korea, where it will unveil its latest home appliance lineup and strategy for the year, under the theme of “Home Living Made Simple.”
     
    JH Han, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, will take the stage as the keynote speaker, introducing Samsung’s vision and strategy for the “AI Home” as well as a wide range of new Bespoke AI products for the global market.
     
    Ahead of the upcoming event, Samsung released a teaser video. The video features a smartphone, a refrigerator and a washing machine connected to SmartThings, highlighting the convenience of Samsung’s AI Home, where AI-connected devices work together seamlessly.
     
    More information about these new products can be found on Samsung Newsroom and Samsung.com starting March 26.
     

    ▲ Samsung Electronics unveiled a teaser video ahead of the ‘Welcome to Bespoke AI’ event.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: From Sydney Harbour to the Oscars: How the Galaxy S25 Series Launched Around the World

    Source: Samsung

    To introduce the Galaxy S25 series to the world, Samsung Electronics launched a series of bold and immersive marketing campaigns across key markets — each designed to showcase the flagship lineup’s AI-powered next-generation capabilities. From an interactive watercraft experience in Australia and a metro station rebrand in Chile to a laser show in Malaysia and an esports tournament in India, these activations brought the Galaxy S25 experience directly to consumers through dynamic and engaging events.
     
    Samsung Newsroom explores some of the standout campaigns that marked the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series worldwide.
     
     
    [Australia] Elevating Morning Commutes With the Galaxy Go Fleet
    
     
    In Australia, Samsung launched the Galaxy Go Fleet — a fleet of custom-branded watercraft that transformed daily commutes across Sydney Harbour and the Brisbane River into an interactive Galaxy S25 experience. Passengers on board had the opportunity to test key Galaxy AI features, including Now Brief and Audio Eraser, and experienced firsthand how the Galaxy S25 series helps them start and navigate their day with ease.
     
     
    [Peru] Introducing the Galaxy AI Train on Lima Metro’s Line 1

     

    View this post on Instagram

     
    A post shared by Samsung Perú (@samsungpe)

     
    Samsung Peru became the first tech company in Peru to rebrand a metro train by introducing the Galaxy AI Train on Lima Metro’s Line 1, a key transportation route serving over 500,000 passengers daily. In celebration of the Galaxy S25 series launch, passengers received exclusive metro cards and promotional goods — further enriching their unique transportation experience.
     
     
    [Chile] Transforming Tobalaba Metro Station and Illuminating Santiago’s Night Sky

     
    Samsung Chile made its mark in Santiago with two high-profile activations to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S25 series. Tobalaba Metro Station, one of the city’s busiest transit hubs, was officially renamed “Galaxy AI” — immersing daily commuters in the Galaxy S25 experience.
     
    
     
    The celebrations continued with a spectacular drone light show where over 300 drones illuminated Santiago’s night sky with stunning visual arrangements alluding to Galaxy AI and the Galaxy S25 series. The synchronized performance mesmerized spectators, turning the city skyline into a dazzling tribute to Samsung’s latest mobile innovations.
     
     
    [United States] Bringing Stunt Action to the Oscars With Galaxy AI

     
    In the U.S., Samsung celebrated the Galaxy S25 Ultra during the 2025 Oscars with two high-energy ads featuring stunt performers — developed in collaboration with Disney Advertising, ArtClass Content, Empire Stunts, Kimmelot, Maximum Effort, More Media and Really Original. The campaign highlighted the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s advanced AI-powered video-editing capabilities such as Audio Eraser, a feature that removes unwanted background noise. By demonstrating how Galaxy AI enhances both professional filmmaking and everyday content creation, the initiative put stunt professionals in the spotlight — recognizing their contributions to the industry while showcasing Samsung’s state-of-the-art mobile technology.
     
     
    [United Kingdom] Celebrating Everyday Moments With a Personal Touch

     

    View this post on Instagram

     
    A post shared by Samsung UK (@samsunguk)

     
    Samsung U.K. embraced a more personal approach by highlighting how the Galaxy S25 Ultra enhances daily life. Through engaging social media content created in collaboration with Anaïs Gallagher and Molly Moorish-Gallagher, Samsung demonstrated the Auto Trim feature, which allows users to effortlessly edit their favorite video clips and even generate highlight reels. Additionally, the campaign illustrated how the Galaxy S25 Ultra, through the Now Brief feature, integrates itself into users’ bedtime routines by providing personalized updates and content — thereby helping them wind down more easily after a busy evening.
     
