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Category: Business

  • MIL-OSI Banking: IMCA Member Survey 2025 – the results are in!

    Source: International Marine Contractors Association – IMCA

    Headline: IMCA Member Survey 2025 – the results are in!

    IMCA is committed to continuously improving the value we provide to our Members.

    This is why we launched our IMCA Member Survey in March to hear your views about IMCA, and the value you get from IMCA membership.

    This feedback is essential to help us shape our future initiatives, to refine the benefits of IMCA membership, and ensure IMCA continues to deliver the value that you need.

    So, thank-you to everyone who filled in the survey. Your input has given us a wealth of data and insights covering every aspect of our work.

    While we continue to analyse the results, we want to share a few of the headline findings, and to let you know about some new initiatives we are introducing in response to your feedback.

    •  Some Members told us that they found it hard to make the most of their IMCA Membership, either because they weren’t sure how, or because they didn’t have the time. Members also told us that they struggled to attend IMCA’s in-person events. We have launched a new series of online IMCA Member briefings to help Members understand and access the benefits of IMCA Membership, and we will explore other ways of making our events more accessible in 2026.
    • Just one-third of IMCA Members are aware of IMCA’s advocacy work on behalf of the marine contracting sector – with the International Maritime Organization, with the European Union, and with national governments and regulators. We will step up our communication of this work, and will launch a new Advocacy Hub on the IMCA website to share news and resources from our campaigns.
    • Members gave us excellent feedback on new services that IMCA could introduce to serve its Members, and key industry issues that IMCA should focus on over the next two to three years. These areas included training and continuing professional development, attracting the next generation of talent to join our industry, guidance on meeting new environmental regulations, and supporting Members as they implement AI and new technology in their operations. We will feed these insights into the development of IMCA’s new strategy, which will be launched at the end of this year.

    We will publish a more detailed report on the results of the Member Survey, and the actions we are taking in response, as part of our Annual Impact Report, which will be published this Autumn. 

    IMCA Member survey headline results

    Who did we hear from?

    We received survey responses from 525 people working for 272 Member businesses and organisations. The responses from different regions, different types of Member (contractor, supplier, etc), and from different divisions (marine, diving, etc) was in proportion with IMCA’s global membership, making this a strong, representative sample.

    • This is good, but we want to do even better in 2026. We aim to engage with every one of our 800+ Member companies next year – through our annual IMCA Member Survey, through more frequent and targeted ‘pulse’ surveys, by making our events more accessible, and by expanding our network of regional experts and Member engagement directors.

    More than 85% of respondents said they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their company’s IMCA Membership.

    We asked Members to say, on a scale of one to 10, how likely they would be to recommend IMCA membership to a colleague. The results gave us an average score of 8.5 out of 10, and a ‘net promoter score’ of 46.1

    • These are very strong results, and demonstrate the value of IMCA Membership across our different divisions and areas of work. However, we are not complacent, and using the insights contained in this Member survey we aim to improve on these numbers in 2026.

    Diving Equipment Manufacturer, Middle East & India

    IMCA is influential because it plays a central role in shaping industry standards, promoting safety, and guiding best practices across the global marine contracting and diving community. Its guidelines are widely respected and adopted, giving contractors and operators a common framework to work within. IMCA’s influence extends beyond documentation – it creates a platform for collaboration, drives regulatory conversations, and brings stakeholders together to elevate operational quality and safety. For many of us in the industry, IMCA is a benchmark for compliance, credibility, and continuous improvement.

    Which Member benefits do IMCA Members value the most?

    Benefit of IMCA Membership

    Average score (/10)

    Access to IMCA’s technical guidance, information notes, and codes of practice

    9.0

    Safety flashes and statistics

    9.0

    Briefings on legal, policy, and regulatory topics

    8.3

    The opportunity to attend IMCA events and technical seminars

    8.0

    IMCA’s advocacy with energy companies, governments, regulators, and the International Maritime Organization

    8.0

    The opportunity to support IMCA’s work, including through IMCA Committees and Working Groups

    8.0

    Networking and business development

    7.8

    Dynamic Positioning practitioner assessment and diving supervisor CPD (continuous professional development)

    7.5

    Running the eCMID vessel auditing system

    7.0

    The publication and sale of logbooks for key offshore personnel

    6.8

    The certification of diving-related supervisory roles

    6.5

    We asked Members to rate the importance of IMCA Member benefits by giving each benefit a score of between one and 10. We were pleased to see that Members valued our core services – our industry-leading technical library, our focus on driving improvements in safety at work, our program of technical seminars and regional events, and our advocacy work on legal, policy, and regulatory issues – most highly. None of this work would be possible without the support, time, and expertise of our Members, whether through volunteering on IMCA Committees or Working Groups, or submitting data and incidents to us to support the safety of the offshore sector as a whole.

    “IMCA has a proven pedigree in representing all areas of the offshore Energy contractor base to establish harmonised working practices and the sharing of information.” – Contractor, Europe

    Where can we do better?

    While 71% of Members said they felt involved with IMCA, 19% did not. Barriers to greater engagement were lack of time, the location of IMCA events, and because Members did not know how to get involved.

    To help address these challenges, we have launched a new series of online IMCA Member briefings to help Members understand and access the benefits of IMCA Membership, and we will explore other ways of making our events more accessible in 2026.

    “A vital association which helps to maintain specific safe working standards with a considerable variety of documentation support” – Diving Company, South America

    While one-third of Members were aware of IMCA’s advocacy work on behalf of the marine contracting sector – with the International Maritime Organization, with the European Union, and with national governments and regulators – 41% were either mostly or completely unaware.

    • We will step up our communication of this work, and will launch a new Advocacy Hub on the IMCA website to share news and resources from our campaigns.

    “IMCA sets Industry best practices for its members and the marine industry as a whole, which is also seen as best practice by global regulators.” – ROV supplier, Europe 

    For further information on the IMCA Member Survey please contact IMCA’s Membership Services Group at membership@imca-int.com.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: Lotlinx Wins “LLM Innovation Award” in 2025 Artificial Intelligence Breakthrough Awards Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DETROIT, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lotlinx, the auto industry’s leading VIN-specific data company for dealership inventory management, today announced that its advanced generative AI inventory and pricing management solution has been selected as winner of the “LLM Innovation Award” in the 8th annual AI Breakthrough Awards program conducted by AI Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) market today.

    As the auto retail industry faces increasing challenges in inventory management, pricing optimization, and market adaptability—particularly in light of automotive tariffs that directly impact vehicle costs and dealership profitability—dealers are seeking new ways to navigate complex pricing environments. Tariffs and economic pressures are driving up the price of imported vehicles and parts, squeezing profit margins, shifting consumer demand, and requiring real-time recalibration of inventory strategies.

    While many dealerships strive to enhance profitability through data-driven decision-making, traditional inventory and pricing management solutions often rely on static reports and historical data, leaving dealers reactive rather than proactive. These outdated tools fail to capture and analyze the dynamic factors affecting vehicle pricing, such as tariffs, economic conditions, competitor activity, and regional demand fluctuations. As a result, dealers risk overpricing or underpricing vehicles, leading to lost revenue opportunities, inventory stagnation, and eroded margins.

    Lotlinx’s advanced Vertical AI solution addresses these challenges by leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) and Agentic AI to analyze millions of data points per vehicle in real time, delivering region-specific, data-backed recommendations tailored to the dealer’s unique market conditions.

    At its core is the Agentic AI-powered virtual assistant, designed as a Virtual Internet Sales Manager that understands complex inventory and pricing scenarios and provides intelligent, automated guidance. After analyzing vehicle performance within the local market, the assistant suggests proactive actions, including strategic pricing adjustments, competitive positioning, follow-up reminders, and demand-based inventory alerts. The intelligent system continuously monitors sales velocity, market conditions, and pricing trends down to the zip code level.

    By seamlessly integrating into dealership workflows, the solution ensures that data-backed insights are immediately actionable, eliminating guesswork and enabling dealers to proactively optimize inventory and pricing strategies. In addition, the solution also delivers real-time interpretation and automated recommendations for active, strategic decision-making.

    “We’re thrilled to accept this award from AI Breakthrough. The strength of our AI technology is that it gives control back to dealers through an automated, proactive approach that helps them maintain profitability in an era where external economic forces add layers of complexity to pricing and inventory strategies,” said Len Short, Executive Chairman of Lotlinx. “By equipping dealers with a powerful, AI-driven inventory and pricing management system, we are modernizing the auto retail industry with predictive decision-making capabilities that drive efficiency, profitability, and strategic agility in an increasingly volatile market.”

    The AI Breakthrough Awards shine a spotlight on the boldest innovators and most impactful technologies leading the charge in AI across a comprehensive set of categories, including Generative AI, Computer Vision, AIOps, Agentic AI, Robotics, Natural Language Processing, industry-specific AI applications and many more. This year’s program attracted more than 5,000 nominations from over 20 different countries throughout the world, underscoring the explosive growth and global importance of AI as a defining technology of the 21st century.

    “Lotlinx’s solution provides forward-looking, AI-driven insights that help dealers adapt to the always changing economic and regulatory landscape. Traditional inventory and pricing solutions don’t capture and analyze dynamic factors like tariffs, economic conditions, competitor activity, and fluctuating regional demand, leaving dealers to struggle with pricing vehicles competitively, inventory strategy, and adjusting to rapid market changes,” said Steve Johansson, managing director, AI Breakthrough. “This technology ensures that dealerships are no longer constrained by outdated, reactive management strategies but instead gain access to an intelligent, automated partner that enhances decision-making, boosts profitability, and streamlines operations. We’re pleased to recognize Lotlinx with the ‘LLM Innovation Award!’”

    About Lotlinx
    Founded in 2012 and based out of Peterborough, New Hampshire, Lotlinx is the automotive industry leader in VIN-specific data solutions for inventory risk management. The Lotlinx platform provides automobile dealers and manufacturers with enhanced operational control over their retail business. Leveraging state-of-the-art real-time data and machine learning technology, Lotlinx provides a precision retailing solution that enables dealers to automatically adapt to market dynamics, mitigating inventory risk through VIN-specific strategies. To learn more about Lotlinx, please visit www.lotlinx.com. 

    About AI Breakthrough
    Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AI Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in Artificial Intelligence technologies, services, companies, and products. The AI Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of AI companies and products in categories including Generative AI, Machine Learning, AI Platforms, Robotics, Business Intelligence, AI Hardware, Computer Vision and more. For more information visit AIBreakthroughAwards.com.

    Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Energy Education Foundation Talks to DC Mag about New “Mobile Educational Experience” for Students

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: Energy Education Foundation Talks to DC Mag about New “Mobile Educational Experience” for Students

    On 18 June, the Energy Education Foundation (EEF) held a “sneak peek” event at Transocean’s Houston facility showcasing the EnergyXP project, which centers on the development of a “mobile educational experience” for students across the U.S. A modified van, which is set to be fully functional this fall, will be outfitted with tablets and other learning devices that will teach students about the science of energy and the ways in which energy interacts with their everyday lives.

    In this video taken from the event, DC spoke with Fernando Hinojosa, Director of Education and Museum Ops at the EEF, about the EnergyXP project, as well as Mitchell Massey, Senior Strategist at 900 Lbs of Creative, the design agency that collaborated with EEF on the content development. Mr Hinojosa talked about the EEF’s motivation to bolster energy education, while Mr Massey talked about some of the technologies that will be installed in the EnergyXP van and the interactive learning experiences being designed.

    View the video:

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Launches 100x Leverage, 100% Deposit Bonus, No slippage, No Spread- No KYC Required

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BexBack, a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform, is offering an unbeatable opportunity for traders with 100x leverage, a 100% deposit bonus, and a $50 welcome bonus, with no KYC required. This platform is designed to help traders take advantage of the ongoing volatility in the cryptocurrency market and maximize their potential returns.

    Why Choose BexBack?

    • 100x Leverage: Amplify your potential profits by trading with leverage. For example, a 1 BTC deposit could allow you to trade 100 BTC.
    • 100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds with a 100% deposit bonus. Use this bonus to increase your trading position and potential profits.
    • No KYC: Start trading immediately with no complex identity verification processes.
    • $50 Welcome Bonus: Available after depositing more than 100 USDT or 0.001 BTC and completing a transaction.
    • Fast and Easy Trading: No slippage, no spread, and fast execution make BexBack a top choice for experienced and new traders alike.

    Why BexBack Stands Out

    • Global Presence: With offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, BexBack is trusted by over 500,000 traders globally.
    • Secure and Efficient: BexBack is licensed as a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) and offers 24/7 multilingual support.
    • Comprehensive Trading Options: Trade more than 50 digital assets, including BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, and XRP, all with up to 100x leverage.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Out!

    If you missed the previous bull run, don’t let this opportunity slip by. Sign up on BexBack now to unlock the full potential of 100x leverage, the 100% deposit bonus, and the $50 welcome bonus. Start trading today and capitalize on the market’s volatility.

    Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers!

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8ed431c-25b9-46ae-a2ee-65c36e031bd0

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/675ce4ac-e620-4bc9-8c55-9a9d7845f337

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72d43599-bef1-449a-b7e2-bd15d60ff442

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf8b6872-16b1-40f3-93eb-47760cd7446b

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: IADC Lexicon Featured Term for July 2025

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: IADC Lexicon Featured Term for July 2025

    The IADC Lexicon is an oil and gas dictionary of upstream-related terms, which, unlike conventional glossaries, are official definitions drawn from legislation, regulation and regulatory guidance, standards (global, national and regional), IADC guidelines, and Well Control Institute. Terms often have multiple definitions from different sources.

    This month’s featured term is:

    Redundancy Design Intent

    High level description of systems and components distribution into redundant groups (e.g. narrative description of both the normal operation mode and the failed operation mode).

    Source: Offshore Gangways, DNVGL-ST-0358, DNV GL, September 2017. Global Standards

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: I’m a statistics professor who became embroiled in the world of online chess drama

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jeffrey S. Rosenthal, Professor of Statistics, University of Toronto

    As a mild-mannered statistics professor, it’s not often that I get
    contacted directly by the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, much less regarding allegations of cheating and malfeasance among world champions.

