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Category: Aviation

  • MIL-Evening Report: Mastercard plans to get rid of credit card numbers. We could be heading towards the end of cards

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology

    Antonina St/Shutterstock

    Mastercard has announced plans to remove the 16-digit number from their credit and debit cards by 2030 in a move designed to stamp out identity theft and fraudulent use of cards.

    The numbers currently used to identify cards will be replaced with tokenisation and biometric authentication

    In 2022, Mastercard added biometric options enabling payments to be made with a smile or wave of the hand.

    Tokenisation converts the 16-digit card number into a different number – or token – stored on your device, so card information is never shared when you tap your card or phone or make payments online.

    The first rollout of these numberless cards will be through a partnership with AMP Bank, but it is expected other banks will follow in the coming 12 months.

    Why card security is important

    There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling after receiving a call or text from your bank asking about the legitimacy of a card transaction.

    In 2023-2024 the total value of card fraud in Australia was A$868 million, up from $677.5 million the previous financial year.

    Credit card numbers and payment details are often exposed in major data breaches affecting large and small businesses.

    The cost of credit card fraud in Australia rose by almost $200 million last financial year.
    CC7/Shutterstock

    Late last year, the US Federal Trade Commission took action against the Marriott and Starwood Hotels for lax data security. More than 300 million customers worldwide were affected.

    Event ticketing company Ticketmaster was also hacked last year. The details of several hundred million customers, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, phone numbers and payment details were illegally accessed.

    So-called “card-not-present fraud”, where an offender processes an unauthorised transaction without having the card in their physical possession, accounts for 92% of all card fraud in Australia. This rose 29% in the last financial year.

    The Card Verification Value (CVV) (or three-digit number on the back of a credit card) aimed to ensure the person making the transaction had the physical card in their hands. But it is clearly ineffective.

    Benefits of removing credit card numbers

    Removing the credit card number is the latest attempt to curb fraud. Removing numbers stops fraudsters processing unauthorised card-not-present transactions.

    It also reduces the potential for financial damage of victims exposed in data breaches, if organisations are no longer able to store these payment details.

    Companies will no longer be able to store card data, reducing the risk of data breaches.
    ESBProfessional/Shutterstock

    The storage of personal information is a contested issue. For example, the 2022 Optus data breach exposed information from customers who had previously held accounts with the telco back in 2018.

    Removing the ability of organisations to store payment details in the first place, removes the risk of this information being exposed in any future attack.

    While any efforts to reduce fraud are welcome, this new approach raises some new issues to consider.

    Potential problems with the new system

    Mastercard has said customers will use tokens generated by the customer’s banking app or biometric authentication instead of card numbers.

    This is likely to be an easy transition for customers who use mobile banking.

    However, the use of digital banking is not universal. Many senior consumers and those with a disability don’t use digital banking services. They would be excluded from the new protections.

    While strengthening the security attached to credit cards, removing numbers shifts the vulnerability to mobile phones and telecommunication providers.

    Offenders already access victims’ phones through mobile porting and impersonation scams. These attacks are likely to escalate as new ways to exploit potential vulnerabilities are found.

    There are also concerns about biometrics. Unlike credit card details, which can be replaced when exposed in a data breach, biometrics are fixed. Shifting a focus to biometrics will increase the attractiveness of this data, and potentially opens victims up to ongoing, irreversible damage.

    While not as common, breaches of biometric data do occur.

    For example, web-based security platform BioStar 2 in the UK exposed the fingerprints and facial recognition details of over one million people. Closer to home, IT provider to entertainment companies Outabox is alleged to have exposed facial recognition data of more than one million Australians.

    Will we really need cards in the future?

    While removing the numbers may reduce credit card fraud, emerging smart retail technologies may remove the need for cards all together.

    Smartphone payments are already becoming the norm, removing the need for physical cards. GlobalData revealed a 58% growth in mobile wallet payments in Australia in 2023, to $146.9 billion. In October 2024, 44% of payments were “device-present” transactions.

    Amazon’s innovative “Just-Walk-Out” technology has also removed the need for consumers to bring a physical credit or debit card all together.

    Amazon Go and the world’s most advanced shopping technology.

    This technology is available at more than 70 Amazon-owned stores, and at more than 85 third-party locations across the US, UK, and Australia. These include sports stadiums, airports, grocery stores, convenience stores and college campuses.

    The technology uses cameras, weight sensors and a combination of advanced AI technologies to enable shoppers in physical stores make purchases without having to swipe or tap their cards at the checkout line.

    Such technology is now being offered by a variety of other vendors including Trigo, Cognizant and Grabango. It is also being trialled across other international retailers, including supermarket chains Tesco and ALDI.

    While Just-Walk-Out removes the need to carry a physical card, at some point consumers still need to enter their cards details into an app. So, to avoid cards and numbers completely, smart retail tech providers are moving to biometric alternatives, like facial recognition payments.



    Read more:
    Paying with your face: what will convince consumers to use facial recognition payment technology?

    Considering the speed at which smart retail and payment technology is entering the marketplace, it is likely physical credit cards, numberless or not, will soon become redundant, replaced by biometric payment options.

    Gary Mortimer receives funding from the Building Employer Confidence and Inclusion in Disability Grant, AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Program, National Clothing Textiles Stewardship Scheme, National Retail Association, Australian Retailers Association. .

    Cassandra Cross has previously received funding from the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre.

    – ref. Mastercard plans to get rid of credit card numbers. We could be heading towards the end of cards – https://theconversation.com/mastercard-plans-to-get-rid-of-credit-card-numbers-we-could-be-heading-towards-the-end-of-cards-248545

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: The world wildlife trade regulator is 50 – here’s what has worked and what needs to change

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Challender, Senior Research Fellow, Conservation Science and Policy, University of Oxford

    Vicuña are no longer globally threatened, thanks, in part, to protection under the Cites convention. ecuadorplanet/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND

    Have you ever bought a souvenir from a local market on holiday? Or tried to travel overseas with a guitar? If so, you may have been stopped at the airport if your item contains animal or plant parts. This is because most countries, and also the EU, implement Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

    Cites is the main global agreement regulating international wildlife trade to ensure the protection of the 41,000 species covered by the convention. Under Cites, trade measures are established for species to ensure that international trade is legal and ecologically sustainable. For most species (96%), this comprises close regulation of trade. For more threatened species (3%), commercial international trade in wild animals and plants is banned (the remaining 1% refers to a third category of species protected in at least one country).

    Under Cites, countries must prohibit international trade in violation of the convention. They are also encouraged to restrict or prohibit the collection of – and domestic trade in – Indigenous species included under Cites. Crucially, countries must enact laws to implement the convention. By design, Cites relies mainly on state-led law-enforcement to achieve its goals.

    This year, as Cites marks its 50th anniversary, our new study evaluates the convention’s effectiveness. It asks whether it solves the problem for which it was designed, as well as outlining how it could be more effective.

    Taking stock

    Cites has had several successes. It can boast an effective system of international cooperation among 184 countries and the EU. Much international trade in Cites-listed species is legally permitted and has been determined to be sustainable. The convention has helped raise the profile of, and catalysed conservation action for, species threatened by international trade, such as pangolins and seahorses.

    The convention has also supported the recovery of species, such as crocodiles and vicuña, a member of the camel family that lives in South America. Since 2010, Cites has generated awareness of, and coordinated action to address, illegal wildlife trade, most notably through the establishment of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime.

    Commercial, international trade in wild pangolins is prohibited under Cites.
    Afrianto Silalahi/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND

    However, there are some major problems with the Cites approach. Illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade involving thousands of Cites-listed species occurred in at least 162 signatory countries from 2015 to 2021. This includes countries such as the US that are well resourced to deter it. A predominant focus on state-led law enforcement is therefore proving ineffective in many instances.

    We find that many law enforcement agencies are not well enough resourced to deter illegal collection and trade of species. Simply creating laws does not necessarily mean that people or businesses will comply with them.

    Also, regulating or prohibiting international wildlife trade does not necessarily reduce the threat to the species concerned. These measures may signal scarcity and lead to price increases, which could accelerate over-exploitation by incentivising speculative collection and stockpiling. In this context, there is much room for improvement.

    What needs to change

    Deciding on appropriate Cites trade measures for species relies primarily on biological criteria, such as population size. Typically, that process does not involve consultation with the people extracting or trading wildlife. Nor does it really consider insights from the social sciences, including economics, on the likely impact of trade measures on wildlife and people. Decisions by the world’s governments to establish these measures are therefore highly uncertain.

    To better prevent species from being overexploited for international trade through Cites, countries need to have a greater understanding of how different species are traded. This would enable them to identify the most appropriate combination of rights, rules and decision-making procedures along supply chains, and then pre-test and implement interventions specific to these systems.

    Countries therefore need to analyse how species are traded. This would include looking at the relevant property rights and other laws that affect people involved in the trade, as well as understanding factors such as incentives for people to harvest species, the extent to which trade contributes to peoples’ income, and market size for traded species and products.

    Countries could then reconfigure rights and rules so that they are aligned along supply chains. This is needed to avoid creating loopholes and facilitating illegal trade. Where trade (both within countries and between countries) is taking place, these arrangements should support it to be legal and sustainable. That’s the ultimate aim of Cites. The relevant actors, including collectors and traders should also be consulted – or better yet involved in co-designing regulations – so that the rules are legitimate to them.



    Read more:
    From rhino horn snuff to pangolin livestock feed: we analysed half a century of patents to track the wildlife trade’s evolution

    The most appropriate interventions will depend on each country’s analysis of its own trading situation and their role in the trade of given species. They may include devolving land or use rights to Indigenous peoples so that they manage and can benefit from the species. Or interventions may be programmes to reduce consumer demand or develop responsible markets for wildlife products as appropriate.

    The approach we propose in our study has the potential to reduce reliance on state-led law enforcement along international supply chains. Pluralist regulatory approaches, including self-regulation, community monitoring or the engagement of appropriate third parties, could be used to support compliance with new rules at each stage of supply chains. Where property rights are appropriately assigned, clear and enforceable, this could mean less reliance on state law-enforcement. This is because local people with a sense of ownership of wildlife are more likely to help protect it rather than overexploit it.

    How could Cites be more effective? By understanding the dynamic trade systems for species in greater detail. Then, identifying the most appropriate combination of rights, rules and decision-making procedures to achieve sustainability throughout supply chains. And, finally, integrating Cites trade measures within these broader systems.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Dan Challender receives funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund through the Trade, Development, and the Environment Hub, the A. G. Leventis Foundation, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. He serves as CITES Focal Point for the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group, and is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP)/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.

    Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes has consulted as a technical advisor to Rhinomics, an initiative working to develop an ethical and sustainable trading model for the benefit of rhino conservation. He serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Rhino Specialist Group, and is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP)/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.

    – ref. The world wildlife trade regulator is 50 – here’s what has worked and what needs to change – https://theconversation.com/the-world-wildlife-trade-regulator-is-50-heres-what-has-worked-and-what-needs-to-change-248268

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Notes From the Field: Black-bellied Whistling Duck movement ecology and survival study

    Source: US Geological Survey

    “Notes From the Field” news articles highlight the continued importance of bird banding. This article was contributed by Paul Link with Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries who began researching Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in 2011, and Pam Garrettson and Joshua Dooley with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who are assisting with the band-recovery data analyses. 

    Today, banding allows scientists to investigate bird behavior, migration, lifespans, populations, diseases and levels of environmental contaminants. Information gathered through the North American Bird Banding Program helps inform management and conservation decisions for game and non-game species, such as protecting or restoring habitat, setting hunting regulations and determining plans for human-led development. The North American Bird Banding Program depends on a network of over 10,000 permitted bird banders working in the United States, Canada and Trust Territories. Each year these banders help us add up to 1.2 million new banding records to our century-long dataset. 

    Holding banded Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are band resight extraordinaire Alvin Attenhofer on the left and on the right Paul Link, Research Program Manager of LA Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. Photo courtesy of Michael Slazer. 
    How do you use bird banding in your research?  

    We initiated our research in 2011 to answer questions related to the movement ecology and survival of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in south Louisiana. We started out opportunistically banding this species with standard aluminum butt-end bands for a couple years, but upon realizing encounter rates were much lower than expected, we greatly increased our banding effort. We plan to utilize both live recaptures and dead recoveries to estimate annual survival. Our banding season is February through May, which is an ideal period for captures as the ducks are still gregarious prior to dispersing for nesting. At the onset of our research, we hypothesized that they migrated south to Texas or Mexico during winter, but we hope to use recovery data to better describe movements and habitat use throughout the annual cycle. 

    Why is your study species so interesting?  

    Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are found only in the Western Hemisphere. They are more arboreal than other whistling-ducks; they nest primarily in natural tree cavities and readily utilize artificial nest boxes, but also commonly nest on the ground. Unlike most ducks, both the male and female take part in incubation and brood rearing. In North America, this species historically nested mainly along Mexico and south Texas coasts. However, their range began expanding northward mid-20th century, with sightings in Arizona, Louisiana, and Florida by the 1960s. They are a game species with liberal regulations; however, they are only lightly harvested because of their nocturnal nature. Furthermore, traditional waterfowl surveys are inadequate for this species due to low detection probabilities. Many Black-bellied Whistling Ducks congregate in or under trees in urban, suburban, or industrial areas during fall and winter where they are difficult to harvest and/or survey, which makes estimating vital rates such as survival and harvest probabilities more challenging than for most other waterfowl species.   

     What have you found so far?   

    Since 2011, we have banded over 40,000 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and have recaptured >4,200. Interestingly, we have similar numbers of resights versus shot or found dead. The vast majority of those resights are by a single citizen scientist that devotes most evenings for several months each year observing and documenting the ducks’ movements, pair associations, and family status. Roughly 80% of the banded Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are subsequently encountered in Louisiana, with 10% encountered in Mississippi (where we band ~150/year and the previously mentioned citizen scientist resights and reports individuals once per calendar year), 8% in Texas, and 1% or less in Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. We’ve had just one report of a band recovered in Mexico, from a duck found dead in a grain cargo ship that set sail from the Port of New Orleans days earlier. Thus, most Black-bellied Whistling Ducks appear to be transient residents that concentrate in safe places during the fall and winter and disperse throughout Louisiana during spring and summer to breed. Their apparent survival rates (calculated using only live recapture data) were lower than expected; we are currently incorporating both live and dead recoveries to calculate actual annual survival. We’ve documented multiple large die-offs of up to 3,000 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks due to unintentional poisoning at water treatment and grain handling facilities. Avian cholera outbreaks are also common among this species. An unknown number are also killed via shooting or avicide under agricultural depredation and aircraft bird strike prevention orders. Due to their highly gregarious behavior, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are particularly susceptible to communicable diseases. Thus, their population seems to self-regulate under conditions of minimal recreational harvest.   

    Why do you think projects like yours are so important?  

    This banding project will help us understand the movements and vital rates for a poorly understood, yet very common, waterfowl species along the Gulf Coast, improving population management options. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are considered a nuisance by many (such as agriculture producers, golf course managers, and aircraft strike prevention personnel); however, amidst long-term declining trends in most resident and migratory waterfowl in Louisiana, waterfowl hunters welcome the sight of this relative newcomer on the landscape. 

    What are the next steps for your project?  

    We’ll continue to band a maintenance number of approximately 3,000 individuals per year to explore changes in vital rates amidst a rapidly changing landscape. We are also currently analyzing results from a pilot study utilizing satellite transmitters, as well as working with a transmitter manufacturer to design a miniaturized GPS/GSM device to collect higher quality and greater quantity movement data to better understand their local and long-range movements, use of habitats, nesting and non-breeding ecology, and seasonal survival rates. 

    Adult and juvenile Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in flight. Photo courtesy of John K. Flores. 

    The “Notes From the Field” series highlights current banding projects and the continued importance of bird banding and the Bird Banding Lab. Want to see your project featured in a future “Notes From the Field” article? Email Kyra Harvey kharvey@usgs.gov for submission details. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Chairman Mast discusses foreign aid review, DEI on “Face the Nation”

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast joined Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation” to discuss the review of foreign assistance and the Biden State Department’s fixation on DEI.

     

    WATCH HERE

    -Transcript-

    MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by Florida Republican Congressman Brian Mast, who is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which has oversight over the State Department and its programs.

    He joins us from Fort Pierce, Florida.

    Good morning to you.

    CHAIRMAN BRIAN MAST (R-Florida): Good morning.

    BRENNAN: I want to start first on the tariffs that were announced overnight by President Trump. You know there’s a free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. President Trump negotiated it during his first term.

    The tariffs may violate that deal. If he’s invoking tariffs on a national security basis, can you explain the threat posed by Canada?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Yes, and he was – President Trump, that is to say, was very specific in his executive order, outlined that it’s specifically related to fentanyl. It’s specifically related to human trafficking.

    And there’s a trust, but verify situation that has to go on here.

    BRENNAN: Through Canada?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Through Canada as well, absolutely, fentanyl through Canada, human trafficking through Canada, also with China in that mix for fentanyl as well.

    That was specifically outlined in it. And until that comes to an end, this is what’s going to be on the table. And bear in mind as well that USMCA reauthorization is coming up in the coming-up months and years.

    BRENNAN: So you don’t believe that this violates the trade agreement, the treaty?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: The violation has been to the United States of America. It’s been to our sovereignty. It’s been to our people. We’ve been taken for granted.

    BRENNAN: Right, but Congress votes on these things. So…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: And I will make sure certainly, as the Foreign Affairs chairman, that we give every single authority as we go through State Department reauthorization, to make sure that this moves forward, as well as purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies, where we’re freezing aid.

    These are all very important and necessary steps to make sure that we secure America. And we’re going to support that.

