Source: Reserve Bank of India
Ajit Prasad Press Release: 2024-2025/2084 |
Category: Business
-
MIL-OSI Economics: Result of the Daily Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction held on February 06, 2025
-
MIL-OSI Australia: Remarks to the Business Council of Australia Dinner
Source: Australian Treasurer
Thanks to Bran for the invitation, Geoff for the introduction and to you all for being here.
It’s a pleasure to be back for this annual gathering on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land. I acknowledge, as Geoff did, elders, customs and traditions.
I know I speak for Mark, Katy, Don, Chris, Murray and Andrew when I say our attendance is a symbol of our appreciation for your engagement with us on economic policy.
It’s also another chance to thank you for the jobs and opportunities you create around Australia.
And from a personal point of view, to thank you for the opportunity we have to catch up every month or 2 with the board or other small groups, to compare notes.
This bigger gathering is timely in political terms with an election due by May.
It’s also timely from an economic perspective.
We’ve seen really important data released in the last month, a new administration in the US making some big announcements, some volatility in markets as well.
I want to focus almost exclusively on economics tonight.
Because 2 inflation readings and the jobs figures have brought the soft landing we have been working towards into sharper focus.
Last week’s CPI data saw underlying inflation fall to a 3‑year low and headline inflation fall to an almost 4‑year low.
That represents the sharpest moderation in a parliamentary term since inflation targeting began.
Even more extraordinary that we’ve made this substantial and sustained progress on inflation at the same time as we’ve seen the creation of more than 1.1 million new jobs.
I put it this way because I think we’re on the cusp of achieving something remarkable, together.
Inflation is down, unemployment is still low, and, unlike most of our peers, we’ve avoided even one negative quarter of growth.
You’d know and appreciate how unusual this is in historical terms and in contemporary global experience as well.
Every other time we’ve gone through an inflation spike, it’s been followed by higher unemployment.
On other occasions and now in most other advanced economies progress on inflation has been paid for with much higher unemployment and negative quarters of growth.
Since the start of 2022 every major advanced economy, and two-thirds of the OECD, has gone backwards at least once.
We’ve made as much or more progress on inflation without paying that price.
Before I get carried away here let me acknowledge 3 important truths.
Australians are still under very substantial if not severe financial pressure – we get that.
Our economy is not productive enough – more on that shortly.
And our economy is barely growing – an inevitable consequence of higher interest rates and global pressures.
In this soft economy there have still been some remarkable developments we shouldn’t dismiss or diminish:
The lowest average unemployment rate for any government in 50 years.
Stronger employment growth than any major advanced economy.
Four in every 5 of the 1.1 million jobs created in the private sector.
More jobs created in the market sector than any first‑term government on record.
Record labour force participation.
The strongest rate of real wage growth since 2020 – and now 4 consecutive quarters of annual real wage growth.
The narrowest gender pay gap on record.
Unemployment at 4 per cent and inflation below 3 per cent at the same time, for the first time in half a century.
The highest level of business investment in over a decade, in the last financial year.
25,000 new businesses created each month this term, the highest average on record.
27 share market record highs since the election –
25 per cent growth in household wealth via super and shares as a result.
The biggest nominal improvement in the budget in a Parliamentary term.
The first back‑to‑back surpluses in almost 2 decades.
We know the job’s not done and the economy is not yet what we want it to be but there is progress to be proud of too.
I run through this list not to take the credit, but to share it.
Because our exceptionalism is the result of governments, employers and employees all doing their bit.
This is the soft landing we’ve been planning and preparing for.
We decided we’d rather deliver a soft landing than clean up after a hard one.
It’s why our economic plan was always about fighting inflation without ignoring risks to growth.
Public demand has played a role in keeping the economy from going backwards over the past 2 years.
But we know that the best kind of strong and sustainable economic growth means growth led by the private sector.
When I’ve said this on many occasions before, I’ve seen it written up as some kind of reluctant admission, but I think it’s just common sense.
Our economy is at its best when it’s private companies powering growth and propelling us forward.
This is what guides our productivity agenda.
It has 5 pillars:
Creating a more dynamic and resilient economy.
Building a skilled and adaptable workforce.
Harnessing data and digital technology.
Delivering quality care more efficiently.
Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation.
We’ve asked the Productivity Commission for a big piece of work on each pillar, deliberately timed for the second half of this year to inform whoever wins the election.
But we haven’t been waiting for those inquiries to land.
We’ve already put in place some substantial and under‑recognised policy:
Abolishing 500 nuisance tariffs.
Introducing comprehensive competition reforms.
The biggest overhaul to merger settings in 50 years.
Better designing and informing our capital markets.
Reforming our foreign investment framework.
A $900 million National Productivity Fund.
Record investment in skills.
The Universities Accord.
Finishing the NBN.
Investing in quantum computing.
Reforming the NDIS.
Unlocking tens of billions in private investment via the Capacity Investment Scheme.
Realising net zero industrial opportunities through a Future Made in Australia –
Like our green hydrogen, critical minerals, and green aluminium production incentives.
This list isn’t exhaustive but it’s indicative and I use it to make this point:
There was a big focus on productivity in this first term and there will be an even bigger focus in a second, should we win one.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
Take regulation.
Here I pay tribute to all the work Katy has been driving to harmonise standards, streamline accreditation and make it easier to export Australian goods.
This year, we’ll also stand up our single front door for investors –
And I can let you know tonight I’ve asked Danielle Wood to look into how we can further streamline regulation as part of the inquiries the PC are doing on our 5 pillars.
This is all aimed at making it easier to invest, easier to hire, easier to trade and easier to do business in Australia.
Historically, more than half of our productivity growth has come from working smarter – combining our skills and capital resources in more efficient and innovative ways.
Here it’s AI and the digital economy where we see huge opportunities.
You only need to look at the events of the last few weeks to get a sense of the scale and breadth of the sweeping change AI presents.
From the Americans announcing the $800 billion Stargate AI project one day –
To Chinese start‑up DeepSeek causing $1 trillion to be wiped from Nvidia’s market cap – the biggest one‑day rout in the history of the US share market.
It’s clear AI will become a bigger part of our economy and lives.
How we respond will shape the future.
Australia is among the top 5 global destinations for the data centre infrastructure AI depends on.
Our reputation and software development know‑how also means we’re a priority market for AI app development.
Already 70 per cent of Australian businesses have implemented AI and another 20 odd per cent are planning to in the next year.
It’s a big focus for us now and will be over the coming years.
Ed has already done a lot of work on how we get the policy settings right – including how to make sure AI is deployed safely and sustainably.
Our focus with AI is also on the huge gains on offer, not just the guardrails.
We want to continue to build and foster innovation, so more workers and more businesses adapt and adopt AI to their advantage.
And also give investors clarity and certainty to invest in AI infrastructure in Australia with confidence.
That will be a big focus our National AI Capability Plan for Australia.
We want you to bring forward your ideas, your innovation and your ambition to shape that plan.
We’ll always listen when you do –
We read with interest the BCA’s 2025 election platform this week, with technology, AI and deregulation all featuring.
Because we know to make the momentous changes happening in the digital economy, energy transformation, services sector, geopolitics and demographics work for us, your ideas and insights will be key.
The patterns of history tell us what happens when our relationship is at its best.
Those of you who have heard me speak a lot will recognise my obsession with our fourth economy.
Let me put this in some broader context.
You all spend as much time in airport bookshops as me.
And you’re all probably bigger readers than I am when it comes to investing and market cycles.
So I know you’d all be familiar with people like Ray Dalio, George Friedman, or Neil Howe and William Strauss.
They’re all grappling with a similar question:
Where do we fit in the bigger sweep of economic history and how should that inform our strategy?
In the US, 80‑year historical cycles lead from one kind of society and economy to the next.
For Australia it’s more like 40‑years.
Every 4 decades or so from the 1900s we have transformed our economy.
From largely agrarian at the start of the 20th century.
To one that was industrial and protected after the Second World War.
And then unshackled and opened up to the world in the 1980s.
Every time one of these 3 economies has taken shape the private sector has been at the forefront of the transformation.
In the 1900s it was the wool and wheat industries.
In the 1940s it was manufacturing, underpinned by trade agreements which supported our domestic and export industries.
And 40 years later, it was the services and financial sector – new drivers of growth unlocked as Labor dismantled the tariff wall and floated the dollar.
The BCA itself came to life during one of these seismic shifts – following Bob’s National Economic Summit in 1983.
It’s 4 decades since we unleashed our third economy –
And we’re now building a fourth, transformed by technology and powered by cleaner and cheaper energy.
An economy that ensures Australians are primary beneficiaries of all the churn and change occurring around the world.
Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen 3 major economic shocks, war, and tensions in our region.
At the same time as the big 5 shifts identified in our Intergenerational Report transform the world.
From globalisation to fragmentation;
From hydrocarbons to renewables;
From information technology to AI;
From a younger population to an older one;
And changes to our industrial base.
All this is shaped by a pronounced slowdown in China, a new administration in the US with new priorities, and an uncertain outlook for Europe and the Middle East.
The fourth economy is about how we make Australia an island of opportunity and prosperity in a sea of uncertainty.
Modernising our economy, managing pressures, and maximising our advantages.
We see a powerful and pre-eminent place for the private sector in the future we will build together.
Propelling our growth and pushing us forward.
Innovating and investing.
Employing and upskilling.
Our political opponents want to pick fights with you on cultural issues and take the country backwards, divided.
We want to work with you on the economy to take the country forwards, together.
We know we wouldn’t be approaching this soft landing without you.
And we know that we can’t build Australia’s fourth economy without you either.
For all these reasons I’m looking forward to the discussion tonight.
-
MIL-OSI USA: Senate Commerce Committee Advances Schatz Bipartisan Legislation Targeting Illegal Fishing To Help Expose Foreign, Intentionally Mislabeled Ahi
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
Legislation Now Moves To Full Senate For Consideration
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act. The bipartisan bill, authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and certain species of tuna imported into the United States. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) co-leads the bill.
“Seafood that’s caught illegally or intentionally mislabeled rips off consumers and makes it harder for law-abiding U.S. fishermen to compete. Our bill will help fight against anyone who tries to pass off cheap foreign tuna for high-quality ahi from local Hawai‘i fishermen,” said Senator Schatz.
“The Hawai‘i fishing and seafood industries support Senator Schatz and the Commerce Committee’s legislation to prevent IUU products from entering US seafood markets. US fisheries, including the Hawai‘i Longline fishery, are among the most regulated in the world and we appreciate Congress taking steps to protect domestic fishermen and our markets. Hawai‘i-landed tuna is known for its sustainability and quality and the ability to detect tuna origin to deter seafood fraud is important and we are very appreciative of this effort,” said Mike Goto, Director of the United Fishing Agency.
Technology exists to chemically test and find the geographic origin of many foods, but not for tuna and red snapper. The legislation aims to develop a field test kit that can be used to accurately ascertain whether fish were caught in U.S. or foreign waters, thus allowing federal and state law enforcement officers to identify the origin of the fish and intercept illegally caught or falsely labelled red snapper and tuna before it enters the U.S. market.
-
MIL-OSI: Nokia to modernize Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation’s communication network for improved safety
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Press Release
Nokia to modernize Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation’s communication network for improved safety
- Vietnam’s Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) will use Nokia’s multi-service network solution to upgrade its legacy network systems to enhance the performance and flexibility of its air traffic network.
- Nokia’s trusted mission-critical Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) networking solution will make air traffic management more robust, and Vietnam’s airways safer.
- Nokia Quantum-Safe Network (QSN)-ready network will provide unparalleled security and reliability to VATM.
6 February 2025
Hanoi, Vietnam – Nokia today announced that Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) will use Nokia’s networking solution to replace the legacy Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) transport system with IP/MPLS technology to improve security and reliability in the South region of Vietnam. The new advanced transport network will support new-age applications required for operating highly reliable services to serve rapidly growing air traffic in Vietnam.The initiative will provide an advanced transmission system to Ho Chi Minh City’s Air Traffic Control Center (ATCC), which will deliver mission critical applications to enhance Air Traffic Control (ATC). The newly upgraded transport network, compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standard will be operational in the second quarter of 2025.
