NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sapulpa Couple Sentenced for Their Role in Abusing Three-Week-Old Baby

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Jeannie Rene Romero, 25, for Child Abuse and Child Neglect in Indian Country. Judge Hill ordered Jeannie to serve 60 months, followed by five years of supervised release.

    In October 2022, Jeannie was taking care of her three-week-old baby. While changing the baby’s diaper, Jeannie admittedly used unreasonable force, breaking the baby’s femur in half. She failed to seek medical attention for more than 48 hours. Doctors noted that the baby had additional injuries consistent with abuse.

    In June, Judge Hill sentenced Jeannie’s husband, Jacob Alejandro Romero, 24, for Child Neglect in Indian County. Jacob was at work when the abuse occurred. However, the infant’s injury was noticeable, and he failed to seek help. Judge Hill ordered Jacob to serve 24 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

    The baby and its sibling were removed from the home and placed in the care of the family members. Jeannie and the baby are citizens of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.  

    Jeannie will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Jacob was previously released on bond and taken into custody following his sentencing in June. 

    The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Ihler prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fermented clothing? Here’s how the biofilm on kombucha can be turned into green textiles

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rajkishore Nayak, Associate Professor , RMIT University Vietnam

    A SCOBY biofilm atop kombucha l i g h t p o e t/Shutterstock

    If you’ve ever made kombucha, you will be familiar with the term SCOBY – a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It’s impossible to miss – it’s the floating biofilm on top of your delicious drink.

    While a SCOBY looks gross, it is remarkably versatile. If you feed it on sugar and tea or coffee in large vats, it grows rapidly. The reason you need tea or coffee is because caffeine contains nitrogen, which stimulates microorganism growth. Species of bacteria in the SCOBY such as komagataeibacter xylinus have the curious ability to eat sugars and produce bacterial cellulose.

    The reason we and other researchers are focused on this unusual substance is because cellulose is extremely useful. Cotton is largely cellulose, as is flax, which we use to produce linen. Cellulose from bacteria has the advantage of being about ten times stronger than cotton.

    Traditional methods of making the world’s clothes comes at a large environmental cost. If we can scale up production of bacterial cellulose using common materials such as sugar and tea, we might produce a new kind of versatile, sustainable textile. In our new research, we use this cellulose to make wallets and canvases for painting.

    What’s so good about bacterial cellulose?

    Deriving cellulose from bacteria isn’t new. It was first discovered back in 1886. Since then, the main use we’ve found for it has been in food and drink.

    Kombucha – sometimes known as tea-mushroom – is thought to have been invented in China. In the Philippines, people have long fermented pineapple juice or coconut water to produce enough SCOBY to make chewy, gelatinous desserts. But this source of cellulose could be used for much more.

    In recent years, researchers have looked into using food waste to make this cellulose.

    Bacterial cellulose is made by cultivating a SCOBY in sugared tea, just like kombucha. But instead of the drink, what we are after is the SCOBY itself. As the microbes feed on the sugar, they spin out cellulose fibre and form a dense mat able to be harvested and processed.

    Despite not being from plants, the bacterial cellulose is remarkably similar to cellulose from cotton. In some ways, it might be better – it is incredibly pure, highly absorbent and boasts impressive tensile strength. It’s natural, nontoxic, has a low environmental footprint and is biodegradable.

    These traits make it potentially suitable for a range of uses, from clothing through to biomedical use in gauze bandages due to natural antibacterial properties. It can be dyed, sewed and treated to make different textures. It can be used to replace leather in clothing, footwear and accessories.

    Bacterial cellulose can be used to make gauze bandages.
    Kallayanee Naloka/Shutterstock

    But clothing is the main game. Researchers have found ways of growing this cellulose in moulds shaped like pieces of clothing to avoid the 15-20% of material wasted by cutting fabric.

    Bacterial cellulose might offer a way to reduce our reliance on the fibres we use to make clothes, which come with substantial environmental costs regardless of whether they are natural or synthetic.

    Farming cotton requires huge volumes of water and plentiful pesticides and insecticides. To make one kilo of cotton fibre requires between 8,000 and 22,000 litres of fresh water. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon are made from oil, a fossil fuel.

    The textile industry is highly polluting, consuming vast amounts of water and energy. As fashion gets ever faster, many of these clothes have a short lifespan before becoming waste. Synthetic fibres shed huge volumes of microplastics at every step of their lifespans.

    The challenge of fermentation

    In recent years, there’s been great interest in precision fermentation – using the rapid growth rate of microbes to produce foods and materials we want, such as milk grown without cows.

    One of the big challenges with these approaches is scale. Bacterial cellulose is a similar form of fermentation. As a result, it faces similar challenges around scalability and efficiency. While the material has promise, the question is whether it can be produced cheaply and at scale.

    To date, we haven’t yet found how to scale bacterial cellulose up to the level needed to meet the demand of large clothing manufacturers. And at present, the fermentation process is water intensive. Fermentation makes the water acidic, meaning it can’t be easily reused.

    This fibre could readily replace cotton, but doesn’t have the same extreme durability and elasticity as some synthetic fibres.

    Which way forward?

    The way we currently make clothes comes at a huge environmental cost. Bacterial cellulose could offer one way to make clothes at vastly lower cost to the planet.

    While there are still questions over whether it’s possible to make it competitive, researchers in several countries – including our research group – are coming at the problem from different angles. If they succeed, we might one day see a future where clothes and shoes come from sugar and tea.

    Rajkishore Nayak works for RMIT University Vietnam. We received Tier II funding from the the office of Research & Innovation at RMIT University Vietnam & CSIRO Australia.

    Donna Cleveland works for RMIT University Vietnam. She received funding from a Tier II grant from the the office of Research & Innovation at RMIT University Vietnam & CSIRO Australia..

    – ref. Fermented clothing? Here’s how the biofilm on kombucha can be turned into green textiles – https://theconversation.com/fermented-clothing-heres-how-the-biofilm-on-kombucha-can-be-turned-into-green-textiles-228904

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 1975 was declared International Women’s Year. 50 years on, the ‘revolution in our heads’ is still being fought

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marian Sawer, Emeritus Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University

    National Archives of Australia

    In December 1972, the same month the Whitlam government was first elected, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1975 as International Women’s Year (IWY). This set in train a series of world-changing events, in which Australia was to play a significant part.

    The aim of IWY was to end discrimination against women and enable them to participate fully in economic, social and political life. Fifty years later, such participation has become an indicator of development and good governance. But the full promise of International Women’s year has yet to be fulfilled, hampered by pushback and the scourge of gender-based violence.

    ‘The greatest consciousness-raising event in history’

    Dubbed “the greatest consciousness-raising event in history”, the UN’s first World Conference on Women took place in Mexico City in June 1975. Consciousness-raising had been part of the repertoire of women’s liberation. Now it was taken up by government and intergovernmental bodies.

    The Mexico City conference was agenda-setting in many ways. The Australian government delegation, led by Elizabeth Reid, helped introduce the world of multilateral diplomacy to the language of the women’s movement. As Reid said:

    We argued that, whenever the words “racism”, “colonialism” and “neo-colonialism” occurred in documents of the conference, so too should “sexism”, a term that had not to that date appeared in United Nations documents or debates.

    Reid held the position of women’s adviser to the prime minister. In this pioneering role, she had been able to obtain government commitment and funding for Australia’s own national consciousness-raising exercise during IWY.

    A wide range of small grants promoted attitudinal change – “the revolution in our heads” – whether in traditional women’s organisations, churches and unions, or through providing help such as Gestetner machines to the new women’s centres.

    IWY grants explicitly did not include the new women’s services, including refuges, women’s health centres and rape crisis centres. Their funding was now regarded as an ongoing responsibility for government, rather than suitable for one-off grants.

    IWY began in Australia with a televised conversation on New Year’s Day between Reid and Governor-General John Kerr on hopes and aspirations for the year. On International Women’s Day (March 8), Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s speech emphasised the need for attitudinal change:

    Both men and women must be made aware of our habitual patterns of prejudice which we often do not see as such but whose existence manifests itself in our language and our behaviour.

    The Australian postal service celebrated the day by releasing a stamp featuring the IWY symbol, showing the spirit of women breaking free of their traditional bonds. At Reid’s suggestion, IWY materials, including the symbol, were printed in the purple, green and white first adopted by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1908 and now known as the suffragette colours.


    Author supplied

    Policy power

    Inside government, Reid had introduced the idea that all Cabinet submissions needed to be analysed for gender impact. After the Mexico City conference, this idea became part of new international norms of governance.

    Following the adoption at the conference of the World Plan of Action, the idea that governments needed specialised policy machinery to promote gender equality was disseminated around the world.

    Given the amount of ground to be covered, IWY was expanded to a UN Decade for Women (1976–85). By the end of it, 127 countries had established some form of government machinery to advance the status of women. Each of the successive UN world conferences (Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985, Beijing 1995) generated new plans of action and strengthened systems of reporting by governments.

    The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was a high point. Its “platform for action” provided further impetus for what was now called “gender mainstreaming”. By 2018, every country recognised by the UN except North Korea had established government machinery for this purpose.

    The global diffusion of this policy innovation was unprecedented in its rapidity. At the same time, Australia took the lead in another best-practice innovation. In 1984, the Commonwealth government pioneered what became known as “gender budgeting”. This required departments to disaggregate the ways particular budgetary decisions affected men and women.

    As feminist economists pointed out, when the economic and social division of labour was taken into account, no budgetary decision could be assumed to be gender-neutral. Governments had emphasised special programs for women, a relatively small part of annual budgets, rather than the more substantial impact on women of macro-economic policy.

    Standard-setting bodies such as the OECD helped promote gender budgeting as the best way to ensure such decisions did not inadvertently increase rather than reduce gender gaps.

    By 2022, gender budgeting had been taken up around the world, including in 61% of OECD countries. Now that it had become an international marker of good governance, Australian governments were also reintroducing it after a period of abeyance.

    Momentum builds

    In addition to such policy transfer, new frameworks were being adopted internationally. Following IWY, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979. CEDAW became known as the international bill of rights for women, and has been ratified by 189 countries. This is more than any other UN Convention except that on the rights of the child.

    All state parties to CEDAW were required to submit periodic reports to the UN on its implementation. Non-government organisations were encouraged to provide shadow reports to inform the questioning of government representatives. This oversight and dialogue relating to gender equality became part of the norm-building work of the UN.

    However, this very success at international and regional levels helped fuel “anti-gender movements” that gathered strength after 1995. No more world conferences on women were held, for fear there would be slippage from the standards achieved in Beijing.

    In Australia, the leveraging of international standards to promote gender equality has been muted in deference to populist politics. It became common to present the business case rather than the social justice case for gender-equality policy, even the cost to the economy of gender-based violence (estimated by KPMG to be $26 billion in 2015–16).

    The battle continues

    Fifty years after IWY, Australia is making up some lost ground in areas such as paid parental leave, work value in the care economy, and recognition of the ways economic policy affects women differently from men.

    However, all of this remains precarious, with issues of gender equality too readily rejected as part of a “woke agenda”.

    The world has become a different place from when the Australian government delegation set out to introduce the UN to the concept of sexism. In Western democracies, women have surged into male domains such as parliaments. Australia now has an almost equal number of women and men in its Cabinet (11 out of 23 members).

    But along with very different expectations has come the resentment too often being mobilised by the kind of populist politics we will likely see more of in this election year.

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

    – ref. 1975 was declared International Women’s Year. 50 years on, the ‘revolution in our heads’ is still being fought – https://theconversation.com/1975-was-declared-international-womens-year-50-years-on-the-revolution-in-our-heads-is-still-being-fought-241791

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy in the Telegraph: It’s time to ditch the Chagos Islands deal for good

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in The Telegraph arguing that the United Kingdom was right to consult the Trump administration before ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the key U.S.-U.K. military base on Deigo Garcia, to Mauritius. 
    Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:
    “Sir Keir Starmer appears to have had a change of heart when it comes to working with the Trump administration—and that’s a good thing. 
    “Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister was poised to sign away the fate of a joint U.K.-U.S. military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
    “According to reports, Starmer and members of the outgoing Biden administration wanted to finali[z]e the agreement to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands—including Diego Garcia—to Mauritius before President Trump could take his oath.
    “Fortunately, cooler—and perhaps wiser—heads prevailed. Prime Minister Starmer agreed to welcome President Trump to the negotiating table. This is great news. Friends don’t strike deals behind each other’s backs, especially when our shared security is on the line.”
    . . . 
    “The idea that the U.K. must hand over the islands to atone for whatever perceived wrongs Britain’s forefathers may have committed is nonsense. The [United Nations] does not care about what is best for the Chagossian, British or American people. They only care about furthering a misguided anti-Western agenda. 
    “The U.K. is our ally, and Mauritius is our friend, but this is a matter of national security for the U.S. Anyone who expects the Trump administration to elevate the sensitivities of U.N. militants above the best interests of America and our allies is writing a [check] that can’t be cashed.
    “The Chagossian, American and British people would all be safer if this deal with Mauritius found its way into the shredder for good.”
    Background
    On Jan. 15, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he wanted President Trump and his administration to weigh in on any deal struck between the U.K. and Mauritius regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands, including the transfer of the U.S.-U.K. shared military base on the island of Diego Garcia. 
    The U.K. had previously announced on Oct. 3, 2024, that it had reached a deal with Mauritius to cede the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. The decision to consider ceding sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius followed a years-long pressure campaign from the United Nations.
    On Oct. 23, 2024, Kennedy wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking answers about the Biden administration’s involvement in the deal between the U.K. and Mauritius.
    Kennedy also penned this op-ed in Oct. arguing that the Biden administration owes the American people an explanation for its decision to allow this deal between the U.K. and Mauritius to move forward.
    Former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President Trump’s nominee for National Security Advisor, has criticized the deal, saying, “Should the U.K. cede control of the Chagos to Mauritius, I have no doubt that China will take advantage of the resulting vacuum.”
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio has similarly condemned the deal and said it “poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical U.S. military posture in the region.”
    Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is the story of hongbao, the red envelopes given out at celebrations like Lunar New Year?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies, Gender and Women’s History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University

    Remi Chow/Unsplash

    Red envelopes, known as hongbao in Mandarin, are a cherished cultural tradition in China and many other parts of Asia.