    BRENNAN: I’m sorry. Can I follow up on what you just said there?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Please do.

    BRENNAN: You want to authorize purging of State Department personnel? What does that mean exactly?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Well, if you want to take a look at the State Department, where DEI has been a priority over, let’s say, diplomacy on many accounts, I can give you hundreds of examples of where they were authorizing…

    BRENNAN: What proof do you have of that?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Sure, let’s list them off, half-a-million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal, $50,000 to do, let’s see, a transgender opera in Colombia, $47,000 to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru, $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador.

    Shall I continue with more examples of where DEI was a priority?

    BRENNAN: Oh, it certainly seems like there could be a review of things. Foreign aid, as you know, is less than 1 percent of the entire federal budget. So we’re talking small amounts of money by comparison. But when…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: We’re still talking about tens and tens of billions of dollars.

    And if you want to go to somebody else, on the other side of the aisle, Samantha Power, she had a worthy goal, although it was a stupid goal. She said she was hoping to get the amount of foreign aid, U.S. aid dollars that go to actual aid up to 30 cents on the dollar from 10 cents on the dollar. That’s a major problem that we have this agency that that’s all that goes abroad…

    BRENNAN: I think you’re talking about…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: … when it should be the American worker’s dollar.

    BRENNAN: I think now you’re talking about the USAID, the aid agency…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Yes.

    BRENNAN: … which is a – separate from the State Department currently and has about $40 billion worth…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Which is likely going to be rolled more closely under Secretary Rubio.

    BRENNAN: Tell – yes, tell me about that, because that’s where I was going.

    Has the Trump administration informed you of plans to dismantle or significantly shrink this agency?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: This is something that I’m working on very specifically, in conjunction with Secretary Rubio, to make sure that there’s the appropriate command-and-control of these agencies, where, again, to make that same point, right now, maybe 10 to 30 cents…

    BRENNAN: They already report to the secretary of state.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: But 10 to 30 cents on the dollar is what actually goes to aid. So there’s not the right amount of command-and- control that’s going on with the way that it’s set up currently.

    And let’s make another point on this as well.

    BRENNAN: Congress – Congress authorizes and earmarks funding.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Most of these dollars – most of these dollars that go out of USAID, 70-plus percent don’t come from U.S. growers, U.S. farmers, U.S. ranchers, or go through us ports. And that’s another big problem for America.

    BRENNAN: So – I’m sorry. If Congress already authorizes and earmarks the funding, just to be very clear, you’re not endorsing getting rid of USAID as a separate department, which already reports to the secretary of state, are you?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: I would be absolutely for, if that’s the path we go down, removing USAID as a separate department and having it fall under one of the other parts of United States Department of State, because of its failure.

    I just went over the numbers twice with you in the amount of aid that actually makes it into the hands. I mean, you could you could almost say – this is a little bit hyperbole – but there’s probably more dollars that go towards state dinners around the D.C. Beltway than what actually goes into rice and beans abroad.

    That’s the state of what’s going on with USAID. And Samantha Power said no less herself.

    BRENNAN: Well, I think every single administration authorizes reviews, could increase efficiencies. There are plenty of people who propose bringing it more under the authority of the State Department. Madeleine Albright tried to do that. That’s not a new MAGA idea.

    I think the question here, though, is about how you do it. Do you still believe that in the law signed in the 1960s that Congress has to sign off on any changes to USAID? Or do you think President Trump can just make all of this happen through executive order?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: So, all of those examples that you just gave of those historical figures, the difference is now the job is going to get done.

    It’s going to be 99.99 percent of cents on the dollar actually go towards what it’s intended, instead of people around the Beltway.

    BRENNAN: OK, so you’re talking about – you’re talking about…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: That’s what’s going to happen. That’s the change.

    BRENNAN: … efficiencies in aids versus restructuring.

    So let me ask you about that. Well, like I said…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Well, that requires restructuring, 100 percent. You can’t create that efficiency just by wishing it into existence.

    BRENNAN: Sure.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: You have to restructure where the failures are and put the right things in place.

    BRENNAN: Of course.

    But what we’re hearing from many of these aid organizations and officials is that, can you restructure after you finish the review and not freeze funding now, immediately? I spoke to former USAID global health head Atul Gawande yesterday. He told me this isn’t a pause in foreign aid. It is a demolition of USAID.

    As he put it, you can’t pause a flight in midair. That’s what’s happening.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Let’s…

    BRENNAN: This immediate freeze in funding is stopping agencies in the field from being able to do the work they do.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Let’s say why that is so important. And let’s talk about the real facts on the ground.

    The Trump administration comes in or representatives like myself that do oversight. The agencies will literally not tell us what they are writing grants for, literally, or they will lie about it, or they will tell the new political appointees under the Trump administration, I’m just not going to tell you that. Those are real things that have happened.

    So the way that you make them come and answer for where they are actually sending dollars is to say, we’re freezing that. We’re putting it on hold. You need to come to us and explain what it is you’re doing, why you’re doing it and where it’s actually saving life. And guess what?

    BRENNAN: But…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: When they don’t come explain something, that also begs the question, why were they doing it in the first place?

    BRENNAN: But the way these things work is, the contractors have to front the cash, then go to the U.S. government for reimbursement.

    So when you put in an immediate freeze, that means drugs don’t get delivered. That means they don’t get distributed. That means bomb disposal units don’t get to go out there in places like Cambodia and remove ordnance or provide help to people who receive it.

    That’s the pushback from aid organizations, who are saying they’re going to have to carry out layoffs in the thousands in the coming week. Does that concern you at all?

    CHAIRMAN MAST: They will have an opportunity. It doesn’t concern me because of the grift that has been going on to the American taxpayer, the American worker.

    That’s what needs to be answered for. And so you look at this. Let’s use PEPFAR as an example. You were talking about drugs going to individuals. There was a release of that hold that was put – that was authorized. But it shouldn’t be the case that the American people fund HIV and AIDS drugs for 20 million people across Africa, where many of these countries are working very directly with our adversaries like China.

    That is an example of them taking us for granted. We need to be asking the question, should they be weaning off of this? Should we be paying it for these very expensive HIV and AIDS drugs?

    BRENNAN: Yes.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Should the American worker be footing the bill for that? Those are real questions.

    BRENNAN: Yes, real questions, but, in the meantime, people need their drugs while you ask those questions. So that’s where the disagreement is with the aid organizations.

    But let me ask you about air traffic controllers and what’s happening here at home.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: Not with all the leaders of other countries, though. I believe I saw the leader of Kenya as one step up and say, hey, this is an example where we need to step up for ourselves and show how we can take care of ourselves. And I believe that was the president there.

    BRENNAN: I want to ask you, as I was saying, about another committee you sit on, Transportation Committee.

    The FAA hiring policy for air traffic controllers, including under the first Trump administration, offered equal opportunity to those with targeted disabilities, including, as the president read, hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, severe intellectual debility – disability. Excuse me.

    The president singled this out, this policy, as a contributor possibly to the crash. Do you agree with the diversity policy, or do you agree with the president? I know you lost two limbs serving this country in Afghanistan. Do you hear those words and take offense to them or…

    CHAIRMAN MAST: No, no offense. Let’s unpack it.

    Number one, I will use myself as an example, right? There are things that I am suited to do, no doubt. But flying an aircraft, to stick with the subject at hand, would not be one of them. I could fly a personal – a personal aircraft.

    BRENNAN: This is air traffic controllers.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: But to put me in charge of traffic or 150 lives, that would not be the right case for me personally, given my physical disabilities and foot pedals on an aircraft.

    To go to the diversity side of it and the actual crash, yes, there were very real errors that took place both in the air traffic control tower and with the helicopter pilots, it seems. But, more systemically, is there a big hiring problem across all federal agencies, to include the FAA, where they made the priority diversity and inclusion…

    BRENNAN: Yes.

    CHAIRMAN MAST: … instead of excellence and performance? Yes, that’s the case. They made the priority appearance and lifestyle and not the big deal.

    BRENNAN: Congressman, thank you for your time today.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Rates – non-business

    Source: Australian Department of Revenue

    Fuel tax credit rates for non-business

    Fuel tax credit rates vary depending on:

    • when you acquired the fuel
    • the type of fuel you use
    • the activity you use it in.

    You don’t need to include the rates in your claim. We will work out the amount of your fuel tax credit for your claim based on the date you acquired the fuel.

    Rates are indexed twice a year – in February and August – in line with the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI indexation factor for rates from 3 February 2025 is 1.004.

    Fuel excise duty was temporarily reduced from 30 March 2022 to 28 September 2022. This reduction applied to excise and excise equivalent customs duty rates for petrol, diesel and all other fuel and petroleum-based products (except aviation fuels). This affected the fuel tax credit rates during that period.

    Current fuel tax credit rates

    For current fuel tax rates, see From 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

    Claiming past fuel tax credits

    There are time limits for claiming fuel tax credits or making adjustments and correcting errors.

    You need to claim your fuel tax credits within 4 years of the due date of the earliest fuel tax return in which you could have made your claim. If you don’t claim the credits within that time, you’ll no longer be eligible to claim them.

    You can access historical fuel tax credit rates by downloading the data file on the Australian Government data.gov.au website at Historical FTC ratesExternal Link.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deputy Commandant for Aviation Unveils 2025 Aviation Plan, Reinforcing Future Readiness and Technological Integration

    Source: United States Marines

    WASHINGTON, D.C. —

    Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation released the 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, outlining a strategic framework that balances responding to today’s crises with modernizing Marine Aviation to ensure the Corps is prepared for tomorrow’s fight. The plan focuses on key areas of transformation, including technological advancements, expeditionary mobility, sustainment, and total force integration. This plan is a roadmap to enhancing operational readiness and ensuring Marine Aviation remains a lethal force in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) throughout the spectrum from competition to conflict.

    The Aviation Plan introduces Project Eagle, a modernization strategy that prioritizes Distributed Aviation Operations (DAO) and Decision-Centric Aviation Operations (DCAO) to maintain operational effectiveness in contested environments. By fully embracing cutting-edge technologies such as AI-driven decision-making software, autonomous systems, advanced digital command and control capabilities, unmanned systems, and manned-unmanned teaming, the Marine Corps will be better positioned to operate in increasingly complex and dynamic theaters of operation.

    “We are committed to shaping a future aviation force that is ready, resilient, and capable of rapidly responding to emerging threats, wherever they may arise,” said Col. Derek Brannon, Branch Head for the Cunningham Group, Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation. “Project Eagle builds on the progress we’ve made, and it prepares us to embrace technological innovation while ensuring we can deliver combat power across all domains.”

    The 2025 plan underscores additional key priorities, including:

    • Aviation Readiness:  Ensuring Marine Aviation remains poised to respond to any crisis at a moment’s notice, with the readiness to deploy rapidly and provide immediate support when the nation calls.

    • Enhanced Expeditionary Mobility: Strengthening the Marine Corps’ ability to operate from austere, distributed locations through the modernization of platforms like the MV-22B Osprey, CH-53K King Stallion, and KC-130J Hercules, ensuring agile mobility and support for maritime and littoral operations.

    • Modernizing Aviation Logistics: Modernizing sustainment practices to ensure readiness in contested environments through the creation of Maintenance Operations Centers, streamlined supply chain reforms, and enhanced aviation logistics packages. These innovations will better support DAO and MAGTF operations while improving sustainment across the force.

    • Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS) Modernization: Transforming air command and control capabilities with advanced technologies like the TPS-80 radar and Ground-Based Air Defense Systems. The integration of regional air defense concepts will support Expeditionary Advance Base Operations (EABO) and enhance digital interoperability for joint and coalition operations.

    • Total Force Integration: Strengthening collaboration between active-duty and reserve forces, particularly through the integration of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, to enhance operational flexibility, sustainment, and warfighting readiness across the total force.

    These advancements solidify Marine Aviation’s role as an indispensable force within the MAGTF, ensuring it remains agile, lethal, and fully integrated with the Joint Force, partners, and allies.

    “Through continued modernization and an unwavering commitment to current readiness, Marine Aviation is prepared to support the MAGTF through competition to conflict,” said Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, Deputy Commandant for Aviation. “The 2025 Aviation Plan demonstrates our resolute dedication to maintaining operational superiority and ensuring we are always ready to project force, wherever and whenever needed.”

    As Marine Aviation transitions into a new era, the 2025 Aviation Plan is a bold declaration of the Corps’ commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and unmatched warfighting capability.

    To learn more about the 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan: https://www.aviation.marines.mil/

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Gevo Completes Acquisition of Red Trail Energy Assets in North Dakota, Expanding a Burgeoning Portfolio of Energy Assets

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a leading developer of hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the ethanol production plant and carbon capture and sequestration (“CCS”) assets of Red Trail Energy, LLC (“Red Trail Energy”) for an aggregate purchase price of $210 million, subject to customary adjustments, including a working capital adjustment. The acquired assets include the plant, pore space, and we are bringing on their experienced operational personnel. In addition to creating another strategic option for economic and competitively advantaged sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) facilities, this acquisition is expected to contribute $30 million to $60 million of Adjusted EBITDA(1) to Gevo annually. The acquired assets are being renamed “Net-Zero North.”

    “This transformational acquisition marks the start of Net-Zero North,” said Gevo Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Gruber. “Looking forward, this is a great site to expand the plant to produce SAF, along with other additional co-located projects. We like the potential annual Adjusted EBITDA of $30 million to $60 million, synergies with the existing Gevo platform of assets, and having CCS assets in the Gevo portfolio as a risk mitigation tool for carbon sequestration for our Net-Zero 1 (“NZ1”) plant under development in South Dakota. The proven CCS site will allow us to permanently sequester biogenic carbon dioxide to produce US products with the highest quantity and quality of carbon abatement to address a growing global market demand. Net-Zero North is a key step on our path to becoming self-sustaining and profitable as a company in advance of our NZ1 project coming online.”

    The transaction was funded with a combination of Gevo equity capital and a $105 million senior secured term loan facility from Orion Infrastructure Capital (“OIC”), a U.S.-based private investment firm. OIC has also indicated interest in providing up to an additional $100 million in debt for future growth projects at Net-Zero North that are mutually agreed upon. In addition, OIC is investing $5 million in equity at Net-Zero North, which is in addition to the equity contributed by Gevo. The investment comes from OIC’s Infrastructure Credit Strategy, which provides non-dilutive and flexible capital to middle market infrastructure businesses in North America. The strategy seeks to capitalize on the growing need for investment and innovation in sustainable Infrastructure in North America.

    “We are thrilled to partner with the Gevo team on this acquisition,” said Ethan Shoemaker, Investment Partner and Head of Infrastructure Credit at OIC. “The Net-Zero North assets bring together operating carbon sequestration, a strong track record of profitability, near-term upside from their industry-leading carbon intensity score, a strong operating team, and room to grow. We are also excited about the potential synergies and incremental value that the Gevo team and platform of assets brings to the Net-Zero North business.”

    “North Dakota is a state that understands both energy and agriculture, and that they are synergistic,” Gruber said. “We expect to continue to partner with the community to grow the business as they’re a resource that understands how oil and gas, pipelines, carbon capture, and regenerative agriculture all fit together. Net-Zero North provides the fundamental pieces of the puzzle towards cost-effective energy production, such as SAF, while addressing the market demand for cost effective, lower-carbon-footprint products.”

    “We’re taking on a first-class operation from the previous owners, with an exemplary safety record and excellent people to back it up,” said Chris Ryan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Gevo. “The operations team have done a great job, and we’re excited they’re continuing on with us. We are already in engineering development for a Net-Zero alcohol-to-jet (“ATJ”) SAF plant to be built at the site.”

    “Net-Zero North is one of a select few ethanol plants in the U.S., of which we are aware, that are expected to maximize value from carbon abatement, including under Section 45Z,” explained Ryan. “Net-Zero North, with its efficient operating profile and CCS, is projected to achieve a carbon intensity (“CI”) score in the low 20s (not including improved agricultural results that farmers can achieve using regenerative agriculture practices) using the variation of the GREET model proposed in the Section 45Z rule. We believe that is about 30 CI points lower than the best plants that are not connected to CCS. British Columbia previously scored the Net-Zero North plant at a CI of 19. This is a great starting point to expand Gevo’s business.”

    Advisors
    Ocean Park Securities, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor and sole lead arranger on the debt financing for Gevo.

    Acquisition Conference Call
    A conference call will be held on Monday, February 3, 2025, at 10:00am ET to discuss the acquisition.

    To participate in the live call, please register through the following event weblink: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI174d9b6ef4074fed9db695b122abda12

    After registering, participants will be provided with a dial-in number and pin. To listen to the conference call (audio only), please register through the following event weblink: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/7e4padot

    A webcast replay will be available after the conference call ends on February 3, 2025. The archived webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of Gevo’s website at www.gevo.com..

    Further information regarding the acquisition and accompanying debt financing is included in the Current Report on Form 8-K, which Gevo will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

    About Gevo
    Gevo is a next-generation diversified energy company committed to fueling America’s future with cost-effective, drop-in fuels that contribute to energy security, abate carbon, and strengthen rural communities to drive economic growth. Gevo’s innovative technology can be used to make a variety of renewable products, including SAF, motor fuels, chemicals, and other materials that provide U.S.-made solutions. By investing in the backbone of rural America, Gevo’s business model includes developing, financing, and operating production facilities that create jobs and revitalize communities. Gevo owns and operates one of the largest dairy-based renewable natural gas (“RNG”) facilities in the United States, turning by-products into clean, reliable energy. We also operate an ethanol plant with an adjacent CCS facility, further solidifying America’s leadership in energy innovation. Additionally, Gevo owns the world’s first production facility for specialty ATJ fuels and chemicals. Gevo’s market driven “pay for performance” approach regarding carbon and other sustainability attributes, helps ensure value is delivered to our local economy. Through its Verity subsidiary, Gevo provides transparency, accountability and efficiency in tracking, measuring and verifying various attributes throughout the supply chain. By strengthening rural economies, Gevo is working to secure a self-sufficient future and to make sure value is brought to the market.