    But that’s precisely what happened last summer. Erik Allebest, CEO of the world’s largest online chess site, Chess.com, asked me to investigate former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik’s concerns about the long winning streaks of top player Hikaru Nakamura.

    Kramnik argued that these streaks had very low probability and were therefore very suspicious and “interesting.” He didn’t quite accuse Hikaru of cheating, but the implication was clear. Feelings were running high, with Kramnik’s supporters posting angry comments (often in Russian) about cheating as many Chess.com players and Hikaru partisans dismissed the accusations.

    Who was right? Who was wrong? Who could say?

    Allebest asked me to conduct an independent, unbiased statistical analysis to see just how unlikely those chess winning streaks actually were.

    Now, I am no stranger to public statistical disputes, having published a
    best-selling book about everyday probabilities and conducted the statistical analysis for the high-profile lottery retailer scandal. But could statistical analysis really help to clarify this simmering controversy on the world’s biggest chess stage?

    Statistician Jeffrey Rosenthal responds to questions about statistics for WIRED in a video that has received 2.4 million views since February 2022.

    Calculating probabilities

    To sort this out, I first had to calculate the probability of each player winning or tying each game. Different players can have very different abilities, and more advanced players have a greater chance of defeating less experienced opponents. But just how great?

    Chess.com assigns a chess rating to each player after each game, and these ratings were shared with me. My analysis suggested that a certain logistic — or s-shaped — curve function provided an accurate estimate of each game’s probabilities.

    Furthermore, deviations from this probability in successive game results were approximately independent, so the influence of one game on the next could be safely ignored. This gave me a clear probability of each player winning each game.

    I could then analyze those winning streaks that had provoked so much ire. It turned out that Hikaru, unlike most other top players, had played lots of games against much weaker players. This gave him a very high probability of winning each game. But even so, should he have such long winning streaks, sometimes more than 100 games in a row?

    Testing randomness

    To check this, I conducted some Monte Carlo simulations, which repeat a test with random variations.

    I wrote computer programs to randomly assign wins and losses and draws to each of Hikaru’s games, according to the probabilities from my model. I had the computer measure the most surprising winning streaks each time. This allowed me to measure how Hikaru’s actual streaks stacked up against what we should expect.

    I found that in many of the Monte Carlo simulations, the
    simulated results included streaks just as unlikely as the actual ones.
    This demonstrated that Hikaru’s chess results were just about what might
    be expected. He had such a high probability of winning each game, and had played so many games on Chess.com, that such long winning streaks were likely to emerge according to the rules of probability alone.

    Responses to findings

    I wrote up a brief report of my findings, and sent it to Chess.com.
    It ran a news item on its site, which elicited many comments, mostly supportive.

    Hikaru then posted his own video commentary, also supporting my analysis. But meanwhile, Kramnik posted a 29-minute video criticizing my research.

    Kramnik did include some substantive points, so I wrote an addendum to my report to address his concerns and show that they would not effect the conclusion. I also converted my report into a formal paper, which I submitted to a research journal.

    I then got busy with my teaching duties and put the chess controversies
    out of my mind until I received a response in December. It consisted of three referee reports and editor comments, with detailed comments totalling six single-spaced pages.

    I also then discovered that Kramnik had posted a second 59-minute video critiquing my addendum and raising additional points, too.

    I addressed Kramnik’s and the referees’ additional points while revising my article for publication. My paper was finally published in the Harvard Data Science Review.

    I was glad to have my findings published in a prestigious statistics journal, thus giving them a formal stamp of approval. And perhaps, at long last, to settle this particular champion-level chess controversy.

    Jeffrey S. Rosenthal receives research funding from NSERC of Canada, but received no compensation from Chess.com or anyone else for this work.

    – ref. I’m a statistics professor who became embroiled in the world of online chess drama – https://theconversation.com/im-a-statistics-professor-who-became-embroiled-in-the-world-of-online-chess-drama-256294

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China earmarks 150 million yuan for natural disaster response

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

    BEIJING, July 9 — China has earmarked 150 million yuan (about 20.97 million U.S. dollars) from its central natural-disaster-relief fund to support relief efforts in regions affected by flooding, typhoons and geological disasters, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Wednesday.

    An MOF statement said that emergency funds, allocated by the MOF and the Ministry of Emergency Management, were distributed to six provincial-level regions: Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Chongqing, the Xizang Autonomous Region and Gansu.

    As China has now entered its main flood season, certain regions have been hit frequently by flooding and geological disasters, and Danas — the fourth typhoon of this year — has impacted several southeastern coastal regions and caused secondary disasters, the MOF said.

    The funds will be used to support emergency rescue and relief efforts, focusing on search, rescue and relocation for residents affected by disasters. They will also be used for the detection of secondary disasters, and to repair damaged houses, among other tasks.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s message to the United Nations-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Conference on the Question of Jerusalem

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    I thank the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for co-organizing this conference.

    I salute Senegal for hosting — a powerful example of African solidarity with the Palestinian people.

    You come together at a time when Palestinian suffering has reached new heights and hopes for a just and lasting solution have reached new depths. 

    Following the terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023 — which I have unequivocally condemned — the Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions, more dire today than at any point in this long and brutal crisis.

    It is time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in a dignified manner. Full, safe and sustained humanitarian access.

    UNRWA’s mandated role in supporting Palestinian refugees must be respected.

    And obligations under international humanitarian law and Security Council resolutions must also be respected.

    Meanwhile, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is in freefall.
    This year alone, over 150 Palestinians, including over 20 children, were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in Israeli security forces operations, attacks by settlers and other incidents.

    Armed Israeli settler violence has surged, with many Palestinians killed, including sometimes in the proximity — and with the support — of Israeli security forces.

    Since early 2025, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee by Israeli security forces operations.

    Illegal settlement expansion, large-scale land seizures and demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures continue unabated.

    Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem, including restrictions on Palestinian access and worship, are deeply troubling.

    Jerusalem — Al-Quds — holds a unique place in the hearts of millions of Muslims, Jews and Christians around the world.

    What happens in Jerusalem — including continued provocations and incitements to violence — reverberates globally.

    The position of the United Nations is clear:

    The status of Jerusalem cannot be altered by unilateral actions, including settlement activities in occupied East Jerusalem.

    It can only be resolved through negotiations between the parties.

    Jerusalem’s demographic and historical character must be preserved.

    Respecting and upholding the status quo at the Holy Sites is essential.

    The International Court of Justice, in its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, affirmed that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, is unlawful.

    Israel has an obligation to bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible.
    The only realistic, just, and sustainable path is the two-State solution, with Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part — living side by side in peace within secure, recognized pre-1967 borders, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

    The two-State solution remains the only framework rooted in international law, endorsed by numerous General Assembly resolutions, and supported by the international community.  

    This conference offers a timely platform to mobilize collective efforts towards this solution, and the just and lasting peace that Palestinians and Israelis deserve.  

    Now is the time to choose the path of peace.

    For Palestinians. For Israelis. For the people of the Middle East and the world. 

    ***
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: PBK Miner Launches AI-Powered 2-Day XRP Mining Contract, Launches Rewards of Over $2 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Washington, D.C., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PBKMiner, the world’s leading crypto asset management platform, is proud to launch its innovative “2-Day Contract”, providing a flexible and low-risk onboarding experience for new users to explore the platform’s features. To celebrate the launch of the new product, PBKMiner is also launching a grand promotion with a total of over $2 million in giveaways, including a $10 bonus for every new registered user.
    The new 2-day XRP mining contract is designed to appeal to a wide range of users and provide them with a lucrative income opportunity.
    Learn more about PBKMiner here.

    What is PBKMiner’s XRP mining contract?
    PBKMiner’s XRP mining contract is an innovative product that allows users to obtain XRP rewards through the cloud mining model. Unlike the traditional proof-of-work (PoW) mining method, XRP adopts a consensus protocol. PBKMiner meets this challenge by introducing a simulated cloud mining model. Through this unique mining contract, PBK Miner allows users to easily participate in the XRP mining process and obtain stable income.
    Why launch now?
    PBKMiner is launching XRP mining contracts at this time in response to the market’s growing demand for simplified and sustainable digital asset mining methods. With the rapid development of cryptocurrencies, more and more users want to participate in mining activities with lower technical barriers and costs. PBKMiner’s new contracts meet this demand, allowing users to easily obtain passive income, especially for investors who lack technical background or funds.
    As a leading remote digital asset mining platform, PBKMiner provides users with the opportunity to rent computing power from its efficient and environmentally friendly mining facilities. The platform supports a variety of cryptocurrencies including XRP, DOGE, BTC, LTC and SOL, aiming to provide users with flexible and convenient mining solutions, making it easy for anyone to participate in and benefit from the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
    With the launch of “2-Day Contracts”, PBKMiner has transformed from a high-performance VIP platform to a global solution that welcomes retail traders and everyday investors.
    The platform now covers more than 183 countries, serves more than 8.5 million users, and provides a variety of cryptocurrency trading options including XRP, DOGE, BTC, LTC and SOL.

    PBKMiner now offers more than 10 different contract options, allowing users to freely choose the most suitable option according to their personal needs. Whether they are novice or experienced investors, they can find the mining and trading method that suits them. Through this expansion, PBKMiner is committed to providing convenient and efficient digital asset management solutions for a wider user group.
    For example:
    10 USD Cloud Mining Contract – 1 Day Term – Earn 0.60 USD per day
    100 USD Cloud Mining Contract – 2 Day Term – Earn 3.50 USD per day
    500 USD Cloud Mining Contract – 5 Day Term – Earn 6.50 USD per day
    5,000 USD Cloud Mining Contract – 30 Day Term – Earn 77.50 USD per day
    30,000 USD Cloud Mining Contract – 50 Day Term – Earn 525.00 USD per day
    These innovative options allow long-term cryptocurrency holders to stay invested and earn consistent returns during periods of sideways or corrections.

    Click here to explore more mining contracts

    “2-day contract” launch details:
    This new product is now available on PBKMiner’s web and mobile platforms. Priced at just $100, with daily earnings of $3.5, it provides an easy and affordable way for users to easily integrate into the PBKMiner ecosystem.
    Community Rewards Campaign of $2 Million or More
    To celebrate the launch, PBKMiner is launching a board-approved bounty program totaling over $2 million. The program offers true frictionless access – all new users receive an instant $10 bounty, which will be credited to their account instantly.
    Click here to become a new user of PBKMiner and receive a $10 welcome bonus.
    Limited time event highlights
    – 24-hour intensive mining window: a short-term mode designed for quick profits, allowing users to mine XRP, DOGE, BTC, LTC and SOL within an optimized time frame and receive mining income every day
    – $2 million mining rewards: structured reward tiers of $10/$50/$4500/$8000, etc., incentivizing participation from new and returning users.
    Click here to view the limited-time mining event.
    This is crucial for cryptocurrency investors
    PBKMiner combines AI innovation, fintech and real-world practicality, a rare combination that resonates strongly with modern cryptocurrency investors. Users can easily get started, whether new or experienced, and enjoy daily returns without the need for technical knowledge or active trading.
    Why PBKMiner is ideal for XRP mining – for both beginners and professionals:
    – No equipment required: instant access to institutional-grade mining infrastructure
    – Zero maintenance fees: PBKMiner covers electricity, cooling and maintenance
    – $10 Welcome Bonus: All new users will receive a registration bonus and a login bonus
    – Daily Payout + Capital Protection: Earn income every day and return principal at maturity
    By focusing on measurable performance rather than blind hype, PBKMiner firmly holds its position in the evolving crypto space as a serious and value-driven solution. The platform is committed to providing transparent and reliable mining and investment opportunities, ensuring that users can make informed decisions based on clearly visible performance.

    About PBKMiner
    Operated by PBK FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD (Company Number: 12272456), which is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), PBKMiner represents a new type of digital asset platform – data-driven, results-oriented, and globally trusted. Since its founding in 2019, the UK-based company has become one of the most promising cryptocurrency investment platforms for investors seeking consistent, real returns.
    For full details and participation options please visit: https://pbkminer.com
    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or a trading recommendation. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and may result in the loss of funds. It is strongly recommended that you perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: US Orphan Drug Market Size Trends FDA Designation By Indication Orphan Drug Sales Clinical Research Insight

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Delhi, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — US Orphan Designated Drugs Market Opportunity, Drugs Sales, Price, Dosage and Clinical Trials Insight 2030 Report Offering and Highlights:

    • US Orphan Designated Drugs Market Opportunity: > US$ 190 Billion By 2030
    • Insight On FDA Designated Orphan Drugs In Clinical Trials: > 850 Orphan Drugs
    • Clinical Trials Insight By Company, Indication, Phase and Priority Status
    • Insight On FDA Designated Marketed Orphan Drugs: > 500 Orphan Drugs
    • Pricing and Dosage Insight: > 400 Marketed Orphan Drugs
    • US, Global, Regional, Annual Sales Insight (2019 – Q1’2025): >150 Orphan Drugs
    • Sales, Price and Dosage Data Represented In More Than 1000 Charts and Tables
    • Orphan Designation Insight By Indication, Company, Trial Phase, Marketed Drugs  Represented In 1000 Tables

    Download Report: https://www.kuickresearch.com/report-fda-orphan-drug-database

    The U.S. orphan drug market remains one of the most promising and rapidly evolving segments within the pharmaceutical industry, reflecting significant growth driven by favourable regulatory policies, ongoing clinical research advancements, and robust market dynamics. Increasingly, pharmaceutical companies are shifting their strategic focus toward rare diseases, incentivized by the FDA’s Orphan Drug Act, which provides key regulatory benefits such as market exclusivity, tax credits, and accelerated approval pathways. This has resulted in substantial investment into clinical trials targeting unmet medical needs, with over 800 orphan-designated drugs currently progressing through various phases of clinical investigation.

    The clinical pipeline for orphan drugs showcases remarkable diversity, addressing a wide spectrum of rare diseases including genetic disorders, metabolic diseases, rare cancers, neurological conditions, and hematological disorders. Companies are leveraging advanced scientific platforms such as gene therapies, cell-based treatments, RNA therapeutics, and targeted biologics, thereby transforming therapeutic approaches for rare and complex conditions. With more than 800 orphan designated drug candidates presently in clinical trials across the U.S., there is an unprecedented pace of innovation and clinical development aimed at previously underserved patient populations.