Nokia’s solution will provide VATM with advanced network capabilities such as advanced analytics, simplifying operations and improving network performance. The IP/MPLS network also offers increased flexibility and programmability, supporting critical applications that enhance overall air traffic management efficiency and safety. The network will equip VATM with robust security features and the ability to evolve to defend against quantum threats.
Ho Sy Tung, Deputy General Director at VATM, said: “Air traffic networks need to be exceptionally secure and reliable at all times to ensure the highest standards of safety are met. Nokia comes with extensive experience in air navigation with 20 air traffic control networks deployed worldwide. We are impressed by the quality and performance of Nokia’s IP/MPLS networking solution and are looking forward to the successful completion of this crucial initiative in the coming year.”
Nguyen Van Nam, General Director at ANSV – Advanced Network System Vietnam, said: “ANSV is proud to be selected as prime contractor for tender package CP-17. Together with other critical systems, we will provide a new Nokia IP/MPLS network replacing the existing SDH networks for air navigation systems.”
Jonathan Goh, Head of Enterprise Business, Network Infrastructure, Southeast Asia North at Nokia, said: “Our mission-critical network solutions are trusted worldwide, delivering exceptional performance and reliability. With embedded QSN capabilities, Nokia’s IP/MPLS technology will enhance the safety and operational efficiency of Vietnam’s air traffic network. We are honored that VATM has chosen Nokia for this pivotal network transformation, paving the way for safer, more advanced and reliable air traffic management across Vietnam.”
Resources and additional information
Product page: 7705 Service Aggregation Router
Product page: 7750 Service Router
Product page: 7250 Interconnect Routers
Product page: Network Services Platform
Product page: Converged IP/MPLS for AviationAbout Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
Media inquiries
Nokia Communications, Southeast Asia North
Email: takayuki.omino@nokia.comNokia Press Office
Email: Press.Services@nokia.comFollow us on social media
LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube -
MIL-Evening Report: Mandatory minimum sentencing is proven to be bad policy. It won’t stop hate crimes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lorana Bartels, Professor of Criminology, Australian National University
Weeks after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced his support for mandatory minimum jail terms for antisemitic offences, the government has legislated such laws. Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke stated the federal parliament would now be “putting in place the toughest laws against hate speech that Australia has ever had”.
It follows a concerning recent spate of antisemitic attacks in Australia, including on Jewish places of worship, schools, businesses and homes.
Last week, a caravan was found on the outskirts of Sydney, filled with explosives and a list of Jewish targets.
Understandably, there is fear in the Jewish community.
The government’s decision to pursue mandatory minimum sentencing is contrary the 2023 ALP National Policy Platform stating:
Labor opposes mandatory sentencing. This practice does not reduce crime but does undermine the independence of the judiciary, leads to unjust outcomes, and is often discriminatory in practice.
The evidence shows that Labor’s official policy platform is correct. Mandatory minimum sentencing is unlikely to help solve this issue – or any other issue for that matter. It has a poor track record of reducing crime.
What is mandatory sentencing?
Australian criminal laws usually set a maximum penalty for an offence. It is then the role of the courts (a judge or magistrate) to set the sentence, up to the maximum penalty.
This allows the judiciary to exercise discretion in sentencing. It means the courts can take into account a range of relevant factors when determining an appropriate sentence, guided by the sentencing laws in each jurisdiction.
However, laws that demand a mandatory sentence set a minimum penalty for an offence, thereby significantly reducing the role of judicial discretion.
Sentencing decisions are made by judges in Australian courts.
ShutterstockLet’s imagine two people are appearing in court, to be sentenced for exactly the same offence.
Defendant A (Kate) is 18 years old and has pleaded guilty. It is her first offence. She is Aboriginal, a victim of childhood domestic violence and lives on the streets. She has recently started to get help for her mental health problems.
Defendant B (Jim) is 35. He has a long criminal history, including breaches of bail and parole. He has never been out of prison for more than six months at a time. He has pleaded not guilty and doesn’t think he has done anything wrong.
The maximum penalty for this offence is five years. Under standard sentencing laws, a judge would usually give different sentences to Kate and Jim, based on their personal circumstances and future prospects. Jim would generally get a more severe sentence than Kate.
Now, let’s imagine parliament decides to set a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. This means the judge has to send both Kate and Jim to prison for at least two years, despite the differences between them, even if a community-based sentence might be more appropriate for Kate.
So do mandatory minimum sentences work?
The main arguments for mandatory sentences are that they:
-
reflect community standards
-
provide consistency
-
avoid judicial leniency, and
-
reduce crime.
The evidence for each of these is weak.
A study with members of the Victorian public who had served on juries found strong support for sentencing discretion.
This is confirmed by recent research from the Queensland Law Reform Commission. It found general support from the public for individualised responses, not an inflexible approach to sentencing.
Mandatory sentencing yields more consistent outcomes, but denies flexibility in cases where defendants should be treated differently.
The argument that mandatory sentencing reduces crime is also contested.
Study after study has shown that harsher penalties do not reduce crime.
It is uncontested, however, that certainty of detection (whether you’ll get caught) is the primary deterrent factor, not the severity of the sentence (assuming that the perpetrator is aware of it).
Mandatory sentencing also brings risks
Let’s review the arguments against mandatory sentencing.
Firstly, it undermines judicial independence, the separation of powers (between the courts and executive government) and the rule of law: a concept based on fairness in the judicial system.
Mandatory sentencing also shifts discretion to other, less transparent, parts of the criminal justice system (for example, police and prosecution services), as they frame the charges that will bring defendants to court in the first place.
Secondly, a guilty plea is a mitigating factor the court considers when sentencing. Mandatory sentencing means there is little incentive for defendants to plead guilty. This increases workloads, delays, costs, and has consequent negative effects for victims.
In addition, juries may be reluctant to convict if they know the minimum sentence will insist upon a prison term. This can lead to inappropriate not guilty verdicts.
Undermining the right to a fair trial
Australia has previously come under fire from the United Nations for its mandatory sentencing laws.
These requirements are found in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which entered into force for Australia in 1980.
Indeed, the Law Council of Australia has suggested mandatory sentencing is inconsistent with the international prohibition against arbitrary detention, and undermines the right to a fair trial, given that such sentences have been somewhat predetermined.
These laws can also lead to injustice. As the example above shows, mandatory sentencing can impact disproportionately on vulnerable people, such as Indigenous people, and women with disabilities.
These cohorts are already far more vulnerable than non-Indigenous men (who account for most people who offend).
Adverse effects on imprisonment rates
The High Court recently stated that the mandatory minimum sentence will have the effect of lifting sentencing levels generally.
But the research shows longer prison sentences are much more expensive and less effective than community-based sentencing options in reducing crime.
Let’s leave the final word on this subject with the Law Council of Australia:
achieving a just outcome in the particular circumstances of a case, while maintaining consistency across similar cases and with Australia’s human rights obligations, is […] paramount.
We need effective responses to all forms of racial and religious hatred, including antisemitic hate crimes, but populist, knee-jerk reactions are highly unlikely to make the community safer. Clear-headed thinking will best stand the test of time, not policy developed in anger or fear.
Lorana Bartels is a Director of the Justice Reform Initiative. She is a supporter of the Jewish Council of Australia. She has received research funding from the ACT, Commonwealth, Queensland, Tasmanian and Victorian governments. She recently undertook a project for the Queensland government, which examined the use of mandatory minimum sentences for murder. She is a member of the Tasmanian Sentencing Advisory Council, which recently completed a project on hate crimes.
Rick Sarre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Mandatory minimum sentencing is proven to be bad policy. It won’t stop hate crimes – https://theconversation.com/mandatory-minimum-sentencing-is-proven-to-be-bad-policy-it-wont-stop-hate-crimes-249266
-
-
MIL-OSI USA: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Advances Kelly Loeffler
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led by Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), advanced the nomination of the Honorable Kelly Loeffler to serve as the Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator by a vote of 12-7.
“For the last four years, small businesses were failed by an ever-growing and burdensome bureaucracy,” said Chair Ernst. “As a successful business leader, Kelly Loeffler is the perfect person to increase transparency and accountability at the SBA and prioritize the needs of small businesses. She will unshackle and unleash Main Street!”
Last week, Ernst discussed fixing the broken SBA with Loeffler and refocusing the agency on its mission to empower entrepreneurs and unleash the small business economy. -
MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Moran Bipartisan Legislation to Address Hidden Hotel Fees Passes Unanimously Out of Commerce Committee
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed the bipartisan Hotel Fees Transparency Act by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), co-chairs of the Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus and members of the Senate Commerce Committee. This legislation will lower costs and improve transparency by requiring anyone advertising a hotel room or short-term rental to clearly show the final price a customer will pay to book lodging, including any fees.
“Traveling is expensive, and hidden fees make it difficult to compare prices and understand the true cost of a reservation,” said Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan bill will lower costs for hotel rooms and short-term rentals by increasing transparency and banning hidden fees.”
“High prices are forcing Kansans to account for all their expenses, and many cannot afford to pay hidden fees at hotels or short-term lodging,” said Moran. “This commonsense legislation requires hotels to be straightforward about all their fees so consumers aren’t burdened with unexpected costs on their check.”
The Hotel Fees Transparency Act is co-sponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). It is endorsed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Consumer Reports, the National Consumers League, and the Travel Technology Association.
Klobuchar has long led efforts to protect consumers and support the travel and tourism industry. In May 2024, a number of Klobuchar-backed provisions passed the Senate and were signed into law as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, including the Families Fly Together Act, a bill with Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to require airlines to allow children to sit together with their family members on flights at no additional charge.
-
MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Thanks President Trump for Signing Executive Order Protecting Women’s Sports, Urges Senate to Bring Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to the Floor for a Vote
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day by participating in several events and interviews to promote his bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Sen. Tuberville reintroduced his hallmark Title IX legislation—which is cosponsored by 37 of his colleagues—in the Senate last month. Companion legislation passed the House on a bipartisan basis in January.
Sen. Tuberville also praised President Trump for his leadership in signing an Executive Order today to protect women’s sports and restore Title IX protections for women and girls everywhere. While Senator Tuberville is grateful for President Trump’s commonsense leadership, he insists Congress has to pass his bill to ensure Title IX protections are made permanent. Sen. Tuberville discussed this earlier this week on “The Megyn Kelly Show” when he said, “A lot of people don’t realize that an Executive Order […] only lasts as long as that president’s there. So, we got some work to do. […] As you said—we’ve got to get it to the floor. John Thune told me he’s going to get it to the floor. […] If it’s not going to pass, we’ll do it again, but we’ve got to get people on the record because this is something that’s very dear to the heart of all parents across the country—and it’s dead wrong.”
When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about this earlier today, she said, “It’s incredibly important that Congress immediately act on this priority. I think the President is really setting the tone—making this an immediate priority for this administration, just as he promised to do on the campaign trail.”
Sen. Tuberville also commemorated National Girls and Women in Sports Day by reintroducing the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to prohibit any governing body recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) from allowing men to participate in any women’s Olympic athletic events.
Tuberville Joins “The Faulkner Focus”
Sen. Tuberville joined Harris Faulkner on “The Faulkner Focus” to discuss the latest with the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, as well as his efforts to protect women’s Olympic sports.
Read an excerpt from the interview below or watch here.
FAULKNER: “This Executive Order that Trump is getting ready to put in play comes as today we recognize National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Also on this day, Senator, you are reintroducing that bill called the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. This is an effort to ensure that Trump’s protections are permanent. Tell us about it, Senator.”
TUBERVILLE: “Exactly, and you know I started coaching 40 years ago—right when Title IX started. And, Harris, let me tell you something. This is the best thing that this place has ever done. It gave young girls and women a different opportunity to build on leadership and have a future. And, so, this past four years—gender has been under attack. Parents have been under attack. Education has been under attack, and it all goes back to trying to not define what a woman is, and they can’t even define that. They’re telling us right now that men can have babies. So, at the end of the day, I’m giving a speech on the floor today. Leader Thune has promised he’s gonna put this bill on the floor sooner or later. This is my third time that I’ve had this up for a vote. The Democrats don’t want anything to do with it, but I gotta feeling a lot of them are gonna change their mind. And then at three o’clock, President Trump’s going to sign the Executive Order. But as you said, if when he goes out of office, if we don’t get a Republican back in there, this will change back into the gender nonsense that these Democrats have been pushing for the last four years. We have to protect women and girls in sports. And we also have to protect women and girls in Olympic sports because we have the Olympics coming here soon. And if we don’t do that, we’re gonna see men boxing against women like we did this past summer.”