     
    [Malaysia] Lighting Up Kuala Lumpur With Fireworks and Laser Beams

     
    Samsung Malaysia celebrated the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series with spectacular fireworks and a laser show over the Merdeka 118 tower. In addition, Samsung hosted the Edit & Win contest — inviting participants to creatively edit a fireworks image using Galaxy AI’s many tools for a chance to win a Galaxy S25 Ultra.
     
     
    [Brazil] Capturing São Paulo From the Sky With the Galaxy S25 Ultra

     
    In Brazil, Samsung launched a unique experience at Sampa Sky, São Paulo’s highest observation deck accessible to the public. Suspended 150 meters above ground level, visitors had the opportunity to capture breathtaking views of the city skyline with unparalleled clarity and detail using the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 200MP main camera and AI-enhanced 100x space zoom. The campaign also showcased Galaxy AI’s advanced editing tools, demonstrating how users can seamlessly refine and enhance their shots.
     
     
    [Italy] Pushing the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the Limit in the Dolomites
    
     
    Samsung Italy hosted the Galaxy Wintercamp in the Dolomites where nine athletes and creators spent three days pushing the Galaxy S25 Ultra to its limits in extreme alpine conditions. Participants used Now Brief to optimize their planning and employed the device’s 200MP camera and AI-enhanced photography tools to capture breathtaking ski descents, tricks and ice performances.
     
     
    [India] Taking Center Stage at the #PlayGalaxy Cup

     
    In India, Samsung hosted the third edition of the #PlayGalaxy Cup — one of the biggest esports events in the country. The tournament saw India’s top gamers compete against one another using the Galaxy S25 Ultra, allowing them to experience the device’s advanced display, next-level processing power and AI-driven gaming enhancements firsthand. Streamed live, the competition demonstrated how the Galaxy S25 series is designed to meet the demands of high-intensity gameplay while delivering a smooth, immersive experience.
     
     
    [Thailand] Bringing Star Power to the Launch in Bangkok

     
    Samsung Thailand celebrated the Galaxy S25 series launch with the Galaxy S25 | Here AI am Music Fest, a high-energy event featuring celebrities, influencers and fan activities. Attendees enjoyed interactive games with #TeamGalaxy stars and tested the latest Galaxy AI features. The night culminated in a blue carpet walk and an AI-powered concert where Galaxy AI helped curate the show with a blend of music, technology and entertainment.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: COMLOG WESTPAC’S USMC CWO Antonio Milord Promotes to the rank of Captain, Feb. 3, 2025

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    SINGAPORE (Feb. 3, 2025) United States Marine Corps (USMC) Capt. Antonio J. Milord, ground ammunition officer assigned to Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73), received his new collar devices reflecting his promotion from Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) 3 to the rank of Capt. during his promotion ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, February 3, 2025.

    The Winchester, Virginia native operates as one of two marines stationed in COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73, where he works as the lead ammunition logistics officer for Marine forces in the Indo-Pacific region. He develops logistical plans by coordinating shipments of ammunition and explosives while managing inventory levels to ensure the USMC’s ordnance inventory in the region is properly maintained at all times.

    This promotion has been a long-term goal for the former CWO 3 since his first enlistment into the USMC as a Private First Class.

    “I was always inspired by Chief Warrant Officers in my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) when I worked with them,” said Milord. “They were very intelligent and very smart, so I always found that was the path that I wanted to go for, being a very technical specialist.”

    Following his selection into the CWO program, Milord wasted little time in further developing himself as a subject matter expert in his field. In 2023, he was named Commander, Marine Corps Systems Command’s Marine Corps Ammunition Officer of the Year for calendar year 2022.

    “I am only the second Marine officer to have accomplished this feat, as I originally won the Ammunition NCO of the Year award 10 years ago in 2012 as a Sergeant,” said Milord.

    The two-time award-winning Marine recalls the moment in his early career how he solidified his pursuit for the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program.

    “For LDO, I remember there was a Lt. Col. in my MOS, who was the top guy at the time, and I remember him talking to all of the Marines. He said, ‘Hey, I remember when I started as a Private First Class and then started coming up through the ranks.’” Milord recollected. “I thought that was a sort of a “rags to riches” story. I thought that was really motivating and a defining point for me wanting to get to that level.”