    In parallel, commercial growth in this market segment remains robust, with over 500 orphan-designated drugs commercially available. The continued expansion of the orphan drug market underscores both the clinical and commercial success of therapies designed to treat rare diseases. This robust market landscape offers invaluable opportunities for pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare providers, and investors alike, ensuring sustainable growth well into the next decade.

    A comprehensive analysis presented in the latest market research report provides detailed insights into pricing, dosage, and sales data. For instance, the report includes price and dosage information for over 400 commercially marketed orphan drugs, delivering essential intelligence for stakeholders seeking to understand treatment economics and optimize market strategies. Additionally, the report provides sales insights on more than 150 orphan designated products, outlining revenue trends, market penetration rates, and competitive positioning within the broader pharmaceutical marketplace.

    Notably, orphan drugs often command premium pricing due to the limited patient populations and significant clinical benefits they deliver, further amplifying commercial potential. As pharmaceutical companies navigate complexities around pricing strategies and reimbursement frameworks, detailed market intelligence becomes indispensable. Thus, stakeholders benefit greatly from the structured insights offered by this market research study, particularly the extensive coverage of sales, dosage, and pricing data represented visually in over 1,000 charts and tables. Such in-depth analysis facilitates strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and commercial forecasting.

    Moreover, this research highlights the critical role that continued clinical innovation plays in sustaining market momentum. Breakthrough therapies receiving orphan designation frequently demonstrate accelerated pathways to commercialization, significantly shortening timelines from clinical trial initiation to market entry. This swift transition from clinical research to market presence is reshaping the competitive landscape and encouraging continuous investment in orphan drug development.

    In conclusion, the U.S. orphan drug market remains poised for sustained expansion, driven by robust clinical pipelines, strong commercial dynamics, and supportive regulatory frameworks. The market research report comprehensively captures ongoing clinical developments, detailed insights on commercially available orphan drugs, and critical pricing and dosage analyses. With extensive data visualized across more than 1,000 charts and tables, stakeholders are empowered to strategically navigate and capitalize on the opportunities within this dynamic and lucrative segment of the pharmaceutical industry.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: How Philadelphia’s sanitation strike differed from past labor disputes in the city

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Francis Ryan, Associate Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University

    Trash piled up in Philadelphia during the 8-day strike that ended July 9, 2025. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

    The Philadelphia municipal workers strike ended after eight days in the early hours of July 9, 2025.

    The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33 union’s 9,000 blue-collar workers, including sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, city mechanics and water department staff, were called back to work immediately. The deal involves a three-year contract with 3% annual raises and an additional step in the union pay scale for veteran workers.

    The Conversation U.S. asked Francis Ryan, a professor of labor studies at Rutgers University and author of “AFSCME’s Philadelphia Story: Municipal Workers and Urban Power in Philadelphia in the Twentieth Century,” about the history of sanitation strikes in Philly and what made this one unique.

    Has anything surprised you about this strike?

    This strike marked the first time in the history of labor relations between the city of Philadelphia and AFSCME District Council 33 union where social media played a significant role in how the struggle unfolded.

    The union got their side of the story out on Instagram and other social media platforms, and citizens took up or expressed sympathy with their cause.

    Some city residents referred to the garbage buildup sites as ‘Parker piles.’
    AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa

    How successful are trash strikes in Philly or other US cities?

    As I describe in my book, Philadelphia has a long history of sanitation strikes that goes back to March 1937. At that time, a brief work stoppage brought about discussions between the city administration and an early version of the current union.

    When over 200 city workers were laid off in September 1938, city workers called a week-long sanitation strike. Street battles raged in West Philadelphia when strikers blocked police-escorted trash wagons that were aiming to collect trash with workers hired to replace the strikers.

    Philadelphia residents, many of whom were union members who worked in textile, steel, food and other industries, rallied behind the strikers. The strikers’ demands were met, and a new union, AFSCME, was formally recognized by the city.

    This strike was a major event because it showed how damaging a garbage strike could be. The fact that strikers were willing to fight in the streets to stop trash services showed that such events had the potential for violence, not to mention the health concerns from having tons of trash on the streets.

    There was another two-week trash strike in Philadelphia in 1944, but there wouldn’t be another for more than 20 years.

    However, a growing number of sanitation strikes popped up around the country in the 1960s, the most famous being the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike.

    Black sanitation workers peacefully march wearing placards reading ‘I Am A Man’ during the 1968 sanitation strike in Memphis, Tenn.
    Bettmann via Getty Images

    In Memphis, Tennessee, a majority African American sanitation workforce demanded higher wages, basic safety procedures and recognition of their union. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied to support the Memphis workers and their families as part of his Poor Peoples’ Campaign, which sought to organize working people from across the nation into a new coalition to demand full economic and political rights.

    On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated. His death put pressure on Memphis officials to settle the strike, and on April 16 the strikers secured their demands.

    Following the Memphis strike, AFSCME began organizing public workers around the country, and through the coming years into the 1970s, there were sanitation strikes and slowdowns across the nation including in New York, Atlanta, Cleveland and Washington. Often, these workers, who were predominantly African American, gained the support of significant sections of the communities they served and secured modest wage boosts.

    By the 1980s, such labor actions were becoming fewer. In 1986, Philadelphia witnessed a three-week sanitation strike that ended with the union gaining some of its wage demands, but losing on key areas related to health care benefits.

    Workers begin removing mounds of trash after returning to work after an 18-day strike in Philadelphia in July 1986.
    Bettmann via Getty Images

    How do wages and benefits for DC33 workers compare to other US cities?

    District Council 33 President Greg Boulware has said that the union’s members make an average salary of US$46,000 per year. According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, that is $2,000 less than what a single adult with no kids needs to reasonably support themselves living in Philadelphia.

    Prior to this deal, sanitation workers who collect curbside trash earned a salary of $42,500 to $46,200, or $18-$20 an hour. NBC Philadelphia reported that those wages are the lowest of any of the major cities they looked at. Hourly wages in the other cities they looked at ranged from $21 an hour in Dallas to $25-$30 an hour in Chicago.

    Unlike other eras, the fact that social media makes public these personal narratives and perspectives – like from former sanitation worker Terrill Haigler, aka “Ya Fav Trashman” – is shaping the way many citizens respond to these disruptions. I saw a level of support for the strikers that I believe is unprecedented going back as far as 1938.

    What do you think was behind this support?

    The COVID-19 pandemic made people more aware of the role of essential workers in society. If the men and women who do these jobs can’t afford their basic needs, something isn’t right. This may explain why so many people saw things from the perspective of striking workers.

    At the same time, money is being cut from important services at the federal, state and local levels. The proposed gutting of Philadelphia’s mass transit system by state lawmakers is a case in point. Social media allows people to make these broader connections and start conversations.

    This article was originally published on July 8, 2025, and has been updated to include details of the strike’s resolution.

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

    – ref. How Philadelphia’s sanitation strike differed from past labor disputes in the city – https://theconversation.com/how-philadelphias-sanitation-strike-differed-from-past-labor-disputes-in-the-city-260676

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: Ti Cold and Karis Cold Building $60 Million Facility in McIntosh County

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Ti Cold and Karis Cold have officially broken ground on a new $60 million cold storage facility for PermaCold Logistics in Darien, McIntosh County. The industrial cold storage construction company’s latest project will support 50 jobs upon completion of phase one.

    “Today’s announcement is the largest known economic development win for McIntosh County, marking another success for rural Georgia,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Companies like Ti Cold, Karis Cold, and PermaCold Logistics, as well as our reliable and fast-growing ports and highway systems, support logistics industry jobs in every corner of the state. I’m grateful for the decision to open this facility and bring even more jobs to hardworking rural Georgians.”

    Ti Cold provides a full suite of cold storage construction and development services, including, but not limited to, complete design and engineering, master site planning, operations guidance, and consulting services to help companies navigate the unique challenges associated with a rapidly changing cold storage industry. 

    “We’ve had the privilege of building in Georgia many times over the years, and we’re thrilled to be working in McIntosh County,” said Sam Tippmann, Founder and CEO of Ti Cold. “The support we’ve received has been incredible – from the state officials to the team in McIntosh County, and the City of Darien. We are truly excited to bring this beautiful facility to your community and look forward to contributing to its continued growth.”

    The new facility is located at Tidewater Industrial Park, a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) site, in Darien. This advanced cold storage complex will have a clear height of 50 feet and feature a flexible, convertible design that maintains temperatures ranging from 40 degrees to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility will also incorporate an environmentally friendly refrigeration system. Additionally, structural steel pallet racks will accommodate over 30,000 pallet positions. The facility will post more information regarding open positions throughout the construction process. 

    “This groundbreaking marks a transformational moment for McIntosh County,” said Chairwoman Kate Pontello Karwacki, McIntosh County Board of Commissioners. “Ti Cold and Karis Cold’s investment in our community is a strong endorsement of the assets we offer from our strategic location along the I-95 corridor and proximity to the Ports to the welcoming business climate we’re committed to fostering. This project not only brings high-quality jobs and economic opportunity but also strengthens the industrial foundation we’ve been working hard to build. We’re proud to welcome Ti Cold and look forward to a long, productive partnership.”

    Senior Regional Project Manager Dorie Bacon represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the McIntosh County Industrial Development Authority, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia EMC, and Georgia Power.

    “Cold storage plays a vital role in Georgia’s logistics and supply chain infrastructure, ensuring that agricultural and food products reach markets efficiently,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Innovative companies like Ti Cold, Karis Cold, and PermaCold Logistics are helping to fuel economic growth across the state. Congratulations to the companies, the City of Darien, and McIntosh County on this exciting new chapter.”

    About Ti Cold

    Ti Cold is known as a specialty, award-winning industrial cold storage builder and developer with decades of experience in designing and building state-of-the-art facilities. They utilize time-honed expertise and advanced technology solutions to create efficient buildings that scale with a business and maximize profitability by fully integrating operations and supply chains. Learn more at www.ticold.com.

    About Karis Cold

    Karis Cold is a private investment and development company with expertise in the cold storage industry. The company invests in and develops properties across the U.S., with a platform covering the entire spectrum of cold storage development and investment, including build-to-suit solutions, sale-leaseback financing, and expansions and redevelopment of existing facilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Kemp: Ti Cold and Karis Cold Building $60 Million Facility in McIntosh County

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Ti Cold and Karis Cold have officially broken ground on a new $60 million cold storage facility for PermaCold Logistics in Darien, McIntosh County. The industrial cold storage construction company’s latest project will support 50 jobs upon completion of phase one.

    “Today’s announcement is the largest known economic development win for McIntosh County, marking another success for rural Georgia,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Companies like Ti Cold, Karis Cold, and PermaCold Logistics, as well as our reliable and fast-growing ports and highway systems, support logistics industry jobs in every corner of the state. I’m grateful for the decision to open this facility and bring even more jobs to hardworking rural Georgians.”

    Ti Cold provides a full suite of cold storage construction and development services, including, but not limited to, complete design and engineering, master site planning, operations guidance, and consulting services to help companies navigate the unique challenges associated with a rapidly changing cold storage industry. 

    “We’ve had the privilege of building in Georgia many times over the years, and we’re thrilled to be working in McIntosh County,” said Sam Tippmann, Founder and CEO of Ti Cold. “The support we’ve received has been incredible – from the state officials to the team in McIntosh County, and the City of Darien. We are truly excited to bring this beautiful facility to your community and look forward to contributing to its continued growth.”

    The new facility is located at Tidewater Industrial Park, a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) site, in Darien. This advanced cold storage complex will have a clear height of 50 feet and feature a flexible, convertible design that maintains temperatures ranging from 40 degrees to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The facility will also incorporate an environmentally friendly refrigeration system. Additionally, structural steel pallet racks will accommodate over 30,000 pallet positions. The facility will post more information regarding open positions throughout the construction process. 

    “This groundbreaking marks a transformational moment for McIntosh County,” said Chairwoman Kate Pontello Karwacki, McIntosh County Board of Commissioners. “Ti Cold and Karis Cold’s investment in our community is a strong endorsement of the assets we offer from our strategic location along the I-95 corridor and proximity to the Ports to the welcoming business climate we’re committed to fostering. This project not only brings high-quality jobs and economic opportunity but also strengthens the industrial foundation we’ve been working hard to build. We’re proud to welcome Ti Cold and look forward to a long, productive partnership.”

    Senior Regional Project Manager Dorie Bacon represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this project in partnership with the McIntosh County Industrial Development Authority, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia EMC, and Georgia Power.

    “Cold storage plays a vital role in Georgia’s logistics and supply chain infrastructure, ensuring that agricultural and food products reach markets efficiently,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Innovative companies like Ti Cold, Karis Cold, and PermaCold Logistics are helping to fuel economic growth across the state. Congratulations to the companies, the City of Darien, and McIntosh County on this exciting new chapter.”

    About Ti Cold

    Ti Cold is known as a specialty, award-winning industrial cold storage builder and developer with decades of experience in designing and building state-of-the-art facilities. They utilize time-honed expertise and advanced technology solutions to create efficient buildings that scale with a business and maximize profitability by fully integrating operations and supply chains. Learn more at www.ticold.com.

    About Karis Cold

    Karis Cold is a private investment and development company with expertise in the cold storage industry. The company invests in and develops properties across the U.S., with a platform covering the entire spectrum of cold storage development and investment, including build-to-suit solutions, sale-leaseback financing, and expansions and redevelopment of existing facilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Revenera Achieves ISO 27001 Certification of its Information Security Management System (ISMS)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ITASCA, Ill., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Revenera, a division of Flexera Software LLC and producer of innovative platforms that help technology companies build better products, accelerate time-to-value, and monetize what matters, today announced its ISO 27001 (ISO/IEC 27001) certification for the Information Security Management System (ISMS) supporting the assets, technologies and processes employed by Revenera for processing, management, and delivery of its software monetization, entitlement management and monetization services to its customers, including FlexNet Operations, FlexNet Embedded, and FlexNet Publisher. The certification was performed by Schellman Compliance, LLC, an ANAB- and UKAS- accredited certification body based in the United States.

    ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard for the establishment and certification of an information security management system (ISMS). The standard specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving a documented ISMS within the context of the organization’s overall business risks. It sets forth a risk-based approach that focuses on adequate and proportionate security controls that protect information assets and give confidence to interested parties.

    To achieve the certification, Revenera demonstrated its systematic and ongoing approach to managing sensitive company and customer information through its software monetization platform, entitlement management and licensing solutions. As a result, these products are now recognized as fully compliant with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001 global security standard. Revenera also established a formal program to maintain the certification.

    “Revenera is a leader in helping software suppliers to drive top line revenue with modern software monetization and understand usage and compliance with software usage analytics,” said Conal Gallagher, CIO & CISO at Flexera. “This ISO certification assures each of our software supplier customers that both their data and their end customers’ data are secure and meets the rigorous international standard.”

    Certificate Verification

    The details of Revenera’s ISMS certification are publicly available here.

    About Revenera

    Revenera helps product executives build better products, accelerate time to value and monetize what matters. Revenera’s leading solutions help software and technology companies drive top line revenue with modern software monetization, understand usage and compliance with software usage analytics, empower the use of open source with software composition analysis and deliver an excellent user experience—for embedded, on-premises, cloud and SaaS products. To learn more, visit www.revenera.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Element to Announce Q2 2025 Results and Host Conference Call on August 7, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Element Fleet Management Corp. (TSX: EFN) (“Element” or the “Company”), the largest publicly traded, pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world, will hold its Q2 2025 results conference call and webcast for investors and analysts on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Element’s financial results for the period will be issued after market close on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 and will be available on the Company’s website at elementfleet.com/investor-relations/public-disclosures.

    The conference call and webcast can be accessed as follows:

    Call Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025
    Call Time: 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)

    A taped recording of the conference call may be accessed through September 7, 2025, by dialing 1-855-669-9658 (Canada/U.S. Toll Free) or 1-412-317-0088 (International Toll) and entering the access code 3828575.

    About Element Fleet Management Corp.

    Element Fleet Management (TSX: EFN) is the largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world. As a Purpose-driven company, we provide a full range of sustainable and intelligent mobility solutions to optimize and enhance fleet performance for our clients across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Our services address every aspect of our clients’ fleet requirements, from vehicle acquisition, maintenance, route optimization, risk management, and remarketing, to advising on decarbonization efforts, integration of electric vehicles and managing the complexity of gradual fleet electrification. Clients benefit from Element’s expertise as one of the largest fleet solutions providers in its markets, offering economies of scale and insight used to reduce operating costs and enhance efficiency and performance. At Element, we maximize our clients’ fleet so they can focus on growing their business. For more information, please visit: https://www.elementfleet.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Fortinet Report: OT Cybersecurity Risk Elevates within Executive Leadership Ranks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the findings from its global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report. The results represent the current state of operational technology (OT) cybersecurity and highlight opportunities for continued improvement for organizations to secure an ever-expanding IT/OT threat landscape. In addition to trends and insights impacting OT organizations, the report offers best practices to help IT and OT security teams better secure their cyber-physical systems. 

    “The seventh installment of the Fortinet State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report shows that organizations are taking OT security more seriously. We see this trend reflected in a notable increase in the assignment of responsibility for OT risk to the C-suite, alongside an uptick in organizations self-reporting increased rates of OT security maturity,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President, Products and Solutions, at Fortinet. “Alongside these trends, we’re seeing a decrease in the impact of intrusions in organizations that prioritize OT security. Everyone from the C-suite on down needs to commit to protecting sensitive OT systems and allocating the necessary resources to secure their critical operations.”

    Key findings from the global survey include:

    • Responsibility for OT security continues to elevate within executive ranks: There has been a significant increase in the global trend of corporations planning to integrate cybersecurity under the CISO or other executives. As accountability continues to shift into executive leadership, OT security is elevated to a high-profile issue at the board level. The top internal leaders who influence OT cybersecurity decisions are now most likely to be the CISO or CSO by an increasingly wide margin. Now more than half (52%) of organizations report that the CISO/CSO is responsible for OT, up from 16% in 2022. For all C-suite roles, this has spiked to 95%. Additionally, the number of organizations intending to move OT cybersecurity under CISO in the next 12 months has increased from 60% to 80% in 2025.
    • OT cybersecurity maturity is affecting the impact of intrusions: Self-reported OT security maturity has made notable progress this year. At the basic Level 1, 26% of organizations report establishing visibility and implementing segmentation, up from 20% in the previous year. The largest number of organizations state their security maturity is at the Level 2 access and profiling phase. The report also found a correlation between maturity and attacks. Those organizations that report being more mature (higher of Levels 0–4) are seeing fewer attacks or indicate that they are better able to handle lower-sophistication tactics, such as phishing. It’s worth noting that some tactics, such as advanced persistent threats (APT) and OT malware, are difficult to detect, and less mature organizations may not have the security solutions in place to determine they exist. Overall, although nearly half of organizations experienced impacts, the impact of intrusions on organizations is declining, with a noteworthy reduction in operational outages that impacted revenue, which dropped from 52% to 42%.
    • Adopting cybersecurity best practices is having a positive impact: In addition to the Levels of maturity affecting the impact of intrusions, it appears that adopting best practices such as implementing basic cyber hygiene and better training and awareness are having a real impact, including a significant drop in business email compromise. Other best practices include incorporating threat intelligence, which spiked (49%) since 2024. Additionally, the report saw a significant decrease in the number of OT device vendors, which is a sign of maturity and operational efficiency. More organizations (78%) are now using only one to four OT vendors, which indicates that many of these organizations are consolidating vendors as part of their best practices. Cybersecurity vendor consolidation is also a sign of maturity and corresponds to Fortinet customer experiences with the Fortinet OT Security Platform. Unified networking and security at remote OT sites enhanced visibility and reduced cyber risks, leading to a 93% reduction in cyber incidents vs. a flat network. The simplified Fortinet solutions also led to a 7x improvement in performance through reductions in triage and setup.1

    Best Practices
    Fortinet’s global 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report provides actionable insights for organizations to strengthen their security posture. Organizations can address OT security challenges by adopting the following best practices:

    • Establish visibility and compensating controls for OT assets: Organizations need the ability to see and understand everything that’s on their OT networks. Once visibility is established, organizations then need to protect critical devices and ones that may be vulnerable, which requires protective compensating controls that are designed for sensitive OT devices. Capabilities such as protocol-aware network policies, system-to-system interaction analysis, and endpoint monitoring can detect and prevent compromise of vulnerable assets.
    • Deploy segmentation: Reducing intrusions requires a hardened OT environment with strong network policy controls at all access points. This kind of defensible OT architecture starts with creating network zones or segments. Standards such as ISA/IEC 62443 specifically call for segmentation to enforce controls between OT and IT networks and between OT systems. Teams should also evaluate the overall complexity of managing a solution and consider the benefits of an integrated or platform-based approach with centralized management capabilities.
    • Integrate OT into security operations (SecOps) and incident response planning: Organizations should be maturing toward IT/OT SecOps. To get there, OT needs to be a specific consideration for SecOps and incident response plans, largely because of some of the distinctions between OT and IT environments, from unique device types to the broader consequences of an OT breach impacting critical operations. One key step in this direction is to have playbooks that include your organization’s OT environment. This kind of advanced preparation will foster better collaboration across IT, OT, and production teams to adequately assess cyber and production risks. It can also ensure that the CISO has proper awareness, prioritization, budget, and personnel allocations.
    • Consider a platform approach to your overall security architecture: To address rapidly evolving OT threats and an expanding attack surface, many organizations have assembled a broad array of security solutions from different vendors. This has yielded an overly complex security architecture that inhibits visibility while placing an increased burden on limited security team resources. A platform-based approach to security can help organizations consolidate vendors and simplify their architecture. A robust security platform with specific capabilities for both IT networks and OT environments can provide solution integration for improved security efficacy while enabling centralized management for enhanced efficiency. Integration can also provide a foundation for automated responses to threats.
    • Embrace OT-specific threat intelligence and security services: OT security depends on timely awareness and precise analytical insights about imminent risks. A platform-based security architecture should also apply AI-powered threat intelligence for near-real-time protection against the latest threats, attack variants, and exposures. Organizations should ensure their threat intelligence and content sources include robust, OT-specific information in their feeds and services.

    Report Overview

    • The Fortinet 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report is based on data from a global survey of more than 550 OT professionals, conducted by a third-party research company.
    • Survey respondents were from different locations around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mainland China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.
    • Respondents represent a range of industries that are heavy users of OT, including: manufacturing, transportation/logistics, healthcare/pharma, oil, gas, and refining, energy/utilities, chemical/petrochemical, and water/wastewater.
    • Most of those surveyed, regardless of title, are deeply involved in cybersecurity purchasing decisions. Many respondents are responsible for operations technology at their organization and/or have reporting responsibility for manufacturing or plant operations.

    Additional Resources

    1 Fortinet, Fortinet OT Security Platform Customer Success Stories, November 5, 2024.

    About Fortinet
    Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT) is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices, and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organizations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTS”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organization, develops and utilizes leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.

    Copyright © 2025 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and common law trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet’s trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, the Fortinet logo, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiManager, FortiASIC, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, FortiADC, FortiAgent, FortiAI, FortiAIOps, FortiAgent, FortiAntenna, FortiAP, FortiAPCam, FortiAuthenticator, FortiCache, FortiCall, FortiCam, FortiCamera, FortiCarrier, FortiCASB, FortiCentral, FortiCNP, FortiConnect, FortiController, FortiConverter, FortiCSPM, FortiCWP, FortiDAST, FortiDB, FortiDDoS, FortiDeceptor, FortiDeploy, FortiDevSec, FortiDLP, FortiEdge, FortiEDR, FortiEndpoint FortiExplorer, FortiExtender, FortiFirewall, FortiFlex FortiFone, FortiGSLB, FortiGuest, FortiHypervisor, FortiInsight, FortiIsolator, FortiLAN, FortiLink, FortiMonitor, FortiNAC, FortiNDR, FortiPAM, FortiPenTest, FortiPhish, FortiPoint, FortiPolicy, FortiPortal, FortiPresence, FortiProxy, FortiRecon, FortiRecorder, FortiSASE, FortiScanner, FortiSDNConnector, FortiSEC, FortiSIEM, FortiSMS, FortiSOAR, FortiSRA, FortiStack, FortiSwitch, FortiTester, FortiToken, FortiTrust, FortiVoice, FortiWAN, FortiWeb, FortiWiFi, FortiWLC, FortiWLM, FortiXDR and Lacework FortiCNAPP. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, contract, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet or any indication of intent related to a binding commitment, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Zoom rolls out new agentic AI offerings to save time and drive connections

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Zoom AI Companion now connects with 16 third-party apps, including ServiceNow, Jira, Asana, Box, and others, to complete tasks and orchestrate agents without leaving Zoom
    • Custom AI Companion add-on is now available to online customers, delivering extended capabilities, including AI meeting summaries across top meeting platforms and customized meeting summaries
    • Zoom expands core AI Companion capabilities, including real-time call questions, voice recorder for in-person meetings, and meeting agenda creation, included at no additional cost with paid Zoom licenses

    SAN JOSE, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today delivered new agentic AI capabilities to help users complete tasks across platforms and save time during the work day. With the Custom AI Companion add-on, Zoom AI Companion can now connect to 16 third-party apps to help orchestrate tasks without leaving Zoom. Additionally, the Custom AI Companion add-on is now available for online purchase, enabling small business owners to leverage AI Companion across third-party video conferencing platforms like Google Meet and others, customize meeting summary templates, create custom avatars, and connect third-party apps to boost productivity and help them get more done so they can focus on building and growing their business.

    “With Zoom AI Companion’s agentic skills, users will see a significant productivity boost to help them get more done — not just in Zoom, but across business-essential apps like ServiceNow, Jira, Asana, Box, and more,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “The Custom AI Companion add-on empowers users to streamline their workflows by having AI Companion join their Zoom Meetings and in-person meetings, and can now access AI Companion across other video conferencing platforms.”

    New connected third-party apps for Custom AI Companion add-on

    AI Companion uses agentic AI capabilities to maximize efficiency, helping users save time and get more done without leaving Zoom Workplace. With the Custom AI Companion add-on, users can already connect to apps like Amazon Q, Glean, and Jira to deliver powerful indexing, enterprise search, and ticketing capabilities. New third-party apps also deliver context-rich answers and help complete tasks across workstreams with intelligent app orchestration.

    • Improve sales and service outcomes: Accelerate decisions and improve customer satisfaction by empowering teams to resolve service tickets, track opportunities, and update records in real-time, directly from Zoom. When connected to ServiceNow, Zendesk, and other applications, AI Companion helps organizations streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and ensure customer interactions drive meaningful business results.
    • Reimagine document collaboration: When connected to Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Box*, Confluence, Notion, or Coda, AI Companion helps drive meaningful conversations with secure access to existing documents during meetings, and the ability to generate new documents based on current meetings, update existing documents with simple prompts, or get a quick summary of a document. *Not all document features available at launch.
    • Simplify project management: Keeping teams updated on projects and activities can be challenging, but when connected to Asana and Jira, users can query and command project tools, using AI Companion to update project statuses, assign tasks, and set deadlines without app-juggling or manual workflows.
    • Reduce communication silos: Keep chats and ideas organized in third-parting messaging apps with the ability to search, summarize, and post messages from AI Companion.
    • Recruit and onboard new talent: When connected to Workday, AI Companion can help expedite recruiting, interviews, and onboarding workflows with search and summary capabilities about open jobs and candidate profiles.

    Visit the Zoom website to learn more about how app integrations with the Custom AI Companion add-on can boost efficiency.

    Custom AI Companion add-on expands to online customers

    Many entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small business owners, and consultants often find themselves switching meeting platforms throughout their day to take calls with clients and stakeholders, without a central way to organize their meeting notes.