    In China, the vibrant red colour symbolises good fortune and joy. Hongbao can be given during many various festive and joyful occasions, and they are a prominent feature of Lunar New Year.

    Receiving a hongbao is something most Chinese people, particularly children, eagerly anticipate every Lunar New Year. It was also one of my fondest childhood memories. But what’s the history behind this tradition?

    A historical tradition

    The origins of hongbao can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) when amulet-like items in the shapes of coins were worn.

    Early practices resembling money giving took place in the Tang dynasty court (618–907 CE), where coins were scattered in springtime as part of celebrations.

    Giving children money during celebrations became an established custom during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960–1368). In the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911/12), this tradition evolved further with money being given to children threaded on red string.

    In the Ming and Qing dynasties money was given to children threaded on red string.
    Nataliia K/Shutterstock

    The modern concept of hongbao emerged in early 20th-century China. Elders would give money wrapped in red paper to children during the Lunar New Year as a talisman against evil spirits, known as sui (祟).

    The red envelopes given to children, or in some cases unmarried adults, during Lunar New Year are also called ya sui qian.

    Colloquially, ya sui qian translates to “suppressing age money”, as sui (岁) also means age. Ya sui qian reflects the belief this money could ward off misfortune and slow ageing.

    In traditional contexts, the amount of money inside the envelope carries symbolic meaning.

    Even numbers, except for the number four (considered unlucky due to its phonetic similarity to the word for “death” in Chinese), are regarded as lucky. Six (symbolising smooth progress) and eight (symbolising prosperity) are particularly favoured.

    Beyond monetary value, the act of giving and receiving hongbao represents a gesture of goodwill, reinforcing social bonds and conveying respect and care.

    The digital revolution

    Today, hongbao straddle the worlds of tradition and modernity, adapting to societal changes while preserving their cultural essence.

    Super-apps like WeChat and AliPay have transformed this age-old practice from a physical tradition into a digital, virtual experience.

    Red packet designs available on WeChat.
    Screenshot/Ming Gao

    WeChat popularised the concept of “digital red envelopes” in 2014, incorporating gamified elements such as randomised monetary amounts and group exchanges.

    In 2017, WeChat recorded a staggering 14.2 billion hongbao transactions on the eve of Lunar New Year alone. While the initial excitement around the digital hongbao has waned over time, the practice remains popular. On Lunar New Year’s Eve in 2024, WeChat users recorded approximately 5.08 billion digital hongbao transactions.

    The shift to digital formats aligns with our increasingly cashless society, making it easier for people to participate in the custom, even across great distances. Families separated by migration can partake in this tradition in real time, maintaining connections that might otherwise weaken over long distances.

    My child doesn’t get to see my parents very often, but my mother promised to send a “large” hongbao to her grandchild on the eve of the Lunar New Year this year. Despite the geographical distance spanning the ocean between Australia and China, the tradition of giving hongbao transcends borders, connecting our family members across continents every Lunar New Year.

    Societal significance

    The enduring popularity of hongbao highlights its importance in Chinese culture. It serves not only as a means of giving but also as a way to uphold tradition amid rapid modernisation.

    The act of giving hongbao, whether physical or digital, reinforces intergenerational ties and preserves cultural heritage. Parents and grandparents giving hongbao to children during Lunar New Year continue to embody the traditional values of family and unity.

    The act of giving hongbao reinforces intergenerational ties and preserves cultural heritage.
    SeventyFour/Shutterstock

    But the digitisation of hongbao has sparked debates about its impact on traditional values. Some argue the ease of sending digital hongbao reduces the personal touch and thoughtfulness inherent in the physical exchange.

    Others view it as an evolution that keeps the practice relevant and accessible in a fast-paced world.

    Regional variations

    While hongbao is most closely associated with Chinese culture, similar traditions exist across Asia, each with notable regional variations.

    In Korea, during the Lunar New Year (Seollal), elders give money to young or unmarried adults after receiving their New Year’s bow (sebae). One legend suggests the Korean tradition originates from China. However, unlike the red envelopes used in Chinese culture, the money in Korea can be presented in white envelopes, as whiteness in Korean culture symbolises purity and new beginnings.

    Similar traditions exist across Asia. These red envelopes are hanging in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
    Marie Shark/Shutterstock

    In Singapore, where a diverse population blends Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions, the giving of hongbao (also known as ang bao or ang pow in Hokkien) is a common practice. This tradition has extended beyond the Chinese population, reflecting the cultural influence of Chinese diasporic communities.

    While red envelopes are traditional, envelopes in other colours, such as pink or gold, are also considered acceptable.

    The Future of hongbao

    As technology continues to shape societal norms, the practice of giving hongbao is likely to further evolve.

    The advancement of E-CNY (China’s digital currency), regardless of its ultimate success, could introduce new dimensions to traditional practices, enabling more innovative and secure forms of exchange.

    The enduring appeal of hongbao lies in its core values: the celebration of relationships, the sharing of blessings, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

    As the Lunar New Year of the Snake approaches, it’s wise to have some hongbao ready, whether digital or physical, to avoid being caught off guard by a playful youngster cheerfully exclaiming, “May you be prosperous, now hand over the red envelope!” (“gong xi fa cai, hong bao na lai”). This light-hearted and catchy greeting cleverly combines good wishes with a cheeky request for a hongbao.

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

    – ref. What is the story of hongbao, the red envelopes given out at celebrations like Lunar New Year? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-story-of-hongbao-the-red-envelopes-given-out-at-celebrations-like-lunar-new-year-247687

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Owners of Florida Labor-Staffing Companies Sentenced for Tax and Immigration Fraud and Money Laundering

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Two Ukrainian nationals who were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States in September 2024 were sentenced today on charges related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida. Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    According to court documents, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and others owned and operated a series of labor-staffing companies in South Florida — including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC — from at least April 2008 and August 2021. Through these staffing companies, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and co-defendants Oleksandr Morgunov, Mykhaylo Chugay and Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in the hospitality industry who were not authorized to work in the United States and helped evade the assessment and collection of more than $25 million of federal income and employment taxes.

    In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Oliynyk and Yurchyk to each serve three years of supervised release, pay $10,863,233.05 in restitution to the United States and to forfeit $11 million.

    Oliynyk and Yurchyk are the latest defendants sentenced as part of Operation RoomKey, a joint criminal investigation initiative led by the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

    Co-defendant Chugay, was convicted at trial in June 2022, and was sentenced in August 2022 to more than 24 years in prison. Co-defendants Morgunov and Ogorodnychuk each pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 96 months in prison and 48 months in prison, respectively.

    In March 2022, Mikus Berzins, former City of Key West Police Officer Igor Kasyanenko, Roman Riabov and Andrejs Kozlovs each pleaded guilty to their crimes in the operation of the labor staffing company, Phoenix ADB Services Inc. (Phoenix ADB), which, according to court records, facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.

    In May 2022, the court sentenced Igor Kasyanenko and Riabov to 22 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy. The court also sentenced Berzins and Kozlovs to 28 months and 12 months in prison, respectively, for knowingly hiring ten or more aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. Later, in September 2023, Nataliya Vasylivna Kasyanenko, a former housekeeping manager at a large Key West hotel, was sentenced for participating in the tax and immigration conspiracy related to the operation of Phoenix ADB.

    Batyr Myatiev, the owner and operator of two labor staffing companies, AmeriHos LLC and Golden Sands Management LLC, pleaded guilty in March 2023 and was sentenced in June 2023 to 32 months in prison. According to court records, Myatiev’s labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.

    In July 2023, Eka Samadashvili and Davit Pavliashvili were sentenced for their respective roles in the operation of several labor staffing companies, including PSEB Services JD Inc., Paradise Hospitality Solutions LLC, Paradise Hospitality Group LLC, Paradise Hospitality Inc. and HBSM Corp. According to court records, these labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $8.4 million and facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere who were not authorized to work in the United States.

    Finally, in March 2024, Petr Sutka was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in operating a series of labor staffing companies — including PSEB Specialty Service Inc., Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc., Starline Hospitality Inc., Norbert Janitorial Service Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. — which, according to court records, caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization. In April 2024, Sutka’s co-defendants, Zdenek Strnad and Vasil Khatiashvili, were each sentenced to more than three years, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

    HSI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Tax Division and Senior Litigation Counsel Chris Clark for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: CTRL Group Limited Announces Full Exercise of Underwriter’s Over-Allotment Option

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Kowloon, Hong Kong, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CTRL Group Limited (the “Company”) (NasdaqCM: MCTR), an integrated marketing and advertising services provider in Hong Kong specializing in mobile games promotion for the local market, today announced that R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc., which acted as the representative of the underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), has exercised the full over-allotment option and purchased an additional 300,000 ordinary shares of the Company at the IPO price of $4.00 per share. As a result, the Company has raised an aggregate of $9.2 million in gross proceeds, before underwriting discounts and other related expenses, through the issuance of a total of 2,300,000 ordinary shares in the IPO.

    R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc. acted as the representative of the underwriters, with Revere Securities LLC acting as co-underwriter (collectively, the “Underwriters”) for the Offering. The Crone Law Group, P.C. served as counsel to the Company. VCL Law LLP served as counsel to the Underwriters.

    A Registration Statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-277979) (the “Registration Statement”), was previously filed with and subsequently declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 31, 2024. The Offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming a part of the Registration Statement. A final prospectus relating to the Offering was filed with the SEC on January 22, 2025, and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, electronic copies of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from R.F. Lafferty & Co., Inc. at 40 Wall Street, 27th Floor New York, NY 10005, or by telephone at +212.293.9090.

    This press release has been prepared for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    About CTRL Group Limited

    The Company’s wholly owned subsidiary and operating company, CTRL Group Limited, is an integrated marketing and advertising services provider in Hong Kong specializing in mobile games promotion for the local market. The Company provides services to mobile game developers, principally developers of mobile gaming applications or “apps” that gamers download from the developers’ websites and applicable mobile operating systems, such as Apple Store or Android Google Play Store. The market for specialized mobile game advertising in Hong Kong is occupied by a few market players who compete with one another. The Company’s prominent market share and proven track record are indicative of its audience reach and engagement, as well as its relevance to advertisers in Hong Kong markets. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://www.ctrl-media.com/

    Forward-Looking Statements

    All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, including the expectation that the Offering will be successfully completed. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and in its other filings with the SEC.

    For more information, please contact:

    Investor Relations
    CTRL Group Limited
    Phone: +852-3107-4887
    Email: project@ctrl-media.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Krishnan Cheerath Appointed Vice President, Products at Mage Data™

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mage Data™ has announced the promotion of Krishnan Cheerath to the position of Vice President of Products. In this new capacity, Krishnan will lead the company’s product vision and strategy – balancing immediate market needs with future-proofing against emerging regulatory requirements and technological advancements to ensure that the product strategy aligns with the overall vision.

    Since joining Mage Data in 2017, Krishnan has held positions of increasing responsibility and authority first as a Project Manager and then a Product Manager.   His contributions to product strategy and delivery led to his promotion to Director of Product Design in 2023, where he helped to lead the development of the world’s first conversational user interface for a test data management platform for enhanced user experience. During his tenure, he has built an extensive portfolio of innovative product designs with an approach that has helped shaped Mage Data’s ahead-of-the-market offerings. Mage Data looks forward to his continuing to play a pivotal role in shaping the Company’s product vision and strategy as a part of Vision 26 – towards building an increasingly AI-driven solution that shifts the paradigm from being a traditional software solution to a Service-As-A-Software™ model that can serve as a powerful ally helping enterprises navigate complex data security challenges.

    Krishnan completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy in 2017 and subsequently completed the Product Strategy course at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. This program helped refine essential skills in product lifecycle management, opportunity assessment, and agile methodologies. Krishnan’s skillset bridges the gap between market needs and the capabilities of rapidly changing technologies and makes him uniquely suited for Mage Data’s culture of innovation and market leadership.

    “Krishnan has been a cornerstone of our company’s growth and development,” said Padma Vemuri, Senior Vice President and Chief Solutions Architect at Mage Data. “His promotion is a testament not only to his long hours and commitment to the customer’s needs, but also to the promising future we envision together as he steps into executive leadership. I’m excited about the innovative directions Krishnan will guide us towards, strengthening our offerings and elevating our brand.”

    Paula Capps, Chief Operating Officer, added “This promotion exemplifies Mage Data’s commitment to professional growth and development for our team.   Hard work, a commitment to excellence, and visionary thinking is valued at Mage Data. Krishnan is an essential member of the team, and we are pleased that he’s taking on more and more responsibility.”

    “My time at Mage Data has been an incredible professional journey,” Krishnan Cheerath said. “I am deeply honoured and excited to assume the role of Vice President and embrace the challenges and responsibilities that come with it. I am committed to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within our teams as we strive to achieve our shared goals.”