    For more information, see www.gevo.com.

    About OIC
    With approximately $5 billion in assets under management, OIC invests in North America and select international markets. OIC’s unique partnership approach – for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs – cultivates creative credit, equity, and growth capital solutions to help middle market businesses scale and deploy sustainable infrastructure. OIC’s target investment sectors include energy efficiency, digital infrastructure, sustainable power generation, renewable fuels, waste & recycling, and transportation, storage & logistics. OIC was founded in 2015 by a team of energy and sustainability veterans, successful infrastructure investors, and former asset owners and industry operators. Across OIC’s platform is a team of approximately 45 professionals based in New York, Houston, and London.

    Forward Looking Statements
    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected operation of Net-Zero North, the expected effect of the acquisition on Adjusted EBITDA, the expected annual Adjusted EBITDA from Net-Zero North, and our future prospects as a combined company, including our plans for the site and synergies with our other projects. These statements relate to analyses and other information, which are based on forecasts of future results or events and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. We claim the protection of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all forward-looking statements in this release.

    These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target” and similar terms and phrases or future or conditional verbs such as “could,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would.” However, these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and other expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve those plans, intentions or expectations. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those that we expected.

    Important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from our expectations, or cautionary statements, include among others, the risk that anticipated benefits, including synergies, from the acquisition may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected, including that the transaction may not be accretive within the expected timeframe or to the extent anticipated; failure to successfully integrate the acquired assets and employees; changes in legislation or government regulations affecting the future operations of the acquired assets; and other risk factors or uncertainties identified from time to time in Gevo’s filings with the SEC. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements identified above and in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 as well as other cautionary statements that are made from time to time in our other SEC filings and public communications. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this release in the context of these risks and uncertainties.

    We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not reflect all of the factors that could cause actual results or events to differ from our expectations. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our operations in the way we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

    Media Contact
    Heather Manuel
    Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships
    PR@gevo.com

    IR Contact
    Eric Frey
    Vice President of Corporate Development
    IR@Gevo.com

    (1) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure calculated as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, inclusive of the value of monetizable tax credits such as Sections 45Q and 45Z and excluding project development costs.

    The MIL Network –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Northfield Capital Announces Changes to the Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northfield Capital Corporation (TSX-V: NFD.A) (“Northfield” or the “Company”) today announced that Mr. Thomas Pladsen has resigned from the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), effective January 31, 2025, for personal reasons. Mr. Pladsen has served as a director of the Company for over 30 years, during which time he provided invaluable insight and guidance to the Company. The Company would like to express its sincere thanks to Mr. Pladsen for his long-standing service.

    The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Klein as a member of the Board, effective January 31, 2025, to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Plasden’s resignation. Mr. Klein has also been appointed as the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board, in place of Mr. Plasden, effective January 31, 2025.

    Eric R. Klein, ICD.D, CBV, CPA, is an experienced Executive with over 35 years of experience in Investment Banking, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Strategy and Corporate Management. As the President of Klein Advisory Services Inc. since 2018, Eric has guided both healthy and distressed entities, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic advisory across various sectors including manufacturing, technology, and financial services. His strategic insights are further underscored by his past advisory role as a Senior Advisor for a Canadian asset based lender, where he was instrumental in portfolio management and spearheading new business initiatives. Previously Eric was an Executive Vice President at Dundee Corp. and a senior Partner at Farber Financial group. Eric has significant board-level experience, serving as Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for several Canadian public companies. Eric holds two degrees from McGill University. He is certified as a CPA, a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), and holds an Independent Corporate Director designation (ICD.D), demonstrating his commitment to rigorous corporate governance and financial integrity.

    We take this opportunity to welcome Eric to the Board and look forward to his governance and contributions to Northfield.

    The Company has granted an aggregate of 10,000 stock options (“Stock Options”) to purchase class A restricted voting share of the Company (each, a “Class A Share”) to Mr. Klein, at an exercise price of $21.50 per Class A Share. The Stock Options have been granted pursuant to the Company’s Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, and expire on January 31, 2030.

    About Northfield Capital Corporation

    Northfield is a leading Canadian investment firm with deep roots in resources, mining, aviation, and alcoholic beverages. Founded in 1981, Northfield combines decades of experience with a forward-thinking ethos to unlock opportunities.

    For further information, please contact:

    Michael G. Leskovec, CPA, CA
    Chief Financial Officer
    Telephone: (416) 628-5940

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

    The MIL Network –

    February 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Special traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong Marathon 2025

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Special traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong Marathon 2025
    Special traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong Marathon 2025
    **********************************************************************

         The Transport Department (TD) today (February 3) reminded members of the public that, to facilitate the holding of the Hong Kong Marathon 2025 this Sunday (February 9), temporary road closures will be implemented at various locations in phases from Saturday (February 8) at 11.30pm and will be reopened subject to the progress of the race. It is anticipated all closed roads will be reopened by about 2pm on Sunday.      This year, the full and half marathon races will start at Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. The full marathon race will route through major road sections including Nathan Road (from Granville Road to Argyle Street), Argyle Street, Lin Cheung Road, West Kowloon Highway, Stonecutters Bridge, Nam Wan Tunnel, Ting Kau Bridge, Cheung Tsing Tunnel, Tsing Kwai Highway, the Western Harbour Crossing (WHC), Connaught Road West flyover, Lung Wo Road, Expo Drive, Hung Hing Road, Lockhart Road, Percival Street, Hennessy Road, Yee Wo Street and Sugar Street, and finish at Victoria Park. The half marathon race route will follow that of the full marathon race from the starting point at Nathan Road to Lin Cheung Road with the turning point at Tsing Kwai Highway and then rejoin the full marathon race route at West Kowloon Highway.      As for other races, the starting point will be set at different locations on Hong Kong Island while all the finishing points will be set at Victoria Park. The 10-kilometre race will start at the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) near the exit/entrance of Central-Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel (CWBT) and run along the IEC eastwards to the turning point near Oi Tak Street and then return to the finishing point. The 10-kilometre wheelchair race will start at Wan Chai Sports Ground and route through Hung Hing Road, Expo Drive, Lung Wo Road and Central Ferry Piers area and then return to run along Lung Wo Road, Hung Hing Road, Marsh Road, Lockhart Road and Hennessey Road heading for the finishing point. The Wheelchair Trial and Leaders Cup will also start at Wan Chai Sports Ground and route through Hung Hing Road and Marsh Road and then rejoin the 10-km wheelchair race route heading for the finishing point.      According to the arrangements for the full and half marathon race routes, temporary closures of major road sections and their vicinities in Yau Tsim Mong area will be implemented extensively, including (i) the whole section of Nathan Road (in both directions) between Salisbury Road and Gascoigne Road, (ii) the northbound carriageway of Nathan Road between Gascoigne Road and Argyle Street, and (iii) the westbound carriageway of Argyle Street between Nathan Road and Tong Mi Road. The above road sections will be reopened at or before about 10.30am in phases, subject to the progress of the races. At the same time, public transport services in this area will also be subject to extensive adjustments. Members of the public heading to this area are advised to use railway services.      Moreover, since the full marathon will use the Kowloon-bound carriageways of Cheung Tsing Highway, Cheung Tsing Tunnel and Nam Wan Tunnel as the race route, vehicles on Lantau Link (Tsing Ma Bridge) heading to Kowloon will be diverted to use North West Tsing Yi Interchange, Tsing Yi North Coastal Road, Tsing Tsuen Road, Tsuen Wan Road, Kwai Chung Road, Cheung Sha Wan Road and Lai Chi Kok Road. It is anticipated that traffic congestion along North Lantau Highway, Tsing Ma Bridge and the vicinity of North West Tsing Yi Interchange may occur.      The above road closures will not affect vehicles from Hong Kong Island/Kowloon/New Territories East heading for Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Island. Vehicles from the New Territories West to the airport and Lantau Island could travel via Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Tunnel. Due to the closure of the Kowloon-bound carriageway of Ting Kau Bridge, vehicles travelling via Tuen Mun Road or Tai Lam Tunnel to the airport and Lantau Island will be diverted to use Tsuen Wan Road, Tsuen Tsing Interchange, Tsing Tsuen Road, Tsing Tsuen Bridge and Tsing Yi North Coastal Road to enter Tsing Ma Bridge.      During the races, the Kowloon-bound tube of the WHC will remain opened, while the Hong Kong-bound tube of the WHC will be temporarily closed from 0.45am on Sunday till about 1.15pm, subject to the progress of the races. Motorists in Kowloon West heading for Hong Kong Island are advised to use the Cross-Harbour Tunnel or Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC). For the race routes in Causeway Bay, Yee Wo Street eastbound will be temporarily closed to serve as a race route. Most of the public transport services operating along Yee Wo Street (in the direction of North Point) will be diverted to use Percival Street, Leighton Road and Pennington Street during the closure period.      According to the arrangements for the 10-km race, both bound carriageways of the IEC between Victoria Park Road and Shau Kei Wan, and the CWBT linking to and from the IEC will be closed from 1.15am on Sunday in phases, and traffic will be diverted via appropriate alternative routes such as Connaught Road Central, Gloucester Road, King’s Road, Shau Kei Wan Road, etc. Traffic to and from the EHC will be diverted to the Sai Wan Ho or Kornhill exit/entrance. Depending on the progress of the races, different sections of the CWBT will be reopened in phases to minimise the impact on traffic. Upon the anticipated reopening of the IEC before noon, the section of the CWBT between Central and North Point will be reopened while the Wan Chai North exit from and entrance to the CWBT will be closed for most of the race time.      In connection with the road closure arrangements, starting from 11.15pm on Saturday until the reopening of the roads, 211 daytime bus routes and 33 daytime green minibus (GMB) routes will be subject to suspension, truncation or diversion, and the stopping points concerned of the affected bus and GMB services will be relocated accordingly in phases. Also, 49 overnight bus routes and six overnight green minibus routes to be affected by the road closures will be subject to the associated service adjustments. These affected bus routes include the cross-harbour routes and bus services operating in the following areas:     Hong Kong Island – bus routes operating along the IEC, the CWBT, in Central and Western District, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay areas;     Kowloon – bus routes operating along Nathan Road, Argyle Street, Shanghai Street, Jordan Road and Yau Tsim Mong areas; and New Territories – bus routes operating along Ting Kau Bridge, Cheung Tsing Highway, Cheung Tsing Tunnel and Nam Wan Tunnel.     The following bus termini and public transport interchanges on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon will be suspended: Hong Kong Island – Tin Hau Station Public Transport Interchange, Expo Drive East Bus Terminus, Central Ferry Piers Bus Terminus and Whitfield Road Bus Terminus; and      Kowloon – China Ferry Terminal Public Transport Interchange and Star Ferry Bus Terminus.     To enable participants of the full/half marathon and 10-km races that start in the early morning to go to Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay, the first departures of eight rail lines of MTR services will be advanced suitably on Sunday, with the first departures on the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line to be operated at 3.25am. In addition, 28 special bus routes will also be operated to serve participants going to Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay on Sunday.      During the road closure period, bus stops, taxi stands, taxi pick-up/drop-off points, public light bus/GMB stands, roadside parking spaces and private car parks within the closed roads and their vicinities may be suspended subject to the situation.      The commencement time of the pedestrian precinct on Lockhart Road, East Point Road and Great George Street in Causeway Bay will be postponed to 3pm on Sunday subject to the road reopening situation in the vicinity of Causeway Bay.     Members of the public and tourists heading for Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, Hong Kong Station and Kowloon Station of the Airport Express Line, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, China Ferry Terminal (China Hong Kong City) or Ocean Terminal are advised to plan their journeys early to avoid any delays caused by road closures and traffic diversions.      The TD anticipates that the traffic at various locations on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon and the New Territories will be more significantly congested when compared with normal Sundays, including:     Hong Kong Island – King’s Road, Shau Kei Wan Road, Victoria Park Road, Leighton Road, Hennessy Road, Gloucester Road, Queensway, Connaught Road Central, Aberdeen Tunnel (Wan Chai bound) and Central Ferry Piers areas;     Kowloon – Nathan Road and its vicinity, Argyle Street, Wylie Road, Gascoigne Road flyover, West Kowloon Corridor and Cross-Harbour Tunnel (both bounds), with a higher chance of long traffic queues along Gascoigne Road flyover and West Kowloon Corridor; and     New Territories – Lantau Link (Kowloon bound) and North West Tsing Yi Interchange.     Motorists should avoid driving to the above affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, they should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on-site.      Members of the public should plan their journeys early and use alternative routes to avoid unexpected delays, and take railway services as far as possible. Public transport users are advised to pay attention to the arrangements of route diversions and changes of stop locations.      Other ad-hoc traffic and public transport measures, including adjusting the extent of road closures, traffic diversions, alterations and suspensions of public transport services, may be implemented by the Police on-site at short notice depending on the actual traffic and crowd conditions. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures whenever necessary. Members of the public are advised to stay alert to the latest traffic news through the media.      For information about the above special traffic and transport adjustments, members of the public may browse the TD’s website at www.td.gov.hk or the “HKeMobility” mobile application.

     
    Ends/Monday, February 3, 2025Issued at HKT 15:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University’s AI Seminars Are Trending on the Information Agenda

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Another seminar on artificial intelligence was held at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    Opening the meeting, SPbPU Vice-Rector for Research Yuri Fomin reminded the participants of the resonance in the global community caused by the neural network of the Chinese company DeepSeek.

    This reaction to artificial intelligence technologies once again confirms that they are trending today. And this adds new colors to our seminars, which we organized to talk about the research that is being conducted in our laboratories as popularly as possible. Because we, of course, will be active participants and authors of new technological solutions, – noted Yuri Vladimirovich.

    The fourth Polytechnic University seminar on AI attracted the attention of not only the university audience, but also external participants — representatives of the university’s industrial partners. The report of the Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation, Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov and Senior Researcher of the Engineering Center “Computer Engineering Center” of the SPbPU PISh Alexey Novokshenov on the topic “Artificial Intelligence in Industry on the CML-Bench® Digital Platform. Experience of Applying AI/ML in High-Tech Industry Tasks” was listened to with great interest. The scientists spoke about the digital platform for the development and application of CML-Bench® digital twins and the successful implementation of projects in the interests of the high-tech industry.

    According to Alexey Borovkov, the digital twin market is one of the fastest growing, and today it is being integrated by the largest market for artificial intelligence technologies. In addition, he noted that the CML-Bench® digital platform received a certificate of compliance with the software security requirements of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control (FSTEC of Russia) at the sixth level of trust at the end of 2024.

    Today, our country faces an important task – achieving technological leadership, and domestic technologies, especially advanced digital and production technologies, play an important role here. Also, we should not forget about digital standardization. In 2022, the National Standard “Computer Models and Simulation. DIGITAL DOUBLES OF PRODUCTS. General Provisions” came into effect, which was developed by specialists of the NTI Center “New Production Technologies” of SPbPU together with specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “RFNC-VNIIEF” and with the participation of 25 more high-tech organizations and industry institutes. And whoever creates the standards dictates the rules, – Alexey Ivanovich emphasized and then spoke in detail about some developments using digital engineering for the fuel and energy complex and the aviation industry.

    During the discussion of the report, the seminar participants also identified a number of problems: lack of funds for testing; difficulties in introducing new developments into production; insufficient preparation of applicants entering engineering specialties.

    Alexey Gintsyak, head of the Digital Modeling of Industrial Systems laboratory of the Advanced Engineering School Digital Engineering, spoke about the study of approaches to creating intelligent multi-agent systems for predictive and prescriptive analytics in industry. The laboratory is part of the Scientific and Educational Center and the Association Artificial Intelligence in Industry and conducts a range of studies on forecasting and optimizing the activities of industrial enterprises. The report presented the results of fundamental projects carried out within the framework of a state assignment and with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, as well as the results of applied projects in various industries and economics: mechanical engineering, metallurgy, transport, and the oil and gas industry. In conclusion, the head of the laboratory shared plans for the further development of current research areas.

    Summing up the results of the seminar, Vice-Rector for Research Yuri Fomin suggested inviting speakers from other scientific organizations and universities to the seminars, and also announced the next meeting, which will be held on February 12 in the Kapitsa Hall of the Technopolis Polytech Research Building at 2 p.m.

    Photo archive

    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 –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £16 million for new projects to boost UK benefits of satellite constellations

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Two innovative projects are awarded a share of £16 million from the UK Space Agency today (3 February) to position the UK at the forefront of the latest advancements in satellite communications.

    EnSilica chip. Credit: EnSilica

    The funding will enable UK industry to capture a greater portion of the satellite mega-constellation market by developing technology that improves their efficiency and capability. It comes from the UK Space Agency’s Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme, which will invest up to £160 million in UK expertise in this area over the next four years.

    Satellite constellations are enhancing global connectivity by providing high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas, bridging the digital divide. These constellations are set to transform markets in maritime and aviation connectivity, changing how people communicate as they live and work in some of the remotest places on Earth.

    Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:  

    The UK has all the cutting edge expertise and technology to spearhead the latest advancements in satellite communications and become a leader in this high-tech industry.

    These Government backed projects will not only provide significant advancements in mobile communication, but help to bridge the digital divide, connecting communities in the most hard-to-reach areas.

    Companies benefitting from this round of funding include Oxfordshire’s EnSilica plc, which will receive £10 million to develop novel silicon chips and software for a user terminal.  This will be compatible with UK and European constellations like OneWeb Next Generation. 