    The Custom AI Companion add-on, now available for purchase online, expands AI Companion’s meeting summary capabilities to third-party video conferencing platforms such as Google Meet and others, with Cisco Webex coming soon, and delivers agentic AI capabilities to help small businesses get more done:

    • Professional service providers like consultants and freelancers can simplify workflows and save time beyond Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone calls, and in-person meetings by using AI-generated meeting summaries across third-party meeting platforms like Google Meet and others. With connections to third-party applications like Asana, they can automatically have projects updated in Asana without leaving the meeting.
    • Sales professionals can nurture relationships with prospects and clients while reducing admin time by automatically updating sales records in CRMs based on the conversation.
    • Educators can go beyond meeting summaries and lecture plans to reliably generate summaries and takeaways with custom summaries that can be shared with students to reinforce learning and create personalized videos using Custom Avatars for Zoom Clips to connect with students in different languages.

    With the Custom AI Companion add-on, small businesses can connect AI Companion to these 16 apps, plus tailor AI Companion skills to address their unique needs and drive efficiency across their organizations:

    • Work across platforms: Zoom is an open platform, and AI Companion can attend third-party meetings, including Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, with Cisco Webex support coming soon. AI Companion can join meetings on a user’s behalf to automatically transcribe, summarize, and deliver actionable follow-ups.
    • Save time with AI-generated clips: With Custom Avatars for Zoom Clips, users can create an avatar in their likeness, provide a transcript of the desired content, and allow AI Companion to generate a clip for them, saving time and helping them scale their efforts.
    • Customize meeting summaries with templates: Users can turn meetings into tailored, actionable summaries by selecting from 11 purpose-built templates designed to reflect the tone, structure, and focus of each meeting and match the meeting goals.
    • Expand knowledge: Admins can connect Google Drive and other external drive accounts as data sources in AI Studio while respecting existing permission controls, and crawl public URLs as a data source for knowledge collections so AI Companion can provide more relevant answers to users’ queries.

    The Custom AI Companion add-on is now available for purchase online for $12 per user per month with paid Zoom Workplace plans. To learn more about how organizations can tailor AI Companion to meet their unique needs with the Custom AI Companion add-on, visit the Zoom website.

    Maximize the workday with AI Companion

    Zoom AI Companion continues to enhance productivity and collaboration across Zoom Workplace. These new capabilities are included at no extra charge as part of Zoom AI Companion for all paid Zoom Workplace licenses.

    • Get started faster: The new onboarding experience within the Zoom desktop app makes it easier to configure AI Companion settings, including what meetings are summarized, who summaries are shared with, and how they are shared.
    • Build better meeting agendas: Users can easily add structure to meetings by creating agendas for upcoming meetings from templates. AI Companion can also leverage previous meetings or Zoom Docs to create even more tailored agendas.
    • Get more out of calls: Users can now query AI Companion before, during, and after Zoom Phone calls to help them catch up and gain deeper insights. They can ask questions like, “What was the disagreement about?” or “Can you tell me the main points being discussed?” Users can also have AI Companion pull up information from previous conversations, prioritize missed calls, and draft follow-up messages.
    • Summarize documents in chat threads: AI Companion can summarize supported text-based documents shared in Zoom Team Chat to help quickly and efficiently digest new information without leaving the chat thread.
    • Capture notes and tasks for in-person interactions: AI Companion also supports in-person meetings with the Voice Recorder, transcribing, summarizing, and capturing action items, allowing users to focus on the conversation and revisit details and action items later.
    • Easily access meeting assets: Users can access meeting summaries, transcripts, recordings, and event details from the meeting card in the calendar event and via email. Hosts will also be able to share the assets with participants via the meeting card in Zoom Calendar (coming later this month), and participants can request access to the meeting card via the Zoom Calendar event.
    • Seamless sharing: AI Companion can be configured to automatically share meeting summaries to third-party platforms, like Microsoft Teams (coming soon) and others, to update counterparts and refresh customer records with the latest conversation highlights.

    Zoom Workplace powers collaboration and productivity

    Zoom Workplace continues to accelerate collaboration and help users ideate, create, and deliver effective work effortlessly on a single app.

    • Track edits and publish externally in Zoom Docs: Easily track content changes to docs, highlighting content additions, deletions, replacements, and formatting with specific styles. Users can also now publish Zoom Docs as public webpages, accessible to anyone, whether they are logged in or not.
    • Stitch, combine, and create longer clips: Merge multiple Zoom Clips into one seamless video without external apps, preview and make adjustments before finalizing edits, and preserve original content without overwriting original assets.

    To learn more about Zoom Workplace, visit the Zoom website.

    About Zoom
    Zoom’s mission is to provide an AI-first work platform for human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom’s open collaboration platform with AI Companion that empowers teams to be more productive. Together with Zoom Workplace, Zoom’s Business Services for sales, marketing, and customer experience teams, including Zoom Contact Center, strengthen customer relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more information at zoom.com.

    Contact:
    Lacretia Nichols
    press@zoom.us

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: CLEAR Launches Concierge – a New Premium, Personalized Airport Experience

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CLEAR (NYSE: YOU), the secure identity platform, today announced CLEAR Concierge–a premium experience that gets travelers through the airport even faster, exclusive to CLEAR+ Members.

    Members can choose from two options: Concierge Express, where a dedicated CLEAR Ambassador meets you curbside and speeds you through the CLEAR+ Lane for a quick, stress-free start to your journey; and Concierge Gate Service, which includes all the benefits of Concierge Express, plus help with check in, bags, directions, and guidance all the way to your gate–perfect for traveling families or seniors.

    “Whether you’re catching a morning flight for work or traveling with your family on vacation, CLEAR Concierge helps you get through even faster every time,” said Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR. “It’s a premium experience that brings ease, predictability, and peace of mind to every journey.”

    CLEAR Concierge is now live at the following major U.S. airports within the CLEAR+ network, with more locations set to launch in the coming months:

    • Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
    • Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)
    • Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
    • William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
    • Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
    • Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
    • Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
    • Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
    • Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
    • Tulsa International Airport (TUL)
    • Denver International Airport (DEN)
    • Orlando International Airport (MCO)
    • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
    • Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

    CLEAR Concierge is also expected to operate soon at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

    Travel is hard, and it’s only getting harder. By 2030, U.S. airports are expected to see an additional one million travelers every single day, adding more stress to an already complex journey. CLEAR Concierge is designed to meet this moment—giving travelers a faster, more predictable, premium experience when they need it most.

    CLEAR Concierge services are available for purchase only for CLEAR+ Members. Concierge Express is available for $99 per use and Concierge Gate Service is available for $179 per use. Travelers under 17 can join CLEAR+ Members in the Lane for free.

    Additional information on CLEAR Concierge can be found here.

    About CLEAR
    CLEAR’s mission is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 31 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR’s identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you – making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we never sell Member data. For more information, visit clearme.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that any and such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those described in the Company’s filings within the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the sections titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10- K. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein.

    CLEAR
    media@clearme.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ria Money Transfer and Xe Join Forces with Google to Collaborate on Seamless, Cross-Border Money Transfers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BUENA PARK, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ria Money Transfer (Ria), a global leader in the money transfer industry, and Xe, a global payments provider with 30 years of experience and trusted expertise moving money around the world — both business segments of Euronet (NASDAQ: EEFT) — announced today a collaboration with Google to make cross-border money transfers more accessible. The companies will work together to make it easier for Google users to find and conduct cross-border money transfers via Ria and Xe’s services.

    In 2024, the total revenue for the global digital remittance market was forecasted at USD $23.4 billion, and it is projected to rise swiftly at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.5%, reaching USD $83.2 billion by the end of 2034. Part of the growth of digital remittances has been driven by the increased use of embedded finance. The global embedded finance market size was valued at USD $104.8 billion in 2024.

    Today, Ria and Xe already support 3.2 billion mobile wallet accounts, 4 billion bank accounts, 4 billion Visa cards and 624,000 locations across nearly 200 countries and territories. This strategic collaboration between Ria, Xe and Google aims to simplify access to cross-border payments for more people around the world, helping Google users discover and transact more easily.

    “Thanks to the convenience of digital channels, more and more customers are choosing to send money online,” said Juan Bianchi, Euronet’s EVP & CEO Money Transfer segment. “We are thrilled to be working with Google, and through their vast reach, make Ria and Xe’s money transfer service available to millions of people who haven’t experienced it before.”

    About Ria Money Transfer

    Ria Money Transfer, a business segment of Euronet (NASDAQ: EEFT), delivers innovative financial services including fast, secure, and affordable global money transfers. With the world’s largest cross-border real-time money movement network, Ria moves money where it matters.

    Bridging the gap between digital and physical spaces, Ria’s omnichannel products and services provide unprecedented consumer choice, including real-time payments, mobile wallets, currency exchange, home delivery, and cardless ATM payouts. Ria’s global infrastructure, powered by the Dandelion real-time, cross-border payments network, facilitates financial access to customers, agents and partners alike. By creating new market opportunities and promoting economic growth around the world, Ria opens ways for a better everyday life.

    About Xe

    Xe is a trusted global payments provider with 30 years of experience and expertise moving money around the world. Thousands of businesses rely on our services every day to manage their international payments and support their FX risk management strategies.

    Xe helps you navigate the complexities of international business, offering preferred FX rates, and structured products that allow you to protect your bottom line.

    We are proud to be part of Euronet Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), with a multi-billion-dollar market capitalization and investment grade credit rating.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: EGGER Group Achieves 99.99% Uptime Across Global Operations with SIOS LifeKeeper for Linux

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN MATEO, Calif., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SIOS Technology Corp., a leading provider of application high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) solutions, today announced that EGGER Group, a global leader in wood-based materials manufacturing, has achieved 99.99% uptime for its mission-critical applications using SIOS LifeKeeper for Linux. With SIOS, EGGER has ensured uninterrupted operations across its 22 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, safeguarding essential SAP, Oracle, and custom applications from downtime.

    EGGER, headquartered in St. Johann, Tyrol, Austria, operates over 5,000 virtual machines on 350 physical servers, supporting a wide range of systems including delivery logistics, inventory management, and enterprise resource planning. To meet its demanding uptime requirements, the company selected SIOS LifeKeeper for its exceptional reliability, simplicity, and ability to support both off-the-shelf and custom services within a Linux-based enterprise infrastructure.

    “We have nearly zero downtime and have improved system robustness. One of the key points is that the solution is easy to use and nearly maintenance-free. I can’t even remember when I hit the last bug,” said Oliver W., Manager Datacenter Operations team at EGGER Group.

    More than 20 years ago, the EGGER IT team began its search for an HA solution that could scale with its growing global footprint while minimizing system complexity. After evaluating several alternatives, including open source and traditional clustering tools, the team chose SIOS LifeKeeper. The solution provided seamless support for complex database environments, including SAP HANA, Oracle, and customized PostgreSQL, as other internal services.

    A critical advantage was the SIOS Application Recovery Kit (ARK), which enabled EGGER to tailor HA protection for its custom applications and services. Combined with a user-friendly GUI and powerful command-line capabilities, SIOS LifeKeeper has allowed EGGER to simplify configuration, reduce setup errors, and streamline management across two-node clusters in its virtualized environment.

    “EGGER Group’s long-term success with LifeKeeper is a powerful testament to the scalability, reliability, and versatility of our solution,” said Masahiro Arai, COO of SIOS Technology. “We are proud to support EGGER’s mission-critical operations and global growth with a high availability platform that adapts to their needs today and into the future.”

    With SIOS, EGGER has not only reduced downtime risk but also gained the ability to perform maintenance and upgrades without taking systems offline. The company continues to evolve its infrastructure strategy, with SIOS LifeKeeper remaining a key pillar in its ongoing innovation.

    About SIOS Technology Corp.

    SIOS Technology Corp. high availability and disaster recovery solutions ensure availability and eliminate data loss for critical Windows and Linux applications operating across physical, virtual, cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. SIOS clustering software is essential for any IT infrastructure with applications requiring a high degree of resiliency, ensuring uptime without sacrificing performance or data, protecting businesses from local failures and regional outages, planned and unplanned. Founded in 1999, SIOS Technology Corp. (https://us.sios.com) is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices worldwide.

    SIOS, SIOS Technology, SIOS DataKeeper, SIOS LifeKeeper, and associated logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of SIOS Technology Corp. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    Media Contact:

    Beth Winkowski
    Winkowski Public Relations, LLC for SIOS
    978-649-7189
    bethwinkowski@US.SIOS.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The dangers of romanticising Britain’s 1976 heatwave

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephanie Brown, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Hull

    As I scrolled through social media on a hot afternoon in late June, a meme caught my attention. A black and white photo. A smiling young woman with water up to her knees. She appeared to be in a fountain, with many others dipping their legs in the water.

    The caption read “On this day in 1976, the British heatwave started. It would last until the 27th August, during which time Britain would experience extreme temperatures and widespread droughts. And we all had a wonderful summer and survived.”

    This immediately struck me: it was a boiling hot day. As I sat at my office desk keeping hydrated with a fan pointed directly at my face, I felt the rage burning inside me. How could people be so irresponsible? Heat can be dangerous. But the implication of the meme was clear: if people managed back then, surely today’s warnings about heatwaves, climate change, and public health are exaggerated. These rose-tinted memories obscure a darker truth.

    I am a historical criminologist. This meme had the rare effect of deeply troubling both of my areas of expertise.

    As a historian, this meme concerns me because it perpetuates the myth of the “good old days”. A selective, nostalgic vision of the past that smooths over complexity and hardship in favour of a comforting, idealised narrative. Flattening history into feelgood folklore, erasing the social inequalities and governmental failures.

    It echoes a broader cultural tendency: from “Make America great again” to the “Blitz spirit”, representing Britain’s nostalgia for wartime resilience, a romanticised past is often used by politicians to legitimise political ideas in the present. But history is not a comfort blanket. It is a critical tool.

    My work explores how institutions respond to crisis and how narratives of success or failure are constructed. In 1976, advice for dealing with the water shortage was to share a bath with the wife and drive a dirty car. Areas without domestic tap water had to use communal street pipes.

    The government did not appoint a minister for drought until the end of August, despite mounting evidence from meteorologists and public health officials. Emergency measures were piecemeal and unevenly applied.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The suggestion that “we all had a wonderful summer and survived” is misleading. It was reported that “200 people a day were apparently dying who would not have died if the weather had been normal”. During the peak of the heatwave, deaths increased by 28% in the southeast England and 33% in Greater London.