Tuberville Speaks on Senate Floor
Senator Tuberville also delivered a floor speech where he called out Democrats’ out-of-touch, woke ideology that says men can get pregnant and boys should compete in women’s sports.
Read excerpts from the speech below or watch the full speech here.
“I’m here to call for a vote on my legislation, S.9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, that would save Title IX and save women’s sports. Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day—that’s today. To celebrate, President Trump will sign an Executive Order this afternoon in the White House ending Democrats’ intentional destruction of Title IX and saving women’s sports.
I’m very thankful for his leadership on this. President Trump’s Executive Order will make sure women’s sports are protected for at least the next four years. But unfortunately, Executive Orders can be reversed. Congress needs to act on this to make sure the next Democrat administration, whenever it is, can’t take the same steps to destroy Title IX that the Biden administration took. For the past four years, the Biden administration waged an all-out assault on gender. Since the beginning of time, people have agreed that sex is assigned at birth and determined by God. But under the Biden administration, you had people claiming that men can get pregnant. Here on this floor, I heard that. Pure insanity.
But it didn’t stop there. They weren’t content to just erase gender norms that have been accepted for thousands and thousands of years. No. They wanted to allow transgender men to participate against women and girls in sports. This has been happening at schools all across the country. Young women have been forced to compete against men and even share locker rooms and showers. And on top of that, your taxpayer dollars are paying for this nonsense. Over the past several years under the Joe Biden administration, 900 women’s medals have gone to men. 900. That is absolutely wrong.
This one is personal for me. My first coaching job was in women’s basketball—years ago. Title IX was just starting to be implemented when I took that first job. I saw firsthand the immediate difference it made. Before Title IX, at a lot of schools, college women’s athletics didn’t really exist. Back then, there were more than 10x as many male athletes in college as female athletes. After Title IX, that quickly changed. For the first time, the young women I coached had equal access to facilities, resources, and competition. I saw these hardworking young women go on to earn college scholarships, start careers, and become leaders of our country. I still keep in touch with many of these young women today, and I’m deeply proud of them.
Looking back on it now, I wonder if they would have had the same opportunities without Title IX. Would they have had the same successes if they had had to compete against males 40 years ago? This really shouldn’t be controversial. It’s just common sense. A recent poll from the New York Times of all publications showed 79% of all Americans believe men should not compete in women’s sports. 79%.
President Trump campaigned largely on this issue. If you remember, his campaign spent nearly $20 million dollars on TV ads about the importance of keeping men out of women’s sports. So, on November 5, 2024 the American people didn’t just elect President Trump. They also decisively rejected this ridiculous notion that men can get pregnant and boys should compete against women in sports. Ridiculous. And they definitely didn’t want their tax dollars funding schools that allow boys to share locker rooms with girls.
My bill would prevent a school from receiving any federal funding if they let boys compete in women’s sports. It also defines gender [as] male and female for this purpose. I was glad to see President Trump sign an Executive Order defining gender during his first few days in office. The President also made it clear in the Executive Order that he wants Congress to take action on this as well because he understands it can go away with the sign [of] an ink pen.
That’s why today I’m also reintroducing a bill to prohibit men from competing in women’s Olympic sports because men competing against women at any level is dangerous. We are all deeply disturbed—all of us were deeply disturbed this past summer to see videos of boys and men boxing against women. You know, when I was growing up, we were taught never to hit a girl, but I guess that’s over now because of the Democrats. One study found out that males can punch up to 162% harder than females. Somebody is going to get killed or seriously injured if we don’t stop this absolute nonsense. It’s unsafe, it’s unfair, and it’s just plain wrong.
The Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act will make sure men aren’t allowed to compete against women in any sport, but especially not in a violent sport like boxing. This bill will restore fairness for the American women who train their whole lives to represent our country on the world stage. Their entire lives, they train. I know we’re all looking forward to the United States hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. I hope our bill [has] been passed and signed in law long before that so we can all enjoy some healthy, safe women-against-women or men-against-men competition during those Olympics.
But this huge issue goes way beyond politics. I’ve heard from parents, student, teachers, and coaches all over the country about this. These are people who have personally seen the benefits of Title IX and are very concerned about Democrats’ attempts to take these opportunities away from women and girls.
There are countless stories of girls who have benefited from Title IX in my state of Alabama.
This includes athletes like Rachel Argent of Thorsby High School in Chilton County, Alabama. Rachel’s athletic ability and good grades drew the attention of college coaches across Alabama. […] Because of her talent and work ethic, Rachel received basketball scholarships to Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette, Alabama. After [getting] her degree, she got a softball scholarship at Samford University. That scholarship […] put her on the right direction. […] She didn’t have to worry about landing a full-time job while she went to school and participated in sports. […]
After college, Rachel returned to Thorsby High School as a teacher and a coach. She wanted to give back to the school what she had gotten from Title IX. She taught Health and Physical Education for grades kindergarten to twelve. She coached girls’ softball, basketball, track, and volleyball. She made an impact on hundreds of girls across our state of Alabama. It was all made possible again by Title IX.
Rachel’s daughter, Addie, played softball, tennis, golf, and basketball at Chilton County High School. She got a gold scholarship to the University of Mobile where she graduated with a degree in Nursing. Her athletics scholarship was part of her getting a degree and becoming a nurse. There are countless other young women like Addie and Rachel across Alabama and every other state across the country. More than 50,000 young women in Alabama alone competed in high school sports this past year, 50,000. Every single one of them deserves the full benefit of fair competition.
And I’m grateful that every member of the Senate Republican leadership is a cosponsor of my Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. They’ve been very supportive. Leader Thune is a proud cosponsor of my bill, and I’m glad to have his support. Leader Thune is committed to scheduling a vote on this bill and putting every Democrat on the record on whether or not they support men competing in women’s sports. We brought this bill to the floor for a vote during the last Congress. Really, we brought it twice, and every single Democrat always voted against it. What does that tell you?
Leader Thune has not rescheduled it for a vote yet this congress. Right now, we’ve obviously got a lot of things to do with [confirming] President Trump’s cabinet. Then we get started on the reconciliation process and getting the American economy jumpstarted again. We have a lot to accomplish in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, and I hope this bill is part of that 100 days.
President Trump will sign an Executive Order again today banning men from competing in women’s sports. Let’s lock that commitment in. Let’s lock it in for young girls and women all across this country. Let’s bring this bill to the floor for a vote very soon so the Senate can send it to the President’s desk and make this permanent.
To my Senate colleagues who are on the fence about this, I would ask—do you have daughters? Do you have granddaughters? Do you have nieces? Would you want them competing against men in sports? Would you feel comfortable with them sharing a locker room with a biological male?
I’m excited to welcome my first granddaughter in a couple weeks, Rosie Grace. I would raise hell if she was forced to compete, dress, or use the same showers as men. And American taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for any schools that are allowing this to happen. The days of woke, swamp politicians running our government are over. Common sense has been restored to the White House, and Congress needs to get back to work and let President Trump work on this bill.
This isn’t about politics. This is about right and wrong. The American people have delivered a verdict. They want men out of women’s sports and women’s locker rooms.
President Trump is 100% with us on this. The time to act is now. It’s time to restore Title IX protections and save women’s sports.”
Tuberville Attends White House Executive Order Signing
Sen. Tuberville went to the White House for President Trump’s signing of an Executive Order restoring Title IX protections for women and girls everywhere. During his speech, President Trump shouted out Sen. Tuberville for all of the work he has done to champion women’s sports in Congress and throughout his coaching career.
The President also shouted out 3x Superbowl Champion Patrick Mahomes, whom Coach Tuberville recruited when he was at Texas Tech University.
“And Tommy Tuberville [is here], a great coach,” said President Trump. “You know, his quarterback was named ‘Mahomes.’ He was a great college coach and I said ‘How good was he?’ and he said, ‘You don’t wanna know how good—he made me into a great coach.’”
Tuberville Joins Kudlow from White House
Following the Executive Order signing, Sen. Tuberville joined “Kudlow” on Fox Business live from Pebble Beach at the White House.
Read excerpts from the interview below or watch here.
KUDLOW: “No more biological men in women’s sports. Wow. Big signing today by President Trump. Joining us now to talk about it is Alabama Senator, Tommy Tuberville. Senator Tuberville, good to see you, sir. Tell us about the signing. Tell us what was in the signing, if you would.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, it’s been too long happening, Larry. It’s just unfortunate—for the last four years we’ve had to put up with this nonsense of biological boys and men participating in women’s sports. Not just in sports here, but also in the Olympics. It was a great day. Had a lot of people there [for the] Executive Order putting a stop to it, but we’ve gotta permanently do it. I’ve got a bill that’s the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act that we’ve got. Hopefully, we get it on the floor soon where we can make it permanent. There’s no reason in the world why men and boys should be able to participate in women’s [sports]. It’s just wrong, it’s dangerous. And, you know, it’s just a great day that we finally got this done.”
KUDLOW: “Senator Tuberville, you mentioned the Olympics. So, good question—how will the Olympic Committee look at this resolution? Will they abide by it? Will they fight it? What do you anticipate, sir?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, you got to remember, Larry. This is gonna be in L.A. the next time they have it. President Trump mentioned that. The Olympic Committee, two years ago, decided to let each sport decide what they wanted to do and how they wanted to handle it. Unfortunately, boxing let men participate against the women and it was terrible—it really was. Somebody’s gonna get hurt. And so, hopefully, they come to their senses. President Trump will probably get involved in this—with the Olympic Committee, knowing him. And hopefully, we can get all men and boys banned from any kind of [women’s] sports in the Olympics. It’s just not fair.”
KUDLOW: “You know, it’s so ironic to me, Senator, politically. For all these years, going back to, I’m gonna say, Gloria Steinem in the 1970s—over 50 years. The Democratic Party said it was the party to defend women. Okay? But in recent years, as you well know, with the trans movement and so forth and biological men now being allowed to play in women’s sports, etcetera, etcetera. All of a sudden, the Democrats are in favor of that and are wrecking women’s sports and treating women athletes, female athletes incredibly unjustly? I mean, how do you figure that? Do they see the stupidity of this whole story or not?”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. They see it. They just won’t admit it. The problem they have, Larry, is they’ve lost the middle class. They have no support anymore. […] They’ve lost their base. They’re not going back. They’ve really gotten so far out there, Larry. You know, even the Democrats [think men shouldn’t compete in women’s sports]. A lot of Democrats voted for President Trump because of this one issue that the Democrats kept pushing.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
-
MIL-OSI China: Tesla’s Shanghai energy storage Megafactory to enter operation
Source: China State Council Information Office
An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 15, 2024 shows a view of Tesla’s megafactory in east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]
U.S. carmaker Tesla said on Wednesday that its Shanghai energy-storage battery Megafactory will start official operation next week.
The construction of this Megafactory in east China was completed at the end of last year. Following its launch ceremony in May 2024, it took just seven months for the project to be completed. Trial operation began last month.
The Megafactory is the first of its kind to be built by Tesla outside the United States, and is dedicated to manufacturing Megapacks, Tesla’s energy-storage batteries. Mass production at the Shanghai facility is expected to fully commence in the first quarter of 2025, Tesla said.
This Megafactory was built with an initial annual production capacity of 10,000 units — equal to around 40 gigawatt-hours of energy storage, according to the company.
-
MIL-OSI China: Experts: US curb against China to disrupt intl trade order
Source: China State Council Information Office
The United States government’s latest move to eliminate a “de minimis” tariff exemption for small packages and low-value items imported from China will disrupt the normal international trade order, wreak havoc in the fast-growing cross-border e-commerce industry, and ultimately hurt the interests of US consumers, said experts and industry insiders on Wednesday.