    About Mage Data:

    Mage Data is globally recognized as a premier provider of comprehensive enterprise data security solutions, dedicated to serving organizations with sophisticated data protection mechanisms, intricate discovery techniques, and robust compliance capabilities. Our integrated platform is designed to safeguard sensitive information while ensuring uninterrupted business operations. recognized as a Champion in Test Data Management and a leader in data masking by leading analysts, Mage Data’s patented and award-winning platform enables organizations to navigate privacy regulations while ensuring robust security. The company’s client roster includes Swiss banks, Fortune 10 companies, Ivy League universities, and leaders in the financial and healthcare sectors—all of whom rely on Mage Data’s platform for effective data privacy and security solutions. With industry-leading privacy-enhancing technologies designed to secure sensitive information, Mage Data continues to deliver robust data security while ensuring that essential data assets remain accessible for everyday business use. For further details about Mage Data’s solutions, please visit www.magedata.ai or contact us via email at info@magedata.ai.

    Media Contact:
    Deeksha Surya
    3 Columbus Circle, 15th Floor New York, NY 10019
    Telephone: +1 212 203 4365
    Email: info@magedata.ai 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. and Allied Forces Conduct La Perouse 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    La Perouse is a biennial, multilateral exercise demonstrating a shared commitment to enhance regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

    This exercise is designed to advance maritime security in the region through maritime surveillance, interdiction, and air operations through progressive training and information sharing.

    This exercise provided an opportunity for U.S. and allied and partner navies, who have shared values, fulfill maritime integration training objectives by emphasizing collaboration, warfighting, and readiness in a dynamic theater, resulting in enhanced maritime security and continued deterrence.

    “USS Savannah’s opportunity to operate with our foreign partners this week was exciting. The French and American navies have shared priorities and an enduring mission in the Indo-Pacific,” said Capt. Matt Scarlett, commodore, Destroyer Squadron 7. “Our ability to conduct consistent bilateral operations, conduct information sharing, and participate in realistic scenarios at sea, increases our interoperability as a joint force and ensures sustained maritime security in the region.”

    Named after an 18th-century French naval officer and explorer, La Perouse reflects longstanding values and a shared commitment to maritime security with like-minded nations.

    The French Navy Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group is represented by their aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91). Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group is operating in the Indo-Pacific as part of their Clemenceau 25 deployment.

    “We welcome the opportunity to operate alongside the French navy, our friend and longtime ally, out here in the Indo-Pacific,” said Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “Their exercise La Perouse underscores the value our European allies place on this critical maritime region, and we look forward to advancing interoperability at sea between our forces.”

    Additional participating units included Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart Class guided missile destroyers HMAS Hobart (DDG 39); Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341); the Indian Navy’s Delhi-class guided-missile destroyers INS Mumbai (D 62); Royal Malaysian Navy’s Lekiu-class guided missile frigate FFG Lekir (FFG 30) and Gagah Samudera-class training ship KD Gagah Samudera (271); Royal Navy of the United Kingdom’s River-class off-shore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P 234); and Republic of Singapore Navy’s Independence-class littoral mission vessel RSS Independence (15)

    As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, functions as Expeditionary Strike Group 7’s Sea Combat Commander and builds partnerships through training and exercises and military-to military engagements.

    U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New York to Paris in 30 mins? How to achieve Elon Musk’s vision of rockets replacing long haul

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Angadh Nanjangud, Lecturer in Aerospace/Spacecraft Engineering, Queen Mary University of London

    Of all the things that Donald Trump’s return as US president could mean, one is that Elon Musk’s plan to use Starship rockets for long-distance flights on Earth could move forward. Dubbed Starship Earth to Earth, this would see passengers transported by rocket between cities. They would briefly leave the planet’s atmosphere during the journey before flying back down to reach their destination.

    Musk claims it will be possible to travel to anywhere on Earth within an hour. His rocket company, SpaceX, has given examples such as New York to Paris in 30 minutes and London to Hong Kong in 34 minutes. In response to a post about it on his X platform, Musk responded: “This is now possible.”

    Unlike previous governments, this Trump administration appears focused on reducing regulatory barriers hindering technological progress in all areas. This could make it easier for Musk to rapidly push towards realising this futuristic travel option. But what hurdles must be overcome first?

    On whether Musk is right about the technical feasibility, the answer is “sort of”. The necessary technology was arguably first proven when Nasa achieved a Mars landing in 2012.

    This was the first to land retropropulsively, meaning touching down softly on a planetary surface with rocket engines (technically called retrorockets). In contrast, previous Mars landings had used parachutes for the entry phase and airbags for the landing phase.

    The 2012 landing opened the door to rockets and boosters becoming reusable, thereby greatly reducing the cost of launch. It was repeated in SpaceX’s historic Falcon 9 rocket landings in 2016, using some of the same Nasa engineers who had worked on the Mars landers. This technological shift has been vital for rockets becoming an economically viable alternative to aircraft.

    Starship’s Earth to Earth journeys would involve visiting low Earth orbit (LEO), some 110 miles to 1,240 miles above the Earth’s surface. To do this, the rocket would use two stages. The first, known as the super heavy booster, would lift it through the dense lower atmosphere, approximately 5 to 9 miles above the Earth.

    This would break away some 40 miles above the Earth, then begin a controlled descent back to the planet’s surface. SpaceX has matured this technology by leaps and bounds in the past decade, including better heat shields, adjustable lattice fins, improved aerodynamics and state-of-the-art landing algorithms.

    Lattice fins on a Falcon 9 rocket.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    The second stage – known just as Starship – would contain the passengers and take over the flight to reach LEO after the first stage has detached. There is still work to be done before this is passenger ready, as demonstrated when a second stage blew up during a Starship testflight on January 16.

    There will be no more Starship launches until the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed its formal investigation into the cause. On the upside, the incident occurred within predefined hazard areas to ensure public safety.

    Of course, this is the very purpose of a testflight: to learn what could go wrong and iteratively solve it, meaning repeatedly making improvements after each failure. No one can compete with SpaceX’s cost-effective iteration process, for example in its crewed trips to the International Space Station (ISS).

    The malfunction of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in August was a recent reminder here: it left two Nasa astronauts stranded on the ISS, awaiting a return trip on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule in the coming weeks.

    Other considerations

    Other long-term challenges pertain to how passengers access the vehicle. Videos of astronauts boarding the Space Shuttle indicate that entering one’s seat in a vertically parked rocket takes a few people to help buckle you in. Making that workable over the length of a rocket will require clever engineering.

    Building spaceports in different countries also won’t be trivial; we’ve seen considerable pushback against efforts to build a UK spaceport, for instance. The same goes for worldwide regulatory approvals. It’s already standard for rocket companies to need a launch licence per flight, while America’s FAA also requires them to obtain re-entry licences before launch.

    Of course, regulatory hurdles can be overcome for transformational tech (once it’s proven to be safe and reliable). No doubt lawyers will have many things to say about these issues, though I doubt any will be insurmountable. And SpaceX must know a thing or two about dealing with regulations, having launched the world’s largest constellation of satellites into orbit.

    Finally, rockets expel significant quantities of microscopic particles (particulates) into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. This would have seriously detrimental effects if they were flying in anything like the numbers of long-distance airliners.

    Starship’s Raptor engines use methalox, a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen. Unlike the kerosene that has traditionally powered rockets, liquid methane prevents the build-up of sooty residue in the engine and is also safer to work with than liquid hydrogen. While Starship still burns vastly more fuel per trip than conventional aircraft, its potential to slash intercontinental travel times could drive critical research into carbon-neutral methane production. This would be integral to making a viable long-haul alternative.

    At present, UK rocket companies Skyrora and Orbex are among those developing alternatives to traditional fuels. Skyrora is developing Ecosene, an aerospace grade kerosene made from unrecyclable plastic waste. Orbex’s Prime rocket will make use of a BioLPG derived from plant and vegetable waste.

    Both tackle different sustainability problems, but are unlikely to meet the performance demanded by larger Starship-class vehicles. Another promising alternative is nuclear-powered engines, but using them close to Earth will likely be fiercely resisted by environmental campaigners.

    In sum, we are in uncharted territory with landing second stages of rockets, but the general trend from 2012 to today indicates that such technical challenges are solvable. Doing so with crews will be even more challenging, but it does align with SpaceX’s mission to make humans multiplanetary. The same technology will be used to land humans safely on Mars, so developing it is probably inevitable.

    Uncrewed Starship launches to Mars are supposed to happen in 2026. Crewed Mars missions will follow, without the same landing-related regulations as would be required on Earth. I suspect crewed Earth-to-Earth transport will only be approved after humans have landed on Mars safely.

    If there’s one team that can’t be bet against turning visions into reality, it’s the SpaceX engineers who have been revolutionising launch vehicles for over ten years.

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

    – ref. New York to Paris in 30 mins? How to achieve Elon Musk’s vision of rockets replacing long haul – https://theconversation.com/new-york-to-paris-in-30-mins-how-to-achieve-elon-musks-vision-of-rockets-replacing-long-haul-248181

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s vision of a peace deal for Ukraine is limited to a ceasefire – and it’s not even clear if Kyiv or Moscow are going to play ball

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    We are now well beyond the 24 hours that Donald Trump had promised it would take him to secure an end to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. But Trump’s first week since his inauguration on January 20, 2025, has nonetheless been a busy one regarding Ukraine.

    In his inauguration address, Trump only made a passing and indirect reference to Ukraine, criticising his predecessor Joe Biden of running “a government that has given unlimited funding to the defence of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders”.

    Trump’s first more substantive statement on Ukraine was a post on his TruthSocial network, threatening Russia taxes, tariffs and sanctions if his Russian counterpart doesn’t agree to make a deal soon. He reiterated this point on January 23 in comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that he “really would like to be able to meet with President Putin”.


    Donald Trump/Truth Social

    Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, had already backed Trump’s approach during his Senate confirmation hearing on January 16. Like Trump, Bessent specifically emphasised increasing sanctions on Russian oil companies “to levels that would bring the Russian Federation to the table”.

    The following day, Putin responded by saying that he and Trump should indeed meet to discuss Ukraine and oil prices. But this was far from a firm commitment to enter into negotiations, and particularly not with Ukraine.

    Putin alluded to an October 2022 decree by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, banning any negotiations with the Kremlin after Russia formally annexed four regions of Ukraine. Zelensky has since clarified that the decree applies to everyone but him, thus signalling that he would not stand in the way of opening direct talks with Russia.

    Yet, Putin is likely to continue playing for time. The most likely first step in a Trump-brokered deal will be a ceasefire freezing the line of contact at the time of agreement. With his forces still advancing on the ground in Ukraine, every day of fighting brings Putin additional territorial gains.

    Nor are there any signs of waning support from Russian allies. Few and far between as they may be, China, Iran and North Korea have been critical in sustaining the Kremlin’s war effort. Moscow now has added a treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership with Iran to the one it had sealed with North Korea in June 2024.

    Meanwhile, the Russia-China no-limits partnership of 2022, further deepened in 2023, shows no signs of weakening. And with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko winning a seventh consecutive term on January 26, Putin is unlikely to be too worried about additional US sanctions.

    Zelensky, like Putin, may play for time. Trump’s threat of sanctions against Russia is likely an indication of some level of frustration on the part of the US president that Putin seems less amenable to cutting a deal. Russia may continue to make territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, but it has not achieved any strategic breakthrough.

    War of attrition

    A significant increase in US military assistance to Ukraine since September 2024, as well as commitments from European allies, including the UK, have likely put Kyiv into a position that it can sustain its current defensive efforts through 2025.

    Ukraine may not be in a position to launch a major offensive but could continue to keep costs for Russia high. On the battlefield, these costs are estimated at 102 casualties per square kilometre of Ukrainian territory captured. Beyond the frontlines, Ukraine has also continued its drone campaign against targets inside Russia, especially the country’s oil infrastructure.

    This is not to say that Trump is going to fail in his efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine. But there is a big difference between a ceasefire and a sustainable peace agreement. And while a ceasefire, at some point, may be in both Russia’s and Ukraine’s interest, sustainable peace is much more difficult to achieve.

    Putin’s vision of total victory is as much an obstacle here as western reluctance to provide credible security guarantees for Ukraine.

    The two options most regularly raised: Nato membership for Ukraine or a western-led peacekeeping force that could act as a credible deterrent, both appear unrealistic at this point. It is certainly inconceivable that Europe could muster the 200,000 troops that Zelensky envisaged as a deployment in Ukraine to guarantee any deal with Putin. But a smaller force, led by the UK and France, might be possible.

    Kyiv and Moscow continue to be locked in a war of attrition and neither Putin nor Zelensky have blinked so far. It is not clear yet whether, and in which direction, Trump will tilt the balance and how this will affect either side’s willingness to submit to his deal-making efforts.

    So far, Trump’s moves are not a gamechanger. But this is the first serious attempt in nearly three years of war to forge a path towards an end of the fighting. It remains to be seen whether Trump, and everyone else, has the imagination and stamina to ensure that this path will ultimately lead to a just and secure peace for Ukraine.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Trump’s vision of a peace deal for Ukraine is limited to a ceasefire – and it’s not even clear if Kyiv or Moscow are going to play ball – https://theconversation.com/trumps-vision-of-a-peace-deal-for-ukraine-is-limited-to-a-ceasefire-and-its-not-even-clear-if-kyiv-or-moscow-are-going-to-play-ball-248319

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Speech: PM speech at Holocaust Memorial Day UK National Ceremony: 27 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a speech at the Holocaust Memorial Day UK National Ceremony today.