    After executing on the myriad of mission objectives he had set for himself as a junior NCO, Milord shares the next milestones he has now set his scope on as a junior commissioned officer in the USMC.

    “It means a lot to finally reach that goal that you’ve been working towards the entire time. The other goals along the way mean a lot but there are always goals on the horizon,” said Milord. “I’m doing Command and Staff College, which is a higher-level military P.M.E. (Professional Military Education), and Major (O-4) is the next promotion and the next higher billet, so that’s what I’m focused on right now.”

    When asked for what advice he would impart on a junior NCO seeking to emulate his journey, Milord shared the guidance which helped him stay on his path throughout the years.

    “If you really want it, you won’t allow anything to stop you or prevent you from achieving your goals,” said Milord. “It’s never an easy path but you have to want it and excel at it.”

    COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed surface units and aircraft carriers, along with regional partners, to facilitate patrols in the South China Sea, participation in naval exercises and responses to natural disasters.

    For more information on Sailors and Marines like Milord serving in Singapore, visit https://www.clwp.navy.mil/

    Date Taken: 02.03.2025
    Date Posted: 03.19.2025 21:10
    Story ID: 493266
    Location: SG
    Hometown: WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, US
    Web Views: 3
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, COMLOG WESTPAC’S USMC CWO Antonio Milord Promotes to the rank of Captain, Feb. 3, 2025, by PO2 Moises Sandoval, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why sharing meals can make people happier – what evidence from 142 countries shows

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alberto Prati, Assistant Professor in Economics, UCL

    Sharing meals can contribute to feelings of happiness, a new report suggests. Ground picture/Shutterstock

    The importance of sharing meals is recognised across cultures, from the Jewish Shabbat meal to the fast-breaking Iftar meals during Ramadan. The known link between food and social relationships is ancient. The English word companion, the French copain (friend) and the Italian compagno (partner) come from the Latin cum and pānis – literally “with-bread”. The Chinese term for companion/partner (伙伴) stems from a similar term (火伴) which literally translates to “fire mate”, a reference to sharing meals over a campfire.

    But how important is eating together to our happiness? This is the question that I and my co-authors answer in the World Happiness Report 2025. In our new data and analysis we looked at the link between how often people share meals and whether they feel good about their lives and experience positive emotions. We also documented that there was a massive difference between countries and regions when it came to how often people shared meals.

    Comparing the statistics from the 2022-23 Gallup World Poll about sharing meals with standard measures of wellbeing, we found a significant, positive relationship in almost all regions. Not only do countries where meal sharing is more common tend to report higher levels of wellbeing, but this is true even when comparing people who live in the same country.

    The Gallup poll asked more than 150,000 people from 142 countries and territories how many lunches and dinners they shared with someone they know during the past week. The scores varied widely between regions.

    Latin Americans share approximately two-third of their meals, with residents of Paraguay, Ecuador and Colombia reporting an average of more than ten shared meals per week. At the bottom of the scale, there are relatively low levels of meal sharing in south and east Asian countries – in particular India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan and South Korea, where people share less than one meal out of three, on average.

    While there is an association between sharing meals and wellbeing pretty much everywhere, this association is stronger in some regions than others. For instance, for a person who always dines alone in North America, Australia and New Zealand, the wellbeing benefit of starting to share most of their meals (eight or more times a week) in the life evaluation scale is big (the life evaluation scale is how people judge their life, with zero being the worst possible life and 10 being the best). This boost is equivalent to the effect of doubling their income.

    However, in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, this effect is half as great and is essentially nil in south-east Asia. The reasons for this difference is as yet unclear.

    For social scientists, the frequency of sharing meals offers an indicator for social connectedness (the ways that people interact with and relate to one another). Unlike measures that capture people’s subjective feelings about social wellbeing, the number of shared meals gives us a concrete measure on which to base our analysis.

    While interpretations of friendship or perceptions of closeness may change over time or between countries, the number of meals shared with others does not.

    Meal sharing by region and age:

    Of course, those who share more meals can differ in many other aspects, but even when we take into account characteristics such as gender, age, income, living alone and people’s ability to meet basic needs for food, the relationship between sharing meals and wellbeing still holds strong.

    While the global data we used was only introduced in 2022, some countries have collected information on meal sharing for longer. In the United States, where the American Time Use Survey has been running for more than 20 years, we find clear evidence that with every passing year, Americans are dining alone more often, particularly young adults.