They added that in order to mitigate the negative impacts of escalating trade protectionism, China’s cross-border online retailers should strengthen the establishment of overseas warehouses, accelerate the localization of supply chains and operations, and diversify their business layouts in emerging markets.
Their comments came on the heels of the US decision to halt a trade exemption, known as “de minimis”, that allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 into the US duty-free. The decision came as part of the announcement of the imposition of an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from China.
The US Postal Service said on Tuesday that it had temporarily stopped accepting packages from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a move that may block or delay parcels from Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms including Shein and PDD Holdings’ Temu, as well as some from Amazon, from entering the US.
However, the agency said later in a notice that it will resume accepting packages from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong starting on Wednesday.
Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the US protectionist measures against China will not only increase the costs of cross-border transactions and hinder technological advancement and innovation in the global e-commerce landscape, but will also damage the interests of US consumers, especially low-income groups.
“The elimination of a small-package tax exemption will pose challenges to Chinese cross-border online marketplaces, and force these platforms to adjust pricing strategies and establish more local warehousing and logistics facilities in overseas markets, in order to reduce dependence on cross-border transportation and lower international logistics costs,” Hong said.
In response to the US Postal Service’s temporary suspension of the acceptance of incoming international parcels from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference on Wednesday that the US should stop politicizing and instrumentalizing trade and cracking down on Chinese companies.
Lin said China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises.
Both Shein and Temu have gained popularity among US consumers, as they offer a wide selection of merchandise, including apparel, consumer electronics, jewelry, shoes, bags and accessories at competitive prices. Most of the products are shipped directly from factories or warehouses in China.
Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy, said the US move to contain the rise of Chinese cross-border online retailers will have an adverse impact on the healthy development of the global e-commerce industry, create barriers to the free flow of commodities and services, and violate the basic principles of the market economy, thus “impeding technological progress and industrial upgrading and stunting global economic growth”.
The “de minimis” provision has existed since the 1930s in the US, but the threshold has increased and its use has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The number of shipments entering the US under the exemption has surged more than 600 percent in the past 10 years, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
Moreover, media reports said that the European Union will increase customs checks on goods shipped directly by e-commerce retailers like Temu and Shein to EU consumers. The new customs guidelines would require these online marketplaces to disclose more information on EU-bound packages in order to track and inspect them more efficiently.
Zhu said it is of great importance for Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms to accelerate steps to expand their presence in more diverse markets, while improving the added value of products and the service level, as well as enhancing brand competitiveness globally, amid increasing cost pressures caused by tariff hikes in the US and mounting regulatory challenges in Europe.
-
MIL-OSI China: China extends anti-dumping duties on EU potato starch
Source: China State Council Information Office
China’s Ministry of Commerce will extend anti-dumping duties levied on potato starch imported from the European Union (EU) for another five years, starting Thursday.
If anti-dumping measures are terminated, the dumping of imported potato starch from the EU may continue or recur, potentially causing ongoing or renewed harm to China’s potato starch industry, the ministry said.
China first imposed anti-dumping duties on imported potato starch from the EU in 2007, with the duties lasting five years. On April 18, 2011, the country announced an adjustment of the anti-dumping duty rates to between 12.6 percent and 56.7 percent.
Potato starch is widely used in the food industry to make industrial materials, such as emulsifiers, as well as food products, such as instant noodles.
-
MIL-OSI China: Announcement on Open Market Operations No.22 [2025]
Source: Peoples Bank of China
Announcement on Open Market Operations No.22 [2025]
(Open Market Operations Office, February 6, 2025)
In order to keep liquidity adequate in the banking system, the People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB275.5 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on February 6, 2025.
Details of the Reverse Repo Operations
Maturity
Volume
Rate
7 days
RMB275.5 billion
1.50%
Date of last update Nov. 29 2018
2025年02月06日
-
MIL-OSI China: Action plan 8.0 to inject more vitality into Shanghai
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
This aerial photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows a view of Zhangjiang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]
The latest business environment improvement action plan released in Shanghai on Wednesday will help the city better address market entities’ needs and inject more vitality into the city’s economic growth, said officials and market experts.
Their comments were made on Wednesday when the Shanghai municipal government held the business environment improvement work conference for the eighth consecutive year. The latest action plan, which is now in its eighth edition, was released during the conference.
The plan aims to enhance the sense of gain among enterprises by coming up with 58 detailed measures which are more substantial and down-to-earth, according to Lu Aiguo, head of the business environment construction division at the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission.
One focus of the new plan is deepening the reform by aligning with the standards specified in World Bank’s Business Ready evaluation system, said Lu. Ten related reform measures have been rolled out, covering market entry, operational venues, infrastructure, utilities, international trade and market competition, among others.
As to international trade, Shanghai will expand the benefit scope for controlled and inspected high-tech goods. The import pilot program for research and development as well as testing items should be further optimized. Customs clearance facilitation services will be improved by better implementing reform measures such as multi-modal transport and the application of electronic certificates, according to the new action plan.
Another 24 measures have been included in action plan 8.0 to optimize the all-round services rendered to companies. On the one hand, more innovative financing products should be introduced, providing continued financing support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
On the other, more efforts should be made to facilitate the outbound reaches of domestic companies while further opening up the local market. Professional service providers will be supported to set up branches in the markets involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Meanwhile, visas as well as entry and exit services for foreign talent will be more convenient. More foreign-invested projects should be introduced in the city and major foreign-invested projects should be settled at a faster pace, according to the new action plan.
Japanese carmaker Toyota announced on Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with the Shanghai government to establish a new wholly-owned company in Jinshan district of Shanghai for the development and production of Lexus electric vehicles and batteries.
The advanced and mature industrial chains, logistics networks, talent supply and market size in Shanghai and the neighboring cities are the major reasons to land this new project, according to Toyota.
To improve services provided to companies, efforts will be made to promulgate a negative list for cross-border data flow within the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, according to the new action plan.
Companies will be better guided to conduct data export activities in accordance with laws and regulations. This is conducive to companies’ international competitiveness, said Huang Lina, an official from the internet security division at Shanghai Cyberspace Administration.
The new action plan also includes 14 measures to optimize supervision over companies.
According to Wu Beibei, deputy director of the laws and regulations division at Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, the targets, frequency and content of on-site inspections will be reduced to lower the impact on companies. The goal is to lower the number of planned administrative on-site inspections in the next two to three years, she said.
-
MIL-OSI Economics: Money Market Operations as on February 05, 2025
Source: Reserve Bank of India
(Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)
Volume
(One Leg)Weighted
Average RateRange A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV) 5,53,069.97 6.28 3.35-6.75 I. Call Money 11,104.02 6.46 5.15-6.60 II. Triparty Repo 3,71,578.05 6.25 6.10-6.40 III. Market Repo 1,68,446.60 6.34 3.35-6.75 IV. Repo in Corporate Bond 1,941.30 6.59 6.54-6.70 B. Term Segment I. Notice Money** 23.00 6.35 6.20-6.40 II. Term Money@@ 153.30 – 6.45-7.25 III. Triparty Repo 2,605.50 6.38 6.35-6.40 IV. Market Repo 709.42 6.63 6.60-6.65 V. Repo in Corporate Bond 0.00 – – Auction Date Tenor (Days) Maturity Date Amount Current Rate /
Cut off RateC. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) I. Today’s Operations 1. Fixed Rate 2. Variable Rate& (I) Main Operation (a) Repo (b) Reverse Repo (II) Fine Tuning Operations (a) Repo Wed, 05/02/2025 1 Thu, 06/02/2025 21,180.00 6.51 (b) Reverse Repo 3. MSF# Wed, 05/02/2025 1 Thu, 06/02/2025 408.00 6.75 4. SDFΔ# Wed, 05/02/2025 1 Thu, 06/02/2025 1,47,577.00 6.25 5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]* -1,25,989.00 II. Outstanding Operations 1. Fixed Rate 2. Variable Rate& (I) Main Operation (a) Repo Fri, 24/01/2025 14 Fri, 07/02/2025 1,62,096.00 6.51 (b) Reverse Repo (II) Fine Tuning Operations (a) Repo (b) Reverse Repo 3. MSF# 4. SDFΔ# D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI$ 8,898.65 E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]* 1,70,994.65 F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]* 45,005.65 G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks (i) Cash balances with RBI as on February 05, 2025 8,73,788.42 (ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending February 07, 2025 9,12,544.00 H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on¥ February 05, 2025 21,180.00 I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on January 10, 2025 -40,102.00 @ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL). – Not Applicable / No Transaction. ** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor. @@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor. $ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI. & As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020. Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022. * Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF. ¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015. # As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023. Ajit Prasad
Deputy General Manager
(Communications)Press Release: 2024-2025/2083 -
MIL-Evening Report: Actor David Tennant has an extra toe. Two anatomists explain what’s so fascinating about polydactyly
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Meyer, Senior Lecturer, Anatomy and Pathology, James Cook University
A common anatomical variation is being born with more than ten fingers or more than ten toes.
Former Doctor Who actor David Tennant this week confirmed he has 11 toes. He says he was born with an extra toe on his right foot, meaning he has polydactyly.
Here’s how this anatomical variation occurs, and how common it really is.
Let’s start in the womb
The term polydactyly is derived from the Greek poly (meaning many) and dactyly (referring to fingers or toes or digits). To understand it, we need to start with how an embryo develops in the womb.
Developing hands and feet start as limb buds, which look like little flat paddles. But with polydactyly, an extra finger or toe grows from the limb bud.
Based on the research literature, about one in 700–1,000 people born have polydactyly. Having an extra finger on the side of your little finger or having an extra toe on the side of your little toe is the most common form.
If the extra digit doesn’t have bone, or has poor muscle connections to the hand or foot, it won’t work. So it is usually cut off or tied off with a suture (specialised medical string) straight after you are born.
This newborn baby has one of the most common form of polydactyly – an extra little finger.
Sergey Novikov/ShutterstockLess commonly, people are born with double thumb tips or an extra thumb. Seeing as we use our thumbs so often, an orthopaedic surgeon may need to remove the extra bones to improve use of the thumb.
The rarest type of polydactyly affects the fourth finger (ring finger) or the second toe (next to your big toe).
Does it run in families?
Ten known syndromes (groups of associated symptoms) are linked to polydactyly: Bardet-Biedl, McKusick-Kaufman, Carpenter, Saethre-Chotzen, Poland, Greig cephalosyndactyly, short-rib, Pallister-Hall, Triphalangeal thumb and Smith-Lemli-Opitz. Many of these are rare syndromes people are born with, usually affect the head and upper limbs, and will have been diagnosed by a paediatrician early in life.
If you have polydactyly and you don’t have one of those syndromes, it means you inherited a dominant mutated gene from your ancestors. In other words, one of your parents would have passed this on to you when you were conceived.
Tennant does not appear to have any of these syndromes. So we can probably presume he inherited a mutated copy of a gene related to his polydactyly from one of his parents.
How about webbed fingers and toes?
Another common anatomical variation is when people have fused or “webbed” fingers or toes, known as syndactyly. This term comes from syn (meaning together with) and dactyly (referring to fingers or toes).
Syndactyly also arises in the womb. When individual fingers and toes develop from the paddle-like limb buds, cells in between the growing fingers and toes have to die and disappear. But if the cells don’t die and disappear, they can cause webbing or fusing.
This child has webbed or fused fingers, known as syndactyly.
JorgeMRodrigues/ShutterstockBased on the medical literature, about one in 2,000–3,000 people born have syndactyly. So it’s about three times less common than polydactyly.
There are nine different types of syndactyly, and 11 syndromes associated with it. Eight of the syndromes are also associated with polydactyly. The other three are Apert and Pfeiffer syndromes, and acrocephalosyndactyly.
For most types of syndactyly you only have to inherit one mutated copy of the gene from one parent to get the variation.
American actor Ashton Kutcher looks to have syndactyly, with his skin fused to the first joint between his second and third toes.
In a nutshell
You might be surprised how common anatomical variations are in your fingers and toes, whether that’s having an extra digit, like Tennant, or fused ones, like Kutcher.
But these are just a few examples of the rich diversity of variation in our anatomy, some of which are visible, some not.
Read more:
A man lived to old age without knowing he may have had 3 penises
Amanda Meyer is affiliated with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists, the American Association for Anatomy, and the Global Neuroanatomy Network.