    Earlier this month, my wife and I were in Block 27 of Auschwitz searching for members of her family in the Book of Names. It was harrowing.

    We turned page after page after page just to find the first letter of a name. It gave me an overwhelming sense of the sheer scale of this industrialised murder.

    And every one of those names, like the names we were looking for – was an individual person. Someone’s mother, father, brother, sister brutally murdered, simply because they were Jewish.

    Last week I met Renee Salt and Arek Hersh who somehow survived but whose loved ones were among those victims. I was humbled by their courage to speak of being in that place. I felt waves of revulsion at the depravity they described, at the cynicism.

    People told to bring their belongings like the piles of pots and pans I saw myself. The commandant living next door bringing up his family, the normalisation of murder, like it was just another day’s work.

    In Auschwitz, I saw photographs of Nazi guards standing with Jewish prisoners staring at the camera – completely indifferent – and in one case, even smiling. It showed more powerfully than ever how the Holocaust was a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary individuals utterly consumed by the hatred of difference.

    And that is the hatred we stand against today, and it is a collective endeavour for all of us to defeat it.

    We start by remembering the six million Jewish victims and by defending the truth against anyone who would deny it. So we will have a National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre to speak this truth for eternity. 

    But as we remember, we must also act. Because we say never again, but where was never again in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, or the acts of genocide against Yazidi.

    Today, we have to make those words mean more. So we will make Holocaust education a truly national endeavour.

    We will ensure all schools teach it and seek to give every young person the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony. Because by learning from survivors like Renee and Arek we can develop that empathy for others and that appreciation of our common humanity, which is the ultimate way to defeat the hatred of difference.

    As I left Block 27, I saw the words of Primo Levi. It happened, it can happen again: that is the warning of the Holocaust to all of us.

    And it’s why it is a duty for all of us to make “never again” finally mean what it says: Never again.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indianapolis Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison for Armed Carjacking of U.S. Postal Service Truck

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— Robert Powell, 23, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 79 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to robbery of mail.

    According to court documents, on the morning of June 15, 2022, a United States Postal Service worker was in a Postal truck delivering mail at an apartment complex in Avon. At approximately 10:15 a.m., Powell approached the postal worker on foot, wearing a mask over his face and displaying a firearm. Powell ordered the carjacking victim to get out of the truck and leave her belongings inside.

    Powell stole the truck and drove it out of the apartment complex at a high rate of speed for about a mile before pulling over to meet with another person waiting in a Mazda 6 sedan. Another letter carrier in the area saw the victim’s mail truck speed by and noticed that something was amiss. The second letter carrier followed the stolen truck and saw Powell and the other individual take mail and parcels from the postal truck and put them in the Mazda. The pair noticed the second mail truck and fled the scene, leaving the stolen postal vehicle behind as the second carrier called 911.

    As the investigation continued, U.S. Postal Inspectors located Powell’s Facebook account, “Syko Bob.” On this account, Powell regularly solicited bank account information from other users, in furtherance of a type of fraud called card cracking, even going as far as attempting to recruit a USPS mail carrier into his scheme. Card cracking is deceptive practice where scammers convince individuals to share their bank account information, so the scammer can use their account to deposit fraudulent checks or other financial instruments. Scammers obtain these stolen checks by either stealing mail (as Powell did in this case) or purchasing stolen checks from other criminals. The scammer then alters the stolen checks, deposits them into the other individual’s account, and withdraws the funds as quickly as possible, sometimes splitting the profit with the account holder.

    “This criminal chose to threaten the life of a letter carrier at gun point, engaging in gun violence to facilitate the fraud scheme he perpetrated against countless victims. Fortunately, the letter carrier was not physically harmed, but the lasting trauma he inflicted is palpable,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Letter carriers should not have to live in fear of gun violence simply for doing their jobs. Americans should not have to fear that their important financial documents will be stolen and exploited by fraudsters who wreak financial havoc. The serious federal prison sentence in this case demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for violence against public servants and fraud against the public. I commend the Postal Inspection Service, the Avon Police Department, and our federal prosecutor for their commitment to seeking justice for letter carriers and the public who depend upon them.”

    “As postal inspectors, we are committed to ensuring the safety of USPS employees and the sanctity and security of the mail. Thanks to the hard work of our inspectors and the Avon Police Department, Mr. Powell can no longer threaten these,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins. “I would also like to extend my appreciation to AUSA Massa for ensuring justice was served in this case.”

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Avon Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa, who prosecuted this case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owners of Florida Labor-Staffing Companies Sentenced for Tax and Immigration Fraud and Money Laundering

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Two Ukrainian nationals who were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States in September 2024 were sentenced today on charges related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida. Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    According to court documents, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and others owned and operated a series of labor-staffing companies in South Florida — including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC — from at least April 2008 and August 2021. Through these staffing companies, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and co-defendants Oleksandr Morgunov, Mykhaylo Chugay and Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in the hospitality industry who were not authorized to work in the United States and helped evade the assessment and collection of more than $25 million of federal income and employment taxes.

    In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Oliynyk and Yurchyk to each serve three years of supervised release, pay $10,863,233.05 in restitution to the United States and to forfeit $11 million.

    Oliynyk and Yurchyk are the latest defendants sentenced as part of Operation RoomKey, a joint criminal investigation initiative led by the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

    Co-defendant Chugay, was convicted at trial in June 2022, and was sentenced in August 2022 to more than 24 years in prison. Co-defendants Morgunov and Ogorodnychuk each pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 96 months in prison and 48 months in prison, respectively.

    In March 2022, Mikus Berzins, former City of Key West Police Officer Igor Kasyanenko, Roman Riabov and Andrejs Kozlovs each pleaded guilty to their crimes in the operation of the labor staffing company, Phoenix ADB Services Inc. (Phoenix ADB), which, according to court records, facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.

    In May 2022, the court sentenced Igor Kasyanenko and Riabov to 22 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy. The court also sentenced Berzins and Kozlovs to 28 months and 12 months in prison, respectively, for knowingly hiring ten or more aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. Later, in September 2023, Nataliya Vasylivna Kasyanenko, a former housekeeping manager at a large Key West hotel, was sentenced for participating in the tax and immigration conspiracy related to the operation of Phoenix ADB.

    Batyr Myatiev, the owner and operator of two labor staffing companies, AmeriHos LLC and Golden Sands Management LLC, pleaded guilty in March 2023 and was sentenced in June 2023 to 32 months in prison. According to court records, Myatiev’s labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization.

    In July 2023, Eka Samadashvili and Davit Pavliashvili were sentenced for their respective roles in the operation of several labor staffing companies, including PSEB Services JD Inc., Paradise Hospitality Solutions LLC, Paradise Hospitality Group LLC, Paradise Hospitality Inc. and HBSM Corp. According to court records, these labor staffing companies caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $8.4 million and facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere who were not authorized to work in the United States.

    Finally, in March 2024, Petr Sutka was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in operating a series of labor staffing companies — including PSEB Specialty Service Inc., Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc., Starline Hospitality Inc., Norbert Janitorial Service Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. — which, according to court records, caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $3.5 million and facilitated the employment of aliens without work authorization. In April 2024, Sutka’s co-defendants, Zdenek Strnad and Vasil Khatiashvili, were each sentenced to more than three years, respectively, for their roles in the tax and immigration conspiracy.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

    HSI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Tax Division and Senior Litigation Counsel Chris Clark for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM speech at Holocaust Memorial Day UK National Ceremony: 27 January 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a speech at the Holocaust Memorial Day UK National Ceremony today.

    Earlier this month, my wife and I were in Block 27 of Auschwitz searching for members of her family in the Book of Names. It was harrowing.

    We turned page after page after page just to find the first letter of a name. It gave me an overwhelming sense of the sheer scale of this industrialised murder.

    And every one of those names, like the names we were looking for – was an individual person. Someone’s mother, father, brother, sister brutally murdered, simply because they were Jewish.

    Last week I met Renee Salt and Arek Hersh who somehow survived but whose loved ones were among those victims. I was humbled by their courage to speak of being in that place. I felt waves of revulsion at the depravity they described, at the cynicism.

    People told to bring their belongings like the piles of pots and pans I saw myself. The commandant living next door bringing up his family, the normalisation of murder, like it was just another day’s work.

    In Auschwitz, I saw photographs of Nazi guards standing with Jewish prisoners staring at the camera – completely indifferent – and in one case, even smiling. It showed more powerfully than ever how the Holocaust was a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary individuals utterly consumed by the hatred of difference.

    And that is the hatred we stand against today, and it is a collective endeavour for all of us to defeat it.

    We start by remembering the six million Jewish victims and by defending the truth against anyone who would deny it. So we will have a National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre to speak this truth for eternity. 

    But as we remember, we must also act. Because we say never again, but where was never again in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, or the acts of genocide against Yazidi.

    Today, we have to make those words mean more. So we will make Holocaust education a truly national endeavour.

    We will ensure all schools teach it and seek to give every young person the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony. Because by learning from survivors like Renee and Arek we can develop that empathy for others and that appreciation of our common humanity, which is the ultimate way to defeat the hatred of difference.

    As I left Block 27, I saw the words of Primo Levi. It happened, it can happen again: that is the warning of the Holocaust to all of us.

    And it’s why it is a duty for all of us to make “never again” finally mean what it says: Never again.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Radix and Celanese Partnership Leverages AI to Harness the Power of Industrial Data

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radix, a global technology solutions company at the forefront of industrial digital transformation, and Celanese, a global chemical and specialty material company, are proud to collaborate with Cognite, the global leader in data and AI for industry, on the development of JO.AI, a groundbreaking generative AI-powered solution designed to revolutionize operations in asset-intensive industries.

    Born from the successful development and implementation at Celanese by Radix through their engineering intelligence expertise – and powered by Cognite Data Fusion®, the market-leading DataOps and AI platform for enterprise-scale, complex industrial data management projects – JO.AI is poised to redefine how industrial manufacturers leverage data for enhanced productivity and operational excellence at scale.

    JO.AI will be showcased at the upcoming ARC Industry Leadership Forum 2025 taking place in Orlando, Florida, from February 10-13 under the theme “On the Ground: Accelerate. Optimize. Scale.” Radix will showcase and discuss how the powerful industrial solution is optimizing the future of smart digital manufacturing, directly addressing the challenges faced across industries such as Energy, Chemical, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Power Generation & Distribution, Pulp & Paper, and Metals, Mining & Minerals. Industrial manufacturers often struggle to unlock the full potential of their data, even with the presence of data aggregators.

    JO.AI solves this problem by acting as an advanced Industrial Copilot, enabling intuitive, natural language interaction with the Industrial Knowledge Graph provided by Cognite Data Fusion® to make complex data easier to access and action into intelligence tailored specifically for the process industry. JO.AI leverages Cognite Data Fusion’s unmatched data management and comprehensive AI infrastructure to enable the Gen AI application to carry out more complex operations with greater accuracy.

    With Cognite Data Fusion® as its backbone, JO.AI combines operational insights with pre-trained AI agents focused on specific process use cases. “AI has proven to be a valuable business catalyst in today’s dynamic manufacturing landscape, offering unparalleled opportunities for optimization and innovation,” said Sameer Purao, Senior Vice President and CIO at Celanese. “We developed JO.AI – in collaboration with Radix, on top of the robust data foundation provided by Cognite Data Fusion® – to harness the power of AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs and elevate overall productivity.

    Additionally, AI enables smart production through real-time data analysis, facilitating data-driven decisions, process optimization and swift response to market demand. Incorporating AI into our manufacturing operations is not just a technological advancement, but also a competitive advantage.”

    “Digital transformation, especially with AI-powered solutions, is only as strong as the data foundation it’s built upon,” said Bill Hendricks, President of Cognite Americas. “Cognite accelerates time-to-value by enabling seamless integration and management of complex industrial data, providing the essential infrastructure for innovative applications like JO.AI. Working alongside a forward-thinking partner like Radix, who shares our commitment to pushing the boundaries of industrial innovation, we empower organizations to unlock unprecedented value from their data and drive real operational impact.”

    JO.AI empowers operators and engineers in four key areas:

    1. Optimized Operator Rounds: JO.AI provides insights that ensure operations teams are focusing their rounds on the right checklists.

    2. Data-Driven Checklist Management: It recommends the optimal frequency of checklist items, identifies areas with high-volume issues, and highlights deviations.

    3. Balanced Workload: JO.AI helps ensure that the checklist workload is appropriate for each shift.

    4. Streamlined Maintenance: The solution facilitates maintenance and work notification opportunities, recommending resource plans and even assisting operators in writing work orders.

    “JO.AI represents a significant leap forward in the application of AI for industrial settings and asset intensive industries,” said Alex Clausbruch, CEO of Radix North America. “By combining Radix’s expertise in AI and software development with Celanese’s deep industry knowledge, we’ve created a solution that not only addresses the current challenges of data utilization but also unlocks new levels of efficiency and optimization. We believe JO.AI will be a game-changer for asset-intensive industries.”

    “The development of JO.AI is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation,” added Justin Conroy, Vice President, Digital Product Portfolio at Radix. “We’ve worked closely with Celanese to ensure that JO.AI meets the specific needs of industrial operators worldwide. This solution is not just about technology; it’s about empowering people and teams with the insights they need to make better decisions and drive real business value.”

    Radix will be participating as a Gold Sponsor at the ARC Leadership Forum 2025 in Orlando next month with several opportunities to engage with industry leaders, customers, partners and learn more about JO.AI and its capabilities.