    Today, 18 to 24-year-olds in the US are 90% more likely to eat every meal alone on a given day than they were in 2003. We also find that Americans who eat at least one meal with others report higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress, pain and sadness on that day.

    How meals sharing is linked to emotions in the US:

    From our data, we can’t tell how much of a wellbeing boost sharing an extra meal
    creates, and to what extent people share more meals because they are already happy, but it is reasonable to assume that it is not just the latter. This would reflect previous research which has shown the importance of social capital (networks of social connections which are conducive to a well-functioning society) and the positive benefits of in-person interactions.

    In a world where loneliness is increasingly recognised as a public health issue, rethinking how we gather around the table, and how often, could provide practical solutions to reduce social isolation and raise wellbeing.

    Institutions where people routinely eat their meals together can play a critical role on this front. The other side of the coin is the surge in working from home, which could raise levels of solitude.

    So, if you don’t have plans for lunch tomorrow, maybe this is the good moment to message someone you would like to spend more time with.

    Alberto Prati is affiliated with the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.

    – ref. Why sharing meals can make people happier – what evidence from 142 countries shows – https://theconversation.com/why-sharing-meals-can-make-people-happier-what-evidence-from-142-countries-shows-252352

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker, Chairman Rogers Joint Statement on Reports of Potential Combatant Command Changes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, R-Ala., Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today responded to press reports suggesting that the United States might soon change its entire combatant command structure, withdraw from NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) command structure, and cancel modernization plans for U.S. Forces Japan:
    “U.S. combatant commands are the tip of the American warfighting spear. Therefore, we are very concerned about reports that claim DoD is considering unilateral changes on major strategic issues, including significant reductions to U.S. forces stationed abroad, absent coordination with the White House and Congress. We support President Trump’s efforts to ensure our allies and partners increase their contributions to strengthen our alliance structure, and we support continuing America’s leadership abroad. As such, we will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff, and collaboration with Congress. Such moves risk undermining American deterrence around the globe and detracting from our negotiating positions with America’s adversaries.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Announces Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation DOI Funding Restored

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: March 19, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Following a meeting with Chief Pos Bassett of the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Pleasant Point and further consultation with the Administration, today, Senator Collins announced that her office has received notice from the Department of the Interior (DOI) that previously paused federal funding for the Tribe has resumed.
    “This critical grant funding was awarded by the DOI to support the rehabilitation of the Tribe’s wastewater treatment system that is at imminent risk of flooding,” said Senator Collins. “I am pleased that after our discussions with the Department of the Interior, this funding has been restored, but the Tribe should not have faced this disruption, and I will continue working to ensure that federal commitments to Maine’s Tribes are upheld.”
    The Passamaquoddy Reservation at Pleasant Point was previously awarded $4 million through the DOI Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Community Resilience program in Fiscal Year 2024 to raise the reactor walls at their current wastewater treatment facility to prevent flooding, develop engineering plans and purchase equipment to build a new, relocated facility at a higher elevation, and install hurricane-resistant roofs on Tribal homes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed: Trump’s Move to Shutter Voice of America is a Victory for Russia & China That Runs Counter to U.S. Interests

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Noting that the U.S. cannot maintain its global interests through military might alone, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today rebuked President Donald Trump’s order to eliminate major components of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which manages Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and more.

    Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says the Trump-Musk retreat from diplomacy and American leadership on the world stage is a gift to Russia and China and makes America less secure.  Senator Reed argues that investing in the ‘soft power’ of fact-based news organizations like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and more helps counter authoritarian propaganda, spreads facts, and advances peace, freedom, and American interests worldwide.

    Primarily a radio broadcaster, VOA was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, and reaches 360 million people a week – including Russians and other countries where Vladimir Putin’s state run propaganda machine has heavy influence.  Like other USAGM entities, it offers objective and accurate reporting and American viewpoints to overseas audiences in dozens of languages.

    Today, Senator Reed issued the following statement:

    “The Trump Administration’s move to shutter these pro-democracy, free speech media organizations is a self-inflicted wound and a severe blow to American interests worldwide.  It is a gift to Putin and Xi.  Instead of surrendering the information war to authoritarian regimes, the U.S. should work with our allies to ensure a free and unbiased press can continue to reach and inform audiences who have no viable alternative to state-run propaganda.