Alexandra Trollope does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Actor David Tennant has an extra toe. Two anatomists explain what’s so fascinating about polydactyly – https://theconversation.com/actor-david-tennant-has-an-extra-toe-two-anatomists-explain-whats-so-fascinating-about-polydactyly-249139
-
MIL-OSI China: Provinces help facilitate return of migrant workers
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
As China resumes full-scale operations after Spring Festival, authorities across the country are rolling out services to stabilize employment, with Guangdong province leading the way by organizing special trains and buses to help migrant workers return to work.
In January, Guangdong launched employment initiatives that will run through March, aimed at coordinating and providing services during the peak period of job changes before and after the eight-day holiday, which ended on Tuesday.
Various levels of human resources and social security authorities in the province plan to organize about 20 special high-speed trains to help migrant workers return to their workplaces.
Guangdong has more than 43 million migrant workers, including over 24 million from other provinces and regions, according to provincial human resources and social security authorities.
“I am satisfied with my current job and income in Guangdong,” said Tan Jinying, who has worked in the province for nine years.
A native of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Tan has actively participated in skills training, continuously enhancing her expertise and business capabilities.
Starting as a front-line operator in 2014, she has grown into a technical specialist responsible for quality control and inspection.
“The company I work for has accelerated its transformation and upgrading, with automation continuously improving, helping to enhance efficiency and improve the work environment,” she said.
Tan was among 600 migrant workers from Guangxi who returned to Guangzhou, Guangdong’s capital, on a chartered high-speed train on Monday.
To accelerate the development of a high-level talent hub, Guangdong aims to strengthen the talent base of its modern industrial system, said Huang Kunming, Party secretary of the province, at a high-quality development conference on Wednesday.
The province will implement a talent action plan this year, offering competitive salaries and positions to attract 1 million university graduates for employment and entrepreneurship.
Similar initiatives have been launched in many regions to ensure a smooth return to work and attract more talent. Chartered buses and trains have been heading to various destinations in recent days.
In Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, a large-scale job fair was held on Wednesday, with more than 300 companies offering over 8,000 job positions. The event also featured livestreamed company presentations, allowing job seekers to learn about corporate culture and work environments in real time.
Fang Jingtong, a 23-year-old university student in Changsha, Hunan province, expressed her desire to return to her hometown of Taiyuan after graduating in June.
“Shanxi, known for its rich cultural and tourism resources, offers opportunities for young people like me majoring in visual design,” she said.
The job fair featured positions in various sectors, including hardware design, marketing planning, operations management and new media, catering to diverse career interests.
“We hope to recruit more young people skilled in high and new technology,” said Yang Pu, a human resources manager at Foxconn’s Taiyuan Technology Industrial Park.
The industrial park, one of seven on the Chinese mainland built by Foxconn Technology Group, plans to hire more than 50 engineers, human resources specialists and college graduates. -
MIL-OSI China: China likely to achieve 5% growth this year
Source: China State Council Information Office
China is expected to maintain its annual economic growth target at around 5 percent for 2025, the same as last year’s goal, in a bid to shore up market expectations in the face of tepid domestic demand and rising trade protectionism, analysts and executives said.
The world’s second-largest economy has vowed to enhance countercyclical adjustments, including a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, and provide a strong underpinning for achieving its annual goals, they added.
Though China’s GDP target will only be officially disclosed during the National People’s Congress session in March, the anticipation for the unchanged growth target comes as China’s major economic hubs — like Beijing and Shanghai as well as the provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang — have announced GDP growth goals in the vicinity of 5 percent for the year.
Aside from Qinghai’s relatively lower target of around 4.5 percent, most other provincial-level regions have also set their growth goals at around 5 percent or slightly above 5 percent.
Notably, the Xizang autonomous region has set the most ambitious growth objective, targeting over 7 percent with an aim to reach 8 percent. Chongqing, along with the provinces of Hainan and Hubei as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, have set their growth goals at around 6 percent for this year.
“The country is expected to aim for a GDP expansion of around 5 percent, as China is committed to achieving the goal of doubling per capita GDP by 2035, which requires an implied growth rate of no less than 4.6 percent,” said Zhang Ming, deputy director of the Institute of Finance and Banking, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The growth target will also help boost confidence and expectations in the current context of relatively subdued sentiment and provides a framework for policymakers to coordinate resources, Zhang said.
Moreover, based on data from 2020 to 2024, every 1 percentage point increase in GDP has the potential to create around 2.61 million new urban jobs. A growth rate of around 5 percent could generate over 13 million new jobs, which would significantly alleviate employment pressure, said China Minsheng Bank.
Through ramping up the intensity of countercyclical adjustments, China can harness its underlying growth potential to meet its 5 percent GDP growth target for 2025, even in the face of potential economic headwinds, said Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank.
“With external demand likely to face trade barriers tipped by certain economies, China will need to direct its efforts toward unlocking the potential of domestic consumption as the main engine of economic growth,” Wen said.
China’s consumer goods trade-in programs, which have driven a more than 1 percentage point increase in the annual growth of the country’s total retail sales last year, are set to cover a broader range of consumer goods and offer even more attractive incentives in 2025.
“China is likely to double the funding for its consumer goods trade-in initiatives this year to 300 billion yuan ($41 billion),” said Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International.
This significant increase in funding is expected to drive a substantial boost in consumption, with Wang forecasting an additional 750 billion yuan in spending in 2025, equivalent to a 1.5 percentage point acceleration in the growth rate of the total retail sales of consumer goods.
China’s economic growth is poised to outshine the global average this year, underpinned by the dynamism of its innovation-driven private sector and the rapid expansion of future-oriented industries, said Ernesto Torres Cantu, head of international at Citi.
This dynamism in the private sphere is a key factor behind China’s robust economic performance and the positive sentiment surrounding Chinese companies, he said.
Meanwhile, such future-oriented industries as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, green energy and humanoid robots will keep driving the country’s growth forward for years to come, with their impact also being felt worldwide, he added.
-
MIL-OSI China: UN chief rejects ‘any form of ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza
Source: China State Council Information Office
Palestinian children are seen next to a tent that serves as a temporary shelter at the Al-Yarmouk stadium in Gaza City, on Feb. 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law and “avoid any form of ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday.
At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land, Guterres told a UN committee meeting.
“We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach. We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people,” he said in remarks at the 2025 session of the committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
“In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse,” Guterres warned. “It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
Guterres’ speech came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Palestinians will resettle elsewhere and the United States will take over and gain “long-term ownership position” in the war-torn enclave. But the UN chief didn’t mention Trump or his proposal during his address.
During the meeting, Guterres also called for a full ceasefire in Gaza following the first phase of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas.
“First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay,” he said. “We cannot go back to more death and destruction.”
Highlighting the importance of the two-state solution, the UN chief said, “A viable, sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability.”
Guterres also voiced his concern over the escalating situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “I am gravely concerned by rising violence by Israeli settlers and other violations,” he said.
The UN chief stressed the violence must stop, and international law must be respected, and accountability ensured.
Reiterating the UN’s full commitment to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Guterres called on the international community to work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
Trump floated his plan during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, suggesting that the United States could take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, which has sparked widespread defiance and condemnation.
At Wednesday’s noon briefing, when asked if Guterres believes Trump’s plan amounted to ethnic cleansing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, responded, “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
-
MIL-Evening Report: Unambitious and undermined: why NZ’s latest climate pledge lacks the crucial ‘good faith’ factor
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato
New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister Simon Watts speaking during the the recent climate summit in Azerbaijan. Sean Gallup/Getty Images The announcement of New Zealand’s new climate pledge under the Paris Agreement was met with sharp criticism last week.
The agreement commits nations to provide a new pledge, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) every five years. But it also requires each pledge to be a “progression beyond” the previous one.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand would commit to reducing emissions by 51-55% below 2005 levels by 2035, which is only 1-5% above the current NDC of a 50% cut by 2030.
Technically, the new NDC represents a progression, albeit the smallest possible one. It was criticised as underwhelming and unambitious to combat climate change, raising the question whether the coalition government has done enough to comply with its international obligations.
The commitments of each member nation should align with the Paris Agreement’s purpose to hold global average temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to keep it at 1.5°C.
But the agreement also requires that each country’s NDC reflects its “highest possible ambition, reflecting its common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances”.
Does the government’s announcement to step up emissions cuts by as little as 1% really represent New Zealand’s highest possible ambition in present circumstances?
In October last year, looking specifically at New Zealand’s potential domestic contribution to the new NDC, the Climate Change Commission advised that emissions cuts of 66% could be achieved without shrinking the economy.
This excludes potential additional cuts achieved through offshore mitigation – paying for overseas carbon credits or funding other countries to reduce their greenhouse emissions.
Clearly, deeper cuts are possible and there is room for significantly greater ambition.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit climate change impacts by holding temperature rise well below 2°C.
Fiona Goodall/Getty ImagesBare minimum commitment
Even if the new NDC meets a minimal requirement for compliance, it is difficult to see how it adheres to the purpose of the Paris Agreement and the level of ambition required.
New Zealand’s NDC falls short of the commitments offered by other comparable countries and even some developing nations, including the oil and gas producer Brazil, which pledged to cut its emissions by 59-67% by 2035.
International law has long been guided by the principle of pacta sunt servanda, which translates to “agreements must be kept”. The principle reminds parties to any agreement or convention that all international obligations should be fulfilled in good faith.
Viewing New Zealand’s new NDC in the context of other recent decisions, it seems the coalition government may be pursuing policies that could undermine climate action while pledging the bare minimum internationally. This would be difficult to characterise as a party acting in good faith.
Immediately following the new NDC announcement, Resources Minister Shane Jones unveiled New Zealand’s national minerals strategy, along with a list of critical minerals.
These documents support the government’s goal to double exports from the mineral sector by 2035.Despite reassurance in the strategy that minerals production will not come at the expense of our environment, it includes plans to scale up exports of metallurgical coal. But mining more of this coal, then burning it (usually in the process of steelmaking), will add to greenhouse gas emissions.
Wider concerns about the likely environmental damage and biodiversity loss linked with fast-tracked mining operations continue to be raised.
Meeting trade obligations
Last year’s decision to postpone the entry of agriculture into New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme without a robust alternative means that agricultural emissions continue to avoid effective regulation.
Even recent measures to allow increased road speed limits have been criticised for increasing greenhouse gas emissions as well as worsening air quality and reducing road safety.
Despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s claim to be “all about yes” even on climate change, such decisions are difficult to square with a responsible party to the Paris Agreement acting in good faith.
The Paris Agreement is clear that emissions pledges are not imposed but are to be determined nationally. The agreement itself lacks an enforcement mechanism, but recently agreed trade deals with the European Union and with the United Kingdom both contain binding and enforceable commitments to the agreement.
This is a reminder that trading partners are already monitoring New Zealand’s climate actions. Consumer attitudes and trade obligations might become a more powerful lever for climate action in the future. No government should ignore this.
As the US administration begins to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, now more than ever is the time for other countries to stay focused on its purpose and to match national commitments accordingly.
Without an NDC in line with the Paris goal, New Zealand’s government is not sending the right message to New Zealanders or to our trading partners and neighbours. It is failing to show international and regional leadership at a time when many Pacific nations are on the frontline of climate-related risk and damage.
Nathan Cooper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Unambitious and undermined: why NZ’s latest climate pledge lacks the crucial ‘good faith’ factor – https://theconversation.com/unambitious-and-undermined-why-nzs-latest-climate-pledge-lacks-the-crucial-good-faith-factor-248877
-
MIL-OSI Global: Palestinians have long resisted resettlement – Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza won’t change that
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Maha Nassar, Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference in the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should “take over” Gaza, displace its current population and turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” is unsettling – in both a literal and, to Palestinians, a very personal sense.
The remarks, which followed earlier comments in which the president expressed a desire to “clean out” Gaza, have been taken by some Middle East experts as a call to “ethnically cleanse” the strip of its 2.2 million Palestinian inhabitants. They worry that such talk will bolster the hopes of Israel’s far-right settlers and their supporters in government, who want to remove Palestinians from Gaza and build Jewish-only settlements on the enclave’s beachfront property.