    In Cardiff, Excelerate Technology Ltd will receive £6 million to develop the small and flexible Mobility and Autonomy Market User Terminal (MAMUT) which will allow users to choose the operator and orbit via an app, reducing costs and enhancing global configurability.    

    The UK has a growing space sector, with a rich heritage in satellite design and the operation of large constellations. This new government funding is crucial to maintaining the UK’s competitive edge during a period of rapid change and growth in the global space sector.  

    In 2023, a new record was achieved with the successful launch of more than 2,900 satellites into space. The majority of these satellites are part of commercial constellations, which are expected to expand rapidly. A further 18,000 satellites are likely to be launched between 2021 and 2031, with mega-constellations comprising 75% of this total.  

    This is a significant opportunity for UK industry to secure high-value contracts within the global supply chain for satellite constellations, and to assume a leading role in the long-term growth of the satellite communication sector.  

    The UK is also a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and hosts the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in the Harwell Space Cluster. The C-LEO programme awards funding through two different routes. The projects announced today are grants awarded directly by the UK Space Agency, with further contracts from ESA set to follow in the coming months.  

    The announcement was made ahead of the UK Space Agency’s Ignite Space Conference, to be held this week at the National Space Centre in Leicester. This event highlights opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to connect with new customers, collaborators, and investors within the UK’s space industry and its supply chain.

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    Published 3 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris James, UQ Amplify Senior Lecturer, Centre for Hypersonics, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland

    Rendering of Boom Supersonic’s proposed Overture supersonic airliner. Boom Supersonic

    Late last week, American company Boom Supersonic flew faster than the speed of sound with its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. It’s now the first piloted non-military aircraft to break the sound barrier since the Concorde was retired from service in 2003.

    It’s the first step in Boom’s ambitious goal to have supersonic airliners carry passengers by 2029.

    But what exactly is supersonic travel? There are good reasons why it’s not more common, despite the hype.

    Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft during its 11th test flight where it became the first civilian aircraft to fly supersonically since the Concorde.
    Boom Supersonic

    What is supersonic flight?

    The Mach number is defined as a plane’s speed divided by the speed that sound waves move through the air. To “break the sound barrier” means to fly faster than the speed of sound, with Mach numbers greater than 1.

    The Mach number is an important ratio: as a plane flies, it disturbs the air in front of it. These disturbances move at the speed of sound. In supersonic flight these disturbances combine to form shock waves around the vehicle.

    When people say you can see a fighter jet before you hear it, they’re referring to supersonic flight: fighter jets can travel at around Mach 2.

    The sound from the fighter jet is trapped inside its shock wave; until the shock wave moves to your position on the ground, you won’t hear the plane.

    Illustration of how disturbances propagate in subsonic, Mach 1, and supersonic flow.
    Chabacano/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    The allure of supersonic travel

    For efficiency reasons, most passenger jets cruise slightly slower than the speed of sound, at around Mach 0.8 (this is subsonic flight).

    Boom plans to build an airliner called Overture that can fly at Mach 1.7. Flying supersonically can drastically decrease flight times. The company claims a trip from New York to Rome on Overture could take just four hours and 40 minutes, instead of eight hours.

    Boom isn’t the only company working on this lofty goal. American firm Spike Aerospace is also developing a supersonic business jet, with the tagline “delivering the world in half the time”.

    This is the value proposition of supersonic passenger travel.

    In limited ways, it did already exist in the 20th century. However, due to timing, bad luck and the laws of physics, it didn’t continue.

    Remember the Concorde?

    Designs for supersonic airliners began in the mid-20th century, and by the 1970s we had supersonic passenger flight.

    There was the little-known Russian Tupolev-144 and Concorde, a Franco-British supersonic airliner operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003.

    Concorde had a capacity of up to 128 passengers and cruised at Mach 2. It regularly travelled from London to New York in around three hours. The flights were expensive, mainly shuttling business people and the rich and famous.

    British Airways Concorde in flight.
    Wikimedia Commons/Eduard Marmet, CC BY-SA

    Why supersonic passenger flight didn’t take off

    Concorde was designed in the 1960s when it seemed like supersonic passenger transport was going to be the next big thing.

    Instead, the Boeing 747 entered commercial service in 1970. Cheap, large and efficient airliners like it blew Concorde out of the water.

    Designed to cruise efficiently at supersonic speeds, Concorde was extremely fuel inefficient when taking off and accelerating. Concorde’s expensive, “gas guzzling” nature was a complaint levelled against it for most of its lifetime.

    A catastrophic 1973 Paris air show crash of the competing Russian airliner, Tupolev Tu-144, also shifted public perception on supersonic flight safety at a time when many airlines were considering whether or not to purchase Concordes.

    Only 20 Concordes were manufactured out of the planned 100. It is still disputed today whether Concorde ever made money for the airlines who operated it.

    Illustration of a shock wave propagating from a supersonic aeroplane and hitting the ground to produce a sonic boom.
    Cmglee/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Noise is a real problem for supersonic flight

    Remember the fighter jets? When a plane travels supersonically, its shock waves propagate to the ground, causing loud disturbances called sonic booms. In extreme cases they can shatter windows and damage buildings.

    In the early 1970s, sonic boom concerns led the United States government to ban supersonic passenger flight over land in the US. This hurt the Concorde’s potential market, hence its only two regular routes were trans-Atlantic flights principally over the water.

    The Concorde was also a very loud plane at take off, since it needed a lot of thrust to leave the ground.

    Video footage of the final Concorde takeoff from New York’s JFK airport.

    The future of supersonic travel

    A future for supersonic travel relies on solving some or all of the issues Concorde faced.

    NASA and Lockheed Martin’s Quesst project aims to show sonic boom can be dissipated to manageable levels. They plan to fly their X-59 supersonic aircraft over US cities and gauge responses from citizens.

    Quesst aims to use the geometry of the X-59, with a long elongated nose, to dissipate sonic booms to a weak “thump”, hopefully allowing supersonic airliners to travel over land in the future.

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft.
    NASA/Steve Freeman

    Spike Aerospace’s Spike S-512 Diplomat concept also aims to be a “quiet” supersonic aircraft with a less disruptive sonic boom.

    Can Boom surpass Concorde?

    Boom Supersonic don’t plan to fly supersonically over land. Their plan is to fly over land at Mach 0.94, which they claim will allow 20% faster overland travel than standard passenger airliners, even subsonically.

    They also claim the design of their engines will ensure Overture is no louder than modern subsonic airliners when it takes off.

    Rendering of Boom Supersonic’s Overture supersonic airliner on the runway.
    Boom Supersonic

    In terms of gas guzzling, they plan to use up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions and their carbon footprint.

    Concorde was made of aluminium using design tools available in the 1960s. Modern design methods and modern aerospace materials such as titanium and carbon fibre should also allow Overture and similar craft to weigh much less than Concorde, improving efficiency.

    While Boom are currently receiving a lot of interest, with orders from many airlines, Concorde did have similar commitment before it become available. Most of it didn’t eventuate.

    Additionally, Concorde was the product of an analogue era when the idea of flying to London or New York for the day for an important business meeting seemed like a necessary thing. In a world of remote work and video meetings, is there still a need for a supersonic airliner in the 2020s?

    For now, supersonic airliners like Overture are likely to remain in the realm of the rich and famous, like Concorde did. But with modern technological advances, it will be interesting to see whether supersonic passenger travel once again becomes reality – or even goes mainstream. Only time will tell.

    Chris James receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and the US Office of Naval Research.

    – ref. Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet – https://theconversation.com/supersonic-jets-are-making-a-comeback-but-despite-the-hype-dont-expect-to-book-yet-248656

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Poison baits were used on 1,400 feral cats, foxes and dingoes. We studied their fate to see what works

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pat Taggart, Adjunct Fellow in Ecology, University of Adelaide

    Bee Stephens, CC BY

    Poisoned baits are the main way land managers control foxes, feral cats and dingoes. Baiting is done to reduce livestock and economic losses, or pressure on endangered wildlife.

    Millions of baits are laid annually. But we still don’t understand how effective baiting actually is. Current evidence paints a mixed picture. That’s a problem, because baiting can have unintended consequences, such as killing native animals we don’t want to target. Some research suggests baiting can actually increase attacks on livestock, or that poisoning dingoes can increase feral cat and fox numbers and worsen the damage to native wildlife.

    We need better evidence on what baiting does and doesn’t do. Our new research draws on data from 34 previous studies assessing baiting effectiveness. In total, these largely Australian studies summarised the fate of more than 1,400 cats, foxes and dingoes. We used these data sets to conduct the most comprehensive analysis of baiting effectiveness to date.

    Biosecurity officers drying meat baits for a baiting program in Broken Hill in 2019.
    NSW Government, Local Land Services, Western Region, CC BY

    Baiting is ubiquitous

    Baits can be purchased commercially or produced in-house. In some states, land managers can bring meat baits to government authorities to have poison added free of charge. They are then distributed by vehicle along tracks and roads or dropped from aircraft across vast areas of Australia, New Zealand and islands worldwide.

    Single baiting programs can sometimes cover areas larger than 9,000 square kilometres – a land area similar to Puerto Rico or Cyprus.

    So how can we best undertake these baiting programs?

    1. Baiting does work

    Across the 34 studies, baiting cut predator survival in half (51.7%) – substantially higher than the death rate in unbaited areas (16%).

    This finding was broadly consistent regardless of whether baits were placed along tracks and roads or scattered over broader areas.

    In some cases, predator numbers can recover rapidly following baiting. Under favourable conditions, feral cat and fox populations can double in a year, while dingo populations can grow 50% annually. But, under average conditions, such high rates of population increase are likely uncommon.

    Predators from outside the control area can rapidly repopulate areas after a baiting program. For example, multiple studies have found no change in fox numbers even when baiting was conducted at monthly intervals. Similar results have been found after intensive fox shooting.

    But there are also examples where prolonged, broad-scale baiting has worked well. To protect the threatened yellow footed rock wallaby, researchers baited around wallaby populations in New South Wales and South Australia and largely eliminated foxes from large areas. Wallaby numbers then increased.

    2. Feral cats take baits too

    Feral cats are opportunistic ambush predators and hunt a wide range of prey. They’re visually driven and prefer fresh meat. For these reasons, it’s long been thought they are less likely to eat poisoned bait than foxes and dingoes.

    Feral cats are silent, stealthy hunters who prefer to hunt rather than scavenge.
    Vanessa Westcott, CC BY

    But our analysis doesn’t support this – feral cats appeared to be just as susceptible to baits as foxes and dingoes. That’s good news for wildlife.

    Significant and ongoing work has been put into designing better baits for feral cats to increase consumption rates. The most widely known of these baits is Eradicat, a sausage-style bait.

    While this bait is aimed at feral cats, our analysis didn’t provide strong evidence showing Eradicat actually killed more feral cats than other poison bait recipes. This suggests any bait is more effective than no bait when it comes to cat control.

    Eradicat baits have to be sweated to bring out the oils and make them more appealing.
    Luke Bayley, CC BY

    3. Blanket coverage works better

    In land manager circles, there’s a long-running debate over how best to bait. Some advocate putting out more baits over the same area, while others suggest more frequent baiting is better.

    So which is it? Our analysis shows more baits in an area is likely to equate to better control of predators, while distributing baits more frequently may not have the same effect.

    Why is this? Like people, animals are individuals, with their own behavioural tendencies. Wary animals may never take baits. Some foxes are known to store baits to eat later, by which time the baits may be less toxic, sickening rather than killing the animal.

    This is believed to lead to bait aversion, where foxes avoid baits in the future due to previous bad experiences – just as we might avoid foods which made us sick.

    A single, more intensive application of bait is likely to work better because susceptible predators eat the bait and die, and there is limited opportunity for bait aversion to develop. In contrast, more frequent baiting in a short period of time are of limited benefit because animals learn to avoid them.

    Dingoes have been routinely baited for decades.
    Ian Mayo, CC BY

    Fresh baits have long been believed to be eaten more readily than dry baits.

    But our analysis shows this may not always be true. Overall, the type of bait had little impact on whether or not it led to reduced predator survival.

    Optimising baiting

    More efficient control of predators will mean fewer baits are needed to achieve the same result. That, in turn, means less risk of harming other native animals, as well as reducing how much work and money it costs to control feral cats, foxes and dingoes.

    Our research shows baiting does indeed cut the number of predators prowling an area. But it also shows many factors we thought were important in making a baiting program effective may only have a limited effect.

    The goal of poison baiting is to reduce the damage predators do to livestock and wildlife. Baiting is an important and effective tool in reducing predator pressure on threatened species. But its efficacy – and the risk other animals could take the bait – means we have a responsibility to continually optimise its use and ensure its application is targeted.

    Pat Taggart receives funding from the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

    Daniel Noble receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Yong Zhi Foo receives funding from the the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Poison baits were used on 1,400 feral cats, foxes and dingoes. We studied their fate to see what works – https://theconversation.com/poison-baits-were-used-on-1-400-feral-cats-foxes-and-dingoes-we-studied-their-fate-to-see-what-works-246324

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Quarterly current account deficit $6.2 billion – Stats NZ media and information release: Balance of payments and international investment position: September 2024 quarter

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Quarterly current account deficit $6.2 billion – 18 December 2024 – New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted current account deficit narrowed by $0.9 billion to $6.2 billion in the September 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

    Fall in goods imports drives the narrowing deficit

    In the September 2024 quarter, the seasonally adjusted goods deficit narrowed by $0.7 billion to $1.9 billion, driven by a $0.8 billion fall in goods imports.

    “In the September 2024 quarter, New Zealand imported fewer cars than last quarter. Also contributing to the fall was transport equipment imports with no defence aircraft imported, which were recorded in the June 2024 quarter,” international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward said.

    “There was a higher volume of petrol imports in this quarter.”

    Goods exports decreased by $0.1 billion, driven by meat and casein.

    • Quarterly current account deficit $6.2 billion
    • Balance of payments and international investment position: September 2024 quarter
    • CSV files for download

    MIL OSI –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Capital Region Delegation Asks DOD To Conduct “Safety Review On The Future Of Military Helicopter Training” In Area, With Pause On Current Flights

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Army Mark Averill urging an extended halt to Army helicopter training flights in the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and a safety review on the future of military helicopter training in the area. Their letter came two days after the fatal mid-air collision above the airport.

    They wrote:

    “In the wake of Wednesday’s crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National”), we write to request a continued operational pause or redirection of training for the Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter unit with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir away from National, and to request a safety review on the future of military helicopter training near National.

    “We are deeply concerned about this tragic collision and its broader ramifications for the National Capital Region’s airspace. We have long warned that this airspace, and particularly the area immediately surrounding National, is overcrowded and above recommended capacity.

    “As the causes of this collision are yet unknown, we request that you continue the current operational pause or to divert this unit away from National until the NTSB’s preliminary report is released.

    “Furthermore, following the release of NTSB’s preliminary report, we request that the Army review strategies in accordance with any forthcoming findings of the NTSB preliminary report to permanently relocate such helicopter training out of the National Capital Region’s airspace, or, at a minimum, redirect helicopter trainings away from National, with exemptions for exigent circumstances called for by a national security imperative.”

    Complete text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

    –

    Dear Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary Averill:

    In the wake of Wednesday’s crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National”), we write to request a continued operational pause or redirection of training for the Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter unit with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir away from National, and to request a safety review on the future of military helicopter training near National. 

    We are deeply concerned about this tragic collision and its broader ramifications for the National Capital Region’s airspace. We have long warned that this airspace, and particularly the area immediately surrounding National, is overcrowded and above recommended capacity. National’s runway 1/19 is the busiest runway in the country, and National typically sees 800 daily aircraft takeoffs and landings, with an above average number of missed approaches and early turnouts. This is compounded by regional helicopter travel and a restricted airspace over our nation’s capital—just the day before Wednesday’s collision, another airplane was reportedly forced to abort a landing at National due to a near miss with a helicopter. Each of these factors further constrains the National Capital Region’s airspace, making local air travel increasingly challenging.

    We appreciate your swift leadership in immediately grounding the battalion involved in this tragic event for 48 hours. We also thank you for your collaboration thus far with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on its forthcoming investigation and report. As the causes of this collision are yet unknown, we request that you continue the current operational pause or to divert this unit away from National until the NTSB’s preliminary report is released. 

    Furthermore, following the release of NTSB’s preliminary report, we request that the Army review strategies in accordance with any forthcoming findings of the NTSB preliminary report to permanently relocate such helicopter training out of the National Capital Region’s airspace, or, at a minimum, redirect helicopter trainings away from National, with exemptions for exigent circumstances called for by a national security imperative. Secretary of the Army-designate Daniel Driscoll told Senators during his nomination hearing regarding this incident, “I think we might need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be near an airport like Reagan.” Situating helicopter trainings beside the busiest runway in the country is an inappropriate risk when much of America has significantly clearer airspaces that could provide the same benefits to such training with much lower risk. We absolutely cannot risk further loss of life, both civilian and military, for entirely preventable reasons.

    Thank you for your consideration of this request. We look forward to your swift response and to working for the best interests of our armed forces and the National Capital Region.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer, National Capital Region Delegation Ask DOD To Conduct “Safety Review On The Future Of Military Helicopter Training” In Area, With Pause On Current Flights

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC –  Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Reps. Don Beyer (VA-08), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Army Mark Averill urging an extended halt to Army helicopter training flights in the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and a safety review on the future of military helicopter training in the area. Their letter came two days after the fatal mid-air collision above the airport.

    They wrote:

    “In the wake of Wednesday’s crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National”), we write to request a continued operational pause or redirection of training for the Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter unit with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir away from National, and to request a safety review on the future of military helicopter training near National.