    About Radix

    Founded in 2010, Radix is a privately held global technology solutions company providing consulting, engineering, operations technology, and data and software technology solutions. Radix combines key capabilities and practices to empower customers to thrive along their digital transformation journey. Radix provides technology-based, data-driven solutions to industrial and non-industrial companies worldwide. Radix has experience leading projects in more than 30 countries and has more than 1,700+ employees around the globe, with North American headquarters in Houston, Texas, main headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, additional offices in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and a presence in Singapore and Amsterdam. To learn more, visit www.radixeng.com.

    About Celanese

    Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use our chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. We are committed to sustainability by responsibly managing the materials we create for their entire lifecycle and are growing our portfolio of sustainable products to meet increasing customer and societal demand. We strive to make a positive impact in our communities and to foster inclusivity across our teams. Celanese is a Fortune 500 company that employs approximately 12,400 employees worldwide with 2023 net sales of $10.9 billion.

    About Cognite

    Cognite makes Generative AI work for industry. Leading energy, manufacturing, and power & renewables enterprises choose Cognite to deliver secure, trustworthy, and real-time data to transform their asset-heavy operations to be safer, more sustainable, and more profitable. Cognite provides a user-friendly, secure, and scalable platform that makes it easy for all decision-makers, from the field to remote operations centers, to access and understand complex industrial data, collaborate in real time, and build a better tomorrow. Visit us at www.cognite.ai and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

    For more information:
    Citalouise Geiggar, Ph.D.
    citalouise.geiggar@radixeng.com 
    Radix

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05e54c82-5dbb-4054-b519-e0f42ecc5bf1

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Article IV Consultation with Cambodia

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    January 27, 2025

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Cambodia.

    Cambodia’s economy has continued to recover, albeit at a modest pace. We project real GDP to grow from 5.5 percent in 2024 to 5.8 percent in 2025 and inflation to pick up from 0.5 percent in 2024 to 2 percent in 2025 and remain contained. However, risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside from both external factors and domestic vulnerabilities, including from policy changes by major trading partners, geoeconomic fragmentation, and continued weakness in the construction and real estate sectors.

    The recovery remains uneven. Real GDP growth is driven mainly by external demand, with a strong rebound in garment exports and high growth in agricultural exports. Tourism has experienced a structural shift in its composition, resulting in a lagged recovery in tourism receipts. Growth in non-tradable sectors remains weak. After a sustained credit expansion that lifted the credit-to-GDP ratio from 24 percent in 2010 to 135 percent in 2023, credit growth has come to a near halt. The construction and real estate sectors are undergoing a correction, with rising non-performing loans and emerging signs of private-sector debt overhang.

    We project the fiscal deficit at 2.4 percent of GDP in 2025, down from 3 percent in 2024, with a gradual fiscal consolidation envisaged in the medium-term fiscal framework. Public debt remains well-contained, staying below 30 percent of GDP over the next decade. The current account balance is projected to swing back to a deficit of 1.8 percent of GDP in 2024 as strong demand for imports outpaces the recovery in exports and tourism. The deficit is projected to increase somewhat in 2025, reaching 2.5 percent of GDP, with export growth expected to moderate. 

    Executive Board Assessment2

    Executive Directors welcomed the continuing recovery of the Cambodian economy, driven by strong growth in garment and agricultural exports, and improving tourism activity. Nonetheless, the recovery has been uneven, and while growth is expected to continue, risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. Directors underscored the importance of policies to safeguard macro financial stability, ensure a durable and inclusive recovery, and achieve the authorities’ development goals over the medium term.

    Directors supported a neutral fiscal stance in the near term and highlighted the importance of gradual and high-quality consolidation over the medium term underpinned by sound fiscal frameworks to maintain debt sustainability and strengthen economic resilience. They welcomed the recent publication of a medium-term fiscal framework but recommended strengthening it with more conservative and transparent fiscal rules. Directors stressed the need to further mobilize revenues through rationalizing tax exemptions and implementing tax policy reforms, while enhancing spending efficiency and strengthening public investment management, in order to help rebuild fiscal buffers and safeguard priority social and capital spending. Directors welcomed efforts to foster the development of the domestic government bond market as Cambodia’s access to concessional foreign financing will be reduced when it graduates from Least Developed Country status. They also stressed the need for sound management of fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises and public-private partnerships.

    Directors supported the measured pace of monetary policy normalization while maintaining adequate financial system liquidity. They encouraged continuing efforts to modernize the monetary policy framework to enhance policy transmission and support de-dollarization. Noting the ongoing corrections in the construction and real estate sectors, declining FDI inflows, and rising nonperforming loans, Directors encouraged phasing out forbearance measures and developing a comprehensive plan to safeguard financial stability. They recommended strengthening risk-based supervision, improving macroprudential policy, enhancing coordination among financial sector supervisory agencies, and intensifying oversight of the real estate sector.

    Directors highlighted the importance of structural reforms to promote economic diversification and improve competitiveness. They encouraged the authorities’ efforts to enhance human capital, invest in infrastructure, strengthen the business environment, address climate vulnerabilities, and promote renewable energy to attract more diversified FDI. They also underscored the importance of strengthening governance and institutions, improving transparency, enhancing the AML/CFT framework, and addressing data limitations through  capacity development.

    Table 1. Cambodia: Selected Economic Indicators, 2021 – 29 1/

    Per capita GDP (2022, US$): 1,546                   Life expectancy (2019, years): 75.5

    Population (2022, million):    16.7                    Literacy rate (2019, percent):  87.7
     

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    Est.

    Proj.

    Output and prices (annual percent change)

    		                  

    GDP at constant prices

    3.1

    5.1

    5.0

    5.5

    5.8

    6.2

    6.0

    6.0

    6.0

    Inflation (end-year)

    3.7

    2.9

    2.7

    1.5

    2.1

    3.2

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0

    (Annual average)

    2.9

    5.3

    2.1

    0.4

    2.1

    3.2

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0
                       

    Saving and investment balance

    (in percent of GDP)

    		                  

    Gross national saving

    0.8

    15.6

    33.6

    30.7

    30.0

    29.2

    29.2

    29.2

    29.3

    Government saving

    0.3

    3.1

    4.1

    5.1

    6.1

    7.1

    8.1

    9.1

    10.1

    Private saving

    0.5

    12.5

    29.5

    25.6

    23.9

    22.1

    21.1

    20.1

    19.2

    Gross fixed investment

    30.4

    34.6

    32.3

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    Government investment

    6.6

    5.6

    5.8

    5.2

    4.5

    4.3

    4.2

    3.9

    3.8

    Private investment

    23.8

    29.0

    26.5

    27.4

    28.0

    28.2

    28.4

    28.6

    28.7
                       

    Money and credit (annual percent change, unless otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Broad money

    16.4

    8.2

    12.5

    8.5

    7.9

    10.5

    11.3

    9.1

    9.0

    Private sector credit

    23.6

    18.5

    3.5

    4.0

    7.0

    10.0

    10.0

    10.0

    10.0

    Velocity of money 2/

    1.1

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0
                       

    Public finance (in percent of GDP)

    		                  

    Revenue

    15.8

    18.1

    15.9

    14.9

    14.9

    14.9

    15.0

    15.1

    15.2

    Domestic revenue

    14.7

    16.4

    14.7

    13.7

    13.7

    13.8

    14.0

    14.1

    14.4

    Of which: Tax revenue

    13.2

    14.7

    13.0

    12.1

    12.1

    12.2

    12.3

    12.5

    12.7

    Grants

    1.1

    1.7

    1.2

    1.2

    1.1

    1.1

    1.0

    0.9

    0.8

    Expenditure

    21.0

    18.4

    18.7

    17.9

    17.3

    17.1

    17.1

    17.2

    17.1

    Expense

    14.4

    12.8

    12.9

    12.7

    12.8

    12.8

    13.0

    13.3

    13.4

    Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets

    6.6

    5.6

    5.8

    5.2

    4.5

    4.3

    4.2

    3.9

    3.8

    Net lending (+)/borrowing(-)

    -5.2

    -0.3

    -2.8

    -3.0

    -2.4

    -2.2

    -2.1

    -2.1

    -2.0

    Net lending (+)/borrowing(-) excluding grants

    -6.3

    -2.0

    -4.0

    -4.2

    -3.6

    -3.3

    -3.2

    -3.0

    -2.8

    Net acquisition of financial assets

    -3.6

    1.4

    -0.3

    -0.2

    0.5

    0.3

    0.2

    0.3

    0.4

    Net incurrence of liabilities 3/

    1.6

    1.7

    2.5

    2.8

    2.9

    2.5

    2.4

    2.4

    2.4

    Total public debt (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.7

    27.7

    Balance of payments (in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Exports, f.o.b.

    19,527

    23,175

    23,569

    26,745

    28,595

    30,942

    33,449

    36,307

    39,457

       (Annual percent change)

    5.7

    18.7

    1.7

    13.5

    6.9

    8.2

    8.1

    8.5

    8.7

    Imports, f.o.b.

    -30,726

    -31,995

    -26,553

    -31,055

    -33,244

    -35,626

    -38,605

    -41,871

    -45,434

       (Annual percent change)

    46.4

    4.1

    -17.0

    17.0

    7.0

    7.2

    8.4

    8.5

    8.5

    Current account (including official transfers)

    -10,886

    -7,572

    555

    -847

    -1,269

    -1,794

    -1,993

    -2,175

    -2,283

        (In percent of GDP)

    -29.6

    -19.0

    1.3

    -1.8

    -2.5

    -3.3

    -3.3

    -3.4

    -3.2

    Gross official reserves 4/

    20,265

    17,805

    19,998

    20,753

    23,064

    26,887

    30,951

    35,422

    40,351

        (In months of prospective imports)

    7.0

    7.3

    6.9

    6.6

    6.9

    7.4

    7.9

    8.3

    8.7
                       

    Total public debt (in millions of dollars)

    9,505

    9,971

    11,187

    12,473

    13,932

    15,218

    16,508

    17,912

    19,453

    (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.7

    27.7

    External debt (in millions of dollars, unless                                    otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Public external debt

    9,505

    9,971

    11,187

    12,387

    13,726

    14,939

    16,178

    17,548

    18,978

    (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.6

    27.4

    27.3

    27.2

    27.1

    27.0

    Public debt service

    397

    427

    449

    418

    439

    458

    482

    506

    533

    (In percent of exports of goods and services)

    2.0

    1.7

    1.6

    1.3

    1.3

    1.2

    1.2

    1.2

    1.1

    Nominal effective exchange rate (index, trade partners by CPI)

    113.3

    122.4

    123.3

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Real effective exchange rate

    (index, based on CPI)

    125.3

    134.0

    132.4

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Memorandum items:

    		                  

    Nominal GDP (in billions of Riels)

    150,793

    164,059

    177,719

    190,603

    205,946

    225,291

    245,726

    267,845

    292,066

    (In millions of U.S. dollars)

    36,797

    39,838

    43,304

    46,568

    50,180

    54,745

    59,548

    64,733

    70,395

    Sources: Cambodian authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

    1/ Based on the rebased GDP.

    		                

    2/ Ratio of nominal GDP to the average stock of broad money.

    		                

    3/ Includes statistical discrepancy.

    		                

    4/ Includes unrestricted foreign currency deposits held at the National Bank of Cambodia.

    		                

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chair of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.  

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Alexander Muller

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/01/27/pr-25017-cambodia-imf-executive-board-concludes-2024-article-iv-consultation-with-cambodia

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong resident rescued from detention in Southeast Asian country returns to Hong Kong smoothly

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong resident rescued from detention in Southeast Asian country returns to Hong Kong smoothly
    Hong Kong resident rescued from detention in Southeast Asian country returns to Hong Kong smoothly
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Security Bureau (SB) today (January 28) said that a Hong Kong resident, who had been detained for illegal work in Myanmar and was recently rescued, has smoothly returned to Hong Kong from Thailand last night (January 27) with members of the SB’s dedicated task force.     The dedicated task force set off for Bangkok on January 21 to follow-up promptly on the case upon confirmation that a Hong Kong resident had been rescued in Myanmar and arrived in Thailand. With the co-ordination and liaison with different units by the task force over the past few days and concerted efforts by various parties, the individual was able to return to Hong Kong in a short period of time and reunite with his family before the Chinese New Year.      The dedicated task force expressed gratitude to the Thai authorities for their humane way of handling the case with the approach of special arrangements for special circumstances by compressing the procedures to within a few days, allowing the Hong Kong resident to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible. While meeting the rescued Hong Kong resident in the detention centre in Bangkok, members of the task force were moved to be able to bring the individual back to Hong Kong and return home together. The Hong Kong resident expressed gratitude for the visit to Thailand by the task force members to follow up on his case. He was also very pleased to learn that he would be able to return to Hong Kong to reunite with his family before the Chinese New Year.      The SB thanked various parties, including the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai, the Consulate-General of Myanmar in Hong Kong, the Royal Thai Consulate-General, Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok, and the relevant Thai authorities for their support and assistance.     The dedicated task force has all along been following up proactively on the remaining 10 request-for-assistance cases in which the relevant people have not yet returned to Hong Kong, including maintaining communication, exchanging intelligence and sparing no efforts in following up on each case with the Director of Special Investigation and the Director of Human Trafficking under the Ministry of Justice of Thailand during the team’s stay in Thailand. A member of the dedicated task force will stay in Bangkok to strive to do his utmost for the early return of the remaining 10 people to Hong Kong.