    “Journalists from Voice of America and Radio Free Europe not only bring fair-minded news to people in closed societies, but they help increase our understanding of these places.  Pulling the plug on their mission undercuts America’s vital interests around the globe.  It diminishes our capacity to combat disinformation and promote freedom and democracy.  Repressive regimes aren’t pulling back here, they are increasing their investments in international media activities.  China alone spends billions on international media and influence activities, dwarfing the legitimate efforts of VOA to inform international audiences. State-run Chinese propaganda outlets are racing to influence and grow their audiences in Africa and other regions that Trump is abandoning.

    “Instead of weakening America’s diplomatic infrastructure, the Trump Administration should promote fact-based, multi-language media that counters propaganda and advances freedom and democracy. 

    “True to their mission, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe have a measure of editorial independence from presidential administrations.  Therefore, their reporting may criticize various aspects of U.S. policy.  That seems to be what President Trump really can’t abide.  He routinely calls members of the press “the enemy of the people.”  His Administration strips away reporters’ access when they report facts he doesn’t like. There is a reason the Kremlin and repressive regimes are celebrating Trump’s move and that should make more Americans question it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Loan Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Michigan man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to a conspiracy to import and sell illegal pharmaceuticals, including opioids, and to fund the operation of the scheme by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan.

    Donald Nchamukong, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, to commit loan fraud and to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2025.

    Starting in 2019 and continuing to 2022, Nchamukong and a co-conspirator, Doyal Kalita, conspired to distribute drugs to persons in the United States over the internet and using call centers in India. Nchamukong used shell companies, including a purported dietary supplements company and an auto parts supplier, and associated bank and merchant accounts to process sales of illegal foreign drugs, including the Schedule IV opioid, tramadol. Nchamukong and Kalita also received shipments of tramadol from India and reshipped the drug to customers across the United States, including in Massachusetts. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nchamukong and Kalita fraudulently obtained a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan to fund their illegal drug scheme.  

    Kalita was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating the online drug distribution scheme and a technical support fraud scheme and related money laundering.

    The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the monetary gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New York, Small Business Administration and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial, and Cyber Fraud Unit, is prosecuting the case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Westport to Issue Q4 and Full Year 2024 Financial Results on March 31, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSX: WPRT / Nasdaq: WPRT) (“Westport” or “The Company”) announces that the Company will release 2024 financial results on Monday, March 31, 2025, before market open. A conference call and webcast to discuss the financial results and other corporate developments will be held on the same day: Monday, March 31, 2025.

    Time: 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT)
    Call Link: https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BId6a8762a91a74ab1b129f33836d3db21
    Webcast: https://investors.wfsinc.com

    Participants may register up to 60 minutes before the event by clicking on the call link and completing the online registration form. Upon registration, the user will receive dial-in info and a unique PIN, along with an email confirming the details.

    The webcast will be archived on Westport’s website and a replay will be available at https://investors.wfsinc.com.

    About Westport Fuel Systems
    At Westport Fuel Systems, we are driving innovation to power a cleaner tomorrow. We are a leading supplier of advanced fuel delivery components and systems for clean, low-carbon fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen to the global transportation industry. Our technology delivers the performance and fuel efficiency required by transportation applications and the environmental benefits that address climate change and urban air quality challenges. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, we serve our customers in approximately 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. At Westport Fuel Systems, we think ahead. For more information, visit www.wfsinc.com.

    Investor Inquiries:
    Investor Relations
    T: +1 604-718-2046
    E: invest@wfsinc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Wearable Devices Announces Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    YOKNE’AM ILLIT, Israel, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wearable Devices Ltd. (Nasdaq: WLDS, WLDSW) (“Wearable Devices” or the “Company”), a technology growth company specializing in artificial intelligence (“AI”)-powered touchless sensing wearables, today announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2024.

    Asher Dahan, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wearable Devices, commented, “2024 was characterized by strategic capital allocation and the execution of our growth strategy as we delivered our Mudra Band for Apple Watch, and entered into several collaborations with companies and contractors at the forefront of their respective industries. With a strong focus on technological breakthroughs and innovation, we introduced the Mudra Link, a universal gesture control wearable wristband in September 2024. This launch marked a significant milestone in our neural interface technology, enabling seamless, touch-free interaction with a wide range of digital devices. The Mudra Link is open for orders, and we have started to ship the Mudra Link to customers in the first quarter of 2025. We invested significant resources in pursuit of these milestones, mainly due to strategic investments primarily in sales and marketing and research and development as we continue to innovate and showcase our technology, as well as an enhanced focus on business development on the business-to-business (“B2B”) side of our business.”