    “We are deeply concerned about this tragic collision and its broader ramifications for the National Capital Region’s airspace. We have long warned that this airspace, and particularly the area immediately surrounding National, is overcrowded and above recommended capacity.

    “As the causes of this collision are yet unknown, we request that you continue the current operational pause or to divert this unit away from National until the NTSB’s preliminary report is released.

    “Furthermore, following the release of NTSB’s preliminary report, we request that the Army review strategies in accordance with any forthcoming findings of the NTSB preliminary report to permanently relocate such helicopter training out of the National Capital Region’s airspace, or, at a minimum, redirect helicopter trainings away from National, with exemptions for exigent circumstances called for by a national security imperative.”

    Complete text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

    Dear Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary Averill:

    In the wake of Wednesday’s crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (“National”), we write to request a continued operational pause or redirection of training for the Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter unit with the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir away from National, and to request a safety review on the future of military helicopter training near National. 

    We are deeply concerned about this tragic collision and its broader ramifications for the National Capital Region’s airspace. We have long warned that this airspace, and particularly the area immediately surrounding National, is overcrowded and above recommended capacity. National’s runway 1/19 is the busiest runway in the country, and National typically sees 800 daily aircraft takeoffs and landings, with an above average number of missed approaches and early turnouts. This is compounded by regional helicopter travel and a restricted airspace over our nation’s capital—just the day before Wednesday’s collision, another airplane was reportedly forced to abort a landing at National due to a near miss with a helicopter. Each of these factors further constrains the National Capital Region’s airspace, making local air travel increasingly challenging.

    We appreciate your swift leadership in immediately grounding the battalion involved in this tragic event for 48 hours. We also thank you for your collaboration thus far with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on its forthcoming investigation and report. As the causes of this collision are yet unknown, we request that you continue the current operational pause or to divert this unit away from National until the NTSB’s preliminary report is released. 

    Furthermore, following the release of NTSB’s preliminary report, we request that the Army review strategies in accordance with any forthcoming findings of the NTSB preliminary report to permanently relocate such helicopter training out of the National Capital Region’s airspace, or, at a minimum, redirect helicopter trainings away from National, with exemptions for exigent circumstances called for by a national security imperative. Secretary of the Army-designate Daniel Driscoll told Senators during his nomination hearing regarding this incident, “I think we might need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be near an airport like Reagan.” Situating helicopter trainings beside the busiest runway in the country is an inappropriate risk when much of America has significantly clearer airspaces that could provide the same benefits to such training with much lower risk. We absolutely cannot risk further loss of life, both civilian and military, for entirely preventable reasons.

    Thank you for your consideration of this request. We look forward to your swift response and to working for the best interests of our armed forces and the National Capital Region.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Lufthansa extends A380 service to Bangkok

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    Lufthansa, Germany’s flagship carrier and largest airline, is pleased to announce the extension of its Airbus A380 service from Bangkok to Munich for the peak Songkran holiday season. In response to growing demand during this key travel period, Lufthansa will operate its flagship aircraft on this route, offering passengers a luxurious and comfortable flying experience between the two major cities.

    The A380, known for its spacious cabins, cutting-edge amenities, and state-of-the-art technology, will be deployed for additional flights starting in early April 2025, coinciding with the annual Songkran Festival in Thailand. As one of the most significant cultural events in Thailand, the Songkran holiday attracts millions of travelers both domestically and internationally. Lufthansa’s decision to extend its A380 service aims to provide travelers with enhanced capacity and superior comfort during this busy travel period.

    “We are excited to extend our A380 service on the Munich-Bangkok route during the Songkran holiday season,” said Felipe Bonifatti, Vice President Asia Pacific & Joint Ventures East. “The A380 offers unparalleled comfort and capacity, and we are confident that our passengers will appreciate the extra space and top-tier service as they travel during the busy Thai New Year period.”

    Lufthansa’s decision to continue the deployment of the A380 for the Songkran season follows the airline’s continued commitment to enhancing the travel experience for its passengers. With its wide-body design and cutting-edge technology, the Airbus A380 is ideal for long-haul flights, offering passengers an elevated level of comfort when flying with the national airline of Germany.

    About Lufthansa Group

    The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. With 100,000+ employees, Lufthansa Group generated revenue of €35.4bn in the financial year 2023. Our largest business segment is Passenger Airlines while other key business segments include Logistics and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). Other companies and Group functions such as IT companies and Lufthansa Aviation Training form complementary components of the Group. All airlines and business segments play leading roles in their respective markets.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UNION BUDGET 2025-26 PROPOSES TO REMOVE SEVEN CUSTOMS TARIFF RATES FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS

    Source: Government of India (2)

    UNION BUDGET 2025-26 PROPOSES TO REMOVE SEVEN CUSTOMS TARIFF RATES FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS

    EXEMPTION TO 36 MORE LIFE SAVING MEDICINES FOR CANCER AND OTHER RARE DISEASES FROM BASIC CUSTOMS DUTY

    BOOST TO E-MOBILITY: 35 ADDITIONAL CAPITAL GOODS FOR EV BATTERY MANUFACTURING EXEMPTED FROM BCD

    PROPOSALS TO SUPPORT DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING AND VALUE ADDITION WHILE PROMOTING EXPORTS, FACILITATING TRADE AND PROVIDING RELIEF TO COMMON PEOPLE

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 12:55PM by PIB Delhi

    The Union Budget 2025-26 presented by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament today, focuses its customs proposals on rationalizing tariff structure and addressing duty inversion. The Minister said that the proposals will also support domestic manufacturing and value addition while promoting exports, facilitating trade and providing relief to common people.

    Delivering on the promise to review customs rate structure announced in July 2024, the Budget proposes to remove seven customs tariff rates for industrial goods over and above the seven tariff rates removed in Budget 2023-24. This will leave only eight tariff rates, including ‘zero’ rate. The Budget also proposes to levy not more than one cess or surcharge. This will exempt Social Welfare Surcharge on 82 tariff lines that are subject to a cess.

     

    Relief on import of Drugs/Medicines

    In sector specific proposals, the Budget comes as a big relief to patients, particularly to those suffering from cancer, rare diseases and other severe chronic diseases. The Budget proposes to add 36 life saving drugs and medicines to the list of medicines fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty. The Budget also proposes to add 6 life saving medicines to the list attracting concessional customs duty of 5%. Full exemption and concessional duty will also respectively apply on the bulk drugs for manufacture of the above.

    Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies are fully exempt from Basic Customs Duty, provided the medicines are supplied free of cost to patients. The Budget proposes to add 37 more medicines along with 13 new patient assistance programmes to the list.

    Support to Domestic Manufacturing and Value addition

    The Budget proposes to add 35 additional capital goods for EV battery manufacturing, and 28 additional capital goods for mobile phone battery manufacturing to the list of exempted capital goods. “This will boost domestic manufacture of lithium-ion battery, both for mobile phones and electric vehicles”, FM stated in her speech.

    The Budget also proposes to fully exempt Basic Customs Duty on cobalt powder and waste, the scrap of lithium-ion battery, Lead, Zinc and 12 more critical minerals. Finance Minister said that this will help secure their availability for manufacturing in India and promote more jobs for our youth. This is in addition to the 25 critical minerals fully exempted of BCD in July 2024 Budget.

    To promote domestic production of technical textile products such as agro-textiles, medical textiles and geo textiles at competitive prices, the Budget proposes to add two more types of shuttle-less looms to the list of fully exempted textile machinery. “I also propose to revise the BCD rate on knitted fabrics covered by nine tariff lines from “10% or 20%” to “20% or Rs.115 per kg, whichever is higher”, said Finance Minister in her speech.

    In line with the ‘Make in India’ policy, the Budget proposes to increase the BCD on Interactive Flat Panel Display (IFPD) from 10% to 20% and reduce the BCD to 5% on Open Cell and other components. The Minister informed that it will rectify the inverted duty structure.

    Considering the long gestation period of shipbuilding, the Budget proposes to continue the exemption of BCD on raw materials, components, consumables or parts for the manufacture of ships for another ten years. The Budget also proposes the same dispensation for ship breaking to make it more competitive.

    The Budget also proposes to reduce the BCD from 20% to 10% on Carrier Grade ethernet switches to make it at par with Non-Carrier Grade ethernet switches. Finance Minister said that that this will prevent classification disputes.

    Export Promotion

    The Budget also contains certain tax proposals to promote exports. To facilitate exports of handicrafts, it proposes to extend the time period for export from six months to one year, further extendable by another three months, if required. The Budget also proposes to add nine handicraft items to the list of duty-free inputs.

    The Budget also proposes to exempt crust leather from 20% export duty to facilitate exports by small tanners, while fully exempting BCD on Wet Blue leather to facilitate imports for domestic value addition and employment.

    To enhance India’s competitiveness in the global seafood market, the Budget proposes to reduce BCD from 30% to 5% on Frozen Fish Paste (Surimi) for manufacture and export of its analogue products. It also proposes to reduce BCD from 15% to 5% on fish hydrolysate for manufacture of fish and shrimp feeds.

    To promote development of domestic MROs for aircraft and ships, the July 2024 Budget extended the time limit for export of foreign origin goods that were imported for repairs, from 6 months to one year and further extendable by one year. The Budget 2025-26 proposes to extend the same dispensation for railway goods.

    Trade facilitation and Ease of Doing Business

    Presently, the Customs Act, 1962 does not provide any time limit to finalize Provisional Assessments leading to uncertainty and cost to trade. As a measure of promoting ease of doing business, the Budget proposes to fix a time-limit of two years, extendable by a year, for finalizing the provisional assessment.

    The Budget also proposes to introduce a new provision that will enable importers or exporters, after clearance of goods, to voluntarily declare material facts and pay duty with interest but without penalty. “This will incentivize voluntary compliance. However, this will not apply in cases where department has already initiated audit or investigation proceedings”, said Smt Sitharaman.

    The Budget proposes to extend the time limit for the end-use of imported inputs in the relevant rules, from six months to one year. This will not only allow industry to better plan their imports, but also provide operational flexibility in view of cost and uncertainty of supply. Further, such importers will now have to file only quarterly statements instead of a monthly statement.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION BUDGET 2025-26

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 12:42PM by PIB Delhi

    PART A

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament today. The highlights of the budget are as follows:

    Budget Estimates 2025-26

    • The total receipts other than borrowings and the total expenditure are estimated at ₹ 34.96 lakh crore and ₹ 50.65 lakh crore respectively.
    • The net tax receipts are estimated at ₹ 28.37 lakh crore.
    • The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 4.4 per cent of GDP.
    • The gross market borrowings are estimated at ₹ 14.82 lakh crore.
    • Capex Expenditure of ₹11.21 lakh crore (3.1% of GDP) earmarked in FY2025-26.

    AGRICULTURE AS THE 1ST ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT

    Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana – Developing Agri Districts Programme

    • The programme to be launched in partnership with the states, covering 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity and below-average credit parameters, to benefit 1.7 crore farmers.

    Building Rural Prosperity and Resilience

    • A comprehensive multi-sectoral programme to be launched in partnership with states to address under-employment in agriculture through skilling, investment, technology, and invigorating the rural economy.
    • Phase-1 to cover 100 developing agri-districts.

    Aatmanirbharta in Pulses

    • Government to launch a 6-year “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses” with focus on Tur, Urad and Masoor.
    • NAFED and NCCF to procure these pulses from farmers during the next 4 years.

    Comprehensive Programme for Vegetables & Fruits

    • A comprehensive programme to promote production, efficient supplies, processing, and remunerative prices for farmers to be launched in partnership with states.

    Makhana Board in Bihar

    • A Makhana Board to be established to improve production, processing, value addition, and marketing of makhana.

     

    National Mission on High Yielding Seeds

    • A National Mission on High Yielding Seeds to be launched aiming at strengthening the research ecosystem, targeted development and propagation of seeds with high yield, and commercial availability of more than 100 seed varieties.

    Fisheries

    • Government to bring a framework for sustainable harnessing of fisheries from Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and High Seas, with a special focus on the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.

    Mission for Cotton Productivity

    • A 5-year mission announced to facilitate significant improvements in productivity and sustainability of cotton farming, and promote extra-long staple cotton varieties.

    Enhanced Credit through KCC

    • The loan limit under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme to be enhanced from ₹ 3 lakh to ₹ 5 lakh for loans taken through the KCC.

    Urea Plant in Assam

    • A plant with annual capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tons to be set up at Namrup, Assam.

    MSMEs AS THE 2ND ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT

    Revision in classification criteria for MSMEs

    • The investment and turnover limits for classification of all MSMEs to be enhanced to 2.5 and 2 times respectively.

    Credit Cards for Micro Enterprises

    • Customized Credit Cards with ₹ 5 lakh limit for micro enterprises registered on Udyam portal, 10 lakh cards to be issued in the first year.

    Fund of Funds for Startups

    • A new Fund of Funds, with expanded scope and a fresh contribution of ₹ 10,000 crore to be set up.

    Scheme for First-time Entrepreneurs

    • A new scheme for 5 lakh women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes first-time entrepreneurs to provide term-loans upto ₹ 2 crore in the next 5 years announced.

    Focus Product Scheme for Footwear & Leather Sectors

    • To enhance the productivity, quality and competitiveness of India’s footwear and leather sector, a focus product scheme announced to facilitate employment for 22 lakh persons, generate turnover of ₹ 4 lakh crore and exports of over ₹ 1.1 lakh crore.

    Measures for the Toy Sector

    • A scheme to create high-quality, unique, innovative, and sustainable toys, making India a global hub for toys announced.

    Support for Food Processing

    • A National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management to be set up in Bihar.

    Manufacturing Mission – Furthering “Make in India”

    • A National Manufacturing Mission covering small, medium and large industries for furthering “Make in India” announced.

    INVESTMENT AS THE 3RD ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT

    1. Investing in People

    Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

    • The cost norms for the nutritional support to be enhanced appropriately.

    Atal Tinkering Labs

    • 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs to be set up in Government schools in next 5 years.

    Broadband Connectivity to Government Secondary Schools and PHCs

    • Broadband connectivity to be provided to all Government secondary schools and primary health centres in rural areas under the Bharatnet project.

    Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme

    • Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme announced to provide digital-form Indian language books for school and higher education.

    National Centres of Excellence for Skilling

    • 5 National Centres of Excellence for skilling to be set up with global expertise and partnerships to equip our youth with the skills required for “Make for India, Make for the World” manufacturing.

    Expansion of Capacity in IITs

    • Additional infrastructure to be created in the 5 IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students.

    Centre of Excellence in AI for Education

    • A Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for education to be set up with a total outlay of ₹ 500 crore.

    Expansion of medical education

    • 10,000 additional seats to be added in medical colleges and hospitals next year, adding to 75000 seats in the next 5 years.

    Day Care Cancer Centres in all District Hospitals

    • Government to set up Day Care Cancer Centres in all district hospitals in the next 3 years, 200 Centres  in 2025-26.

    Strengthening urban livelihoods

    • A scheme for socio-economic upliftment of urban workers to help them improve their incomes and have sustainable livelihoods announced.

    PM SVANidhi

    • Scheme to be revamped with enhanced loans from banks, UPI linked credit cards with ₹ 30,000 limit, and capacity building support.

    Social Security Scheme for Welfare of Online Platform Workers

    • Government to arrange for identity cards, registration on e-Shram portal and healthcare under PM Jan Arogya Yojna, for gig-workers.

     

    1. Investing in the Economy

    Public Private Partnership in Infrastructure

    • Infrastructure-related ministries to come up with a 3-year pipeline of projects in PPP mode, States also encouraged.

    Support to States for Infrastructure

    • An outlay of ₹1.5 lakh crore proposed for the 50-year interest free loans to states for capital expenditure and incentives for reforms.

    Asset Monetization Plan 2025-30

    • Second Plan for 2025-30 to plough back capital of ₹ 10 lakh crore in new projects announced.

    Jal Jeevan Mission

    • Mission to be extended until 2028 with an enhanced total outlay.

    Urban Challenge Fund

    • An Urban Challenge Fund of ₹ 1 lakh crore announced to implement the proposals for ‘Cities as Growth Hubs’, ‘Creative Redevelopment of Cities’ and ‘Water and Sanitation’, allocation of ₹ 10,000 crore proposed for 2025-26.

    Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat

    • Amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act to be taken up.
    • Nuclear Energy Mission for research & development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore to be set up, 5 indigenously developed SMRs to be operational by 2033.

    Shipbuilding

    • The Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy to be revamped.
    • Large ships above a specified size to be included in the infrastructure harmonized master list (HML).

    Maritime Development Fund

    • A Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of ₹ 25,000 crore to be set up, with up to 49 per cent contribution by the Government, and the balance from ports and private sector.

    UDAN – Regional Connectivity Scheme

    • A modified UDAN scheme announced to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations and carry 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years.
    • Also to support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational, and North East region districts.

    Greenfield Airport in Bihar

    • Greenfield airports announced in Bihar, in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport at Bihta.

    Western Koshi Canal Project in Mithilanchal

    • Financial support for the Western Koshi Canal ERM Project in Bihar.

    Mining Sector Reforms

    • A policy for recovery of critical minerals from tailings to be brought out.

    SWAMIH Fund 2

    • A fund of ₹ 15,000 crore aimed at expeditious completion of another 1 lakh dwelling units, with contribution from the Government, banks and private investors announced.

    Tourism for employment-led growth

    • Top 50 tourist destination sites in the country to be developed in partnership with states through a challenge mode.

     

    1. Investing in Innovation

    Research, Development and Innovation

    • ₹20,000 crore to be allocated to implement private sector driven Research, Development and Innovation initiative announced in the July Budget.

    Deep Tech Fund of Funds

    • Deep Tech Fund of Funds to be explored to catalyze the next generation startups.