     
    Ends/Tuesday, January 28, 2025Issued at HKT 1:29

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Article IV Consultation with Cambodia

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    January 27, 2025

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Cambodia.

    Cambodia’s economy has continued to recover, albeit at a modest pace. We project real GDP to grow from 5.5 percent in 2024 to 5.8 percent in 2025 and inflation to pick up from 0.5 percent in 2024 to 2 percent in 2025 and remain contained. However, risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside from both external factors and domestic vulnerabilities, including from policy changes by major trading partners, geoeconomic fragmentation, and continued weakness in the construction and real estate sectors.

    The recovery remains uneven. Real GDP growth is driven mainly by external demand, with a strong rebound in garment exports and high growth in agricultural exports. Tourism has experienced a structural shift in its composition, resulting in a lagged recovery in tourism receipts. Growth in non-tradable sectors remains weak. After a sustained credit expansion that lifted the credit-to-GDP ratio from 24 percent in 2010 to 135 percent in 2023, credit growth has come to a near halt. The construction and real estate sectors are undergoing a correction, with rising non-performing loans and emerging signs of private-sector debt overhang.

    We project the fiscal deficit at 2.4 percent of GDP in 2025, down from 3 percent in 2024, with a gradual fiscal consolidation envisaged in the medium-term fiscal framework. Public debt remains well-contained, staying below 30 percent of GDP over the next decade. The current account balance is projected to swing back to a deficit of 1.8 percent of GDP in 2024 as strong demand for imports outpaces the recovery in exports and tourism. The deficit is projected to increase somewhat in 2025, reaching 2.5 percent of GDP, with export growth expected to moderate. 

    Executive Board Assessment2

    Executive Directors welcomed the continuing recovery of the Cambodian economy, driven by strong growth in garment and agricultural exports, and improving tourism activity. Nonetheless, the recovery has been uneven, and while growth is expected to continue, risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. Directors underscored the importance of policies to safeguard macro financial stability, ensure a durable and inclusive recovery, and achieve the authorities’ development goals over the medium term.

    Directors supported a neutral fiscal stance in the near term and highlighted the importance of gradual and high-quality consolidation over the medium term underpinned by sound fiscal frameworks to maintain debt sustainability and strengthen economic resilience. They welcomed the recent publication of a medium-term fiscal framework but recommended strengthening it with more conservative and transparent fiscal rules. Directors stressed the need to further mobilize revenues through rationalizing tax exemptions and implementing tax policy reforms, while enhancing spending efficiency and strengthening public investment management, in order to help rebuild fiscal buffers and safeguard priority social and capital spending. Directors welcomed efforts to foster the development of the domestic government bond market as Cambodia’s access to concessional foreign financing will be reduced when it graduates from Least Developed Country status. They also stressed the need for sound management of fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises and public-private partnerships.

    Directors supported the measured pace of monetary policy normalization while maintaining adequate financial system liquidity. They encouraged continuing efforts to modernize the monetary policy framework to enhance policy transmission and support de-dollarization. Noting the ongoing corrections in the construction and real estate sectors, declining FDI inflows, and rising nonperforming loans, Directors encouraged phasing out forbearance measures and developing a comprehensive plan to safeguard financial stability. They recommended strengthening risk-based supervision, improving macroprudential policy, enhancing coordination among financial sector supervisory agencies, and intensifying oversight of the real estate sector.

    Directors highlighted the importance of structural reforms to promote economic diversification and improve competitiveness. They encouraged the authorities’ efforts to enhance human capital, invest in infrastructure, strengthen the business environment, address climate vulnerabilities, and promote renewable energy to attract more diversified FDI. They also underscored the importance of strengthening governance and institutions, improving transparency, enhancing the AML/CFT framework, and addressing data limitations through  capacity development.

    Table 1. Cambodia: Selected Economic Indicators, 2021 – 29 1/

    Per capita GDP (2022, US$): 1,546                   Life expectancy (2019, years): 75.5

    Population (2022, million):    16.7                    Literacy rate (2019, percent):  87.7
     

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    Est.

    Proj.

    Output and prices (annual percent change)

    		                  

    GDP at constant prices

    3.1

    5.1

    5.0

    5.5

    5.8

    6.2

    6.0

    6.0

    6.0

    Inflation (end-year)

    3.7

    2.9

    2.7

    1.5

    2.1

    3.2

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0

    (Annual average)

    2.9

    5.3

    2.1

    0.4

    2.1

    3.2

    3.0

    3.0

    3.0
                       

    Saving and investment balance

    (in percent of GDP)

    		                  

    Gross national saving

    0.8

    15.6

    33.6

    30.7

    30.0

    29.2

    29.2

    29.2

    29.3

    Government saving

    0.3

    3.1

    4.1

    5.1

    6.1

    7.1

    8.1

    9.1

    10.1

    Private saving

    0.5

    12.5

    29.5

    25.6

    23.9

    22.1

    21.1

    20.1

    19.2

    Gross fixed investment

    30.4

    34.6

    32.3

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    32.5

    Government investment

    6.6

    5.6

    5.8

    5.2

    4.5

    4.3

    4.2

    3.9

    3.8

    Private investment

    23.8

    29.0

    26.5

    27.4

    28.0

    28.2

    28.4

    28.6

    28.7
                       

    Money and credit (annual percent change, unless otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Broad money

    16.4

    8.2

    12.5

    8.5

    7.9

    10.5

    11.3

    9.1

    9.0

    Private sector credit

    23.6

    18.5

    3.5

    4.0

    7.0

    10.0

    10.0

    10.0

    10.0

    Velocity of money 2/

    1.1

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0

    1.0
                       

    Public finance (in percent of GDP)

    		                  

    Revenue

    15.8

    18.1

    15.9

    14.9

    14.9

    14.9

    15.0

    15.1

    15.2

    Domestic revenue

    14.7

    16.4

    14.7

    13.7

    13.7

    13.8

    14.0

    14.1

    14.4

    Of which: Tax revenue

    13.2

    14.7

    13.0

    12.1

    12.1

    12.2

    12.3

    12.5

    12.7

    Grants

    1.1

    1.7

    1.2

    1.2

    1.1

    1.1

    1.0

    0.9

    0.8

    Expenditure

    21.0

    18.4

    18.7

    17.9

    17.3

    17.1

    17.1

    17.2

    17.1

    Expense

    14.4

    12.8

    12.9

    12.7

    12.8

    12.8

    13.0

    13.3

    13.4

    Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets

    6.6

    5.6

    5.8

    5.2

    4.5

    4.3

    4.2

    3.9

    3.8

    Net lending (+)/borrowing(-)

    -5.2

    -0.3

    -2.8

    -3.0

    -2.4

    -2.2

    -2.1

    -2.1

    -2.0

    Net lending (+)/borrowing(-) excluding grants

    -6.3

    -2.0

    -4.0

    -4.2

    -3.6

    -3.3

    -3.2

    -3.0

    -2.8

    Net acquisition of financial assets

    -3.6

    1.4

    -0.3

    -0.2

    0.5

    0.3

    0.2

    0.3

    0.4

    Net incurrence of liabilities 3/

    1.6

    1.7

    2.5

    2.8

    2.9

    2.5

    2.4

    2.4

    2.4

    Total public debt (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.7

    27.7

    Balance of payments (in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Exports, f.o.b.

    19,527

    23,175

    23,569

    26,745

    28,595

    30,942

    33,449

    36,307

    39,457

       (Annual percent change)

    5.7

    18.7

    1.7

    13.5

    6.9

    8.2

    8.1

    8.5

    8.7

    Imports, f.o.b.

    -30,726

    -31,995

    -26,553

    -31,055

    -33,244

    -35,626

    -38,605

    -41,871

    -45,434

       (Annual percent change)

    46.4

    4.1

    -17.0

    17.0

    7.0

    7.2

    8.4

    8.5

    8.5

    Current account (including official transfers)

    -10,886

    -7,572

    555

    -847

    -1,269

    -1,794

    -1,993

    -2,175

    -2,283

        (In percent of GDP)

    -29.6

    -19.0

    1.3

    -1.8

    -2.5

    -3.3

    -3.3

    -3.4

    -3.2

    Gross official reserves 4/

    20,265

    17,805

    19,998

    20,753

    23,064

    26,887

    30,951

    35,422

    40,351

        (In months of prospective imports)

    7.0

    7.3

    6.9

    6.6

    6.9

    7.4

    7.9

    8.3

    8.7
                       

    Total public debt (in millions of dollars)

    9,505

    9,971

    11,187

    12,473

    13,932

    15,218

    16,508

    17,912

    19,453

    (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.8

    27.7

    27.7

    External debt (in millions of dollars, unless                                    otherwise indicated)

    		                  

    Public external debt

    9,505

    9,971

    11,187

    12,387

    13,726

    14,939

    16,178

    17,548

    18,978

    (In percent of GDP)

    25.9

    25.0

    25.7

    26.6

    27.4

    27.3

    27.2

    27.1

    27.0

    Public debt service

    397

    427

    449

    418

    439

    458

    482

    506

    533

    (In percent of exports of goods and services)

    2.0

    1.7

    1.6

    1.3

    1.3

    1.2

    1.2

    1.2

    1.1

    Nominal effective exchange rate (index, trade partners by CPI)

    113.3

    122.4

    123.3

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Real effective exchange rate

    (index, based on CPI)

    125.3

    134.0

    132.4

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Memorandum items:

    		                  

    Nominal GDP (in billions of Riels)

    150,793

    164,059

    177,719

    190,603

    205,946

    225,291

    245,726

    267,845

    292,066

    (In millions of U.S. dollars)

    36,797

    39,838

    43,304

    46,568

    50,180

    54,745

    59,548

    64,733

    70,395

    Sources: Cambodian authorities; and IMF staff estimates and projections.

    1/ Based on the rebased GDP.

    		                

    2/ Ratio of nominal GDP to the average stock of broad money.

    		                

    3/ Includes statistical discrepancy.

    		                

    4/ Includes unrestricted foreign currency deposits held at the National Bank of Cambodia.

    		                

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chair of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.  

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Alexander Muller

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “You need to have the knowledge, skills and competencies to build a successful business in the Eastern markets”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    © Mikhail Dmitriev / Higher School of Economics

    HSE Expert Club “Eastern perspective» held its first event — a business session dedicated to launching and developing a successful business in India. The club was created by HSE experts to discuss tools, trends and insights on cooperation between Russia and the countries of Southeast Asia, the Near and Middle East, and North Africa. The participants were addressed by experts with many years of successful experience working in the Indian market in the interests of the world’s largest corporations.

    It is no coincidence that the first event of the Eastern Perspective was dedicated to India. Today, this country is the fastest growing economy in the world among the G20 countries with more than 7 percent annual GDP growth, a growing consumer market and high rates of technological progress. This opens up unique opportunities for Russian companies, emphasized the moderator of the event, Deputy Director for Marketing Communications at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Dmitry Chubarov.

    India is one of the most promising countries for entrepreneurs planning to start or grow their business.

    Leading world experts today call this country a “market of billions of chances,” said the associate professor Schools of Oriental Studies Faculty of World Economy and World Politics HSE University Olga Kharina. “Many countries want to have India as a partner, and Western countries are already doing this successfully. Therefore, we also need to use this chance in our own interests – the interests of business and, of course, the state,” she noted.

    Today, the dynamics of the development of Indian industries are as follows: the share of industrial products in the import structure reaches 50%, the annual growth of the beauty industry is 76%, the share of fintech in the volume of attracted financing among startups is 40%, and the share of e-commerce in the volume of attracted financing among startups is 20%. The average age of the population of this country is 28 years, which makes it one of the largest labor markets in the world. About 70% of the population is young people under 35 years old.

    In 2023, India accounted for more than 40% of all smartphone sales in Asia. The number of internet users in India is expected to reach 700 million by 2025. There are already about 450 million, and 1.2 billion mobile users. The Indian smartphone market is the fastest growing in the world. In addition, in 2020, a $ 1.4 trillion transport infrastructure plan was adopted, which includes improving roads, railways and airports. Textile exports are expected to reach $ 100 billion by 2027. India is the second largest producer of crude steel in the world, and the third largest aviation market. The value of the chemical and petrochemical industry reaches $ 1,178 billion, and auto component exports are worth $ 13.3 billion.

    Olga Kharina reviewed several cases related to the development of business of Russian entrepreneurs in India. Their experience showed that obtaining all the necessary permits for work in this country is a more complicated process than expected. It is also important to take into account the specifics of working with local regulatory authorities and carefully study the legislation and tax procedures.

    Olga Kharina also presented a “treasure map” of Indian states, each of which has its own economic characteristics and laws. Thus, the state of Maharashtra (where the financial center of Mumbai is located) is the largest taxpayer and an important center for business. The state of Uttar Pradesh is the most populous (more than 220 million people), but the economy is mainly agricultural. The state of Gujarat is a leader in the production and export of such goods as chemicals, petrochemicals and textiles.

    “India is located in the center of South Asia and has a strategic position as a gateway between East and West Asia. With access to the Indian Ocean, it plays a key role in trade and transport between the countries of Central Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and East Africa. Russia and India maintain close economic ties that are strengthening every year. In recent years, various agreements have been signed on mutual trade, as well as on strategic partnership in the fields of energy, defense and technology,” the speaker emphasized.