    As a criminologist, I know that it is not only natural deaths that can increase during a hot weather. The number of violent deaths also increased in 1976 as well as in other heatwaves. Thermic law is the concept that violent crime is higher in hotter seasons. These patterns might be explained by temperature-aggression theory: that hot weather can cause an increase in aggressive behaviours.

    For other criminologists, it is not the temperature itself that causes increased violence, but how people’s behaviour changes due to the heat. For example, people are taking time off work or school, socialising, and drinking. Unstructured time and spaces, combined with alcohol and a holiday feel all lead to increases in violence.

    Misrepresenting risk

    By sentimentalising the summer of 1976, we strip away its lessons. Worse, we risk repeating its mistakes. One Conservative MP described people concerned about the 2022 heatwave as “snowflakes” and “cowards”. Quite an odd response after the British public was asked to “protect the NHS” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This protection apparently did not extend to looking after each other in a heatwave. In fact, heatwaves are largely an invisible risk. We are told not to fuss, but there is often little communication on how to keep safe.

    A lack of policy and examples of political scepticism connect with a key theme in the comments under that meme: climate change denial. If we had a heatwave in 1976 then what we are experiencing now is nothing new, right? Wrong.

    The heatwave in 1976 was bad: thousands died, fires raged, and water ran dry. But it was also an anomaly; a hot summer in a relatively cool decade. Heatwaves are now more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. Temperatures reached over 40°C in 2022, while the maximum in 1976 was 4°C-5°C cooler.

    Still, each time a weather warning is issued, it is met with a wave of derision. There is the same online discourse as is expressed in this meme. This attitude is not just flippant, it is dangerous. It undermines vital public messaging, discourages precautionary action, and fuels complacency among those least at risk, while leaving the most vulnerable even more exposed.

    History can offer crucial perspective. But only if we treat it honestly. That means moving beyond memeified memories of the past and reckoning with the complexity of what really happened. It means challenging the stories we tell ourselves. Many did live through the 1976 heatwave. But many also died: quietly, invisibly and avoidably. Their stories are not part of the nostalgia. They should be.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Stephanie Brown 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. The dangers of romanticising Britain’s 1976 heatwave – https://theconversation.com/the-dangers-of-romanticising-britains-1976-heatwave-260046

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Could England and Wales introduce jury-free trials? Here’s how they work in other countries

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natalie Hodgson, Assistant Professor in Law, University of Nottingham

    The right to trial by jury is a fundamental part of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. But under new proposals to address a record backlog of almost 77,000 Crown Court cases, some cases could now be heard by judge alone.

    Sir Brian Leveson has delivered part one of his independent review of the criminal courts, making 45 recommendations to address delays in the criminal justice process. One of his recommendations is that serious offences could be tried by a judge alone without a jury. Our evidence to the review explored how judge-alone trials have been used in other countries.

    Currently, a person can only be tried without a jury at Crown Court if there is a risk of jury tampering. Under Leveson’s proposal, judge-alone trials will be expanded to cases where a defendant requests to be tried without a jury, serious and complex fraud offences and where the case is likely to be lengthy or particularly complex.

    To understand how this might work, we can to look to other countries where judge-alone trials are used. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US all permit judge-alone trials in circumstances similar to what Leveson is recommending. A defendant can choose to be tried by a judge instead of a jury in certain circumstances.

    Defendants tend to express a preference for trial by judge alone if they are concerned that prejudicial media coverage or the nature of the offences might bias jurors against them. Leveson recommends that judges should decide whether a defendant’s request for a judge-alone trial should be granted, but stops short of identifying the factors that a judge should consider.

    Leveson leaves open the question of whether judge-alone trials should be available for all offences, or whether certain offences should be exempt. Some countries limit which offences can be heard without a jury. For example, in the Australian Capital Territory, a defendant cannot request a trial without a jury for murder or certain sexual offences.

    In New South Wales, judges are advised against permitting a judge-alone trial when the offence involves consideration of “community standards”. This recognises that members of the community have an important role to play in deciding whether a defendant has acted “reasonably”, “negligently” or “dishonestly”. For example, if a person is charged with manslaughter the jury may need to consider whether the defendant’s actions were “unreasonable”, which is best determined by members of the community.

    Are judge-alone trials unfair to defendants?

    Lawyers often raise concerns about judge-alone trials being unfair to defendants. Based on what we know from other countries, there is no strong evidence that this is the case. However, that is not to say that concerns about unfairness are unwarranted.

    If judges convict at higher rates than juries, that might suggest that judge-alone trials are unfair. However, the best available study, conducted in New South Wales, found that judges were actually slightly less likely than juries to find a defendant guilty.

    Juries do not explain their verdicts. In all countries which use judge-alone trials, judges must give reasons for their decisions. Knowing why a defendant was found guilty might make trials even more fair, providing a basis for an appeal against conviction if an error was made.

    One key issue with judge-alone trials is inadmissible evidence. Ordinarily, jurors are sent out of the courtroom while the judge and lawyers make decisions about what evidence the jury is allowed to hear. Evidence might be excluded because it is irrelevant, prejudicial or was collected in breach of the defendant’s rights. In these scenarios, the jury is never made aware of the evidence.

    However, in a judge-alone trial, the judge sees all the evidence, even if they decide that some of it should not be used. There is a risk that judges might be subconsciously impacted by inadmissible evidence in reaching their verdict.

    Judge-alone trials also raise issues about diversity of decision-makers. In England and Wales, only 11% of judges are from an ethnic minority background compared to 18% of the population. Ideally, juries contain people from a range of backgrounds. Some defendants might feel more confident that they will be tried fairly by a jury than a judge.

    Ultimately, one way to safeguard against concerns about unfairness is to give defendants the ability to choose whether or not they would like to be tried by a judge alone. Leveson’s recommendations suggest that most judge-alone trials would occur at the request of the defendant. However, judge-alone trials could be ordered against the defendant’s wishes in cases involving fraud or that are long and complex.

    Juries play an important role in the legal system in England and Wales. Through jury service, members of the community contribute to the administration of justice. The inclusion of a range of viewpoints and experiences in determining criminal verdicts enhances the legitimacy of the justice system.

    It is important that we continue to have juries in criminal trials. However, that is not to say that judge-alone trials cannot or should not play a role. The current backlog means that victims and defendants are having to wait years for their day in court. We desperately need to address this, and allowing defendants to elect a judge-alone trial may help to reduce delays to justice.

    While judge-alone trials are not inherently unfair, any rollout in England and Wales should be closely monitored and evaluated. It is important that we do not sacrifice fairness for efficiency as we work to address the issues affecting our justice system.

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

    – ref. Could England and Wales introduce jury-free trials? Here’s how they work in other countries – https://theconversation.com/could-england-and-wales-introduce-jury-free-trials-heres-how-they-work-in-other-countries-259489

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Action is the antidote to ecological grief and climate anxiety – an ecotherapist explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Taylor, Early Career Researcher and Ecotherapist, Queen’s University Belfast

    Brussels, Belgium. 21st February 2019. High school and university students stage a protest against the climate policies of the Belgian government. Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com

    There’s a popular quote by the 13th-century poet and spiritual teacher Rumi: “The cure for the pain is in the pain.” This line often echoes through my mind when I’m working with clients, especially those experiencing ecological grief and climate anxiety.

    As an ecotherapist – a therapist guided by nature and nature-based therapeutic approaches – and environmental researcher, I work with people who are navigating the emotional weight of ecological breakdown.

    Ecotherapy helps people reconnect with the natural world as a way to support mental and emotional wellbeing. It might involve walking in green spaces, mindfulness practices in nature, working with natural materials, or nature-based rituals.

    Whether it’s planting a garden, sitting under a tree, or engaging in conservation efforts, ecotherapy helps people feel more grounded, more connected and more resilient both emotionally and spiritually.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    In my practice, I’ve noticed that younger people are more likely to experience climate anxiety, while older generations tend to experience ecological grief. The difference is subtle but important. Anxiety often relates to what lies ahead and a sense of powerlessness. Grief is about what has already been lost.

    This emotional divide makes sense when we consider what has happened to the natural world over recent decades. Older adults have witnessed the loss of species, habitats and biodiversity in real time. Many have rich memories and relationships with landscapes that no longer exist as they once did. Meanwhile, younger generations face the terrifying uncertainty of a rapidly changing climate and an increasingly unstable future.

    Both grief and anxiety are valid, but they are not the same.

    I have explored these experiences in depth while researching nature connection, mental health and how the climate and ecological crisis is reshaping this relationship.

    At the outset, I assumed that greater connection with nature would always lead to improved mental wellbeing. But that wasn’t the full picture.

    What I found instead was that deepening our connection with the natural world can indeed foster healing, but it can also sharpen our awareness of the damage being done. This heightened sensitivity can trigger emotional pain, despair and even a decline in mental wellbeing.

    Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung once said, “There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” That’s exactly what climate-anxious and ecologically grieving people are expressing: the deep psychological toll of recognising the scale of the crisis we’re facing. For some, it affects their ability to function, to enjoy their lives and to maintain relationships.

    How to stay well

    The question I kept returning to in my work was this: how do we stay well in a time of collapse? My research pointed to one consistent answer: action.

    Engaging in pro-environmental actions emerged as the most effective way people coped with emotional strain. These weren’t merely acts of activism — they became spiritual practices, grounded in care, connection and meaning. Through these actions, people began to reclaim a sense of power and purpose in the face of overwhelming ecological loss.

    For many, this was also a path back to what eco-philosophers call the ecological self: the part of us that extends beyond the individual and identifies with the living world.

    This self isn’t driven by ego or personal gain, but by the impulse to build relationships, nurture communities and support the flourishing of all life. It represents an expanded way of being; one that understands health and healing as collective, not just personal.

    Importantly, these actions don’t have to be large-scale. They might involve growing your own herbs or vegetables, for instance, or joining a local conservation effort, forming a community group to protect waterways or green spaces, or participating in climate strikes and land defence work. What matters is that the action is relational: rooted in reciprocity and care.

    The conclusion of my research was clear: in the face of ecological distress, mental wellbeing is sustained not by thoughts, but by meaningful action.

    Healing through action

    In Northern Ireland, where I live and work, I’ve seen a growing grassroots environmental movement. Communities are stepping up to protect landscapes under threat, from campaigns to defend the Sperrin Mountains from gold mining, to local resistance against the pollution that’s devastating Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in Ireland and the UK.

    This is unpaid, often invisible labour, but it’s powerful. It gives people a way to process their emotions, to feel less helpless and to turn grief into agency.

    Many environmentalists talk about “saving the planet”. But the truth is, the Earth will go on. What’s under threat is us: our ways of life, our communities, our ability to thrive. The dread we feel is rooted in the enormity of this realisation.

    To stay well while caring deeply about the Earth means learning to live with this pain, and still choosing to act. It requires us to show up, to be present and to tend to both the human and non-human world with care and reciprocity. As we do, we become more empowered and less overwhelmed.

    If you are struggling with climate anxiety or ecological grief, know this: the goal isn’t to suppress your feelings. The goal is to acknowledge them, and then use them as fuel for meaningful action.

    Don’t underestimate small acts. The way forward isn’t to wait for hope: it’s to create it through connection, courage and commitment.

    In a time of ecological uncertainty, wellness doesn’t come from thinking differently. It comes from doing differently.

    Louise Taylor 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. Action is the antidote to ecological grief and climate anxiety – an ecotherapist explains – https://theconversation.com/action-is-the-antidote-to-ecological-grief-and-climate-anxiety-an-ecotherapist-explains-260428

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    Helen Prejean has been one of the most high-profile opponents of the death penalty for decades. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images

    Thirty years ago, the film “Dead Man Walking” had its debut in movie theaters around the United States. It was a box office hit, and critics lavished it with praise. Lead actress Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean, the spiritual adviser to a death row inmate played by Sean Penn.

    But the film’s impact went far beyond the artistic realm. It exposed a mass audience to a perspective on the death penalty informed by the Catholic faith of a devout, if somewhat unconventional, nun.

    The actual Sister Helen had published her memoir, “Dead Man Walking,” two years before, raising her profile as an activist against the death penalty. Recalling her experience outside the execution chamber of Elmo Patrick Sonnier, one of the people she counseled, Prejean later wrote, “I touched him in the only way I could. I told him: ‘Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ, the face of love for you.’”

    She made it her mission to show that “everybody’s worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life.” As she once told an interviewer, “Jesus said, ‘Love your enemy.’ Jesus didn’t say, ‘Execute the hell out of the enemy.’”

    That belief was featured prominently in the film and offered a counterpoint to the popular tough-on-crime rhetoric of the 1990s. Back then, 80% of the American public supported capital punishment.

    Today, that is no longer true. Support for the death penalty has declined to around 50%.

    As a death penalty scholar, I have studied those changes. The church’s anti-death penalty teaching has helped provide both a moral foundation and political respectability for those working to end the death penalty.

    The 1995 film was inspired by Prejean’s memoir.

    Church teachings

    But that teaching is relatively new in the church, dating back to the past half-century. For most of its history, the Catholic Church did not oppose the death penalty.

    During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes. And in the early 20th century, Vatican City’s penal code permitted the death penalty for anyone who attempted to kill a pope. Pope Paul VI changed that in 1969.

    When John Paul II became pope a decade later, he pushed the church further away from its historic embrace of the death penalty, calling it “cruel and unnecessary.” And in 2018, under Pope Francis, the Vatican revised the section on capital punishment in the Catechism, the summary of Catholic doctrine.

    The death penalty “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” and deprives “the guilty of the possibility of redemption,” the new version says. This teaching committed the church to work for its abolition.

    In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis stated that the death penalty is “inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.” In 2024, he again called for “the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

    Impact in the US

    The changed situation of capital punishment in this country is largely attributable to a change in the strategy and tactics of the abolitionist movement. Instead of talking about the death penalty in abstract terms, activists began to focus on the day-to-day realities of its administration.

    Today, advocates in what I have called the “new abolitionism” focus on the prospect of executing the innocent, racial discrimination in capital sentencing, and the financial costs associated with the death penalty. Among Catholics working to end the death penalty, however, the moral questions about state killing have long been a central focus.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops focused on morality in its own campaign to end capital punishment, which was launched in 2005. And from time to time, popes have made special appeals to government officials in the U.S., asking them to spare the life of someone awaiting execution.