    PM Research Fellowship

    • 10,000 fellowships for technological research in IITs and IISc with enhanced financial support.

    Gene Bank for Crops Germplasm

    • 2nd Gene Bank with 10 lakh germplasm lines to be set up for future food and nutritional security.

    National Geospatial Mission

    • A National Geospatial Mission announced to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure and data.

    Gyan Bharatam Mission

    • A Gyan Bharatam Mission for survey, documentation and conservation of our manuscript heritage with academic institutions, museums, libraries and private collectors to be undertaken to cover more than 1 crore manuscripts announced.

    EXPORTS AS THE 4TH ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT

    Export Promotion Mission

    • An Export Promotion Mission, with sectoral and ministerial targets, driven jointly by the Ministries of Commerce, MSME, and Finance to be set up.

    BharatTradeNet

    • ‘BharatTradeNet’ (BTN) for international trade to be set-up as a unified platform for trade documentation and financing solutions.

    National Framework for GCC

    • A national framework to be formulated as guidance to states for promoting Global Capability Centres in emerging tier 2 cities.

    REFORMS AS FUEL: FINANCIAL SECTOR REFORMS AND DEVELOPMENT

    FDI in Insurance Sector

    • The FDI limit for the insurance sector to be raised from 74 to 100 per cent, for those companies which invest the entire premium in India.

    Credit Enhancement Facility by NaBFID

    • NaBFID to set up a ‘Partial Credit Enhancement Facility’ for corporate bonds for infrastructure.

    Grameen Credit Score

    • Public Sector Banks to develop ‘Grameen Credit Score’ framework to serve the credit needs of SHG members and people in rural areas.

    Pension Sector

    • A forum for regulatory coordination and development of pension products to be set up.

    High Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms

    • A High-Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms to be set up for a review of all non-financial sector regulations, certifications, licenses, and permissions.

    Investment Friendliness Index of States

    • An Investment Friendliness Index of States to be launched in 2025 to further the spirit of competitive cooperative federalism anounced.

    Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0

    • The Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws.

     

    PART B

     

    DIRECT TAX

     

    • No personal income tax payable upto income of Rs 12 lakh (i.e. average income of Rs 1 lakh per month other than special rate income such as capital gains) under the new regime.
    • This limit will be Rs 12.75 lakh for salaried tax payers, due to standard deduction of Rs 75,000.
    • The new structure will substantially reduce the taxes of the middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment.
    • The new Income-Tax Bill to be clear and direct in text so as to make it simple to understand for taxpayers and tax administration, leading to tax certainty and reduced litigation.
    • Revenue of about ₹ 1 lakh crore in direct taxes will be forgone.

     

    • Revised tax rate structure

     

    • In the new tax regime, the revised tax rate structure will stand as follows:

     

    0-4 lakh rupees

    Nil

    4-8 lakh rupees

    5 percent

    8-12 lakh rupees

    10 percent

    12-16 lakh rupees

    15 percent

    16-20 lakh rupees

    20 percent

    20- 24 lakh rupees

    25 percent

    Above 24 lakh rupees

    30 percent

     

     

    • TDS/TCS rationalization for easing difficulties

     

    • Rationalization of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) by reducing number of rates and thresholds above which TDS is deducted.
    • The limit for tax deduction on interest for senior citizens doubled from the present Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
    • The annual limit of Rs 2.40 lakh for TDS on rent increased to Rs 6 lakh.
    • The threshold to collect tax at source (TCS) on remittances under RBI’s Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) increased from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
    • The provisions of the higher TDS deduction will apply only in non-PAN cases.
    • Decriminalization for the cases of delay of payment of TCS up to the due date of filing statement.

     

     

    • Reducing Compliance Burden

     

    • Reduction of compliance burden for small charitable trusts/institutions by increasing their period of registration from 5 years to 10 years.

     

    • The benefit of claiming the annual value of self-occupied properties as nil will be extended for two such self-occupied properties without any condition.

     

    • Ease of Doing Business

     

    • Introduction of a scheme for determining arm’s length price of international transaction for a block period of three years.
    • Expansion of the scope of safe harbour rules to reduce litigation and provide certainty in international taxation.
    • Exemption of withdrawals made from National Savings Scheme (NSS) by individuals on or after the 29th of August, 2024.
    • Similar treatment to NPS Vatsalya accounts as is available to normal NPS accounts, subject to overall limits.

     

    • Employment and Investment

     

    Tax certainty for electronics manufacturing Schemes

     

    • Presumptive taxation regime for non-residents who provide services to a resident company that is establishing or operating an electronics manufacturing facility.
    • Introduction of a safe harbour for tax certainty for non-residents who store components for supply to specified electronics manufacturing units.

     

    Tonnage Tax Scheme for Inland Vessels

     

    The benefits of existing tonnage tax scheme to be extended to inland vessels registered  under the Indian Vessels Act, 2021 to promote inland water transport in the country.

     

     

    • Extension for incorporation of Start-Ups

    Extension of the period of incorporation by 5 years to allow the benefit available to start-ups incorporated before 1.4.2030.

     

     

    • Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs)

     

    Certainty of taxation on the gains from securities to Category I and Category II AIFs which are undertaking investments in infrastructure and other such sectors.

     

     

    • Extension of investment date for Sovereign and Pension Funds

     

    Extension of the date of making investments in Sovereign Wealth Funds and Pension Funds by five more years, to 31st March, 2030, to promote funding from them to the infrastructure sector.

     

     

    INDIRECT TAX

    Rationalisation of Customs Tariff Structure for Industrial Goods

    Union Budget 2025-26 proposes to:

    1. Remove seven tariff rates. This is over and above the seven tariff rates removed in 2023-24 budget. After this, there will be only eight remaining tariff rates including ‘zero’ rate.
    2. Apply appropriate cess to broadly maintain effective duty incidence except on a few items, where such incidence will reduce marginally.
    3. Levy not more than one cess or surcharge. Therefore Social Welfare Surcharge on 82 tariff lines that are subject to a cess, exempted.

    Revenue of about ₹ 2600 crore in indirect taxes will be forgone.

    Relief on import of Drugs/Medicines

    • 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty (BCD).
    • 6 lifesaving medicines to attract concessional customs duty of 5%.
    • Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies fully exempted from BCD; 37 more medicines added along with 13 new patient assistance programmes.

    Support to Domestic Manufacturing and Value addition

    • Critical Minerals :
      • Cobalt powder and waste, the scrap of lithium-ion battery, Lead, Zinc and 12 more critical minerals fully exempted from BCD.
    • Textiles:
      • Two more types of shuttle-less looms fully exempted textile machinery.
      • BCD rate on knitted fabrics revised from “10% or 20%” to “20% or ` 115 per kg, whichever is higher.
    • Electronic Goods:
      • BCD on Interactive Flat Panel Display (IFPD) increased from 10% to 20% .
      • BCD reduced to 5% on Open Cell and other components.
      • BCD on parts of Open Cells exempted.
    • Lithium Ion Battery:
      • 35 additional capital goods for EV battery manufacturing, and 28 additional capital goods for mobile phone battery manufacturing exempted.
    •  Shipping Sector: 
      • Exemption of BCD on raw materials, components, consumables or parts for the manufacture of ships extended for another ten years.
      • The same dispensation to continue for ship breaking.
    • Telecommunication: 
      • BCD reduced from 20% to 10% on Carrier Grade ethernet switches.

    Export Promotion

    • Handicraft Goods:
      • Time period for export extended  from six months to one year, further extendable by another three months, if required.
      • Nine items added to list of duty-free inputs.
    • Leather sector:         
      • BCD on Wet Blue leather fully exempted.
      • Crust leather exempted from 20% export duty.
    • Marine products:
      • BCD reduced from 30% to 5% on Frozen Fish Paste (Surimi) for manufacture and export of its analogue products.
      • BCD reduced from 15% to 5% on fish hydrolysate for manufacture of fish and shrimp feeds.
    • Domestic MROs for Railway Goods: 
      • Railways MROs to benefit similar to the aircraft and ships MROs in terms of import of repair items.
      • Time limit extended for export of such items from 6 months to one year and made further extendable by one year.

    Trade facilitation

    • Time limit for Provisional Assessment: 
      • For finalising the provisional assessment, time-limit of two years fixed, extendable by a year.
    • Voluntary Compliance:
      • A new provision introduced to enable importers or exporters, after clearance of goods, to voluntarily declare material facts and pay duty with interest but without penalty.
    • Extended Time for End Use:
      • Time limit for the end-use of imported inputs in the relevant rules extended from six months to one year.
      • Such importers to file only quarterly statements instead of a monthly statement.

    *****

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence

    ₹1.27 Lakh Crore in Production, ₹21,083 Crore in Exports – Defence on the Fast Track

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 2:20PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    India’s defence sector has undergone a remarkable transformation since 2014, evolving from a largely import-dependent military force to one increasingly focused on self-reliance and indigenous production. As one of the strongest military powers globally, India holds a pivotal role in ensuring regional security and fulfilling strategic goals. The country’s defence budget, which stood at ₹2,53,346 crore[1] in 2013-14, has seen a significant rise, reaching ₹6,21,940.85 crore[2] in 2024-25, reflecting a clear commitment to strengthening the nation’s defence capabilities. Central to this transformation is the growth of India’s defence manufacturing industry, which has become an integral part of the economy. Through the “Make in India” initiative and policy reforms, the government has actively promoted domestic production and reduced reliance on foreign procurement. This shift has been a key component of India’s broader vision of achieving Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence, positioning the nation as an emerging hub for the production of advanced military technologies and equipment.

    Defence Production

    v Record Defence Production: In FY 2023-24, India’s domestic defence production reached ₹1.27 lakh crore, marking a record high, with an impressive increase of approximately 174% from ₹46,429 crore in 2014-15.

    1. Achieving New Milestones: India is on track to achieve a target of ₹1.75 lakh crore in defence production in the current fiscal year.
    1. Vision for the Future: India aims to reach ₹3 lakh crore in defence production by 2029, further establishing itself as a global defence manufacturing hub.

    Defence Exports

    v Surge in Defence Exports: India’s defence exports have surged from ₹1941 crore in FY 2014-15 to ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, reflecting a remarkable increase in export value.

    v Strong Year-on-Year Growth: A 32.5% growth in defence exports was recorded over the previous fiscal year 2022-23, rising from ₹15,920 crore.

     

    1. Decadal Growth: Defence exports have grown 21 times, from ₹4,312 crore in the 2004-14 decade to ₹88,319 crore in the 2014-24 decade, highlighting India’s expanding role in the global defence sector.

     

    1. Expanding Global Reach: Driven by government policy reforms, ease of doing business initiatives, and a push for self-reliance, India now exports to over 100 nations.

     

    1. Key Export Destinations: The top three destinations for India’s defence exports in 2023-24 were the USA, France, and Armenia.

     

    1. Ambitious Export Target: The target for 2029 is to increase defence exports to ₹50,000 crore, underscoring India’s ambition to become a reliable global defence partner.
    2. Diverse Export Portfolio: India’s export portfolio includes advanced equipment such as bulletproof jackets, Dornier (Do-228) aircraft, Chetak helicopters, fast interceptor boats, and lightweight torpedoes.
    3. Milestone Achievement: A significant milestone was the inclusion of ‘Made in Bihar’ boots in the Russian Army’s equipment, highlighting India’s high manufacturing standards in the global defence market.

    Conclusion

    India’s defence sector has made unprecedented strides over the past decade, driven by a strong policy push towards self-reliance and domestic manufacturing. The significant rise in defence production and exports underscores the country’s growing capability as a global defence manufacturing hub. With a record ₹1.27 lakh crore in defence production and exports reaching ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, India has demonstrated its commitment to reducing dependency on imports while strengthening its presence in the global market.

    As the nation aims for ₹3 lakh crore in defence production and ₹50,000 crore in exports by 2029, these achievements highlight India’s emergence as a reliable defence partner worldwide. By leveraging innovation, strategic partnerships, and indigenous capabilities, India is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in the future of global defence manufacturing and security.

    References:

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2016818

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2069090

    https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/178/AS325.pdf?source=pqals

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2035748

    https://www.ibef.org/industry/defence-manufacturing

    Click here to see in PDF:

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UNION BUDGET 2025-26: BOOST TO SHIPPING AND AVIATION SECTOR

    Source: Government of India (2)

    UNION BUDGET 2025-26: BOOST TO SHIPPING AND AVIATION SECTOR

    MARITIME DEVELOPMENT FUND OF Rs 25,000 CRORE PROPOSED

    MODIFIED UDAN SCHEME TO CONNECT 120 NEW DESTINATIONS AND CARRY 4 CRORE PASSENGERS IN NEXT 10 YEARS

    GREENFIELD AIRPORTS AND WESTERN KOSHI CANAL PROJECT FOR BIHAR

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 1:11PM by PIB Delhi

    For long-term financing for the maritime industry, the Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed to set up a Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 25,000 crore. Announcing this in her budget speech in the Parliament today, the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said that this corpus will be for distributed support and promoting competition in the maritime industry. The fund will have up to 49 per cent contribution by the Government, and the balance will be mobilized from ports and private sector.

    The Finance Minister stated that the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy will be revamped to address cost disadvantages, which will also include Credit Notes for shipbreaking in Indian yards to promote the circular economy. Further, the large ships above a specified size are also proposed to be included in the infrastructure harmonized master list (HML). The Union Budget also proposes to facilitate ‘Shipbuilding Clusters’ in order to increase the range, categories and capacity of ships. This will include additional infrastructure facilities, skilling and technology to develop the entire ecosystem. Acknowledging that the shipbuilding has a long gestation period, the Finance Minister proposed to continue the exemption of Basic Customs Duty on raw materials, components, consumables or parts for the manufacture of ships for another ten years. She further proposed the same dispensation for ship breaking to make it more competitive.

    Praising the Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said in her speech that UDAN has enabled 1.5 crore middle-class people to meet their aspirations for speedier travel. The scheme has connected 88 airports and operationalized 619 routes. Inspired by that success, a modified UDAN scheme which will be launched to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations and carry 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years and this scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational, and North East region districts, stated the Finance Minister. She also informed the house that the government will facilitate upgradation of infrastructure and warehousing for air cargo including high value perishable horticulture produce. Cargo screening and customs protocols will also be streamlined and made user-friendly.

    Giving infrastructure fillip to the state of Bihar, the Union Finance Minster proposed that the Greenfield airports will be facilitated in Bihar to meet the future needs of the State. These will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport at Bihta. Financial support will also be provided for the Western Koshi Canal ERM Project benefitting a large number of farmers cultivating over 50,000 hectares of land in the Mithilanchal region of Bihar.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Infrastructure Development in India

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 8:46PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    Public infrastructure is the backbone of economic development, enhancing connectivity, trade, and overall quality of life. India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, has made remarkable progress in infrastructure development over the past decade.

    The total infrastructure investment in India has significantly increased, with public and private sector contributions shaping the growth trajectory. India’s total infrastructure spending has grown exponentially, with budget allocations rising to ₹10 lakh crore in 2023-24.

    PM Gati Shakti

    The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP), launched in 2021, is designed to bring together various Ministries, including Railways and Roadways, to ensure integrated planning and coordinated execution of infrastructure projects. The initiative aims to provide seamless and efficient connectivity for the movement of people, goods, and services across various modes of transport, thereby enhancing last-mile connectivity and reducing travel time. This project has onboarded 44 Central Ministries and 36 States/UTs and a total of 1,614 data layers have also been integrated, by October 2024. A milestone of assessing 208 big-ticket infrastructure projects worth Rs. 15.39 lakh crores, of various Ministries adhering to PM Gati Shakti principles has been achieved.

    India’s World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI) ranking improved by 6 places from 44 in 2018 to 38 out of 139 countries in 2023. To complement PM GatiShakti, National Logistics Policy was launched in September 2022. 26 states have notified their State-level logistics policy, so far.

    Highways and Roads

    India has the second largest road network in the world and its National Highways span a total length of 1,46,145 km, forming the primary arterial network of the country. The Government of India has undertaken several initiatives to enhance and strengthen the National Highways network through flagship programmes such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana which includes the subsumed National Highway Development Project (NHDP), the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North-East Region (SARDP-NE), and many more ongoing projects.

    • India’s National Highway (NH) network expanded from 65,569 km in 2004 to 91,287 km in 2014 and 1,46,145 km in 2024.
    • NH stretches with four or more lanes grew 2.6 times from 18,371 km in 2014 to 48,422 km in 2024.
    • Operational High-Speed Corridors increased from 93 km in 2014 to 2,138 km in 2024.
    • NH construction pace rose 2.8 times from 12.1 km/day in 2014-15 to 33.8 km/day in 2023-24.
    • Capital expenditure (including private investment) surged 5.7 times from ₹53,000 crore in 2013-14 to ₹3.01 lakh crore in 2023-24 (highest ever).

    Bharatmala Pariyojana

    Launched in 2017, the Bharatmala Pariyojana envisages development of about 26,000 km length of Economic Corridors, which along with Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and North-South and East-West (NS-EW) Corridors are expected to carry majority of the freight traffic on roads. It also envisages development of ring roads / bypasses and elevated corridors to decongest the traffic passing through cities and enhance logistic efficiency. A total of 18,926 km of roads have been completed under project by November 2024.

    Further network of 35 Multimodal Logistics Parks is planned to be developed as part of Bharatmala Pariyojana, with a total investment of about Rs. 46,000 crore, which once operational, shall be able to handle around 700 million metric tonnes of cargo.

    Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana

    The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), was launched by the Government of India, in 2000, to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.

    In 2006–2007, 1,07,370 km of roads were completed under the PMGSY, with a total expenditure of ₹10,769 crore. In 2014-15, 4,19,358 km of roads were completed with a total expenditure of ₹130,149 crore and in 2024-25, 7,71,950 km of roads were completed with a total expenditure of ₹ 331,584 crore.