    As for the most promising areas for business, India is one of the largest consumers of energy resources, and Russian companies can develop their activities in the field of oil and gas supplies, as well as participate in energy projects. Russia can also offer its developments in the field of IT and innovative technologies, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain. In addition, India is an important importer of agricultural products, and Russian companies can supply there grain, fish, meat, dairy products. At the same time, Indian technologies in agribusiness can be useful for Russian farmers.

    The Indian government actively supports the “Make in India” program, which is aimed at developing manufacturing and stimulating foreign investment in the country.

    “You need to have the knowledge, skills and competencies to build a successful business in new markets, which we now call the Global East – friendly markets that are supported by both Russia and other countries,” emphasized Natalia Guseva, professor at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the HSE and head of the HSE educational programs “Business with the East.”

    She presented the educational programs “Eastern Perspective” for entrepreneurs working with countries of the Near and Middle East, North Africa, and the Indo-Pacific region.

    The university currently offers three such programs. The flagship five-month program isEastern Perspective: Strategy and Tactics for Building a Business” combines the experience and practices of entering new markets in developed countries of the Global East. Intensive three-month program “Eastern Perspective: The Basics of Building a Business” is aimed at obtaining practical knowledge on business development, launching international projects in various sectors of the economy with the countries of the Global East. The three-week program “Eastern Perspective: The Practice of Building a Business in India” focuses on knowledge, strategies and practices for building a successful business in India.

    “You will have a clear understanding of the potential and specifics of Eastern markets depending on what company you work for or what startup you plan to do. When entering new markets, offering your products and services, you must have a clear understanding of the vectors and potentials of development, the features of the financial and tax systems. You also need to understand the main political trends, the features of the local society. You need to clearly assess the export potential, due to which you will compete. Most Russian companies that had experience in international business were mainly focused on the European markets, and that competition strategy was mainly based on low prices, but in the Eastern markets this strategy will be ineffective,” Natalia Guseva emphasized.

    Expert in developing GR tools and strategies for promoting companies on the Indian market, representative of the media conglomerate The Times of India Group in Russia Nair Devadathan spoke about the country’s features that businessmen entering this market should pay attention to. Thus, according to him, caste, religiosity and beliefs are very important in Indian society (for example, entrepreneurs build relationships with partners based on astrological horoscopes). Business connections are also of great importance: to enter the market, it is necessary to find a partner from among local residents – this way the company will be able to receive many preferences and more favorable conditions. “India should be understood as Bollywood,” he said. At the same time, this country loves Russian culture, especially theater and film adaptations.

    According to Nair Devadathan, not only large companies and medium-sized businesses can succeed in this country, but also small production facilities and even individual entrepreneurs – such examples already exist. At the same time, Indian consumers may be interested in absolutely any product, including those subject to sanctions, or services – for example, from the beauty industry or the arts, education or tourism.

    “Promoting Russia is a business in itself. All our young people use social networks, so you need to pay attention to this,” he is convinced.

    In conclusion, Dmitry Chubarov invited the business session participants to take the HSE educational programs dedicated to the East. “The expertise, experience and cases that will be discussed will not be based on abstract textbooks, but on the daily successful practice of both Russian and international companies that are currently operating in the Indian market,” he summed up.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Charges Mountainair Man Charged with Domestic Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury has indicted a Mountainair man for domestic violence offenses committed in Indian Country.

    According to court records, on or about September 18, 2023, Aiden Richesin, 20, allegedly assaulted the victim, resulting in substantial bodily injury. The indictment further alleges that on the same date and location, Richesin strangled and attempted to strangle the victim.

    Richesin will remain in the third-party custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, Richesin faces up to ten years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.

    The Pueblo of Isleta Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City comes together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Jointly organised by City of Wolverhampton Council and Interfaith Wolverhampton, the event honoured the victims of Holocaust, Nazi persecution and other genocides recognised by the UK government such as Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Darfur and the Yazidi genocide.  

    This year’s theme, for a better future, served as a reminder that people must not forget the past and learn to ensure they take the correct actions to build a more inclusive and fairer society. This year’s event also marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia, bringing people from across the city to reflect on the lessons of the past and to hear stories of survivors through advocates.  

    The ceremony featured an address from His Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenant of West Midlands, Rajinder Mann OBE, and the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Linda Leach who spoke about the importance of the memorial day, and its relevance to Wolverhampton.

    Powerful readings shared by community members and representatives of the council highlighted the ongoing fight against prejudice and discrimination, while a wreath laying and reading of the Kaddish Prayer provided moments for reflection and remembrance.  

    Mayor Councillor Leach said: “Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 is both a call to reflection and a call to action. Together, we remember the darkest chapters in human history, the Holocaust, the genocide in Bosnia, and others like them.

    “I am inspired by the courage of those who share their stories, stories of survival, of loss and of hope. These voices guide us in our efforts to ensure that future generations understand the devastating consequences of hatred and division.” 

    The event concluded with a blessing by the Bishop of Wolverhampton Tim Wambunya. More pictures from the event can be found at Flickr. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Apology issued over loss of tapes

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Official Receiver’s Office (ORO) today expressed its sincere apologies over the loss of seven magnetic backup tapes on December 23 last year, and the delay in reporting the incident.

    The ORO received a report on January 22 that the magnetic backup tapes were lost in transit from the Immigration Tower to Queensway Government Offices by ORO staff.

    The tapes contain personal data of about 76,000 individuals. The ORO said it is notifying the affected parties by batch.

    The tapes were stored in a locked protective case and the data therein is encrypted with AES-256, a highly secure encryption algorithm. Having consulted the Digital Policy Office, the ORO considers that the risk of personal data leakage is extremely low.

    Based on the current investigation, the ORO said there is no evidence that the data contained on the tapes has been read or compromised.

    The incident has been reported to the Police Force, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Security Bureau and the Digital Policy Office.

    In addition to stressing that it is extremely concerned about the incident and has taken immediate action to review all transit procedures and data protection practices, the ORO made it clear that it has refined such procedures with immediate effect.

    It is also conducting a thorough investigation into the staff concerned and the details of the case, including the delay in reporting the loss to senior management.

    Appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken, the ORO noted.

    It added that it has reminded its staff to comply with departmental guidelines and exercise due care in handling personal data. Furthermore, the ORO will review all guidelines on data security and examine the adoption of safer and more effective backup methods and procedures.

    For enquiries, call 2867 2448 or write to oroadmin@oro.gov.hk.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Intermediate Capital Group plc: Notification of Major Holdings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TR-1: Standard form for notification of major holdings

    1. Issuer Details
    ISIN
    GB00BYT1DJ19 
    Issuer Name
    INTERMEDIATE CAPITAL GROUP PLC
    UK or Non-UK Issuer
    UK
    2. Reason for Notification
    An acquisition or disposal of voting rights
    3. Details of person subject to the notification obligation
    Name
    BlackRock, Inc.
    City of registered office (if applicable)
    Wilmington
    Country of registered office (if applicable)
    USA
    4. Details of the shareholder
    Full name of shareholder(s) if different from the person(s) subject to the notification obligation, above

    City of registered office (if applicable)

    Country of registered office (if applicable)

    5. Date on which the threshold was crossed or reached
    24-Jan-2025
    6. Date on which Issuer notified
    27-Jan-2025
    7. Total positions of person(s) subject to the notification obligation

    . % of voting rights attached to shares (total of 8.A) % of voting rights through financial instruments (total of 8.B 1 + 8.B 2) Total of both in % (8.A + 8.B) Total number of voting rights held in issuer
    Resulting situation on the date on which threshold was crossed or reached 5.100000 0.290000 5.390000 15731231
    Position of previous notification (if applicable) 4.730000 0.380000 5.110000  

    8. Notified details of the resulting situation on the date on which the threshold was crossed or reached
    8A. Voting rights attached to shares

    Class/Type of shares ISIN code(if possible) Number of direct voting rights (DTR5.1) Number of indirect voting rights (DTR5.2.1) % of direct voting rights (DTR5.1) % of indirect voting rights (DTR5.2.1)
    GB00BYT1DJ19   14840260   5.100000
    Sub Total 8.A 14840260 5.100000%

    8B1. Financial Instruments according to (DTR5.3.1R.(1) (a))

    Type of financial instrument Expiration date Exercise/conversion period Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/converted % of voting rights
    Securities Lending     22727 0.000000
    Sub Total 8.B1   22727 0.000000%

    8B2. Financial Instruments with similar economic effect according to (DTR5.3.1R.(1) (b))

    Type of financial instrument Expiration date Exercise/conversion period Physical or cash settlement Number of voting rights % of voting rights
    CFD     Cash 868244 0.290000
    Sub Total 8.B2   868244 0.290000%

    9. Information in relation to the person subject to the notification obligation
    2. Full chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held starting with the ultimate controlling natural person or legal entities (please add additional rows as necessary)

    Ultimate controlling person Name of controlled undertaking % of voting rights if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold % of voting rights through financial instruments if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold Total of both if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 1) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 1) Trident Merger, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 1) BlackRock Investment Management, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Holdco 3, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Cayman 1 LP      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Cayman West Bay Finco Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Cayman West Bay IV Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Group Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Finance Europe Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 2) BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock Australia Holdco Pty. Ltd.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 3) BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Holdco 4, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Holdco 6, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Delaware Holdings Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 4) BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Holdco 4, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Holdco 6, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Delaware Holdings Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 5) BlackRock Fund Advisors      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 6) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 6) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 6) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock (Singapore) Holdco Pte. Ltd.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock HK Holdco Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 7) BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Holdco 3, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Cayman 1 LP      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Cayman West Bay Finco Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Cayman West Bay IV Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Group Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Finance Europe Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 8) BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock Canada Holdings ULC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 9) BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Finance, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Holdco 3, LLC      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Cayman 1 LP      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Cayman West Bay Finco Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Cayman West Bay IV Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Group Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Finance Europe Limited      
    BlackRock, Inc. (Chain 10) BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited      

    10. In case of proxy voting
    Name of the proxy holder

    The number and % of voting rights held

    The date until which the voting rights will be held

    11. Additional Information
    BlackRock Regulatory Threshold Reporting Team

    Jana Blumenstein

    020 7743 3650
    12. Date of Completion
    27th January 2025
    13. Place Of Completion
    12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL, U.K.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: EBC Financial Group Partners with Shakti Regeneration Institute to Empower Marginalised Communities and Promote Indigenous Conservation Efforts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RANAGHAT, India, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EBC Financial Group (EBC), a leading global financial brokerage, proudly announces its latest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative through a strategic partnership with the Shakti Empowerment Education Foundation, part of the Shakti Regeneration Institute (SRI). This collaboration will support the Ramakrishna Vedanta Vidyapith school in West Bengal, India, providing 50 low-income students with access to essential educational materials, uniforms, vocational sewing classes, and extracurricular activities.

    Image copyright: Shakti Regeneration Institute

    This partnership forms part of EBC’s broader CSR strategy, which complements its role as a global financial brokerage, enabling access to global markets while promoting equitable education and sustainable development in communities where economic opportunities are limited.

    EBC Financial Group has supported the University of Oxford’s What Economists Really Do (WERD) public education series through the sponsorship of two episodes: The Economics of Tax Evasion in 2023 and Macroeconomics and Climate in November 2024. These episodes explore how economics can address significant societal issues and reflect EBC’s broader mission of empowering informed decision-making—a principle that also drives its global brokerage services, enabling individuals and institutions to confidently navigate financial markets. The WERD series is independently produced by the Department of Economics, showcasing its dedication to bridging academic research and real-world challenges.

    Together, these initiatives demonstrate EBC’s dedication to advancing educational access, promoting critical discourse, and addressing the interconnected challenges of socio-economic development and sustainability. Shifting focus to India, EBC’s partnership with SRI reinforces its mission to drive long-term societal change at the local level, equipping individuals with the tools to thrive and contribute to the development of their communities while promoting sustainable development at the grassroots level.

    In addition to this critical sponsorship, EBC’s leadership in global advocacy is reflected in its contributions to the upcoming documentary #TheRegenerationGeneration, an initiative of SRI directed by its founder, Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri. The film, which addresses the urgent need for regenerative finance and education, highlights the efforts of Nobel Prize-winners, innovators, business leaders, educators, and Indigenous leaders working together to protect vulnerable ecosystems and communities from the increasing threats of climate change. It also features interviews with David Barrett, CEO of EBC Financial Group (UK) Ltd., and Professor Teytelboym from the Department of Economics, Oxford University. EBC’s involvement across both social projects underscores its commitment to not only supporting local communities but also driving global awareness and action toward sustainable and equitable futures.

    Barrett expressed the strategic importance of this partnership: “At EBC, we recognise that the true power of education creates the foundation for transforming societies and creating pathways to lasting change. Our partnership with Shakti Regeneration Institute is more than a sponsorship—it reflects our dedication to uplifting the next generation, as we support the Ramakrishna Vedanta Vidyapith school in equipping marginalised children with the tools they need to thrive. Through our involvement in the #TheRegenerationGeneration 2025 documentary, we are amplifying the voices of Indigenous communities and supporting the preservation of their cultural and environmental heritage. Similarly, our collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Department of Economics on their WERD program underscores our dedication to enhancing global understanding of critical economic and societal issues. By investing in education at every level, we aim to create opportunities, promote equity, and address the challenges of our time. These efforts align seamlessly with our core values of integrity, responsibility, and sustainability.”

    Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri, Chairman and Founder of Shakti Regeneration Institute, remarked, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with EBC Financial Group, a collaboration that embodies the convergence of corporate responsibility and global impact. Together, we embark on a transformative journey, combining our strengths in education and ecological advocacy to empower communities worldwide. With EBC’s support, we are not only empowering marginalised children through education but also raising global awareness about the critical challenges facing Indigenous communities and the plight of vulnerable ecosystems.”