    A seminarian attends a public hearing in Connecticut in 2011 on legislation to replace capital punishment with life in prison for certain murders.
    AP Photo/Jessica Hill

    Legal historian Sara Mayeux argues that Catholic anti-death penalty activism in the U.S. has been less intense than anti-abortion work. Nevertheless, the impact of the church is reflected in the fact that in the past 50 years, Catholic support for capital punishment fell more than it did among evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Black Protestants and other religious groups.

    In December 2024, as the term of President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was coming to a close, the Catholics Mobilizing Network, which advocates against capital punishment, called on the president to commute the sentences of the 40 people then on federal death row. Francis, too, publicly prayed for their sentences to be commuted.

    Biden did so for 37 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life in prison without parole.

    Anti-death penalty superstar

    As the church’s official position against capital punishment has evolved, Prejean has been a consistent voice asking Americans to recognize and respond to the humanity of all those touched by murder. She is, in words I am sure she would resist, a superstar in the movement, thanks to her countless public appearances, interviews, protests and actions to lobby legislators.

    Sister Helen Prejean talks to detainees during a discussion of ‘Dead Man Walking’ at Department Of Corrections Division 11 in Chicago.
    AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

    In 2021, she wrote, “I’m on fire to abolish government killing because I’ve seen it far too close-up, and I have a pretty good idea by now how it works – or doesn’t.”

    Thirty years ago, “Dead Man Walking” gave its viewers a chance to see capital punishment “close-up.” It didn’t preach or hit anyone over the head with an overtly abolitionist message. Instead, it asked viewers to see the death penalty from many sides and make up their own minds about whether anyone should be put to death, even for the most horrible crimes.

    Between then and now, America has undertaken precisely the kind of conversation about capital punishment that the film exemplified and inspired.

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

    – ref. How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States – https://theconversation.com/how-the-catholic-church-helped-change-the-conversation-about-capital-punishment-in-the-united-states-260481

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    Helen Prejean has been one of the most high-profile opponents of the death penalty for decades. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images

    Thirty years ago, the film “Dead Man Walking” had its debut in movie theaters around the United States. It was a box office hit, and critics lavished it with praise. Lead actress Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean, the spiritual adviser to a death row inmate played by Sean Penn.

    But the film’s impact went far beyond the artistic realm. It exposed a mass audience to a perspective on the death penalty informed by the Catholic faith of a devout, if somewhat unconventional, nun.

    The actual Sister Helen had published her memoir, “Dead Man Walking,” two years before, raising her profile as an activist against the death penalty. Recalling her experience outside the execution chamber of Elmo Patrick Sonnier, one of the people she counseled, Prejean later wrote, “I touched him in the only way I could. I told him: ‘Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ, the face of love for you.’”

    She made it her mission to show that “everybody’s worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life.” As she once told an interviewer, “Jesus said, ‘Love your enemy.’ Jesus didn’t say, ‘Execute the hell out of the enemy.’”

    That belief was featured prominently in the film and offered a counterpoint to the popular tough-on-crime rhetoric of the 1990s. Back then, 80% of the American public supported capital punishment.

    Today, that is no longer true. Support for the death penalty has declined to around 50%.

    As a death penalty scholar, I have studied those changes. The church’s anti-death penalty teaching has helped provide both a moral foundation and political respectability for those working to end the death penalty.

    The 1995 film was inspired by Prejean’s memoir.

    Church teachings

    But that teaching is relatively new in the church, dating back to the past half-century. For most of its history, the Catholic Church did not oppose the death penalty.

    During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes. And in the early 20th century, Vatican City’s penal code permitted the death penalty for anyone who attempted to kill a pope. Pope Paul VI changed that in 1969.

    When John Paul II became pope a decade later, he pushed the church further away from its historic embrace of the death penalty, calling it “cruel and unnecessary.” And in 2018, under Pope Francis, the Vatican revised the section on capital punishment in the Catechism, the summary of Catholic doctrine.

    The death penalty “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” and deprives “the guilty of the possibility of redemption,” the new version says. This teaching committed the church to work for its abolition.

    In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis stated that the death penalty is “inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.” In 2024, he again called for “the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

    Impact in the US

    The changed situation of capital punishment in this country is largely attributable to a change in the strategy and tactics of the abolitionist movement. Instead of talking about the death penalty in abstract terms, activists began to focus on the day-to-day realities of its administration.

    Today, advocates in what I have called the “new abolitionism” focus on the prospect of executing the innocent, racial discrimination in capital sentencing, and the financial costs associated with the death penalty. Among Catholics working to end the death penalty, however, the moral questions about state killing have long been a central focus.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops focused on morality in its own campaign to end capital punishment, which was launched in 2005. And from time to time, popes have made special appeals to government officials in the U.S., asking them to spare the life of someone awaiting execution.

    A seminarian attends a public hearing in Connecticut in 2011 on legislation to replace capital punishment with life in prison for certain murders.
    AP Photo/Jessica Hill

    Legal historian Sara Mayeux argues that Catholic anti-death penalty activism in the U.S. has been less intense than anti-abortion work. Nevertheless, the impact of the church is reflected in the fact that in the past 50 years, Catholic support for capital punishment fell more than it did among evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Black Protestants and other religious groups.

    In December 2024, as the term of President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was coming to a close, the Catholics Mobilizing Network, which advocates against capital punishment, called on the president to commute the sentences of the 40 people then on federal death row. Francis, too, publicly prayed for their sentences to be commuted.

    Biden did so for 37 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life in prison without parole.

    Anti-death penalty superstar

    As the church’s official position against capital punishment has evolved, Prejean has been a consistent voice asking Americans to recognize and respond to the humanity of all those touched by murder. She is, in words I am sure she would resist, a superstar in the movement, thanks to her countless public appearances, interviews, protests and actions to lobby legislators.

    Sister Helen Prejean talks to detainees during a discussion of ‘Dead Man Walking’ at Department Of Corrections Division 11 in Chicago.
    AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

    In 2021, she wrote, “I’m on fire to abolish government killing because I’ve seen it far too close-up, and I have a pretty good idea by now how it works – or doesn’t.”

    Thirty years ago, “Dead Man Walking” gave its viewers a chance to see capital punishment “close-up.” It didn’t preach or hit anyone over the head with an overtly abolitionist message. Instead, it asked viewers to see the death penalty from many sides and make up their own minds about whether anyone should be put to death, even for the most horrible crimes.

    Between then and now, America has undertaken precisely the kind of conversation about capital punishment that the film exemplified and inspired.

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

    – ref. How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States – https://theconversation.com/how-the-catholic-church-helped-change-the-conversation-about-capital-punishment-in-the-united-states-260481

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

    Congress passed Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill on July 3, 2025. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    When congressional Republicans decided to cut some Biden-era energy subsidies to help fund their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they could have pruned wasteful subsidies while sparing the rest. Instead, they did the reverse. Americans will pay the price with higher costs for dirtier energy.

    The nearly 900-page bill that President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025, slashes incentives for wind and solar energy, batteries, electric cars and home efficiency while expanding subsidies for fossil fuels and biofuels. That will leave Americans burning more fossil fuels despite strong public and scientific support for shifting to renewable energy.

    As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which energy technologies could rapidly cut emissions or need a financial boost to become viable from those that are already profitable but harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Republican bill favors the latter while stifling the former.

    The Spring Creek Mine in Decker, Mont., is just one mine in the Powder River Basin, the most productive coal-producing region in the U.S.
    AP Photo/Matthew Brown

    Cuts to renewable electricity

    Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, provide over 90% of the new electricity added nationally and around the world in recent years. Natural gas turbines are in short supply, and there are long lead times to build nuclear power plants. Wind and solar energy projects – with batteries to store excess power until it’s needed – offer the fastest way to satisfy growing demand for power. Recent technological breakthroughs put geothermal power on the verge of rapid growth.

    However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.

    It accelerates the phaseout of tax credits for factories that manufacture equipment needed for renewable energy and electric vehicles. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that had been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Efforts to build new wind and solar farms will be hit even harder. To receive any tax credits, those projects will need to commence construction by mid-2026 or come online by the end of 2027. The act preserves a slower timeline for phasing out subsidies for nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen projects, which take far longer to build than wind and solar farms.

    However, even projects that could be built soon enough will struggle to comply with the bill’s restrictions on using Chinese-made components. Tax law experts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. For example, even American-made solar panels may rely on components sourced from China or Chinese-owned companies.

    Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins estimates that the bill will mean wind and solar power generate 820 fewer terawatt-hours in 2035 than under previous policies. That’s more power than all U.S. coal-fired power plants generated in 2023.

    That’s why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a “nightmare scenario” for clean energy proponents.

    However, one person’s nightmare may be another man’s dream. “We’re constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is backed by the oil and gas industry.

    Federal tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels will now expire at the end of 2025.
    AP Photo/Michael Conroy

    Electric cars and efficiency

    Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The quickest phaseout comes for tax credits for electric vehicles, which will end on Sept. 30, 2025. And since the bill eliminates fines on car companies that fail to meet fuel economy standards, other new cars are likely to guzzle more gas.

    Tax credits for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits will end at the end of 2025. Homeowners will also lose tax credits for installing solar panels at the end of the year, seven years earlier than under the previous law.

    The bill also rescinds funding that would have helped cut diesel emissions and finance clean energy projects in underserved communities.

    Federal tax credits for buying electric vehicles will end on Sept. 30, 2025.
    AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

    Support for biofuels and fossil fuels

    Biofuels and fossil fuels fared far better under the bill. Tens of billions of dollars will be spent to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

    Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops because it directs agencies to ignore the effects of biofuels on land use.

    Meanwhile, the bill opens more federal lands and waters to leasing for oil and gas drilling and coal mining. It also slashes the royalties that companies pay to the federal government for fuels extracted from publicly owned land. And a new tax credit will subsidize metallurgical coal, which is mainly exported to steelmakers overseas.

    The bill also increases subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas from the ground. That makes it less likely that captured emissions will only be sequestered to combat climate change.

    Summing it up

    With fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects that the law will increase household energy costs by over $280 per year by 2035 above what they would have been without the bill. The extra fossil fuel-burning will negate 470 million tons of anticipated emissions reductions that year, a 7% bump.

    The bill will also leave America’s clean energy transition further behind China, which is deploying more solar and wind power and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.

    No one expected President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress, even though many of its projects were in Republican-voting districts. Still, pairing cuts to clean energy with support for fossil fuels makes Trump’s bill uniquely harmful to the world’s climate and to Americans’ wallets.

    This article includes some material previously published on June 10, 2025.

    Daniel Cohan receives research funding from the Carbon Hub at Rice University. He previously received research funding from Project InnerSpace, the Mitchell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

    – ref. ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy – https://theconversation.com/big-beautiful-bill-will-have-americans-paying-higher-prices-for-dirtier-energy-260588

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

    Congress passed Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill on July 3, 2025. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    When congressional Republicans decided to cut some Biden-era energy subsidies to help fund their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they could have pruned wasteful subsidies while sparing the rest. Instead, they did the reverse. Americans will pay the price with higher costs for dirtier energy.

    The nearly 900-page bill that President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025, slashes incentives for wind and solar energy, batteries, electric cars and home efficiency while expanding subsidies for fossil fuels and biofuels. That will leave Americans burning more fossil fuels despite strong public and scientific support for shifting to renewable energy.

    As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which energy technologies could rapidly cut emissions or need a financial boost to become viable from those that are already profitable but harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Republican bill favors the latter while stifling the former.

    The Spring Creek Mine in Decker, Mont., is just one mine in the Powder River Basin, the most productive coal-producing region in the U.S.
    AP Photo/Matthew Brown

    Cuts to renewable electricity

    Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, provide over 90% of the new electricity added nationally and around the world in recent years. Natural gas turbines are in short supply, and there are long lead times to build nuclear power plants. Wind and solar energy projects – with batteries to store excess power until it’s needed – offer the fastest way to satisfy growing demand for power. Recent technological breakthroughs put geothermal power on the verge of rapid growth.

    However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.

    It accelerates the phaseout of tax credits for factories that manufacture equipment needed for renewable energy and electric vehicles. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that had been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Efforts to build new wind and solar farms will be hit even harder. To receive any tax credits, those projects will need to commence construction by mid-2026 or come online by the end of 2027. The act preserves a slower timeline for phasing out subsidies for nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen projects, which take far longer to build than wind and solar farms.

    However, even projects that could be built soon enough will struggle to comply with the bill’s restrictions on using Chinese-made components. Tax law experts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. For example, even American-made solar panels may rely on components sourced from China or Chinese-owned companies.

    Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins estimates that the bill will mean wind and solar power generate 820 fewer terawatt-hours in 2035 than under previous policies. That’s more power than all U.S. coal-fired power plants generated in 2023.

    That’s why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a “nightmare scenario” for clean energy proponents.

    However, one person’s nightmare may be another man’s dream. “We’re constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is backed by the oil and gas industry.

    Federal tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels will now expire at the end of 2025.
    AP Photo/Michael Conroy

    Electric cars and efficiency

    Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The quickest phaseout comes for tax credits for electric vehicles, which will end on Sept. 30, 2025. And since the bill eliminates fines on car companies that fail to meet fuel economy standards, other new cars are likely to guzzle more gas.

    Tax credits for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits will end at the end of 2025. Homeowners will also lose tax credits for installing solar panels at the end of the year, seven years earlier than under the previous law.

    The bill also rescinds funding that would have helped cut diesel emissions and finance clean energy projects in underserved communities.

    Federal tax credits for buying electric vehicles will end on Sept. 30, 2025.
    AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

    Support for biofuels and fossil fuels

    Biofuels and fossil fuels fared far better under the bill. Tens of billions of dollars will be spent to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

    Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops because it directs agencies to ignore the effects of biofuels on land use.

    Meanwhile, the bill opens more federal lands and waters to leasing for oil and gas drilling and coal mining. It also slashes the royalties that companies pay to the federal government for fuels extracted from publicly owned land. And a new tax credit will subsidize metallurgical coal, which is mainly exported to steelmakers overseas.