    “Collaborations represent a key part of our business, and we expect our B2B offerings to be a significant driver of revenue for us as we grow. At the beginning of 2024, we launched the B2B Mudra Developer Kit (“MDK”), providing our B2B customers with enhanced capabilities and additional features that improve our B2B offering. The MDK allows original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) to design new, customized gestures to create a user interface specifically tailored to their needs. At the beginning of 2024, we announced a collaboration agreement with Qualcomm Incorporated (“Qualcomm”), for the development of products using the Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform. In October 2024, we announced an innovative collaboration with TCL-RayNeo™ (“RayNeo”), a leader in augmented reality (“AR”) technology, aiming at bringing mass-market neural interface wristband for AR glasses to life. We anticipate interest in our B2B product to grow as the market for wearable devices and AI-based technology expands, with more and more customers recognizing the value that our products can add to their operations.

    “Our business-to-customer (“B2C”) product, the Mudra Band, is an award-winning aftermarket band for the Apple Watch that enables touchless control of multiple Apple devices. In addition, we’re seeing considerable interest in the Mudra Link, and during the first quarter of 2025 we commenced shipment of our first manufacturing batch to Mudra Link customers. 2024 was characterized by strategic capital allocation and the execution of our growth strategy, with a focus on three key areas: technological breakthroughs and innovation, adoption trends and market outlook, and strategic positioning for future growth.

    First, we continued to lead in innovation with groundbreaking technologies that enable natural, touch-free interaction. Second, we are witnessing an increasing adoption trend in neural interface solutions, with growing interest from both consumers and business partners. Finally, we are well-positioned for future growth, supported by our marketing efforts, strong presence at leading trade shows such as CES and MWC, and the growing recognition of Mudra Link as a market-defining product. We continue to receive orders for the product and see significant growth potential as our technology and capabilities evolve.”

    Mr. Dahan concluded, “We have a comprehensive strategy with innovative B2B and B2C offerings to maximize our presence in what we believe to be a market that is poised for tremendous growth. We are very encouraged by the progress that we made in 2024 and believe that Wearable Devices is positioned for transformation in coming years, as we continue to invest in our operations, bring innovative products to market, and showcase the breadth and depth of our technology.”

    2024 and Recent Business Highlights:

    Strategic Collaborations & Expansion

    • Signed a collaboration agreement with Qualcomm to elevate extended reality (“XR”) experiences using Mudra neural technology.
    • Collaborated with RayNeo to lead the neural control revolution for AR glasses, positioning Mudra ahead of competitors like Meta.
    • Signed a reseller agreement to scale licensing efforts in South Korea and China.

    Product & Technology Innovations

    • Launched Mudra Link, the first AI Neural Interface Wristband for Android and beyond, expanding accessibility of neural gesture control.
    • Released the Mudra Developer Kit (MDK) for B2B customers, enabling OEMs to create tailored user interfaces.
    • Unveiled AI-powered Large MUAP Models to revolutionize gesture control with personalized neural interactions.
    • Showcased future AI-powered gesture personalization technology, advancing next-gen human-computer interaction.

    Market Recognition & Sales Expansion

    • Awarded the CES 2025 Innovation Award in XR Technologies and Accessories for Mudra Link.
    • Chosen as Best Wearable of CES 2024 by SlashGear.com.
    • Featured in Mashable, VentureBeat, and leading tech magazines.

    Strategic Deployments

    • Successfully completed the first-stage deployment testing for a leading XR glasses OEM, meeting key evaluation criteria.
    • Demonstrated Mudra technology integration with Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces at CES 2025 and AWE 2024.
    • Showed positive results on Lenovo’s XR headset, validating Mudra’s neural technology for next-gen spatial computing.

    Intellectual Property & Regulatory Progress

    • Filed a patent application for touchless pinch-to-zoom technology for AR/VR (virtual reality) applications.
    • Secured a Chinese patent for its AI Gesture-Controlled Interface.
    • Expanded international IP portfolio with a neural wrist technology patent filing in South Korea.