    Foundational Values at the Heart of EBC’s Mission
    EBC’s commitment to making a meaningful difference aligns with its core values of dedication, responsibility, and integrity. By ensuring that financial resources are directed toward impactful projects, EBC exemplifies how corporate responsibility can foster real-world change, contributing to the welfare of communities and the preservation of ecosystems that sustain vulnerable populations. Operating under top-tier regulation, EBC combines its mission to equip investors with access to global markets such as currencies, indices, and commodities with impactful social investments that contribute to community welfare and sustainability.

    The Ramakrishna Vedanta Vidyapith school, which will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding in January 2025, has been a vital institution in the betterment of local communities in West Bengal. Through its educational programs, the school empowers children and women from marginalised backgrounds, helping them to break the cycle of poverty and contribute positively to their communities. EBC’s support enhances the school’s mission, helping to ensure that these children receive not only basic education but also vocational training and community-building opportunities that will prepare them for long-term success. More information about SRI and its mission can be found at www.shaktiregeneration.org.

    For more information about EBC’s causes and initiatives, please visit https://www.ebc.com/ESG.

    About EBC Financial Group
    Founded in the esteemed financial district of London, EBC Financial Group (EBC) is renowned for its services in financial brokerage and asset management. With offices strategically located in prominent financial centres such as London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, Bangkok, Limassol, and more, EBC enables retail, professional, and institutional investors to access a wide range of global markets and trading opportunities, including currencies, commodities, shares, and indices.

    Recognised by multiple awards, EBC prides itself on adhering to leading levels of ethical standards and international regulation. EBC Financial Group’s subsidiaries are regulated and licensed in their local jurisdictions. EBC Financial Group (UK) Limited is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), EBC Financial Group (Cayman) Limited is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), EBC Financial Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, and EBC Asset Management Pty Ltd are regulated by Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

    At the core of EBC Group are seasoned professionals with over 30 years of profound experience in major financial institutions, having adeptly navigated through significant economic cycles from the Plaza Accord to the 2015 Swiss franc crisis. EBC champions a culture where integrity, respect, and client asset security are paramount, ensuring that every investor engagement is treated with the utmost seriousness it deserves.

    EBC is the Official Foreign Exchange Partner of FC Barcelona, offering specialised services in regions such as Asia, LATAM, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. EBC is also a partner of United to Beat Malaria, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, aiming to improve global health outcomes. Starting February 2024, EBC supports the ‘What Economists Really Do’ public engagement series by Oxford University’s Department of Economics, demystifying economics, and its application to major societal challenges to enhance public understanding and dialogue.

    https://www.ebc.com/

    Media Contact:
    Savitha Ravindran
    Global Public Relations Manager (EMEA, LATAM)
    savitha.ravindran@ebc.com

    Chyna Elvina
    Global Public Relations Manager (APAC, LATAM)
    chyna.elvina@ebc.com

    Douglas Chew
    Global Public Relations Lead
    douglas.chew@ebc.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94dc67e3-5efc-46bb-9e48-0cb8ff3bce80

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7947de34-6137-46a2-b7e8-8183ecc273c4

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a45a3118-2bc7-4f3b-af6b-c721195b1fef

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: St Albans Mayor hosts Holocaust Memorial Day service

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    St Albans Mayor Councillor Jamie Day hosted an annual service to commemorate victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.

    The civic event took place on Sunday 26 January at St Albans Masorti Synagogue on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day

    It was an occasion to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other persecuted people killed by the Nazis and later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and elsewhere. 

    Local rabbis participated in the programme which featured moving stories about Holocaust survivors, including from Auschwitz survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon.

    The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster, and St Albans MP, Daisy Cooper, both read eyewitness testimonies while the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss, made a moving address.

    Two Year 13 pupils from Roundwood Park School in Harpenden talked about what they have learned from studying the Holocaust, and from participating in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz programme.

    There was music including a violin solo and a string quartet along with a performance of a song written by Viktor Ullmann.

    Towards the end of the service, a candle was lit by the Lord Lieutenant in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and other genocides, followed by a minute’s silence.

    Holocaust Memorial Day falls every year on 27 January, the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This year marked the 80th anniversary of the event in 1945.

    The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is the importance of remembering and learning from the Holocaust and more recent genocides For A Better Future.

    Cllr Day, Mayor of St Albans City and District, said:

    Our commemoration service was one of many thousands held around the world.

    It was a very moving and emotional experience and I thank everyone who took part in this important occasion.

    It was great to see our community stand together and honour the millions of people who lost their lives, showing their opposition to prejudice and hatred.

    You can find information about Holocaust Memorial Day at https://hmd.org.uk/.

    Photo: top, guests at the Holocaust Memorial Day Service; bottom, the Mayor, far left talks to Kitty Hart-Moxon, OBE, centre in wheelchair.

    Media Contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Immigration presents yearly review

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Immigration Department today presented a review of its work in 2024, covering passenger traffic at control points and law enforcement, among other things.

    The department highlighted that a total of around 298 million passengers passed through Hong Kong’s control points in 2024, representing an increase of about 41% over 2023 and a return to the 300 million level in 2019.

    During the year, the total number of visitor arrivals was around 44.5 million, constituting an increase of about 31% when compared with 2023.

    Meanwhile, the department conducted a total of 13,664 related inspection operations at various immigration control points and intercepted 32,551 passengers for enquiries.

    In 2024, the department determined over 2,700 non-refoulement claims. As at the end of last year, there were about 850 claims pending screening.

    Looking ahead, to enhance clearance efficiency, the department said that it will adjust the applicable age of the e-Channel service for Hong Kong permanent residents from the first quarter of this year onwards so that children aged seven or above holding a valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport and a Hong Kong permanent identity card can undergo self-service immigration clearance with a smart identity card using facial recognition technology at e-Channels.

    The department also plans to introduce the new e-Channel at the Hong Kong International Airport’s arrival hall in the third quarter of this year, which will enable eligible Hong Kong residents to experience hassle-free self-service immigration clearance through verification of identity by facial recognition technology at the new e-Channel upon arrival.

    Additionally, the department fully supports the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games to be held this year, whereby special immigration lanes will be provided in the closed areas of designated control points on the Hong Kong side to provide faster and more convenient clearance services for athletes from the Mainland and Macau.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Turtle Beach Corporation Appoints Mark Weinswig Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Turtle Beach Corporation (Nasdaq: TBCH), a leading gaming accessories provider, today announced the appointment of Mark Weinswig as Chief Financial Officer effective February 3, 2025.

    Mr. Weinswig brings over 25 years of extensive financial leadership experience to Turtle Beach. Most recently, he served as CFO at Ouster following its merger with Velodyne Lidar, where he successfully led the development and implementation of integration strategies, resulting in significant cost savings and operational efficiencies. He’s previously held CFO positions at other companies, including Avinger, EMCORE and Avanex, where he consistently delivered improved financial performance and strategic growth.

    “We’re excited to welcome Mark to the Turtle Beach team. His wealth of experience in financial leadership across multiple publicly traded companies makes him an ideal fit for our organization,” said Cris Keirn, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. “Mark’s proven track record of driving financial performance and strategic initiatives will be invaluable as we continue executing our growth strategy and enhancing shareholder value. We look forward to his contributions and leadership.”

    Mr. Weinswig holds an MBA from Santa Clara University and a BS in Accounting from Indiana University. He has held both Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations.

    “I’m thrilled to join Turtle Beach as the new Chief Financial Officer. Together, we will continue delivering cutting-edge products, while also maximizing value for our shareholders. I look forward to contributing to Turtle Beach’s exciting future, and building on its legacy of excellence,” said Mr. Weinswig.

    Mr. Weinswig succeeds John Hanson, who will move into to a senior advisor role for the next six months to ensure a smooth and effective transition.

    “We are deeply grateful to John for his significant contributions to Turtle Beach during his tenure,” added Cris Keirn. “His leadership and dedication over the years has been instrumental in our success, and we’re pleased that he will continue providing his expertise as a senior advisor during this transition period. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

    About Turtle Beach Corporation
    Turtle Beach Corporation (the “Company”) (www.turtlebeachcorp.com) is one of the world’s leading gaming accessories providers. The Company’s namesake Turtle Beach brand (www.turtlebeach.com) is known for designing best-selling gaming headsets, top-rated game controllers, award-winning PC gaming peripherals, and groundbreaking gaming simulation accessories. Innovation, first-to-market features, a broad range of products for all types of gamers, and top-rated customer support have made Turtle Beach a fan-favorite brand and the market leader in console gaming audio for over a decade. Turtle Beach Corporation acquired Performance Designed Products (www.pdp.com) in 2024. Turtle Beach’s shares are traded on the Nasdaq Exchange under the symbol: TBCH.

    Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release includes forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Except for historical information contained in this release, statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions, or beliefs about future events. Statements containing the words “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “target”, “goal”, “project”, “intend” and similar expressions, or the negatives thereof, constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. The inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company, or any person, that the objectives of the Company will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management.

    While the Company believes that its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurances that its goals and strategy will be realized. Numerous factors, including risks and uncertainties, may affect actual results and may cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to logistic and supply chain challenges and costs, the substantial uncertainties inherent in the acceptance of existing and future products, the difficulty of commercializing and protecting new technology, the impact of competitive products and pricing, general business and economic conditions, risks associated with the expansion of our business including the integration of any businesses we acquire and the integration of such businesses within our internal control over financial reporting and operations, our indebtedness, liquidity, and other factors discussed in our public filings, including the risk factors included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company’s other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company is under no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement after the date of this release whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    CONTACTS

    Investors:
    tbch@icrinc.com
    (646) 277-1285

    Public Relations & Media:
    MacLean Marshall
    Sr. Director, Global Communications
    Turtle Beach Corporation
    (858) 914-5093
    maclean.marshall@turtlebeach.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2 Days Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following Hurricane Helene in South Carolina

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: 2 Days Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following Hurricane Helene in South Carolina

    2 Days Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following Hurricane Helene in South Carolina

    COLUMBIA, S.C. – FEMA is encouraging South Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is Jan. 28, just two days away.If you sustained losses or damage from Hurricane Helene, you should register for assistance even if you have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation can apply for federal assistance.The quickest way to apply is to go online to DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also visit a Disaster Recovery Center, or apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or by calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day, and the help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link.FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. 
    martyce.allenjr
    Mon, 01/27/2025 – 14:02

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Unveils Double Deposit Bonus, $50 Welcome Bonus, and 100x Leverage Crypto Trading with No KYC

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin hovers around the $100,000 mark, analysts predict prolonged market volatility, making cryptocurrency derivatives trading the preferred choice for traders seeking to profit from both upward and downward trends. To empower traders and maximize their potential, BexBack Exchange has introduced an exclusive package featuring a 100% deposit bonus, a $50 welcome bonus for new users, and 100x leverage for cryptocurrency trading—all with a No KYC policy, ensuring privacy and seamless trading.

    How Does 100x Leverage Work?

    100x leverage enables traders to control larger positions with minimal capital investment. For example:

    • Suppose Bitcoin is priced at $100,000, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. Using 100x leverage, you control a position worth 100 BTC.
    • If the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be:
      (105,000−100,000)×100BTC÷100,000=5BTC That’s a 500% return on your initial investment.

    With BexBack’s 100% deposit bonus, your trading power doubles, giving you the ability to amplify profits even further.

    How the 100% Deposit Bonus Works

    BexBack’s deposit bonus is designed to boost your trading potential. While it cannot be withdrawn directly, the bonus:

    1. Increases Margin Capacity – Use the bonus to open larger positions and enhance your profit potential.
    2. Provides Risk Protection – During significant market fluctuations, the bonus serves as extra margin, reducing liquidation risks.

    For example, depositing 1 BTC unlocks an additional 1 BTC in bonus funds, doubling your margin.

    Why Choose BexBack?

    • No KYC Required: Trade with just an email address—simple and private.
    • 100% Deposit Bonus: Double your trading funds instantly.
    • $50 Welcome Bonus: Earn $50 after completing your first trade.
    • High Leverage: Up to 100x leverage to maximize capital efficiency.
    • Demo Account: Practice risk-free with 10 BTC in virtual funds.
    • Transparent Fees: No slippage, no spreads, and clear fee structures.
    • 24/7 Global Support: Dedicated multilingual customer service anytime, anywhere.
    • Affiliate Rewards: Earn up to 50% commission with no limits on duration or earnings.

    About BexBack

    BexBack is a premier cryptocurrency derivatives platform offering 100x leverage on BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, and XRP futures contracts. Headquartered in Singapore with offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, BexBack operates under a US MSB (Money Services Business) license. The platform is trusted by over 200,000 traders worldwide, including users in the US, Canada, and Europe.

    Don’t Miss Out—Start Trading Today!

    If you’re looking to capitalize on Bitcoin’s historic price levels and market volatility, BexBack is the platform for you. With 100x leverage, unbeatable bonuses, and a focus on privacy, BexBack sets you up for success in the dynamic world of cryptocurrency trading.

    Sign up now to claim your exclusive bonuses and start building your crypto portfolio.

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed72ce34-c448-429b-baf5-afdbccee1640

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b63bbbd5-050a-4972-9308-fa38c4b98ca8

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8fe9b4af-bef7-450b-8933-9d7096274920

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1ccb133-7ea0-4960-a4b2-f127cce10ea8

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9778b6a3-46d2-49b8-a574-adb73a41cd4f

    The MIL Network –