Following Trump’s remarks, Riyad Mansour, Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, stated: “Our homeland is our homeland.” He added, “I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people.”
As a scholar of modern Palestinian history, I know that calls to remove the Palestinians from Gaza are not new – but neither is Palestinians’ determination to remain in their homeland. For almost 80 years, Palestinians in Gaza have resisted various proposals to displace them from the enclave. In fact, those plans have often spurred resistance to occupation and removal.
A people already uprooted
Most people in Gaza are the product of displacement in the first place.
In 1948, over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes when the state of Israel was established and a war between the new country and its Arab neighbors erupted.
These Palestinians became nationless refugees, placed under the care of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. In the Gaza Strip, the agency set up eight refugee camps to care for over 200,000 Palestinians who had been forced out of over 190 towns and villages.
Palestinian refugees are seen fleeing violence in 1948.
Bettman/Getty ImagesIn December 1948, the U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution 194 stipulating that “the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date.”
While Israeli leaders initially expressed a willingness to allow some refugees back, they rejected the refugees’ wholesale return. They argued that doing so would undermine Israel’s security and dilute its character as a “Jewish state.”
As such, Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, looked for ways to “motivate the refugees to move eastward” toward Jordan. He hoped that by moving refugees further away from Israel, they would be less likely to return.
At first, the United States called upon Israel to repatriate a substantial number of refugees. But with Israel consistently refusing to do so, leaders in Washington started turning to the idea of resettlement. They hoped that the promise of economic prosperity could induce large numbers of refugees to move to other Arab countries – and give up on the idea of returning home. For example, in 1953, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles drew up plans to resettle Palestinian refugees in Syria as part of a large water management project there.
Likewise in 1961, the recently formed U.S. Agency for International Development began funding an irrigation project in Jordan, bringing in Palestinian refugees to work as farmers. U.S. officials hoped that the refugees would start to identify as Jordanians, rather than as Palestinians, and agree to permanently resettle in Jordan.
But it did not work. A survey taken five years later found that the refugees still identified as Palestinians and wished to return to their homeland.
Rejecting resettlement
A further war between Israel and neighboring countries in 1967 resulted in Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which had been under Jordanian rule, as well as the Gaza Strip, which had been previously administered by Egypt.
It also sparked a renewed sense of Palestinian national identity, especially among younger generations who increasingly took up guerrilla-style tactics in a bid to force Israel, and the international community, to recognize their right to return.
In response, Israel looked to resettlement as a way to reduce the Palestinian population in territories it now occupied. In 1969, the Israeli government drew up secret plans to permanently transfer up to 60,000 Palestinians from Gaza to Paraguay. The scheme came to an abrupt halt when two Palestinians confronted the Israeli ambassador in Asunción about being brought to Paraguay under false pretenses.
Meanwhile, between 1967 and 1979, far-right Israeli Jewish settlers established seven settlements in Gaza. They hoped to see Palestinians removed from the strip so the land could be incorporated into their vision of a “greater Israel.”
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Israeli officials proposed various plans to remove refugees from the camps and resettle them elsewhere. This included a 1983 plan to dismantle refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territories and resettle their inhabitants in better housing in towns and cities.
But Palestinian refugees firmly rejected the offer because it would have required them to give up their refugee status and relinquish their right of return.
The Oslo negotiations of the 1990s rejected the notion of removing Palestinians from Gaza. In fact, keeping the refugees in Gaza was central to the premise of a two-state solution. At the same time, questions over the right of refugees to return to their original homelands in what is now Israel were shelved.
No money can ‘replace your homeland’
But with hopes of a two-state solution long since faded, resettlement plans have reemerged.
Shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas gunmen in Israel that sparked the widespread bombing and siege of Gaza, the Biden administration asked Congress to fund “the potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries.” The news outraged many Palestinians, who saw it as giving Israel a green light to carry out what many viewed as an attempt to ethnically cleanse Gaza.
In October 2024, far-right Jewish settlers gathered on the border of Gaza and called for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza that had been dismantled in 2005. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called upon Israel to “encourage emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza. He proposed telling the Palestinians there: “We’re giving you the option, leave to other countries, the Land of Israel is ours.”
Palestinians have responded with their feet. As soon the ceasefire went into effect on Jan. 19, 2025, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had been displaced to southern Gaza walked for hours to reach their homes in northern Gaza. Hundreds posted videos of cleaning out their damaged homes so they can live there once again.
The road to recovery in Gaza will be long. The U.N. estimates that rebuilding Gaza will cost US$50 billion and take at least 10 years.
I believe Palestinians want help rebuilding, not resettlement. Many of them have already vehemently rejected Trump’s call to move out. As one Palestinian told The Guardian newspaper: “We would rather die here than leave this land.” He insisted, “No amount of money in the world can replace your homeland.”
Resettlement schemes have a long history, yet Palestinians have thwarted them at every turn. There is no reason to think that this time will be any different.
Maha Nassar is affiliated with the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
– ref. Palestinians have long resisted resettlement – Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza won’t change that – https://theconversation.com/palestinians-have-long-resisted-resettlement-trumps-plan-to-clean-out-gaza-wont-change-that-249193
-
MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Votes NO On Advancing Trump’s Pick to Lead Commerce Department
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
02.05.25
Cantwell Votes NO On Advancing Trump’s Pick to Lead Commerce Department
Lutnick supports Trump’s tariffs & waffled on his commitment to allocate chips funding & preserve NOAA; In WA state, every 2 in 5 jobs are tied to trade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, voted against advancing Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce, to the full Senate for consideration.
In a committee markup today, Sen. Cantwell expressed her concerns with Lutnick’s support for President Trump’s proposed tariffs. She also pointed to Lutnick’s failure to commit to fully allocating the funds approved by Congress under the Cantwell-led CHIPS & Science Act, as well as his waffling on whether he’d protect NOAA – including NOAA’s crucial missions and functions, and the workforce delivering those services to the American people.
Sen. Cantwell had previously questioned Lutnick on these topics in a committee hearing last week – video of that hearing is HERE.
ON TRADE & TARIFFS
“Tariffs and trade wars are a major problem for my state, where two out of every five jobs are tied to trade-related industries,” Sen. Cantwell said in today’s committee meeting. “The Commerce [nominee] has said he’s advocating for the president’s policy [that] would cost my constituents $5 billion or more. We need a secretary that understands that these products and these issues need coalition building, not throwing down gauntlets that will lose jobs for my farmers.”
Yesterday, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the United States to repudiate the trade philosophy of Trump — whose proposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariff on goods from China would spark a trade war, drive up costs for American consumers, harm domestic businesses across hundreds of industries, and compromise the United States’ global leadership in the free trade ecosystem. A video of that speech is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and related industries. In 2023, the state imported $19.9 billion of goods from Canada – primarily oil, gas, lumber, and electrical power — making our northern neighbors Washington state’s largest trade partner. Also in 2023, the state imported $1.7 billion in goods from Mexico, including motor vehicles, vehicle parts, and household appliances. More information about how President Trump’s proposed tariffs will impact businesses and consumers in the State of Washington is HERE.
ON CHIPS & SCIENCE FUNDING
“Over the last four years, there has been much investment in infrastructure [for] manufacturing that this committee has supported. Semiconductor expansion — $450 billion right here in the United States, thanks to the CHIPS & Science Act — and Mr. Lutnick, in various answers to various members of the committee, did not give a full commitment to making sure this money continues to go out the door,” Sen. Cantwell said in today’s committee meeting.
Sen. Cantwell was the main architect and key negotiator of the CHIPS & Science Act. In her position as Commerce chair, she was instrumental in securing the science R&D funding authorizations in the 11th hour of negotiations. A key component of the legislation is the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program that was authored by Sen. Cantwell to strengthen U.S. economic and national security with investments in regions across the country. Earlier this month, the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) in Spokane was awarded $48 million from the program to establish the first-of-its-kind testbed facility in the United States focused on developing advanced thermoplastic materials – new types of lightweight, heat-moldable, and recyclable materials that can replace metal in aircraft parts. The AAMMC will serve as the nation’s hub for creating and testing these innovative materials that are essential for more rapidly building fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.
ON DISMANTLING NOAA
“[NOAA] makes up more than 60% of the Commerce budget. When asked for the record if NOAA should be dismantled, as called for in [Project 2025], Mr. Lutnick would only say, if confirmed, he would figure it out. Given how central NOAA is for providing accurate weather forecasting, managing our fisheries, protecting our fishermen from Russian and Chinese illegal fishing, I was looking for a stronger commitment,” Sen. Cantwell said today.
Project 2025 calls for NOAA to be “dismantled and many of its functions eliminated,” calling it part of the “climate change alarm industry.” NOAA provides critical services to the Nation including weather forecasts, extreme storm tracking and monitoring, tools to enable communities to adapt to sea level rise and climate change, supporting fisheries management, and conserving marine mammals and other protected species.
Sen. Cantwell is a champion of NOAA and helped secure $3.3 billion in NOAA investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, boost science needed to understand changing weather and climate patterns, and invest in advanced computer technologies that are critical for extreme weather prediction and emergency response. Her Fire Ready Nation Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen NOAA’s ability to help forecast, prevent, and fight wildfires, passed the Commerce committee unanimously today and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks on her Lutnick vote is HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.
-
MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Calls For Immediate Hearings on DOGE Treasury Access
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
02.05.25Cantwell Calls For Immediate Hearings on DOGE Treasury Access
Joins letter from 19 Senators to Republican leaders of Senate Finance, Senate Banking committees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined fellow members of the Senate Committee on Finance and of the Senate Banking Committee in sending a letter to Finance Chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Banking Chair Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), requesting immediate hearings about reports that officials associated with Elon Musk gained access to sensitive U.S. Treasury payment systems.
“The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion in annual payments to households, businesses and other entities nationwide,” the lawmakers write. “Putting this system in the hands of unaccountable political actors raises significant economic and national security risks.”
“We ask that the Finance Committee and Banking Committee swiftly schedule hearings to allow Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to answer critical questions about the risks posed by Musk and DOGE’s access to the Bureau of Fiscal Service’s payment systems,” the lawmakers conclude.
On Sunday, Sen. Cantwell released a statement regarding reports that Musk and his DOGE team had accessed these systems: “This threatens the privacy and funds owed to every American taxpayer and Social Security recipient. Congressional Republicans cannot continue to turn a blind eye as to how their own constituents’ private financial records are handled,” she said.
The full text of the letter is HERE and below:
Dear Chairman Crapo and Chairman Scott:
We write requesting that the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs immediately hold hearings to examine reports that officials associated with Elon Musk and the so-called U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) have gained access to systems that control payments to millions of American citizens, including Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds, and payments to small businesses.1 It is critical that the Senate understands this threat to the stability of a payment system that millions of Americans rely upon and that is critical to America’s global financial standing.
The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion in annual payments to households, businesses and other entities nationwide. These payment systems cover 87% of all federal payments and process more than a billion payments annually and are responsible for the distribution of Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, payments to federal employees and contractors, including competitors of Musk-owned companies, and thousands of other functions.
Putting this system in the hands of unaccountable political actors raises significant economic and national security risks. Information in these systems is critical to the Department’s management of the national debt. The takeover by Mr. Musk and his associates was achieved by engineering the ouster of a key official responsible for managing the extraordinary measures the Department has been taking to avoid a default. A misstep with these payment systems could lead to a technical default with a wide range of devastating consequences, from seniors missing Social Security payments to a global financial meltdown that costs trillions of dollars and millions of jobs.
Furthermore, granting access to Mr. Musk and his team – who may not have appropriate security clearances – access to this system risks exposing the sensitive tax and financial information of nearly every American. The Treasury payment system “includes sensitive personal information about the millions of Americans who receive Social Security checks, tax refunds and other payments from the federal government.” It is not clear why these individuals were granted unfettered access to such data, what they could do with it once inside the system, and what protections are in place to ensure the Department has been complying with its legal obligations under the Privacy Act, 26 U.S.C. 6103, as well as other statutes and Treasury regulations and policies that protect such sensitive information about millions of Americans.