    Civil Aviation

    India’s aviation sector is experiencing a meteoric rise, fueled by soaring demand and the government’s unwavering commitment to its growth through supportive policies. This dynamic shift has propelled India to the forefront of the global aviation ecosystem, becoming the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world.

    • The number of operational airports in India in 2014 were 74. By September 2024, the number had increased to 157.
    • Over 15% of India’s pilots are women, significantly higher than the global average of 5%.
    • Marking a new record, domestic air passenger traffic crossed 5 lakhs for the first time in a single day on November 17, 2024.
    • The number of Flying training organisations (FTOs) in June 2016 was 29. This number increased to 38 with 57 bases by December 2024.
    • In terms of aircrafts, the numbers have increased from around 400 in 2014 to 723 in 2023, despite the impact of Covid-19.

    Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik)

    By reviving existing airstrips and airports, UDAN, launched in 2016, aims to bring essential air travel access to previously isolated communities and boost regional economic development. With a ten-year operational plan, UDAN intends to ensure equitable access to air travel for all Indians. As of 31 Dec 2024-

    • 147.53 lakh passengers have availed of the benefits of the scheme.
    • More than 2.93 lakh flights have operated under the UDAN scheme so far.
    • 619 RCS routes have so far commenced operations connecting 88 airports including 13 heliports & 2 water aerodromes.

    Shipping and Ports

    The Maritime Sector in India comprises of Ports, Shipping, Shipbuilding, Ship repair and Inland Water Transport Systems. In India, there are total 12 government owned major ports and approximately 217 minor and intermediate ports. Indian Shipping Industry has over the years played a crucial role in the maritime sector of India’s economy. Approximately 95% of the country’s trade by volume and 70% by value is moved through Maritime Transport.

     

    • Cargo handling capacity has increased from 800.5 million tonnes per annum in 2014 to 1,630 million tonnes per annum in 2024. Vis-à-vis 2014, this is an 87% improvement.
    • India has reached 22nd rank in International Shipment category as against 44th rank in 2014.
    • Turn Around Time (TRT) of major Ports has reduced from around 94 hours in FY-2013-14 to only around 48.06 hours in FY 2023-24.
    • The average ship berth-day output vis-a-vis FY 2014-15 have improved by 52%.
    • Tourist footfall in 2022-23 for ocean cruise has risen to 3.08 Lakhs and for light house has risen to 12.3 lakhs compared to the year 2014-15.
    • Capacity at major ports stood at:

     

    S. No.

    Year

    Port Capacity

    Traffic Handled

    1

    2004-05

    397.50

    383.75

    2

    2014-15

    871.52

    581.34

    3

    2023-24

    1629.86

    819.23
    • The number of ships/vessels increased from 1,250 in 2014-15 to 1,526 in 2023-24, culminating in a 22% increase.
    • Number of employed sea-farers are:

    Railways

    Indian Railways achieved a historic milestone, transporting over 3 crore passengers in a single day on November 4, 2024. On this day Indian Railways carried a record number of 120.72 lakh non-suburban passengers. This included 19.43 lakh reserved passengers and 101.29 lakh unreserved non-suburban passengers. Similarly, the suburban traffic reached a record 180 lakh passengers, making it the highest single-day passenger figure of the year.

    • The manufacturing of Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches has increased from 2,209 coaches in year 2006-2014 to 31,956 coaches in year 2014-2023.
    • The provision of Bio-toilets in coaches has been increased from 3,647 coaches in year 2006-2014 to 80,478 coaches in year 2014-2023.
    • The Production units of Indian Railways are producing only LHB coaches from April-2018 onwards and trains operated with ICF coaches are being converted so as to run with LHB coaches.
    • In 2005-06, 33,540 km and in 2014-15, 41,038 km of running tracks were electrified.
    • During 2004-14, 14,985 RKM of rail track work was done whereas during 2014-23, 25,871 RKM of track laying work has been done. In the year 2022-23, per day 14 km track was laid.
    • Rail connectivity to four states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur & Mizoram provided after 2014 (Meghalaya in November 2014, Arunachal Pradesh in February 2015, Manipur (Jiribam) in May 2016 & Mizoram (Bhairabi) in March 2016).
    • Before 2014, the number of stations equipped with CCTV surveillance facilities was 123 whereas during 2014-23, CCTVs were installed across 743 railway stations. By December 2024, CCTV coverage was increased to a total of 1051 stations.

     

     

    Urban Affairs and Housing

    • Under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), total projects are 8,076, amounting to ₹1,64,706 crore, of which 7,401 projects amounting to ₹1,54,351 crore have been completed, as per the data provided by 100 Smart Cities.
    • Under Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0, there has been a 97% increase in the urban waste collection from 2014-15 to 2024-25.
    • The waste processing percentage has increased from 18% in 2014-15 to 78% in 2024-25.
    • During 2004-14, 13.46 lakh houses were approved under schemes like JnNURM & RRY. This increased substantially (9 times) in 2015-2024, when 118.64 lakh houses were approved under PMAY-U.
    • During 2004-14, 8.04 lakh houses were built and marking a 11x increase, during 2015-24, 88.32 lakh houses were completed.

     

    • Achievements in the field of metro rail in the last ten years are:

    PARAMETERS

    Upto 2014

    2014-24

    Total Operational Metro Rail Network

    248 Km

    993 Km

    Average Metro Rail Lines Commissioned per month

    0.68 Km / Month

    6 Km / Month

    Average Daily Ridership

    28 Lakh

    Over 1 Crore

    Annual Budget

    Rs 5798 (2013-14)

    Rs 24844 (2024-25)

    Total Cities with Operational Metro Rail

    5

    23

     

    • The number of buses sanctioned from 2004-2014 were 14,405 and this increased to 19,752 during 2014-24.

    AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation)

    Launched in 2015, AMRUT aims at ensuring every household has access to a tap with the assured supply of water and a sewerage connection, increasing the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well–maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) and reducing pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling). As of February 1, 2025, there are:

    Jal Jeevan Mission

    The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched on August 15, 2019, with the ambitious goal of providing tap water supply to every rural household. At the time of its inception, only 3.23 crore (17%) of rural households had tap water connections. As of February 1, 2025, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has successfully provided tap water connections to 12.20 crore additional rural households, bringing the total coverage to over 15.44 crore households, which accounts for 79.74% of all rural households in India. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the mission.

    Kindly find the pdf file 

    ****

     

    Santosh Kumar | Sarla Meena | Rishita Aggarwal

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UNION BUDGET 2025-26 PROPELS AVIATION TO NEW HEIGHTS

    Source: Government of India

    UNION BUDGET 2025-26 PROPELS AVIATION TO NEW HEIGHTS

    MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR CIVIL AVIATION IN BUDGET

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 8:26PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament today. The Ministry of Civil Aviation welcomes the significant announcements made in the Budget, reaffirming the government’s commitment to strengthening regional connectivity in the country.

    Union Minister for Civil Aviation Sh. Ram Mohan Naidu while appreciating Budget’s focus on Connectivity and Tourism remarked, “This Budget propels us toward our vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to enhancing regional connectivity with the idea of ‘Ease of Travel.’ UDAN, a transformative initiative envisioned by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, has revolutionized air travel, making it more accessible to the middle-class. UDAN is more than just a transportation initiative; it is about bringing aspirations and opportunities closer to people. Having already enabled 1.5 crore passengers to experience affordable air travel, our target is to extend this benefit to 4 crore more in the next decade.”

    So far, the scheme has operationalized 619 routes and connected 88 airports across the country. Building on this success, a revamped UDAN initiative will be launched to further enhance regional connectivity, adding 120 new destinations. Additionally, the scheme will focus on supporting helipads and smaller airports in remote, hilly, and aspirational districts, including the North Eastern region.

    The number of air passengers annually has surpassed 350 million, positioning India as the third-largest aviation market globally. Over the past ten years, domestic air passenger traffic has been growing at an annual rate of 10-12%, and the number of airports has more than doubled to 159. And we are committed to developing 50 more airports in the next 5 years. To cater to rising passenger demand in the eastern region, Greenfield airports will be facilitated in Bihar to meet the future needs of the State. These will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport at Bihta.

    The finance minister in her address also underscored the government’s focus on upgrading air cargo infrastructure. India’s air cargo sector is growing at over 10% annually, with airport cargo handling capacity reaching 8.0 million MT in FY24. There is a special focus on air cargo warehousing, particularly for perishables, opening up greater market opportunities for Indian producers and enhancing both exports and domestic trade efficiency. Streamlining cargo screening and customs protocols will enhance efficiency and promote ease of doing business in the sector.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah hails Budget 2025 as a blueprint for the Modi government’s vision for building a developed and premier India in every sector

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah hails Budget 2025 as a blueprint for the Modi government’s vision for building a developed and premier India in every sector

    The middle class is always in PM Modi’s heart

    Now, no tax will have to be paid on income upto Rs.12 lakhs

    This budget, encompassing every sector from farmers, poor, middle class to education of women and children, nutrition, and health, as well as startups, innovation and investment, is the roadmap for Modi Ji’s vision of an AatmaNirbhar Bharat

    The budget is a reflection of the Modi government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers

    Budget-2025 gives wings to the dreams and aspirations of the youth

    Budget 2025 breathes new energy into life and development in cities through the ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund

    Budget 2025 is a new opportunity and means for the prosperity of gig workers,Now, they will not only receive an identity card by registering on the e-Shram portal, but also get benefits of health facilities

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation congratulates Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Ji for the inclusive and farsighted budget

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 7:20PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah hailed Union Budget 2025 as a blueprint for the Modi government’s vision for building a developed and premier India in every sector.Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah congratulated Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman for this inclusive and farsighted budget.

    In a series of posts on X platform, Shri Amit Shah said that Union Budget 2025 as a blueprint for the Modi government’s vision for building a developed and premier India in every sector. He said that this budget, encompassing every sector from farmers, poor, middle class to education of women and children, nutrition, and health, as well as startups, innovation and investment, is the roadmap for Modi Ji’s vision of an AatmaNirbhar Bharat.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said, the middle class is always in PM Modi’s heart. The Budget announcedzero income tax till ₹12 Lakh Income. The proposed tax exemption will go a long way in enhancing the financial well-being of the middle class, he added.

    Shri Amit Shah said, the budget reflects the Modi government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers. He said, the announcement of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana aims at increasing production capacity in the 100 lowest crop productivity districts, benefiting nearly 1.7 crore farmers. Additionally, Pulses Self-Reliance Mission and Cotton Productivity Mission will promote the prosperity of farmers and enhance nutritional security.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said, from budget to the Cabinet, farmers are at the core of the Modi government’s schemes and policies. He said, in order to achieve self-reliance in urea production, the government has decided to set up a urea plant in Assam with a capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tons in Budget 2025. Along with this, the decision to increase the loan amount under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh will provide significant relief to farmers.

    Shri Amit Shah congratulated MSME sector for the doubling of the credit guarantee cover, adding ₹1.5 lakh crore. He said this will scale up start-ups and foster manufacturing hubs. Shri Shah said that the budget’s focus on footwear, leather and toy manufacturing industries will spur jobs in the grassroots, advancing PM Modi Ji’s vision of a Viksit Bharat.

    Union Home Minister said, the UDAN scheme is proving to be beneficial in providing air connectivity to new cities and promoting affordable transportation. Shri Shah said, in Budget2025, the scheme will be expanded with 120 new airports to be developed across the country. He said that this will increase the capacity to accommodate an additional 4 crore air passengers and further enhance transportation in remote areas.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said, PM Shri Narendra Modi gives new wings to the dreams and aspirations of our youth in the Union Budget 2025. He said that the goal to add 75,000 medical seats in five years, accommodate 6,500 more students in 5 IITs, and grant 10,000 research fellowships through IITs and IISc will refuel the growth engine of our nation with the technological prowess of our youth.

    Shri Amit Shah saidthat in order to further enrich the scientific mindset and aspirations for research among the youth of the country,Budget 2025 is extremely significant. Home Minister said that the decision to establish 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in government schools over the next five years will promote innovation among the new generation. He said that the announcement to set up 5 National Centres of Excellence for skill enhancement of the youth is commendable.

    Union Home Minister said,in Budget 2025, the Modi government has given important gifts to the people of Bihar. Shri Shah said, the establishment of the Makhana Board, the Western Koshi Canal Project in Mithilanchal, the expansion of IIT Patna, the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, and decisions related to the greenfield airport will make Bihar a hub for education, business, connectivity, farmer welfare, and employment in the coming years.

    Shri Amit Shah said, in Budget 2025, the announcement of making books available in digital format in Indian languages through the ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana’ will breathe new life into Indian languages. This decision will prove to be crucial in connecting the new generation with Indian languages and making education more inclusive.

    Union Home Minister said, the Union Budget 2025 breathes new energy into life and development in cities through the ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund. While the fund will revitalise our cities as the cradles of growth and quality life, the announcement of ₹1.5 lakh crore 50-year interest-free loans to states and a ploughback of capital of ₹10 lakh crore will further strengthen the purpose, he added.

    Shri Amit Shah said, the Budget 2025 unleashes Bharat’s gigantic strength in the power sector by announcing a mammoth ₹20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission. He said, the mission will impel Bharat to produce 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 while developing 5 indigenous small modular reactors. Also, the amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act will revitalise the industry with private sector investments.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said, Budget 2025 equips our maritime and shipping industries with the winning edge. He said, with the ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund and the extension of the exemption of BCD on raw materials, components, consumables, or parts for the manufacturing of ships for another ten years, these sectors are poised to dominate the competition in the global markets.

    Shri Amit Shah said, the Budget 2025 brings the healing touch to the lives of the ailing by providing full exemption from Basic Customs Duty on 36 lifesaving drugs & medicines and proposing day care cancer centres in all district hospitals in the next 3 years and 200 of them in 2025-26 alone.

    Union Home Minister said, Budget 2025 is also a new opportunity and means for the prosperity of gig workers. He said, now, gig workers will not only receive an identity card by registering on the e-Shram portal, but they will also get benefitsof health facilities. He said that with the expansion of the PM Svanidhi Yojana, street vendors will be able to link with UPI and avail credit cards up to ₹30,000, as well as receive more loans from banks.

    बजट-2025 विकसित और हर क्षेत्र में श्रेष्ठ भारत के निर्माण की दिशा में मोदी सरकार की दूरदर्शिता का ब्लूप्रिंट है।

    किसान, गरीब, मध्यम वर्ग, महिला और बच्चों की शिक्षा, पोषण व स्वास्थ्य से लेकर Start Up, Innovation और Investment तक, हर क्षेत्र को समाहित करता यह बजट मोदी जी के…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    The middle class is always in PM Modi’s heart.

    Zero Income Tax till ₹12 Lakh Income.

    The proposed tax exemption will go a long way in enhancing the financial well-being of the middle class. Congratulations to all the beneficiaries on this occasion.#ViksitBharatBudget2025

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    #ViksitBharatBudget2025 किसान कल्याण की दिशा में मोदी सरकार के संकल्प का प्रतिबिंब है। बजट में 100 सबसे कम फसल उत्पादकता वाले जिलों में उत्पादन क्षमता बढ़ाने के लिए ‘प्रधानमंत्री धन-धान्य कृषि योजना’ की घोषणा से लगभग 1.7 करोड़ किसान लाभान्वित होंगे।

    साथ ही, ‘दलहन आत्मनिर्भरता… pic.twitter.com/dYpnB7PxZT

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    बजट से लेकर कैबिनेट तक, मोदी सरकार की योजनाओं और नीतियों के केंद्र में किसान होते हैं।

    यूरिया उत्पादन में आत्मनिर्भरता के लिए #ViksitBharatBudget2025 में सरकार ने असम में 12.7 लाख मीट्रिक टन की क्षमता का यूरिया प्लांट खोलने का निर्णय लिया है।

    साथ ही, किसान क्रेडिट कार्ड (KCC)…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    Congratulations to the MSME sector for the doubling of the credit guarantee cover, adding ₹1.5 lakh crore. This will scale up start-ups and foster manufacturing hubs. The budget’s focus on footwear, leather and toy manufacturing industries will spur jobs in the grassroots,… pic.twitter.com/WH4XctgBdZ

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    उड़ान योजना नए शहरों को एयर कनेक्टिविटी प्रदान कर किफायती यातायात की दिशा में उपयोगी साबित हो रही है।#ViksitBharatBudget2025 में उड़ान योजना का विस्तार करते हुए इसके तहत देशभर में 120 नए हवाईअड्डे विकसित किए जाएंगे। इससे 4 करोड़ अतिरिक्त हवाई यात्रियों की क्षमता विकसित होगी और…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    PM Shri @narendramodi Ji gives new wings to the dreams and aspirations of our youth in the Union Budget 2025. The goal to add 75,000 medical seats in five years, accommodate 6,500 more students in 5 IITs, and grant 10,000 research fellowships through IITs and IISc will refuel the…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    देश के युवाओं में वैज्ञानिक दृष्टिकोण और अनुसंधान के प्रति आकांक्षा को और अधिक समृद्ध बनाने के लिए #ViksitBharatBudget2025 अत्यंत महत्त्वपूर्ण है।

    सरकारी विद्यालयों में अगले 5 वर्षों में 50 हजार अटल टिंकरिंग लैब्स की स्थापना के निर्णय से नई पीढ़ी में इनोवेशन को बढ़ावा मिलेगा।… pic.twitter.com/4Q9giTEiF3

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    बजट-2025 में मोदी सरकार ने बिहारवासियों को महत्त्वपूर्ण उपहार दिए हैं।