    Full Year 2024 Financial Highlights:

    • Revenues: Revenues increased from $82 thousand in 2023 to $522 thousand in 2024, marking a significant step forward in the Company’s transition toward a commercially driven business. This growth was primarily driven by increased sales of the Mudra Band, demonstrating early market adoption and growing demand for neural interface technology. While revenues are still at an early stage, the upward trend reflects positive momentum and a foundation for future expansion.
    • Research and Development Expenses: Research and development expenses decreased by 11% to $3.0 million in the full year of 2024 compared to $3.3 million in the full year of 2023, reflecting the successful completion of key development phases, particularly Mudra Link, and a transition toward production and sales. The Company continued to focus on creating disruptive, industry leading technology that leverages AI and proprietary algorithms, software and hardware.
    • Sales and Marketing Expenses: Sales and marketing expenses increased by 4% to $2.1 million in the full year of 2024 compared to $2.0 million in the full year of 2023, related to the Company driving awareness of its technology and products across various channels including participation at multiple leading industry conferences.
    • General and administrative expenses: General and administrative expenses decreased by 1.3% to $2.8 million in the full year of 2024 compared to $2.9 million in the full year of 2023.
    • Net Loss: Net loss increased to $(7.9 million), or $(24.2) per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to a net loss of $(7.8 million), or $(38.4) per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2023.

      The per share information reflects the Company’s 1-for-20 reverse share split, which became effective on October 10, 2024, and an additional 1-for-4 reverse share split, which became effective on March 17, 2025.

    • Cash Position: Cash and deposits as of December 31, 2024 were $4.0 million.
    • Inventory: Inventory increased to $1.2 million at the end of 2024, as part of the completion of the transition phase from research and development to production and to serve our planned B2C and B2B initiatives in 2025.

    About Wearable Devices Ltd.

    Wearable Devices Ltd. is a growth company developing AI-based neural input interface technology for the B2C and B2B markets. The Company’s flagship product, the Mudra Band for Apple Watch, integrates innovative AI-based technology and algorithms into a functional, stylish wristband that utilizes proprietary sensors to identify subtle finger and wrist movements allowing the user to “touchlessly” interact with connected devices. The Company also markets a B2B product, which utilizes the same technology and functions as the Mudra Band and is available to businesses on a licensing basis. Wearable Devices Is committed to creating disruptive, industry leading technology that leverages AI and proprietary algorithms, software, and hardware to set the input standard for the Extended Reality, one of the most rapidly expanding landscapes in the tech industry. The Company’s ordinary shares and warrants trade on the Nasdaq market under the symbol “WLDS” and “WLDSW,” respectively.

    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 our 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, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss the benefits, capabilities, advantages and expected demand, an increasing adoption trend in neural interface solutions, with growing interest from both consumers and business partners, momentum and growth of our products and technology, our expectation for the growth of the B2B market and that our B2B offerings will be a significant driver of revenue for us as we grow, our anticipation that interest in our B2B product will grow as the market for wearable devices and AI-based technology expands and our belief that Wearable Devices is positioned for transformation in coming years. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. 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 our control. Our 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 our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our use of proceeds from the offering; the trading of our ordinary shares or warrants and the development of a liquid trading market; our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed on March 15, 2024 and our 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 Contact:

    Michal Efraty
    IR@wearabledevices.co.il

    WEARABLE DEVICES LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
     
        December 31  
        2024       2023  
        U.S. dollars
    in thousands    		  
    Assets      
    CURRENT ASSETS:            
    Cash and cash equivalents     3,089         810  
    Short-term bank deposits     862         4,045  
    Governmental grant receivable     17         108  
    Other receivables and prepaid expenses     322         757  
    Inventories     1,226         1,032  
    TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     5,516         6,752  
                     
    NON-CURRENT ASSETS:                
    Long-term bank deposits     –         54  
    Right-of-use assets     330         592  
    Property and equipment, net     130         194  
    TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS     460         840  
    TOTAL ASSETS     5,976         7,592  
                     
    Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity                
    CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Accounts payable     157         410  
    Advance payments     83         312  
    Convertible promissory note     770         –  
    Accrued payroll and other employment related accruals     402         579  
    Accrued expenses     392         190  
    Lease liabilities     291         297  
    TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     2,095         1,788  
    Lease liabilities     21         278  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES     2,116         2,066  
                     
    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:                
    Ordinary shares no par value : Authorized 50,000,000 as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023; Issued and outstanding 707,463 shares as of December 31, 2024 and 254,843 shares as of December 31, 2023.     67         57  
    Additional paid-in capital     32,895         26,692  
    Accumulated losses     (29,102 )       (21,223)  
    TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY     3,860         5,526  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY     5,976         7,592  
    WEARABLE DEVICES LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
     