Finally, we are deeply concerned that following the federal grant and loan freeze earlier this week, as well as Musk’s own comments on social media, officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments authorized by law, and to circumvent the court orders prohibiting that freeze from going into effect. We ask that the Finance Committee and Banking Committee swiftly schedule hearings to allow Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to answer critical questions about the risks posed by Musk and DOGE’s access to the Bureau of Fiscal Service’s payment systems.
Sincerely,
-
MIL-OSI Australia: Wollongong businesses encouraged to pursue growth opportunities in South East Asia
Source: New South Wales Government 2
Headline: Wollongong businesses encouraged to pursue growth opportunities in South East Asia
The huge trade potential of Wollongong and the wider Illawarra area will be the focus of the latest NSW Government ASEAN Market Update for NSW Businesses series being held in Wollongong today.
The updates provide local businesses with information about trends and export opportunities across Southeast Asian markets.
The ASEAN bloc is NSW’s second-largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods growing by more than nine per cent in the past year. Continued rapid growth is expected in sectors where NSW businesses excel, such as food and beverage, health, and the digital economy.
Held in partnership with Asialink Business, today’s session will bring together around 80 participants, including Wollongong businesses, industry groups, and diplomatic representatives from Southeast Asian nations, at iAccelerate within the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.
Speakers at the forum include NSW exporters who have already utilised Investment NSW’s export support services to build connections and drive export sales across Southeast Asia.
The NSW Government is focussed on promoting ASEAN market opportunities to NSW businesses, with the region expected to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2040.
The ASEAN Market Updates series, is supported by other initiatives led by Investment NSW to help small and medium businesses pursue international growth objectives in Southeast Asia and other important export markets around the globe.
In 2024/25, these include supporting cleantech companies to export to Malaysia and Singapore, and wine to be exported to Vietnam.
The ASEAN Market Updates series began with a session in Western Sydney last October and will continue in the coming months with events in the Northern Rivers, the Hunter and Wagga Wagga.
For more information on how the NSW Government supports business to export, visit Investment NSW: https://www.investment.nsw.gov.au/export/
Minister for Industry and Trade Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“The ASEAN region is entering a golden age, propelled by a young population, industrialisation and technological advances, which present significant opportunities for NSW exporters.
“ASEAN nations are actively pursuing economic growth, with an increasing focus on sustainable development, food and health resilience, the digital economy and skills.
“My ASEAN Market Updates series is all about unlocking the potential of NSW businesses to export and partner with Southeast Asia, where our two-way trade is worth $33.6 billion and continuing to grow.
“The attendance of so many senior ranking diplomats, including Ambassadors and Consuls General shows the international attractiveness of the NSW economy and is a big vote of confidence in the Illawarra region.”
Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast Ryan Park said:
“The Illawarra is home to innovative businesses with enormous export potential, and Southeast Asia presents a golden opportunity for growth.
“The NSW Government is here to support Wollongong businesses every step of the way to ensure they can compete and thrive on the global stage.”
Member for Wollongong Paul Scully said:
“I’m more than willing to take any opportunity to help sell Wollongong to the world.
“Wollongong has strong connections with the ASEAN region, but there remains enormous potential to take our trade and investment relationship to the next level.
“The University of Wollongong has opened three campuses across Malaysia and has several research partnerships, which is just one example of how we’re cultivating deeper connections with the ASEAN region.
“Today’s ASEAN Market Updates series is an important opportunity for our local businesses to learn more about this dynamic region and how exporting their products and services could turbocharge their growth.”
-
MIL-OSI: CERo Therapeutics Announces $5 Million Public Offering Priced At-The-Market Under Nasdaq Rules
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SOUTH SAN FRANSCISCO, Calif., Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., (Nasdaq: CERO) (“CERo” or the “Company”) an innovative immunotherapy company seeking to advance the next generation of engineered T cell therapeutics that employ phagocytic mechanisms, today announced the pricing of its “reasonable best efforts” public offering with participation from a member of the Company’s board and a single institutional investor for the purchase and sale of 2,551,020 shares of its common stock (or common stock equivalents in lieu thereof) and warrants to purchase up to 2,551,020 shares of common stock at a combined purchase price of $1.96 (the “Offering”). The warrants will have an exercise price of $1.96 per share, will be immediately exercisable upon stockholder approval and will expire 5 years from the initial exercise date.
The closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about February 7, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The gross proceeds from the Offering are expected to be approximately $5 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other estimated offering expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for advancement of our clinical programs and working capital and other general corporate purposes.
A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners is acting as sole placement agent for the Offering. Jones is acting as financial advisor for the Offering.
The securities described above are being offered pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-284007), previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which was declared effective on February 5, 2025. The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. Copies of the preliminary prospectus and, when available, copies of the final prospectus, relating to the Offering may be obtained on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov. Electronic copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained, when available, from A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, 590 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by telephone at (212) 624-2060, or by email at prospectus@allianceg.com.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
About CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
CERo is an innovative immunotherapy company advancing the development of next generation engineered T cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Its proprietary approach to T cell engineering, which enables it to integrate certain desirable characteristics of both innate and adaptive immunity into a single therapeutic construct, is designed to engage the body’s full immune repertoire to achieve optimized cancer therapy. This novel cellular immunotherapy platform is expected to redirect patient-derived T cells to eliminate tumors by building in engulfment pathways that employ phagocytic mechanisms to destroy cancer cells, creating what CERo refers to as Chimeric Engulfment Receptor T cells (“CER-T”). CERo believes the differentiated activity of CER-T cells will afford them greater therapeutic application than currently approved chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR-T”) cell therapy, as the use of CER-T may potentially span both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. CERo anticipates initiating clinical trials for its lead product candidate, CER-1236, in 2024 for hematological malignancies.
Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the expected Closing Date and use of proceeds of the Offering. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this communication, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When CERo discusses its strategies or plans, it is making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to, CERo’s management.
Actual results could differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this communication. Certain risks that could cause actual results to differ are set forth in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on April 2, 2024, and the documents incorporated by reference therein. The risks described in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can CERo assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements made by CERo or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. CERo undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact:
Chris Ehrlich
Chief Executive Officer
chris@cero.bioInvestors:
CORE IR
investors@cero.bio -
MIL-OSI Economics: Safe Access for Urban Mobility: Community-Led Approaches
Source: Asia Development Bank
The brief identifies challenges in urban mobility, including universal access, road safety, personal safety, and quality of service. Using community-led approaches, such as journey mapping, establishment of a community council, and dedicated focus groups, it shows that early and effective engagement throughout implementation helps identify potential issues and solutions, minimizing the need for major changes, complaints, or delays.
-
MIL-OSI Economics: Dynamic Impact of Foreign Exchange Trading Volume on Foreign Exchange Volatility
Source: Asia Development Bank
FX trading volume is a key factor in volatility. Estimation results from econometric models reveal a significant impact of third-party trade volumes on the volatilities of original currency pairs. Though the United States dollar (USD) exerts sizeable effect through third-party channels, currency pairs without USD linkages also have impact, calling renewed attention to using regional cooperation in mitigating volatility as compared with major FX trading partners.
-
MIL-OSI Security: Met seizes one thousand stolen phones in a week
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
The Met’s intensifying clampdown on the £50million-a-year trade in stolen phones has seen 230 people arrested in the space of a week and more than one thousand handsets seized.
Those responsible for the theft, handling, and onward criminal supply or exportation of smartphones were specifically targeted during a week of co-ordinated activity across London. It built on the work already being ramped up to tackle the scourge of phone thefts, and sets a new standard for how the Met will respond to the issue.
This includes intensified efforts to tackle phone thefts by increasing patrols and plain-clothed operations in hotspot areas, including the West End and Westminster, where nearly 40 per cent of phone thefts occur. At the same time, officers are using phone-tracking data and intelligence to pursue those handling stolen devices.
Such measures are proving successful and last year four members of a gang were sentenced to a combined 18 years after handling more than 5,000 stolen phones. They were tracked down by local Met officers after numerous victims reported their stolen phones being at the same location.
Later today (Thursday, 6 February), the Home Secretary will chair a summit with law enforcement bodies and industry focused on tackling smartphone thefts. One of the items that will be raised by the Met’s Deputy Commissioner, Dame Lynne Owens, will be strengthening security on phones so stolen devices cannot be easily resold. The Met wants to work with industry to prevent stolen phones from being able to re-connect to cloud services and make IMEI numbers accessible from the lock screen of all smartphones.
Commander Owain Richards, who is leading the Met’s response to phone thefts, said:
“We are seeing phone thefts on an industrial scale, fuelled by criminals making millions by being able to easily sell on stolen devices either here or abroad.
“By intensifying our efforts we’re catching more perpetrators and protecting people from having their phone stolen in the capital. But we need help from partners and industry to do more. That is why we’re working with other agencies and government to tackle the organised criminality driving this trade and calling on tech companies to make stolen phones unusable.”
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said:
“The Met is spearheading targeted police work to prevent and tackle mobile phone theft in our communities. Thanks to the hard work of officers and intervention work led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit, personal robbery is down 13 per cent in the capital compared to the same period last year. We continue to support the Met from City Hall with additional funding for neighbourhood policing.
“But there is more to do. As the criminal demand for high-value mobile phones continues to grow globally, the Mayor and I are clear that companies must go further and faster to make it harder for stolen phones to be sold on, repurposed and re-used illegally. We’ll continue to work with leading mobile phone companies, the Home Secretary and Met leaders to find innovative solutions to end the scourge of mobile phone crime.”
Increased patrols in Westminster saw 17 arrests for robbery and theft, following 42 Stop and Searches linked to the Met’s intensive activity. In Hackney and Haringey, officers made 15 arrests linked to the operation, including a 15-year-old boy on an illegal electric bike who was found with £1,000 in cash and a large knife.
The success in tackling phone thefts comes after the Met moved out of special measures last month, following major improvements in many areas of service to London. These include responding more quickly to emergencies and strengthening neighbourhood policing to better respond to communities’ concerns, including tackling theft and robberies.
The Met is urging anyone who has lost or had stolen a phone to use the national mobile phone register so recovered handsets can be restored, via The Police National Mobile Property Register – NMPR.
Phone users should take simple steps to further protect themselves from fraud, by ensuring they have a strong password, two-factor authentication and turning off message previews so thieves cannot see any messages about reset or log-in codes when phones are locked. They should also write down and safely store their IMEI number.
Inspectorate recognises progress on Met’s mission to deliver for London
Improvements made by the Met which were recognised by inspectors as it came out of special measures, include:
We are responding more quickly to emergencies. Last year our dedicated staff and officers in MetCC responded to 4,660,891 contacts, of which 2,394,416 were 999 calls, 1,279,552 were 101 calls and 988,923 were digital contacts. The per cent of 999 calls answered within 10 seconds for 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 was 86.2 per cent compared to 77.6 per cent the previous calendar year – with January 2024 reaching 90.9 per cent.
We have trained 8000 officers in the identification of child exploitation, launched a new Children’s Strategy and significantly increased the number of officers in our child exploitation teams.
We have put hundreds more officers in our domestic assault and rape and sexual offence teams, doubled the number of charges for rape and sexual offences and tripled the numbers in our nationally recognised Stalking Threat Assessment Centre.
Our new neighbourhood policing model has been bolstered by an additional 500 staff ranging from Superintendent to PCSO, working closer than ever with communities to understand their concerns.
The full focus of the entire organisation remains on delivering the commitments made to London – More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards.
-
MIL-Evening Report: What is callisthenics? And how does it compare to running or lifting weights?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandy Hagstrom, Senior Lecturer, Exercise Physiology. School of Health Sciences, UNSW Sydney
Callisthenics is a type of training where you do bodyweight exercises to build strength. It’s versatile, low cost, and easy to start.
Classic callisthenics moves include:
- push ups
- bodyweight squats
- chin ups
- burpees
- lunges using only your bodyweight.
Advanced callisthenics includes movements like muscle-ups (where you pull yourself above a bar) and flagpole holds (where you hold yourself perpendicular to a pole).
In callisthenics, you often do a lot of repetitions (or “reps”) of these sorts of moves, which is what can make it a hybrid strength and cardio workout. In the gym, by contrast, many people take the approach of “lifting heavy” but doing fewer reps to build serious strength.