    बिहार में मखाना बोर्ड की स्थापना, मिथिलांचल में वेस्टर्न कोशी नहर परियोजना, IIT पटना का विस्तार, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management और ग्रीनफील्ड एयरपोर्ट संबंधी निर्णयों…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    बजट-2025 में ‘भारतीय भाषा पुस्तक योजना’ के माध्यम से डिजिटल रूप में भारतीय भाषाओं में पुस्तकें उपलब्ध कराने की घोषणा से भारतीय भाषाओं को नया जीवन मिलने वाला है।

    यह निर्णय भारतीय भाषाओं से नई पीढ़ी को जोड़ने और शिक्षा को अधिक समावेशी बनाने दिशा में अहम साबित होगा।…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    The Union Budget 2025 breathes new energy into life and development in cities through the ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund. While the fund will revitalise our cities as the cradles of growth and quality life, the announcement of ₹1.5 lakh crore 50-year interest-free loans to… pic.twitter.com/asmrN5fstP

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    The #ViksitBharatBudget2025 unleashes Bharat’s gigantic strength in the power sector by announcing a mammoth ₹20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission. The mission will impel Bharat to produce 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 while developing 5 indigenous small modular reactors.… pic.twitter.com/NWNfGzvRBK

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    #ViksitBharatBudget2025 equips our maritime and shipping industries with the winning edge. With the ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund and the extension of the exemption of BCD on raw materials, components, consumables, or parts for the manufacturing of ships for another…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    The #ViksitBharatBudget2025 brings the healing touch to the lives of the ailing by providing full exemption from Basic Customs Duty on 36 lifesaving drugs & medicines and proposing day care cancer centres in all district hospitals in the next 3 years and 200 of them in 2025-26…

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    #ViksitBharatBudget2025 गिग वर्करों की समृद्धि का नया अवसर और नया माध्यम भी है। अब गिग वर्कर ई-श्रम पोर्टल पर पंजीकृत होकर न केवल पहचान पत्र पाएंगे, बल्कि स्वास्थ्य सुविधाओं से भी लाभान्वित होंगे।

    साथ ही, पीएम स्वनिधि योजना के विस्तार से रेहड़ी-पटरी वाले UPI से जुड़कर ₹30,000… pic.twitter.com/MCV2e4M8h3

    — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 1, 2025

    ****

    Raj Kumar/Vivek/ Ashutosh/Priyabhanshu/ Pankaj

    (Release ID: 2098739) Visitor Counter : 82

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Indian Coast Guard celebrates its 49th Raising Day

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 01 FEB 2025 7:17PM by PIB Delhi

    Indian Coast Guard (ICG) celebrated its 49th Raising Day on February 01, 2025, marking nearly five decades of dedicated service to the nation. On the occasion, the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Raksha Mantri have extended their heartfelt congratulations to ICG, recognising its remarkable achievements and significant role in safeguarding India’s maritime interests. To mark the day, ICG’s Director General Paramesh Sivamani laid a wreath at the National War Memorial, New Delhi and paid homage to the bravehearts who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

    From its humble beginnings in 1977 with just seven surface platforms, the ICG has grown into a formidable force, now comprising 151 ships and 76 aircraft. By 2030, the ICG is poised to achieve its target force levels of 200 surface platforms and 100 aircraft, solidifying  its position as one of the world’s premier Coast Guard services.

    With its motto ‘Vayam Rakshamah’ (We Protect), the ICG has consistently ensured the safety and security of India’s maritime zones. Since its inception, the service has saved over 11,730 lives, including 169 in the past year alone. This unwavering commitment highlights ICG’s vital role in safeguarding seafarers, fishermen, and vessels across the vast 4.6 million sq-km, Indian Search and Rescue Region.

    ICG maintains round-the-clock vigilance, deploying 55-60 surface platforms and 10-12 aircraft daily to monitor and protect India’s vast maritime domain. In addition to search and rescue operations, the ICG has played a pivotal role in preventing and combating illegal activities at sea. It has seized contraband worth Rs 52,560.96 crore, including a record seizure of 6,016 kgs of narcotics in a single catch in the Andaman Sea. The ICG’s disaster response capabilities are also a testament to its strength and resolve, with notable operations such as rescue during Cyclone ASNA in Gujarat, flood rescue and relief in Gujarat and Wayanad, besides coordinating complex night-time medical evacuation operations.

    The ICG’s proactive approach extends to marine environment protection as the designated authority for oil spill response in Indian waters. The ICG has also led key national exercises, including the National Pollution Response Exercise, a series of Regional and state level exercises, further enhancing its preparedness.

    The ICG’s commitment to self-reliance and modernisation is evident through its continued embrace of indigenous capabilities. Under the Make-in-India initiative, contracts have been signed for state-of-the-art air cushion vehicles, advanced communication systems, new generation patrol vessels and helicopters. Approvals have been granted for the procurement of Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, Dorniers, and additional helicopters, enhancing the ICG’s ability to respond to emerging maritime threats.

    ICG has partnered with leading Indian manufacturers for indigenous shipbuilding, ensuring the use of the highest quality materials for maritime safety and security. Additionally, as part of its infrastructure development more than 1,000 meters of jetty is under construction.

    Embracing technological advancements, the ICG has launched the Automation of Service Healthcare Administration (ASHA) app to streamline medical examinations and e-health records for personnel. The foundation has also been laid for the Tier-III Data Centre as part of its Digital Coast Guard initiative, enhancing its technological infrastructure. The establishment of new facilities such as the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Chennai, and the Coast Guard Air Enclave in Puducherry, further strengthens ICG’s response capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region.

    In line with the Government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the ICG organised the International Coastal Clean-up Day on September 21, 2024, mobilising efforts across coastal states and Union Territories to promote cleanliness and environmental stewardship.

    ***

    SR/Savvy

    (Release ID: 2098736) Visitor Counter : 22

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Donald Trump’s tariff wallop demonstrates the brute power of an imperial presidency

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Daniel Drache, Professor Emeritus, Department of Politics, York University, Canada

    As promised, United States President Donald Trump has imposed punishing tariffs on all exports from Canada and Mexico, leading to retaliatory tariffs from Canada.

    Canada’s closest ally has torn up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal negotiated only seven years ago. The rationale behind what the Wall Street Journal editorial board has called “the dumbest trade war in history” isn’t even clear.

    The pessimistic view is that if Canada doesn’t give Trump everything he wants, he will bulldoze the country with more tariffs, sanctions on banks, enhanced border inspections and even a travel ban — everything he recently threatened to do to Colombia.

    Canada’s political class is scrambling because the U.S. has long been a cultural sibling and an economic partner. But now it is toxic, threatening and untrustworthy. Will Canada sign another trade deal with Trump in office? The chances recede the longer the tariffs remain in place.

    Iron-fisted

    It’s never been more clear that Trump is obsessive, seldom a bluffer and always iron-fisted. He seems to have planned and executed this tariff bomb to cause maximum pain and chaos. Now he says the European Union is next on his list.

    Trump is counting on his new majorities in U.S. Congress to ram through his radical right populist agenda, forcing other countries to play a role in his melodrama.

    In response to Trump’s charge that the U.S. subsidizes Canadian trade, former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper pointed out that half of America’s imported oil comes from Canada, and its price is significantly discounted due to a lack of pipeline capacity. “It’s actually Canada that subsidizes the United States in this regard,” Harper said.

    Nevertheless, Trump’s preferred foreign policy tactic is to hit first with economic sanctions and negotiate later. With his near total grip on U.S. government, he can now achieve all his aims through tariffs.



    Read more:
    Canada-U.S. tariff war: How it will impact different products and industries

    The imperial presidency

    Trump’s vision for his imperial presidency is organized around an old idea: the revenue tariff. Before income taxes, border tariffs were the primary source of income for government. But back then, government did a lot less.

    For example, America’s 19th-century navy of wooden sailing ships was purchased with tariffs. But it would be impossible to fund modern-day health care, student loans and $13 billion aircraft carriers with tariff revenues.

    A recent study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics shows the math doesn’t add up. Tariffs are levied on imported goods and are worth about US$3 trillion. American income tax is levied on incomes and are worth more than US$20 trillion. Government would have to be much smaller, and tariffs would have to be so high they would choke American trade, for tariffs to make economic sense.

    And yet Trump has a broad mandate. In the summer of 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that presidents require a broadly defined “presumptive immunity from prosecution for … official acts.”

    This decision has given Trump the legal clout to force the entire federal government to answer to the president himself.



    Read more:
    US Supreme Court immunity ruling ideal for a president who doesn’t care about democracy

    War against democracy

    Trump is using his vast new mandate to wage multiple wars simultaneously. These wars against the guardrails of liberal democracy require the punishment of his enemies inside his own party.



    Read more:
    Canada should be preparing for the end of American democracy

    Republicans who have voted against Trump legislation during his first term faced high-profile challenges in the primaries as he funded their opponents. Today, the war is waged against those who are insufficiently loyal, including the highest ranks of the Coast Guard and the FBI.

    The war against the administrative state involves the mass firing of independent inspectors, federal lawyers and thousands of civil servants to be replaced by foot soldiers personally loyal to the leader.

    The Trump administration has sent out “deferred resignation” notices that invite the entire civil service to resign. This is the tactic Trump’s key adviser, Elon Musk, implemented at X, and it suggests a wave of firings will soon begin.

    Nonsensical trade war

    The trade war against Canada and Mexico is peculiar because neither country has expressed any willingness to abolish the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is among the achievements of Trump’s first administration.

    Nevertheless, the paranoid Trump seems to be convinced that he got a raw deal in 2018, and so he wants to scrap the whole treaty and negotiate something tougher that brings more jobs home.

    In 2024, the cars that were ranked most “American” in terms of their content and final assembly were made by Tesla, Honda and Volkswagen. By comparison, the best-selling the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck ranked No. 43 on the list. What Trump considers American and non-American isn’t clear, even to voters.

    A new Bank of Canada forecast predicts that American tariffs may reduce Canadian GDP by six per cent. The federal government is planning an enormous bailout package to compensate for widespread job losses like the one offered to businesses and individuals during the pandemic.

    Unsurprisingly, Trump divides Canada’s leadership. Alberta and Saskatchewan have publicly criticized the Team Canada approach. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to sign the joint federal/provincial statement and played to her secessionist base.



    Read more:
    Why Alberta’s Danielle Smith is rejecting the Team Canada approach to Trump’s tariff threats

    Even so, former Alberta premier Jason Kenney recognizes the peril, arguing that Alberta needs to “be prepared to retaliate … we can’t be wusses about this; we have to have a spine.”

    What’s next?

    Canada is an export-led economy based on natural resources. Its strength lies not in refusing to buy California wine or Florida orange juice. Its main sources of leverage are oil and gas, potash and uranium, rare earth minerals, timber products and hydroelectric power. But of all these, oil, uranium, and hydro-electric power are Canada’s biggest guns.

    It’s not yet clear how effective the Canadian government’s strategy will be. Previous rounds of retaliation after the steel and aluminum tariffs in Trump’s first term did not drive him to the negotiating table. It’s also unclear what the CEOs of Canada’s branch-plant multinational corporations will do when their loyalties are divided between Trump and Canada.

    Furthermore, it’s anyone’s guess how much the dissent of western Canadian premiers has hurt Canada’s case with Trump. Certainly, his preferred tactic is to divide and conquer.

    Finally, it’s unclear if Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s “Captain Canada” approach will earn the respect or disdain of Republicans — although, ultimately, it doesn’t matter what the rest of the American political class thinks because Trump and his inner circle are calling all the shots.

    In practical terms, there is little Canada can do to address the false accusations that it’s complicit in the illicit drug trade and in migrants crossing the border into the U.S. Facts don’t matter to Trump. He will eventually come up with a demand, and if Canada doesn’t give in, he will ramp up the economic pain.

    Welcome to the post-liberal world order.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Donald Trump’s tariff wallop demonstrates the brute power of an imperial presidency – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-tariff-wallop-demonstrates-the-brute-power-of-an-imperial-presidency-247524

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Shapiro Unveils

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    January 30, 2025 – Pittsburgh, PA

    Governor Shapiro Unveils “Lightning Plan” to Strengthen Commonwealth’s Energy Leadership, Create Jobs, and Lower Costs for Consumers

    Governor Josh Shapiro visited Pittsburgh International Airport to announce the “Lightning Plan” – a comprehensive, all-of-the-above energy plan to secure Pennsylvania’s energy future. Supported by labor and industry leaders, environmental advocates, and consumer groups, Governor Shapiro‘s commonsense energy plan will create jobs, lower costs for consumers, protect Pennsylvania from global instability by building next generation power, and position the Commonwealth to continue to be a national energy leader for decades to come.

    The Governor made this announcement at Pittsburgh International Airport, the site of a groundbreaking $1.5 billion proposed partnership between KeyState Energy and CNX Resources. This type of project, aimed at accelerating hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, could position the region as a hub for next-generation energy solutions while supporting 3,000 construction jobs. This project is a prime example of the type of innovation the Lightning Plan will drive all across the Commonwealth.

    “Pennsylvania has long been a national energy leader, from Ben Franklin to today, but right now, we’re letting other states outcompete us and we’re losing out on jobs, new investment, and innovation – that has to change,” said Governor Shapiro. “My energy plan will power Pennsylvania forward by incentivizing the building of next generation energy projects in the Commonwealth. We have to meet this moment – and this plan builds on the work my Administration did last year to bring together leaders from the energy industry, organized labor and environmental groups, and consumer advocates to develop a plan for the future. I look forward to working with the General Assembly to get this commonsense plan to my desk so that we can lower costs for consumers, create more jobs, and position the Commonwealth to continue to be a national energy leader for decades to come.”

    Speaker list:
    Christina Cassotis, CEO, Allegheny County Airport Authority
    Governor Josh Shapiro
    Congressman Chris Deluzio
    Gregory Bernarding, Business Manager, Pittsburgh Regional Building and Construction Trades Council
    Lt. Governor Austin Davis
    Stefani Pashman, CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
    David Dardis, Executive Vice President, Constellation Energy
    Representative Rob Matzie
    Jackson Morris, Director of State Power Sector Policy, Climate & Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Update 2: Coast Guard, multiple partner agencies, responding to plane crash in Potomac River

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    02/01/2025 06:24 PM EST

    The U.S. Coast Guard continues to support local, city, state and federal partners Saturday in response to the aircraft collision that occurred Wednesday evening over the Potomac River in Washington. 

    For more information follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 2, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Canada deploys investigators to Washington for midair collision involving Bombardier

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Canada has sent a team of investigators following a midair collision accident in Washington, D.C. involving American Airlines flight 5342, a Bombardier aircraft.

    In a statement on Friday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said it had deployed two investigators to support the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in their investigation into the crash involving Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft.

    Information on the progress and the findings of the investigation cannot be publicly released without the express consent of the NTSB. In keeping with this convention, the TSB will not be able to comment on the investigation, according to the statement.

    Transport Canada confirmed Thursday that given that Canada is the State of Design of the airplane involved, the TSB had deployed two investigators and Transport Canada had appointed an advisor from its Minister’s Observer/Technical Advisor Program to support the TSB investigators.

    Bombardier is a Canadian business jet manufacturer, headquartered in Montreal.

    The Wednesday midair collision involved an American Airlines regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, and a military Black Hawk helicopter with three U.S. Army soldiers. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed there are no survivors in the collision. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    February 1, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: No survivors expected in aircraft collision in Washington, D.C.

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Washington D.C. fire chief said on Thursday that there are likely no survivors in the midair collision of a passenger plane and helicopter near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night.

    Emergency vehicles are seen at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, the United States, on Jan. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

    “We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” John Donnelly, chief of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, told a press conference at the airport Thursday morning.

    The American Airlines plane had 60 passengers and four crew members, while three U.S. Army soldiers were onboard the Black Hawk helicopter.

    Donnelly said that at 8:48 p.m. local time (0148 GMT Thursday) last night, the control tower sounded an alert, notifying responders about a reported aircraft crash on or near the airport, noting that about 300 rescuers responded to the accident.

    “These responders found extremely frigid conditions. They found heavy wind. They found ice on the water, and they operated all night in those conditions,” Donnelly said.

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Potomac River was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 2 degrees Celsius Wednesday night.

    “We have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter,” said the fire chief. “The crash area is a little spread out, so we’ve got some work to do.”

    At the press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the helicopter was following a “standard” flight pattern last night and the passenger plane was also on a “standard” approach as it was coming into D.C., without specifying what went wrong before the deadly collision.

    Duffy noted that the National Transportation Safety Board will begin analyzing the aircraft in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration.

    When asked about President Donald Trump’s statement Wednesday night that looks like the accident should have been prevented, Duffy told reporters that “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”

    Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday night: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

    “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” said Trump.

    At the press conference, American Airlines (AA) CEO Robert Isom said American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport, was involved in the accident just before 9 p.m. local time (0200 GMT Thursday) on its final approach into the airport.

    “They collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach, and at this time, we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the PSA aircraft,” he said.

    The transportation secretary stated that there was no breakdown in communication. When asked whether the plane was aware of the helicopter, Duffy did not answer directly but mentioned that the helicopter was aware of the plane’s presence in the area.

    Jack Carter, chief executive of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the authority that manages the airport, reaffirmed that the airport will reopen at 11 a.m. local time (1600 GMT).

    The AA passenger jet carrying 64 on board collided Wednesday night with the army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a massive search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

    U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement that a group of figure skaters, along with their coaches and family members, were on the passenger jet returning to Washington, D.C., after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.

    An investigation into the accident is underway, led by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

    This is the deadliest air travel accident in Washington, D.C. since 1982, when a jet crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 74 people onboard and four in cars on the bridge. Only five survived. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    February 1, 2025
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