        Year ended December 31  
        2024       2023       2022    
        U.S. dollars in thousands (except per share amounts)  
                       
    Revenues     522         82         45    
    Cost of revenues     437         (62 )       (10 )  
    GROSS PROFIT     85         20         35    
    Research and development, net     (2,964 )       (3,316 )       (2,271 )  
    Sales and marketing expenses, net     (2,096 )       (2,008 )       (1,370 )  
    General and administrative
    expenses    		     (2,845 )       (2,882 )       (1,948 )  
    Initial public offering expenses     –         –         (904 )  
    OPERATING LOSS     (7,820 )       (8,186 )       (6,458 )  
    Financing income (expenses), net     (52 )       372         (38 )  
    LOSS BEFORE TAX EXPENSES     (7,872 )       (7,814 )       (6,496 )  
    Tax expenses     (7 )       –         –    
    NET LOSS AND TOTAL                           
    COMPREHENSIVE LOSS     (7,879 )       (7,814 )       (6,496 )  
                             
    Net loss per ordinary shares,                        
     basic and diluted *     (24.2 )       (38.4 )       (42.4 )  
    Weighted average number of                               
    ordinary shares and pre-
    funded warrants outstanding
    basic and diluted *    		     325,690         202,515         153,465    
      * The share and per share information in these financial statements reflects the 1-for-20 reverse share split became effective on October 10, 2024 and an additional 1-for-4 reverse share split of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares became effective on March 17, 2025.
    WEARABLE DEVICES LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
     
        Year ended December 31  
        2024       2023     2022    
        U.S. dollars in thousands  
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:                    
    Net loss     (7,879 )       (7,814)       (6,496)    
    Adjustments required to reconcile net loss to net cash used in                           
    operating activities                          
    Depreciation     107         68       23    
    Interest expenses on convertible promissory note     4         –       –    
    Accrued interest on deposits     (3 )       (45)       –    
    Share based compensation expenses     182         241       790    
    Unrealized gain from foreign currency derivative activities     68         (68)       –    
    Marketing expenses paid in ordinary shares     100         –       –    
    Provision for inventory write-off     75         –       –    
                               
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities items:                          
    Decrease in accounts receivable     –         –       8    
    Decrease (increase) in inventories     (269 )       (1,026)       5    
    Decrease (increase) in governmental grants receivables     91         (54)       8    
    Decrease (Increase) in other receivables and prepaid expenses     357         (136)       (496)    
    Increase (decrease) in advance payments     (228 )       (41)       79    
    Increase (decrease) in deferred revenues     –         (12)       (12)    
    Increase (decrease) in accounts payable     (253 )       254       84    
    Increase (decrease) in accrued payroll and other employment
    related accruals    		     (177 )       163       194    
    Increase in accrued expenses     212         36       99    
    Net cash used in operating activities     (7,613 )       (8,434)       (5,714)    
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:                          
    Purchase of property and equipment     (43 )       (194)       (48)    
    Decrease (Increase) in deposits, net     3,240         (4,054)       –    
    Prepayments of leasing     –         –       (18)    
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     3,197         (4,248)       (66)    
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                          
    Proceeds from issuance of shares issued in the public offering, net
    of issuance cost    		     1,578         1,670       –    
    Proceeds from issuance of units of ordinary shares and warrants in
    connection with the initial public offering, net of issuance
    expenses    		             –       14,319    
    Proceeds from issuance of SAFEs     –         –       500    
    Refund to SAFE investors     –         –       (100)    
    Proceeds from credit line     –         –       800    
    Repayment of credit line     –         –       (800)    
    Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares as a result of exercise of
    warrants    		     –         1,449       160    
    Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares associated with the
    SEPA    		     4,353         –       –    
    Proceeds from issuance of convertible promissory note     1,920         –       –    
    Repayment of convertible promissory note     (1,156 )                    
    Net cash provided by financing activities     6,695         3,119       14,879    
                               
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents     2,279         (9,563)       9,099    
    Cash and Cash Equivalents at the beginning of year     810         10,373       1,274    
    Cash and cash equivalents at the end of year     3,089         810       10,373    
    Supplemental Disclosure:                          
    Interest paid     49         –       40    
    Interest received     (144 )       (305)       –    
    Conversion of SAFEs to equity     –         –       400    
    Right-of-use asset recognized against lease liability     –         644       229    

    The MIL Network –