Traditionally, callisthenics was more of a muscle sculpting, strength-based work out. It is reportedly based on techniques used by ancient Greek soldiers.
The Oxford Dictionary says the term callisthenics – which is said to be based on the Greek word κάλλος or kállos (meaning beauty) and σθένος or sthenos (meaning strength) – first started showing up in popular discourse the early 1800s.
Callisthenics is often associated with high intensity interval training (HIIT) routines, where jumping, skipping or burpees are combined with bodyweight strength-building exercises such as push ups and body weight squats (often for many reps).
Callisthenics exercises draw on your natural movement; when children climb on monkey bars and jump between pieces of play equipment, they’re basically doing callisthenics.
When children climb on monkey bars, they’re doing callisthenics exercises.
wavebreakmedia/ShutterstockWhat are the benefits of callisthenics?
It all depends on how you do callisthenics; what you put in will dictate what you get out.
When exercise programs combine resistance training (such as lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises) and aerobic exercise, the result is better health and a reduced likelihood of death from a variety of different causes.
Callisthenics provide a low cost, time efficient way of exercising this way.
With improvements in body composition, muscular strength, and posture, it’s easy to see why it’s become a popular way to train.
Research has also shown callisthenics is better at reducing body fat and controlling blood sugar for people with diabetes when compared to pilates.
Research has also shown doing callisthenics can reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass in soccer players, although this research does not compare the benefits between different exercise program types.
That means we don’t know if callisthenics is better than other traditional forms of exercise – just that it does more than nothing.
Callisthenics provide a low cost, time efficient way of exercising.
pedro7merino/ShutterstockWhat are the potential drawbacks?
With callisthenics, it can be hard to progress past a certain point. If your goal is to get really big muscles, it may be hard to get there with callisthenics alone. It would likely be simpler for most people to gain muscle in a gym using traditional methods such as machine and free weights with a combination of various sets and reps.
If you want to progress in the gym, you can increase your dumbbells by small increments, such as 1kg. In callisthenics, however, you may find the jump from one exercise to the next too big to achieve. You risk a plateau in your training without some challenging work-arounds.
Another advantage of traditional strength training with bands, machines, or free weights is that it also increases flexibility and range of motion.
However, 2023 research found “no significant range of motion improvement with resistance training using only body mass.” So, given its focus on bodyweight exercises, it seems unlikely callisthenics alone would significantly improve your flexibility and range of motion.
Unfortunately, there is no long-term research examining the benefits of callisthenics in direct comparison to traditional aerobic training or resistance training.
Is callisthenics for me?
Well, that depends on your goal.
If you want to get really strong, lift heavy.
If you want to increase your muscle mass, try lifting near to the point of “failure”. That means lifting a weight to the point where you feel that you are close to fatigue, or close to the point that you may need to stop. The key here is that you don’t have to get to the point of failure to achieve muscle growth – but you do have to put in sufficient effort.
If you want to get lean, focus first on nutrition, and then understand that either cardio, lifting or both can help.
What if you’re time poor, or don’t have a gym membership? Well, callisthenics exercises offer some of the cardio benefits of a run, and some of the muscular benefits of a lifting session, all tied up in one neat package.
It can be a great holiday workout at a local park or playground, on public outdoor exercise equipment, or even on the deck of a holiday rental.
But, as with all exercise, there are potential benefits and limitations of callisthenics.
Callisthenics has its place, but, for most, it’s likely best used as just one part of a well-rounded training routine.
Mandy Hagstrom is affiliated with Sports Oracle, a company that delivers the IOC diploma in Strength and Conditioning.
Justin Keogh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. What is callisthenics? And how does it compare to running or lifting weights? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-callisthenics-and-how-does-it-compare-to-running-or-lifting-weights-246326
-
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Musk Takeover of Treasury Payment Systems
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
***VIDEO HERE***
Murray: “The richest man in the world is taking over the Treasury in the name of fighting corruption? The irony is almost as rich as Musk himself.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is helping lead Senate Democrats in holding the Senate floor for a full 30 hours ahead of a final confirmation vote on Russell Vought to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
As Senator Murray delivered an hour-long floor speech on the Senate floor, she also specifically discussed how Elon Musk, like Vought, is working to illegal block funds and cut programs families rely on—including by gaining alarming access to sensitive financial systems:
“This is not Silicon Valley—where you can just ‘move fast and break things.’ When you break things here—people don’t get health care, people don’t get Social Security checks, people don’t get crucial warnings and lifesaving information.
“And anyone who thinks—’well, that surely won’t happen’—has not been paying attention. Because just this week, Elon Musk and Donald Trump put Americans in danger.
“We have citizens in dangerous corners of the world who were suddenly locked out of their emails and cut off from an app that is meant to help address threats like kidnapping—so no one should be shrugging this off and just saying ‘well what’s the worst that could happen.’ Because this can get really, really bad really, really fast.
“And if anyone is thinking ‘well it’s okay, we have guardrails, we have laws’—make no mistake, even though Trump and Musk have absolutely zero legal authority to hold up any federal payments that are law, that has not stopped them so far.“As we’ve seen—they are already halting other funds illegally, they are already firing government watchdogs and officials left and right, regardless of our laws. They are already putting forward blatantly unconstitutional executive orders.
“The fact of the matter is—Trump and Musk have yet to find a law they think applies to them. They think because they are rich and powerful, they get to call all the shots—regardless of the courts and Congress. But that’s just not how things work in this country. Billionaires are not above the law. Neither are Presidents.”
The full text of Senator Murray’s remarks on Elon Musk can be found below, and video can be found HERE.
“And, M. President, I know we are discussing the Vought nomination now, but I want to talk about someone who has not been nominated to anything, he’s not been elected to anything, and yet he is serving as de facto Co-President—Elon Musk. Arguably he is more important and more influential than the elected sitting President. And he has proven himself in lock-step with Russ Vought, who we are voting on tomorrow, when it comes to slashing programs that matter to American families and ignoring the laws of our nation.
“In recent days, Musk has been busy illegally shuttering USAID and cutting off foreign assistance programs—which, as I’ve said, will lose jobs for Americans, lose lives in countries around the world, and lose leadership as adversaries like China fill the gap.
“Shockingly, Musk has even had people fired for denying his lackeys classified resources that they had no authority to access. And last weekend, we all learned Elon Musk essentially commandeered access to the Treasury Department’s most sensitive payment system handling six trillion dollars every year and managing nearly all of our federal disbursements.“It’s a system that contains extremely sensitive personal and commercial information and I’ve been hearing from people across my state who are truly alarmed about what Musk and his associates having access to this system could mean for their data—and for funding that they count on.
“Let’s not mince words here: an unelected, unaccountable billionaire—with expansive conflicts of interest, deep ties to China, and an indiscreet axe to grind against perceived enemies—is hijacking our nation’s most sensitive financial data system and its checkbook. So that he can illegally block funds to our constituents based on the slightest whim or wildest conspiracy. Funds—mind you—that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, passed.
“Some Republicans are trying to suggest that Musk only has ‘viewing access’ to Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system as if that’s acceptable either! But why on earth should we believe that? Particularly when Musk himself is saying the exact opposite loudly and repeatedly for everyone to hear.
“What funds will Elon target next—life saving medical research? Homelessness assistance? Food banks? We already know he is falsely attacking faith-based organizations that help folks—and promising to cut off funds based on conspiracy theories. In other words: the world’s richest man has vowed to cut off funding that helps the least among us. Think about that.
“And next—think about how many dollars he himself makes from government contracts. I mean, seriously: the richest man in the world, with countless government contracts, and ties to our adversaries is taking over the Treasury in the name of fighting corruption? The irony is almost as rich as Musk himself.
“And let me underscore, M. President, just how dangerous this is—because now that Trump has handed over Treasury’s checkbook—what if Elon decides he doesn’t like how Rivian is getting federal funds to build an EV manufacturing facility, so what next?
“All Elon has to do is say they’re ‘woke,’ and he can convince Trump to illegally cut off those funds? Is that how this works now?
“Maybe Elon will decide he doesn’t like that Blue Origin—and not SpaceX—gets a contract, so he wants to gum up the works on their payments. Is that how this works?
“Maybe Elon decides he wants to get into electronic health systems—and maybe he wants to punish hospital systems that don’t take him up on whatever he’s selling. Private corporations and competitors need to take note—the potential for abuse and corruption by Elon, especially considering his track record, is pretty much limitless.
“And it is not just Treasury—Musk and his henchman are launching a full-scale invasion of sensitive data systems across government. We are talking about the Small Business Administration. We are talking about NOAA. We are talking about Medicare. The reporting is now clear they are not just looking either—they are directly making changes to some of those critical systems.
“This is not Silicon Valley—where you can just ‘move fast and break things.’ When you break things here—people don’t get their health care, they don’t get their Social Security checks, they don’t get crucial warnings and lifesaving information.
“And anyone who thinks—’well, that surely won’t happen’—has not been paying attention. Because just this week, Elon Musk and Donald Trump put Americans in danger.
“We have citizens in dangerous corners of the world who were suddenly locked out of their emails and they were cut off from an app that is meant to help address threats like kidnapping—so no one should be shrugging this off and just saying ‘well what’s the worst that could happen.’ Because this can get really, really bad really, really fast.
“And if anyone is thinking ‘well it’s okay, we have guardrails, we have laws’—make no mistake, even though Trump and Musk have absolutely zero legal authority to hold up any federal payments that are law, this has not stopped them so far.
“As we’ve seen—they are already halting other funds illegally, they are already firing government watchdogs and officials left and right, regardless of our laws. They are already putting forward blatantly unconstitutional executive orders.
“The fact of the matter is—Trump and Musk have yet to find a law they think applies to them. They think because they are rich and powerful, they get to call all the shots—regardless of the courts, regardless of Congress. That is just not how things work in this country.
“Billionaires are not above the law. Neither are Presidents. We do not have a monarchy, where a President is king. We do not have an oligarchy, where the richest people get the largest say. We, in this country, have a democracy—if we can keep it—where each citizen has a vote. We have checks and balances—where the President is accountable to the Congress and to the people, where he has to follow the laws we pass.
“But some of my colleagues across the aisle seem to be forgetting that our democracy does not work by magic. We have to do our part, our part here to hold Presidents accountable. Our job is not to say ‘yes’ to everything the President does—no matter how lawless or harmful. Our job is not to shrug our shoulders or cover our eyes. It is to fight for the people who sent us here—and to defend the Constitution.
“So Democrats will be pushing back with the tools we have—we will speak out, we will press this administration, we will open investigations, and we will demand accountability—but one tool we do not have is a majority in Congress. So that means, M. President, our Republican colleagues have to say ‘enough.’ We need them to join us. We need them to stand up to the corruption and lawlessness and stand up for the people they represent.
-
MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Blackburn Introduce SHOW UP Act to Get Federal Employees Back in the Office, Prevent Future Lax Telework Policies
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in introducing the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act to return federal employees to in-person work.
The legislation would require government agencies to reinstate their pre-COVID-19 telework policies and direct agency heads to submit to Congress a report on the adverse impacts of agencies’ expansion of telework policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also prevent federal agencies from permanently expanding telework without submitting to Congress details on how its proposed remote work policies would bolster agency mission performance.
“Iowans show up for work every day, and federal agency staff need to be doing the same. The pandemic has passed, and now it’s high time to dismantle unacceptable post-COVID-19 telework policies that have led to insufficient service for the American people. We need to get the rest of the government back in the office and back to work now,” Grassley said.
Additional cosponsors are Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).
Read the bill text HERE.
Download video of Grassley discussing the legislation HERE.
Background:
In 2022, Grassley joined Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to introduce the Return Employees To Understaffed Worksites to Reopen Now (RETURN) Act. The bill directs federal agencies to submit a comprehensive plan to resume in-person operations and address constituents’ concerns about federal government services.
In a letter to heads of the office of Personnel Management (OPM), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the senators demanded answers regarding plans to bring federal workers back to the office.
At a Senate Finance Committee hearing last May, Grassley pressed Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O’Malley on how SSA’s persistent telework policies were impacting the agency’s ability to provide services for seniors.