    The bill also increases subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas from the ground. That makes it less likely that captured emissions will only be sequestered to combat climate change.

    Summing it up

    With fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects that the law will increase household energy costs by over $280 per year by 2035 above what they would have been without the bill. The extra fossil fuel-burning will negate 470 million tons of anticipated emissions reductions that year, a 7% bump.

    The bill will also leave America’s clean energy transition further behind China, which is deploying more solar and wind power and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.

    No one expected President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress, even though many of its projects were in Republican-voting districts. Still, pairing cuts to clean energy with support for fossil fuels makes Trump’s bill uniquely harmful to the world’s climate and to Americans’ wallets.

    This article includes some material previously published on June 10, 2025.

    Daniel Cohan receives research funding from the Carbon Hub at Rice University. He previously received research funding from Project InnerSpace, the Mitchell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

    – ref. ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy – https://theconversation.com/big-beautiful-bill-will-have-americans-paying-higher-prices-for-dirtier-energy-260588

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: INNOPROM-2025: New Horizons of Industrial Development

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The 15th anniversary industrial exhibition INNOPROM continues its work in Yekaterinburg. Today the pavilions opened their doors to all categories of visitors, and the flow of guests has noticeably increased. The trend of this year’s exhibition is the demonstration of advanced developments that have already proven their effectiveness in real production conditions.

    The delegation of the Polytechnic University takes part in key events of the business program, where current issues of industrial development, innovative technologies and scientific and technical cooperation are discussed.

    Thus, at the Polytechnic stand, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Federal State Autonomous Institution “Digital Industrial Technologies” and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    The document, which envisages cooperation between the parties in order to implement joint expert and analytical activities aimed at highlighting the results and stimulating the development and effective application of advanced digital and production technologies, artificial intelligence technologies in industrial sectors of the Russian Federation economy, was signed by the director of the organization Eduard Shantayev and the chief designer for the key scientific and technological development area of SPbPU “System Digital Engineering”, director of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov.

    Alexey Borovkov also took part in the events of the INNOPROM business program, including the session “Fast. Complex. Precise. How additive technologies accelerate industrial development.” The participants discussed the prospects for industry growth due to increased demand for additive technologies and materials, tools for interaction between business, science and the state, as well as successful cases of implementing such technologies in industry.

    During his speech, Alexey Ivanovich spoke about a world-class project carried out in the interests of the Fuel Division of the Rosatom State Corporation – the development of a digital twin of a VVER-1000 fuel assembly (FA) with an anti-debris filter and mixing grids.

    The optimized design of the anti-debris filter and the geometry of the mixing grids of the fuel assembly was developed in six months and, in contrast to the original product, is 10 times more efficient, the speaker emphasized.

    Alexey Borovkov also presented the developments of the Polymer Composite Materials laboratory of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”, including demonstrators of overprinting and induction welding technologies for thermoplastic composite materials, as well as automated laying out of thermoplastic unidirectional prepregs.

    According to Alexey Borovkov, overprinting technology is ideal for working with engineering polymers due to the absence of a number of technological limitations and is of great interest for integration into large technological chains: laying out – stamping – printing.

    An award ceremony was held at the Polytechnic stand. For his great contribution to the development of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the General Director of the Union of Defense Industry Enterprises of the Sverdlovsk Region Vladimir Shchelokov received the “For Merits” badge of distinction. The honorary award was presented to him by the Scientific Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov.

    SPbPU is an active member of the Union. The University improves the quality of personnel training in the military-industrial complex, as well as in the field of scientific research and educational services. The Union participates in the implementation of federal target programs and technology platforms to achieve leadership in the leading high-tech sectors of the economy: aviation and engine building, rocket and space industry, nuclear power complex, shipbuilding, electronic and radio-electronic industry and others. The Union includes more than 100 enterprises and organizations.

    It is a great honor for me to receive this award. I would like to express my gratitude for the fruitful cooperation with the Polytechnic University. A distinctive feature of your university is the ability to implement projects, and visual confirmation of this can be seen at the exhibition stand. There is much to learn from the Polytechnic University. And I am sincerely proud of our friendship, – said Vladimir Shchelokov.

    In turn, Vladimir Shchelokov awarded the director of the Center for Scientific and Technological Partnership and Targeted Training of SPbPU Oleg Ipatov with a commemorative medal “80 Years of the Great Victory”.

    This year, INNOPROM pays special attention to machines, units, machine tools and robotic systems that are actively used in various industries today. The technological potential of SPbPU is presented at a separate stand. Here, visitors can get acquainted with innovative developments that have undergone practical testing and are ready for implementation in industrial production.

    At the exhibition, a team from the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures (LLMS) of IMMiT demonstrated electric arc 3D printing. Right before the eyes of the audience, a “Laval nozzle” was created – a gas channel of a special profile designed to accelerate the gas flow to supersonic speeds.

    The printing technology is based on melting metal wire using an electric arc. This approach allows for high-speed production of products: up to 2.2 kg/h for aluminum alloys and up to 6 kg/h for steel. The key advantage is the absence of restrictions on the shape of the part: the manipulator easily moves along the rail system and follows the growth of the product, which allows for the implementation of the concept of an open production cell.

    The laboratory carries out a full cycle of implementation of additive technologies – design and launch of 3D printing installations, personnel training, technical support and production support.

    Mikhail Kuznetsov, Head of the Laser and Additive Technologies Research Laboratory at the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about the laboratory’s work at INNOPROM: At the exhibition, we presented the “Nomad” laser cladding complex, samples made using laser welding and additive technologies. Of particular interest are the hip joint cups. The samples were made as part of R&D in close cooperation with the Armalit JSC company with the participation of the Vreden Institute of Traumatology and are evidence of how modern solutions can effectively work to address the challenges of import substitution and technological sovereignty of the country. We held a number of productive meetings with industry representatives and engineering centers from different regions of Russia. It is especially valuable that enterprises from a wide variety of industries, from aircraft manufacturing to medicine, are interested in our technologies. This indicates a high degree of versatility and applied significance of our solutions.

    The Polytechnic University was also represented in the international agenda of the forum. Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Computer Technology and Information Systems of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Leading Researcher of the Gazpromneft-Polytech Scientific and Educational Center, Analyst in the project “Automation of Seismic Data Processing Using Artificial Neural Networks” Sergey Khlopin took part in the round table “Russian-Chinese Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Development and Implementation of High Technologies”. As part of the session “Projects and Technologies in the Field of Intellectual Production”, he made a report “Current Models for the Implementation of Digital Technological Projects in the Field of Geological Exploration”. Sergey Vladimirovich spoke about the cooperation between SPbPU and Chinese partners.

    Sergey Khlopin, commenting on the results of his speech, noted: This year, INNOPROM-2025 became a platform for demonstrating the start of the work process of Gazpromneft-Polytech REC specialists in the field of AI application for geological exploration. One of the key tasks that the models being created will be aimed at solving in the future is the labor-intensive manual processing of seismic information. In tests, the model shows accuracy comparable to classical methods on linear data, but significantly exceeds them in cases with nonlinear dependencies, which are more common in practice. However, the project has just started, so the team faces various difficulties during development. Neural networks do not always give the correct result. We are solving the problem of the relevance of the data received.

    Since 2018, Polytech has implemented more than 20 contracts for research and development work with 12 of the largest industrial and research companies in China. The most active cooperation is in the field of telecommunications and IT technologies, aviation industry, automotive industry and new materials. During the discussion of the interaction of the Gazpromneft-Polytech REC with an industrial partner, Sergey Khlopin demonstrated the successful experience of implementing a scientific project aimed at the practical application of the results of industrial operation. He also emphasized the importance of further developing cooperation and expressed confidence in the formation of reliable partnerships with representatives of the PRC in an alliance with an industrial partner.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: From resilient economy to wider opening up, China’s 14th five-year plan delivers remarkable results

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

    From resilient economy to wider opening up, China’s 14th five-year plan delivers remarkable results

    BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) — With the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) nearing conclusion, China has clocked up a series of landmark achievements, including a resilient economy, solid steps in green transition and unwavering opening up.

    At a press conference on Wednesday, Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), described the five years as a period of “pioneering progress, transformative breakthroughs, and historic achievements.”

    “China has become the most stable, reliable, and dynamic force in global development,” he said.

    RESILIENCE

    According to Zheng, China’s economic increment is projected to exceed 35 trillion yuan (4.89 trillion U.S. dollars) in the five-year period, contributing about 30 percent annually to global economic growth.

    Over the first four years of the period, the economy expanded at an average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, Zheng said, noting that despite the shocks of the pandemic and trade bullying, the growth of China, given its vast economic scale, is an unprecedented achievement.

    The steady economic performance has also translated into tangible livelihood improvements. Urban job creation stood at more than 12 million each year, reflecting the populous country’s stable labor market.

    The growth has especially been driven by deepening economic transformation. Domestic demand accounted for 86.4 percent of the GDP increase on average, with final consumption contributing 56.2 percent — an 8.6 percentage point increase over the previous planning period.

    Innovation played a key role in driving development. The country’s total R&D expenditure surged nearly 50 percent, or 1.2 trillion yuan, from 2020 to 2024, and its R&D intensity reached 2.68 percent, approaching the average of OECD economies.

    China’s national strength has been significantly enhanced during the five-year period, which will also offer opportunities for global development, Zheng said, adding that no matter how the international landscape evolves, the country will manage its own affairs well and push forward Chinese modernization.

    GREEN TRANSITION

    The five-year period also marked a leap forward in China’s ecological transformation, with more efficient energy utilization and a better natural environment.

    China has fulfilled its green promises and shouldered the responsibility of a major country. From 2021 to 2024, energy consumption per unit of GDP fell 11.6 percent, cutting carbon emissions by around 1.1 billion tonnes, nearly half the European Union’s total emissions in 2024.

    As a global leader in renewable energy, China’s installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.09 billion kilowatts by May 2025, more than doubling that in 2020. One in three kilowatt-hour of electricity nationwide is now from green sources.

    The adoption of green lifestyles has surged, with new energy vehicle ownership soaring to 31.4 million in 2024, up significantly from 4.92 million in 2020.

    Looking ahead, Zhou Haibing, a deputy head of the NDRC, said the next five-year period from 2026 to 2030 will be critical for achieving China’s 2030 target to peak carbon emissions.

    “We will redouble efforts and implement more pragmatic measures to promote the green transition in economic and social development and accelerate the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature,” he said.

    WIDER OPENING UP

    According to the press conference, foreign direct investment into China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan from 2021 through May 2025. Foreign-invested enterprises now account for one-third of China’s imports and exports, one-quarter of its industrial output, and one-seventh of its tax revenue, while creating more than 30 million jobs.

    Zhou hailed the success of foreign firms as a vivid testament to China’s improving business environment, which is becoming more market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.

    China has twice reduced its negative list for foreign investment since 2021. All restrictions on foreign access to the manufacturing sector have been lifted, and further liberalization has occurred in agriculture and services. Pilot initiatives in healthcare and value-added telecommunications have opened new opportunities for foreign businesses.

    Solid efforts have been made to ensure foreign firms receive national treatment and enjoy strong intellectual property protection.

    “China’s policies on attracting and utilizing foreign investment are consistent,” Zhou said, noting that China will continue to ease market access and expand openness in an orderly way, ensuring foreign companies have equal access to policy benefits, from public procurement to standard-setting.

    China remains and will continue to be an ideal, safe and promising destination for global investors, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chinese State-Sponsored Hacker Arrested on U.S. Warrant

    Source: US FBI

    China’s Ministry of State Security allegedly directed theft of COVID-19 research and confidential information regarding American policy makers

    HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Chinese national has been taken into custody for his alleged involvement in U.S. computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the reckless and indiscriminate HAFNIUM campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide.

    Authorities took People’s Republic of China (PRC) national Xu Zewei (徐泽伟) into custody in Milan, Italy, as he departed a plane from China at the request of the United States.

    Xu is charged along with PRC national Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, in a now unsealed nine-count indictment returned in November 2023. They were both involved in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021 at the direction of officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB), according to the indictment.  

    The charges allege MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Xu worked for Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd., one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government, according to the charges. 

    “The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas has been waiting years to bring Xu to justice and that day is nearly at hand. As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget.”

    “This arrest underscores the United States’ patient and tireless commitment to pursuing hackers who seek to steal information belonging to U.S. companies and universities,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. “The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions.”

    “While the world was reeling from a virus that originated in China, the Chinese government plotted to steal U.S. research critical to vaccine development,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “Xu Zewei, an alleged hacker acting on behalf of China’s primary spy agency, targeted COVID-19 data using sophisticated cyber techniques and tradecraft. His landmark arrest by FBI Houston agents in Italy proves that we will scour the ends of the Earth to hold criminal foreign adversaries accountable.”

    According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S. based universities and leading immunologists and virologists conducting ground-breaking research into COVID-19 vaccines, treatment and testing. The charges allege Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu allegedly provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in SDTX. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the research university, according to the allegations. Xu later allegedly confirmed for the SSSB officer he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes.

    Beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely used Microsoft product for sending, receiving and storing email messages, according to the charges. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was allegedly at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.”

    In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. In July 2021, the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS, which they and private sector cybersecurity leaders condemned as “indiscriminate,” “reckless,” “irresponsible” and “destabilizing.”

    The charges allege victims of Xu’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were a university located in SDTX and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators allegedly installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. According to the indictment, these web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang allegedly worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the university’s network, according to the charges, and on or about Feb. 28, 2021, updated an SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer, according to the allegations. The charges allege unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms allegedly included “Chinese sources,” “MSS” and “HongKong.”

    The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement.  Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China allegedly cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach can result in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third-parties.

    In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States left vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors.

    Xu is charged with two counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to do which all carry possible prison terms of up to 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud and to committing identity theft as well as two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers. If convicted on any of those charges, he could receive up to five years, while intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum 10-year-possible sentence on either of two counts as charged. For the aggravated identity theft, he could receive another two years which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. All convictions would also have the potential of up to $250,000 as a possible fine.

    Zhang remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

    The FBI’s Houston Field Office is conducting the investigation.   

    SDTX Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and John Marck and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law. 

    MIL Security OSI –